By: Amy Begley- Coach, Atlanta Track Club
Not everyone starts to run when they are young. I come across new runners and walkers of all ages, from children to seniors and every age in between. Kristian Blaich is a masters division runner for Atlanta Track Club Elite who didn’t start running until he was in his late thirties but quickly went “all-in” on an active lifestyle.
As Kristian approached the end of his thirties, he realized he had become pretty sedentary. He decided to get healthy and try to mark an item off of his bucket list – run a marathon. He started training, tried some smaller races and then ended up running not just one marathon, but four.
In 2008, Kristian was approached to join Atlanta Track Club Elite just three years after he started his fitness journey. He joined the cross country team and says he was hooked following his first national competition with the team. Now 49 years old, Kristian still enjoys going head-to-head with other top talent his age. In fact, he recently won the 2015 USATF National Masters 10K Championships in 33:22 at the James Joyce Ramble 10K in Dedham, Massachusetts.
Kristian basically went from not running at all to being one of the very best masters runners – but you’ll never hear him talk about it. Though he has some amazing personal bests, he never brags about them.
It is fun for me to watch him run. He is efficient and smooth in his stride, and you would never know he didn’t start seriously running until he was pushing 40!
In addition to the competition, Kristian enjoys the camaraderie he has discovered in running. Training and traveling with his team has led him to form close friendships over the years. Atlanta Track Club Elite meet a few times a week to train together, sessions Kristian describes as, “when we all get together at ungodly hours. But it’s a great setting to forge friendships and have great workout sessions together.”
Kristian’s transformation from an inactive adult to an elite competitor is a great reminder that everyone has to start somewhere. It’s up to you just how far you want to go!
Amy Begley is the head coach of Atlanta Track Club, the second largest running organization in the United States. She competed in the 2008 Olympic Games in the 10,000M and placed sixth in the 2009 IAAF World Championships in the same distance with a personal best 31:13, making her the eighth-fastest American woman in history. Her 5,000M personal best is 14:56. Begley finished her professional career with six national titles.