Judy Guzzo

Be a lifelong athlete for a long (and fulfilling) life

By Kristen Hislop

Age: 56
Family: Husband, Pete; Son, Robby, 23; Daughters, Anna, 21 and Olivia, 18
Residence: Niskayuna
Profession: Senior Manager for External Technology Partnerships, GE Research
Sports: Running, Triathlon – “I run because I can’t sit still (and I love it)”

Lifelong athletes are people who have been active in sports for their entire lives. We read about many sports that engage athletes over their lifespan on the pages of this publication. From hiking, skiing, running, swimming, biking, tennis, and golf – these sports attract athletes of all ages. According to the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition Science Board, 73% of adults who play sports also did so when they were young. We may know someone who swam in a summer league as a kid and continues to enjoy lap swimming as an adult. 

But of the 16 million lifelong athletes in the United States, only a small percentage are competitive at a high level for their entire lives. We could consider them elite athletes; however, we often think of elite athletes as professionals. Those who get paid to compete, but how about the people who compete regularly without getting paid. They still stand on the overall or age group podium at races they choose to attend. Many of those events are local, but can be regional, national and even international.

Now, thinking about a lifelong athlete you know who has and still does compete at a high level, and your list is likely shorter! As Judy Guzzo will tell you, it isn’t easy! It takes planning, balance, consistency, family support, and a good dose of motivation. 

Judy focused on soccer and volleyball until her older sister Trisha, who ran for Notre Dame High School in Utica, got her hooked on running. “In high school, my girlfriend and I started the first girls cross country team at New Hartford High School. I continued running cross country and track at SUNY Plattsburgh and loved it. The team was a big part of my life in college.”

Certain races became family traditions early on and the Utica Boilermaker 15K was one. Watch for this to become a theme.

After graduating from SUNY Plattsburgh, Judy went to work at GE Research for about two years. Like many with inquisitive minds, this scientist decided to pursue a graduate degree in Inorganic Chemistry at University of Notre Dame. Anyone who has been on the science track in college knows that Organic Chemistry is the course that crushes many dreams. On a school tour, the summer before she started, Judy met a guy. He invited her on a group bike ride with his lab and then to a BBQ at his house. “It was love at first sight, literally.” 

Judy tackled her classes with success and along the way, the chemistry grew with fellow graduate student Pete Guzzo. Graduating together they also tied the knot in South Bend in 1994. The Northeast was calling them home and so Pete took a position as a postdoc at RPI in Troy and Judy was happy to join GE Research in Niskayuna as a chemist.

Today, Judy has been with GE for 30+ years. She notes, “primarily because of the unique opportunities at GE Research to work in a variety of roles, technologies and GE businesses. I transitioned to roles as project leader, Principal Investigator, and now as a Senior Manager for External Technology Partnerships. I’ve spanned technical disciplines from robotics to systems engineering and am currently focused on enabling government programs at GE with strategic partners using innovations to modernize the electric grid.” Suffice it to say, Judy has had a huge impact on GE. Rarely do we hear of people with long careers, but as we look at Judy’s athletic endeavors, they follow the similar theme of new challenges and a chance to tackle big ventures and adventures. 

She also competed for GE’s Corporate Track & Field Team in the USCAA Track & Field Nationals for six years in the 5K, 10K and 800m; raced as part of the GE Co-Ed Team at the 2006 and 2007 Hood to Coast Relay (winning the Mixed Corporate Open Division in 2006); has been part of GE Womens and Co-Ed teams for the Chase Corporate Challenge in Albany and Finals in New York City; and has been GE team co-captain for the Workforce Team Challenge for 15+ years.

Back to South Bend. It was there that Pete introduced Judy to triathlon. The Sun Burst Triathlon marked the beginning and they’ve been doing them together ever since. For Notre Dame alums, swimming in St. Joseph’s Lake on campus and finishing the run in the football stadium drew them back. With a plethora of races on her resume she says, “I love the Olympic distance. It’s a physical and mental challenge for both the training and racing.” Over the years you accumulate a lot of stories. A favorite is from the Piseco Lake Sprint Triathlon in the Adirondacks. “One year we had my entire family participating on relays or doing the full triathlon. My sister, niece, two of our kids, Pete, and half of our neighborhood on Arrowhead Road. We took home a pile of medals and ice cream.” 

