HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO THE BEST RUN CLUB

Gratitude From Across the Pacific

I’m writing this from across the ocean in Taipei, Taiwan — sleep deprived with an achy back that feels like it’s personally offended by my training plan. My LA Marathon build has been slow… painfully slow. There’s guilt in that. Sorry, Tommy.

Beaten down by little to no sleep, I can’t help but miss the weekly grind with every single one of you. The track pushes every Wednesday. The Thursdays run that somehow makes the weekend feel closer. The Saturday long runs where we’re “just going at a talking pace” — a phrase that now lives rent-free in my head. You all became the consistency I didn’t realize I needed, and the thing I miss most while reliving this nomadic life.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to travel and experience the world, but LTRC showed me what discipline really looks like. What showing up actually means. What effort feels like when it’s shared. And that lesson carried me all the way through the Long Beach Marathon.

For someone who always found comfort in chaos — bouncing between cities, living out of a suitcase — I didn’t expect to miss home. But home isn’t always a place. Sometimes it’s a group of people who meet multiple times a week, rain or shine, just to put one foot in front of the other together. As soon as my back heals, I start sleeping more than four hours a night, and my legs remember what they’re supposed to do, I’ll slowly build my way back to keeping up with you all in 2026.

Where it all started

Sean, Tommy, Philip, and I first showed up one random Sunday at the end of March at Honda Plaza to run through Little Tokyo and the Arts District. At that point, the longest run I had done was five miles — and that was completely by accident with Sean during a KRC run.

I arrived in a questionable pair of Saucony running shoes. No carbon plate. Cushion fully cooked. The kind of shoes that whisper, “You sure about this?” with every step.

Then Tommy pulls up in a black Tesla, fully dialed in with a matching running kit. I had just heard he ran Kyoto and the LA Marathon back-to-back and thought, Who is this person…? That was only the beginning of many terrifying — and deeply motivational — Tommy stories. Kidding. We appreciate you, Tommy. And yes, even the speeches.

Who would’ve thought that from that one run, I’d start seeing these same faces every week and their incredible partners — and find more of my people through sweat, grit, and a perfectly unbalanced mix of hydrating and dehydrating liquids.

To all of the community partners who welcomed us with open arms and trusted us to do what we do best: thank you. Truly. We’re excited for what’s ahead and grateful for everything that’s already been built.

It hasn’t been an easy year for many of us in Los Angeles. And because of that, I don’t take this community lightly. I’m forever grateful for every mile, every conversation, and every moment of shared effort.

Happy holidays to you and your loved ones. I’ll see you all back on the road in 2026 — stronger, healthier, and ready to show up. Let’s keep building. Let’s keep running. Let’s get after it.