Gazelle Summer Half/Full Marathon Training Directory

Jen Bauer

Nancy Best

� What races are you training for this summer? Park 2 Park, Mackinac Island Great Turtle

� How long have you been running? Running for fun for a few years, but running for races and

for mileage since November, 2012. Have attempted distance running in the past and ended up with various injuries like IT Band problems and Plantar Fasciitis so now I am making sure I am doing it right!

� What do you do when you are not running?

I am a full time PhD student at WMU studying Counseling Psychology. My commute from Holland to Kalamazoo, plus classes, and working as a Masters level Psychologist takes up a lot of my spare time. If I get a free moment after all of that, I enjoy spending time kayaking, biking, or playing with my nieces and nephew!

� I am a newlywed and still fairly new to Holland. I enjoy getting

to know new people, but I am such an introvert that sometimes it

is difficult! I am thankful for the friends I have found through

the training program from last season and look forward to making

new ones this season!

This season I'm planning on doing the Michigan wine trail half,

Mackinac Is 8 miler, Park to Park Half, and the Grand Rapids

Marathon. Maybe a few other races if I get talked into it. I've

been running for 47 years, but only racing for 16 years. My first

marathon was in Chicago in 1999 and I just loved it so I've tried

to do at least one a year. I'm trying for my 17th this year. I do

yoga and weight lifting too. My main goals for this season are to

get faster, thinner, and eat better! Come to think of it that's

always been my goal.

Gazelle Summer Half/Full Marathon Training Directory

Jane Clark

Cammi Clark

� What races are you training for this summer?

My big race this fall is the Chicago Marathon. I’ll also do the

Park to Park Half Marathon, and maybe Grand Rapids Half. Plus

probably some 5ks along the way.

� How long have you been running?

I started running 5 years ago – February 2008, literally

following the Couch to 5k plan. Never in my wildest dreams

would I have thought that I would be training for Marathon #5!

� What do you do when you are not running?

I’m a happily married wife (celebrating our 25th Anniversary

on July 3rd!) and Mom to 2 wonderful teenage boys, Harrison and

Hudson. I also just picked up tennis and am taking golf lessons.

Life is good!

Training for park to park half, will probably find a few other races

along the way to sign up for. This will be my 4th half and I am

focusing this season on getting back to the basics; running for the

health of it, trying to drop some pounds and working to try to speed

up my time that has slowed down in the last year. I am also focusing

on some cross training at the gym and continuing trying new things. ☺

I have three little boys, Corbin – 9, Case – 7, and Colt – 4 with my

husband of 14 years Dan. I also work full time so life is never boring!

I started running two years ago this summer. June 2011 I did the

summer 5k group, January 2012 I joined the 10k group, Summer of

12 and January of 2013 I have participated in the half group. I have

made many friends and know I have a support system through the

wonderful folks in this running group. I also have four sisters, two of

whom who are active runners, including one that is a marathon team

lead in the Grand Rapids group.

In the little spare time I have I enjoy home projects, creative

endeavors, and reading.

Gazelle Summer Half/Full Marathon Training Directory

Bud Ferguson

Miki Foster

I started running this past spring when I joined the Gazelle 5K training group, so the ½ marathon training is a big step (run?) up for me. My race goal for now is a 10K, but ultimately the Park-to Park in September. I am a retired school administrator now dabbling in currency trading and songwriting, as well as this new running gig – reinventing myself, I suppose, for my next act. I live in the hills and woods of the Lake Michigan dunes south of Holland with my wife, Barb, and our pup, Lucy, who is always ready for a walk, run, swim or ride in the car.

Hi, I've running for about two years. It's a consistent part of my

life, although I never follow a training schedule.

My goal for Summer Safari '13 is to have fun. I like to push myself

hard but I realize when I care too much about my speed and time,

I forget to enjoy. I'm looking forward to meeting new people,

growing friendship --oh, and to become a better runner. When I’m

not hitting the pavement, I enjoy knitting, crocheting, and needle

felting. I also love dogs and yoga.

I'll be training for the Park to Park half marathon and thinking

about the Grand Rapids half marathons.

Gazelle Summer Half/Full Marathon Training Directory

Jenni Hielkema

Marty LaBarge

I am Jenni Hielkema and I will be a senior at Hope College. I am an

Elementary Ed./Integrated Science major and I hope to be a middle

school science teacher when I 'grow up.' I am training for the Grand

Rapids Half Marathon in October. I did track and field in middle

school and the beginning of high school. At first I did mid-distance

races, but then I was bumped over to high jump and hurtles. I was

glad that they switched me because I would always manage 4th place

no matter what I did. I just wasn't fast enough to do well in those

races. Even once I no longer had time for track and field, I would run

every now and then with one of my friends from high school. I would

say that I really started running, though, about a year and a half ago

to get ready for my general education gym requirement here at Hope.

