Adirondack Sports September 2023

SEPTEMBER 2023 25
WILLOW STREET
ATHLETIC CLUB.
with fellow graduate student Pete Guzzo.
Graduating together they also tied the
knot in South Bend in 1994. The Northeast
was calling them home and so Pete took a
position as a postdoc at RPI in Troy and
Judy was happy to join GE Research in
Niskayuna as a chemist.
Today, Judy has been with GE for 30+
years. She notes, “primarily because of
the unique opportunities at GE Research
to work in a variety of roles, technologies
and GE businesses. I transitioned to roles
as project leader, Principal Investigator,
and now as a Senior Manager for External
Technology Partnerships. I’ve spanned
technical disciplines from robotics to
systems engineering and am currently
focused on enabling government programs
at GE with strategic partners using
innovations to modernize the electric
grid.” Suffice it to say, Judy has had a huge
impact on GE. Rarely do we hear of people
with long careers, but as we look at Judy’s
athletic endeavors, they follow the similar
theme of new challenges and a chance to
tackle big ventures and adventures.
She also competed for GE’s Corporate
Track & Field Team in the USCAA Track &
Field Nationals for six years in the 5K, 10K
and 800m; raced as part of the GE Co-Ed
Team at the 2006 and 2007 Hood to Coast
Relay (winning the Mixed Corporate
Open Division in 2006); has been part
of GE Womens and Co-Ed teams for the
Chase Corporate Challenge in Albany and
Finals in New York City; and has been GE
team co-captain for the Workforce Team
Challenge for 15+ years.
Back to South Bend. It was there that
Pete introduced Judy to triathlon. The Sun
Burst Triathlon marked the beginning and
they’ve been doing them together ever
since. For Notre Dame alums, swimming
in St. Joseph’s Lake on campus and finishing
the run in the football stadium drew
them back. With a plethora of races on
her resume she says, “I love the Olympic
distance. It’s a physical and mental challenge
for both the training and racing.”
Over the years you accumulate a lot of
stories. A favorite is from the Piseco Lake
Sprint Triathlon in the Adirondacks. “One
year we had my entire family participating
on relays or doing the full triathlon.
My sister, niece, two of our kids, Pete, and
half of our neighborhood on Arrowhead
Road. We took home a pile of medals and
ice cream.”
Judy’s husband, Pete, is also very
active and accomplished: a five-time finisher
of the Wakely Dam Ultra 55K trail
run; an Adirondack Winter 46er; almost in
the Northeast 115 Club for those who’ve
climbed all 4000-foot peaks (only seven
remaining!); and a member of Hudson-
Mohawk Search and Rescue. He’s also in the
band, AROX: facebook.com/acoustixrox.
Remember that 73% of adults who
participate in sports did so in their youth.
In the Guzzo family all three kids were
required to do at least one sport during
school. “They thought it was normal for
parents to get up at 5am for a 10-mile run
and do races on the weekend. By middle
school, they realized it was not the ‘norm.’
Overall, I think it’s encouraged them to
participate and enjoy sports with teams
and have a healthy lifestyle.”
What are these amazing kids up to
now? Robby, 23, said we were an “exception”
to the families he knew. Robby
was an accomplished runner at Notre
Dame-Bishop Gibbons High School in
Schenectady, and has run the Philadelphia
Half Marathon and the local Stockadeathon
15K while being in college at SUNY
Schenectady, and now at Siena.
Anna, 21, has been an avid swimmer
since grade school with a short break to
participate in cross country and track at
ND-BG during high school. She started
swimming competitively again at SUNY
Oneonta as a freshman, and will be finishing
her senior year on the swim team
as one of the team captains.
After swimming and trying about six
different sports, Olivia, 18, became very
involved in mountain biking with the
Niskayuna Mohawk Composite Mountain
Goats team (NICA NY) starting in eighth
grade through senior year, and also competing
in cyclocross with the Capital
Bicycle Racing Club team for two seasons.
Of her family Anna says, “growing up,
I thought it was completely normal that
my parents would wake up early and run
or bike. In my everyday life, I always make
sure that I am moving whether it is lifting,
running, swimming, or just going for a walk.
Now that I am swimming in college, I am
even more grateful that my parents pushed
me and my siblings to be active every day.”
Let’s get back to role model mother
Judy. Not only does she compete, but
she also steps up on the podium regularly.
She has outright won the Corporate
Challenge in 1997 (now the Workforce
Team Challenge) and a few of the HMRRC
Mother’s Day races in Delmar. In 2021,
she placed second in her age group at the
Philadelphia Half Marathon in 1:34, and
was recently third in her age group at the
Tupper Lake Tinman Olympic. How do
you keep motivated to continue year after
year? Family and friends – that theme just
keeps coming up!
In 2000, Emily Bryans, one of the most
accomplished runners in the area, casually
asked if Judy had interest in joining
a running team. Thrilled with the idea,
it became a reality as the Willow Street
Athletic Club was formed. Twenty-three
years later this USATF Adirondack club
continues to grow and support top athletes
in the region. Willow Street brings
like-minded runners together to develop
individual talent as well as assemble competitive
teams while fostering friendships.
The team is Judy’s extended running family.
“I cherish these friendships and racing
experiences with the team, and am grateful
for the support from Fleet Feet to this
team and the running community.”
When you’ve won races as long as 36
years ago, it’s tough to look at a personal
record as a success. Instead, Judy measures
success by staying healthy and in
the game! She maintains a good level of
fitness that allows her to place in her age
group at races. A priority is always having
fun with teammates at races and other
outdoor adventures.
You might be tired reading this article
and thinking – well she can do this,
but I can’t. Judy has some great advice,
“Commit to making it part of your daily
lifestyle, even if it’s 30 minutes.” You’ve got
to be in it to win it!
What’s next for the woman who won’t
sit still? This fall you’ll find her at the
MVP Health Care Stockade-athon 15K,
Cardiac Classic 5K on Thanksgiving with
family and friends, and the Philadelphia
Half Marathon. In 2024, it will be toeing
the line with her team wherever Willow
Street races, including the Freihofer’s
Run for Women 5K. Of the Run for Women
she says, “Freihofer’s is one of my favorite
races. I love the team spirit and female
camaraderie. The event showcases the
depth and breadth of women’s running
from beginners to the elite racers in our
very own Capital Region and around the
nation!”
On the triathlon scene, she’ll be back
up in Tupper Lake for the Olympic in June
2024 and likely taking her age group again
at the Crystal Lake Triathlon in August.
I’m sure if some friends suggest another
race, she might just show up. After all,
family and friends are a key component
to being a lifelong athlete.
Kristen Hislop (hislopcoaching@gmail.
com) is a USA Triathlon and Ironman U
coach, and race director for the Freihofer’s
Run for Women. The Hislop Coaching
motto is “Do–Believe–Achieve” because
she feels everyone is destined for greatness.
She is a proud mother to two boys who run
in college and a husband who recently
completed his first 70.3 triathlon.