Past PPTC Team Captains
This blog post is intended to serve as a living document, listing all of PPTC’s past Team Captains.
The role of team captains was discontinued in 2022 following Awards Night.
Oren Efrati (Retired 2022)
Back in the late 90's, a friend suggested I run the NYC marathon, and I signed up with no training or running experience. After a few long runs, I thought "this isn't for me", and took a long pause from running for about 10 years. Fast forward to around 2010, I ran outside twice that year, at the Chase Corporate Challenge and the Turkey Trot. In 2011, I started running regularly and this time followed the smart advice or starting slow and building up a little at a time. Also getting proper shoes at Jack Rabbit! Later that year, I ran my first half marathon, and really started enjoying it.
In 2012, I ran the Brooklyn Half, and saw all the PPTC folks, and joined shortly thereafter. With all the encouragement of the club, I signed up for the Marine Corps Marathon that year. It was a real memorable experience, and the race ended just as Superstorm Sandy was approaching NYC. Three years later, I finally ran the NYC marathon, and since then have run it twice more. It's a epic event which anyone who can should definitely try to do at least once.
Being a part of PPTC has been awesome. It is a real special community, and it's a privilege to now be a board member helping it continue to thrive. Even though I am joining the board at this very confusing time for us all, I hope to help as we figure out how to come out the other end of this pandemic stronger and more resilient than ever.
Jana Trenk (Retired 2022)
I started running at age twelve after watching my dad finish the 2001 NYC Marathon. I fell in love with the sport and spent almost every weekend racing, running, or spectating at races with friends. As a student athlete, I competed on the Scarsdale High School and Division 1 Fordham University XC and Track teams. After college graduation, I felt pretty burned out from training and racing and struggled to figure out who I was as a runner and how running best fit into my life anymore.
I moved to Brooklyn in 2014, joined PPTC and slowly became inspired to start running more again. The miles flew by while laughing and chatting with teammates along the way. PPTC’s fun, quirky vibe was exactly what I was looking for in a running club. PPTC is unique in that we have a little bit of everything. You can run serious speedwork on one day in the week, run an easy loop to a pub for beer the next day, and participate in the Pajama Run on yet another day.
Currently, I serve as a Director to the Board and I have represented the club’s Social Committee for the past four years. In this role, I have organized and supported a variety of programs and events such as: injury prevention workshops, strength training classes, club wide holiday party, yearly Awards Night, pastry and gift exchanges, wine tasting and cocktail making events, our International Women’s Day Celebration, and more. As a captain, I promise to represent you as we work together to make PPTC the most fun, welcoming, and supportive running club that it can be.
As for my own personal running goals...I hope to one day do something big like run an Olympic Trials qualifying time in the marathon. If that doesn’t happen, my main running goal is simply to be a runner for as long as I live since this sport truly brings me so much happiness. My #1 dream is to be able to run loops of Prospect Park well into my 70s, 80s and maybe even 90s with all my friends.
Lillian Park (Retired 2022)
The racing bug bit me in May 2012 when I ran my first half marathon - the Brooklyn Half. Until then, I had an almost indifferent attitude toward running. I only ran because I needed to do something physical to counteract all the countless hours I spent sitting in front of a computer (like, writing up this bio). I fell in love with the excitement of a race atmosphere, the challenge of training and trying to meet big, hard, scary goals, but most of all I really really really love beating other runners. While I'm nowhere near being an elite runner, I love pushing and testing the limits of what I think I can do. There's nothing like the high of seeing all the weeks and months of training and sacrifice paying off in smashing a goal.
My husband and I joined PPTC in late 2015 after we moved to Brooklyn. We were looking for a fun running club who wanted to be competitive, but didn't take themselves too seriously. PPTC fit the bill perfectly! Neither of us can imagine our lives without PPTC as nearly all of our friends in Brooklyn were made through the club.
Along with being one of the captains of PPTC, I am a member of the Social Media Team of the Communications Committee and I occasionally lead themed runs (e.g., 17 mile to Mile 17, Halloween Candy Run). I look forward to expanding my role in the club as captain and taking charge of the idea that getting older means getting better and faster. After narrowly missing Boston by 28 seconds in 2018 and having the time qualifications tightened, I trained even harder ran the Phoenix Marathon in 2019 in 3:33:01, beating the time qualification by almost 7 minutes.
