BLOG: 10 Years of Running with Fleet Feet Racing Team

Meet Austin Hendrix. Austin Hendrix is in his 10th year of training and competing with the Fleet Feet Racing Team powered by New Balance. We sat down with Austin and asked him about his experience with the team and what’s made him stick around so long. Here’s what he had to say:

Fleet Feet Chicago: How did your running career start? 

Austin Hendrix: I grew up playing soccer. In the fall of my freshman year I tried out for the soccer team instead of cross country since they were both fall sports in high school in Ohio. In the spring of that year I decided to go out for the track team, mostly as conditioning and to stay in shape for soccer. As luck would have it, the distance running coach at my high school was one of the best coaches I have ever known (he was recently inducted in the Ohio High School Hall of Fame). He convinced me to come out for cross country in the fall of my Sophomore year and is definitely who I credit for starting my love of running. 

Q: How did you hear about the racing team, and when did you first join?

A: I moved to Chicago after grad school in the Spring of 2013. One of my college teammates at Eastern Michigan and good friends, Cole Sanseverino, had moved to the city a year prior and started working at Fleet Feet. He helped coach the workouts and had me come out to meet up with the team on a Wednesday night. Being brand new to the city, it was great to have an early introduction to the running community! I joined the team almost immediately after the first workout. 

Q: What are some of your favorite races that you've done with the team?

A: This is nearly impossible to answer as I'm sure you can imagine over the course of 10 years there has been no shortage of favorite race experiences. A few that come top of mind...

Chicago Marathon. Nothing tops having a world major marathon right in your backyard. Running through Old Town by the Fleet Feet store is such a rush of energy, and it's always so fun to see familiar faces out on the course. I've run the race five times and my marathon PR was at the 2014 Chicago Marathon!  

Boston Marathon. The energy in Boston on Patriot's Day is electric. Combine that with the fact that Fleet Feet organizes a world class race experience from training program, to getting to the start line, to celebrating at the after party in Boston with teammates. I've been fortunate enough to run this race three times, including 2018 (absolutely miserable race conditions) where Lisa Zimmer at the Race Day Resort post race wrapped me in warm towels and teammate Andrew Kaehr let me shower in his hotel room to warm up! 

Soldier Field 10 Mile. This was the first race I ran in Chicago back in 2013. What I love about this race is that it's a great way to kick off a Holiday weekend. We always have a great showing at the race and a fun celebration at the team tent outside the stadium after finishing. My 10 Mile PR is from this race in 2015. I've also had arguably one of my most challenging races here one year where I may or may not have been confused on what day the race was on and had a bit too much fun the night before the race. What's important is that I made it to the start line and still somehow finished in the top 10!

Illinois Club XC Championships. To me nothing says Fall like cross country. It's been fun to spike up with teammates to relive the glory days a bit on a cross country course. Fun fact: it is exponentially more difficult the older you get and more time has passed since college.

Q: What's been your favorite memory while being on the racing team?

A: Two come to mind here. The first was how the team was resilient and found safe and responsible ways to carry on in the early days of the pandemic. This was a period of time where there was a real feeling of isolation and I was missing human interaction and connection. Running with Fleet Feet teammates really helped me get through that period of time. I was able to safely meet up for runs with teammates and spent more time face to face with them than anyone else in my life for over a year (with the exception of my now husband). Which leads me to the second memory. My husband Collin has also been a member of the racing team since we started dating back in 2017. Over the years we have built some incredible lifelong friendships with many of our teammates. In the summer of 2021 we were lucky enough to have a strong contingency of Fleet Feet friends celebrate with us on our wedding day! 

Q: There are several competitive racing teams in Chicago. What is so special about the Fleet Feet Racing team community?

A: Chicago really does have a great running scene with a lot of great runners and teams out there. I have friends that run with many different groups or teams across the city. For me, there is no better team than Fleet Feet. I have always appreciated the culture that exists within the Fleet Feet racing team. There is incredible team support from every direction. If you show up to a workout or long run, you'll be pulled through by teammates and cheered on by various other pace groups as you pass by. The coaches have always done a great job of leading by example, which has been super important for me. Current coaches Cynthia and Chris are both fantastic humans who pour their time and energy into the team. Equally important, the bonds built amongst teammates makes showing up easy and something I look forward to each and every week. Lastly, there is no Chicago running scene without Dave, Lisa, and Fleet Feet Chicago. I love how integrated the store is into the running community and the support we receive as an extension of that is so special. 

Q: What does the phrase 'Running Changes everything' mean to you?

A: I might be one of the top users of this hashtag on Instagram, and it's because I genuinely believe it. Running has transformed my life. When I was a young, closeted high schooler, it became my escape. In college, it helped teach me discipline, resilience, and commitment. What I love about running is that it is a lifelong sport. You can enjoy it as an individual, or with a team. You can compete against others, or against yourself and the clock. It can be a sport that one does for fun, or does to find new ways to test their own personal limits. Of course, none of that matters without the sense of community that exists with runners and being able to enjoy the ups and downs of the sport together.