Spotlight on…Zach Cohen! 01/21/2024 0 Birthdate: 5/9/1982 Birth Place: Minneapolis, MN Family: Wife (Sarah), Daughter (Lola) Age 11, Son (Miles) Age 9, Pup (Barnaby) Age 6 Personal strengths: Hardworking, Determined, Love a challenge, Positive attitude, also really getting good at bonking at mile 20 Personal weaknesses: Can doubt myself on some things (like my potential marathon pace ;)) Reason for joining Northstar: After training by myself for the 2022 TC Marathon I caught the running bug, but knew I wanted to find a group to make the training more enjoyable. I joined Northstar in March/April? in 2023 and have loved the group runs providing extra motivation and a lot of laughs along the way. Since joining I have completed two additional marathons (Grandma’s and Des Moines) and have PR’ed in both races, so will chalk that up to the group and some good coaching. Favorite running shoes: Nike Pegasus Favorite place to run: Chain of Lakes Running Goals: Short-term: Sub 3:05hr Marathon Long-term: TBD – After hitting my marathon pace goal, I will likely focus on trying to complete some of the iconic marathons (NY / Chicago) and there is an outside chance I may look at an Ultra. Proudest Running Achievement: Not a ton to choose from, but I would say completing Grandma’s marathon was my proudest to date. While it wasn’t the fastest of my marathons, I felt like I ran my best race at Grandma’s with solid pacing/fueling and running completely through the “pain cave” (as I have been told it is called). I definitely felt like I gave it all I had on that day. Typical training week, a month or two before a major race: – Typical training week – Lift 3x per week, run 4-5x per week (max out at ~50miles per week typically when training) – a month or two before a race – whatever Brian tells me to do :)…typically the same schedule just ease back on the miles Running idol: I am still super new to the running game but have been super inspired by Courtney Dauwalter and Sally Mcrae. Not sure an ultra is ever in my future but watching what they go through during a race is pretty incredible. Injuries: None (fingers crossed it stays that way)PRs: Marathon PR: 3:28 Half-Marathon PR: 1:36:43 (according to Garmin) 25K PR: Not sure 10 Mile PR: 1:14:39 (according to Strava) 10K PR: 43:47 (according to Garmin) 5K PR: 20:38 (according to Garmin) 1 Mile PR: 5:46 Non-running Hobbies: Love trying new restaurants, being active outdoors (biking / paddle boarding), Tennis/Basketball, TV/Movie binging
Spotlight on…Claire Kamp Dush! 07/05/2023 0 Birthdate: 3.31 Birth Place: Jerseyville, Illinois After my first marathon (Twin Cities, 2022) Family: Husband: Aaron, Children: Toby, 20, Leo, 18, Frankie, 14, and Rose, 10 Personal strengths: Positive, Friendly, Enthusiastic, Hard worker Personal weaknesses: Can sometimes say things that wish could take back (cue vulnerability hangover) Reason for joining Northstar: After starting my running journey in February 2022 and training by myself for the Twin Cities marathon, I was bored, and was looking for some friends to run with. After the marathon, I think I was less intimidated to join a run club. So here I am! Also, since I am new to the Twin Cities (moved in May 2020), I love learning all the routes we do and discovering new places to run. I love running with my Northstar friends!! Favorite running shoes: Brooks Adrenaline Favorite place to run: The Chain of Lakes Running Goals: Short-term: Enjoy my running and maybe get faster Long-term: Run another marathon with a focus on the joy of running Proudest Running Achievement: Finishing my first marathon in October 2022. Typical training week, a month or two before a major race: I usually run three to four times a week, and do CrossFit two to three times a week. I do long runs on Sunday with Northstar. I started doing speed work after getting my first training plan from Brian, and that was fun and I felt really powerful and strong after! Running idol: Hmm, not sure I have one. I read a profile of Martinus Evans who started the Slow AF Run Club, and I really enjoyed it – I want to read his book. Injuries: My knees hurt when I was training for Twin Cities, and I tweaked my knee doing CrossFit before Grandmas, so I need to be more careful of my CrossFit workouts leading into a race. PRs: (according to my Garmin) Marathon PR: 4:59:08 Half-Marathon PR: 2:16:34 25K PR: Not sure 10 Mile PR: Not sure 10K PR: 1:00:29 5K PR: 28:16 1 Mile PR: Non-running Hobbies: Reading or Listening to Books, Playing games, Hanging out with my family, CrossFit, My Peloton bike, Walking around Lake Harriet, Hanging out with friends Anything else interesting you’d like to share? My next race will be the Twin Cities Loony Challenge, and I am looking forward to my first race with my husband when we do the TC 10 miles on Sunday. Race recap of Grandma’s: With my sisters after Grandma’s 2023 My Grandma’s race recap is good news and bad news. The good news is that I am now officially a runner, and the bad news I am now officially a runner! Ha! I had set pace times with Brian to try to hit 4:50, and I was doing great the first several miles, then I stopped to go to the bathroom, and everything went downhill from there. I also kept thinking “Well, it will be flat soon, everyone says it is flat going into Duluth” and I never got to a point where I felt like it was flat. Ann told me it wasn’t flat, but I should have done more work reviewing the elevations. It was pretty lonely too, since I ran alone. I saw the first person I knew, my husband Aaron and two of my children and my two nephews around mile 19. Luckily, my saving grace was my awesome Northstar crew. Robbie finished the race out with me from Lemondrop on, and showed me what those sponges were for, and it wasn’t pretty, but it got done with a time around 5:14. Thanks Robbie! I want to do Grandma’s again, and this time, I want to get out of my head and enjoy it. So, maybe I will be training again next winter. But my friends at Northstar definitely make all the training way less onerous. Also, I loved the supportive texts I got which made me feel better. Thanks friends! I never thought I would finish a marathon and be disappointed with my time, but I think that comes with the running territory. I hope to get back to my plain ol joy of running for my next race.
