Team Red Dog Coffee Roasters

 

Team RDCR 2021

 

Chuck Fessler

 

I'm a Ph.D. student at Michigan State University studying Mathematics Education. Most of the I'd rather be biking, running, and exploring. I was introduced to endurance sports by a high school teacher who was a triathlete. By the end of college I had run a number of half-marathons and discovered the world of bike touring. In 2007, to celebrate college graduation, I rode my bicycle from Anacortes, WA to Boston, MA. Since this experience, I continued to participate in long-distance running and cycling. In 2011 I met Hannah Fessler and our mutual love for the outdoor adventure and endurance sports sealed the deal. Over the course of our marriage, we have climbed over 20 14ers while we lived in Colorado, supported each other as we participated in our various sports, and gone on three bike tours. In 2017 rode from Jasper, Alberta to Jackson Hole, WY (~1300 miles); in 2018 we cycled the Green Mountain Loop in Vermont (~380 miles), and in 2019 we cycled the Adirondack Park Loop in NY (~395 miles). 

 

Nathan Berry and Roux the Shark

          

After she was rescued from the middle of the road in early 2015, I quickly discovered that a Catahoula leopard puppy was a terrific running partner. Roux and I have been trail running and adventuring for five years now. When we're not training on our local trails around Memphis, Tennessee, we're usually travelling to races or cross country for some mountain adventures. In the past year alone, Roux has summited the highest peak in the Rockies and on the east coast, won a 25k and 50k, and inspired me to launch a podcast. Roux's adventures can be heard on the Adventure Dog Podcast along with a new doggo guest each episode. A few of the races we have scheduled this year are the Memphis Humane Society Fast and Furriest 5k, Witch Dance Trail 50k in Mississippi, Walking Tall 50k in Tennessee, as well as some trail adventures in Leadville, Colorado. Roux can be found on instagram @rouxtheshark, I'm @nathanwberry, and together we are @adventuredogpodcast.

 

Anne Okonowski

Anne is a long-time runner from Southeast Michigan. She calls Metro-Detroit home,although she has only recently returned from running, teaching, and studying in theUpper Peninsula. Anne ran cross country and track for Wayne State University duringundergrad and then finished her NCAA eligibility at Northern Michigan University intrack and field as a graduate student. She made it through undergrad without drinkingcoffee, then discovered how great a warm mug in her hand felt on cold, cold wintermornings. She quickly learned that she only likes drinking the good stuff. She also madea New Year's Resolution to "pet more dogs". This often occurs when she's out trainingfor her upcoming races.

 

Paul Fitzpatrick

As a fitness enthusiast and a proud owner of a Vizsla (Heidi), I am ecstatic to be a part of the RDCR team! I began my passion in fitness back in high school sports and carried that drive through college at Western Michigan University and into my career in the Army National Guard. CrossFit training at CrossFit 616 in Grand Rapids, MI and running all distances up to 26.2 fill the bulk of my training needs and time today. I enjoy running all distances, but my specialty is obstacle course races like Spartan Races. I have also been fortunate enough to blend my fitness enthusiasm with my career in the military. Fortunately, I also get to travel to races around the country for the National Guard and work full-time as an Army Master Fitness Trainer in support of the Michigan Army National Guard. 
My wife Katie and I have been wanting to get a Vizsla for years. July 2019, we finally brought home our little Heidi. She is an adorable ball of energy and her personality is a real hoot. She is now our lovable family pet, hunting partner, and soon to be running companion. 

 Brad Dains

            

 

As a 24-year-old who was told that he was on the verge of death because of an undiagnosed binge eating disorder, I found running because I didn't want to die. 
My name is Brad, I am married to my best friend and we will celebrate 18 years of marriage this coming May. We have 4 children (crazy...I know) ages 14, 12, 5 & 3. I am a marketing administrator for an apparel company, specialty running store sales associate, race director (the Booneville Backroads Ultra), soccer coach, aspiring inspirational speaker, and in my spare time, I LOVE to run these dumb races called Ultramarathons :)
When I was 24 years old, I was 315lbs after gaining over 130lbs in college and was gaining every day. After seeing a picture of myself (which I'd seen very few of in the previous 3 years) and not recognizing who I was, I made the decision that I needed to lose weight. The doctor was very blunt and told me that I was going to eat myself to death. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, pre-diabetic...the whole 9 yards. I discovered that running was the cheapest way to lose weight and the strangest thing happened. I ran a couple of races and realized how much I loved running and what it did for my body. To this day, I've run over 20 ultra marathons (including ten 100 milers) and love to show people how amazing feats of physical endurance can be achieved if we just believe in our ability to do incredible things. 

