COACH OLYMPIAN CARRIE TOLLEFSON
Carrie’s running career began in high school where she was a 13-time state champion. She competed at Villanova University, where she was a 5-time NCAA Champion and the 1998 NCAA Indoor Track Athlete of the Year. In her post collegiate career, she won three national championships and earned the #1 spot in the country in 2004 after winning the 1500-meter at the U.S. Olympic Trials and going on to represent the U.S. in the Olympic Games in Athens.
Carrie is currently the National MOTR Fitness Director, an ESPN2 analyst and a commentator for national events. She lives and trains here in Minnesota with her husband Charlie and their three children.
COACH ANSHAN
Anshan joined Moms on the Run in 2016, shortly after her second child was born. Though she had been running consistently for a few years prior, she sought encouragement for making room for exercise in her life while having two young children. Moms on the Run brought the sense of community she craved since moving to Minnesota. She loves seeing the CoHiNo team grow, and the friendships and support that it brings. Anshan is a RRCA Certified Coach.
Anshan owns a private practice in the Highland neighborhood, and spends her free time biking with the family, gardening (ask her about her cut flower garden!), and knitting.
COACH CARRIE (COACH C)
Carrie joined Moms on the Run in 2018. She wanted to find some “me time” and always loved running. She was hesitant about joining because she was worried about not being in good enough shape to run with a group. She had no idea how amazing and encouraging the community would be. She has been able to improve both her speed and distance and is ready to help anyone who feels the same way she did. Carrie works as the laboratory supervisor for the Newborn Screening Program at the Minnesota Department of Health. She spends her free time hiking, playing board games, going to concerts, and keeping up with her daughter.
COACH EMMA
Emma was an occasional runner in college, and joined MOTR after a disappointing 10k race. She was excited to improve her running, do some “real” workouts, and be accountable to regular exercise. As an introvert, she was stepping out of her comfort zone. But what she discovered was a welcoming group of women, so uplifting, gracious and fun!
She had no idea she would be joining a strong, driven community who would push, encourage and support her so unconditionally in running and in life. She was nervous about the commitment and cost, but says those quickly became defaults in her budget and calendar.
Now on the coaching team, she is honored to help women achieve goals they never knew were possible. Emma is a RRCA Certified Coach.
When she is not running, Emma works full time as a Software Project Manager, and enjoys spending time with her husband and 3 children. If there is time after all of that, she likes to read, travel and attempt to bake and sew.
COACH JESS
In Fall 2017 when she was about to turn 40, Jess realized that she had literally never exercised a day in her life and maybe should do something about that? Despite her last and only “run” being the time she barfed in front of her whole gym class during the Presidential Physical Fitness mile in 8th grade, she decided to google “moms running St. Paul” and the rest is history. She started with the Learn to Run program and was as shocked as anyone could be to find out that she LOVED running. She also fell in love with the warm, welcoming, thoughtful, supportive community of members in MOTR. Jess is proudly a “back of the pack” runner, loves winter running the most, and thoroughly believes that if she can run, then so can you.
Outside of running, Jess is a clinical social worker in private practice in St. Paul specializing in maternal mental health, as well as a sometimes-doula. She has identical twin boys and a girl and lives with her husband, dog, and kids in Mac-Groveland. In her spare time she loves to sew, cook, eat, travel, and listen to podcasts. She also fancies herself an amateur mixologist.
COACH LAURA
Laura passionately believes that anyone can become a runner, regardless of fitness level, age, speed, or distance. After very limited experience running on her own, she joined Moms on the Run in 2016 and found an amazing community of support and encouragement. She ran her first 10k in 2017 and it has become her favorite distance. Laura is a RRCA Certified Coach and an ACE Certified Personal Trainer.
In addition to running, Laura enjoys reading, trying new restaurants, traveling, playing board games and binging the latest Netflix shows.
COACH MEG
Meg is thrilled to be assistant coaching this season! In 2007, Meg ran her first 5K race, but she didn’t start running in earnest until she joined MOTR-Como in 2016. It taught her how to love running alongside others and how to build strength for long runs. Since joining MOTR, Meg ran her first 10K, 10 mile, and ½ marathon races. The TC 10-mile is her favorite race. Meg is proud to be a three-time Summit Series-MNy participant (four races, including the TC-10, annually). Meg is an ACE Certified Group Fitness Instructor.
When she isn’t running, Meg enjoys yoga and group fitness classes and has been practicing vinyasa yoga for over twelve years. She enjoys entering her baked goods in the Minnesota State Fair and going to the drive-in movies with family and friends. Meg lives with her husband and is a puppy-mom to dog Pepper Potts.
COMMUNITY COORDINATOR MICHELLE
Michelle joined Moms on the Run in the spring of 2017 after hearing great things about the program from a fellow coach.
She started running 15 years ago when a friend kindly put together a version of the Couch to 5K program before that existed, however, she’d been inconsistent in running regularly for those years. MOTR was the supportive community that she needed to make running a consistent part of her life and self-care routine and now even runs outside through the winters, which she never thought she’d do.
Michelle loves the warmth and community that is present within the group, the joy of a Saturday morning run with good conversation and beautiful scenery, all the adventures that running can take you on and how the group supports members through all the ups and downs of running (including injury!). Michelle is so excited to support other MOTR members in achieving their goals and experiencing the joy of running.
Michelle is a psychologist in private practice in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul. She lives in St. Paul with her runner husband and two children, one of whom has a budding interest in running and would prefer to wear his MOTR kids’ run shirt every day. She loves to do whatever creative projects that sound fun in the moment, travel, garden and go on adventures with family and friends.
COACH SANDRA
Sandra joined MOTR in 2019. She was immediately drawn in by the support, accountability, and sense of community offered by MOTR. Sandra is a RRCA Certified Coach.
Sandra ran her first 5K in over 20 years in July 2019, and hasn’t looked back since. She’s subsequently run the TC 10 mile, three Ragnar relays, and the TC marathon three times. She fully embraces the MOTR credo that she can do hard things!
In her non-running life, Sandra is a psychologist in private practice, and a sometimes professional crochet designer. She lives near Lake Nokomis with her teen and tween daughters, and her two cats.
OWNER AND COACH ALICIA
Alicia joined Moms on the Run in 2018, shortly after her second child turned two. The instant community and accountability was transformational in her journey back to wellness. She is honored to be a part of and support this amazing community of women. Alicia is is a RRCA Certified Coach and an ACE Certified Group Fitness Instructor.
Alicia lives in St. Paul with her husband and their two children. She can often be found baking, hiking, running, gardening, or playing outside with her kids.
