Runner Spotlight - Lowery Stallings

Do you have any running/walking advice you'd like to offer?:

Enjoy the sport! Running is so great because it is something you can do for a lifetime. And you can enjoy it in so many different ways. It can be a passionate pursuit or simply a nice stress reliever. You can go for PR's in races or just enjoy getting outdoors for a half hour. You can run marathons or not race at all.

Why do you like running River City Races events?:

I've always loved the Polar Bear Grand Prix races. I like the GP format, variety of race distances and of course, running in Cherokee Park. The races are the perfect size in my opinion. Big enough to be competitive, but small enough that you can just jump behind the start line just before the start.

Anything else you'd like to share?:

The Long Journey

The last 6 months have been the most trying of my running life. I love all forms of running and compete on the track, cross country, trails, road races, but the marathon has always called to me. I started running back in 1978, going out for cross country in middle school. I lined up for the KDF Mini the next spring in my K-Mart 'running' shoes. I had no idea what I was doing, but remember it being fun. Then 2 years later, I was talked into running the old Louisville Metro Marathon by my upperclassman teammates. The race was only one week after the XC State Meet and I had exactly one double digit run in my career. Obviously naive and ill prepared for the distance, I had determination on my side. All my teammates dropped out, but I just kept pressing on. I was forced into a run/walk strategy over the last 4 miles, but hit the Cox's Park finish line both exhausted and exhilarated. Even though I experienced soreness like I never had before, I was hooked on the 26.2 mile distance - I wanted to be a marathoner like my hero Boston Billy Rodgers.

Although distracted by competing at other distances for a couple of decades, the marathon was still always on my mind and I vowed to eventually turn my running focus to the distance.   Eventually in 1998 I ventured back, but was undone by my penchant for reckless pacing. I bounced back a couple years later and got my BQ, but couldn't fit it in to my schedule, with my high school coaching duties. So, once again I went into marathon hibernation, but a runner's dream trip with my XC team to Kenya in 2015, reignited my passion for 26.2. Because I never really focused on the distance in my prime, my PR was soft. But that didn't soften the joy of running a PR 3:04:02 at the 2017 Chicago Marathon - at age 52. As if I needed motivation in running, all I could think about after that race, was breaking 3.

So last fall, I went back into training, hoping that I could break the barrier at the Monumental Marathon. During the Spring of 2019, I battled the first real running injury of my 40+ year career, but by early Fall my training was going well again and felt ready for the race. But on a business trip a little over 3 weeks before Monumental, I went on a little shakeout run and decided to head down a trail I saw. I was just enjoying the run, when all of a sudden I tripped on a root and while in the air felt a strange sensation like my knee caps were in clamps. I hit the ground in excruciating pain, eventually finding out that I somehow managed to rupture the quadriceps tendons in both knees. In a moment I went from dreams of sub-3 to being bedridden, having my legs locked straight by heavy braces, not able to bear any weight. I had a difficult time comprehending the words the surgeon was telling me - except for the words 'you will run again'. I got a deferral for Monumental, with the hope that this Fall I might be able to complete the distance. To date, I have sprinkled in a few short slow jogs of about 50 meters in my walks. So to this point, I haven't even cumulatively run .2, much less the other 26 miles, but I try to patiently keep doing the things that I know will get me back on the starting line in Indy this fall. Will I be as fast as I once was? Only time will tell, but as I've always preached, running is about more than times, its about the simple joy of getting out there and doing it.

Runner Spotlight - Kriss Brodfuehrer

I started running right about five years ago. A friend I met at work recently moved to Vegas and I knew she was a runner so I told her “I think I’m going to try running.” This was in May of 2015. She congratulated me and invited me to fly out and run Rock n Roll Half Marathon...in November with her. I couldn’t even make it down the block, but I accepted.

I COULDN’T MAKE IT DOWN THE BLOCK.