 

Mike Sobczak

 

What’s up guys! My name is Mike Sobczak or as most of the population of the Tri-State area has known me since I was in  high school “Subs.” I’m the owner of Training for Warriors (Doylestown) located in Bucks County PA where i’ve lived since I graduated from college in 2003 (Originally a Jersey Boy!). I’ve been married to my rock Krista since 2013, we have a 4 year old Luca, and another one on the way Due August 1st! I’ve been an athlete my whole life from Track and Field, Lacrosse, Rugby, and to most recently Powerlifting. I absolutely LOVE the Powerlifting community and everything in it from the standards, the judging, to the practices itself. 

Currently I compete in the 105kg class (204-229lbs) open within the USAPL
Powerlifting consists of 3 lifts, the squat, the bench, and the deadlift with 3  attempts at  each lift (A total of  9)and the final goal being to lift the heaviest you can with the judges giving you at least 2/3 white lights, red lights mean they saw something that wasn’t up to standard. My current standings are  202.5kg (445.5lbs) in the Squat, 140kg (308lbs) in the bench, and 242.5kg (533.5lbs) in the deadlift. 
I’m excited to be part of the team and open everyone up to the world of Powerlifting!
Terry Ann Fernando
Terry Ann has been a runner for 10 years. She enjoys training primarily for 5K and 10K races as well as the occasional half-marathon. In 2013, Terry Ann and her husband Chris got their vizsla, Zara, as a running partner since vizslas were rated as one of the top breeds for running. Zara has been forcing them to run faster ever since. Terry Ann and Zara are active members of the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA) and are training for hunt tests. Zara competes in dock diving and is a therapy dog. Terry Ann and Chris also own a Rhodesian ridgeback, Colombo, who competes in conformation and lure coursing. When she is not coordinating her dog's activities, Terry Ann runs her own graphic design and pet portrait business, On Point Design.  You can follow along with her and Zara at: 
@accidentalbirddog
@onpointdesignstudio 

 

 

Whitney Quinlan and Mako

 

Mako the Vizsla and Whitney the hooman love going on adventures! Their primary sport is running. While competitions are few and far between, they engage in daily long walks and weekly hikes, where Mako can be found jumping over logs and boulders. But Mako’s FAVORITE thing to do is run wild and free at the beach! Mako was born on May 2nd, 2019 and joined the Quinlan family in July 2019 after Whitney and her husband, Ian, moved to Hershey, PA. He has been described as “a spitfire” since day one. At the same time, as most velcro dogs, Mako is a sucker for a good snuggle and requires two points of contact with his hoomans at all times.
Gambrelle Snyder
 
Gambrelle... runner, trader, retired triathlete, dog mom, sommelier. 
I started running in college because I don't do well with free time, and I had a lot of it. I was a gym rat. A few miles here and there, nothing crazy. I graduated college and continued to run as part of my workouts. In 2010 I ran my first 10k in Central Park and I was hooked. About 2 months later I ran my first half marathon. And there was no turning back, my eyes were set on the marathon. Unfortunately, I am one of those runners who has frequent injuries.  I cross trained through all my injuries and decided to try triathlon. Why not I was swimming and biking so much. In 2016 after doing the NYC Triathlon for the 5th year in a row, I decided to focus back on running. An Achilles injury in 2017 following the Boston Marathon threw a wrench into my plans. Some days getting out of bed was too painful. I cried, I persisted, I tried again and I never ever gave up.  It was that determination and hard work and some people who really believed in me that got me to the start line of the Berlin Marathon in 2019.
Motivating to get up at 5am to go run before work when it's dark and cold can sometimes be tricky. But thankfully, I have Rye to take with me. It gets her exercise and I have company and a body guard.  Plus, she's a Vizsla so sometimes just keeping up with her is like a speed workout! 
Running has given me alot - character strength, friends, health, joy, disappointment, and I try to give back as much as I can. In 2001, at only 23 years old, I lost my Dad to lung cancer.  He was my favorite person. Over the last 12 years I have served as captain (now co-captain) for my team, JPS Bubbles, in a 3 mile charity race for lung cancer awareness. We have raised over $90k to benefit The Lung Cancer Research Foundation.  It makes my heart full knowing that I can give back doing something that I love for someone that I loved so much. 
Rye and I live in New York City and run with Central Park Track Club.  We are honored that Red Dog Coffee Roasters has chosen us to be a part of their roster too! And we look forward to what the 2020 running season has in store. 
Kim Cooper
 