I didn't want to be huffing and puffing when it came time to run a

few timed miles, so I started small and worked my way up. I started

to love the way that running made me feel (and that had never

happened in track!). I did the Patron 'Quarter Marathon' this past

May and decided that I wanted to do my first Half this year as well.

When I'm not running, I work for the Hope Biology Department. I am

helping to rewrite the Lab Curriculum for the Bio 105 course that is

being started in the fall. I also really like to read and go to the

beach. When I'm not at Hope, I live in Gahanna, Ohio with my family.

I am training for the Chicago Marathon. It is my first marathon. I

have been running for 12 years and I work at Hope College as an

accounting professor.

Gazelle Summer Half/Full Marathon Training Directory

Kimberly Lobretto

Mary Lou Mortorff

What races are you training for this summer? North Country half marathon, wine trail half marathon, Detroit

Women's half, park 2 park, GR half, Naperville Half, along with a few 5k races. How long have you been running?

2 1/2 years

What do you do when you are not running? Watch sports, read, discover new breweries, spend time with my

husband Tony and dog Chewy.

I'm looking forward to a great summer/fall season.

I started running at the age of 54; that was three years ago and I had

never run before. I started the Gazelle 5k training and in just a short

time I was running almost non-stop for 3 miles. That first year I ran

seven 5k races, developed new friendships, and became the healthiest

I’ve ever been in my life. I had so much fun that the following year I

trained for and ran several 10k races and ended the year by running the

Chicago Hot Chocolate 15k with my new running friends. I ran/walked

my first ½ marathon at the Gazelle Girl ½ Marathon last spring and my

goal now is to run the Park 2 Park ½ Marathon nonstop. Other than the

love for running I enjoy time spent with my family, riding on my

husband’s motorcycle, kayaking and playing with my Jack Russell, Biscuit

Gazelle Summer Half/Full Marathon Training Directory

Ron Nienhuis

Anne Pageau

Hi my name is Ron Nienhuis and I have been running for about a year

and a half.

My running story started on the treadmill with walking. (Never thought

I would ever think of running as anything other than work.). My first run

was the "Zeeland Zoom" last summer. I have done a few races since

including "New Year's Eve" and the "Park2Park 5K". Did my first group

training for the "5th Third Riverbank" 10k and decided to try training

for "Park2Park" 1/2 marathon.

This summer I am planning on running the "Zeeland Zoom" again and

"The Chris Cooke Memorial Run" in Fremont along with the "Park2Park".

Not sure which others, yet, but am sure there will be a couple more in

there somewhere.

I have been married to Cindy for 16 years (some may know her from

the last 5k training group). She and I are both employed at Fleetwood

Group and love to travel, especially cruises. The attached picture is

from our vaca to Playa Del Carmen last December. (Three guesses

which of the two she really wanted to bring home.)

Looking forward to getting to know all of you in the training and sharing

stories.

my name is anne pageau and i've been running since middle school, when

my mom signed me up for road races with her. i coached for a while, and

generally just love the sport. i'm currently training for the milwaukee

marathon in october and nyc marathon in november. i've run six

marathons, but don't let that fool you into thinking i'm an intense

runner - i really like whiskey and pizza. i'm a freelance graphic designer

and absolutely love my job. married, no kids, love holland and our

community of friends and family.

Gazelle Summer Half/Full Marathon Training Directory

Julia Plaggemeyer

Cindy Sneller

This summer I'm training for the Park 2 Park Half in September as well

as the GR Half in October. I'm also looking forward to the Lakeshore

Miracle Run in July and a few other 5K's sprinkled in there. I started

running in the winter of 2010 by doing the C25K program and fell in love

with it. I continued running until I became pregnant with our second

daughter in the summer of 2011. I took over a year off from running

but got back in the game in January of this year. I have 2 little girls;

Olivia who will be 5 in July and Nora, who is 18 months. Whenever I'm

not running, I am chasing them around (literally), or spending time with

my Husband, Bryce.

I work for the State of Michigan, in downtown GR for the Dept. of

Environmental Quality. I am married to Reed Sneller and we have one

son, Troy (22 yrs old), who is working towards a degree in Industrial

Operations Engineering at U of M, and will graduate in 2014. He also

runs track for the univ., which is why I miss out on the winter/spring

training sessions. We attend many of his meets.

I, myself, have been running consistently since 2001 and want to

continue it for my lifetime. I have run many 5K’s, 10K’s and Half

Marathons, along with one River Bank and one marathon (Fall 2012 in

GR). This year I am planning to run a couple half marathons, 10K’s and

5K’s. I’m also running a 200 Mile Relay at the end of June (The 3rd

Coast Relay from Holland to Traverse City). It should be fun,

interesting, sweaty, exhausting and not much sleep. I’ll keep you

posted. I’m also dealing w/ Plantar Fasciitis every so often. So, really

my goal for this year is to do what I can, enjoy it and not get stressed.

My email address is (which I share w/ my hubby):

rcsneller@fnwusers.com. Unfortunately, I have yet to connect up to

Facebook stuff. I think I might be too old school and not have enough

time to do this anyway.

