Front Range Elite

AnnMarie works with a non-profit planning logistics for educational programs and traveling our beautiful country guiding folks on hiking programs. She started training after her second child was born in December 2015 to get back into shape so she could continue hiking Colorado’s 14ers. The long road back to base fitness was so enjoyable it ignited a spark that had been dormant since her high school XC and track days. She began entering local races and setting time goals. After reaching those, her desire for competition and racing only increased. She has won local competitive races like the Horsetooth Half marathon, Firekracker 5k (where she set her PR of 17:12) and dreams of racing a mile and 5k at sea level. In 2019 the Fort Collins team she was part of placed 2nd at the State XC club meet on a snowy day in October. AnnMarie is actively involved in the local running community- leading group runs, supporting a running group for new moms, and promoting the sport. She qualified for the Olympic Trials 2020 Marathon with a PR at California International of 2:37:49.

• Favorite running distance: Anything over 1 mile
• Favorite racing distance: The marathon will always be her first love – the difficulty of the event and its wild spirit call to her.
• She is inspired by: Her kids. She originally thought her running might teach them through example about working hard towards a goal. Now they teach her- their excitement for life and commitment to their own passions fuel her.
• Most memorable running moments:
  • In 2017 AnnMarie qualified for the Olympic Trials for the first time. That moment stands still in the time capsule of life as a breakthrough for what she ever thought was possible.
  • At a track workout her youngest son (2 at the time) yelled “I can if I can” about his ability to climb a fence like his big brother. That quote always comes back to her at the toughest spot in a race or when she is working towards a dream that seems too big.
• AnnMarie is eager to share her passion with anyone who wants to get to the next level. In the past few years, the joy of competing, finding strength and empowerment in the simple act of running has been life-changing.
• "The difficult I can do today. The impossible...is just going to take a little longer."

Kristyn began her running career in about 4th grade, as she was only picked first in gym class for capture the flag. Originally from Massachusetts, she was forced by her mother to join the HS cross country team, a decision she now appreciates greatly. She went on to earn her master's degree in Occupational Therapy at Springfield College where she ran XC and Track and Field. After college, Kristyn moved around the country working as an Occupational Therapist, running, and making amazing friends in the running community. She and her husband moved to Fort Collins, CO and decided to call it home.

• Favorite running distance: Whatever you want to do.
• Favorite racing distance: The marathon. It teaches you something about life and who you are every time.
• She is inspired by: Her patients. Running is a gift. She is hoping to run most of the days of her life that she is physically able.
• Most memorable running moments:
  • George Marathon running with college teammates 10 years later.
  • Actually capturing the flag in 5th grade.
• Kristyn is overjoyed to be part of a running team again with Front Range Elite. Her personal goal is to run an OTQ in the following years and to support her teammates to do the same. She is motivated to give back to the running community that has filled her life with great friends and memories (Thanks Mom).

Rachael is a Fort Collins, CO native. She started running after high school, when she found her love for distance running. She had a successful career running for Colorado State University from 2012-2017 where she set her 10k PR of 34:54:16 (7th on CSU all-time list). In 2019 she won the Black Squirrel Trail Half Marathon in 1:42:35 and set the course record. She also ran the 2019 Crested Butte Trail Half Marathon where she placed 2nd. She is actively involved in the running community and still craves competition with running and road biking!

• Favorite running distance: 10K and Half Marathons
• Favorite racing distance: 6Ks, 10Ks, Half Marathons
• She is inspired by: The amazing humans that surround her everyday. More so her mom and dad. They inspire her to be the best human she can be! More importantly they SHOW her how to be better.
• Most memorable running moments: Winning the 10k her freshman year at the Mountain State Conference (in WY) for CSU. It was very humbling and her first year ever racing the 10k (3rd time ever running that race in her life).

Growing up in Houston, TX, Sophie began her running career at the ripe age of 10, when she decided to see how long she could keep up with the fast boys during the weekly PE 1 mile run (disclaimer: she beat them). After graduating 5th grade with a respectable 6:52 sea level mile PR, she continued running on and off, in awe of her Dad while he trained for ultra marathons. Sophie stuck with running through high school, and was fortunate enough to run collegiately at Texas A&M. During this time, she lowered her personal bests to 2:10 for the 800m and 4:24 for the 1500m.

