ALIZE HARTKE

The moment Hayden & Mark met Alize, they knew she would be a huge part of Railroad, they just didn't know what role until a year later. She started with Railroad as a photographer, then the social media manager, all while growing her own coaching experience in the background. Before long, Hayden & Mark came to their senses and offered this rising star the last open position on the Railroad coaching staff.

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Today, Alize serves as Assistant Coach, focused on highly competitive athletes on the Pacific Coast. Primarily, Alize leads a Railroad training group in Eugene, OR where she is assisting several post-collegiate athletes in pursuing dreams of qualifying for the U.S. Championships while making sure they enjoy every step along the way. She's already guided Jake Ritter to qualify for and complete the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials and, a few months later, run a massive 10k PR of 28:19 to just miss the Olympic Trials on the track as well. Now, she's built a group of Eugene's fastest to work together and chase PR's and top placings on the track and the roads.

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Alize's background in the sport had its fair share of twists and turns. A short stint running collegiately was overshadowed by some of the darkest turns our sport can take. But Alize is a fighter. As she grew older, she learned how to improve her mental health and find joy in the sport once again. It's this lived experience that makes her such a great fit for our team. Because anyone who tells you that running can't have dark moments is lying to you. But Alize & Railroad are determined to build a team and a culture that can acknowledge the reality of those dark moments, but foster an environment of health, sustainability, and positivity as we all seek to better ourselves in our own unique way.