RunPro Camp 2023 Speakers
Frank Lara spent his childhood in Houston, TX where he won the 2013 Texas State Cross Country title and was a Footlocker and NXN qualifier the same year. With these accomplishments, he joined the newly forming team at Furman University in Greenville, SC. As a core member, Frank is the first and only Furman athlete to have competed at the NCAA Cross Country Championships for four years in a row. Frank finished his time at Furman as a three-time All-American in the 10,000m on the track. He made his post-collegiate debut at the AJC Peachtree 10k where he placed 13th. Following his graduation in 2019, Frank attended RunPro Camp before moving to Boulder, CO to train with the Roots Running Project. Since joining Roots, Frank has improved his 5k and 10k marks by 29 seconds and 63 seconds, respectively, and has discovered a deep love for racing. He is the 2020 USTAF 15K Champion, taking first place at the Gate River Run in Jacksonville, FL.
Jean Knaack is the Chief Executive Officer of the Road Runners Club of America where she has served in the role since 2005, bringing twenty years of nonprofit management experience to the position. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay with a Bachelor’s of Science in Human Nutrition. She earned a Master’s of Public Administration with a concentration in nonprofit management from George Mason University. She regularly counsels running club and event leaders around the country on various topics of importance to the running community. Through her work with the RRCA she is a fitness advocate promoting running as healthy exercise and a competitive sport on a national scale. She is an avid runner and has completed several marathons and countless road races and triathlons. She was a finisher at the inaugural Ironman Louisville race in 2007 and finished Ironman France in 2009 and Ironman Coeur D’Alene in 2010.
Scott Davern is the Education Program Development Coordinator at the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). USADA is the national anti-doping organization (NADO) in the United States for Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American, and Parapan American sport. The organization is charged with managing the anti-doping program, including in-competition and out-of competition testing, results management processes, drug reference resources, and athlete education for all United States Olympic Committee (USOC) recognized sport national governing bodies, their athletes, and events.
John Hricay is an IAAF and USATF Authorized Athlete Representative at HAWI Management. His primary responsibilities include the day-to-day affairs of the Agency’s 20+ athlete-clients that include Olympic and World Championships medalists Meb Keflezighi, Leo Manzano, Joe Kovacs, Aliphine Tuliamuk, and Boris Berian. John served as “Co-Chairman” of the New York Athletic Club Track and Field team for 5.5 years during which time NYAC athletes captured 54 USATF National Championships and 99 International Team Selections, including 11 who competed at the 2012 Olympic Games. John’s prior professional experience includes an 11-year stint at JP Morgan Chase where he was a Vice President. He has a BS from the University of Maryland, an MBA from the University of Notre Dame, and a Master’s in Sports Management from Columbia University.
Benson Langat earned his Bachelors in Health Science and Master of Social Work from the University of South Dakota. While at Butler CC, he was NJCAA in Academics, Cross Country, and Track & Field. Benson is RRCA Level I & II Certified Running Coach and a competitive distance runner specializing in the 5k to Marathon distances. Additionally, Benson was named the 2020 Boston Marathon Honorary Member and currently serves as the RRCA South Dakota State Representative.
Chris Lundstrom is the Head Coach of Minnesota Distance Elite. He is responsible for recruiting, retaining, developing and managing a team of 10 to 12 male and female professional distance runners in events ranging from the 1500 meters up through the marathon – on the roads, track and in cross country. Chris is a native of Northfield, Minnesota, who competed on the NCAA Championship track and cross country teams at Stanford University in the late 1990s. During his years as a competitive runner, he finished third (2001) and then fourth (2006) in the USA Marathon Championships, was a three-time qualifier for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials (2004, 2008, 2012). As a coach, he has 18 years of experience at the high school, college and post-collegiate level including coaching seven women to the 2012 Olympic Trials Marathon. He has his Ph.D. in kinesiology (2015), with an emphasis in exercise physiology, and did his dissertation on running performance.
Christopher Mengel founded and leads Elite Runner Management LLC a sports agency representing professional track & field athletes in the planning, arranging and negotiating of their competition schedules and sponsorships. Chris is a licensed attorney with over 30 years of professional experience in negotiating contracts and representing clients. He is an Athlete Representative (certified sports agent) who is authorized by USA Track & Field and the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) in Monaco. Chris attended the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana and Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. He received his law degree from Michigan State University College of Law.
Bill Orr: Orr is the President of Hatton Insurance Agency in Bartow, FL. For the past thirty-five years, Bill has had experience as an elite athlete coordinator with such events as the Gasparilla Distance Classic 15k (Tampa, FL), Heart of Florida Citrus Classic 10k (Winter Haven, FL), SouthTrust Running Festival 10 Mile (St. Petersburg, FL) and Quad City Times Bix 7 (Davenport, IA). Currently, Bill assists the organizers of the AJC Peachtree Road Race 10k, ING New York City Marathon and is the Elite Athlete Coordinator with the ASICS LA Marathon and Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run.
Mike Scott is the Chair of the USA Track & Field's Long Distance Running Division and has been actively involved with USATF since 1991. From 2003-2016 he chaired USATF's Cross Country Council, which oversees the USA national championships, international teams, and national development programs in that discipline. Scott received USATF's President's Award in 2001 for his long-term contributions to cross country and distance running at the national level. Scott is a four-time USA National Team Coach. He has served as the Senior Men's Coach for the 2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Brussels, Belgium, the Junior Women's Coach at the 2006 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, the Junior Men's Coach at the 2000 World Cross Country Championships in Vilamoura, Portugal, and the Team Leader/Manager for the USA National Team at the 1994 Yokohama International Ekiden Relay. He also serves as the Academic Advisor/Learning Specialist for the Football and Women's Cross Country/Track & Field at the University of Rhode Island.
Jack Wickens is a retired executive with United Heath Group, Wickens has been involved with the USA Track & Field Foundation since 2005 and founded AthleteBiz in 2015. He also served as Vice-Chair for the USA Track & Field Board of Directors. A Bucknell grad, Jack ran on the track and cross country teams for the Bisons. He now enjoys golf and cycling.
Lauren Zangardi Haynes CIMA, CFP® is the founder of Spark Financial Advisors and the finance blog for young'ish professionals Words on Wealth. Lauren works with her clients clarify their values and life plans, then organize and manage their finances to help facilitate each individual's vision. With over 13 years of experience in the financial services industry, she is a passionate supporter of fiduciary advice (which means an advisor has to put the client's interests first). Lauren serves on the South Region Board for the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors
RunPro Camp thanks RRCA Program Manager Andy Smith for Coordinating the Camp
Andy Smith: Smith came to the RRCA from The Washington Post, where he served as a Community Editor, working to develop strategies and programs to improve the paper’s local internet presence. He has a strong interest in digital communications, social media, and web analytics and works hard to stay on top of the latest trends in each field. Smith has a background in sports communications, spending four years in Media Relations for the University of Pittsburgh’s Athletic Department in his hometown, where he authored profiles on future NFL players Dorin Dickerson, LaRod Stephens-Howling and LeSean McCoy. He earned his master’s degree at Georgetown in 2009 in Communication, Culture and Technology and his undergraduate degree from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY in American Culture. He is responsible for coordinating all activities related to RRCA programs including Championship events, Kids Run the Nation Program, Runner Friendly Community, National Awards, RUN@WORK Day, Race Director Certification, and much more. Email: programs@rrc.org