My name is Kim.  I am a busy mom of 2, Aaron is 6, Abigail is 3, navigating divorce and learning to still balance an active lifestyle.  I am a paraprofessional in Special education, and spend my work days having dance parties and getting hugs.  But my most favorite quality about myself is the fact that I am disabled!  11 years ago, I was completely sick and disabled.  I was having daily seizures, going 11 days without falling asleep, and even experiencing brief periods of paralyzation.  I was certain I was going to be in a wheelchair full time by age 30.  I was watching my life pass me by.  I finally got diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, EDS (a debilitating joint disease), POTS (low blood pressure disease), and MCAD (allergy disease).  I started to make healthy lifestyle changes, and gained some life back, which led me to running and weight lifting.  When I run, my joints slide around, my ligaments tear, and I go into mild anaphylaxis.  And I love every second of pushing through.  I REFUSE to play the hand that I was dealt. I love to run 5ks, 10ks, and obstacle races. I’m looking forward to crossing the finish line of my first half this year.  I have a very busy schedule coming up.  I’m always giving my time to help others find life through chronic illness and pain.  Don’t think I have enough on my plate yet? I’m also very hard at work training to become a volunteer firefighter this year.  
Andrew Zook
Andrew Zook lives in Pinedale, Wyoming. He is a certified strength and conditioning coach who owns a Wyoming Athlete Development a company that coaches all levels of athletes and promotes strength and conditioning and strength sports. Andrew also owns Geared Up bike shop and is an endurance cycling athlete who is passionate about winter endurance fat bike racing and bike packing,  Andrew raced MTB bikes from 1993-1996.  Andrew  earned his certification as an Elite Level Powerlifter in 2014 by placing 2nd at IPL Worlds, and has been powerlifting since 2004. In 1997 Andrew earn the bodybuilding title of Mr. Wyoming High School as the best overall body builder. He continued bodybuilding until 2001. Andrew was a police swat team leader until 2014 at which time he became a coach and entrepreneur.
Trevor MacLaren
Trevor is a wife, mom of two girls, and a pediatric physical therapist. She ran her first half marathon 5 years ago and has been hooked on running ever since. As a busy working mom, her early morning runs are the "me time" she needs, and seeing the improvement in her times and fitness as she entered the dreaded 40's was the best way to confront aging. She's run 10 marathons, and is now hoping to qualify for Boston. She's tried to BQ twice, but weather and other factors didn't play nice. She'll try again at the Fargo Marathon this May. She moves up an age group next year and will get 10 extra minutes on her qualifying time, and she'd love more than anything to get that BQ this year when it's more of a challenge. Trevor lives in Winter Springs, Florida, and owns a small clinic, Believe Pediatric Physical Therapy, which specializes in intensive therapy for kids with neuromuscular disorders. Her patients inspire her to keep pushing when the runs get hard and remind her to never take the ability to run for granted. She does almost all her training runs with her faithful training partner, her Vizsla named Julep. She's never managed to wear Julep out with a run; in fact, Julep usually does zoomies in the yard to celebrate after a good training run.
Hannah Fessler
 

I am originally from Colorado. Chuck and I have two vizslas Flynn (7) and Wilson (2). We enjoy being active together and like hiking, biking, running, and bike touring.

I began competing in triathlons when I was 16 years old after my mother encouraged me to join her, as I was already competing on the cross country and swimming teams at my high school. In college, I joined the University of Colorado Boulder triathlon team and competed in the collegiate nationals in 2007.

After college, I got serious about running and raced in multiple half marathons. While living in Jacksonville, FL, I met Chuck and we quickly bonded over our love of running and we both trained for our first marathon together in 2011. After we were married and had moved back to Colorado, Chuck talked me into our first bike tour, and, in 2017, we rode from Jasper, Canada to Jackson Hole, Wyoming over three weeks. Since moving to Michigan in 2017, we have continued doing yearly bike tours, most recently in the Adirondack mountains of New York and the Green mountains of Vermont.

