BPRM President on Runners of the Bay Podcast
This week’s episode is with Michelle La Sala. Michelle is the founder of Blistering Pace Race Management, which runs the San Francisco Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon, the Napa Valley Marathon and Half Marathon, and the Big Sur Marathon. She partners with both the Chicago and New York City Marathons. Michelle is also the President of the West Valley Track Club.
Michelle is a sub 3-hour marathoner who fell in love with the sport early on and is deeply invested in fostering a healthy, equitable, and strong running community.
In this episode we discuss:
What it was like to host one of the last major marathons in California before everything was cancelled due to the pandemic
Her love of running and how it has evolved
How she got her start in race management
All of the decisions that need to be considered when thinking about races starting up again
Her history with an Eating Disorder in college and how that impacts her life now
Breaking 3 hours in the marathon
How she is thinking about the running community and her passion for fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for all runners
How she is challenging the notion of “staying in her lane” and working towards rebuilding a more equitable running/racing community
Check out the podcast HERE.