Meet the Elites

Hidi Gaff
Favorite shoe: Brooks Hyperion Tempo
High School: Holland High School (Holland, MI)
College: Hillsdale College and IPFW
Occupation: Marketing and education
How I started running: I started running my sophomore year of high school after being recruited by the XC coach during my gym class. What began as an outlet for typical teenage emotions grew into my first love. After running competitively in college, I took 12 years off to raise my six children. When my oldest son started running XC in 2012, I decided to lace back up so I could share my love for running with my children.
PRs:
5,000 - 18:16
10,000 - 38:26
Half Marathon - 1:24:43
Marathon - 2:59:52
Abbey Gentz
Favorite Shoe:
High school: Woodlan
Occupation: Aide at Golden Years
How I started running:
I started running with my grandpa in kindergarten and grew to love the sport of running over time!
PRs:
5,000 - 18:24
Half Marathon - 1:21
Marathon - 3:06

Caren Hernandez
Favorite Shoe: Brooks Glycerin GTS
High School: DeKalb High School
College: University of Saint Francis (FW)
Occupation: Senior Sales Manager at Three Rivers Running Company
How you started running: My mom encouraged me to try the intramural for cross country in 6th grade. I tried it and liked it a lot
PRs:
800 - 2:19 (4x800 Split)
1500 - 4:46.40
Mile - 5:19
5,000 - 18:48

Sarah Kittle
Favorite Shoe: Brooks Launch
High School: Warsaw Community High School
College: Olivet Nazarene University
Occupation: Clinical Dietitian at Kosciusko Community Hospital
How you started running: I was actually planning on playing basketball in college and the cross country coach in high school asked me to try cross country. I told him I would give it one week. Then I found out you can win prizes and shirts if you place in the top 10. At the time, I was really motivated for free stuff, so I stuck with it. I then realized I was actually good at running, fell in love with it, and the rest is history.
PRs:
5,000 - 17:33
10,000 - 37:51
Half Marathon - 1:25:01
Marathon - 2:57:37

Stacy Morozov
Favorite Shoe: Brooks Glycerin
High School: Carmel High School
College: Indiana University - Bloomington
Occupation: Physician Assistant, Student
How you started running: All my friends were running in middle school and I wanted to do it too!
PRs:
Mile - 5:00
5,000 - 17:43
Half Marathon - 1:23
Marathon - 2:52

Yvette Rojas
Favorite shoe: Brooks Ghost
High school: West Noble
College: Indiana Wesleyan University
Occupation: Kindergarten Teacher at West Noble Primary
How I started running: In elementary school, we had a mileage program students could participate in by running a mile during recess. We were rewarded prizes after 50,100, & 150 miles. We were also taken to a local cross country race every fall to compete against other elementary schools!
PR's:
1500 - 5:16
3,000 - 10:50
5,000 - 17:20
10,000 - 39:12
Half Marathon - 1:26:14

Taryn Thor
Favorite shoe: Brooks Ghost
High School: Northwestern
College: IU Kokomo (Undergrad), South College (PT school)
Occupation: Physical Therapist
How you started running: High School Cross-Country
PRs:
Mile - 4:56
5,000 - 16:57
8,000 - 29:02
Half Marathon - 1:17
Marathon - 2:48

Sandra Villajos Vidal
Favorite Shoe: Brooks Levitate
High School: Ies Sefarad (Toledo, Spain)
College: Indiana Tech
Occupational: HR Admin Assistant in a manufacturing company
How you started running: it makes me feel free and forget about everything. I started running when I was 13 years old. I’m 27 now and haven’t stopped since then. I couldn’t live without running.
PRs:
800 - 2:21.12
1500 - 4:50.13
Mile - 5:17.12
3000 - 10:26.17

Laura Zenger
Favorite Shoe: Brooks Launch
High School: Blackhawk Christian School
College: Purdue
Occupation: Case Coordinator for annuities at Lincoln Financial
How you started running: My mom used to run, and I always wanted to go out running with her when I was a kid.
PRs:
5000 - 17:48
Half Marathon - 1:19
Marathon - 2:42

Jack Beakas
Favorite shoe: Brooks Hyperion Tempo
High School: DeKalb High school
College: Trine University and Notre Dame
Occupation: Water Engineer
How you started running: Everyone in my family is a runner so it was a natural choice!
PRs:
3,000 - 8:25
5,000 - 14:44
8,000 - 24:20
10,000 - 30:18
Half Marathon - 1:10:29
Marathon - 2:23:56

