I'm originally a Wisconsinite but have also spent time in Germany, Nebraska, California and Washington, DC. I work in the field of science communication--right now I work in an environmental science department at the University of Arizona. I played sports but didn't start running until after college. My father ran the Boston Marathon a few times, and I was inspired to try "jogging" with him. I love running to explore, be it an urban, rural or natural environment. My favorite place in Tucson to run are the amazing trails, especially Tucson Mountain Park and Sabino Canyon.
To some extent I'm a Tucson native. My family moved here when I was 6 and I lived here until I was 27, spent 2 years in the Bay Area of California, 10 years in Connecticut, and then made it back to Tucson. I am a professor of Physics and Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Arizona.I realized I enjoyed running in high school when the weight-training coach made us go for runs every Wednesday. A couple years ago, I finally got consistent about going out regularly and never looked back. The Tucson running community is astounding and makes the journey all that much better and enjoyable. I've been coming to WOG for 3 years. There's always someone just a touch faster than you that makes you work a little harder than you would on your own.
I'm from Madisonville, Kentucky. I'm a freelance videographer. I started running with my wife, who was then my girlfriend, as a way to get back in shape. I love that the Tucson running community is so accepting and encouraging to people of all levels. My goal current goal is to run a 50k and to one day run a 5k under 20 minutes. I would tell a new runner to set a goal and find running friends who will push you and not let you slack off.
I grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and moved to Cincinnati, Ohio for college. I landed in Tucson a little over two years ago when I took my first job out of college. I am a 1st grade teacher for TUSD. I started running in January 2018, on the treadmill at the gym and gradually worked my way up from a mile to running a few miles at a time. I started signing up for races and pushing myself a bit more. I joined WOG in January 2019. I feel like I have really grown as a runner and as an overall person since then. I love the WOG community! My goal is to run the half marathon distance without stopping. Two years ago, I never would have thought I would be able to do this, but now I can’t wait to sign up for more races.
I grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia but have been living in Tucson since I finished high school. I'm currently a PhD student in social work studying attachment and bonding with a focus on infant mental health. I do research on babywearing and sometimes I still find time to practice as a therapist. I love spending time with my cats and partner, Behn, too! I love WOG for so many reasons- the friendships, encouragement, running knowledge, accountability, and I always get faster when I train with WOG.
I am a Registered Dietitian. I have been living in Tucson for 28 years. My favorite place to run is Sabino Canyon because I can do many different runs. From the parking lot I can do some intense climbing up Blacketts, a fast workout on the road, or a casual trail run out to seven falls. I think I could win a gold medal for putting together 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzles. (Manny is an endurance athlete!)
I was born and raised in Tucson but spent 18 years away, most recently living in London, England. I returned to Tucson in 2018 with a family of 5 in tow (three young children 6,4, and 2). I started running at Sam Hughes Elementary over 30 years ago. I never took a break, and specialized in the 2 mile at Rincon/ UHS high-school. I really enjoyed cross country in college, bombing over dusty hills in LA. My passion for running was reignited in 2012 when I ran my first parkrun, while living in London. When I moved back to Tucson, I could not give up parkrun so I founded Himmel Parkrun on Saturday mornings.
I’m a Tucson local, currently the Forensic Anthropology Postdoctoral Fellow at the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner. I like bones! And Tucson! And I'm excited to be back and able to look at bones. I got into running in 7th grade since my parents couldn't pick me up right away after school and I hated softball. But really I come from a family of runners and I always enjoyed that part of other sports. Although I'm from Tucson I've lived a few other places and no where else have I found such an inclusive and passionate community of runners. There are so many people to run with it's sometimes overwhelming- in a good way!
I’m originally from North Dakota. I am married to my favorite running/travel partner, Ryan & and we have a spoiled golden retriever named Miles. I am a nurse and work as a quality improvement specialist at Banner UMC. I’m also currently in grad school. Working in our big garden, creating recipes, and running many miles keeps me sane (along with hula hooping). I started running with WOG 1 year ago. This is a diverse group of incredible people, the workouts are challenging, and it is a great place to forget the stress of the day!
