4 months ago
297
4
Posted On: July 15th 2026, 02:53 pm
Rae devoted her life to coaching, mentoring, and inspiring young runners throughout Northeast Ohio. Her passion for helping others reach their full potential defined both her career and her life’s work. She coached cross country and distance athletes at Olmsted Falls, Strongsville, Brecksville, and Medina High Schools, as well as Center Middle School in Strongsville and Brecksville Middle School. She also proudly coached with the Strongsville Youth Track Club, nurturing a love of running in countless young athletes.
Throughout her remarkable career, Rae guided her athletes to 143 All-Ohio honors, 26 All-American honors, 25 individual State Championships, three Cross Country Team State Championships, two State Champion 4×800 relay titles, and 14 State Runner-Up finishes. During one extraordinary stretch, her Center Middle School team compiled an incredible 200–0 record, reflecting the culture of dedication, teamwork, and belief she instilled in every athlete.
Rae made history as the first woman Division I coach in any sport to guide her son to qualify for the state meet. She coached her son, Andy to the Division I state 3200 in 1999. Eleven years later, in 2010, she became the first woman DI coach in any sport to coach her son to an individual state DI championship. Her son, Colby, won the indoor and outdoor DI 1600. This was one of her proudest accomplishments as both a coach and a mother.
Her commitment to young people extended far beyond competition. Rae founded and directed the Quest for Success Running Camp, organized youth day camps, kindness camps, and youth races, and established the nonprofit GOH Run to promote healthy lifestyles, character, and community through running.
A proud graduate of Strongsville High School, Rae returned to her alma mater as a PE and Health teacher. She also taught at Muraski Elementary School, where she had once been a student.
While Rae’s accomplishments were extraordinary, her greatest legacy lives on in the thousands of young people she inspired—the confidence she instilled, the friendships she fostered, and the lives she changed through her unwavering dedication to coaching, teaching, and serving others.
Throughout her remarkable career, Rae guided her athletes to 143 All-Ohio honors, 26 All-American honors, 25 individual State Championships, three Cross Country Team State Championships, two State Champion 4×800 relay titles, and 14 State Runner-Up finishes. During one extraordinary stretch, her Center Middle School team compiled an incredible 200–0 record, reflecting the culture of dedication, teamwork, and belief she instilled in every athlete.
Rae made history as the first woman Division I coach in any sport to guide her son to qualify for the state meet. She coached her son, Andy to the Division I state 3200 in 1999. Eleven years later, in 2010, she became the first woman DI coach in any sport to coach her son to an individual state DI championship. Her son, Colby, won the indoor and outdoor DI 1600. This was one of her proudest accomplishments as both a coach and a mother.
Her commitment to young people extended far beyond competition. Rae founded and directed the Quest for Success Running Camp, organized youth day camps, kindness camps, and youth races, and established the nonprofit GOH Run to promote healthy lifestyles, character, and community through running.
A proud graduate of Strongsville High School, Rae returned to her alma mater as a PE and Health teacher. She also taught at Muraski Elementary School, where she had once been a student.
While Rae’s accomplishments were extraordinary, her greatest legacy lives on in the thousands of young people she inspired—the confidence she instilled, the friendships she fostered, and the lives she changed through her unwavering dedication to coaching, teaching, and serving others.
Comments (4)
More posts