November 14, 2015 I ran my first race ever. I was excited and terrified and had only run a little over 8 miles at any one time. She stayed with me the entire time and we crossed in 2:21:03. I didn’t know if that was fast or slow but I felt like I did something so much bigger than I ever thought possible with my asthma.

I was hooked. But I didn’t know many runners and I mostly ran alone, which worked well with my social anxiety. Gradually, I started meeting people in the running community and signing up for more races, mostly to keep me accountable. I’m terrible at following a training plan, but I kept lacing up and I kept logging miles.

Fast forward to some time in 2017. A woman came into the store I was working at to shop for a gift for her daughter. Somehow we started talking about running and she told me about the women’s running group she was in and I should check it out. I went online and requested to join but was unsure since it was called Mom’s Run This Town/She Runs This Town. Do I even belong without being a mom? Again...anxiety. But I’d meet some of the women at races and practically run away from them at the start. Once I started communicating with them instead of running from them, I realized there were a lot of women without children and I had a lot in common with so many of the women outside of running. Slowly my fears started to subside and I made some amazing friends as a result.

Over the past three years that running group has supported me and inspired me and definitely helped squash my social anxiety. At first I thought it was just them, but when I look around the running community here in the Louisville area and all over the country and the world, I realize that’s just runners. And I knew that I had found my people.

I don’t normally log a lot of miles every month and because I work in sales I miss a lot of group runs on the weekends, but I keep running. I’ve been temporarily laid off as a result of the COVID-19 and at first I was really depressed about it. Then I realized it would be an opportunity to be able to gain some consistency in my running. So I unintentionally started streaking. I know it’s hard on a lot of our community that are used to meeting friends to run together, so I just keep trying to reach out and be supportive. After all, the support I’ve received over the years is what has kept me lacing up and showing up. Because of that support and encouragement I'll be running The Chicago Marathon in October as my first.

Runner Spotlight - Angela Musk

I started running Track late in high school, with the intent of off-season conditioning for soccer. After some success and prodding from a teammate, I gave up soccer my senior year to run Cross Country in the Fall. I was lucky to get noticed by a Bellarmine coach, and spent my college years running as a Knight. Thanks to some very patient and wise coaches and a supportive and competitive team, I developed and learned so much in those years and running became as much (maybe more?) of a passion for me as any other pursuit. I now coach Bellarmine's Women's Track and Cross Country teams. My time as a coach has been equally marked by learning and growth, but the guiding values that I observed in my own coaches remain unchanged: genuine selflessness and unconditional care for the whole person.

I have been running competitively for 12 years (including a spell away from running and racing, due to injury/illness). Running remains a passion for me and I expect to maintain a life-long relationship with it. One of the most helpful perspectives that I've learned is to understand that a relationship with running is much like a relationship with a person, career, faith, or anything that you value. It requires growth and nurturing to last. The effortless interest, joy, and motivation that you might experience early-on doesn't always hang around. It might come and go. And feeling guilty about that or denying it often isn't productive. Be intentional about appreciating what running gives you, especially when it's feeling more effortful. Make time and space to reflect on and learn from important moments in your running. Stay humble and admit when not giving attention to little things leads to bigger problems. And don't think that just because you don't feel "in-love" with running, that you don't still love it.
I've raced every distance from the 400-meter dash to the marathon. In the years that I was physically unable to run, I spent a lot of time cycling and taught myself to swim, so now, I also compete in triathlons in the summer. Although I certainly identified as a miler in high school and college, these days, I really don't have a "favorite" distance and I like to shift focus around various distances throughout the year or years. I really like running River City Races, because I know they will always be well-produced. From their small races to their bigger partnerships with the Louisville Triple Crown, their attention to the details that matter over flashy features makes for a smooth and top-notch experience for the runners; and their whole team has extensive experience and knowledge of the sport.

*Angela is part of the runnningly talented Musk family.  She and sister Flannery went 1-2 at the 2019 Urban Bourbon Half Marathon.

Runner Spotlight - Valerie Harned

Favorite distance: 5k

Do you have any running/walking advice you'd like to offer?

