College

Ran with the Club since the start ... Personal best in the 8K is 27:36, and a 16:37 in the 5K ... Didn’t sleep through the Kansas Half-Marathon/5K and won a new pair of shoes for his victory, which are still being run in a thousand miles later … Thanks, Mark ... Was a top five finisher in a D3/D2 meet down in Arkansas ... Ran at the Kansas Relays and won the 1,500 meters ... Just kidding, he wiped out after the first 100 meters and finished dead last, but has a PR of 4:20 in the 1,500 meters.

 

High School

Was the captain for both Cross Country and Track his senior year ... Ran a 17:26 personal best 5K ... Other best times include 10:16 in the 3,200 meters, but let’s be honest, he ran in the second lane the whole time … Also ran a 4:48 mile his junior year after running the mile only once over the course of his last two track seasons in high school ... Also dropped a 2:00.8 800 meters his senior year, which was crazy cool ... Growing out an afro was the highlight of his high school career … That is all.

 

Personal

Son of Dana Nelson and Todd Jourdan ... Parents are divorced and mother married a guy with the last name Nelson …  Was born in Okinawa, Japan and no, he does not have dual citizenship, nor can he speak Japanese, nor is he part Japanese ... Was born on a military base ... Loves to go hard during workouts ... People say God doesn’t show his presence to people anymore like he did back in the years of Abraham and Moses, but boy he sure does; and if you want to see him, Nelson has just the workout for you ... Hobbies including singing in the car, shower, during runs, and in his room in front of the mirror while dancing ... Will eat just about anything, in any quantity ... Once ate a whole cheesecake ... Also loves to read about exercise, hang out with good friends, and build relationships with new people.

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Dedication

To say the Running Club wouldn’t exist without Nelson Jourdan would be an understatement. As a freshman, Nelson was handed the remnants of the club from the previous regime. There wasn’t much left of the Club, but Nelson took the challenge head on. Nelson saw something when nothing was there. He had a vision despite the current state, and he has the audacity to pursue that vision. For Nelson’s remaining four years with the Club, he acted as the Club’s President and guided the Club through a complete rebirth. Each of Nelson’s four years as President saw tremendous growth, as Nelson laid down the foundation for which the Club would follow. The love and care that Nelson showed the Club during his time as President was shared with all of its members and can now be passed down for years to come. All of the great memories each of us has made through the Club can be attributed to Nelson’s hard work in developing the Club, and for that we will thank and remember him eternally.