Check Out Travis Wright Colopy’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Travis Wright Colopy.

Hi Travis, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have been the Executive Director of Fit & Able for nearly eight years now but the organization was founded nearly 25 years ago by my mom and the concept behind Fit & Able even goes back before I was even born while my parents were still in grad school at the Houston Medical Center. If even ten years ago you had said this is what I would be doing, I wouldn’t have believed you but now I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

What began as a simple 6-panel comic my dad drew for a presentation to illustrate the characters “Fit” and “Able” taking control of their lives to adopt healthier habits was formally organized as a nonprofit shortly after my family moved to North Carolina in 1996. At that time, NC ranked at the bottom of a recently published CDF list for youth obesity and my mom, concerned for the environment my brother and I would be living in, took action. She got involved with several local health and wellness organizations and initiatives and finally formed Fit & Able Productions, Inc. so she could keep things going strong.

During the early years of Fit & Able, which I was in middle school and high school, I was involved with many of the programs and events, including being a counselor at the YMCA triathlon camps, setting up races, and announcing awards. Although we now almost exclusive stage running races, way back then, triathlon was still a relatively new and novel sport and there were almost no youth triathlon programs or races on the east coast. So that’s what we focused on and it helped Fit & Able really grow quickly.

I took a break while I was out of state for college and law school but when I finally graduated while the last recession was in full swing, I had the perfect opportunity to really think about what I wanted to do, the kind of role I wanted to have in my community, and the type of lifestyle I wanted generally. If I was going to be starting my own thing one way or another, whether that was hanging out my own legal shingle or something else, I might as well figure out what would be the most fun long-term.

Fit & Able was a different kind of organization then but it was a great time for a pivot, so I took over leadership and started getting it on the path to where we are today as one of the biggest race management companies and the only nonprofit one too. Getting up at 4 AM on a Saturday to put in a 16-hour workday may not sound great to everyone but it certainly beats being tied to a desk day in and day out as a young associate. Over the years, I have had the flexibility to be involved with a lot of cool things in the community and work with a wide variety of organizations with their events. Not to mention that the runners aren’t the only ones who get to have fun at our races and we have a great crew that is a blast to work with. It’s been a great journey.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
We have really been blessed with the journey we’ve had with Fit & Able. Each year has consistently been better than the last as we’ve added new creative events, enjoyed new opportunities, and worked with new charity and community partners.

Fortunately, until the pandemic struck last year, we had not had any major obstacles to overcome or anything that has threatened the continued success, or viability, of the organization. Even during the pandemic, when all mass-gathering events were shut down, we were able to pivot. In fact, we only had to fully cancel one event in 2020 and that one was only because it was in March during the rush of closures and before good virtual race platforms were fully ready to roll out. We were successfully able to add a virtual option to all races after then and fortunately returned to in-person racing on Halloween. This helped us serve the pent-up demand to race again by dedicated runners and begin to rebound by the end of the year to start 2021 strong.

Naturally, as a company that produces outdoor events, we always face the usual risks of bad weather disrupting our events. Our races will go off whether there’s sun, rain, or snow but severe wind, storms, and ice can force us to delay the start, rapidly change the event plan, or even cancel or postpone the event entirely. Again, we’ve really lucked out over the hundreds of events we’ve had that only a handful have ever been negatively affected. By weather, but it’s something that is always on our mind and we are always ready to adjust on the fly as needed. No doubt, as we continue to grow, we will face new challenges but we look forward to them as opportunities to get better at what we do and offer to the community.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am the Executive Director of Fit & Able Productions, Inc., my family’s 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was founded in the late ’90s. Fit & Able builds healthier communities, one athlete at a time, through organizing creative events, programs, and activities in Cary and surrounding communities.

Although we are now almost exclusively focused on running events, we have also staged, managed, or timed track and field meets, cross country meets, road races, triathlons, and other multi-sport events over the years too. Our race portfolio includes nearly 30 events of all sizes and distances – everything from mile to marathon.

We work with schools and a wide variety of local non-profits, including Boys & Girls Club of Wake Co., SPCA of Wake County, Read & Feed, Urban Ministries of Wake County, Cary-Kildaire Rotary Club, Alzheimer’s North Carolina, Cary Family YMCA, Triangle Aquatic Center, Triangle Aphasia Project, Unltd., The Carying Place, YMCA of the Triangle, US Veterans Corps, Soles 4 Souls, Dorcas Ministries, Food Bank Central & Eastern NC, Travis Manion Foundation, Apex Chamber of Commerce, Cary Community Foundation, Cary Women’s Giving Network, Town of Cary’s Play It Forward, Wade Edwards Learning Lab, Esteemed Coffee, The 200 Club of Wake County, TAA’s A New Lease on Life, The Wake Tech Foundation, Life Experiences, Bradford’s Ordinary Fire Co., Camp Corral, North Carolina Senior Games, Mariposa School, Horse & Buddy, Center for Volunteer Caregiving, Cary PD Project Phoenix, Hope Chapel, Green Chair Project, Fill Your Bucket, Note in Your Pocket, Wheels 4 Hope, and Children’s Flight of Hope.

We also offer year-round training programs for athletes of all ages, skill levels, and abilities. But our expertise is training and encouraging youth, novice, and nontraditional athletes. Fit & Able’s events, teams, and programs are open to the general public – children, adults, seniors, families, and sometimes even pets. Yes! You can run with your four-legged friends at our Mutts & Marshmallows and Pups & Pastries races, two of the largest and few dog-friendly events in the Triangle.

What we are known for is the personalized experience all participants enjoy at our races. It doesn’t matter how many runners there are; no one is just a face in the crowd or name on a bib. Everyone might be racing against each other for prizes but it still feels like one big club of running buddies. We also encourage everyone of any age, ability, or skill level to participate in our races and training programs. Whether you run, walk, roll, or stroll, there is a spot for you at the start line.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
It’s always a great feeling to see people come back race after race, bringing new friends and family to join them, and having a great time. We’ve been at this long enough that runners who were kids when we started are now bringing their own kids back to race with them. It’s a simple pleasure but it’s what gets us out of bed at 4 AM, twenty Saturdays each year to go set up another great race.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://www.fitandableproductions.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fitandableproductions/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FitandAble
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/fitandable

Image Credits
James Leifeste, Fit & Able Productions