Spotlight on…Sam Maki! 01/31/2023 0 Birthdate: June 5th Birth Place: San Angelo, TX Family: Wife (Elise) and dog (Bear) Personal strengths: Easygoing and sense of humor Personal weaknesses: Procrastination and big sweet tooth Reason for joining Northstar: Looked into all the Twin Cities running groups before moving and I liked the relaxed presence (and team colors) of Northstar while still helping people be competitive with training and racing. Also once I moved I happily realized it was the closest club! Favorite running shoes: Currently Saucony Kinvara 12 but always changing Favorite place to run: Too many to pick! There’s a lot of nostalgia running on a gravel road through trees. I have a blast running barefoot on golf courses. In Minneapolis I have really appreciated having Nokomis nearby. I even like running on the track, as long as it’s a rubber track. Running Goals: Short-term: Run my first half marathon, break 20 minute 5K again, run sub 5 mile again, race a trail Ragnar Long-term: Sub 2 min 800 meter, more trail racing, ultramarathon, race in all 50 states, being consistent, coaching a high school team Proudest Running Achievement: I won a couple of races in middle school/high school and that’s a great feeling. Aside from my own running, I really enjoyed helping others realize a love of the process of training, improving, and racing during track seasons. Seeing a teammate excited about a PB or great race always makes me proud. Typical training week, a month or two before a major race: When possible I like to run or study the race course in advance so I can tailor my training and visualization to prepare for each part of a race. In general I’m doing 2 workouts, 2 easy days, and a long run each week. Running idols: Jim Ryun, Wayde van Niekerk, Paavo Nurmi Injuries: currently – none, historically – hip flexor, foot tendonitis, knee issues (a lot of these caused by basketball, not running)PRs: Marathon PR: N/A Half-Marathon PR: Coming soon 25K PR: Never raced 10 Mile PR: Never raced 10K PR: I’ve run them but never really kept track? Fastest in recent training was 53:51 5K PR: 17:30 HS / 22:11 post HS 1 Mile PR: 4:53 HS/ 6:02 post HS I’ve also run race distances of 5 miles (41:55) and 8 miles (56:23) Non-running Hobbies: Nintendo Switch games, hiking, anime/manga, basketball, making ice cream Anything else interesting you’d like to share? I can play the flute, I was a spelling bee kid from 5th-8th grade, and I spent 2 years in Chile 2014-2016 which is where I learned to speak Spanish
Spotlight on…Nichole Bathe! 11/04/2022 0 Birthdate: March 17th 1995 Birth Place: Madison WI Family: Older brother in Minneapolis, Parents in Madison, and two dog babies with my boyfriend Rob. Personal strengths: Will joke about anything. Pretty decent cook. Personal weaknesses: Stubborn Reason for joining Northstar: Mill City was overwhelming and I wanted some training partners for marathon training. Favorite running shoes: Hoka cliftons Favorite place to run: River road in Minneapolis or any trails Running Goals: Short-term: Qualify for Boston Long-term: Run the London, Oslo, and Berlin Marathon Proudest Running Achievement: Finishing my first marathon last year Typical training week, a month or two before a major race: Run somewhere between 30-40 miles a week with a long run on the weekend. Running idol: Gwen Jorgensen (She’s a triathlete but she’s from Wisconsin and she’s awesome!) Injuries: Torn ACL and Meniscus in my right knee PRs: Marathon PR: 3:27 Half-Marathon PR: 1:33 25K PR: Never ran this! 10 Mile PR: 1:09 10K PR: 44:00 5K PR: 18:55 1 Mile PR: 5:58 – High school….. Non-running Hobbies: I like to ski and do any outdoor activity. I also enjoy Wine and cocktails!
