Featured Runner of the Month – Ellen Young

There are few people in Lawrence that are more connected in the running community than Ellen Young. In addition to seeing her at Garry Gribble’s Running Sports in Lawrence, where she has worked since soon after it opened, you are likely to see her organizing runners, training runners, helping runners, or even running herself! Her long time support of the running community led to her being recently recognized as a Health Champion by the Lawrence/Douglas County Health Department at their recent annual breakfast.

Ellen hasn’t always been a runner, however. A self described “overweight mom”, she joined Red Dog’s Dog Days fitness program in Lawrence 17 years ago in an effort to get in shape. She went from barely being able to run a half mile to completing her first 5K a few months later. “The first Dog Days training run I went to had a one mile warm up and I had never run more than a ¼ mile without stopping before!” She found that she enjoyed running, however, and kept at it, running more and longer races over the course of the next few years. Ellen jumped at the chance to work at Garry Gribbles Running Sports a several years later because it allowed her to work with others who enjoyed running and staying fit. “I like getting to work with runners and help customers who enjoy running. It is a fun, friendly environment to work in.”

Ellen has become a certified running coach and formed a running group called “Running for the Hill of It” a few years ago, mentoring others who were taking up running and sharing her love of staying fit. Lisa Ball, one of her running group members, says that “in Ellen’s world, no one is too slow and no one is going to be left behind. She is a constant encourager.” Not surprisingly, she enjoys training with a group even when she isn’t leading it. “I enjoy running with friends much more than training by myself and end up running many of my races with friends that I train with.”

Ellen also putting her training to the test in races, and has run dozens of 5Ks, 10Ks, half marathons and marathons. She just finished Rock the Parkway Half Marathon last weekend, finishing in the top ten of the 60-64 age group in 2:21:14, just a week after running the Go! St. Louis Half Marathon. She admitted “I have a busy spring race calendar, with four half marathons planned between now and Hospital Hill Run and a couple of 5Ks in between!”

Her favorite race is one that she hasn’t gotten to run in some time, the Red Dog Run that she organizes each year as part of Red Dog’s Dog Days, benefiting the Boys and Girls Club, along with helping to organize other local races in Lawrence. She is truly an inspiration for runners and walkers in her community, in whatever role she fills!