Five Questions with Jay Tinsley ’02

One step at a time. This is how Jay Tinsley ’02, an avid trail runner and marathoner, approaches not only long runs but also life. “Running has taught me that when I’m starting to feel overwhelmed to just focus on the task at hand,” he says. 

Through the roads and trails of Phoenix, Arizona, where Tinsley resides with his family, he typically runs between 30 and 40 miles a week. In 2024, he ran more than 1,800 miles with around 160,000 feet in elevation gain in his home state as well as in Nevada, Texas, Washington, Tennessee and Maryland. 

But running for Tinsley isn’t all about tracking distance and time. Rather, it is about intention and community. The captain of the Phoenix chapter of Black Men Run and co-captain of TURF (Trail & Ultra Running Fanatics), Tinsley says that his primary goals are to “help improve the health and wellness of African American men through running, as well as increase our representation out on the roads and trails.”

Since his running journey began after his Stonehill graduation, Tinsley made it a point to run on campus when he returned for his 20th Reunion. “I can say that the commute from the Sem to the Commons goes by much faster that way,” he notes. 

In five questions, Tinsley, who is the assistant vice president of financial aid at the University of Maryland Global Campus, talks about running along the Charles River, recalls a meaningful quote from Joe Versus the Volcano and shares how Stonehill has influenced his life in myriad ways. 

Can you tell us about your running journey?  

I think I officially started running when I moved back to Boston from Philly in 2007. I was still relatively nascent in my fitness journey, but I had athletic friends that lived close by, and they convinced me to start running along the Charles River with them. I never participated in races though aside from once doing the Reach the Beach Relay in New Hampshire. It wasn’t until I moved to Phoenix and joined Black Men Run in 2017 that I realized how enjoyable running with large groups could be. My trail running journey didn’t really begin until the pandemic when all the road races were cancelled, and I wasn’t so focused on pace. It was a natural transition to get out into nature away from the masses. 

How is community a part of running for you?

To quote the luggage salesman in Joe Versus the Volcano, “It’s the central preoccupation of my life.” Community is pretty much why I do anything that I do, and I think running is what jumpstarted that as I’ve gotten older. Over the years, I’ve been able to witness how easily people from different walks of life come together through movement, and I take a tremendous amount of pride in being a part of that.

You have mentioned that you run with intention. Can you share more about this?

I used to run just to lose weight, which is fine, but often not enough to motivate one to get up at 4 a.m. every day, or to be active when the daily temps hit triple digits for three months straight. Now I run to promote healthy living habits, build community, spend time with my kids, improve my mental health, hang out with my friends, get out of my comfort zone, etc. Running is the linchpin for almost every facet of my life, so doing it with a purpose, with intention, makes my life better.     

What lessons have you learned from running that you have incorporated into other parts of your life?  

Running has taught me that when I’m starting to feel overwhelmed to just focus on the task at hand. When I leave my house in the morning, I have a general idea of how far I want to run, and that mileage can occasionally feel daunting. I get through it by just focusing on one step at time because that’s what I have control over in that moment. Not only does this serve as a distraction through all the miles, but it helps to ensure that I land each step well. It’s when I lose my focus on those steps that I roll an ankle or trip potentially ruining the entire run. This approach has been helpful in my job, raising my kids, and trying to navigate an increasingly complicated world.

Since graduation, you have remained an active Stonehill alumnus—returning to campus for Reunions and events, through the BACES mentoring program, and as a member of the President’s Advisory Council. Why is this important to you?  

A large part of who I am can be attributed to my time at Stonehill. It provided an environment for me to learn, grow, be challenged, make lifelong friends, see the world, and experience “faith” in a way that has continued to resonate with me. I don’t have the career that I have because of Stonehill, I have the life that I have because of Stonehill.  I can’t think of a better reason for my continued association with the institution.   
 

[Opening photo by Cody Stephens.]