Run Joe, Run: StormTracker 59 Chief Meteorologist Joe Fitzwater loves to run!

My name is Joe Fitzwater and I’m the Chief Meteorologist on the StormTracker59 Weather Team. Although weather has been and continues to be my life passion – particularly local climatology – running would most definitely be my second passion.

I’ve always been someone who has enjoyed the outdoors, however for much of my early to mid 20s, I did not take care of myself. Eating unhealthy meals over and over again, heavy snacking at night and not getting enough exercise, my weight blossomed to nearly 300 pounds by the spring of 2018. While on a vacation trip to go watch a NASCAR race at Martinsville in spring of 2018, my vacation pals took a picture of me at Lover’s Leap in Patrick County, Virginia and upon seeing that photo, that was the moment I needed to make some changes in my life.

I was living in Charleston at the time, and I began hiking different parks nearby, such as over at Coonskin Park, Kanawha State Forest and at the New River Gorge. But during the summer that year, I decided I wanted to take my exercise to the next level by trying to run. I quickly discovered that I had a lot of work to get to the level of health that I wanted to achieve – I could barely jog 100 yards.

Over the next year, I began running and ran my first running race at the Bridge Day 5K in Fayetteville on Bridge Day in 2019. Running quickly became something more than exercise to me – it became a part of me and became a part of my lifestyle.

After that race, I was still hungry and wanted more. I met a guy nicknamed BP – who has become a great running friend – that ran and continues to race in ultra-marathons, which are running races greater than the marathon distance. These races sometimes can exceed 100 miles and we have them right here in our backyard!

My quest has been on from there – to run and to run long distance. In February 2023, I ran my first ultra-marathon at the Cabin Fever 50K in Fayette County.

What do I love most about running? It’s a couple of things. I love the running community here in West Virginia. They are some of the kindest people but they also are people that push you and everyone around them and that kind of mentality is infectious. The second thing I like is the growth from the demand and suffering that comes with running great distances, to challenge yourself to do something that is hard, and to experience memories from the accomplishment of trying something difficult.

When I am not giving the forecast, at a school visit to talk about the weather, or spending time with friends and family, I’m most likely out running or knocking out some kind of planning for running. As I embark into my 30s, it has truly become a primary identity for me.

As far as my next goals for running, I enjoy running shorter, local races – especially with Active Southern West Virginia – but my favorite races are ultra-marathons. My goal over the next couple of years is to run the Rim to River 100-mile race in the New River Gorge and finish the New River Trifecta , which consists of finishing the Cabin Fever 50K , Falling Waters 100K and Rim to River 100-mile race all in one year. I hope to do this in the near future. I also want to be a better runner and help others who might be where I was back in 2018 and inspire folks to put on their running shoes and get running.

You can follow my running adventures on Strava ! It is free to join!

Joe’s Favorite Places to Run

• Lake Stephens (Raleigh County) : Back in 2023, I pieced together a running route that goes around Lake Stephens in the Surveyor area of Raleigh County. The route is a little over 14 miles in length and covers some very beautiful and desolate area. I love running this route alone and with friends, too!
• Piney Creek Trails (Raleigh County): These were the first trails I focused on when I became Chief Meteorologist here at WVNS in 2022. I love to run these trails when I am looking for a couple of hours of ‘trail therapy’ that only takes a few minutes to drive to from my home.
• Kanawha State Forest (Kanawha County) : My first trail race was in January 2022 at the Frozen Sasquatch 25K/50K Trail Races and to this day, the atmosphere there is like no other – and neither are the trails! They are perfect for vertical training, it’s all up and down up there, plus it’s super remote so you can be in touch with nature.
• New River Gorge (Fayette County) : The gorge speaks for itself – incredible views, TONS of trails to run on – it has it all! And the people in this area are great and so are the races!
• Babcock State Park (Fayette County) : This state park features some beautiful trails and gorgeous Boley lake! It’s particularly beautiful in the fall with the colors changing on the trees. This area also is home to the Gristmill Grinder Half Marathon Race , which I highly recommend!
• Coonskin Park (Kanawha County) : This was the first place I began running – Cougar Trail is my favorite trail of any trail because that’s where my interest in hiking and running began back in 2018!

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