Meet the Runners

Owen~ I ran a bunch of 5k's as a kid, but never properly trained for them.  So even then, I didn't truly enjoy it.  When I was in my early 20's I lived with my dad for a while in St. George, UT.  He ran the St. George Marathon year after year.  I helped him train by dropping him off, then driving down the canyon a few miles so I could provide water, then repeating as he did his run.  I was never tempted to join him (a decision I regret more than any other) because I remembered the pain of running those 5k's.  Years later, now living in Charlotte, NC, I took up running again and decided to run a marathon.  I trained for it properly and enjoyed every minute of it.  I am now running a marathon every month or two and have a goal to run one in each of the 50 states (plus D.C.) by the time I'm 50.

Malissa~ I've always had a love-hate relationship with running for as long as I can remember. I love the thought of running, the cute clothes, being a part of a community but as soon as I started running, I hated it. After completely losing myself to food, I decided to give running one more chance. With the help of my friends, family, and Couch to 5k, I completed my first 5k! Since that first 5k I've ran many more, some 10k's, half marathons, and even a marathon. I am not a fast runner but continue to improve with each run.  The love-hate relationship is still there; I love the races, the challenge, but I still struggle with the daily training. I think a lot of that has to do with my carefree personality. I love the doors that running has opened up for me and my family and most of all, I love that running has given me my life back!

Michael~ I like to run because it is how me and my dad spend most of our time together and I'm good at it. I also love the feeling after a run. It is also fun to say to my friends that I ran 13.1 miles in 1:36:19! One day I hope to qualify for Boston, run an Iron Man, and run in the Olympics! RUNNING IS AWESOME!

Kyle~ I like to run 5k races with my mom every once in a while. Biking is my favorite!

Alicia~ I like to run because you can run however you feel. I like running 5k's a lot. I've ran a lot of 5k's, and I'm planning to run even more!