Spotlight on…Jack Jorgensen! 05/11/2022 0 Age: 32 Birth Place: Minnesota Family: Bia (wife) and Charlie (dog) Personal strengths: Being open to challenging myself in new ways. Over the course of my high school track career, I participated in 12 of the 18 possible events for Minnesota high school track and field. I also have participated in about a half dozen triathlons since 2008, most of which were sprint distance. A few years back, I biked 160 miles just to see if it would be possible to ride from the Twin Cities to a family cabin up north in a single day (spoiler: it’s possible). Personal weaknesses: Chocolate; mornings. Reason for joining Northstar: In 2021, I spent about 6 months recovering from a chronic Achilles injury that kept me away from running for the longest period of time since I was a senior in high school, and when I started slowly getting back into it this year, I thought it would be good to meet some new people and put more structure around my otherwise disorganized training schedules. I’ve been hooked since day 1! Favorite running shoes: Asics Gel Cumulus Favorite place to run: Parque Ibirapuera in São Paulo, Brazil. I lived in São Paulo for about three years and met my wife there as well. Running Goals: Short-term: Run one race before the end of 2022Long-term: 1:20 half marathon Proudest Running Achievement: Sub 1:30 half marathon in 2016 Typical training week, a month or two before a major race: 30-35 miles spread over 5 or 6 days. Running idol: Jeff Galloway Injuries: None at the moment, and hoping it stays that way! PRs: Marathon PR: 3:25:11 (Twin Cities 2017)Half-Marathon PR: 1:29:41 (Lake Minnetonka 2016) Non-running Hobbies: I still play hockey once or twice a week and enjoy cross country skiing as well.
Spotlight on…Lisa Rippe! 09/07/2021 0 Birth Place: I grew up in Janesville, Wisconsin. After living in seven different states (Wisconsin, Ohio, Arizona, Michigan, Massachusetts, Florida, Kentucky) and two countries (Germany and Japan) for school and work, I moved to Minneapolis in 2007 with a sales and marketing role, serving Target and Best Buy. Family: Married to Paul, a native of the Twin Cities. We have two energetic black labs, Jade and Ruby, who especially enjoy hunting with Paul and lake swimming with me. Personal strengths: I’m known as organized, dedicated, positive, and energetic. Personal weaknesses: I tend to have high expectations of myself and others; I’m learning to tamp this down as others have different priorities. Some seem to think I’m intensely dedicated to running. Reason for joining Northstar: I love the supportive running community offered by the Northstars. The group has encouraged me to explore more of the Twin Cities running scene and inspired me to start a running streak, which began 1/1/21. Favorite place to run: I live close to Lake Harriet and enjoy looping the lakes and parkway at all times of the year. I love taking “runcation adventures” which give me an opportunity to travel, learn, and meet more runners. A run in a National Park is my kind of heaven on earth. Running Goals: Short-term: Get to know more in the Northstar community. Support the RRCA’s (rrca.org) vision to “empower everyone to run” in my volunteer role as board member and VP. Gear up for Whistle Stop marathon. Pace Eau Claire, Des Moines, and Orlando half marathons and Space Coast full marathon in 2021.Long-term: Continue to support our running community both locally and nationally, resume international “runcations”, reconnect in person with friends outside the Twin Cities, and add more folks to my circle of running friends. Proudest Running Achievement: Helping athletes achieve their goals brings me great satisfaction. I am a RRCA certified coach and race director. I have coached runners since 2010, mainly through Lifetime. I also enjoy supporting others by pacing half and full marathons. I am grateful for being a regular runner for over 30 years. I am fortunate to have completed over 135 marathons, including every state, continent, and the six world majors. Running idol: Currently I’m in awe of the gutsy Molly Seidel, the Tokyo Olympic Marathon bronze medalist and a fellow Wisconsin native. I had the pleasure of watching her finish her first marathon in second place at the Olympic Trials in Atlanta in February 2020. A few PRs: Marathon PR: 3:29 St. George, UTHalf-Marathon PR: 1:39 New Bedford, MAIronman PR: 13:14 Madison, WI Non-running Hobbies: Travel, cooking, reading, yoga, swimming, and biking.
