Alissa Kolarik

Alissa hasn’t always been a runner, quite possibly the opposite for most of her life. That changed in 2015 when she signed up for her first half marathon (without having any clue how to train). That race lit a fire in her, and she’s been chasing down big goals ever since. Coaching came into the picture because she loves understanding the “why” behind her training. She hired her first coach in 2017 after self-coaching to a BQ at the NYC Marathon; this experience led to her pursuing her RRCA Level 1 certification along with reading every single book she could find about run coaching and theories behind training. She also has her CrossFit Level 1 trainer certification, earned as part of her love for all forms of training. Alissa has a PR in the marathon of 2:56:24, which she ran in Tokyo while finishing her 6th star half marathon of 1:22:55, a 10k of 38:12, and a 5k of ?? because she never runs them. She loves working with runners of all ability levels because chasing down big dreams has a different meaning to everyone - whether you’re looking to just complete your first race or have dreams of BQing, she would love to be a part of that journey. As a mom of two, Alissa understands the logistics of trying to maintain a training schedule while working full time and also trying to make sure everyone gets everywhere they need to go. Running should add to your life, not take away from it, so if that means you miss an occasional run because your family comes first, she will always understand. Alissa lives near Akron, Ohio, with her teenage girls, husband, and two very demanding labradors.