SISTER CITIES EXCHANGE

This year, Columbus and Dresden, Germany are celebrating the 33rd anniversary of becoming sister cities, a relationship featuring numerous cultural, educational, athletic and business exchanges.  This will also be the 13th time that each city officially sends representatives to take part in the other’s respective marathon & ½ marathon.

In partnership with Dresden Sister City, Inc., we have selected three runners to represent OUR race at the October 27 Dresden Marathon & ½ Marathon!

Tom Gabalski

Tom’s interest in marathons began years ago when he took his young sons to watch the Columbus

Marathon finish line, where they were captivated by the runners’ agony and joy. A former high school

runner in Columbus, he didn’t tackle his first marathon until 2013, intending it as a one-time bucket-list

goal. Now after completing 35 marathons, including ten Columbus Marathons and eight consecutive

Boston Marathons, Tom’s enthusiasm for running remains stronger than ever. A proud member of the

JFR Run Club, he challenged himself in 2024 by running 12 marathons in 12 months and is now thrilled

to run his first international marathon in Dresden. Tom also runs with Team Heart & Sole, as a teammate

empowering disabled athletes to participate in endurance events. You’ll also find Tom pacing various

races around Columbus, including serving as a Striding Slider pacer at the Columbus Marathon in

2023 and hopefully again in 2025. 

As a supply chain professional with extensive travel to Mexico, Asia, and eastern Europe, Tom is eager

to explore Germany for the first time. With ancestral roots in northwest Poland, he plans to visit the region

during his Dresden trip with the hope of discovering family connections. As a Columbus Marathon

ambassador, he’s excited to immerse himself in German culture and share his love for running with

fellow athletes in Dresden.

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Joshua Gandee

Joshua Gandee is a writer, photographer, bartender, and runner in Columbus, OH. Since quitting

drinking in 2017, Joshua has built a non-alcoholic culture through recipes, recommendations, and a

love for bubbly water. He believes that a change in mindset can reshape one's identity and is dedicated

to uplifting those around him through his podcast, ‘no proof,’ which shares conversations with hospitality

professionals and their journeys through sobriety. When not plotting new run routes in Columbus,

Joshua enjoys traveling and hiking with his wife, Laura, and their son Arthur.

 

 

John Hykes

Growing up in Northland, John played soccer and baseball as a child. But in high school, running was

used as punishment for mistakes at football practice, turning him off to it. It wasn't until late in 2008,

sitting around with friends, that the idea to start running came back. What started as a joke among

friends has turned into 16 years of running, including 29 half marathons and 4 full marathons. His

previous work with Make-A-Wish and current role as the Director of Foundation Relations at the

Nationwide Children's Hospital Foundation makes the Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus

Marathon even more meaningful for him. While a student at the University of Alabama, John was

fortunate enough to travel to Germany with classmates and looks forward to exploring more of

Germany, and touring Dresden the best way he knows how: running. These days, John and his

wife Kelli live in Hilliard, where they raised two sons who are now in college.

 

 

Traci Mehalic

Traci is a passionate runner and lifelong advocate of health and wellness. She is a licensed personal

trainer and is currently working as a clinical exercise physiologist for a weight management program

at McConnell Heart Health Center (part of Ohio Health). Traci also enjoys working part time at

several of the local Fleet Feet stores.

 

Traci has been running marathons for over 2 decades. She has completed 23 full marathons

(11 times Columbus) and 7 ultras. Traci’s favorite marathon is the Columbus Marathon (even after

running Boston in May 2025). She is a Columbus native and loves to run the familiar streets seeing

hundreds of family and friends along the way. Her daughter even lives right on the course! The

section around “The Shoe” is extra special too as Traci and several of her family members are OSU

alumni. 

 

She also participates in several local run clubs weekly and has even started and led many throughout

the years. Traci is eager to share all that she loves about the running community and the city of

Columbus with her Dresden sister city. She has German heritage, and Traci is very excited to travel

to Germany for the first time, immerse herself in the culture, and run her inaugural international

marathon!

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Amanda Swanson

Amanda is a pediatric dentist, avid runner, dog lover, wine taster, and advocate for all things local

in Columbus. She fell in love with the area following completion of her specialty training at

Nationwide Children’s Hospital and decided to make it her home. Amanda started running as a way

to meet people and relieve stress while in dental school, and has been running consistently with local

run clubs ever since. She (finally!) ran her first official half marathon last year and aspires to do many

more in the future, exploring new places and forming special friendships along the way. Whether

plunging into icy waters of the Arctic Ocean or traversing northern England on foot, Amanda has a

penchant for travel and learning about new cultures firsthand. Amanda looks forward to visiting

Germany for the first time and is proud to represent Columbus as an ambassador in this year’s

exchange.

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​​​​Interested in learning more about Dresden Sister Cities, the exchange, or hosting a runner this fall?  Contact Dorit Fratzscher at dresdensistercity@gmail.com