In The Loop With: The Loop Run Club
In The Loop With: The Loop Run Club
Click a runner to explore a profile.
Jason Casady
What's your self talk, your running mantra? Never let perfection get in the way of good enough.
For you, how important is a local running community? Local run crews are more or less the entire reason I decided to start running again. It makes it a fun social environment where no one takes themselves too seriously and everyone is just there to be healthy, make friends, and enjoy a beer or coffee.
What's your go to route in Austin? I'm super biased but I have to say the East Side because I live there and it's mostly flat. Gotta love that.
What's next? Have any goals you're trying to achieve? Sub 2:30 at the Eugene Marathon. Less than two weeks to go!
Emily Trofholz
What's your running mantra? "Run easy.” That simple phrase keeps me light on my feet and reminds me why I run: to have fun!
How has running with others influenced your running? Running with friends is always better. But this crew has shown me how running can be a lifestyle. I’m not a very competitive runner, so I wouldn’t normally train or run multiple times a week without an upcoming race. Now with The Loop, I want to run every week because I want to see everyone. I’ve made some good friends through this crew. They motivate me to keep up with my running routine, to take care of myself, and to connect with running as more than something that gets me out of the house occasionally. It’s become more of a community experience.
What's are some of your favorite Austin neighborhoods to run in? For hills, Travis Heights, and for flats, Pemberton.
Any running goals you're currently working towards? Run easy. Or be as fast as Bree.
Cooper Wes
When you think about running, what comes to mind? Your relationship with it if you will. Hungry
Why Run Club? What keeps you coming back? It reminds me that although running is an individual focused sport, you can and should find community in the experience as a whole. Being around others that share a love for running means that naturally you will share ideas and tips on how to improve, likes and dislikes about products/ equipment you’ve yet to try out, and inspire you to set new goals.
Surely you've got something on the calendar. What's your next big goal? To run at least one race a month this year, including at least one of each of the following distances: half marathon, marathon, 50k, 50m, 100k, 100m.
*Editors Note: Cooper wins most intense and awesome goal award.
James Robert
How do you describe your relationship with running? Serenity. There’s peace & even meditative aspects to running if you get out of your own way & let it happen.
You're quite the leader in the Austin running community (see @comedorrunclub). What do you love about running with a crew? Solo running is great & I need it sometimes, but run crews offer accountability that solo runs don’t. Knowing that a crew is expecting me to be there keeps me motivated & excited about the run! Plus, there are way more laughs with a crew. Connection with other runners through sharing miles is a super cool experience.
It's a solo run day and you're heading out to log some miles. Where do you go? Austin’s east side! Chicon Street heading North has great hills, or I turn South & hit Town Lake trail!
Next Goal? I’m signed up for a 100 mile ultra in Arkansas in October
Angela Wang
What's your relationship to running like? It’s silly fun!
Why run crews? Run crews are what got me hooked! I was pretty new to running when I started with The Loop, and the crew quickly gave me a community of people who have fun by encouraging each other. I’ve found that running with a group makes the miles go faster. Friends just make everything better, don’t they?
Where do you like to go running in Austin? Downtown. I’m always a sucker for the trail around Town Lake. Especially if it ends in a dip at Barton Springs.
Next goal? Go fast, kick (my own) ass and make room for post-race ice cream at the Eugene half marathon!
*Editors note: If you're reading this and have not hit a post run Barton Spring, Angela just changed your life.
Diego Ixatblan
What's your running mantra? Perseverance.
Why run do you choose to run with others? Running crews help you remember that it’s okay to slow down and to just have fun.
Favorite place for an Austin run? Pease Park for some hill repeats
Next run goal? Being consistent and joining as many local races as I can
Bree Fontenot
Can you describe your relationship with running? A connection / reconnection with myself and community
Why run crews? Running with others helps me get started and stay motivated. Running sparks endorphins, producing euphoria; running with a crew gives you the chance to share that euphoria.
Austin runs? Currently, scenic or great northern
Next run goal? PR at Eugene Half Marathon : 1:22 :)
Rod Talavera
Why do you run? Its my escape from reality
Why do you choose to run with a crew? Whether it's just for socializing or for training, running with a crew just makes everything so much easier. They make running something that you look forward to instead of just a "chore" in regards to training purposes or as something I need to do because it's "good for my health".
You pick the route. Where are you going on a run in Austin? Rollingwood (really easy pace)
Next run goal? I want to get serious about training again and go for a 2:36-2:40 marathon at Houston 2023
Jesse Ruiz
Running Mantra ? Stay right where your feet are, every thought is fleeting, judge nothing. We get so caught up with our thoughts and it dictates how our body is feeling, how it crowds our mind, during the run. Every run doesn't need to be perfect.
Why run crews? I'm an ambivert at times and run crews give me a space to be comfortable with who I am and who I'm becoming.
What's your go to route? For the upcoming race, I'm going to start training around the Scenic and Exposition area! So I"ll learn to make that area my favorite.
Next Run Goal? CIM this December and am hoping to qualify for Boston by 2023!