We interrupt your feed of running related Valentine’s Day memes for some member spotlights of PPTC couples. You’ve seen them in the park, at social events, and more. Celebrate Valentine’s Day by reading about these amazing couples.

Ivette Garcia and Luis Tufino

Ivette & Luis with their medals after the completing the 2022 NYC Marathon

Ivette and Luis ran their first NYC Marathon together this past November. They’re both fans of Wrinkle the Duck (the duck who “ran” the NYC Marathon) , although Luis will tell you that Ivette is the REAL fan of Wrinkle, Luis is the one who made it to Wrinkle’s video from the 2022 marathon (at about 5:24).

When did you meet? How did you meet?

The short version. We met in the Photography club during our sophomore year in college. We started chatting it up and became friends. We eventually started dating in our senior year.

Were each of you runners before you met?

No, we were not runners before we met. Luis started running in January 2021 as a way to be active again after being cooped up in the house for most of 2020. I joined him about a month later and thus began our running journey together.

Do you run together?

Ivette: Yes, we run together. Not side by side, since Luis’ pace is a tad quicker. We make sure that we are always able to see each other at all times.

What do you admire most about your partner’s running?

Luis: What I most admire about Ivette’s running is her mental grit in races and in the summer long humid runs.

Ivette: I really admire how Luis can run without listening to music. Personally, I think that’s crazy.

What is something unexpected about your partner that you could share with us? (please each answer)

Ivette: Luis loves to collect things and has a hard time letting go of them. It makes it difficult when it comes to spring cleaning.

Luis: Ivette runs on iced coffee from the hottest of days to even the coldest of winters. You will always catch her with an iced coffee in her hand.

How does running affect your relationship with one another?

Running together has helped strengthen our relationship. It keeps us motivated, accountable, and active.

Has being a PPTC member contributed to your relationship?

Ivette: Yes, it has! Luis might seem social, but he does not like going out much, but I do. Thanks to the many events PPTC hosts. Luis and I have gone out more and even made new mutual friends.

What advice do you have for new couples?

Have an open communication with each other so each partner feels valued and supported.

What advice do you have for any of our single members looking for that special “running mate?”

Be yourself and have an open mind.

Sammie Howe and Josh Howe

Sammie & Josh at the 2023 Joe Kleinerman 10K

What strikes you first when you meet Sammie and Josh is that they are all smiles and their happiness is contagious. Sammie had foot surgery in 2022, but is now back to running and racing.

When did you meet? How did you meet?

We actually met the morning of our second day of college. That first semester, we were both part of the Army ROTC program (which Josh of course finished and Sammie bailed on rather quickly) and were at the year’s first morning physical training session. So we’ve pretty much always had some baseline level of “working out together” as part of our relationship, even though we wouldn’t start dating for a few years.

Were each of you runners before you met?

Sammie: I started running in middle school, doing track (1600 and 3200 (which I guess is a Texas thing)) and cross country through graduation. Many an early morning workout on country roads, being chased by stock animals, and housing a powerade slush from Sonic.

Josh: No. I played hockey and a little game called American Football which meant the only running I’d do was sprints, often punitively. I played soccer (as a goon, I could barely dribble) my senior year to prepare for the amount of running I’d need to do in ROTC/the Reserves, but I didn’t have much of an idea of what I was doing or how to properly train for distances.

Do you run together?

Yes! We run together quite often, especially when doing zone training, and it helps to have the time to chat, plan, etc. Especially in Spring and Summer we opt for a Friday night run-date, usually finishing it off with gelato or ice cream (shout out to the butter and olive oil flavors at L'Albero Dei Gelati on 5th) and a walk in the park or the parkway.

What do you admire most about your partner’s running?

Sammie: I’m so proud of how far he’s come with his running. His two-mile Army runs used to be a challenge and now he’s kicking out frequent half marathons and even ran a full marathon last year!