Current goals: sub-22 5K, sub-1:40 half, running a half marathon in all 50 states before Jimmy does, and trying to keep up with Bandit, my puppy.
Jimmy Leung (Retired 2022)
In early 2015, I started running with the Couch to 5K app to lose weight. A friend of mine talked me into running the Bay Ridge Half that October, and I ran my furthest (8 Miles) the Thursday before the Bay Ridge Half. And while I couldn’t walk straight for next 2 days, I fell in love immediately with the distance. At the PPTC Turkey Trot that same year, I spotted all of these cool people in red jackets and it was then I decided to look into PPTC.
I joined PPTC to learn how to be a better runner in December 2015, but I was too intimidated and shy to show up to any club activities until the following April. I didn’t realize what I was missing out on. I soon fell in love with the club and found my new family.
Many of you don’t believe this, but I’m an introvert and I’m uncomfortable being around people. However, a lifetime in public service as a US Postal Delivery Man, NYC Correction Officer, and NYPD Detective has helped me along the way to learn how to fit in.
As the PPTC Masters Captain, it’s my hope to get masters runners more involved in our fun food and group runs. I see a lot of master runners during races, but I don’t always know who they are. My motto: You train better when you feed the mind and stomach! Let’s run together so we can race together against the other clubs.
My running goals:
- Complete the Abbott’s World Marathon Majors (NYCM 2017,2018, Chicago 2017, Berlin 2017. Need: Boston 2019, Tokyo and London).
- Run 50 Half Marathons in 50 States (17 states)
Michael Koplin (Retired 2019)
I started running in May 2010 when I was 63 years old. After losing weight, my routine exercise of walking morphed into running. I quickly fell in love. I ran the Baltimore Marathon in October 2011 with my cousin and then joined PPTC. Since my first race in 2011 I’ve completed over 160 races, including 9 marathons. I have always enjoyed the competition and fellowship of the running community.
Over the past 7 years I’ve witnessed and participated in the development of many PPTC runners and consider our team competitive and able to run against all other teams.
One of my goals has been to encourage our Masters runners to participate in NYRR team points races and other races. We have an amazing group of Masters runners that bring honor to the PPTC colors. Of course, our younger runners are quite extraordinary and I always look forward to seeing them compete against the best of the other running clubs.
I am a USA Track & Field (USATF) Level-1 Coach, Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) Level-1 Coach, National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Certified Interscholastic Level-2 Coach, and have a US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Track & Field Technical Coaching Certification. I’m also a Track & Cross Country Coach at St. Edmund Preparatory High School.
Being a co-captain of the PPTC Men’s Team is an honor and I am thrilled to work on behalf of our club and its great group of runners.
Linda Ewing (Retired 2019)
I was a latecomer to running, nagged into it by a couple of friends who watched me walking on the treadmill and tried to persuade me to run instead. I thought that if I ran a few times to demonstrate that I hated and was bad at it, I’d shut them up. (It seemed a safe bet, since at age 35, my only prior running experience was a mandatory, torturous mile back in high school phys ed.)
To my surprise, I liked it.
Over the next 20+ years (gulp), my motivations for running changed – from weight loss to fun to friendship to (modest) competitiveness as a member of Motor City Striders and the Front Line Racing Team – until, finally, running was simply part of my identity. When I moved to Brooklyn from Detroit, I was thrilled to discover in PPTC the running club of my dreams, a combination training group, racing team, roving gastronomic society and all-around great community.
My PR days (19:21 5K, 1:29:21 Half Marathon, 3:15:32 Marathon) are behind me, but I love running as much as ever (if not more so). While I feel a special bond with my fellow masters runners, I especially love watching members who are new to running fall in love with the sport and run faster than they ever imagined they could. I see our role as captains as being to support and encourage *all* our members, whatever their pace, as they chase their racing goals.
Missy Burgin (Retired 2020)
With my Midwest sensibilities in tow, I joined PPTC in 2013 after moving to Brooklyn. I was looking for new training buddies (friends) and found so much more. I’m a long time runner and natural motivator, and since my middle school days, friends and teammates have looked to me for advice and encouragement. I’ve been a driving force in the creation and continuance of the Marathon Training Group (MTG), and beyond my Team Captain duties, I enjoy giving back to the club by helping put on PPTC races and serving on the Board of Directors.
