Member Spotlight: Jancy Butterworth

PPTC Member Jancy Butterworth / Photo: Noah Devereaux

March’s first Member Spotlight is on Jancy Butterworth.  Jancy is one of our newer members. In fact, she was PPTC’s 1000th member! Jancy is originally from the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts; she moved to New York a few years ago.  At the time, Jancy didn’t have any specific reason for the move, but she has a lot of family in town, so the decision was pretty easy.  

Jancy has already been to some pub runs, Harry’s Handicap, and the monthly membership meeting.  She also competed in the Cherry Tree 10-Miler as part of a relay team. 

What do you do when you’re not running?  

I work for a very small nonprofit, called Friends of + POOL that takes up a lot of my time. We’re building a floating, filtering swimming pool in the East River and I’m one of just two staff members! The community behind the project is largely artists, architects and designers, so we’ve created a really beautiful world that’s exciting to work in. 

We also have to deal with city government regularly, which has sparked an interest in local government for me: I’m actually hoping to join my community board this spring. Fingers crossed! We also have very fun events – I would love to have a PPTC group at the next Pool Party. I should also mention that I have a tiny French bulldog who demands some of my time too. She’s not much of a runner though. 

How did you find PPTC and why did you choose this club?

I started dating someone in the club (hi, Noah!) who brought me to some smaller events, and it seemed like a fun thing to do. I’m also looking for some more running buddies, and I hear that PPTC is a great place to find them!

How do you feel about being PPTC’s 1000th member?

Love it! Looking very forward to repping all 999 of you well :) 

While you’re a new member, I know that you’ve attended a number of PPTC events.  What is your favorite PPTC event? Is there an event that you’re looking forward to?  

Harry’s Handicap was so great! I think that was my first event as a member: Running a blustery 5K on New Year’s Day followed by a super interesting panel definitely made me feel like I made the right choice. 

What do you hope to get out of being a PPTC member?  

Hopefully a few new running partners, routes and PR’s. 

What do you like most about PPTC?

This is the first group I’ve joined in adulthood, so it’s cool to be in a community of people who all elected to be there and have the same general goal. And this group happens to be very friendly and fun!

How did you start running and what keeps you going?

I’ve been running forever, but started taking it more seriously when I moved to New York and agreed to run the marathon for my friend’s nonprofit (where I now work!) in 2017. My motivation is always in flux, whether it’s for better health, a specific race, a specific time or just because I’m in the mood to run. I’m usually able to drum up something to keep me going. 

What is your most memorable running memory and favorite race?

I haven’t had any super memorable runs, but I really enjoyed the NYC Marathon last year. I didn’t have time to train properly so I had no pace expectations, which really opened me up to checking out the scene, hugging friends, posing for pictures, and just taking in all the amazing energy. In the end my time wasn’t even much slower than past races, so maybe I’ll keep this habit up! To that end, the NYC Marathon is definitely my favorite race. 

What is your favorite race distance?

The 10K! But I just recently figured that out, so I don’t have too many under my belt.

Are you currently training for anything or working towards a running goal? 

My goal for this year is to do a 5K in under 20. I’m pretty far off, but I’m confident I can get there. Especially with the help and support of my new teammates!

What do you think about or listen to when you run?

I don’t listen to anything but I’m almost always thinking about work while running. It’s a really helpful time to strategize the day or week ahead, and to think through problems or come up with ideas. 

What is your pre-race ritual, if any, the night before a race and during the morning of?

I don’t have much of a ritual the night before, but the morning of a race I walk the dog and then always get a coffee, water and Clif bar for the train ride. Seems to do the trick!

What is your favorite recovery tool and post-run meal after a long run or hard race?

I’m really awful at post-run or race recovery, but I’m starting to use a foam roller way more frequently and it’s been a real treat. For food, the goal is to eat a big plate of veggies ASAP, but usually I just nap and then wake up feeling very out of it for some reason.

Any advice you would give to new runners or your younger running self?

Almost none of my friends are runners, but every once in a while they’ll ask me about getting started and I always tell them to just start. Take it slow, run for however long or short you want, build up gradually and try to enjoy it. I’ve only managed to convert a couple of them, so maybe I need to rethink this advice!

Anything else you would like your teammates to know about you?

Before joining PPTC I started a club of my own that was mostly just people in my work building. If any of you want in on a Chinatown club, runc.lub is open to everyone!

Anything you’d like to know about PPTC?  

When do we hit 5,000 members?!

Text by Linda Chan
Edited/Produced by Alison Kotch