After a break from the sport, Sophie started training again back in 2017, with a lofty bucket list goal to break 3 hours in the marathon. After completing this goal in her first true attempt at the 2018 Houston Marathon, she realized the value of self belief and removing any limits you may set on yourself. Her marathon PR is now 2:54, set at Grandma's Marathon in 2019. When she is not training, Sophie is working as a Recreation Coordinator (kind of like the show, “Parks and Rec”) and co-runs a small running coaching business with her Husband (who is also a 2:20 marathoner). Sophie and her husband, Clint, moved to Fort Collins in 2015 and consider it home with their dog, Hank, and kitty, Leroy.

• Favorite running distance: That loop where you kinda know how long it is, but you aren’t sure, and you severely underestimate it’s length every single time.
• Favorite racing distance: Half marathon
• She is inspired by: Her dad - She discovered her love of running through watching her dad race and crewing for him while growing up. They still run their little loop every time she goes home to visit - no matter the pace, it never gets old!!
• Most memorable running moments: The 2018 Houston Marathon - breaking 3 hours for the first time, truly believing in herself, and getting proposed to after the race in front family (Despite her glycogen depleted state, she was smart and said yes 😉)
• Sophie is ecstatic to not only be a part of a team that shares her values, but be a part of something bigger than herself. Sophie’s personal goals are to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Trials, become a strong competitor in the trail running world, and to help her teammates reach their true potential. Sophie is excited to give back to the wonderful Fort Collins running community, and to inspire others to dream big and chase their “crazy” goals.

Sophie is a first year PhD student at Colorado State University in the Human Bioenergetics Department. She started running in the sixth grade after moving to Indiana. She caught the running bug and has never stopped. She went on to run at Western Colorado University and became a 4x Division II All-American. While in college, she also ran a marathon and qualified for the Olympic trials marathon, running a time of 2:33:21 at Grandma’s Marathon in 2019.

• Favorite running distance: Long runs.
• Favorite racing distance: The marathon.
• She is inspired by: My family, friends, and the outdoors.
• Most memorable running moments: Freshman year of college when she won her heat of Mt Sac and ran nearly a minute personal record at the time (17:18). After that race, she truly believed I could be a great runner.
• Sophie is so grateful to be part of Front Range Elite. Her goal is to support her teammates and the running community in Fort Collins. She hopes to stand next to all of her teammates on the start line of the 2024 Olympic marathon trials.

Jenna is a first year M.S. student at Colorado State University in the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department. Jenna's love for running started with friendly sister competition. Her sister ran a half-marathon when Jenna was starting college, which inspired Jenna to try the same feat. Jenna was instantly hooked by the sport and went on to run several more half marathons and full marathons. After graduating from Cornell University in 2019, she moved to Boston where her passion for the sport blossomed even more because of the supportive running community she found there. She set a goal of breaking 3 hours this past spring and surprised herself with a PR of 2:55. Most recently, Jenna started journeying into the world of trail running and has really taken a liking to the ultra distances.

• Favorite running distance: Long (trail) runs!
• Favorite racing distance: The marathon and 50.
• She is inspired by: Her mom, who climbed her first mountain at age 58 on a trip out to Boulder together, and her brother who taught her the importance of chasing her dreams.
• Most memorable running moments: Placing first female OA in the Cayuga Trail 50k (her old college stomping grounds of Ithaca, NY) and eating enormous amounts of tacos by the fire afterward with her three favorite running partners.
• Jenna is amped to join Front Range Elite! Her personal goal is to toe the starting line of the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials with some of her teammates. She also hopes to become a force to reckon with on the trails, share her passion for running with the community, and fearlessly support her teammates in their athletic (and life!) dreams.

Cora is a second-year master's student at Colorado State University in the Forest and Rangeland Department. She started reluctantly running in 6th grade, but eventually grew to love it. While at Occidental College, Cora competed in nearly every event, primarily focusing on the 800m and high jump. After graduating in 2019, she took a break from racing for a couple of years and built up consistent mileage while moving around the U.S., settling in Fort Collins in 2020. In 2021, Cora got back to racing with the goal of racing a marathon. Her marathon debut was at the 2021 Chicago Marathon where she broke the 3-hour mark to run a time of 2:58. Following the marathon, Cora jumped back down in distance to train for the 5k where she PR'd (17:19) at the D.C. turkey trot. She is now eager to start rebuilding mileage and begin training for her next marathon!

