THE LIVE LOUD RACING TEAM
KRIS BEGIC
Kris played sports pretty much his whole life, both competitively and just for recreation. He never particularly enjoyed the running aspect of them even though soccer was his main sport. After graduating college, Kris got caught up in the party lifestyle too much and gained a lot of weight after being the super skinny kid his entire life. He also struggled with anxiety and wanted to discover natural remedies. After some research and multiple first person accounts, Kris started running in January 2017 and dove into the deep end right away. Having since completed multiple ultra distances from 50K’s to the 100K, Kris hopes to tackle the 100 mile beast later this year. Now at the age of 33, he feels like he is just beginning his athletic journey and that the sky is the limit.
BECKY BURKE
I began running in 8th grade and continued running cross-country, indoor track and outdoor track n field through high school and college. After graduating I decided to attempt a life long goal of completing a marathon while simultaneously raising money for a good cause. In 1998, I ran the inaugural Rock n Roll Marathon in San Diego, CA with the Leukemia Society’s Team In Training. I quickly fell in love with the marathon distance and Team in Training and threw myself into both. I spent the next 9 years as Head Run Coach for the CT Chapter of TNT, while continuing to train for marathons myself. During that time I also got into cycling and triathlon and successfully completed numerous events including 8 century rides, numerous half-iron distance triathlons and 2 full Ironman triathlons.
In 2007, I decided to take the next step into ultramarathons. I fell in love with the ultramarathon community and found myself escaping into the trails more and more. I now focus most of my training and racing efforts on trail ultras and often gravitate to the timed (6-12 hr) events. I still love to swim and cycle and do 1 Ironman every 5 years as a way to bring in a new age group.
To date, I’ve completed approximately 35 marathons, 35 ultramarathons (including two 100 milers), 2 Ironman Triathlons and 8 century rides.
FIONA COSHAM
Having no hand eye coordination meant I was never into sports at school in England, then I discovered weights in college. I was a gym rat until I got married and had a baby.
Same old, same old.... I didn’t really do anything in earnest for several years after and the pounds came on. In Spring 2011 it was time to do something about it and I started jogging round the field when my son had soccer practice and we were living in Georgia. October 2011 was my first 5k, and I progressed up to a marathon by 2014.
That year I also tried my hand at Triathlons culminating in the Half Ironman at Augusta. I’d never had a bike as a kid so teaching myself to ride at the age of 47 was not fun and, having completed the 70.3, I sold my bike for wine and haven’t rode since.
I’m not a fast runner and will never get a BQ, but I can keep running and running so I completed my first Ultra distance in 2017 at the CT Trailmixers Spring Fling. Loops on fixed time races seem to be my thing and my PB to date is 200 miles over 72 hours this year at NJ 3 Days at the Fair.
I’ve completed several trail Ragnars around New England with a few other members of the Live Loud Team.
I work part time for a plant nursery, so I usually run alone because my schedule doesn’t match up with others. My one and only son just went off to college, so I’m now an ‘empty nester’ too!
REAGAN FITZGIBBONS
Reagan disliked running as a child and participated in mostly team sports; excelling in positions that required little to no running (i.e. soccer goalie). She did reluctantly run a few road races as a child with her family.
After college and a few sedentary years, she tried running again and actually enjoyed it. But lack of discipline and consistency led to multiple injuries.
Much later Reagan was juggling a big family and busy nursing career and wanted a healthy outlet. The rest is history...
She fell in love with the alone time, as well as the camaraderie when running with others. She loved challenging herself and being a good role model for her four kids. She is still quite a beginner when it comes to the trails. To date Reagan has completed numerous road marathons, one trail marathon, several 50k and 50 milers, five half Ironman distance and two full Ironman distance races. She attempted Vermont 100 getting her first DNF. Disappointed, she plans to try the distance again.
KATE GELINEAU
After a long hiatus from running, Kate jumped back in the saddle in 2017. She began slow, entering the world of Obstacle Course Racing (OCR). From a 5k OCR to a 50k OCR within 4 months, Kate was hooked. Within a year she was performing as an Elite Spartan racer and winner of FrontlineOCR. Kate realized she loved the trails and began spending more time on them. In 2019, Kate attempted a 30 hr timed course. Resulting in finishing as 3rd female with 86.97 miles. That was only the beginning for her, pushing her into longer and harder races in the future. The challenge is both exciting and fun for Kate. She enjoys spending time with her family, mini-horse (aka Great Dane), and training in the White Mountains as well as locally with the amazing group of trail and ultra runners in the state.
