Washington hosts screening of Track Guy movie

A surprise was in store for Mike Jay. The longtime commentator whose voice has boomed over track meets across Iowa and the U.S. was in Washington on Sunday for for a screening of Track Guy, a documentary about Jay’s career and charity, the Track Guy Foundation.

After the screening, Jay, joined on stage in the Washington High School auditorium by the film’s director Andrew Snyder, was surprised with a check of $10,000 from the Riverboat Foundation. The grant supports the Track Guy Foundation, which has donated over 1,300 new pairs of shoes to high school runners since its inception in 2018.

“I don’t even know how to explain it,” Jay said following the screening ... “I still can’t fathom that. I know what we do is good. I know it’s good. We’re helping kids. I know it comes from the heart, and we’re in it 1000%. But to have some other people think its also good and give you $10,000 for what you’re doing is mind blowing to me.”

Jay hopes to eventually put some of the grant towards a free summer running camp for young athletes, something he dreamed of attending when he grew up near Columbus Junction. Along with new shoes, the Tack Guy Foundation has also gifted over 80 $500 scholarships to students, and assisted with funding trips to running camps for kids in Iowa, according to its website.

Washington residents along with members of the track and cross country communities gathered Sunday afternoon to watch the documentary about one of the premier voices in the track world. A Q&A session with Jay and Snyder followed the screening.

The film details the backstory of the Track Guy Foundation, featuring interviews with Jay’s wife and two sons, and shows day Jay doing various work for the charity. It also details Jay’s emergence as a widely-regarded track commentator and features him calling several events from the Drake Relays to the Iowa High School State Championship meet, all while balancing the day-to-day operations of the Track Guy Foundation.

“It’s just been crazy that a small-town Iowa kid from Fredonia can still achieve their dreams and do what they want to do. So each and every one of you in here can do the same thing,” Jay told the crowd during the Q&A. “So if there’s ever a message I want to get across it’s that, and giving back. Giving back is huge.”

The documentary also features Jay calling the Steve Roth Invite, held at Washington’s Case Field. Roth, the Demons boys track coach and a longtime friend of Jay’s, helped coordinate Sunday’s screening. Roth expressed his gratitude Jay’s friendship, what he’s done for the sport, and was excited to see Washington featured in the documentary.

“It does Washington well because I’m proud of our facility,” Roth said. “I’m proud of what we have going on and I really wanted to showcase that ... We knew he was coming to film but we didn’t know how much (would be included) but when I saw it the first time, I was like, oh, we’ve got to show this here in Washington.”

Snyder, University of Iowa graduate was working at Fitness Sports in Coralville when he first met Jay, who was purchasing shoes for the Track Guy Foundation. Snyder heard to Jay’s calls growing up when he attended track meets to watch his siblings and teammates.

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Snyder’s initial plan was to attend the state meet in 2024 and shoot for three months from March to May. That turned into over 600 production hours and following Jay over the course of a year to document him balancing commentating with running the foundation. A crew of six put together the film over 18 months with 27 shoot days.

“Mike’s all over the place,” Snyder reflected. “So trying to decide what meets I should go to to shoot, what events I should be and how that fits into the story has been challenging but also really fun.”

Upcoming screenings of the film are scheduled for Nov. 2 at Big Grove Brewing in Cedar Rapids and Nov. 16 Varsity Cinema in Des Moines. Both screenings will start at 3 p.m. with free will admission.

Additional showings in the Quad Cities and Sioux City are also expected, with details to be announced. Updates will be posted on the Track Guy Movie Facebook page. Snyder is also working on making the movie available to be streamed.