Josh: I have always been impressed with her commitment to and love of the sport. Watching her be sidelined by injuries and surgery last year, being off her feet and non-ambulatory for four months, to now cranking out a casual 14 miler with the club at a group run has been a real sight to see. Her grit and determination will never cease to amaze.

What is something unexpected about your partner that you could share with us?

Sammie: Josh is really into tabletop RPGs and is a fantastic “dungeon master/game master/referee”

Josh: Sammie’s big into botany/mycology, so don’t be surprised if when out for a walk you see someone hunched over in the tree well poking around at a toadstool or the underside of a leaf to see its patterns.

How does running affect your relationship with one another?

Even when we’re not running together, when we’re both running regularly, we operate on a much more relaxed level that makes everything that much easier. Having an outlet with an element of physicality (this applies also to weightlifting and hiking, two of our other big hobbies) offers the ability to blow off steam you might not even be aware is building up.

Has being a PPTC member contributed to your relationship?

Kind of? Obviously we’ve been running together for a long time, but we feel that our being in PPTC has been a much bigger contributor to our relationships outside of The Relationship™–we’ve made some wonderful friends we wouldn’t have otherwise if we’d not been in the club.

What advice do you have for new couples?

There’s a currently popular trap of “treating your relationship like a business” that should best be avoided. You’re human people, not products or services. By all means coordinate on big ticket items (finances, expectations, life plans and other obvious things) but don’t get so wrapped around the axle about “optimizing your brand” that you lose sight of things that are actually important.

What advice do you have for any of our single members looking for that special “running mate?”

We have no advice apart from: It will never happen for you. It’s too late. (jk)

Jennie Matz and Karl Steel

If you’ve been a member of PPTC for a while, you no doubt know Jennie from her time on the Board and her current role as Co-Chair of the Race Committee. At some point, the word “medievalist” became a word you used because you met Karl and now you know a medievalist.

When did you meet? How did you meet?

We met almost 4 years ago to the day, the traditional way: TINDER

Were each of you runners before you met?

Yes, Jennie had been running with PPTC since 2014 as a Strava try-hard and Karl ran like a normal person - little neighborhood loops, maybe 3 days a week. And then Karl met Jennie and his annual running shoe expense rose a bit. (Also he hit 2K miles his first year of real running, ran his first 20- miler, and ran 50 loops of the track for his 50th birthday.

Do you run together?

Yes, whenever possible - at least 3 or 4 days a week. Karl usually asks Jennie about all of our friends or the shenanigans of her amazing kids, whereas Jennie usually asks Karl about what he’s read–often something he’s working on; something newsy; or something that riled him up on Twitter. (If you’re ever on a run with him ask him why lobsters thrive in cold waters while crawfish prefer temperate waters. Or posthumanism.) Jennie likes to stop and re-tie her shoes, contemplates the imperfect clothing choices she’s made that morning, and whines about living downhill from Prospect Park for the first mile of every run (Karl’s uphill mantra: “Running is hard.”).

What do you admire most about your partner’s running?

Jennie: I like that Karl has a good sense of balance in his running (as he does with most things) but he’s still game for the occasional silly endeavor: run a marathon? Sure, why not. (I know PPTC fetishizes marathons, but running them is not normal.)

Karl: I love how much fun she has on runs. Yesterday, she surprised me by just gradually speeeeding up in the last mile of an 8-mile jog (also: she talked me out of climbing under a train when we got caught on the wrong side of the tracks, so I love that she’s prudent too!).

What is something unexpected about your partner that you could share with us?

Karl: Jennie can nap anywhere, anytime. I’m not saying I’m super envious about that, but I am.

Jennie: Karl doesn’t love ALL forms of coconut.

How does running affect your relationship with one another?

It’s another form of hanging out and we like hanging out with each other. We like talking and not talking; running and not running; we both like soup.

Has being a PPTC member contributed to your relationship?