I returned to training for and competing in triathlons after moving to Michigan. In 2019, I completed my first Ironman 70.3 in Traverse City with my mother. After some peer pressure and coming off the high from that race I signed up for Ironman Lake Placid 2020. This will be my goal race for this race season.  

 

Michelle Stolz

 Hi! I'm Michelle- an outdoor enthusiast who loves trail running, skiing, and participating in trail and ultra races. Because of my location, I love to take up north to do a lot of running on the Superior Hiking trail with my husband and vizsla, Bean. I love to run on new trails but love the accessibility of the local trails as well to catch up with friends and of course, get overly excited with seeing other dogs! Really excited to be part of team RDCR this year and love seeing what the other teammates are up to (and of course their pups!) 

 

Rebecca Corrente

I grew up in the Michigan countryside at the base of a long, sloping road.  It was the challenge of my youth to make it to the top of that incline without stopping, and to this day I am strong on hills.  I’ve been running on and off for three decades now. A couple years of high school cross country led to 5k’s as an adult, and recently, to my first marathon and ultramarathon.  I started in on triathlons about ten years ago, and while I initially found them overwhelming and chaotic, I’ve become addicted to the cross training and camaraderie and sense of achievement.  I’ve done several half Ironmans and suspect I’ll get a full under my belt in the next few years. For now, I’m really happy to be representing a company that cherishes some of my favorite things, and I look forward to a season full of good coffee and good fun!

 

Orissa Loftin

My name is Orissa Loftin and have been married for 14 years and my husband and I currently have a 2 year Vizsla named Libby and two 3 year old Whippets named Brody and Riley. We found out about the Vizsla breed from our old dog, Mocha, who was a choclolate lab/vizsla mix. She was the best girl, and after she passed, we decided to get a female Vizsla. After surviving the puppy months (oh, man those were tough!), Libby has turned into the most loving and sweet companion. Unfortunately, her recall is not where it needs to be for off leash running, but she does love to join me for my trail runs on lead and I’m slowly working up her endurance. We got our whippets from a rescue and they are the best buddies for Libby. I think Brody is going to be our runner. He seems to have the endurance and loves to go for runs too.
I began my multi sport career about 11 years ago. I started off with just cycling, but when my husband suggested we do a triathlon, I signed us up for a local sprint Tri and was quickly addicted! I’ve completed countless sprints and Olympic distance races, about 14 half ironman distance races, and 2 Ironman races.
I completed my first ultra race in 2018, a 50k run in Bastrop, TX. It was a very neat experience and something that I would love to do again, especially as a destination race in a beautiful location. I find that’s the best way to get up close and personal with nature!
In 2019, my friend convinced me to sign up for the Phoenix-Mesa Marathon after I had vowed to never do a road marathon again. But after a 5 year hiatus, I successfully trained and completed this race and had such a good time, I signed up for and completed The California International Marathon in December of 2019. I didn’t mean to bookend the year with marathons, but it was fun and I’m glad I did it!
This year, my biggest adventure will be my first swimrun race! I’m super excited to jump into this new sport and I’m also looking for some trail races to jump into along the way!

 

Joelle Vaught



My name is Joelle Vaught and I’m a trail/ultra runner from Boise, Idaho.  I have a 15 year old son, Chase and 3 amazing trail dogs, Marley (lab mix rescue), Oakley (pointer rescue) and Scout (German wirehair pointer).  I’ve been addicted to the outdoors most of my life and began competing in various types of races since college. I started running and would do local 10K races which evolved into longer races, my first marathon was in 1998.  When I moved to Boise I got into mountain biking and road biking and eventually got on a team and raced both. This led me to become interested in adventure racing which I pursued and was lucky enough to find great teammates and raced all over the U.S., in Mexico and even got to do the Eco Challenge in Fiji.  After having my son, I had less time so I decided to concentrate on one sport and that became trail running. I was fortunate to be sponsored by Montrail (Mountain Hardware/Columbia), Clif Bar, and Drymax socks and raced for over a decade in events 50K to 100 miles. I got to race in Australia and New Zealand and travel to Europe.  Nearly 4 years ago, after a great spring of racing involving 2 course records, an FKT of the Zion traverse, and a run around Rainier on the Wonderland trail, I got up one morning and my hamstring ruptured 10 minutes into a run. I ended up having surgery to reattach my hamstring but this seriously changed my running. Luckily now, I am able to race again but not to the level I previously was at.  In the last few years I have become passionate about photography while running, mostly of my dogs doing what they love most! I also now put on a trail marathon and half marathon here in Boise called the Dirty Dog and I get to donate proceeds to the trails and to dog rescues! I’m so excited to be on the Red Dog Coffee Roasters teams – nothing better than caffeine and dogs!!

