Meet Sarah

Hello! My name is Sarah. I’m 35 & a single mom to an awesome son, Kyle, who is 13.  I work full time as a Commercial Loan Specialist at Centrue Bank in Ottawa, IL.

I have always been “semi active”, but started running regularly in the fall of 2010 with a friend who was going through a difficult time. We started a Couch to 5K program, ran the local “Turkey Trot 5K” on Thanksgiving Day & decided to run one race a month after that… Life got busy & my friend stopped running, but I continued on & ran or competed in at least 1 event a month up until November of 2013! I started off pretty slowly & just ran 5Ks, then once my confidence built up a bit, I did an 8K, then a 10K, then a ½ marathon, & October 13, 2013, I ran the Chicago Marathon. I was never a “runner,” and didn’t think I ever would be, but I’m proof that anything is possible no matter when you decide to start!

Along the way in the mix of my road races, I was introduced to the world of OCR (obstacle course racing) & have since competed in 4 Spartan Races, 2 Tough Mudders, 1 Warrior Dash & various other “mud runs”. I think that is what really sparked the fire to start working harder & see what I’m capable of. I joined a local gym in February 2012 & have the best trainer. She constantly pushes me & knows that what I can do & what I think I can do don’t always match up!

 

This year I’ll be running the Chicago Marathon again & have decided to tackle an ultra marathon. The weekend of my 36^th birthday, I’ll be completing the North Face Endurance Challenge 50 mile event! I competed in my 1st elite wave this past weekend at the Indiana Spartan Sprint & have several OCR planned for the year as well. My #1 motivation is just being a positive role model for my son.  I don’t think there’s a better feeling than overhearing a 13 year old boy tell his friend how cool his mom is because she’s a Tough Mudder & a Spartan. 🙂

I’m really excited to be a part of such a positive group of people & can’t wait to join all of you on this road!