HAL
Mascot
The beloved mascot of Hal Sports, HAL first came on the scene when Lonnie and Michelle Somers participated in a 170-mile mountain relay. Their team name, Team Hallucinations, reflected the sheer craziness of running that far over and through the mountains.
When they founded a timing, scoring, and consulting company, Hallucination Sports in 2009, “Hal” was given new life. The company would fill the gap they had discovered as race directors. Not just another vendor: the company eventually known as Hal Sports would be focus on being an Event Partner.
HAL’s covered thousands of miles at races of all kinds, and he embodies the unique fun that accompanies any endurance event HAL Sports takes on. Wild hair and all, HAL’s rooting for you!
Hal’s HAL (Healthy Active Living) is having fun, staying positive and never giving up!
Lonnie Somers
President and Chief Hal Officer
Lonnie has over 15 years of experience in producing, consulting, and timing/scoring mass participatory endurance sports events. Lonnie is a recognized professional event announcer for many high-profile events both nationally and internationally. Why is he suited for this? Hard to say, but we credit Disney, a love of running and fitness, CPA and investment banking backgrounds, some radio time, and experience creating an international non-profit. He’s been involved in hundreds of events.
Lonnie is the Chairman and CEO of the Fetal Health Foundation, an organization he and his wife founded after fetal surgery saved their identical twin daughters. He created the successful national Race for Fetal Hope 5K Run series (now The Great Candy Run). Before he began his work to bring everyone in the world into endurance sports, he had over 20 years experience in various executive management, financial, accounting and operations roles from start-ups to fortune 500 companies. He sits on the Running USA board of directors.
Lonnie’s HAL is: Family, Running, Cycling, Strength Training, Music, Microphones, smiling, (oh, and 80’s trivia).
Michelle Somers
Vice President, Chief Wizard Officer
Michelle Somers, also known as “not Lonnie,” is the co-owner of Hal Sports. After years of counting beans, she grabbed her sneaks, ran out of the office, and never looked back. Michelle jumped into the business of running and endurance sports with both feet.
She loves working with passionate clients, feeling the excitement of the participants at each start line, and witnessing amazing and inspirational finishes from the first to the last finisher.
Proud mother of twin girls, Michelle achieved her goal of running the Boston Marathon in 2016. She is also the Co-Founder of the Fetal Health Foundation and The Great Candy Run. Prior to all this fun she spent 16 years working in corporate accounting & finance.
Michelle’s HAL is family, running, baking and outdoors(ing)!
Creigh Kelley
Director Emeritus of Event Management
Creigh Kelley (pronounced “Cree”) has been a competitor, agent, race director, national consultant, and elected leader in the national and international running community for 30 years. Since moving to Denver in 1978, he has represented elite athletes as an agent and put on more than 1,000 races across the country. Before joining Hal Sports, he was a founder of Running USA, and the founder and president of BKB Limited, which managed, produced and directly assisted with over 1,000 recreation special events throughout the nation. He has been an integral part of the Kaiser Permanente Colfax Marathon since its inaugural race in 2006, and has been the Race Director since 2008. Creigh has been running since his sophomore year in high school and ran college track at Virginia Military Institute. Creigh has been been inducted into the Running USA Hall of Champions and the Colorado Running Hall of Fame
His hint for healthy, active living is “Get your feet on the floor and get out the door!”
Jordan Healy
Operations/Timing Director
Born and raised in Colorado, Jordan left to go to Montana State University for her undergraduate. There she majored in skiing, hiking and equestrian polo. Living in Montana fostered her love of the outdoors and nonprofit events. Jordan graduated with a degree in Community Health and Political Science in 2017. As soon as she graduated she came back to Colorado!
Jordan started running in high school with cross country and state track. While in college she embraced the opportunity to run in as many themed runs as possible!
Jordan is excited to be apart of the HAL team, supporting all the amazing people of the running world.
Jordans HAL includes: Skiing, hiking with elephants, yoga, English Springer Spaniels named George, scuba diving and all types of adventuring!
Angie Wenzl
Operations/Event Director
When she graduated with her M.A. in Deaf Education from UNC/UNL, Angie never imagined that running would become a thread woven through all areas of her life. Her passion for helping others became a career which gives her the opportunity to assist non-profits through the event world. Working in the running industry for over 17 years in planning, directing, marketing and operating events is all about the details — including each very personal/unique story that accompanies every person to the start line.
Working in the event industry led to a great friendship with Lonnie and Michelle as well as the chance to work with them professionally through HAL Sports. When she’s not managing her own races, teaching yoga, planning social media posts or blogging, you can find her on the interstate heading to Denver or somewhere on an airplane meeting up with the HAL Sports team!
Watching her three children explore their own career journeys and create their own life stories is also her passion. Although a runner, her children would tell you that her mantra is “Life isn’t a race to the finish line, savor the the journey.”
Angie’s favorite word: Selah (To stop, to pause and to “breathe in” this very moment.)
Angie’s HAL is: running, hiking, spending time with her kids, being on Lake Nokomis amidst the tall white pines of the Northwoods, music, flower gazing, bird watching, and sticky notes! : )
“Around here we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious…and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
-Walt Disney
Photo: Lonnie and Michelle Somers