CHANHASSEN

OWNER/HEAD COACH KATE WALTON

Through my journey as a runner, I have made so many lifelong friends and have had some incredible experiences, including three marathons, two half Ironmans, and 5 Ragnar relays all in different states. I am looking forward to adding a few more races to my list soon!

As a coach at Moms on the Run, I get to share my passion for teaching and my love of running with others. There is nothing better than to see the women in MOTR push themselves and meet goals they once thought were impossible.  The friendships made and fun we’ve had, are the icing on the cake!  

When I’m not running the trails, you can find me running my 3 busy kids around town to their various activities, or running the halls of La Academia Elementary where I teach Gifted Services. 

COACH ALICIA

 I reside in Chaska with my husband and two girls (10 and 8).  We love taking in anything that involves the outdoors from hiking at state parks, spending time at the lake, or chilling on our patio with an evening fire. You will also find us at numerous Gopher events-football, basketball, and volleyball! Go Gophers!

Despite a busy schedule, I couldn’t imagine life without MOTR. I am starting my 6th year with MOTR and couldn’t be more excited to join as a volunteer coach. I feel so blessed to be part of this amazing and positive community of women. Bring on the Friendship, Fun, and Fitness! This mama is ready!

COACH HEATHER

​I live in Chanhassen with my husband, 12-year-old son, and 10-year-old daughter.

COACH MARGARET

The idea of going at my own pace and not having to meet anyone else’s idea of what I ‘should be able to do’ felt do-able. I loved that it was all about me and what I could do, that day, during that class. As far as running with other people went, it was better than I thought.  Especially when there were other women like me, just starting to get back into shape, learning to run. I found myself actually enjoying class, meeting new friends and to my surprise, liking running.

Over the spring and summer I built up my endurance little by little, and by the end of the season I ran my first 5K in 8 years. Then, the opportunity arose and I decided to run the TC 10 mile, something I really never dreamed I would do, or had wanted to do before joining MOTR.  With the motivation and support from the coaches and the other MOTR members I did it!  Man, talk about a runner’s high!
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MOTR helped me go from barely being able to run for 30 seconds to running a 10 mile race in just 6 months – by showing up to class, working to build strength, endurance, and confidence in myself and from the encouragement of the awesome coaches and members, many of which have become lifelong friends.

This will be my third spring/summer season and first season coaching. It’s only gotten better since that first summer, even during the pandemic. There’s nothing that will stop this group!   I look forward to running along side you.

​I live in Carver with my husband, Greg, two kids: Owen (14) and Grace (9).

COACH MICHELLE

I grew up locally and lived in other places of the country and world before returning to my roots a couple of years ago. My husband and I bought my childhood home and moved back to Chaska with our two kids: Claire (15) and Collin (12). I have been a college/graduate school professor for about 15 years and recently transitioned into leadership coaching and consulting.

I have loved to run my entire life, and running with a team is especially rewarding for me: I served as the captain of my high school track and cross-country running teams and went on to be a college athlete in cross country and track.

When I married another college runner, we couldn’t help but host a 5k run for friends and family on the weekend of our wedding… despite how dorky our guests might think that was!  We spent the pre-parenting years of our marriage training together and traveling to destination marathons. Joining MOTR helped me find new friends when I moved back to the area, pushed me back into the running rhythms I had lost in early parenthood, and spurred me on to finish my 13th marathon a few months ago. I also serve as a volunteer coach for Girls on the Run, an organization that creatively teaches life skills to girls aged 3rd-5th grade in the context of running.

COACH KATHRYN

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I have always been an active person keeping myself busy doing a range of activities from sports in high school, rec leagues and hiking in Virginia, and switching to yoga and more hiking after moving to Minnesota.  Then I picked up running when my best hiking buddy moved out of state and I needed an activity that I was more likely to do solo and closer to home.  

As a stay at home mom, I really enjoy getting out for a run – whether it’s solo “me” time, or time to socialize with other women. Moms on the Run has been a great way for me to learn a new communities through both friendships and exploring the area with running.  I started off with the Apple Valley/Farmington MOTR group, then switched to Waconia MOTR in 2020.  Now in 2025 I am excited to meet a new community of active women in the Chaska/Chanhassen areas.

Since my kids are both now in school full time, I have become a substitute teacher at their elementary school.  It’s the perfect mix of working on my terms while still having the same flexibility and availability of a stay at home mom.  We enjoy spending our summer days walking to Lake Waconia for a morning or afternoon of splashing around or paddling out to the island for a picnic.

Starting in 2019, I have ran numerous 5Ks and handful of 10K’s, 10 mile races, half marathons, and 2 full marathons.  My favorite running memories are from traveling to southern California to participate in a 24 hour relay running event for Team World Vision, and traveling to Florida with a friend to complete a race weekend in Clearwater consisting of a 5K on Saturday followed by a half marathon on Sunday.  Last year I set my marathon PR at the Eau Claire Marathon, which I enjoyed much more than my first marathon (Twin Cities).  Currently I have my eyes set on completing a 50K later this summer following a modified Backyard Ultra format.