Race Report: Maple Grove Half 06/11/2021 0 On May 15, 2021 I (Phil Jonsson) ran my second in person Half Marathon. It was a week after I hit my one year run streak so my conditioning was much greater than my previous attempt at the 2018 St Pete Run Fest Half Marathon in Florida when I did not train at all. My previous long races before I began my run streak never involved proper training or conditioning and the results showed. I have happily learned the errors of my ways now that I have embraced running as a lifestyle. I’ve been working training plans created by Brian that have really been dead on in terms of my comfort level, conditioning, and the goals I’ve set. Interestingly enough I had no intention of running the Half as I had signed up for the 5K and due to Covid restrictions being lifted more spots were added a couple weeks out from the event. Now that I knew it was possible and that I had fellow Northstars running it I decided to make the switch. I had recently been training for the team 10K so I was peaking at 36-38 miles a week with average long runs of 10-12 miles. My goal 10K pace was 8-8:30 and I ended up doing 7:57 with it feeling good so I was confident I could try for a Half PR. Setting on a goal race time was tougher and I discussed the strategy with Brian, Rob, and Missie. Brian’s evaluation from looking at my runs was the results from the Team 10 Mile and Team 10K would put me near a 1:50:00 goal race time. Missie suggested I start out slower the first few miles to not burn out too quick, and Rob was confident about starting around 9:10 for miles 1 & 2 and talked about how to work hills. I felt really good with the input and that I had a good game plan. When I got there an hour before I ran a slow warm up mile with Gavan (Missie’s son). Then Missie ran me through drills and I kept my heart rate up right until it was time to line up. I started out focusing on not going out too fast. My first mile I was right at 9:15. Once mile 2 hit I felt really good and cut half a minute off. From then on I worked around an 8:30 pace until mile 9 and pushed to stay within 8-8:30 through the end. It was definitely a hard effort miles 11-13 as the course was hilly like I had heard. The temp was about 55 so it felt nice and I utilized the water stops slowing down but not stopping. I felt confident and focused on the things I knew worked. Smart pacing, listening to my body, good form and moving my arms. But it was definitely a fun race because I knew I could do it but I also knew I could hit my goal if I dialed into my training and made sure I enjoyed the effort too. I set a PR at 1:51:40. My other in person Half was 3:14:34. I credit a different mindset, a healthier lifestyle, and a supportive running club as the main keys. I look forward to the next race and the one after that. – Phil
Spotlight on… Debbie Hultman! 06/11/2021 0 Birthdate: 06-06-1961 Birth Place: Glendale, CA Family: 2 daughters, 3 grandsons Personal strengths: I’m enthusiastic, a hard worker and good team player. I’m action oriented and suit up and show up. Personal weaknesses: I don’t like conflict, I get too busy, I can be too critical. Reason for joining Northstar: To meet and spend time with likeminded athletes committed to long term fitness and health. Favorite running shoes: Saucony, New Balance Favorite place to run: trail running Running Goals: Short-term: I turn 60 this month. I want to run a respectable 1 mile race, 5k race, 4 or 5 mile race,10k race,10 mile race and half marathon this year and do well in my new age group.Long-term: I’d be happy if I could run, at least a little bit, the rest of my life. Proudest Running Achievement: The running achievement I worked the hardest for was my marathon PR. I wanted to run 26 miles at a 7:50 average more than I wanted a particular time. It took 4 or 5 tries or training cycles and one heck of a hard race to finally accomplish this. I feel like I can hang my hat on this one. Typical training week, a month or two before a major race: I haven’t run a major race that I’ve trained for in 5 years. Running idol: I’m embarrassed to say that it’s a Minnesota woman and I wouldn’t want her to know. Ha! Injuries: Many feet, hip, femoral neck stress fractures. 2 complete breaks. PRs: Marathon PR: 3:24:35 – 2016 – Ely MarathonHalf-Marathon PR: – 1:37:23 – 2014 – Gary Bjorkland25K PR: – Never run10 Mile PR: – 1:13:24 – 2011 – TC1010K PR: – 42:?? 2016 – Flying Finn 10k, Embarrass, MN5K PR: 20:37 – 2016 – Quad City’s Courage 5k1 Mile PR: 6:09 – 2016 – Duluth Mile Non-running Hobbies: I volunteer a lot with The Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, my church and with a few other organizations. I’ve volunteered away from home 8-12 weeks a year the past 5 years. I might stick closer to home volunteering in the future though. I LOVE hiking!!!! Camping too! I’ve done some really cool long solo hikes across states and even countries. I like to bike too. I do a lot of it and often am on a bike trip or riding with a group somewhere. I ride the Habitat for Humanity 500 mile bike ride every summer. I like to swim, cross country ski and snowshoe too! Anything else interesting you’d like to share? I just moved from Ely, MN to be closer to family. My friends can’t believe I moved because loved Ely outdoor activities so much. They think I’ll be back but I don’t think so. I love it here and I’m not having a hard time adjusting at all. Northstar has helped with my transition. It’s been a super fun add and has really helped me to meet new friends and to feel part of a community!
