Courtney Dobbs at the Finish Line

Here's our girl, Courtney Dobbs ready to run for Tech.

A happy runner is a good runner.

That's Courts on the outside.

Tired at the finish, but the smile remains golden.

Courtney crosses the finish line.

Mitzi Hartwell of PowerTools and I met this delightful young woman, Courtney Dobbs, at a recent Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce technology event at the civic center. Courtney was marketing director with a Blacksburg tech company (Social Engagement Strategies) whose table was next to Mitzi's and we all got to talking. I think Mitzi and I both liked this fresh young kid immediately.

Then we found out this working freshman is on the Virginia Tech track team--a very good runner, in fact--and the deal was sealed. Courtney looks like she's 13 years old and I'm sure that haunts her every time she tries to be taken seriously, but I have yet to detect any hard feelings about it from her. She simply plugs away as who she is, a capable, intelligent young woman of accomplishment and she has us all in the palm of her hand immediately.

Yesterday, she ran in an NCAA qualifying event at Roanoke College and the Mitz and I showed up as her fan club and marketing department. Here are some photos of our girl finishing third in the 5K. Remember, she's a teenager and her future is bright in both track (and cross country) and business.