Kansas City Smoke

Welcome to the Smoke Elite Squad, Quenton Walion! 💨

From walk-on ➡️ KU school record holder ➡️ KC Smoke.

We’re excited to welcome Gardner, Kansas native and recent University of Kansas graduate Quenton Walion to our Elite team!

Quenton earned a walk-on spot at KU in 2021 and went on to compete at multiple Big 12 Championships while developing into one of the Jayhawks’ top middle-distance runners.

PR’s / accolades:
🔥 1:49.17 — 800m
🔥 3:42.45 — 1500m
🔥 3:56.87 Mile — KU Indoor School Record
🔥 14:16.06 — 5000m
🔥 23:59.8 — XC 8K
🔥 Member of KU’s School-Record DMR

Quenton will stay close to home as he begins the next chapter of his running career, taking on the roads while continuing to chase fast times on the track.

We’re fired up to have another Kansas athlete joining the crew.

Welcome to KC Smoke, Quenton! 💨🔥

🚨 WELCOME TO KC SMOKE, MANDY ZIMMERMAN! 💨

We’re fired up to welcome Mandy Zimmerman to the Elite Female Group within the KC Smoke family!

A 2:46 marathoner, wife, mom of three, and woman of faith, Mandy brings a story built on perseverance, adaptability, and a genuine love for the sport.

Growing up as a military child, Mandy learned early how to adapt to change and find stability wherever life took her. Running became that grounding force, and a way to admire God’s beauty and glorify Him along the way.

After beginning to train seriously during her senior year of college, Mandy qualified for Boston with her first marathon in 2015. She’s been chasing growth ever since.

🔥 PRs
🏃‍♀️ Marathon — 2:46:11
🏃‍♀️ Houston Marathon 2025 — 2:47:40 | 16th American
⚡ Half Marathon — 1:17:54

And now, after welcoming her third child, Mandy is building back postpartum with some big goals ahead, including working toward a possible Olympic Trials Qualifier in the marathon.

We can’t wait to see what’s ahead.

Welcome to the Smoke, Mandy! 💨🔥

🔥 WELCOME TO KC SMOKE, NATE POHLSANDER! 🔥

We’re excited to welcome Nate Pohlsander to the KC Smoke family!

Nate comes to KC Smoke after competing for four years at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, where he qualified for the NCAA DII Cross Country National Championships all four seasons and earned All-South Region honors twice.

💨 PRs
🏃 3K — 8:30.81
🏃 5K — 14:55.24
🏃 XC 8K — 24:20.70

Four trips to Nationals. Two All-Region honors. And plenty more ahead.

Welcome to the Smoke, Nate! 💨🔥

🔥 Welcome to the KC Smoke Elite team, Mary Kate McGranahan! 🔥

From NCAA Division III All-American to the ACC, and now a standout marathoner, Mary Kate has proven that every new challenge only brings out her best.

After leading Amherst College to national success, winning the 2022 NESCAC Cross Country Championship, and earning All-American honors, she took the leap to Virginia Tech, where she competed among the ACC’s top distance runners. Along the way she qualified for the NCAA East Regional, scored at the ACC Outdoor Championships in the steeplechase, and represented the Hokies at conference and regional championships.

Her transition to the roads has been just as impressive. In her marathon debut at Grandma’s Marathon, Mary Kate clocked an outstanding 2:49:00, and we believe an even bigger breakthrough is just around the corner. With CIM and future goals ahead, we’re excited to be part of the journey.

🏃‍♀️ PR Highlights

• Marathon – 2:49:00
• Half Marathon – 1:20:08
• 5,000m – 16:33.82
• 3,000m Steeplechase – 10:23.5
• Mile – 4:54.7

Welcome to the Smoke family, Mary Kate! 🔥💨

🚨 KC Smoke Elite Welcomes Emily McCullough! 🔥

We’re excited to welcome Emily McCullough to the KC Smoke Elite Team!

Emily joins us after an outstanding collegiate career that included:

🏆 NJCAA National Champion
🥇 6× NJCAA All-American
🏅 4× NCAA Division II All-American
👟 Back-to-Back MIAA Cross Country Champion
🇺🇸 10th Place – 2026 USATF 8K Championships (her road racing debut!)

Her personal bests speak for themselves:

⚡ Mile – 4:51
⚡ 5,000m – 16:40
⚡ 10,000m – 34:27

Emily has already proven she can compete with the nation’s best, and we’re excited to be part of her next chapter as she pursues USATF Championships and continues her development on the national stage.

