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Running is a passion for Tracy Gold’96. She recently broke the three-hour marathon mark and finished more than five minutes ahead of the second-place runner in the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco.
“I’ve run nine marathons to date and continue to compete in local races of all distances. Escape From Alcatraz is my next big event. Since it is a triathlon I have until the beginning of June to figure out how to not drown in the ocean,” she joked this spring.
Having played varsity tennis at Lafayette, Gold has always been sport-minded. Her move to the west coast fit the love of running she developed after graduation.
“It’s amazing to have access to the mountains, beach, wine country and city life. I tend to spend a lot of time outdoors,” she explains.
Tennis was a highlight of Gold’s time at Lafayette. The friends she made on the team, as well as those from her Pi Beta Phi sorority, are still in her life today.
A psychology major at Lafayette, Gold remembers Wendy Hill, Rappolt Professor in Neuroscience, as an incredible mentor.
“Her confidence in me always pushed me to try harder,” she says. “Her classes were always interesting and she had a very graceful teaching style. All the professors in the psychology department were first rate.”
Gold credits her major with opening up many career choices for her.
“Psychology is such a comprehensive and versatile major,” she says. “The education I received offered a balance between research and clinical studies.”
Gold chose to enter the field of experiential marketing, where a brand or product is promoted through experiences involving high levels of interactivity, sensory impact, and relevance to the audience. She works for Jack Morton Worldwide as an account manager.
“This is such an exciting time to be working with brands,” she says. “Tivo, the iPod, and other technologies are changing the way we receive messages. You can no longer just slap an ad up and call it advertising because there is too much clutter out there. Needing to find creative and innovative ways to market to people keeps me on the edge of my seat.”
Striving to keep a healthy balance among this work, running, her family, and friends keeps Gold energized for each new challenge that comes her way.