Farewell to Two Teammates

ERIN

Separating my personal growth since 2017 from RDP’s would be impossible. When I joined the legendary 2017 VA 10 Miler road trip at the last minute, I was Erin Clark--a 3:21 marathoner starting my 3rd year of medical school. Now I’m Erin Fredrickson, DO, MPH, a 2:54 marathoner with big scary goals ahead. I just moved to Seattle, WA to start my family medicine residency. While I have no clue where running and residency will take me for the next three intense years, I am so grateful for the foundation I built with RDP.

I had the privilege of serving as one of the organization’s officers--which we joke is more work than a part time job. I helped draft our mission, vision, goals, and business plan. I reached out to sponsors and we landed partnerships with our dream companies. I created our team’s presence on social media. I pushed to expand our roster and open the Threshold Team. I sent literally thousands of emails. We joke about how our team was basically a startup, complete with our fair share of challenges and failures and triumphs. But building it ourselves was empowering.

If I could be a doctor and the CEO of RDP, I would sign up faster than our team could eat 24 jars of Big Spoon nut butter. But watching someone take a dream and run with it is more fulfilling than trying to do it all by yourself. I felt so much joy watching Tristin qualify for trials at Grandma’s and Shae at Chicago, Rita’s resilience and PR at Houston, Nikki’s mile PR at BU, Sammy on tv at the USA Indoor Champs, Kim crushing her second marathon at Trials, and Caity’s huge breakthrough 5k on the track. Celebrating my amazing teammates while I was injured for most of 2019 reminded me running is a vehicle for connection and community, but those remain even without running.

Leaving is so bittersweet because this team truly became my family. Training alongside inspiring women with different strengths was a game-changer. It’s hard to put into words how it feels to grind out a tempo with Rita, latch onto Sammy during hill repeats, or listen to the chatter of 10 women on a long run. We unlock so much potential by working together and believing in each other. These ladies fill in each other’s gaps, and I can’t wait to see who fills in mine. I am so excited to watch this team grow and succeed in ways I can’t even imagine. So much love for this team, our sport, and the Raleigh running community. See you soon <3

SAMMY

In 2017 I felt lost. I was unsure of who I was in running and in life. I just graduated college and wasn’t quite ready to give up my dream of running. To people who know me: they can tell you I am cluttered, impulsive, and out there sometimes. I radiated this as I was searching for a way to adulting in 2017. I loved comfort, causing me to stay in a bubble that was safe and familiar. While that shielded me from discomfort, I stayed stagnant. I needed that push; I needed a group to give me those challenges and hunger for growth. That’s where Raleigh Distance Project came in. They believed in my potential and didn’t see me for my current state.

This not only applied to my running, but to my life as well. That didn’t matter to these girls, they supported me as I navigated this messy thing called life. From a bad ass lawyer to a bold doctor, these girls not only made high goals for themselves, but wanted the same for each other. The beautiful thing was that RDP was growing along with each of that. From 6 girls meeting for runs at 6am to representing Oiselle/Salomon at the Olympic Trials and US champs. We created a movement, one that allows women to dream big and have support to do so. Seeing Kim, Erin, Rita, and Shari PR by minutes in their marathon gave me the courage to run my first 10k ever. The time when I went from 4:50 in 2017 to 4:34 in the mile while Nikki got a huge PR was special. We each brought out the best in each other when facing those challenges everyone goes through.

This has led me to be where I’m at now. I have the courage to create community in a new location because RDP taught me the importance of camaraderie. I have the courage to take new risks and see how far I can reach my goals (aka trying to keep up with an Olympian!!!). The Sammy in 2017 was trying to find her purpose, scared of racing and being okay with getting last place in races to the Sammy in 2020 who can now say she is in the best shape of her life being brave and training with the best.

It’s quite a simple answer when asked how I got to this point. COMMUNITY. With a group of strong supportive women, anything is possible. I will miss the 6am Cup-a-Joe runs, weekly meetings lasting way longer than an hour, team trips, and the miles shared. When this new life gets hard, I have 9 other ladies to lean on who will continue to give me that nudge to spread my wings. For that, I am forever thankful.

Raleigh Distance ProjectMay 22, 2020Comment