JEFF GRANT
Jeff Grant likes technical terrain, big climbs and flowy downhills. He never misses the opportunity to catch air over an obstacle, for better or worse. When Jeff isn't running, he writes scientific software and enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife and two daughters.
WILLIAM JARA
William fell in love with the trails after a solo trip to Mount Katahdin. With a water bottle and a granola bar, William hiked to the summit only to discover that the night was upon him. He quickly descended the mountain but not before getting caught in the dark. He absolutely loved every moment of it.
From there, William regularly hiked and ran to maintain fitness until a friend talked him into running a marathon. He instantly became addicted to running and set some heavy goals to go even further. William enjoys long runs on the trails and talking about Ultras. He has completed race distances ranging from 50 to 100 kilometers, and hopes to earn his first belt buckle in 2020.
COLLEEN MALONE
I was a competitive skydiver and coach for about 15 years. I lived in my van (by choice). I basically chased the sun coast to coast, skydiving and meeting new people along the way. I lived in Florida and Southern California, where I met my husband.
Life moved along. Time between jumps became longer. I got bored. I needed something to fill, not only the void from not skydiving; but also the void of not being around like-spirited people, passionate about life. I knew I had to plan something big to keep me focused and out of trouble. I decided that I wanted to run a marathon. I joined a running group in Tampa. During my training, I ran the Gulf Beaches Half. There, I met "some dude" named Dean Karnazes. He was on state #40-something of 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days. He was sitting in a tub of ice signing books: Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner. I read his book and was fascinated about the world of ultra running. The seed was planted.
One day, while hiking with my pup, I saw a sign for the Luna 10K Trail Race. I knew I wanted to check it out. My race bib was a piece of paper with my number written in sharpie, and the winners got homemade pies. It was perfect.
We moved back up to the northeast to be closer to family. I did a combo of road and trail races, until ultimately running only trails for the past 4 years. I have no interest in anything over a 50k. Lately, I've been digging the marathon distance, so I've just been focusing on getting faster and stronger at those.
I love to travel. I usually plan two destination races each year. It’s been a blast experiencing races in different countries, with different terrains and the noticeably different aid stations lol. BTW, ours are the best. No matter where I am in the world, I noticed that most trail runners have that little extra zest for life, respect and love for nature, and eagerness to push the limits. There’s just an unspoken connection, even if we don’t speak the same language. On the trails, I’m 100% myself. No judgements, no doubts. Just legit joy and peace.
JAMIE MILLER
Jamie's athletic career began in high school where she was a dedicated bench warmer for volleyball and basketball. After that she began a mostly sedentary lifestyle in college and grad school, after which she married Geoff and had 2 kids; Jonas (2008, aka the sweet one) and Claire (2011, aka the spicy one). One of Geoff and Jamie's fondest early memories was a date-hike on Sleeping Giant, where they made it about 1/4 of a mile into the white trial, declared that 'this is crazy, no one can hike this!" and promptly went home to watch TV and eat pizza.
In 2013 Jamie turned her fitness around which led to Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) and Crossfit. From 2013-2018, she competed in countless OCRs, which culminated in representing the USA in OCR World Championships in 2017 and North American OCR Championships in 2018.
In 2018 Jamie began running trials at Sleeping Giant (the location of the aforementioned failed hiking date) which was promptly cut short when a tornado hit Sleeping Giant in May of 2018. This prompted her to get plugged into the CT trail running community with the West Rock Ramblers. Her love of trail running grew from there, leading to her first 50K at Bimbler's Bash in 2018, a second 50K at the Live Loud Running Blue 2 Blue Challenge, and a number of local FKTs. Jamie loves to challenge and push herself to new levels.
Outside of running, she leads a team of scientists at Unilever R&D, demonstrates a mean right elbow at Krav Maga, is a terrible golfer, and enjoys wine and craft beers in the sun.
