Today we’d like to introduce you to AnnMarie Kirkpatrick with Front Range Elite
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
In 2014 after the birth of my second baby I began carving out niches of time for myself by running with my then 2- and 6-month-old boys in a jogging stroller. As I trained and entered local races, I enjoyed the feeling of putting in work and seeing a tangible outcome in the form of faster and faster times. I put thousands of miles on that jogging stroller but inevitably they got too big. As I tried for bigger goals I put in more miles and the majority of my training was solo. In 2017 I qualified for the Olympic Trials in the marathon was able to run in the 2020 Olympic Trials Marathon in 2020- the last big event before the world shut down. In that time, I had trained solo for all of my big races and really craved a team dynamic. I wanted a team to train with but more importantly, I felt like a support structure for an elite training group in Fort Collins was something that future generations would benefit from. There is so much talent in this town, but if anyone wanted to make a career out of running there was very little here to support that.
After months of planning with the right group of ladies, we formed our non-profit training group – Front Range Elite and launched in July 2020. Our mission is: We aim to foster a supportive space where athletes can develop their potential as they pursue a running career, practicing and endorsing clean sport. We will do this while promoting enthusiasm for the sport and engaging in the community we love.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My husband traveled 36 weeks out of the year when the boys were little. Working part-time myself, and taking care of small humans while trying to train at a high level was exhausting. It was often lonely and self-doubt creeped in if I didn’t perform well. The joy of training and competing kept me in the game but there were times when I felt like was hanging on by a thread- but just barely.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I have worked for Mountains and Plains since 2009 as an outdoor adventure travel guide and program manager. I lead hiking trips from the canyons of Moab, UT to the top of 14ers in Colorado. Our women-only programs were some of my favorites as the group bond was something special. During weeks of guiding trips, I would wake up at 3:30 am and get my training run in for the day before hiking with the group.
A lot of these qualities carry over to our non-profit training group- Front Range Elite. We are a group of working women who want to train at a high level. We believe we are stronger together. Our group founders (Kristyn Roth, Abbie Salter and Rachael Rudel) are working to grow the group to attract and include professional runners to represent Northern Colorado. We share our journey along the way and promote good sportsmanship, inclusion, and empowerment. While chasing our dreams we give back to our community and support athletes of all levels through our involvement in training camps and volunteering. Since our inception, we have coached the City of Fort Collins youth cross country program, adopted a park, volunteered at countless races, and helped at girls’ sports camps.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
It’s easy to start something and be excited about it, whether it is training, running, or a new job. The real secret, that isn’t really a secret, is consistency. Some days will be very unglamorous and involve tedious tasks but having a vision and a big picture goal helps get past those times. Nothing will be fun 100% of the time but staying engaged and excited even when the newness wears off will result in something special. I wish this team had been formed years ago. The greatest reward of my running career has been the people I have shared hundreds of miles with and the community who has supported the dream.
Pricing:
- $20-500- donations go to help fund our team to XC nationals, race entry, travel, etc.
Contact Info:
- Email: frontrangeelite@gmail.com
- Website: www.frontrangeelite.com
- Instagram: @front.range.elite
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FrontRangeElite
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/FrontRangeElite
Image Credits:
Kirkpatrick Graphics