Absolutely! PPTC has given us our best running friends (a couple of our best friends in general) and it’s there for us for all of our à la carte running needs: social connections, competitive resources, and a rich source of gossip.

What advice do you have for new couples?

Run together!

What advice do you have for any of our single members looking for that special “running mate?”

Go on some running dates (but don’t be a creep about it) and see how you jive. Running together can be an easy, low-stakes way to just talk.

Susan Jarrell and Josh Carter

Susan & Josh at the school after finishing the 2022 NYC Marathon

You may have seen them on Instagram, but what Instagram doesn’t show you about this couple is that they exemplify “couple goals” in their support of one another in their relationship and on their runs.

When did you meet? How did you meet?

Susan: A hot August night in the city—1998–Josh crashed a party at my place with a group of friends, only one of whom was invited. We were both in relationships with other people at that time, but I talked to him the whole evening after he arrived. I remember falling for his smile. There were only a handful of times when we saw each other over the course of the following 2 years but then—DA-DA-DA—DUMMMMM!—Josh asked me to see a play with him on November 30th, 2000. We were engaged within 2 months, married and pregnant (unintended😬, but happy accident) by November 30th, 2001.

Josh: A friend of a friend of mine brought a small group of us to a party at his friend Susan’s place in Soho. It was a dinner party; they had just finished eating. We weren’t expected. I was blown away by her, a fellow Texan in NY. Fortunately, she was opening an art gallery and I had some photographs I wanted to show. So I managed to stay in touch.

Were each of you runners before you met?

Josh: I really enjoyed running x-country and track in high school, but in college and after just did various sports to stay in shape. Our fourth son was born with a heart defect and we spent several dazed weeks at Weill-Cornell on the UES around the time of the NYCM. Watching the marathon for many years, it was a long-standing dream of mine to run it one day.

Susan: Nope! I had never been A RUNNER. My sports back in the day were soccer, swimming and tennis. Neither of us had run in quite some time when we met. Josh got into it in 2015, training for the 2016 NYCM. He was running it in honor of our youngest son who was born in 2011 with a heart defect. Bucky’s defect was repaired by open heart surgery at 5 days old. Today he has more energy than the rest of our family put together.

Do you run together?

Susan: As often as our schedules and plans allow. It’s a great feeling, running side by side. @twototempo on IG documents some of our running together.

What do you admire most about your partner’s running?

Josh: I’ve been tremendously impressed watching Susan run over the past two years. She had supported me through three marathons and started running during the pandemic. After she ran her first race, an AGS in the summer of 2021, her competitive spirit really caught fire. It’s been a joy to watch and support her running.

Susan: Josh makes a plan and he sticks to it. He is experienced enough that he can draw from various sources and form his own plan. Then he executes it so well. I am always impressed. It’s one of the great things about both of us running; it’s provided lots of experiences in which we find new things we admire about the other.

What is something unexpected about your partner that you could share with us?

Susan: Well perhaps it’s not entirely unexpected, because his speaking voice is pretty dreamy, but Josh has a beautiful singing voice. He’s only serenaded me a couple of times in public, but I get kitchen performances on the regular.

Josh: Susan has given birth naturally four times, once at a midwifery-run childbirth center, twice at our home, and once at a friend’s home (that’s quite a story, related to the heart defect). If you think I’ve been impressed with her as a runner, that pales in comparison to how absolutely amazing she in childbirth, and as a mom. A marathon ain’t nothing compared to having a baby.

How does running affect your relationship with one another?

Josh: We share many common interests but having a daily practice we can share has brought us closer together. Plus, our relationship helps our running! It’s amazing to have someone who knows exactly what you’re talking about when you go on and on about something running related. We each approach things differently and thus learn new running things from the other all the time.

