Tom Ela

Tom Ela
Board Member, Membership

I became a consistent runner in 1986 at the age of 33 after many fits and starts. That was when I returned after 15 years to the Grand Valley where I was born and raised. I fell in with a bad crowd, very active, and got the running bug. I signed up for my first ever running race that Fall, the Imogene Pass Run, which I completed very slowly in a pair of used sneakers I bought for $2 in a Boston thrift store. I got smarter after that about footwear but not about jumping into crazy challenges!

Sometime later I became aware of the Striders when I showed up for one of Paul Wubben's desert races. My thought then and ever since was "What a great group!" Eventually I added adventure racing, triathlon and mountain bike racing to my repertiore but running remains my favorite. It's simple, it's natural and it's done by fun people!