Meet Coach Mwangi

BIO:

"My running journey began in Kenya where I was born. In elementary school I remember competing in a few local track & field meets, dabbling in various events both on the track and in the field but it wasn't until I moved to the U.S. when I discovered my true passion for running. At South Kingstown High School I ran varsity track & field for 4 years, competing in the 400m, 800m and 4x400m. I earned All-State honors and was named a captain during my senior year. I also played soccer, football and was an All-State wrestler.

I then attended Brown University, where I wrestled for their D1 program, as well as the University of Rhode Island. While at URI I continued to run and I also played intramural basketball, a sport I had always loved but previously never had an opportunity to compete in.

After graduating I moved to New York City and began working in finance. During this time I re-discovered my passion for competitive running and I found my niche in the mile to 5K distances. Over the years I competed in both road races and in track & field meets. I was also determined to test my strength in a range of disciplines and so in 2011, I decided to run my first full marathon. I qualified for the Boston Marathon, which I ran in 2012 and in 2014 I ran the Chicago Marathon. I even competed in an ultra marathon distance, running a 60K for the first (and perhaps last) time!

While in New York I was also a captain of a competitive running club and eventually a Pacer with Nike Running. This was a time of tremendous growth in my experience with running and coaching. As a member of the Nike Running NYC Pacer team I helped plan, execute and pace a wide range of workouts from track sessions at Icahn Stadium to tempo runs in Central Park. I worked alongside one the country’s most successful coaches and trained with some of the best runners in the city. I was also fortunate enough to participate in numerous events involving Elite running athletes.

I hold a coaching certification with U.S.A. Track & Field and I have now coached numerous athletes to personal best times, in distances from the mile all the way to the marathon. Along with my own training and racing, coaching is a true passion of mine and I believe a lifelong calling."

MY PHILOSOPHY ON RUN CLUB:

- Everyone is a runner. Whether you believe it or not, you are a runner.
- No runner left behind - there should be enough Pacer support at the front, middle and back of every run group.
- Running CAN be fun. It doesn't always have to feel like work. We will find ways to make it fun.
- If you are an experienced runner, this is the club for you. We have runners of all abilities.
- If you are a beginner runner, this is the club for you. We will be your home base for your first miles. 
- We will get creative and leverage what our community has to offer to our runners.
- Run club will always start on time.
- Run club will always be on. Unless the weather is downright dangerous. There is no such thing as bad weather.
- We will be a good example for our runners and earn their trust.
- We will run this city!