Sarah is a first year veterinary student at Colorado State University. Sarah grew up in Folsom, CA and found her love for running when playing soccer as a kid and realized her favorite part of the game was chasing after the ball. She started running cross country and track in middle school and then continued in high school and college. Sarah ran cross country and track for University of California, Davis where she found her calling in the long distance races, especially the 10k. While running for Davis, Sarah improved her times to 16:36 in the 5k and 34:34 in the 10k which put her 5th on UC Davis's all-time list for the 10k. After finishing her collegiate career at NCAA DI regionals in May 2021, Sarah took a little time off from competitive running until her dad suggested she try running a half marathon just for fun. In November, Sarah ran the Horsetooth half marathon and realized how much she missed racing and is ready to start training again for longer distance races.

• Favorite running distance: long runs
• Favorite racing distance: 10k and half marathon
• She is inspired by: Her family, especially her dad who also ran in college for UC Davis and has run many marathons since then. Her teammates of the past and present who inspire her to work hard and support others.
• Most memorable running moments: Running her PR 10k at Hayward field in the new stadium in Eugene, OR. It was unreal and she felt like she was running in a dream for the first couple laps, which is probably good because it helped the 25 laps go by quicker. The stadium, even though not that full because of COVID, still echoed with cheers and the sounds of the announcers. She was in awe from the moment she stepped onto the track.
• Sarah is so excited to start training with Front Range Elite and be a part of such a supportive group. She aims to give the longer road races a try and would like to train for her first marathon. She has goals of hitting an OTQ for the 2024 olympics alongside her teammates.

Courtney is a postdoctoral fellow studying neuroscience at Colorado State University, but she fell in love with running long before studying how exercise effects the brain.

She has memories of winning the 440 at elementary school field day, back when a lap around the track felt like a long-distance race. She went on to run track and cross country in high school and college, attending the University of Colorado. At CU she focused on the steeplechase outdoors and 3k indoors, clocking times of 10:30 and 9:30, respectively. After taking a few years off post-collegiately, she realized she couldn't stay away and that running is a core part of who she is. She trained with the West Coast Speed Shop while pursuing her PhD in Portland, Oregon.

She and her husband, Jeff, moved back to Colorado in the fall of 2022 and have been enjoying the joys of running the trails surrounding Fort Collins. Since then, she started coaching middle school cross country and discovered a passion for helping to foster a positive association with running at a young age and giving back to the sport that has given her so much over the years. She is so happy to call Fort Collins home.

• Favorite running distance: Long run with a tempo. This year I have become particularly fond of running the dams by Horsetooth Reservoir. The variety in terrain makes things interesting and seeing the sunrise on Horsetooth is nothing short of magic.
• Favorite racing distance: Half marathon- the perfect combination of speed and endurance.
• She is inspired by: My older brother, Chris, who showed me the way when I started running in high school and has been my role model my entire life. My husband, Jeff, who reminded me about the joys of running after college. My running friends, who make it fun to get out the door, even when it' still dark out, and push me during workouts- working hard together and making workouts fun (sometimes with the help of a speaker and Taylor Swift). And the middle schoolers that I coach- I want to show them what it looks like to work towards a goal, and running with them consistently reminds me that running is fun and so is splashing in puddles.
• Most memorable running moments: Running a PR in the steeplechase in historic Hayward field during the Pac-12 championships.

Liz attended Washington State University where she finished her BS in Civil Engineering and her MS in Environmental Engineering.
Running didn't find Liz until adulthood. Through the stress of grad school, Liz put on an old pair of trainers and ran to the next town over (roughly 10 miles) with no real training. After that she was hooked.

Liz won her first marathon and most recently was “last woman standing” at the Rocky's backyard ultra. The Backyard Ultra is a form of Ultra race where runners must complete 4.167 miles in less than one hour, every hour, until only one runner remains to complete a lap. She is a certified coach and coaches for Team Run Run.

