SISTER CITIES EXCHANGE

Celebrating the 13th Year of our Marathon Exchange!

This year, Columbus and Dresden, Germany are celebrating the 34th anniversary of becoming sister cities, a relationship featuring numerous cultural, educational, athletic and business exchanges. This will also be the 14th 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 five runners to represent OUR race at the October 26 Dresden Marathon & ½ Marathon!

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

Tom Gabalski

Columbus, OH

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.

Joshua Gandee

Columbus, OH

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

Hilliard, OH

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

Westerville, OH

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!

Amanda Swanson

Columbus, OH

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.