Highlights from Recent Letters

Off the Track: Lizzie Bird

Lizzie Bird is a British distance runner, currently training (and studying law) in Boulder. In 2021 she represented Britain at the Tokyo Olympics and finished 9th place in the steeplechase. On May 20, she'll be racing the steeple under the lights in NYC in what we expect to be one of the most competitive events of the evening. Here's a bit more about Lizzie.

What do you consider your greatest running achievement? Finishing 9th at the Tokyo Olympics. Close second is winning Heps XC at Van Cortlandt Park in 2015!

What is your favorite race? My current favorite is Portland Twilight for helping me get the Olympic standard last year, but maybe this year it will be Track Night NYC!

Who is your favorite distance runner to watch compete? For steeplechase, it has to be Courtney Frerichs (mostly for her perfect hurdling form!)

What is your favorite piece of running related content? Fast Women on Twitter.

What is your favorite piece of running gear? ASICS Novablast for easy runs, Metaspeed Sky for anything fast.

What is at the top of your running bucket list? Competing at a major champs with a crowd. Hopefully that will happen this year!

Off the Track: Erin Jaskot

If you have been following Chase the Throne this year, you know that one of the most compelling storylines is Erin Jaskot's pursuit of the Throne in two cities -- NYC and Philadelphia. To bring you a little more context on Erin and her story, we reached out last week with a few questions. Here is what she had to say! 

Who is Erin Jaskot? Give us a little background on who you are and your running background? I’m from New York originally but moved to Wilmington, Delaware in 2020 after finishing graduate school for a job opportunity. I have the privilege to help coach  the track and field and cross country teams from Tatnall High School. The energy that those kids bring every day keeps me honest with my own training and inspires me to keep chasing my dreams. I also just launched a business, Roots Marketing Solutions, which is focused on helping small businesses grow by focusing on their roots. 

After graduating from Tappan Zee High School in 2014, I committed to Villanova University. My running resume at that time pointed to great things to come in college, but  unfortunately I was riddled with Lyme Disease and a few other tick-borne illnesses in my time there. It took three years to get a diagnosis, but eventually I was able to start a treatment plan. By the time I graduated from VU I thought my running career was over until my former teammate, Chris FitzSimons, reached out to see if I wanted to finish my eligibility running for Mount Saint Mary’s University. I reluctantly agreed, but now I look back to that decision as the best thing I have ever done for my running career. Coach Fitz was able to get me back to a place that I thought was too far gone. My fire was reignited as I started to feel like myself again. He was patient in understanding that I was still going to have some rough days as my body was/is still healing. But thanks to him and my support circle at the Mount I started to believe in my potential again, and that’s half the battle. (For more on Coach Fitz, check out his website here.)

What do you consider your greatest running achievement? I would have to say competing in the DIY Speed Project in 2020 and 2021. This race cannot be compared to anything else in the world. A 31-hour relay race to see how many miles your team can run. I mean c’mon. I was able to convince some of my other crazy friends to sign-up with me. I’m not even exaggerating, there were moments we thought we were going to die in 2020 (inadequate fueling, Philly rats running rampant, a few safety threats), but our team made it out alive and signed up again in 2021. Thankfully we did a better job with fueling and we ended up placing 2nd in the world and raised over $8,000 for a local charity, Move2IncluDE. I am so proud of my teammates and of myself for competing in this race. My body was physically incapable of running more than a few miles just a few years ago. To see what it is capable of doing now in an event  like The Speed Project. I’m just proud of myself for not giving up. 

What is your favorite race? Oh gosh the age-old question. I’ve never known how to answer this one. Ever since I started running I would race any event from the 200m to cross country. I enjoy the range. In more recent years I’ve really enjoyed the 3K. But one race that I think is unmatched is the 4x400. There is nothing like hopping in a 4x4 at the end of the meet to see what your legs can do. Even better with a Maui Wowi smoothie from the Armory slushing around in your stomach. 

Who is the first distance runner you'd draft for your 2022 fantasy team? Molly Seidel. She’s on fire right now and I love her energy. 

What is your favorite piece of running related content? Citius Mag podcast and instagram. I think Chris is doing an amazing job with this platform to bring so much positive attention and energy to our sport. 

What is your favorite piece of running gear? Injinji socks!! They’re performance toe socks and I’ve been swearing by them for five years now. My teammates in college and now my athletes make fun of me for wearing them, but they’re my go-to racing socks. Ultimate comfort and grip. However, Bandit Running socks are now in the mix for my racing socks of choice. 

What is at the top of your running bucket list? As long as I’m still having fun with it, I’m going to be working towards an Olympic Trials Standard. I would like to try out steeple this year. And in a few years I’d eventually like to step up to the marathon. Dare to dream. 

You can follow Erin on Instagram at @erinjaskot.