I have a lot of big ideas. Sometimes, being a self-employed 23-year-old business owner, I seem to create more ideas than I (or STRIVE) can handle. I’m an idealist and I want to change the world. Today.

Just ask Nic and Rob, my co-owners of STRIVE and my senior by a decade or more. I can only imagine the frustration of having to rein me in – an enthusiastic youngster who wants to do everything at once.

One of the many big ideas that I’ve had over the last year or so while being a co-owner at STRIVE was to start a running team. I’ve always liked the idea of “sponsorship,” but thought that the Nikes and Sauconys have been doing it wrong. What you really need to make sponsorship worthwhile is a system in which a company is getting some kind of return on its investment in an athlete. Part of the reason why running sponsorships are few and far between might be that big shoe companies haven’t found a way to figure out how to get that return.

But to me, it seemed like we at STRIVE really could use these kind of people. Who better than a friendly, charismatic professional athlete to spread the good word of STRIVE? In the back of my mind, I began thinking this through, but knowing we had bigger and more immediate fish to fry, I put it on the back burner and let it simmer for the time being.

Then, my college friend and assistant coach, Jerzy, emailed me last month, to recruit me for a new sub-elite running team he was trying to put together. I explained in my response that I wanted to continue running under the STRIVE name and then – right as I was typing – I remembered my back-burner idea and realized that this could be my opportunity to bring it to center stage.  And so, Jerzy and I began talking (along with Luke Maher – a founding member of STRIVE, multi-time group leader, and now cross country coach at Amherst College) about how this could work. Within a few days, STRIVE Racing was born.

The idea is simple. STRIVE needs bright, out-going athletes to help us spread our name and these young athletes need coaching, funding, and a team mentality. To me, it was the perfect symbiotic relationship.

In the meantime, Luke has built us an awesome website and we’ve begun the recruiting process for our Tier 1 Athletes (standards listed in the press release below). Our goal is for our athletes to be as transparent as possible – publically posting training logs, race results, and having open conversations with our fans to help both them and us better understand strategies of training, racing, and everyday life of a runner.

Below you can read the official press release for the team, including our Tier 1 standards and how to apply and contact us. Be sure to stay tuned for more updates as the team progresses and be sure to email us (racing@strivetrips.org) and check out our website if you have any questions or are interested in applying.

Finally, if you want to run for STRIVE but don’t find yourself at the semi-professional level yet, do not despair! We’re hoping to open the team to several other tiers in the coming year, so stay tuned for that!

 

New Semi-Elite Training Group Starting in NYC, STRIVE Racing

STRIVE, an organization founded in service trips for student-athletes (www.strivetrips.org), is starting a semi-elite training group based out of New York City. We are primarily looking for middle-distance athletes for the upcoming season, with the possibility of expanding to long-distance athletes as well. Tier-1 athletes will receive free racing and warm-up gear, coaching, local travel and meet expenses, and have access to weekly practices in exchange for racing and a small amount of in-person promotional work. Depending on the success of the program, athletes may receive a broader range of benefits, including shoes and non-local travel. Please email racing@strivetrips.org if you are interested in joining so we can provide you with more specifics about the group and athlete expectations.

We currently have four male athletes, a 1:49 guy, 1:50 guy, 4:08y guy, and a 1:05:39 half-marathon runner. Our Tier-1 standards are listed below; please do not hesitate to email us if you do not quite meet these standards, as we are examining athlete applications on a case-by-case basis. If you are not at the levels mentioned below, stay tuned, as spots secondary and tertiary tiers may open in the coming year.

Male Standards

800m: 1’52
1500m/Mile: 3’55/4’14
5000m: 14’35
10,000m: 30’30
Half: 1’08
Marathon: 2’25

Female Standards

800: 2’12
1500m/Mile 4’30/4’52
5000m: 17’00
10,000m: 36’00
Half: 1’23
Marathon: 2’55