Gazelle Summer Half/Full Marathon Training Directory

Ron Thompson

Tammy Walker

I have lived in West Michigan for the last three years. I love all the

running opportunities here! I have been running since I was in high

school, but had a 10 year break where I did not do much running. I ran

my first and only Marathon in 1996. I am training for the Grand Rapids

Marathon and whatever other races I might pick up along the way. I

work in the dairy industry, the company I work for is making milk

powder and shipping it all over the world. My two kids live in California,

so I do not get to see them too often. I am happy to have made some

friends to run with!

Attached is a picture for my bio. I just started running in May after

about 25 to 30 years off from running. I have always enjoyed walking

but never thought of myself as a good runner. I volunteered at River

Bank Run this year and that spiked my interest in running after seeing

the different ages, sizes and times of the various runners. I thought to

myself, if they can do this, why can’t I. So I decided to give it a try. I

ran 2 miles and that went fine and then I ran 3.1 miles and thought OK I

could run a 5K, and so far the longest run I have done is 8 miles. At

this time, I have signed up to run the Zeeland Zoom (last year I walked

it) and the Park 2 Park half marathon. I think I will also sign up for the

Miracle Run in early July. Other than running, I do enjoy walking, biking

and going to the gym. I am definitely the #1 Detroit Tigers FAN in the

world. I DVR every game and watch all of them. I have been known to

yell at the television on more than one occasion! I enjoy spending time

with my children, Ken (20 – Junior at CMU in fall) and Emily (17 – Senior

at ZEHS in fall) whether traveling, shopping, eating or going to a movie.

I was on the Relay For Life Holland-Zeeland Committee as the

Ceremonies Chair and co-captained a team for Macatawa Bank (where I

work) for this year’s Relay – Relay just occurred on June 14 and June

Gazelle Summer Half/Full Marathon Training Directory

Beth Wassink

Beth Wassink – Born in Flint, MI and raised on the famous 10 Mile

Bobby Crim Road Race route, it had been a lifelong dream to run the

Crim someday. Last summer I decided to train for that goal. I had been

a cross country runner in high school so I figured I could do it, no

problem. Ha! At 38 years old, I had a rude awakening. I did run the race

but it took me over 2 hours and it was miserable. That’s when I decided

to take things a bit more seriously. I committed to run the 25K River

Bank Run on behalf of KIDS HOPE USA, my employer, and I joined the

Gazelle Training Group. BEST DECISION EVER. I finished the River

Bank Run in under 3 hours and felt great! This summer I have decided

to train for a full marathon – the Oktoberfest/Old Boy’s Brewhouse

Marathon on September 28th. While there are plenty of other runs I

want to do this summer, I think I will focus on this marathon for now.

The only other race I am registered for at this time is the Bobby Crim

10 mile again – I must crush my time from last year! Next year I want

to do the Gazelle Girl, The Lakeshore Miracle Mile, and The Mount

Baldhead Challenge – just to name a few. When I am not running, I am

probably playing ice hockey or on vacation. You can usually find me at

the local brew pub enjoying a beer!

Gazelle Summer Half/Full Marathon Training Directory

Erin Watson

What races are you training for this summer? Lakeshore Miracle Run,

Park2Park, possibly GR 1/2 Marathon, & plan on participating in other

various 5ks & 10ks

How long have you been running? Since March 2012

What do you do when you are not running? Drink coffee, Think about

running, Encourage others, Coach Girls on the Run, Wear snarky running

gear, Drink craft beer with friends, Hug my dogs, Frank & Wrigley,

Wonder when my 15 year old son (Elliot) will stop growing, Teach at

Holland Public Schools, Tutor, Joke around, Cook

Plus whatever else you would like to include

Running has become a HUGE part of my life. It has changed/enhanced

my life! Running is me against me. Running helps me to encourage

others in many ways. My internal motivation motto is, "The heck I

can't!"

People say things like, "Oh, I could never run! I'm just not a runner."

My usual response is, "Well do I look like a runner?" Them, "Well, yeah

because I know you run." Me, "But do I "look" like a runner? Would you

look at me and think, "Oh yeah, I bet she runs?" Them, "Well, no but

you're so committed!" Me, "You can be too! When do you wanna go for

a run?!?! I'll run with you!"

“There is a difference between interest and commitment. When you're

interested in something, you do it only when it's convenient. When

you're committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.”

― Kenneth H. Blanchard

“Take a minute: look at your goals, look at your performance, see if your

behavior matches your goals.”

― Kenneth H. Blanchard

So...I guess this next and last quote probably would have/can sum up

what I believe: “The best way to teach people is by telling a story”

― Kenneth H. Blanchard

Gazelle Summer Half/Full Marathon Training Directory

Cely Villarreal

My biggest goal is to run/finish the Chicago Marathon in Oct. It will be

my first

marathon and I’m going to work hard. I'm so excited.

When I am not running I enjoy spending time with my

husband, Ricardo. I love reading, cooking and watching movies.