By: Brittany Vermeer
M-I-C-K-E-Y M-Oโฆ Ok, so clearly weโre not talking about the beloved, animated mouse of our childhood. But if you ask anyone in the tri club to describe Mickey Moore, theyโd likely say heโs just as charismatic and joyful as his namesake.
Moore has been a member of Gulf Winds Triathletes for just two years, but his involvement in the athletic community in Tallahassee extends far beyond to nearly 14 years in the Gulf Winds Track Club.
Surprisingly, he didnโt grow up as a runner. In seventh grade, he tried track and field, but quit after just a year. He tried the sport again in junior high, but was more preoccupied with โcool sports,โ like baseball, soccer, and football. He wouldnโt run again until 2007, as a 37-year-old divorcee trying to get back into shape.
โAt that time in my life, I was divorced and spent a lot of time in the gym,โ he says. โI got a job traveling 3-4 days a week, and it was hard to stay in shape. The one thing I could do was run. No matter where you go, all you need is a pair of shoes and shorts. So I started running one mile a day and worked up to two miles and then three miles. I didnโt know what training was. I was just trying to get back into shape as an almost 40-year-old.โ
Mickey, Audrey, Shane, and Rocco
In 2009, a college buddy mentioned he was running the Rock n Roll Half Marathon in Nashville and wanted to know if Moore was interested. He completed a basic, 12-week training plan his friend came up with and finished in a respectable 1:35. โI was hooked,โ he says. โFor the next 14 years, I put in training cycle after training cycle, and Iโm still competing today.โ
Mooreโs favorite race distance is the half-marathon, because itโs โlong enough to let you know that you put in some work, but you can also be fast.โ โCompared to the speed of a 5K or the distance of a marathon, the half marathon has a little bit of both,โ he says. โIf Iโm in half-marathon shape, I can get up to a marathon or down to a speedy, 10K pretty quickly.โ
For several years, Moore toyed around with the idea of doing a triathlon, but something always got in the way: meniscus surgery, another marathon, fear of the swim. When the pandemic hit and he started working from home, Mooreโs wife, Audrey, told him it was now or never.
His first race was Red Hills Triathlon, but even before he competed, heโd already signed up for Gulf Coast 70.3, just one month later. โIโm a bucket list kind of guy,โ he says. โMaybe it was adventurous, stupid, or a bit of both. I knew I could run a half marathon, no problem. I wasnโt a cyclist (I couldnโt change a tire to save my life), and I didnโt know about swimming, but here I was doing a triathlon.โ
Moore completed his first half Ironman in 5:33 and was surprised to receive a roll down spot for the 70.3 World Championship in St. George, Utah. โI sent the email to Jeff Bowman and asked if it was a hoax. He told me that it was serious. I told him that I had no idea what I was really doing and wasnโt sure if I should go. He said that some people work their whole lives to get a spot for this race and never get the chance. If it was something I wanted to do, then I should take the opportunity.โ
Moore describes that race with 30-mph wind, rain, and hail as the most difficult thing heโs ever done in his life. As he crested the top of Snow Canyon on his $500, 10-year-old bike, looking for one more gear, he wondered what he had gotten himself into.
โIโve had a lot of adversity in my life,โ he says. โI think thatโs part of where my drive comes from and why I want to push myself, and punish myself, sometimes. On that course, on that day, Iโd never been physically pushed that hard, especially on the bike. But there is satisfaction when you cross the finish line and let it all out and think, โWow, I endured.โโ
At 53 years old, Moore is the father of two boys: Shane, age 9, and Rocco, age 6. Last year was devoted entirely to running as many 5Ks and one-mile races as he could, as a promise to his sons. โUltimately, I want to provide them with an example to follow and maybe inspire them, because their dad is old. One day, they wonโt see me run anymore, so I want to get it all in and experience as much as I can.โ
โI donโt push them. I want them to come to the realization on their own that if they do the work, they get this result. If they donโt do the work, then they get a different result. Which result are you most happy with?โ
Running, and racing, as a family wouldnโt be possible without the support of Mooreโs wife, Audrey, who serves as โrace caddyโ for all three Moore men. โWhen we started dating, I was just getting back into running, and she was my race caddy for a lot of years. That was pre-kids, and we would travel and take race vacations. Now, sheโs a race caddy for three boys! Just having her there in this sport is important.โ
Moore will draw on the support and encouragement of his family as he prepares to run the Boston Marathon in just a few weeks. This race will mark his 14th marathon and his 5th Boston. He has a goal of 2:55, but โwe will see what happens,โ he says.
However, thatโs not his biggest goal for the 2023 season. On April 1st, (April Foolโs Day) Moore plans to sign up for Ironman Florida. As mentioned before, Moore is a bucket list kind of guy and this one will certainly make a big splash.
No matter what Moore does in life, whether itโs with running and triathlon, or his work with the Florida Sheriffโs Association, his consulting firm, Moore Business Strategies, or publishing his podcast, RunLifeToday.org, Moore wants to show people that you can run your life the way you want, instead of letting life run you.
โLeadership, to me, means a couple of things,โ he says. โItโs about inspiring other people and providing an example. At the end of the day, itโs about your behavior and choices. I love sharing these sports with my sons, because I want them to learn that if you want to do something, you can, if you put in the time, energy, and sacrifice. It takes planning and effort. Itโs purposeful.โ