Mike Fanelli, Respected and Renowned Cultural Storyteller of Track & Field Athletics, Passes, by Peter J. Thompson

This is the official obituary for Mike Fanelli, written by Peter J. Thompson, which was approved by his wife, Renay Weissberger Fanelli.  This will be the first of several pieces we will do in honor of Mike Fanelli, a wonderful human presence in the sport that I had loved for 40-plus years. He will be missed. 

Mike Fanelli, Respected and Renowned Cultural Storyteller of Track and field Athletics, Passes, by Peter J. Thompson

The world of Track and Field Athletics is deeply saddened by the news that Michael ‘Mike’ Fanelli died on 25 November 2023 from glioblastoma brain cancer at the age of 67. His wife, Renay Weissberger Fanelli, shared that Michael passed peacefully at home in the company of loved ones.

Mike Fanelli was a true Renaissance man and wore many hats during a lifelong affair with Track and Field Athletics. He was an athlete, a coach, a mentor, an athletes’ agent, an elite athlete coordinator for national and international events, a sports marketing director, a color commentator, and an eloquent and accomplished speaker. But above all, he is remembered for being a historian, a ‘collector’ and a storyteller. As a collector, he operated in two distinct arenas. He gathered data about his own running, and he collected significant track & field artifacts dating back to the start of track and field in the USA and internationally.

But Mike didn’t collect just for the sake of collecting and ‘having’ something. He collected so that there would be a record that told the story of the sport he loved and that he could freely share, which he did with a boundless enthusiasm expressed in his regular and compelling posts for his thousands of followers on Facebook. Mike summed it up best when he said, “I refer to it as ‘cultural storytelling.’ When a particular culture wants to pass down their history over the years, and it’s not something that can be transcribed otherwise, this is our opportunity to do that.”

Michael Joseph Fanelli was born on 1 May, 1956 in Philadelphia. At the age of 12, he was “glued to the television” as he watched the USA track & field athletes compete at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games. He fell in love with the sport and started running and collecting autographs and memorabilia in junior high school. From the very outset, he kept a methodical and meticulous log of his running training and competitive performances, which is…