Dukes Track Club History

"On the Thirtieth night of October of the Two Thousand and Eighth year of Our Lord, the Dukes Track Club was conceived. The Founding Fathers gathered at the fortress of Death, Danger, and Love for the purpose of creating a more perfect union of runners that might fulfill the prophecy and bring unity to the Duke’s City…"

The Dukes Track Club was a dream of many individuals who shared a passion for running and a love of New Mexico. With the goal of bringing together a group of runners that could not only reinvigorate the running community in Albuquerque, but also compete at the national level, the Dukes were established. A running club was first imagined by several future Dukes, including Kris Houghton, Dana Patton, Jesse Armijo, and Tristan Willey.

The first tangible step towards the Dukes was taken by Jesse Armijo when he crafted a proposal that included the framework that the club is now based on. Jesse put on paper the expectations for each facet of the club, including the recreational runners, the racing team, and the main shoe sponsor. Jesse envisioned a club that would assist not only elite runners, but also a recreational running population and a local running store.

Jesse’s proposal was the catalyst that spurred other future Dukes to begin working towards the club. In a few short weeks, the club went from a dream to emerging reality as more and more runners were swept up in the excitement. Teo Cutter provided the simple, yet meaningful name to the then nameless club. Robby Nelson, following advice offered by running community expert Stan Hockerson, drafted the Dukes Bylaws and made first contact with Brooks.

On December 4th, 2008 members of the Notorious Nine met at DDL to hold the first official Dukes meeting at which the Bylaws were signed by all present.