Amy Jay 

Altra R.E.D. Team Member 

Hi! I’m Amy, aka Go Fast Mommy. I don’t think I would have become a runner if it wasn’t for my firstborn encouraging me to, “Go Fast, Mommy!” as I was pushing him on a stroller walk when he was three years old! I started running that day and never looked back. I pushed both of my kids in strollers, even running several stroller half marathons with each of them. I ran while pregnant with my second born, and that taught me that I’m capable of so much more than I ever thought possible.  

After years of pushing them both in strollers, my kids, ages 4 and 11, love to run beside me. While I am sad that my stroller running days are behind me, getting to run the streets and trails in our neighborhood together is priceless. Seeing the joy that running brings them reminds me why I fell in love with this sport in the first place.

Lara Kondor 

Altra R.E.D. Team Member 

When I was training for my third marathon, I read an article about an autistic man who had run a marathon with his mother, and I thought to myself; I wish Noah and I could do this one day.  

At the time, that wish seemed impossible. Noah needed encouragement to complete a 200-meter race at Special Olympics. But as Noah got older, he became more interested in running with me and even started running 5ks. Running remained a casual interest until we moved to New Hampshire in 2019. Aged out of the school system and ineligible for day services, Noah needed routine activity to fill his day. As an ultramarathoner, I wondered how he would take to run/walk ratios. The answer: It was transformative.  

Noah went from running less than 10 miles a week to averaging 40-50. Six weeks later, he ran his first half marathon. A few months after that, we completed that dream of running a marathon (and then some) together as part of a 6-hour race.   

Running has made a huge impact on Noah both behaviorally and socially as he had come to meet so many new friends through the Millenium Running Club and all the races we ran together.  

When I started running, I did it for myself. Now I get to share that love with my son as we push ourselves to accomplish new goals together. 

Rebecca Barber 

Altra R.E.D. Team Member 

I was lucky enough to run throughout most of my pregnancy, even getting to run the Boston Marathon when I was 12 weeks along. Running has been part of my life since I was a child, and I can't wait to share it with my son when he's old enough. Since he's not yet ready to run himself, I've been able to bring him along with me on runs in my running stroller. He's been able to see places in our city through running that he wouldn't get to see as readily, which means a lot to me.

While the world has been crazy this last year, running has allowed me to feel connected to my old self. I'm amazed at how my body could grow a human, then work its way back to running longer distances. It gives me confidence that I can do hard things and that I can show my son the importance of doing something you love, finding enjoyment out of moving our bodies, and finding a community around your passions.

Amanda Basham 

Altra Elite Team Member 

When I was younger, I really didn’t know if I wanted kids. I wasn’t ever around them and I’ve always had so many running goals that being a mom wasn’t a focus of mine. Then I met Justin and all of life’s questions suddenly had answers. It became clear it was what I wanted. 

As a female athlete, there are a lot more things you have to consider when you want to have kids: Will brands still support me? Should I run this race first? Am I going to be able to come back postpartum?  

Well, I can say I’m lucky for a few reasons. One is that I didn’t have to worry quite so much about these things because I’m supported by brands who support female athletes and motherhood. Also, races were canceled due to the pandemic, so racing hasn’t been an option. 

I went into pregnancy thinking it would be a breeze. I was the most fit I had ever been since I had been training for the 2020 Lake Sonoma 50 that ended up getting canceled. I just knew I’d be running and working out all nine months like it was nothing. I quickly realized that wasn’t the case and that having a 20-30lb belly makes things much more difficult. I was nauseous, exhausted, had nerve pain, overheated easily, and felt constantly dehydrated. I was getting super frustrated until I stepped back and realized what the goal was now with running. I wasn’t training to win Western States; I was training to stay healthy and create a tiny human. Once I shifted my mindset, I took it day by day and did whatever my body could handle. Some days I could run five miles at an eight-minute pace and others I could barely walk to the kitchen for a glass of water.  

Fast forward to January and we had a beautiful, healthy daughter and my stoke for running had never been greater. Throughout my pregnancy, I really missed being able to run, but my appreciation for the sport grew and grew. It also allowed me to be kind to myself with what I could do. It was no longer about distance or pace or any performance measures, which hadn’t been the case for 13 years.  

Now at three-months postpartum, I love running more than ever. I’m still nowhere near the fitness level I had before, but my body just created a human—and that’s pretty badass.  

I’ve learned a lot in the last year, but the biggest thing I’ve learned is that being a mom is the most underrated job there is. Then to throw a job, relationship, and training on top of that? Let’s be honest—it's so hard and so wonderful at the same time. And we are all learning as we go. So I just want to tell all of the moms out there how awesome you are. I hope you take the time to celebrate all that you’ve done. 

