NIKE 13.1 x KRC

As important as it is for women to see other women lead, it's also important for our men, boys and girls to see men being led by strong women. We asked some of our female runners to choose a a man in their life to inspire and train for the Nike 13.1 in April.

Empower ourselves by empowering others. Here are just a few of their stories.

Salma Sosa and German Ruiz

The reason why I chose him was that he always told me that he wanted to improve his health. I felt this is a great challenge for him as he hasn’t ran for the past five years! I also wanted to share this with him as he has grown to be like an older brother to me. So what else than to create this memory by training for a half marathon together!

Bev Tecson and Ja Tecson

I am nominating my husband because he has unconditionally supported my goals and aspirations in life. Long distance running is something I enjoyed prior to our children and now, with his support, I am able to share this part of me with the kids. Ja has never participated in a race and for once, I would like to see him cross the finish line so he can experience the joy and pride in completing 13.1 miles. He has never doubted me and at times, believed more in me than I have of myself. This is my opportunity to push and guide him along his journey so he can experience the thrill, pain, doubt and inner strength every runner endures, and to complete something with hard work and determination together.

Leigh Anne Ives and Alex Hoxie

I nominated Alex because I KNOW he can run that many miles and I want him to be able to show himself that he can too. I am grateful that he allowed me to inspire him instead of becoming intimidated. Cheers to this new journey of training and inspiring each other!

Lucy Lemus and Rafael Murcia

So I’m choosing my brother from another mother! I’ve known him since high school and throughout all these years! He’s athletic as in he plays basketball a lot but he’s never been into running. He’s a little scared of doing it but he feels confident that he’s just gonna go for it and I believe in him that he’s very capable of running a half marathon.

Jessica Bunce and Kevin Forbes

Kevin is a person that is so supportive, encouraging and demonstrates a positive energy when it comes to fitness and strength training. He pushes people around him to be better and believes they are stronger and better versions of themselves. For that reason, it is time to return the favor and provide a place for him to be encouraged, supported and believed in, in a place that is outside of his comfort zone.

Carol Sun and Reid Warner

I nominated Reid because he always has an inspiring and energetic energy and was so excited and ready to jump in when I spoke to him about the half marathon.

Giselle Aguirre and Victor Bay

During LAM training, Vic would pick me up and drop me off for my long runs. He was patient throughout my training and was very encouraging. Now it’s time I return the same generosity and encouragement. I’m excited to train Vic for the Nike LA 13.1. I know he will f*ck*ng crush it.

Michelle Matt and Raul Sanchez Jr.

Raul is my best friend's big brother and has been one of the coolest, funniest, most sensitive guys I've known since I first met him back in high school. The past few years have been a new chapter for him as he's poured his focus into being a great husband and father to his daughter and new baby boy.

Last year when I signed up to run the LA Marathon it felt very impossible - but working toward and achieving that goal with the support of our KRC community made something impossible empowering and fun during a phase of great change in my life. It's humbling to be able to pay this gift forward to Raul during this new chapter in his own life! He's already killing it and I'm super proud of and impressed with him!

Grace Lee and Jumel Datoon Sulabo

I nominated my friend Jumel because he ran a 5K everyday for 100 days straight on his own, and didn't miss a day! He inspired me, and now I'm excited to be able to inspire him to run his first half marathon.

Donna Lee and Philip Ko

I started running with Philip back in November 2013. We met for the first time on our first 5k race on one of the coldest days in New York. Little did we know that we would run more 5k's, 10k's, half marathons, and even the NYC Marathon. After the marathon, work consumed both of our lives, and while I continued to run, Philip broke up with running completely.

I am nominating Philip because one, he is one of the most important people in my life, and two, how great would it be to have a training plan and a trainer (Me!) to push him to run again? I have come this far as a person because of our friendship, and the least I could do is make him suffer through training and make him run 13.1 miles with some inspiring women along the way.

Gabby Park and Josh Galvan

Josh was nominated because he’s been wanting to get back into running but hasn’t had the spark or opportunity to. The Nike half will be a fun way to get him back into it and a cool way to see how pushing your body and mind can lead to big milestones and accomplishments.