Liz has plenty of other exciting hobbies and is currently in the works of publishing her first graphic novel. She also enjoys road cycling, hot yoga, and anything that can push her to her limits.

• Favorite running distance: Classic 10 mi easy run.
• Favorite racing distance: Half and whatever sounds crazy (Think 24 hour format).
• She is inspired by: The people who believe and support in her dreams.
• Most memorable running moments: In my first marathon, I met a man who helped me find my pace group and gave me some good first timer advice. I ended up winning OA female and ironically I passed the same man in the last mile, he cheered me on even though he looked like he was hurting. He then found me at the awards ceremony and bought me lunch insisting that I have a healthy meal after my race. He was so helpful and kind to a complete stranger. One day I hope to pass on his kindness to a first timer like he did as well. Who wouldn't get hooked to the sport after an experience like that?

Maggie joined the Conifer High School cross country team her senior year after being bribed with extra credit in AP history (taught by the team’s coach). Despite DNFing her first 5k (true story), she refused to quit. Over the course of the season, Maggie worked her way into one of the team's top positions and forever fell in love with running.

It wasn’t until her mid-twenties that Maggie discovered that trail running was an actual sport (growing up in Conifer, they just called it running) and found her stride, podiuming at several mountain half marathons before taking a break to have her first kid. After realizing through labor and delivery that her body was capable of a whole lot more than she thought, she got into the trail marathon and ultra running scene, where she discovered she’s pretty good at running sort of fast for a really long time.

Maggie has the course record at the Red Feather Trail Jamboree 50k, a third and second place finish at Staunton Rocks Marathon, a second place finish at Cheyenne Mountain 50k and Blue Sky Trail Marathon, and she won her first 50 mile race at Arches in Moab.

She is now a mother of three young boys (the double Bob stroller is her best friend), works as a copywriter and writes publicly about her experience as an able-bodied athlete raising a child with Down syndrome. Her favorite thing is eating Thai food with her very funny husband.

• Favorite running distance: Even numbers, greater than 10 but less than 22.
• Favorite racing distance: Still figuring that out but right now probably the 50k.
• She is inspired by: Seeing other people pursue big scary goals in running, writing and life in general.
• Most memorable running moments: Waking up late while camping the night before the Spirit Trail Half Marathon in Buena Vista, trying to eat not-fully cooked oatmeal out of a paper cup on the way to the start line in a fast moving vehicle on a winding dirt road, puking at packet pickup, being passed by a mother of three wearing extremely loud, patterned tights (such a flex) on a climb (!), but somehow still squeaking in a second place finish.

Craig is from Loveland, CO. He played all the sports growing up until he discovered a calling for endurance activities. He has a passion for running, triathlons, climbing 14ers, and spending time with his wife and two year old daughter.

Craig really enjoys helping people get healthy so they can enjoy an active lifestyle without limitations. He also enjoys seeing people achieve their optimal performance through coaching and bridging the gap between rehab and performance.

Academic and Professional:
Graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a bachelor's degree in Integrative Physiology
Graduated from Northern Arizona University with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy

Craig has practiced as a physical therapist for 15 years, specializing in endurance athletes. He has worked with and consulted with numerous professional runners, cyclists, and triathletes.

Craig is a faculty member for the Postural Restoration Institute, traveling around the country to educate Physical Therapists, Chiropractors, Athletic Trainers, coaches, and other healthcare professionals about the treatment of patterned lumbo-pelvic femoral pathomechanics.

Athletic:

• Formal Athletic Achievements

  • Has completed 9 marathons including Boston and New York
  • Three time Ironman finisher including qualifying for and competing in the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii in 2016
  • Multiple Ironman 70.3 finisher, qualifying for and competing in the 70.3 World Championships in 2021
  • PRs: 5k: 16:11, 10k: 34:50, Half: 1:16, Full marathon: 2:45
• Random Athletic Achievements

  • Biked across the country in 2006
  • Biked from Fort Collins to Yellowstone and back in 2008
  • Biked the Kokapelli Trail in Colorado and Utah
  • Ran Rim to Rim to Rim in 2022
  • Certified Alligator Wrestler