Susan: Running has transformed my life and our relationship. Perhaps it was the timing—I am a pandemic runner. Going to Prospect Park to run around was our escape hatch during lockdown. It’s truly how we kept our family healthy and sane. We still had 4 sons under our roof at that time. Josh’s enthusiastic encouragement made me want to pursue running. I joined PPTC in July 2021 and ran my first race in August. It was about 8 months into running that I felt my body radically changed. Four pregnancies and births does a lot to a body! 8 months of running gave me my pre-pregnancy body back. We’re talking about a 20-year reversal. It was quite empowering for me; made me feel sexy. You can imagine how this affected our relationship.

Has being a PPTC member contributed to your relationship?

Susan: PPTC has introduced much into our relationship: regular running; running friends; the NYC running community at large; planning runs/races/field trips…good vibes generally…mostly.

Josh: It’s been great to be part of the running community together. I was a member for a few years before Susan was, and while I enjoyed having people to train with, the social aspect of the club wasn’t as appealing because I like doing things with Susan. Now we have a great social outlet together and have met a great variety of new friends thanks to PPTC.

What advice do you have for new couples?

Josh: When you’re lucky enough to find your person, there’s a mutual and deep connection that binds you together that is simply never questioned. It generates a virtuous circle of passion and understanding, while recognizing you are two different individuals. Over time, everything just gets better and better and better. When you’re with someone new, though, you love them for who they are—as you learn who they are! That can be tricky. Communicate, and accommodate, and engage regularly. With the person you love, who loves you back, it’s always rewarding.

Susan: To quote Bob Dylan: “If something’s not right, it’s wrong.” It is true generally and for sure in relationships. Don’t waste any time changing yourself to “make a relationship work”. By the same token, do not remain with the person who is “almost” the one. When you find the one, you will feel it in your bones. Additionally, I would like to comment here that Josh and I have always been suspicious of those who talk about how much “work” marriage takes. I don’t get that. Josh is always my bright spot, the best part of my day. Even when we bicker the entire time we’re on a run—it’s happened!—I wouldn’t want to be running with anyone else. I just think he’s the best.

What advice do you have for any of our single members looking for that special “running mate?”

Susan: We have such a vibrant community and so many attractive people that perhaps looking for “the one” isn’t the best framework. Enjoy relationships, romantic or otherwise, with these amazing humans. Have a lot of orgasms and go for a lot of long runs. People make such interesting disclosures on long runs. It makes for fast—and lasting—friendships. And what’s romance if not friendship caught fire?

Josh: Be honest with yourself, and open to possibilities. You probably know within 10 seconds of talking to someone if you’re attracted to them. But then there’s other factors—when Susan and I first met the timing wasn’t right. We stayed in touch through her art gallery for almost two years before we went on a date. But then—BAM! Take advantage of opportunities to be with someone you like, and be honest when you’re with someone who you know in your heart is not the one. You’ll know.

UPDATES ON OUR 2022 VALENTINE SPOTLIGHT COUPLES

Jana & Justin at PPTC’s 2023 Awards Night, Photo by Jiyoung Han

A year since our blog post on A PPTC Valentine, we have some updates on our spotlighted PPTC couples.

JANA TRENK & JUSTIN SHERWOOD

Jana (now Jana Sherwood) and Justin were married on August 6, 2022 and are expecting their first child.

MOTOKO YURI & YUSHIRO OKAMOTO

Motoko and Kushiro were married on August 12, 2022 and are now parents to their daughter Kate.

Motoko, Yushiro, and future PPTC member Kate

Interviews by: Linda S. Chan (she/her)
Produced by: Linda S. Chan
Photos courtesy of the respective couples (except as noted)

PPTC is a diverse and supportive team. We want to celebrate the diversity of our club and membership. We welcome and encourage everyone to share their stories with us.

Better than a meme, PPTC Valentine spotlights

Ivette Garcia and Luis Tufino

Sammie Howe and Josh Howe

Jennie Matz and Karl Steel

Susan Jarrell and Josh Carter

UPDATES ON OUR 2022 VALENTINE SPOTLIGHT COUPLES