It all started with a game of pursuit. As a third grader in Bethel, Connecticut, Jen wanted to be just like her runner Dad. Therefore, they went to the local running store, bought her a pair of sneakers and black spandex with blue flamingos on the sides (she’s always been fashionable), and headed to the track. Dad had to run five laps to Jen’s four laps, then 12 laps to 11 laps. Jen won both. She then entered her first official cross-country race as a fourth grader. Jen won again. Thus, a monster was born…
Jen ran competitively for Bethel High School in CT and as an NCAA Division I cross-country and track and field athlete for Lehigh University in PA. The latter is also where she met her rockstar runner cyclist hubby, Mike. The two were married in 2005 and have been each other’s biggest fans ever since. Jen ran her first marathon in 2009, and after a 3:06 debut, her goal obviously became the elusive sub-3:00. Less than a year after Jen and Mike’s first son, Logan Rhys, was born in 2013, Jen ran a 2:58 at the Philadelphia Marathon. Since then, Jen, Mike, and Logan welcomed baby boy runner #2, Cooper Reid, into their family. Since then, Jen has run a 2:51 at both the 2017 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon and the 2019 Myrtle Beach Marathon, the latter where she earned her first marathon victory. She now continues to have her sights set on qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials.
Jen is grateful to work in her passion each and every day. In 2011 at Off’n Running Sports (now Fleet Feet Sports) in Greensboro, NC, she launched what would very quickly become one of the area’s most successful 5K through ultra-marathon training programs, the “Streakers”. Now heading into its 22nd session, participation has increased by over five times since inception. As a USA Track and Field (USATF) and Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) certified coach, Jen also works with countless individual athletes nationwide and has cumulatively produced thousands of PRs, not to mention over 30 Boston Marathon qualifiers. Coach Jen’s training philosophy lies heavily in quality over quantity, proper recovery techniques, and making sure running adds fulfillment and happiness to life, not stress.
Jen ran competitively for Bethel High School in CT and as an NCAA Division I cross-country and track and field athlete for Lehigh University in PA. The latter is also where she met her rockstar runner cyclist hubby, Mike. The two were married in 2005 and have been each other’s biggest fans ever since. Jen ran her first marathon in 2009, and after a 3:06 debut, her goal obviously became the elusive sub-3:00. Less than a year after Jen and Mike’s first son, Logan Rhys, was born in 2013, Jen ran a 2:58 at the Philadelphia Marathon. Since then, Jen, Mike, and Logan welcomed baby boy runner #2, Cooper Reid, into their family. Since then, Jen has run a 2:51 at both the 2017 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon and the 2019 Myrtle Beach Marathon, the latter where she earned her first marathon victory. She now continues to have her sights set on qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials.
Jen is grateful to work in her passion each and every day. In 2011 at Off’n Running Sports (now Fleet Feet Sports) in Greensboro, NC, she launched what would very quickly become one of the area’s most successful 5K through ultra-marathon training programs, the “Streakers”. Now heading into its 22nd session, participation has increased by over five times since inception. As a USA Track and Field (USATF) and Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) certified coach, Jen also works with countless individual athletes nationwide and has cumulatively produced thousands of PRs, not to mention over 30 Boston Marathon qualifiers. Coach Jen’s training philosophy lies heavily in quality over quantity, proper recovery techniques, and making sure running adds fulfillment and happiness to life, not stress.