I have been trail running since around 2004 and have been a staple of the Quicksilver Running Club since 2013. I joined the QRC as a member of the Ultra Running Team, and over the years expanded my duties to become Board Member at Large and then Director of Races. If you’ve been to one of our regular Sunday Morning Mockingbird Runs, the Summer BBQ, or the Quicksilver Trail Challenge, then you’ll probably recognize me and my wife, Ellen. For 2020 I will be acting as the club president and working on my much needed delegating skills, which I generally find more challenging than running hill repeats on the Virl Norton Trail!

I had been a casual runner most of my life but never more than a 10k. But a few years ago my son started running with Coach Marc and the Quicksilver kids and I started to learn about trail running and ultra marathons. With the exception of running what seemed to be impossibly long races, everyone seemed to be pretty normal so I took that as a good sign and I gave trail running a try. My first race was a half marathon in Quicksilver, then Skyline to the Sea marathon, and I finally crossed over to the dark side running my first ultra, the 2015 Quicksilver 50k. Now I have two 100 miler buckles and will try for a third one this summer.

Running has always been a part of who I am. My first ever race was a 5K Turkey Trot when I was around 10 years old and I've been racing ever since. I ran track and cross country and have always been passionate about the sport. It wasn't until recently though that I got into trail running. After reading "Born to Run" and learning about Western States I discovered the Quicksilver Running Club while searching for Western States Qualifiers. I've made a number of friends in the club and have really enjoyed volunteering at the Quicksilver races.

My family and I have called the Bay Area home for the past seven years and love living here. We were originally brought here for work, but as lovers of all things outdoors have fallen in love with the year round beauty of the area.

When I'm not running I'm kept pretty busy by my three young boys. They are great helpers and you'll often see them either helping volunteer with me at aid stations or cheering me on at a race.

Keith has been trail running at Quicksilver since about 2001, and got sucked into the ultra-world at Quicksilver in 2007 (by Jim, the patient zero/typhoid Mary of trail running). Somewhere around 2015 he joined the board to help perpetuate the trail running disease. Most weekends Keith can be found dodging wasps, poison oak and mountain lions in the hills around San Jose; during the week, supporting his running habit as a scientist and engineer in one of our many Silicon Valley technology companies.

Jim has been running the trails of Quicksilver since the spring of 1978, finding solace in the miles of solitude and fire roads. He joined the Quicksilver Running Club in 2016 and has now embraced the role of Trail Liaison. He looks forward to spending time, and working along side other club members to maintain the 7 miles of the New Almaden Trail. Jim will be overseeing and signing off volunteer service hours.

Kristina grew up the child of a Yosemite big wall climber and international mountaineer. To keep up with her father she had to run on the trails as a child. She loved it so much that she continued it for fitness through college. Kristina first heard about the Western States 100 mile run in the late 1970s because her high school teacher ran it. She announced she would run that race someday because it sounded great that you didn’t have to carry a pack and wear boots.

Going to school to become a chiropractor delayed her running dreams. After she graduated she met up with runners from the Quicksilver Running Club that had done ultra distances. She ran her first ultra marathon in 1989 and her first 100 mile run in 1992, which was Western States. It’s nothing short of a miracle that 29 years later she can still run without any major degenerative injuries. Definitely not the runner she used to be but still enjoys the trails and longer distances.

As a way to give back to ultra running community she became the aid station coordinator for the Quicksilver races. And to give back to the Western States 100 Run she became the captain of the Duncan Canyon aid station.

Stephen is the Quicksilver Mountain Ultra Team (MUT) Captain. He grew up as a farm boy in Wisconsin. In High School he was a sprinter running the 100 and 440 yard dash. After serving in the Air Force he settled in the San Jose area working with a long career at Lockheed Martin. A casual runner, one day seeing his sister running a marathon in San Francisco, he got the bug for running longer distances. In 2010 he got the inspiration to run ultras. Making mistakes along the way and eventually accumulating over 100 ultras of various distances and Seven 100 Mile Belt Buckles, all in his 60s. He travels the country to participate in races in Oregon, Arizona, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Washington State, Nevada, and California. Along with racing he enjoys volunteering and pacing. He is especially proud of Pacing and Crewing at Badwater this year. Now 69, he has Umstead and Angeles Crest on the schedule for next year.

Laura is one of the youth coaches for Quicksilver. She was convinced by Marc Klemencic to become an assistant coach after coming out several times and running with her kids during the youth club practices. As a result she fell in love with trail running. Laura is not an ultra distance runner but you will find her in some local races running anything 1/2 marathon and under. Otherwise you will usually find her sweeping the youth team on a Saturday morning, cheering on one of her own kids at a race, or helping out with the 100K/50K barbecue.

Pat has been running since his wife discovered the "Couch to 5K" app in January 2013 and persuaded him to give it a try. Running his first 5K race on St Patrick's Day 2013, at Vasona Lake Park, Pat was hooked by the medal and running shirt. Moving to Almaden in 2016, Pat's buddy/coach, Mike Kreaden, of the Stevens Creek Striders, told him to join QRC. Since then, Pat has been a usual suspect in the Sunday morning group runs and races. A 'middle of the pack crusher', Pat has raced every distance from 5K to 50 miles, and hopes to complete 100K at the Quicksilver Endurance Run in 2021. Pat's occupation is something to do with computers, and, when he isn't running, he enjoys spending time with his family, drinking beer, and referring to himself in the third person.