Judy’s husband, Pete, is also very active and accomplished: a five-time finisher of the Wakely Dam Ultra 55K trail run; an Adirondack Winter 46er; almost in the Northeast 115 Club for those who’ve climbed all 4000-foot peaks (only seven remaining!); and a member of Hudson-Mohawk Search and Rescue. He’s also in the band, AROX: facebook.com/acoustixrox.

Remember that 73% of adults who participate in sports did so in their youth. In the Guzzo family all three kids were required to do at least one sport during school. “They thought it was normal for parents to get up at 5am for a 10-mile run and do races on the weekend. By middle school, they realized it was not the ‘norm.’ Overall, I think it’s encouraged them to participate and enjoy sports with teams and have a healthy lifestyle.”

What are these amazing kids up to now? Robby, 23, said we were an “exception” to the families he knew. Robby was an accomplished runner at Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons High School in Schenectady, and has run the Philadelphia Half Marathon and the local Stockade-athon 15K while being in college at SUNY Schenectady, and now at Siena.

Anna, 21, has been an avid swimmer since grade school with a short break to participate in cross country and track at ND-BG during high school. She started swimming competitively again at SUNY Oneonta as a freshman, and will be finishing her senior year on the swim team as one of the team captains.

After swimming and trying about six different sports, Olivia, 18, became very involved in mountain biking with the Niskayuna Mohawk Composite Mountain Goats team (NICA NY) starting in eighth grade through senior year, and also competing in cyclocross with the Capital Bicycle Racing Club team for two seasons.

Of her family Anna says, “growing up, I thought it was completely normal that my parents would wake up early and run or bike. In my everyday life, I always make sure that I am moving whether it is lifting, running, swimming, or just going for a walk. Now that I am swimming in college, I am even more grateful that my parents pushed me and my siblings to be active every day.”

Let’s get back to role model mother Judy. Not only does she compete, but she also steps up on the podium regularly. She has outright won the Corporate Challenge in 1997 (now the Workforce Team Challenge) and a few of the HMRRC Mother’s Day races in Delmar. In 2021, she placed second in her age group at the Philadelphia Half Marathon in 1:34, and was recently third in her age group at the Tupper Lake Tinman Olympic. How do you keep motivated to continue year after year? Family and friends – that theme just keeps coming up! 

In 2000, Emily Bryans, one of the most accomplished runners in the area, casually asked if Judy had interest in joining a running team. Thrilled with the idea, it became a reality as the Willow Street Athletic Club was formed. Twenty-three years later this USATF Adirondack club continues to grow and support top athletes in the region. Willow Street brings like-minded runners together to develop individual talent as well as assemble competitive teams while fostering friendships. The team is Judy’s extended running family. “I cherish these friendships and racing experiences with the team, and am grateful for the support from Fleet Feet to this team and the running community.”

When you’ve won races as long as 36 years ago, it’s tough to look at a personal record as a success. Instead, Judy measures success by staying healthy and in the game! She maintains a good level of fitness that allows her to place in her age group at races. A priority is always having fun with teammates at races and other outdoor adventures.

You might be tired reading this article and thinking – well she can do this, but I can’t. Judy has some great advice, “Commit to making it part of your daily lifestyle, even if it’s 30 minutes.” You’ve got to be in it to win it!

What’s next for the woman who won’t sit still? This fall you’ll find her at the MVP Health Care Stockade-athon 15K, Cardiac Classic 5K on Thanksgiving with family and friends, and the Philadelphia Half Marathon. In 2024, it will be toeing the line with her team wherever Willow Street races, including the Freihofer’s Run for Women 5K. Of the Run for Women she says, “Freihofer’s is one of my favorite races. I love the team spirit and female camaraderie. The event showcases the depth and breadth of women’s running from beginners to the elite racers in our very own Capital Region and around the nation!”

On the triathlon scene, she’ll be back up in Tupper Lake for the Olympic in June 2024 and likely taking her age group again at the Crystal Lake Triathlon in August. I’m sure if some friends suggest another race, she might just show up. After all, family and friends are a key component to being a lifelong athlete.

Kristen Hislop (hislopcoaching@gmail.com) is a USA Triathlon and Ironman U coach, and race director for the Freihofer’s Run for Women. The Hislop Coaching motto is “Do–Believe–Achieve” because she feels everyone is destined for greatness. She is a proud mother to two boys who run in college and a husband who recently completed his first 70.3 triathlon.