It hit me a few years ago that I’d been running for more than half my life. The role running has played in my life has ebbed and flowed throughout those years, but even when I thought racing was behind me I still found myself prioritizing the daily practice of running. What I’ve learned about myself is that I love running even if I’m training alone, but I thrive when I’m surrounded by women who share that love and reflect it back.

Like many kids of questionable athletic ability, I joined the cross country team in high school because my friends did it too. Our team had talent but we also had depth - critical for cross country where every place counts - and we discovered together that we were surprisingly pretty good. All my best memories are of us as a group, jumping in the mud at Boston’s Franklin Park after a meet, scrambling to run the 4x400 relay on a 160m indoor track with stale air, and warming up on course tours at away meets in other towns.

In college, my identity as a runner took a back seat but was always present. I ran briefly my freshman year at Columbia but I didn’t find a group environment that worked for me, and I shifted my focus to academics and the opportunities that putting racing on pause provided to me. I studied archaeology and worked on excavations in Egypt and Italy (Between me and Nikki, I’m willing to bet we’re the only running team out there with two archaeology majors!). I took internships and explored New York City, and I still ran most days because I loved the clear head I got from taking a study break to run a loop of Central Park.

I ran a marathon with my sister my senior year, but it was only when she convinced me to start training seriously in Boston a few years out of college that I rediscovered that team feeling I’d loved so much and my growth as a serious runner began. I met a tight-knit group of women who were inspiring in both their training and their career goals. They were funny and honest, held each other accountable, and celebrated each other’s successes as their own. This environment is what I needed for my own racing to finally take off and for me to rediscover the edges of my abilities after so many years of running without racing. As our lives have changed - due to moves, kids, or shifting focus to other interests beyond running - those bonds still remain and that group of women remain my close friends.

Two years ago I moved to Durham and was so delighted to become friends with the women on RDP who share those same bonds of friendship and welcomed me with open arms (and post-run cookies). I found a culture of hard work, going after goals that light us up, and lots of laughter. It’s taken two years of me being a self-described “honorary” member of the team to finally get my act together and officially join, and I’m so happy to be here.

~ Emma Spencer

Going Farther (and Faster) Together