It took a casual inquiry during GCU’s Welcome Week 2022 to unite Anthony Vela with the GCU Running Club, and it’s been a happy marriage since. Vela enters his 4th year as not only the team’s head coach, but also a multicultural specialist for the GCU Office of Student Engagement in Student Affairs. Just weeks after starting at GCU, while working one of Student Engagement’s information tables next to the GCU Club Sports tent on campus, Vela’s history with running came to the forefront as he discovered that the running club’s head coach had recently stepped down, and Vela threw his hat in the ring.
Vela’s experience with distance running and desire to lead and serve others can be traced back to his high school days. A lifelong resident of the Valley of the Sun, the native of El Mirage formally took up running during his junior year at Dysart High School, becoming a member of both the Demons’ Cross Country and Track & Field teams. While eventually becoming a team captain for both squads, Vela was sharpening his skills (and getting his first taste of running at the club level) with the Glendale Flash, qualifying for USATF Nationals on both the T&F side (3000 meters, 4x400 and 4x800 relays) and cross country side (5K).
After graduating from DHS, Vela took his running and captaining skills to Estrella Mountain Community College in Avondale, excelling at both for the Lions’ Cross Country squad for two years. After earning his AA, Vela headed to Arizona State University, where he worked as a supervisor at the Sun Devil Fitness Complex in downtown Phoenix while earning his bachelor’s degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice with a minor in Sociology.
Vela is currently working on earning his Master of Science degree in Psychology from GCU.
