Timothy M. Tays PhD

Timothy M. Tays is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Scottsdale, AZ. Tays was named "Blue Collar Runner of the Month #2" by the major runners' website Letsrun.com in September 2014 after publishing his distance-running memoir, "Wannabe Distance God." Amazon.com listed "Wannabe Distance God" as a "Cult Classic" along with "Once a Runner" and "Running with the Buffaloes." Tays was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1959. An average student early on, Tays directed his attention and energy into distance running. As he moved through the competitive strata, his frustration grew. He realized that desire and hard work are necessary to perform at the world-class level, but so is talent. He ran himself into injury and at twenty-five years old exited competitive road racing. However, losing distance running freed up time for Tays to pursue other interests. He did two years as an infantry soldier in The Old Guard, the Army's Presidential Honor Guard. Then he obtained his MA in creative writing at the University of New Mexico and taught English and coached cross country and track at a rough high school in Albuquerque. He later taught in a psychiatric hospital, which perked his interest in becoming a psychologist. He returned to graduate school in California, this time to earn his Ph.D. in clinical psychology. He moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, where he has done psychotherapy since 1997. Between cases, Tays wrote, "Wannabe Distance God: The Thirst, Angst, and Passion of Running in the Chase Pack" (2013). Tays lives with Dr. Renni Tays, his wife of thirty years, and their son Gentry.