saturday spotlight

Saturday Spotlight- Larissa Zuclich

admin

Name: Larissa Zuclich
Nickname: Lala
Age: 32
From: Goiania, Brazil
Live currently: Saint James
Occupation: Housewife
School: Stony Brook University
Married: Robert Zuclich
Children: Summer (3)
Stepchildren: Taylor (14)
Dog: mini golden doodle named (buddy)

I didn’t know I was going to be here on the spot lol.. I didn’t know I was going to be asked for my biography but here I am. Let’s starts, I grew up in a small town in Brazil and spent most of my childhood years moving around. I probably moved around about 7 times in 12 years. Read more →

Saturday Spotlight- Larisa Ramic-Wigand

admin

Saturday Spotlight…
I don’t know how he did it but Lou has managed to successfully rope me into taking on Warrior of the Week lol. Always challenging me Lou LaFleur! I can always count on you! 🤗. So I am actually a Queens girl at heart. I grew up in Astoria with my two younger sisters in a very European household. My parents are from Bosnia and there was always a lot of food, moonshine, cigarettes and parties at our one bedroom apartment with lots of aunts, uncles and cousins. It’s amazing how much less you needed back then in terms of space. Simple times. I spent most of my childhood and teenage years practicing ballet, riding my BMX and playing at the handball courts. At 13 my parents decided schools weren’t great and bought a home in Plainview, Long Island. That was a huge adjustment to say the least. At 15 I quit ballet 👎😢 Bc as a teenager I had “better things to do” and my parents made it too easy. They themselves had their hands full. Fast forward I got myself a full time job working in an office and paid my way through college. I’d spend the day working and jet over to Briarcliffe College at nights after work. I did this for 4 years. I got my Bachelors in Business with a minor in Information Technology. I am currently working for Banfi Vintners, a wine importing company (yes I drink a lot of wine 😊) and hold the position of Business Intelligence Manager where I’m responsible for system design, setting up business processes with our consultants as well as building analytic tools for our internal and external employees. I met my husband through mutual friends at a party one night and it was the right timing for us both. We were married in 2004 and went on to have 3 kids. I have two sons, Sean 12, Aidan 10 and my daughter Alina who just turned 7. They are my world. I spend a lot of my days and weekends either on the soccer field, as both of my boys play travel, or my daughters ballet studio. I found Selden Hills by accident one day at my daughters studio overhearing a mom talking about it. I made note but never did anything with it. About a year ago I separated from my husband and it’s been a roller coaster of a year for me on a personal level. I wanted to jump out of my skin so many days .. I needed something challenging and extreme, at least for my beginner level. I was never a runner (never really ran more than 3 miles and no hills ever ! Lol), I always stuck with my Yoga and Barre. But I decided to reach out to Lou one day and met on a Sunday morning. Lou stayed with me that day on those hills and thank God he did bc I was like WTF have I done lollll. I’m an extreme person by nature and impulsive so when I have something in my head I just do it lol. No training no working my way up just straight to a 10 K on hills. I was in pain after but I couldn’t wait to go back! What I love about running outside is it’s the only time my brain checks out. Only thing I’m focused on is my breathing, how many miles I have left and how many I just put behind me. It’s really the only time I feel peace even though I’m in pain lol. Go figure. I did my first race this year, again thanks to Lou 😊… the Ocean to Sound and there I met some awesome ladies in my group. I love how close everyone is in this Run club and how supportive and amazing everyone is. So rare these days. So that’s it for me! Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Saturday Spotlight- Christopher Schreiber

admin

Name: no alias; I’m me
Age: 50
Hometown: Queens (Kew Gardens)
Current: Kings Park
Spouse: Maki (married 24 yrs), two boys John (18) & Nick (16)
Pets: Two dogs, Ken and Toshi-Hime (both Shiba Inu)
Occupation: Accountant

As a manager at a CPA firm running is the only thing that keeps me sane through my busy season (at this point it doesn’t end ever). My wife learned long ago to just let me go off and get my run in (she’s more than welcome to come along but as a former swimmer running is torture to her). As I finished college, studied for the CPA exam, got married, bought a house, had kids…this is how I feel human. Even when I’m sick, I have to get out for a run.  Read more →

Saturday Spotlight- Stacy Keyes

admin

Name: Stacy Keyes
Age: 43 (9.16.75)
Hometown: East Meadow, NY
Current Town: East Meadow NY (Lived in Long Beach 2009-2010)
Marital Status: never married in a relationship
Children –Kali Keyes (18)
Pets: dog, bird, tortoise, rabbit
Favorite Kicks: still searching – Brooks, mizuno – still figuring out the footwear

So like others who Lou approached I was shocked, honored, excited and intimated all at the same time when asked to be the WOTW. Why me? But when I sent a text to Maria she said we all get a turn and this will be yours! Read more →

Saturday Spotlight- Kelly Carey

admin

Name: Kelly Carey
Age: 23
Hometown: Holbrook
Current Town: Holbrook
Occupation: Analyst
Pets: Mika (almost 1-year-old miniature labradoodle)

I will start by saying that I am not very good at talking about myself, even though I REALLY know how to talk. Get me on a “good” day and I will talk about anything for an unnecessarily long amount of time. I’m basing this off of Lisa Sala and Keri Wylie’s posts because they brought me into the Warriors earlier this year and I try to follow in their footsteps with anything running related. Read more →

Saturday Spotlight- Stephanie Templeton

admin

Name: Stephanie Templeton
Nickname: Steph
Age: of a certain…50+
From: Nassau County
Currently: Suffolk County
Marital Status: Married for a lotta years
Children: yes
Pets: dogs, cats, guinea pig, frogs, fish

I didn’t really know where I was going to begin with this, but then someone who I respect very much told me about one’s life being like a work of art. Let’s see if I can paint this picture. I grew up in a regular Long Island suburb. I always liked being active, so I took lots of swimming lessons, rode my bike all over, including to Jones beach, on a regular basis from my mid-teen years. I wasn’t into competitive sports. After high school, I immediately joined a gym, and haven’t been without a membership since, which is more than 30 years! I like being active because it makes me feel good. I also started running right after high school. My first races were some local 5ks, the Long Island Half Marathon, and Cow Harbor 10k. Read more →

Saturday Spotlight- Mikey Allen

admin

Mikey Allen
Age: 40
Hometown: Brentwood, NY
Current town: Patchogue, NY
Wife: Jaime Allen
Kid: Ruby (3yrs)
Work: Local 200 Plumber

I was a dorky kid. My sister, Julie (two yrs older than me), used to make me play school every day when she got home. She’d teach me what she learned that day, and she was a damned effective teacher. When my time came around, Brentwood North Elementary and my folks thought it would be a good idea to let me complete the first grade in two weeks and then scoot down the hall a bit to second grade. Red-haired & freckled & short & dorky & my parents dressed me funny & I’m two weeks late & I’m a year younger than everybody else. Oh, it’s gonna be all blue skies and rainbows for young Mikey! Honestly, it could have been worse. Read more →