KOBY NELSON
I have always dabbled in running. I ran cross country and track in middle school and high school, and while I enjoyed it and gained some of my best memories from that time period, I didn’t truly catch the running bug until much later. During college, I barely ran a single step, and the sport took a back seat to music in my life. For a few years after college I was working really long hours as an audio engineer in New York and New Jersey in dark, windowless recording studios. Having grown up in the woods in CT, the environment really wore me down and made me feel claustrophobic and anxious. Just as a way to get outside, I started to drive up to Bear Mountain in NY before work and run all over the mountain, just exploring and feeling like a wild man. It was a great way to clear my head and deal with the stress of the city. Even without any real running goals, I started to get faster and developed a love of the trails (especially big hills on the edge of being runnable). Eventually, when I moved back to CT, I continued my trail running habit and started training for races and dreaming about running ultra distances. I still use trail running as a stress reliever and a way to enjoy nature, but have also grown to love the competitive and social sides of the sport. My goals now are to run more races in beautiful destinations and continue pushing myself to run farther and faster, all while keeping running fun and relaxing.
JOE NUARA
Joe Nuara is a trail, ultra, and obstacle racer from Stratford, CT. He has been racing competitively since 2010 after wrapping up his tennis career at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT. Joe competes in distances ranging from 5k to ultramarathons. His latest accomplishment was finishing 3rd at the Last Person Standing event, Run Ragged, completing 90 miles over 29 hours. He has been on the podium 15 times in his career, mostly on the obstacle racing circuits, his specialty. Joe can be found training at his local crossfit gym, SWAGG Crossfit, or out on the local trails of Connecticut. Follow him on Instagram @jgnuara
STEFAN RODRIGUEZ
I started running 4ish years ago at the age of 42 when hiking at Ragged Mountain (which is where I do most of my training) and saw a few people run by. Thought to myself "that looks fun", then once I gave it a try I was hooked. I've run races up to 100k and a few OCRs. I also do a mix of road and trail but my heart is in the trails. I've qualified for Boston twice and ran my first Boston in 2019, instantly falling in love with the race. I also have a goal to run a marathon or above in every state. I'm married to the love of my life Jill and have two boys, Maddox and Holden. I'm also the owner of RaggedCuts.com which is a new company that currently make custom awards for local races.
JACKI SMITH
My running journey began when I was invited to join the high school track team as a freshman after failing to make the cut for the girls’ basketball team. I loved it and without hesitation joined the cross
country team the next season. I didn’t win any races but absolutely fell in love with running on trails. With the exception of dabbling in a handful of 5k’s and 10k’s in my early 30’s, running and athletics in general took a back seat until I returned in my mid 40’s. Since then, I’ve run a handful of half marathons, marathons, and 50k’s and will be attempting my first 50 miler in the near future. I am often one of the last to finish races, but I absolutely love running trails and spending time with incredible people, while exploring my own personal limits. Running brings me joy. It’s is an essential piece of how I take care of myself and my three wonderful children, and helps me bring my best to the world around me. I treasure the friendships I’m making along the way and truly enjoy the adventures we share.
Hope to see you on the trails!
TOM STARODAJ
My running journey started about 3-4 years ago when I started running races all around the state. Prior to that, I had dabbled in cross country when I was younger but never competed or ran in high school or after. My mom was a runner and took me out to a few races and I was hooked. I began running all around the state, and quickly worked my up from doing 5k’s to half marathons and longer distances. I loved competing against others. I also met a lot of fellow runners and joined numerous social running groups around the state. I’ve now done everything from a beer mile to a few 50 milers. I split my running into half road and half trail and enjoy running on the Metacomet which is right in my backyard. My goals are to continue getting stronger and faster, as well as exploring different races in the Northeast. I’m always looking for the next challenge and chance to improve and better myself!
TOBIAS TELLO
After three years of running road 5ks, half marathons, and marathons, Tobias Tello started running trail ultras in 2018, and he hasn’t looked back. Currently a sophomore at Cheshire High School, the 15-year old has made a name for himself in the CT ultra-trail scene. Known as “El Niño”, he has run some of the most challenging ultras and adventures in the state, including the Traprock 50k, Blue2Blue Challenge 50k, West Rock Winter Ultra, the Mattabesset Trail, and the CT section of the Appalachian Trail. He has also run many road races, with times of 19:43 for 5k, 2:28 for 30k, 4:24 for 50k, and 14:12 for 100k. Tobias also likes Thicc Bois, chäir, quesadillas, and the CULTRA Trail Running Podcast.
MARY-LOUISE TIMMERMANS
Mary-Louise Timmermans grew up in the wilds of Canada's Yukon territory. She spent her winters Nordic skiing, and her summers running from bears. When she was a teenager, her running coach told her she runs like a moose, and she likes to think things haven't changed. Mary-Louise is a professor at Yale University and studies Arctic climate change.