I have been a pretty spoiled runner the past few years. I have been fortunate to be coached by a wonderful friend who has a knack for spotting talent and getting a runners best out of them quickly and I have been sponsored by a great local running shop in edition to having had the elite/VIP treatment at a few big races the past few years. As exciting as that has been all of my local training buddies have been in agreement that something was missing and that we wanted our group to be a bit more defined and that we really wanted to have an opportunity to support our fast runners in a better way.
So it is with huge delight that I get to announce a new elite development group started up by my coach Glenn Andrews. Cleveland Elite Development is a group of athletes trying to take it to the next level all coached by Glenn and now sponsored by Fleet Feet, Nike, and Tim Keyes. Added bonus all of these amazing runners are my close friends.
The sub elite level is not always easy to pursue. We all have full time jobs and we are committed to training hard and putting in more hours than most sane people want to put into anything let alone a sport that doesn't really "pay." We are all driven because we want to get faster every day and we genuinely love the sport. Having a team like Fleet Feet, Nike, and Tim Keyes behind you is key to getting to that next level!
I know I personally have benefited so much from Tim Keyes work and I am beyond grateful that he is supporting the team now and myself. I would not be able to train at this level right now if it was not for his help.
I am an avid supporter of all our local running shops and have been sponsored by Nike through Second Sole Akron the past two years. I love my Nike shoes and schwag and am very grateful for the two years Nike and Second Sole has supported me. These guys are some of the good guys and genuinely want to see the local elites get far.
While it is sad to be leaving my current team I am genuinely excited to be working with Fleet Feet this year. Jody and Heather are two of the nicest people around and they are huge supporters of the local running scene and athletes. I am very grateful that they are including me in this awesome sponsorship deal and can't wait to do my Monday runs from the store!
2012 is going to be a very exciting year for all the CED athletes! Keep an eye on this group and what Glenn is doing with all of us!
3 comments:
So excited for all you guys--such great news! Looking forward to watching you all kill it in 2012.
Congrats on the new team. I look forward to hearing more about our local runners. Good luck. Cheers!
As usual, your Blog puts me in a happy mood! You are definitely in a really good place right now, both mentally and physically. Sometimes I get caught up in the 'age' thing, as it relates to my future in running. But I need to remember what the Cleveland Elite Development group is all about: Taking (our) running to the next level. This will be my mantra!
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