Lynn Peng 

Altra R.E.D. Team Member 

Running has been a part of my life since my early teens, but I didn’t embrace the long-distance aspect of it until medical school.  

While I was pushing myself from a mental standpoint during my studies, running became my physical outlet. It was how I escaped and learned to push my body beyond what I thought it could do. Lacing up my shoes and hitting the pavement or trails during daylight hours, or the treadmill if it was too dark for me to safely run the streets alone became an essential part of my day. This routine took me to my first marathon, my first Boston, through residency and fellowship training, and into motherhood. Super early AM runs before my babies woke so that I could get to the hospital by 6:30 AM was the time I carved out for myself. A single BOB and then a double BOB stroller became how I routinely got in miles on the weekends, and my daughters became really good trail nappers. 

During all this, I unknowingly taught them the importance of physical activity and fitting it in whenever possible. 

I never wanted to force my kids to become runners, because for me, the pure joy of running was something I discovered on my own. When my oldest entered high school this past fall, I was shocked when she chose cross-country. She embraced the summer pre-training, working her way up to 4-5 daily miles. Her weekday runs were masked and COVID-safe with her teammates, but her Sundays were with me and my husband on our favorite trails.  

It was such a joy to see her build confidence as she added mileage that she never thought she could reach. And even now during basketball season, she is getting up before school to log a few miles every morning, growing her own love for the sport that means so much to me. 

Steph Eldore 

Altra R.E.D. Team Member 

My baby girl has been running with me since day one. I ran a marathon and several half-marathons while I was pregnant with Abby. Then she joined me for several more marathons, half-marathons, and shorter distances while in the jogging stroller. Now she's by my side training for all sorts of adventures. Abby has completed nine half-marathons and one 30K so far and has ambitions to continue conquering big goals. She is already talking about tackling a 100-miler when she is an adult and hopes that I won't be too old to join her...lol.  

My time on the trail with Abigail is truly priceless. When she was younger, we'd spend our miles singing, playing games, and being silly. Now that she's a little older (12), we spend our trail time talking about our worries, fears, hopes, and dreams. We laugh, we share, and sometimes we cry. 

The pride I feel when watching my daughter tackle giant goals is truly indescribable. Last September when Abby was 11, and was participating in her first 30K, I saw her exhibit SO much grit and determination. We were near the top of Lookout Mountain, after climbing 4,500 feet of elevation in the first 10 miles, and the smoke from local wildfires was rolling in thick and heavy. Abby was struggling, so I told her how proud of her I was, and that she didn't need to finish. We could hike out with a volunteer who was stationed at the top of the mountain. She became very teary-eyed and exclaimed, "I didn't work this hard and come this far to quit now. I have to finish this race!"   

It was at that moment that I fully realized how much our trail adventures have taught her about grit, determination, endurance, commitment, and perseverance. At the same time, all of these adventures have filled this mom's heart with joy every single day.

Liz Collins 

Altra R.E.D. Team Member 

Running has brought so many beautiful things into my life – self-confidence, adventure, community, and even my husband. And in that line, it is bringing me to motherhood. 

My husband and I have been joking, if we can run and crew 100–200-mile races, we are ready for both labor and the ultramarathon that is the first few months of parenthood! Ultras are unpredictable and push you to listen to and trust your body. This set me up perfectly for my entrance into motherhood – through IVF and subsequent twin pregnancy. I have had to give up control of the process at times and listen to the messages of my body. At the same time, running (albeit minimally) during pregnancy had provided me with a sense of normalcy and strength throughout the process. 

My twin girls, who are due pretty much any day now, will grow up in a running community. They will be surrounded by this force that has defined so much of my life in the past few years. They will see me training, racing, volunteering, and supporting others. And I can only hope that through this they learn that they are capable of tackling anything life throws at them. 

Kate Kloss 

Altra R.E.D. Team Member 

I wasn’t always a runner. I signed up for my first 5k when my son was two. At nearly 30 years old, I had never run a full mile. The training was meant to be time for me, a goal outside of caring for this little human. In those first runs, I felt the sun on my face, the breeze against my skin, focusing only on moving my legs and keeping a steady cadence of breath while my lungs started to burn.  

What I didn’t realize at the time was the resiliency I was learning from running would translate to mothering my children.

Soon, a tantrum seemed to unravel me less. A disruption in my schedule was an easier obstacle. The truest benefit, though, came from my children watching me get outside to take care of my own body and mind.  

I’ve run in rain, snow, wind, heat, and cold, and they watch me come back through the door sweaty or with frozen eyelashes. It was cold, or hard, I was tired, but I did it, and with them watching. I’m building resilience in myself AND in them.  

My running is a lesson for us all. 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!