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Meet Your Neighbor: Geist Half Marathon Streaker, Kevin Stinson

Like most current runners, Kevin Stinson didn’t “Forest Gump” his way into endurance running by popping out of a chair to run across the country. He began first at the local YMCA here in Fishers to ease his way into incorporating exercise into his lifestyle over time. It wasn’t until his son was on the cross-country team that they decided to run the first Geist Half Marathon together. With little to no training, “The first race was difficult, but I ran the whole thing and was very sore for quite a while after that, and said I’d never do it again! And then the next year, we did it again.” Stinson remembered.

Kevin Stintson, a Geist resident and Geist Half Marathon streaker, will be running his 16th consecutive Geist Half Marathon race among his 64 already completed half marathons this September 14th. Those in the running community that have run an annual race consecutively call themselves “streakers” as they’ve held the streak of participating each year.

After signing up for a local charity’s 5K as a family, he realized it was difficult for him to able to complete a 5K (3.1 miles), “My cardio was fine, but legs weren’t with it. I wasn’t a big fan of running up to that point.” He realized if he was going to run it again, he’d need to find a better way to train. In finding time for more dedicated training, he realized he actually enjoyed running. At first, he’d primarily run on the treadmill, and eventually realized he preferred training outdoors and now, “cannot stand to be on the treadmill.” It is an adaptation a lot of endurance runners experience as the benefits of running outdoors provide a connection to nature, opportunity to disconnect, and space to run with other people. This is not a phenomenon as several scientific studies have shown, exercising of any kind outdoors, can be more beneficial to mental health, and natural environments have a greater impact on psychological health especially when exercise is incorporated.*

After running in solitude for a couple of years, Stintson tried out different training groups offered at nearby running stores. The original Blue Mile store, now owned by Fleet Feet, offered various training groups depending on what race distance participants had signed up for and eventually found his way to the Fishers Running Club. He suggested for anyone starting out for the first time to reach out to your local running store and inquire about run/walking groups they offer. It’s a great way to connect with other athletes on a similar journey or pace, and develop a routine of accountability with familiar faces. Additionally, joining a running or walking group provides you with the opportunity to run with people or run solo, but it still remains a group activity for you to socially connect with people you might never have had the opportunity to before.

One of Stinton’s favorite places to run is the along the Geist Loop Trail, specifically the Brooks School Road to Fall Creek stretch. There are plenty of hills there to help you train for Geist Half Marathon as this portion of trail is included in the Geist Half Marathon route! Stintson also offered up some advice to anyone in the beginning stages of their running journey, “Don’t try to do too much, too fast.” We’ve heard it first-hand from some of our Geist Half Marathon ambassadors,who also happen to be running coaches, to get faster, you have to slow down. Running slowly during your longest runs while training can help you maintain a steadier pace on race day.

Join Kevin Stintson and start your Geist Half Marathon streak at this year’s 16th annual Geist Half Marathon, 10K, or 5K. Registration and race information can be found at: geisthalf.com.