Welcome to the Smoke, Emily! 💨🔥

🔥 WELCOME TO KC SMOKE ELITE 🔥

We’re excited to welcome Tanner Talley to the KC Smoke Elite Men’s Team!

After an outstanding career at the University of Kansas, Tanner has established himself as one of the top middle-distance runners in the region. From breaking the 4-minute barrier in the mile to running 1:48.57 for 800m, he’s proven he can compete with the best while continuing to improve year after year.

🏃 Personal Bests
⚡ 800m – 1:48.57
⚡ 1500m – 3:38.82
⚡ Mile – 3:58.96
🌲 8K XC – 23:53.3

Tanner’s dedication, consistency, and competitive mindset make him a perfect fit for what we’re building at KC Smoke. We’re excited to be part of the next chapter of his journey as he continues chasing new personal bests and competing at the highest level.

Please join us in giving Tanner a warm welcome to the KC Smoke family! 🔥💨

🔥 Welcome to KC Smoke, Raymond Lambert! 🔥

We’re excited to welcome Masters athlete Raymond Lambert to the KC Smoke team!

Raymond’s running journey didn’t begin until his senior year of high school, and after stepping away from the sport, a college 5K with his future wife reignited a passion that has grown into an incredible distance-running career. From road races to ultra trail events, and now some of his fastest performances ever as a Masters athlete, Raymond proves that the best chapters can come later in life.

After turning 40, he committed to chasing a longtime dream of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. Inspired by watching his children compete in cross country and track, he embraced structured training, earned his Boston qualifier, and has continued to improve ever since.

His recent performances speak for themselves:
🏃 Marathon – 2:46:28
🏃 Half Marathon – 1:20:58
🏃 5K – 17:08
🏃 Mile – 4:58.05

Raymond embodies everything we value at KC Smoke: consistency, perseverance, and the belief that improvement has no age limit.

Welcome to the team, Raymond! We can’t wait to see what’s next. 💨🔥

🔥 KC SMOKE TAKES ON THE MACKLIND MILE 🔥

KC Smoke lined up against one of the deepest mile fields of the summer this morning at the Macklind Mile in St. Louis—and came away with two outstanding performances.

🥈 Noah Stevenson broke the magical 4-minute barrier, racing to 2nd place in 3:58.

🔥 Julian Avila wasn’t far behind, finishing 5th overall in 4:03, just three seconds shy of joining Noah under four minutes.

In a race where the top seven athletes all ran 4:06 or faster, both Noah and Julian showed they can compete with the very best.

Congratulations to both guys on an incredible morning. The momentum keeps building. 💨

🔥 Welcome to KC Smoke, Jarrett Meek! 🔥

We’re excited to welcome Jarrett Meek to the KC Smoke Masters team.

A former standout at Manhattan High School, Jarrett was the definition of a versatile athlete, competing across sprinting, middle-distance, hurdles, jumps, throws, and cross country. His high school accomplishments included a 1:57 800m, 50.25 400m, 14’1” pole vault, and a 16:29 cross country 5K.

After years away from serious competition, Jarrett has returned to the sport with big goals. This summer he’ll compete in both the 200m and 800m at the USATF Masters National Championships, while also training in the pole vault and long jump as he works toward a full decathlon in 2027.

Jarrett is proof that competitive goals don’t have an age limit. We can’t wait to follow his journey as he continues to challenge himself across multiple events and disciplines.

Welcome to the team, Jarrett! 💨🔥

🔥 WELCOME TO KC SMOKE 🔥

Please join us in welcoming Julian Avila to KC Smoke and our Elite Men’s Team!

Julian’s journey is a testament to perseverance and trusting the process. After helping Manhattan High School capture Kansas state titles in 2018 and 2021, he overcame an early collegiate setback and rebuilt his career into one of the most successful middle-distance stories in the region.

🏆 4x NAIA All-American
🏆 Multiple Conference Champion
🏆 First Team All-Big 12 (Indoor)
🏆 Big 12 Outdoor Championship Qualifier

PRs:
⚡ 800m – 1:50.79
⚡ 1000m – 2:25.94
⚡ 1500m – 3:50.61
⚡ Mile – 4:07.20
⚡ 8K XC – 24:58

Julian joins Smoke with some strong goals on the horizon, including breaking the 4-minute mile barrier, running a low-14-minute 5K, and dipping under 1:50 in the 800m.

We’re excited to be part of the next chapter of his journey and can’t wait to see what he’s capable of.

Welcome to the team, Julian! 💨🔥