Louie Soon and Kevin Lorico

I’m nominating Kevin Lorico for the LA 13.1. Kevin has been in and out of running, coming out to run here and there but never anything consistent. I know that he has been thinking about running a half and I think that actually signing up would give him the push to train and finish the race. He’s only done a 5k and after that race he was extremely happy that he was even able to finish. Imaging how he would feel finishing more than double that distance!

Marie Lou Larose and Abel Tefari

I have decided to choose my husband as my male nominee because most importantly he is the only Superman in my life. Secondly I want to challenge him...! This is THE perfect opportunity for him to explore his physical and mental capacities and dedicate his free time to healthy habits like running. Running for KRC has been great for Me and sharing this new passion of mine with him will be very fulfilling and beneficial for both of us.

Jessie Danae and Nick Gong

He's already pretty active, a pretty serious climber and bike commutes but hasn't run a serious race in years (high school cross country). He's a very kind and motivational person and I think his positivity will add to this training groups moral! He's helped coach me through a ton of bouldering problems and I've noticed our climbing group is stronger and more fearless overall thanks to his encouragement! I think we'll both benefit from cross training accountability buddies.

Sandra Garcia and Luis Efrain Serrano

I am nominating Luis because he helped me step out of my comfort zone by joining me on KRC runs last year as I had just started running again. Over the course of the year, running has helped my mental health immensely. Now I want to return the favor by training Luis and giving him the opportunity to run Nike 13.1.

Jamie Cooper Singh and Terry Cooper

My father has always been my coach and biggest cheerleader. From adolescence to becoming the woman I am today, I attribute my determination, kindness, success, and strive for excellence to my father. My dad sacrificed a lot of his own goals and desires to ensure our family had everything we needed.

Now that my dad is in his 60s, I feel like he is finally living life to the fullest and is open to the endless possibilities that life has to offer. I’d love for this race to be an eye opening experience for my dad. I want him to know that anything is possible — especially crossing that 13.1 finish line with his head held high.

Terry Kim and Eric Cho

I've known Eric for over 10 years and as his "noona" (older sister in Korean) it's been admirable to see him on this new journey focused on his health and well-being. He is a kind and sweet soul and I hope this opportunity to train and run a half will be a meaningful experience where he continues to reach all his goals. When I asked Eric about running the Nike 13.1 he said "I can't stop thinking about this... I'm still super scared because I've never done anything past 3 miles in my life. But let's do it!" I know he can do it and proud to support him as a mentor next year!

Elissa Mielke and Jacob Wasserman

I want to nominate him because of his encouraging welcoming energy - when I moved here alone 3 years ago he was the first person to invite me to a running club when I knew no one. They were doing three miles and at the time that sounded like a lot to me and I didn’t go. Now I’m comfy with long distances and Jake says he can do 6 miles confidently and a half marathon sounds like a lot to him! But he’s always wanted that push and is ready to dive into training- I promised I’d tell him all I know and the rest we’ll both learn as we get better and stronger!

Sharon Moscoso and Johan Rodriguez

Johan moved to LA this August from New Orleans. Johan hasn't ran consistently in a while and hasn't ran a half marathon before. I think this race will help him be part of the community we found in New Orleans in his new home, LA, and keep that consistency he's been looking for.

Maria Contreras and Nathan Rivas

Nathan had been in search of a challenge and I truly believe the LA 13.1 would not only be a good challenge for him but also an opportunity of growth like it has been for me. When I first shared with him that the opportunity of this race, he was excited to be a part of such an amazing event and journey. He wanted to know all about it. I trust Nathan will enjoy the whole experience that is to come!

Vanessa Ong and Giovanni Ong

As my primary male role model in my life growing up, my brother helped shape the strong woman I am today. He’s an Air Force Veteran and is super resilient, caring, and hard-working. I believe he can do just about anything, so I think he will have fun training for the Nike Half Marathon. I’m also using this as an excuse to hang out with him more often.

Maria Guerra and Ivan Jon Ngo

As my romantic partner, Ivan has been extremely supportive with my running endeavors: he has endured countless conversations about running, set many early morning alarms just to drive me out to races, accepted cancelled Friday night plans so I can sleep early. He has shown so much love for my running and health goals --- now I want to support him in setting and reaching his own goals!

