JSR Team Members

Current JSR Team Runners

Alec Bath

As a fast but mediocre high school soccer midfielder, Alec never ran cross-country or track, and will forever wonder what he could of accomplished. After various fraternity intramural sports in college including track, he began running local races but mainly concentrated on mountain-bike racing. Winter running and local races seem to make a great fitness complement to bike racing. After running the Motorola Half Marathon in 1995 and many corporate challenges as a Motorola employee, he was (with a great deal of luck) invited to be a torchbearer for the 1996 Summer Olympics. The very same Olympic games where Jenny made her debut! After moving to Boston and with some coercion from his wife Jolie, they joined a local running club and this fed the fire that continues to burn some 14 marathons later. After moving back to the Chicago area in 2006, running track under Jenny's program and hooking up with the JSR racing crew, Alec's PR's continue to drop. Alec is ever thankful to Jenny, Miki, and all his JSR teammates for their coaching, camaraderie and inspiriation. Most recently, Alec completed his first trail ultramarathon (50K), placing 4th overall, and is all fired up for a 50-miler in 2010!

Alec's Personal Bests

Kevin Claffey

Kevin did not do any competitive running in his schooling years. In his post undergraduate days, doing some fun runs with his brother, and eventually a 10K race, Kevin realized he had a God-given gift. Without any serious training, Kevin fell just short of BQ’s (Boston Marathon Qualifiers) in ’84 & ’85 (2:51 & 2:52). After some 19 years in hiatus, Kevin did manage to qualify for Boston in 2005, again without much training. He overheard running friends speak about CJ’s (Coach Jenny's) running programs, and joined up for both the track and tempo workouts in the summer of 2007. Kevin’s talent has now been sculpted and shaped into the strongest running he has ever done. Kevin will most likely match his first marathon times before long. Being one of the first round draft choices at the inception of JSR, Kevin has learned much about the mindset of an endurance athlete. The highlights for Kevin right now are the friendships, camaraderie, hard work, and team training. Having Jenny’s name run across the front his singlet is a huge privilege and honor!

Kevin's Personal Bests

Steve Clark

Steve is a former cross country and track runner who, after a long hiatus, has rediscovered the joys of competitive running. With help from his JSR teammates, he hopes to discover his full running potential.

Steve's Personal Bests

Shelley Cook

I started running to shed some bad habits and start living a healthy lifestyle. Ten years later, it's more about being a positive example for my daughter, showing her that with dedication, perseverance, and hard work you can accomplish your goals. I'm grateful for the positive support of my JSR teammates and together we can ALL reach our potential!

Shelley's Personal Bests

Joe D'Amico

I ran my first marathon in 1998 and have been pursuing the distance ever since. Joining JSR in 2009 was a big step forward for my running. The passion and dedication the team brings to the sport is a powerful motivator. I look forward to training and competing with my teammates for years to come.

Joe's Personal Bests

Patrick Etherington

I was a competitive runner in high school and college and always figured I would be able to run well. I moved to Illinois from Michigan, continued running, completed the Boston Marathon in 1996 and then quit running, gained 40 pounds and started smoking. After turning 30 and finding that my 4 year old was now faster than me and had more endurance than me, I decided that was enough and resumed my running career. I'm back down to my college weight, have 5 marathons under my belt with a PR of 2:55 and am looking to bring that down. Last year was my second year training with JSR and I am flirting with some of my PR's from 15 years ago including a 16:12 5K. With JSR I found a family of talented and competitive runners facing the same challenges of balancing spouses, children (or even lots of children), and careers all while running 50-100 miles a week. The moral support, encouragement and enthusiasm for running and life is invaluable.

Patrick's Personal Bests

Amy Haney

Amy started running in her mid 20’s as a method for reducing stress and combating long work hours. She did not start running competitively until 2004. Her favorite distance is the marathon. She attributes her running accomplishments to her strong work ethic, her husband for his unwavering support, Jenny Spangler for providing more structure to her training, and her Jenny Spangler Racing teammates for making training fun. The entire team exudes great passion for the sport of running and each member shares, cares and has compassion for one another.

