The Joy You Bring, by Zoe Wakefield

I was so glad when Jake asked me to be the August Face of SFR because I knew just what I wanted to write about: how much I love SFR and you all. From day one, I have felt so welcomed and embraced by the group; you bring me so much joy! I joined SFR last summer after 2022’s Run and Walk with Pride, encouraged by my work friend Brian Minalga.

A little bit about me: I was born in Winnipeg, a mid-sized city in the middle of the Canadian prairies (think very cold winters and very hot summers). I moved to Seattle in 1996 and now work as a biostatistician on HIV vaccine and other infectious disease research at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. I love to travel and have been lucky to be able to do that through my work, teaching biostatistics short courses in Brazil, Thailand, Rwanda, and South Africa. I speak French fluently and Spanish pretty well; I lived in Venezuela for a year when I was 10, and went to a school where no one spoke English.

I’m not someone who loves team sports or organized group activities. I’d generally run by myself in the past, but right away I felt completely at home with SFR. People were so friendly, encouraging, fun, beautiful in every sense of the word, and strong in every sense of the word. People push each other to go fast and be strong but in such a kind, gentle way.

My running improved so much last year with Gabe’s Tuesday Track workouts and his helpful tips and inspiration. Watching the fast runners float effortlessly around the track at lightning speed was so inspiring. I also loved going to a lot of the trail runs with Hartmut and the Wednesday runs with Ari, its huge group of runners taking over the Capitol Hill streets. I felt so strong and unstoppable: I ran 3 half-marathons in 2022, placing in the top 3 for my age category in each race. I was so proud!

Since then I’ve torn my meniscus and have had to scale back the running; one of the biggest downsides has not been seeing you all as regularly. Despite that, I love connecting with people through the Summer Water Sports Heylo group and seeing everyone’s posts on Heylo, Strava, and Facebook. You are an amazing community that I am so happy to have found. While it would be great to have more she/her’s in SFR, this one has always felt welcomed with open arms!

*Running around our house in Cumana, Venezuela; age 10*

Seattle FrontrunnersAugust 19, 2023