When not running, you can find me frolicking around Prospect Heights eating ice cream (year round), making small batch pickles & jams, and laughing my way through life.
I’m always looking for new training partners, so don’t forget to invite me out for a run!
Training Goals: 3:07 marathon & being as good of a cowbeller as Adam Devine.
Adam Devine (Retired 2021)
I have been a club member since May of 2015, and at this point, it is hard to imagine how I survived so long without y’all. I had a bit of running experience back in my early 20’s, but was hit by a car while cycling back in 2008, and that put a damper on my running for a bit. Sara signed us up for the Brooklyn Half back in 2015, and we both had terrible races. But we both saw how much fun PPTC members seemed to be having, and decided we wanted some of whatever Kool-aid you all were drinking.
Since then I have gotten more serious about running, completing a few marathons and a handful of ultra-marathons. I’m also trying to get a bit faster, and am inching towards my goal of breaking 20 minutes in the 5k. I owe almost all of my improvements to the support and motivation I get from the club.
My favorite part about being a captain is getting to be a cheerleader for my teammates. I have gotten to know so many more members, and can’t get enough of screaming for them and banging away on my cowbell to cheer them to success. I am a better runner and a better person due to my membership in the club, and I can’t wait to share many more miles with everyone in the future.
Leanne Glasser (Retired 2021)
Originally from Canada, I spent most of my time growing up as a dancer. I started running only after moving abroad. I fell in love with it - it made working out fun, and adventurous. I’ve moved around quite a bit, and each time I relocate running helps me get to know the community, make friends, and improve my race times. I joined PPTC in July 2018 after moving to Brooklyn. At a local 5k race in Prospect Park, I met (former Captain) Missy Burgin and was charmed by her outgoing, kind, and positive personality so much so that I immediately went home and registered as a PPTC club member.
As a Team Captain I am lucky enough to work alongside a wonderful team of people dedicated to keeping the club as fun and inclusive as possible, while looking for new and exciting initiatives for our members. In short, I love this club. PPTC has given so much to me and I am honoured to have the opportunity to give back using some of my strengths. I am a teacher at heart, and love being able to help others realize their potential, set lofty goals, while feeling encouraged and inspired along the way. My goals as a captain are to ensure that our members are provided a club that supports equity, diversity, and inclusion along with opportunities for goal setting, healthy lifestyle choices, community, and growth mindset. I believe in PPTC’s mission and am excited to help support others by continuing to make our club available and inclusive for all.
Allan Co (Retired 2021)
I started running in 2007 after a life as a collegiate and post-collegiate lightweight rower. Like many college athletes, I turned to running as a means to stay in shape. The years of workouts on the erg and on the water made longer distances a natural fit - the strength-endurance I had nurtured girded me against injury (knock on wood), giving me an ability to grind out higher mileage. Despite swearing them off after my debut - where it was 80 degrees and sunny - I have completed more marathons (20) than 5K races (19). And while I’m constantly trying to improve my PRs, what I’m most thankful for are the gifts running has given me: a chance to see the world; an outlet to give back to my community; and lifelong friends across the country.
I joined PPTC in 2012 after my husband and I returned to our New York roots. I was struck by the club’s values of community, service and inclusion, and found that it had the right mix of competitive spirit and socialization that I was looking for. After organizing informal tempo runs in Prospect Park through 2014, the then-team captains (Missy, Lynda, Justin, and Luca) asked me to design, launch and coach PPTC’s first Marathon Training Group for NYCM15, which served as proving ground for the club’s now-expanded training programs.
Today, along with serving as a PPTC captain, I serve as a co-chairperson for the club’s Diversity Committee, in which we try to embed and advance the club’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. This encompasses everything from championing a #pacepositive environment, regardless of ability, to promoting body positivity, to making sure our BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and other minority runners feel safe and supported. I’m excited to work with an amazing captains' team to support all our teammates’ running goals in a welcoming space, while giving back to our greater community.
My current running goals are a sub-2:50 marathon and a sub-1:20 half-marathon, and I’m USATF Level-1 and RRCA coaching certified.