I was born and raised here in the desert! I am a high school science teacher. I teach physics and biology. So, I know this crazy guy named Tim and one day I was out running at Reid Park and ran into him. He told me about this group of people who get together and run and sometimes eat and drink. I nervously showed up the next day and joined this awesome family of runners! I love coming to WOG because it is my escape from the world of teaching. No matter how rough my day of teaching was, WOG always makes it better! The song currently replaying in my head when I run is, Here Comes the Sun, by the Beatles.
I'm 35 (though people keep telling me I look younger) and grew up in Michigan, but spent a few years in Oregon before moving to Tucson in 2014. I hold an Educational Specialist degree in School Psychology and currently work with college students with learning disabilities at the University of Arizona. My running advice is to never lose sight of why you do this. It is easy to get wrapped up in the competition, and start discrediting yourself when you have a bad workout or don't PR a race. This is a hobby that should bring you joy! Enjoy the scenery, don't take it too seriously, listen to your body when it's telling you it needs rest, and never pass up post-run pizza.
I'm from northern Arizona and I work at a biotech company here in Tucson. I really got into running when I was invited to WOG in January 2019. I loved the community and I appreciate the friendliness, how everyone cheers each other on, and Tim's jokes before the workout. My advice to a new runner is be nice to yourself when building up speed/endurance. It's not always fun taking it slow, but it beats being injured. Something I learned recently is that there's a serious feral hog problem in the United States. Thanks Hernando de Soto!
I moved to Tucson from Chicago, Illinois. I loved watching Track & Field in the Olympics when I was a kid, so I always loved running. I've competed in running for 37 years. I ran in high school and on and off in college, but really got back into it after joining WOG last year. I want to keep going as long as I can. My advice for a new runner is be patient and get advice from a knowledgeable coach. I've wanted Duathlon to be an Olympic sport for a while now, but something I could win an olympic medal for would be useless movie trivia.
I was born in Bisbee, Az. (I'm one of 103 grandchildren). I work at American Airlines and will retire with 30 years. When we moved to Tucson with very little money, I was enrolled in Sunnyside middle school and I found out that if you join the cross country team you got a free pair of blue Nike running shoes. I was in and have never stopped. In Oct. 2000, Randy and Greg coached the Team in Training Maui Marathon team. My sisters Debbie, Dawnelle and I all trained and ran the Maui Marathon. I’ve done a lot of racing since then and as I get older, I'm learning that it's okay to not run as fast, as far, or enter every race. It's okay to just run and be present and talk with others.
I’m from Houston, Texas, but have lived here for 4 years now. I have run with WOG since I moved here and a buddy of mine said, "You need to check out this running group called, WOG, in Tucson. It is exactly the kind of group and training that you like." So I did. And it is. The song in my head these days is "I put a spell on you" as performed by Credence Clearwater. If I had to choose between being a keychain or a kitchen magnet, I'd rather be a key chain so I can go places, not because I want to be in someone's pocket.
I'm originally from Georgia! I've been in Tucson since 2015 and moved out here for my husband's job. We have a dog, Jackson, who is my #1 training partner. Professionally I'm a social worker specializing in children and youth mental health. I started running in graduate school when I needed a way to decompress. After a few months of dragging myself out the door I started to fall in love with it and build it into my daily schedule. My favorite place to run in Tucson is probably some of the trails up on Mt. Lemmon. I love how trail running slows everything down and all of the wide open vistas you stumble across. I started coming to WOG in August 2018. Running groups were always terrifying to me because I had this idea that only insanely fast people go to groups and I didn't want to show up and be the slowest one. I can honestly say I have fallen even more in love with running since finding my group of people.
I’m an astronomer from New Jersey. I came to Tucson to be the lead of Observation Development at the Large Binocular Telescope Observatory headquartered at UA (telescope is on Mt. Graham). I’ve been singing since I was 3 and soloing since I was 5. It’s probably the thing I’m best at naturally. I started running for the first time a few years ago because my friend gave me a date, a time, a place, and a tutu. The sincere invitation made all the difference. Finally I wasn’t afraid of ruining others fun by being slow and inexperienced. It’s important to have a safe space to experiment. I appreciate the depth of experience in the Workout Group and everyone’s willingness to share what they know. What I learned quickly at WOG is to respect the work, not the speed. If you are giving it your all, they WILL cheer for you.
