ON THE RUN: Kinnier gone, but not forgotten (2024)

The Charlottesville running community lost a giant last weekend. After 27 exhausting months of staying one stride ahead of a rare and terminal brain tumor, Skip Kinnier, one of the strongest and toughest runners I've ever known, slowed up just enough and was overtaken at the way too young age of 54.

As I mourn the loss of my dear friend, I find myself reflecting on the extraordinary life of this seemingly ordinary man. After all, he never directed a race, never was president of The Charlottesville Track Club, never was in the sports headlines and was never near the top finishers at a local footrace. And yet, for the past 25 years he was one of the most well liked, most recognizable and most respected runners in town. In fact, all of us who had the pleasure of knowing this wonderful man, would agree that Skip Kinnier was "the best."

When I first met Skip, he was a talented and determined young runner training endlessly to be as fast as possible. During one stretch in the early 1980s he had an amazing streak going, where he ran 10 miles or more every single day for over a year. Incredibly, Kinnier kept the streak alive, even after a blizzard dumped 18 inches of snow on the area. On that frigid day, when no other runner in town even dared to venture out their door, the ever resourceful and upbeat marathoner followed the snowplows around the Fashion Square parking lot, lap after lap after lap, until he had clocked his allotted 10 miles for the day. Skip's dedication paid off as he ran several marathons in the lickety-split sub 3-hour zone, times that us mere mortals would only dream of attaining. Yet, despite his speedy talents, the ever-humble Kinnier never talked about his impressive racing resume. Instead, he would always turn the attention to others' accomplishments. He seemed to gain a greater thrill from congratulating others than recounting his own racing conquests.

After devoting five years to his own personal racing, Skip decided in 1986 to pack away his competition shoes and, instead, give back to the sport he loved so much. Over the next two decades he went on a tear of community stewardship like nothing that had ever been seen before, as he devoted thousands of volunteer hours into making this the best running community possible.

During that time of stellar public service, Kinnier helped at over 300 local races (in turn, those races raised over $1 million for area nonprofit causes). One of my favorite stories was when he served as our official lead "pacer" runner for the youngsters at the Discovery Dash races, which, at the time, were still being held on the Downtown Mall. He did this until one year some of the faster kids caught up to and actually passed him before he had paced them to the finish line. Never shy about tossing out a joke at his own expense, the exhausted but upbeat Kinnier came up to me in between gasps said, "I think it's time I worked with you back at the finish line."

He served as treasurer for the Charlottesville Track Club's 750 members for over a decade and one of his proudest accomplishments was initiating a college scholarship fund for area high school track and cross country athletes. Today, those scholarships (which the CTC named after him after his tumor was discovered) annually reward worthy students in need, from close to a dozen area schools, with several thousand dollars for college.

Skip gave so much to the greater running community that he was one of the first recipients of the the CTC's ultimate honor, The Charlottesville Track Club Lifetime Service Award, which is bestowed annually upon an individual or couple who has maintained a leadership role for 10 or more years in volunteer service for the overall good of running in Charlottesville. Skip richly deserved this prestigious award as his service went well beyond this description.

And through all of this community stewardship he still maintained a beautiful balance with his family life. He was a devoted husband, caring stepfather and loyal and kind son, brother and uncle. His work ethic, according to all who had the privilege of working alongside him, was second to no one. For 36 tireless years he was one of the City of Charlottesville's most dedicated employees and amazingly, despite the destructive nature of his illness, Skip managed to come to work each and every day up until 10 days before his death. Before he became ill, Skip would don his running clothes every evening after work and hit the same city sidewalks and streets he helped create. Over the years he became a familiar and comforting daily sight for all who were commuting home from work.

Skip's determination and hard work, his selfless volunteerism, his loyalty to friends and kindness to strangers, his humble and modest nature and his passion for his job, his family and his running inspired all of us who were touched by this remarkable man.

We're already missing you, Skip.