Amy's Personal Bests

Eric Leuck

Eric played basketball and ran cross-country and track in high school. During his twenties, he took the easy way out, rarely making time to exercise beyond an occasional basketball pick-up game and lifting weights. In 2005, he realized that a decade of inactivity had directly contributed to his weight gain. Eric vowed to live by a close friend’s mantra “Never stop moving, never look back and always, always think positively.” Eric developed a regular schedule of running and biking. By 2009, Eric had participated in a number of triathlons and road races, including his first marathon. In the spring of 2009, Eric was introduced to the Jenny Spangler Running programs via Shelley and Steve. He began attending track workouts put on by Jenny and Miki. Through their training program, Eric has reached goals that seemed unattainable just a couple of years ago. Eric is grateful for the support and inspiration of his JSR teammates and coaches.

Eric's Personal Bests

Adam Meier

After being a competitive runner in high school and college, Adam took a 7 year sabbatical from running to focus on his career and grow his family. The initial three years in his return to running were a combination of low mileage and poor race results. In the spring of 2009, he joined the Jenny Spangler group and began to again focus on becoming a more competitive runner. The talent and camaraderie within the group has helped Adam become more “accountable” and push him to achieve loftier goals. In the fall of 2009, some of those initial goals were met with race performances approaching those of his collegiate days and a marathon PR. Adam resides in Pleasant Prairie, WI with his wife, Jodie (an All-American age-group triathlete), and three children, Trey, Keegan, and Chase.

Adam's Personal Bests

Brad Moats

Before I joined JSR I didn't even know what a tempo run was. My fitness has improved dramatically in the last 3 years - beyond what I thought I was capable of. But based on where I am now, I feel like I am capable of a whole lot more. Jenny's program has provided the basis for that improvement - what you put into it, you get out. And I've made some great friends who continue to motivate me on a daily basis. Without them, I couldn't push myself as hard as I do or as consistently. Hopefully, I have the same effect on them!

Brad's Personal Bests

Trey Robinson

My running career started at the age of 13 thanks to the Hershey Track and Field Program. This sparked my interest in a sport that was typically only done with a soccer ball in front of my feet or through the yards and neighborhoods as a kid so in in Fall of 1995 I went out for the Junior High Cross Country Team. I ran for two years at Cole Jr. High and then with East Greenwich High School not having a mens cross country or track team I went out for soccer. My family moved to St. Louis Missouri in the fall of 1998 and deciding that my soccer playing days were well behind me, I went out for Cross Country in the Fall and then Track in the Spring. I ran for 3 years at Lafayette High School and could not have been happier running for a great coach on a solid team with my best friends. The next phase of my life took me to Truman State University - "Home of the Bulldogs". I competed at every distance from the 800 to the 10K at Truman and finally in my senior year of Track, I earned all-conference honors in the 10,000. Since College, I continued running and completed my first Chicago Marathon in 2006 and again fell more in love with running than ever before. But with a busy work schedule during off-shift hours and without a structured training plan or coach to lead me toward my goals, my running severely suffered. I met Jenny, Miki, and the rest of the JSR Team in the summer of 2009 and began to love running more than I ever had before. JSR provides me with structure, and a support system of enthusiastic and passionate teammates. Being a part of this team has transformed my approach to running and ignighted my desire to excel and reach my full potential. Without the support of my wife Kate, family, the JSR team, and Jenny and Miki, I wouldn’t love lacing up the running shoes everyday to head out on a run.

Trey's Personal Bests

Rob Wiley

Rob began running 10 years ago after 14 years as a competitive swimmer. After meeting Jenny in 2004 he added structure to his training and over the last two years has ramped up the volume and intensity. He is the workhorse of the team and needs a reminder to rest now and then. He thrives in the team environment provided by JSR and enjoys learning and improving along with his teamates.

Rob's Personal Bests

Dave Zeisler

I ran high school track and cross country and loved competing and succeeding with a team. I was asked to be varsity captain my senior year. We were a two-time state qualifying team and conference champions. After a number of years off I realized that the "desire" to compete was still inside me. I put out my last cigarette and I returned to running in November of 2000 with a promise to myself to finish the Chicago Marathon in 2001. Through what may have been the most difficult year of training in my life, I met my goal in a time of 3:53:59 and was immediately hooked on marathoning. Early on in my rebirth into running, I was content just finishing marathons with modest improvements. In 2005 I began training with fellow JSR runners Steve and Roger and realized that I wanted more than just to finish marathons, but to compete, be fast, and race them. I joined Jenny's track program that summer which turned me into a different runner. I've dedicated myself to taking my running to it's limits and seeing how fast I can be. As of 2008 I've run 19 marathons with a personal best of 2:50:18. I thrive in a team environment and am grateful to Jenny, Miki, and my teammates for all they've done for me, my running, and my life as a whole.

Dave's Personal Bests