Spotlight on…Lisa Millam! 02/28/2021 0 Birthdate: 2/16 Birth Place: Carbondale PA Family: Husband, Neil Dog, Farnsworth Personal strengths: Mentally Strong Personal weaknesses: Easily distracted and talked into doing stupid things. Reason for joining Northstar: Founding Member & enjoy the company and fellowship of the group. Favorite running shoes: Right now, Ghost 13 Favorite place to run: The Lakes Running Goals: Short-term: Keep my streak goingLong-term: FANS 2021 Proudest Running Achievement: Finishing the Steamtown Marathon 2005 with my father running the final .2 with me. He was so happy to do that. He trained for weeks beforehand. The story of your streak: It started as a casual conversation on a Friday morning schlogg. I figured I would try it for a year and see how it goes. 10 plus years later, I am still going strong. I hope to keep it going as long as possible. It just became part of my life. I have many days when all I do is a mile and that is just fine. Typical training week, a month or two before a major race: Training for FANS means spending a lot of time on your feet. I try to do back-to-back long runs on the weekends and 1 during the week. Running idol: Anyone who puts on their shoes & gets running. Injuries: Nothing major (thank God) PRs: Marathon PR :5:04Half-Marathon PR: 2:0625K PR: 3:3610 Mile PR: 1:3810K PR: 53:115K PR: 26:581 Mile PR: 8:01 Non-running Hobbies: Reading, puzzles, traveling, fostering dogs and an endless pursuit of the perfect margarita and cheese dip. Anything else interesting you’d like to share? I was in my 40’s when I started running and in my 50’s when I started my streak so it’s never too late to start.
Race Report: Deadhorse Ultra 50k 02/28/2021 0 With all the races being cancelled and run virtually in 2020, the chance to actually race was just too hard to pass up. After completing our own 50k this past June while running virtual Grandma’s Marathon and just adding on a few extra miles, Damon and I (Angie) thought we were ready to tackle the real thing. Deadhorse Ultra is run in Gemini Bridges, Moab, UT and is the most breathtaking place we’ve ever run! The course boasts 3,000’ of elevation and with trails mostly on slickrock it was also extremely challenging. Race morning was a perfect 37 degrees. The director had us going off in waves of 10, every 2 minutes to keep us physically distanced. The first 2+ miles were straight up but the view helped to distract from how hard that was. The trail at the start (and end) is very pitted and had many big rocks and lots of loose gravel, making it an extra difficult starting climb. Once to the top you were rewarded with spectacular views of Arches National Park and all the beautiful mountains, canyons, and rock formations along with the morning sunrise. A steep, rocky downhill, flattened out to a couple miles of wider, sandy trails and our first water stop. They did a great job, with signs indicating it was a mask zone, and everything was handed to you upon request. After that first stop, the run pretty much went up, up, up for the next 10 miles and was almost entirely on slickrock and single track. Slickrock, contrary to its name, is not slick at all. It is very uneven, flat-ish rock you run over. It’s pitted, uneven, and starts and stops with out any rhyme or reason. It became the bane of my existence for the next few hours as even in my trail shoes my feet were starting to ache. Just when I thought I could not continue to climb one more minute, we reached the third aid station around mile 15 and were told “it’s all downhill from here”! Well I’ve heard that before, but in this case it wasn’t a lie! For about the next 6-8 miles we ran down, which was heavenly, but still very difficult as it was still slickrock, and big rock studded single track, with the occasional edge to fall over into a deep canyon, if you tripped. We stopped many times to take pictures of all the beautiful views, and it was hard to stop and start so much, but worth it to take it all in! Miles 22-26 were also an adventure, being almost exclusively slickrock, with dry riverbeds to jump over, and so many rock formations, on such a windy trail to follow (painted lines on the slickrock) that you thought you were completely alone out there as you could see no one in front or behind you. A last big 2 mile climb again towards the finish, and a rocky downhill to navigate to the last flat stretch to the finish line and we were done! Finally! 8 hours and 20 minutes to cover 50k, 2,800’ of elevation. This was the hardest race we’ve ever run!