I'm the last person to give advice because I've said I really don't like running.  I "plod" along, so if there's any encouragement to be offered...just keep moving. Whenever I'm out on a course and I feel down, discouraged or like I can't go on - I remember that I have my health, breath in my lungs, and am doing so much better than doing nothing.

Why do you like running River City Races events?

They're fun, family oriented and open to any one of any fitness level!

Anything else you'd like to share?:

Well I don't like running.  So why do I do it? Because it challenges me, it pushes me to keep pressing on and not give up.  I do this little thing of sprinting a final leg to the finish and love the feeling of accomplishment crossing that timing strip!

I began doing 5k's 8 years ago because I just needed something to kick-start me getting outdoors.  Then my best friend was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and passed away January 2014.  My health took a nose dive over the next 18 months and my doctor gave me an ultimatum. I had not laced up running shoes for a long while until I signed up for the Triple Crown in 2016.  I nearly died the first time I did it! But I signed for every 5k or 10k I could that year and after. I did the Triple Crown in 2017 and 2018.  I participated in the Mini-Marathon and the Urban Bourbon!  And completed a round of the 502 racing series.  2019 sidelined me with plantar fasciitis, and it made me realize how much I really do enjoy getting out there and running - I actually missed it! I enjoy being outdoors and even cheering others on the course that look to be struggling because I know how that feels.

My husband, Jim, has been a great source of encouragement by coming along with me on the longer distances - I call him my "pace setter". At the start of 2020, I realized my feet were feeling better so I did the Chick-fil-A 5k in March and felt great so I signed up for the Allstate Hot Chocolate Virtual 5k. Not sure what 2020 holds for the running community, but whether in a group or virtual I hope to be out there running more!

Runner Spotlight - Glenn Richardson

Favorite distance: 

50k. 

There are lots of race options at that distance and it just seems to be the right amount of time on my feet to challenge me but not enough that it takes me a long time to recover from. I feel pretty comfortable doing several a year without having to worry too much about injury.

Do you have any running/walking advice you'd like to offer?:

• Don't overtrain and have to miss your race because you got injured in training.

• Listen to your body and not a training plan or someone else. If your body is telling you to rest, REST!

• Don't underestimate the mental component of distance running and overlook mental training. Ultras are very mentally challenging and if your head is not in the game you are more likely to have issues.

• Figure out what works best for you. Ask for advice but make your own decision based on your needs and tastes.

• Have a hydration and fuel strategy as the distances get longer.

• Figure out a good shoe and sock combination and don't overlook lube.

• Get your feet wet early in a training run and see how things go.

• If you are going to trail run, be ready for anything. I've run in all sorts of conditions on all types of terrain.

• Figure out what works best for you and don't always compare yourself to others. Amazing and inspiring athletes come in all shapes, sizes and abilities.

Why do you like running River City Races events?:

I love local racing and River City Races puts on great local races. I ran my first 5k in 2011 and quickly followed that up with my first experience with the Polar Bear Grand Prix. I loved the experience, the challenge and the atmosphere. The running community is pretty awesome. I've done many River City races over the past nine years and always have a good time. I like seeing many of the same friendly and smiling faces at most of the races and I really prefer the smaller local races to the bigger ones. Running a 5k or any race really with several thousand people isn't really my thing. I doubt I will ever try to get into any of the big marathons. Support local racing!

Anything else you'd like to share?:

I've really enjoyed becoming a runner and it still seems weird to consider myself a runner as I never thought I would be one. Running is hard and takes commitment and consistency to get better at it, so, if you are new to running, take your time and make staying healthy a priority over hitting mileage or speed goals. Speed is awesome, impressive and what wins races but it also kills and increases the risk for injury. Also, don't be afraid of walking or using intervals of running and walking as they are great ways to get in miles while minimizing injury risk. My number one goal is always to have fun and stay healthy. See you at the races (hopefully soon!)