I’ve also chosen Ivan based on his great sense of discipline. He shows unwavering commitment to many facets of his life (family, eating healthily, building his career, etc.) and I know he will bring this trait to training as a new runner.

Carmen Khan and John Cheek

I chose John because he's willing to take on the challenge. He's super kind and I'm so happy my friend has found such a great hubby. Their relationship is honestly goals and I just love them.

Lynn Nguyen and Justin Padilla

With a complete stranger that has zero knowledge about the running, the running community, and about the things that I do as a fellow Captain of K/RC, I wanted to maximize my potential as coach and to change Justin's life completely. After asking Justin if he would be interested in allowing me to coach him to be a runner, he went through many emotions. I'm not sure if it was grief, shock, or excitement... but he certainly was ready. So if you ask my why I chose Justin, the answer is fairly simple. I'm certain that I will change his life because I know he will change my life for the better too.

Vanessa Hernandez and Andrew Lee

I chose Andrew because i wanted him to challenge himself with running. When we first met, he thought I was insane for running marathons or anything over a mile distance. I saw potential in him and I knew this was a new way that he could achieve something that he never thought he could do. I often come across people who say “ I could never pick up running or I could never run that distance” and I really just want them to prove themselves by giving it a try because everything is possible!

Amanda Trovela and Nigel Jordan Johnson

I'm nominating my best friend Nigel. I’ve known him since we were 5 years old, and for as long as I can remember he has always challenged me to be my best self. I nominate Nigel because I know he's willing to do the work. Even though this might be his most uncomfortable activity, he still grinds and does it anyway. I'm excited to be on this journey with him as he has always been a guide for me all my life.

Cari Vechi and Blake Johnson

The reason why I think Blake is a great choice for this is because he has a Go To attitude, he has good vibes (and you know how much we love good vibes at KRC!), he is committed to improve his running performance, and last but not least he told me he would make me proud, and I’m sure he will!

Crystal Nguyen and Jake Mares

I would to nominate my friend and dearest work buddy, Jake Mares. Over the summer, Jake invited me to support him and his friends for their first triathlon in Malibu. I was so inspired by his training and couldn't imagine training in cycling and swimming along with running. I asked if he has ever ran longer distances. He told me that he's ran maybe 5.5 miles at most however he would be interested in running 5k's with me. When this opportunity came to nominate a mentee, I instantly thought of Jake. He has a tenacious and hard working personality, which I think will allow him to succeed during training and race day!

Natalie Jarvey and Patrick Crawley

Selfishly, I'm excited to nominate him as my male mentee because it means we'll get to spend more time training together in the coming months. The longest run we've ever done together was about 6 miles, but I know he has the ability to go much farther. I can't wait for him to experience the feeling of accomplishment that comes from training for a big race and pushing your body to new limits. And I look forward to supporting him on his journey to the Nike LA 13.1 the way he supported me on my journey to my first marathon.

Rosanna Peng and Randy Nakajima

I'm nominating Randy because he's a great figure for the community in LA. Randy has always been a selfless force within the food, art, and culture scene. He's always expressed interest and curiosity in running and the run club, but has always prioritized work over his own well-being. Moving forward to 2020, Randy has made it a priority to try something new health-wise and I think aiming to run his first half marathon in April would be the perfect christening to his running journey.

Zoe Witt and Robin Riehn

Robin is one of my good friends from high school. After graduating high school and going to different colleges, it was definitely hard to keep in touch and stay friends. I was fortunate enough to run into Robin the other day and it was such a pleasant surprise to see him! He mentioned that he was thinking about signing up for a marathon, and I immediately realized he was the perfect candidate! Robin played tennis his whole life and is generally pretty active, but he wants to get into running this year. He was so excited when I told him about this race and he immediately accepted the offer. I am so thrilled to take this journey with Robin, the rest of the KRC team, and of course Nike! Thank you for the opportunity!

Joanna Soon and Axel Caal

Axel is one of my favorite coworkers at République. He’s always expressed interest multiple times in coming out to our runs, but his schedule working two jobs means his schedule is pretty packed. He recently started to go to the gym in an effort to get healthy and get in shape. What better way to kick off 2020 than to run a half-marathon?!