2:10 Pacer

Sara Bowman - Farmington, MI

I live in Farmington, MI, where I am currently in my second term as Mayor.

I was a middle school cross country runner then took some time off from the sport.  I started distance running in my early 30s and at 48 years old, I'm still setting PRs, mostly by running farther, not faster.  I have paced the Martian 2:10 group since 2016 and it's one of my favorite events of the year.

Most memorable run or race: Run Woodstock 50 Miler in 2019.  Hard to forget nearly 12 hours of running!

Favorite post-run beverage: A nice, cold beer.  Who am I kidding? A few of them.

The song, mantra, or quote that you turn to when the run gets tough: Just run the mile you're in.

2:20 Pacer

Steve Laskowski - Sterling Heights, MI

Four years ago, Steve got into running for health reasons.  He kept challenging Himself to improve his pace and distances in many runs and races.  He loves to run to promote and spotlight businesses, organizations, and people.  This helps promote them, as it also keeps him fit and healthy.  Steve has a goal to inspire and motivate others to succeed in their goal.  His longest run in one day is 52.4 miles (January 9, 2021).

His most memorable races were placing 4th in his age group at the Erlanger Chattanooga Marathon in 2021, and placing 3rd in his age group at the 2022 Holland-Haven Marathon.  Steve enjoyed pacing and helping runners succeed at the 2022's Martian Invasion Half-Marathon.

Steve's favorite running song is "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC.

2:30 Pacer

Charles Estep - Chesterfield Michigan

I’m a person that loves to pace and help people achieve their goals. I definitely have stories and jokes to keep you entertained. I started my running back in 2013 and haven’t looked back. It’s the best thing I’ve done.

I was pacing a race and I had a girl that has never ran a full marathon before. As we were running I collected a little info about her and why she was doing this race. She said her grandma was the reason she was doing it. Her grandma had passed before she could see her do this race. At that point I knew I was going to get her to the line on time. She cried, she even said I’m not going to make it. But with me telling her you got this, you can’t stop now and giving her the confidence……she made it!! She actually left me to finish under her goal time!!

The song, mantra, or quote that you turn to when the run gets tough: I’m more or a fast paced 80’s music runner.

2:40 Pacer

Melissa Marowelli - Saline MI

Hi, I'm Mel, a triathlete who tends to make questionable life choices when it comes to running events; let's do dumb stuff together for fun! I ran track in high school, and picked running back up for both physical and mental health as an adult, and now it's an integral part of my lifestyle. My favorite distance is the half marathon; you have to work for it, but not so much that the training takes over your life, and you can still go grab a beer afterwards. I like being able to give back to the running/triathlon community through pacing events and helping others achieve their goals. I also coach middle school cross country and love being able to breathe life into the next generation of runners, to share those moments with those kids as they get started is the best.

Most memorable run or race: That's hard! So many races with different reasons to be memorable! Dopey Marathon was a PR in fun, it's not often that you can ride theme park rides in the middle of your race and cross the finish line with a margarita in your hand. Runner up would be the Daytona Beach Half Marathon as it was the first time that I hit my goal of a sub-2hr half marathon.

Favorite post-run beverage: Pickle Beer by Urban Artifact

The song, mantra, or quote that you turn to when the run gets tough: "I didn't come this far to quit now." I don't know that I really have one, but if I had to pick this would be it...our races are the celebration of all our training, so we might as well finish what we started.