Austen Davenport
Favorite Shoe: Brooks Launch
High School: Huntington North High School
College: Tri-State University (Trine)
Occupation: Development Engineering Manager at Zimmer Biomet in Warsaw, IN. (I help design and test new products for hip reconstruction surgery.)
How you started running: I started running on my 7th grade cross country team. Running was something I always excelled at but I never had the opportunity to run in elementary school prior to 7th grade. I love pushing myself to see how fast I can go and continue chasing personal best times.
PRs:
5000 - 15:59
10000 - 34:15
Half Marathon - 1:12:24
Marathon - 2:33:35

Adrien Gentie
Favorite Shoe: Brooks Hyperion Elite 2
High School: Lycée Georges Leygues, Villeneuve sur Lot (FRANCE)
College: Huntington University
Occupation: Videographer
How you started running: My mom was a runner, I was inspired by her and ran the school Cross Country Races when I was 12 and started from there.
PRs:
1500m - 3:55
Mile - 4:13
3,000m - 8:28
5,000m - 14:27
8,000m - 24:04
10,000m - 31:04

Justin Kowalski
Favorite Shoe: Brooks Glycerin
High School: Mishawaka High School
College: Tri-State University (Trine)
How you started running: I started running my paper route when I was 10. I joined the elementary track team at age 11 and had mild success and continued it through high school and college.
PRs:
5,000 - 15:28
10,000 - 32:17
Half Marathon - 1:09:17
Marathon - 2:24:51
50 Mile - 6:44:53

Derek Miller
Favorite Shoe: Trainer - Brooks Launch Flat - Brooks Hyperion Elite 2
High School: Westview High School
College: Trine University
Occupation: Civil Engineer
How I started running: I had an uncle that ran, and I watched him race when I was growing up, so I wanted to do it too. I did my first 1 mile fun run as a first grader, and did the race every single year until I was old enough to join the cross country and track team at school. As a fifth grader I was running the mile in PE and the junior high cross country coach happened to be outside setting up for a meet that day and immediately started recruiting me to join the team. I have been running competitively ever since!
PRs:
800m - 1:56
1600m - 4:19
3,000m - 8:40
5,000m - 14:52
10,000m - 30:35
Half Marathon - 1:08:19
Marathon - 2:27:11

Robert Murphy
Favorite Shoe: Brooks Ghost
High School: Warsaw Community High School
College: Vincennes University (2 years), IUPUI
PRs:
Mile - 4:08
3000m Steeplechase - 8:44
5k - 14:18
Half Marathon - 1:07
Marathon - 2:18:58

Andy Williams
Favorite Shoe: Brooks Ghost
High School: Northridge High School
College: Manchester College (now Manchester University)
Occupation: Gym Teacher
How you started running: We had a quarter mile track at our elementary school. If we chose to run it during recess, we could keep track of our mileage and move up to new "Mile Clubs". I ran 300 miles total during my 2nd grade year, and 525 miles during 5th grade. My teacher let me put my name and footprints in the new track cement that year. I was hooked. Those footprints are still there today!
PRs:
Mile - 4:22
5,000 - 15:19
10,000 - 31:50
Half Marathon - 1:08:39
Marathon - 2:17:55

Riley Worl
Favorite Shoe: Brooks Adrenaline
High School: Western High School
College: Manchester University
Occupation: Pharmacist
How you started running: I started running when I was a senior in high school when the cross country coach persuaded me to stop playing soccer and join the cross country team. I have continued to get more and more into running ever since.
PRs:
10,000 - 33:08
Half Marathon -1:11
Marathon: 2:28:16

Jeff Zenger
Favorite Shoe: Brooks Aurora BL
High School: Penn High School
College: Ball State University / Purdue Fort Wayne
Occupation: Commercial Real Estate Agent
How you started running: My section leader in HS marching band also ran XC, and inspired me when they said they had gone for a 70 minute run before practice one day. I couldn't believe someone I knew could run that long without stopping! I went for my first run the next day (in skater shoes), and shortly after ran my first 5k. I was hooked!
PRs:
5000 - 16:40
Half Marathon - 1:13:24
Marathon - 2:32:52
50k - 3:10:30
50 Mile - 5:37:05
100 Mile - 13:42:19