Kelly profile

Runner's Profile: Kelly Knowles
By Joe Howell

The subject of this month’s Profile is Kelly Knowles. Many of you know Kelly or will recognize her from the photo. Others may well have seen Kelly but may not realize it. If you have: (1) ever noticed the local runner who makes a point of cheering for virtually every finisher at our races; (2) run or otherwise participated in Nine Trails the last few years; (3) gone on a kayak tour at Santa Cruz Island; or (4) noticed the tough (or is it crazy?) few women who do the Nite Moves swim without a wetsuit, then you probably have seen or met Kelly Knowles. Kelly began competitive running at a very young age (e.g., she won a 10K at age 16!) and still competes regularly as a runner and multi-sport endurance athlete. (The photo shows Kelly celebrating her ascent of Mr. Whitney; she probably ran most of the way!)

When Kelly is not training for her next ultra event or considering an upcoming gnarly adventure race, she is devoting time to her very successful massage therapy practice. She has a large group of very devoted clients - many local runners and triathletes and all four members of my family! Whether it is for maintenance/injury prevention, dealing with a specific injury or perhaps as a healthy reward to yourself, I strongly endorse Kelly if you are looking for a massage therapist with appreciation for people like you and me.

Name: Kelly Knowles
Age: 36 (Gulp)
Nicknames: Jolly/Sunshine
Hometown: Lived in lots of places – Parents in Lake Oswego, Oregon
Employment: Great Massage Therapist; Kayak guide for Santa Cruz Island Caves
Family: Brother in New Hampshire and folks in Oregon

Other sports, hobbies, interests, etc.: Endurance sports junkie: biking, hiking, swimming, kayaking, etc. … love foreign movies, wine tasting and Wed. trivia at Dargan’s Irish Pub
My friends describe me as: Hyper and a social butterfly
If money were not a consideration, I would love to: Travel the world to every tropical island and swim in warm waters to my heart’s content. (Anyone out there interested?)
In the next 5 years, I hope to: Stay injury free to continue all the sports and work that I love.
In the next 10 years, I hope to: Tie the knot with a great guy and we buy a little SB shack and live happily ever after. Oh, and of course stay injury free so I can keep on running.
Accomplishments: Graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science

Favorite Distance and PR (post collegiate): Trail _ Marathons in 1:42
Best Race and Why: 9 Trails - great conversations and lots of heavy breathing going on for hours.
Worst Race and Why: Catalina Marathon – got seasick on boat ride to the start.
Good news was that it was a beautiful sunny day so I enjoyed a long walk until my stomach let me run and I enjoyed hanging with Patsy Dorsey.
Average Weekly Mileage (last 12 months): 15 - 50
Favorite Local Race: Chuck’s Bouncing Barefoot Bikini Beach run
Most Memorable Running Experience: Wow, Grand Canyon Triple Rim and Pacing at Badwater are both pretty special experiences that every insane runner should try.

Favorite Place to Run: More Mesa and Ellwood Mesa (Bunny Runs)
Glory Days PR: Won a 10K when I was only 16 in Oregon with a 40:14
Realistic Running Goals for this Year: State Street Mile run under 6 min.
Wildly Optimistic Running Goals for this year: Win the Olympic Marathon in Athens
Lifetime Running Goals: Run and have fun like Margie Withrow in my golden years.
Local Running Hero & Why: Jack Bianchi – he just gets faster with age and I’m jealous.
Personal Training Tips: I believe in recovery days; overtraining takes the fun out of it.

I love runners who: Smile and cheer for others. Lars can be in the top 5 while wearing a silly hat and still say hi to all his adoring fans.
Suggestions for local races: How about more trail races
Favorite Quote: PACE IT. Positive Attitude Conquers Everything