 

Marc O'Neal

  

Marc O’Neal, Lockport, IL, has been involved with running for the past 28 years. He was introduced to running in seventh grade and has been involved with the sport ever since. After running in high school in Davenport, IA, his home town, he then competed in XC and track and field for four years at Washington University in St. Louis. Following collegiate racing, Marc turned to longer races, racing in four marathons with a personal best of 2:48. Upon completing his undergraduate degree, he then attended Washington University in St. Louis Program in Physical Therapy, earning a Doctorate in Physical Therapy. This Physical Therapy degree helped further his love for running, giving him a new appreciation for how the body moves. He has used his PT degree to help many runners over the past 16 years of practice in an outpatient orthopedic setting. It has also allowed him to become an assistant coach with Carl Sandburg High School’s running program, located in Orland Park IL. He has been able to work with the program to help minimize and manage running-related injuries. Carl Sandburg is widely considered one of the best distance/mid-distance running programs in the country. 

When he is not working with local runners, Marc likes to compete on the local running scene. In addition to running, he has also competed in a couple of stair climbs. Most notably, he placed third in the open division and 13th overall, including elites, in the 2016 Hustle up the Hancock, with a time of 12:34. After running many local races by himself, he was excited to start competing with his three-year-old vizsla, Penny Sue. She has recently raced in two races and has won both. She won the 2018 Run for Paws 5k with her personal best of 17:14. She is the one-time defending champ and Marc is the seven-time defending champion in the Lockport Township High School Foundation 5k. When Penny Sue is not running on leash, she loves to spend time off leash running around with her friends at the local dog park and playing with her 11- and 9-year-old human brothers. She is the bestest dog. Marc is thankful to represent Red Dog Coffee Roasters, as he and his family have fallen deeply in love with Vizslas. 

 

Frances Tuite

    

 I grew up in West Lafayette, Indiana and started running track as a kid. I also loved to bike everywhere. I ran cross-country and track in high school but when i decided to go to Purdue, i was inspired by the crew team in 1976 and have been rowing ever since. I've had success in singles, doubles and quads racing at Masters Nationals, World Masters, World Masters Games, Henley England, etc. i also continue to ride my bike to work every day, rain or shine. and attempt to race the Barry Roubaix in Hastings, MI. I have a boathouse in Buchanan and train  in my single on the St. Joe River. It's great water and always good for a refreshing dip after a workout. I look forward to showcasing Red Dog Roasters!  I also have two dogs, Darby and Quincy. 

 

     

So my given name is Mary but as an infant my brother and sister gave me the nickname "Petey" that has stuck since.  The bank even takes checks made out to Petey.  I live in Memphis, TN and am a Family Nurse Practitioner and teach full time in the graduate FNP program at the University of Memphis.  I also work in an urgent care clinic one day a week.  I started running about 2009 and haven't stopped since.  It use to be only road races but over the last couple of years I started trail running, and added a few ultras as well.  Probably my most memorable run was Tunnel Hill 50 miler in Vienna, Ill.  It was in November and 23 degrees outside.  It was so cold my camel-back straw froze!!
Trail running introduced me to Vizslas in Feb of 2019 and I knew I just had to have one to be my running partner.  I got Tanner in May 2019 and he is the best running companion in the world.  We also, together, have found a love for camping (travel trailer) and hiking.  Along with running, I've done a couple of duathlons as well, and maybe one day will do a triathlon.  In the meantime, running, cycling (although I'm a slow cyclist) and Crossfit are my favorite activities.
You can follow Tanner on his instagram page Tanner_the_vman.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Join our Strava Club, Team Red Dog Coffee Roasters!

https://www.strava.com/clubs/579651