Running with Katie Todd, Race to Nantucket Winner
Thursday, August 11, 2016
Nursing student and self-described loyal Charm City Run shopper Katie Todd won the Race to Nantucket with 1717 points by balancing posting on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook with traveling to four different Charm City Run locations and VITA for fun runs and yoga.
Katie found out she had won the contest while at work on Monday, Aug. 1 when she was tagged in a tweet from Charm City Run and says she was happy to share the news with her co-workers right away because “I had been telling my co-workers about the contest throughout the month and they were rooting me on.”
For the second year in a row, Saucony sponsored The Race to Nantucket, a contest that allowed participants the chance to win a trip to the Nantucket Half Marathon and entry into Charm City Run’s fall half marathon training group. Katie found out about the contest from a store email. “It seemed like a really cool opportunity so I figured I would start right there,” she explains. The winner was determined by a point system. Points could be earned by posting images and text on social media using #racetonantucket and attending store events during July.
“I enjoyed meeting different people when I went to different events,” Katie says. Although she lives in Towson and typically shops at Charm City Run’s Timonium store, she also visited the Bel Air, Columbia and Baltimore locations. Katie’s favorite activity was running to Fort McHenry during the Fourth of July fun run at the Baltimore store. She explains that she never would have seized this opportunity if she hadn’t been participating in the Race to Nantucket. Katie also took the opportunity to gain points by trying on Saucony shoes to find a new trainer to work into her fall rotation.
Katie runs around the Inner Harbor during a fun run from the Baltimore store
Luckily, Katie is no stranger to training for long distance races. The Nantucket Half Marathon on Oct. 9 will be Katie’s second half marathon. She has also completed two full marathons. She is most looking forward to “being exposed to a new racing environment because I love to travel for races. I think it’s a great way to explore new areas and meet new people because the running community is always so friendly and supportive,” she says. Katie will also be able to check Massachusetts off her list of states as she hopes to run a half or full marathon in all 50.
Katie rediscovered her passion for running while training for the Pittsburg marathon. As a previous high school cross country runner, she always loved being a part of team atmosphere. However, after walking onto a collegiate team, she began to place emphasis on “superficial elements of running like time and comparisons with other people on the team,” she says. In addition, Katie experienced a chronic injury that ultimately required surgery.
After changing her academic plans, Katie transferred to Towson University and competed for the University’s track club after taking a break from running in order to recover from her surgery. “That was hard because I was in the worst shape I had ever been in and I didn’t know where I stood in my running career,” she shares.
Katie soon found her strong and planned to run the Pittsburg Marathon with co-workers. Training with her friends allowed her to find her way back to running. She explains that she still finds her strong from running every day because she is once again passionate about the sport. “Realizing having fun at the end of the day is the most important part. If you’re not having fun, you need to chance something,” Katie says.
Katie and her boyfriend and training partner Jeff after last year’s Charles Street 12.
In addition to having fun at the October race, this year’s Race to Nantucket winner hopes to replicate her successful time of 1 hour and 32 minutes from the Fredrick Half Marathon. We will definitely be rooting for Katie as she tackles the partially sandy course on Nantucket.
“The whole contest was a really great opportunity and a good way to encourage others to be active. It definitely kept me accountable this month and I’m sure it was that way for a lot of people,” Katie says.
About The Author: Lizzy Peper
Lizzy is the Marketing Coordinator for Charm City Run. Previously she worked as a part time Sales Associate for two years in the Timonium store. Lizzy ran competitively as a member of the cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field teams at Towson High School and Marist College. She co-captained the Division I Marist women’s cross country team in 2015 and graduated in 2016 with a degree in Communication and a concentration in Public Relations.