John and Tracy met on September 28th, 2016 at Coopersmith’s Pub and Brewery in Fort Collins. They had several beers together and laughed at each other’s stories. Tracy learned that John was a Wind Farm Manager for Duke Energy and she was instantly hooked. Tracy went to Duke University for graduate school. Thus, it was kismet. John invited Tracy to watch his daughter, Rachel, play rugby at a local park on the next Saturday. This park was close to Tracy’s house so she decided to jog over to the park with her dog Panda and her foster puppy Kellie (now named Jelly). When Tracy showed up at the park, all three of John’s triplets were there, as well as his Mom and Dad! Tracy met almost ALL of John’s family on Date #2. And that was the beginning! Shortly after, Tracy and John travelled to Key West to run the Keys 100 race on different teams. It was during this trip that they discovered that they love to travel, and especially together. John also met the Keys family and friends that they both cherish. Since this trip, John and Tracy travel frequently to visit the National Parks and go to various running events around the country.

Tracy applied for a position as the Chief of Resource Management and Science for the National Parks of Eastern North Carolina and was offered the job! This meant that she would be moving across the country to live in the Outer Banks in North Carolina for a few years. On the anniversary of their first date, September 28, 2018, John proposed to Tracy so he could “lock her down” before the move. :) John and Tracy drove across the country and bought a house in Kill Devil Hills. They were featured on an episode of Beachfront Bargain House when they were looking for their house!