Once you meet Chad Clark, you will never forget him. He has a fantastic smile and contagious laugh. After a run with him(even if it’s 90 degrees wtih 100% humidity, uphill the whole way) you will feel energized by his personality. Not only is he a great husband, father, banker and leader in his church; he is an inspiration to those who meet him.
Why did you start running?
“Long Story Short….It all started on a vacation with friends. A group wanted to go on a trail run and nobody (my wife) thought that I would run. I did but what a struggle! I was then challenged by a friend and my doctor, Craig Dowden, to run a local marathon with him. I knew I needed to lose weight and used this as my motivation. I had no idea how far a Marathon was until I drove from my home to the Foley Beach Express toll booth. I trained with him and some other friends we suckered into running and really started to enjoy it. I ended up finishing first in my age which was a huge motivation for me to continue running, not to mention I lost almost 40+ lbs.”
What are your greatest athletic accomplishments?
“By far my greatest accomplishment is running my 5th Marathon. I have plans to continue running more and eventually qualifying for Boston. I wish I had other great moments like a whole in one in golf or winning a gold medal in the Olympics but that is it.”
How has Running Wild helped you reach your goals?
“They have been great in not only helping me learn about running but also making great friendships. Their staff has always been awesome in giving me advice no matter how small or big. Most of all is the way they have pulled together the running community in Fairhope. Running has always been more fun with groups!”
Favorite products from Running Wild?
“It’s hard to decide between my shoes or watch. Both have been important to my running. The staff tried to tell me about the watch for the longest time even though I was stuck on using my phone to track my progress. Changing to my Garmin watch has been the best thing!”
What’s next? What are your future athletic goals that you wish to achieve?
“I want continue to improve my personal best times no matter what race I am at. I also want to get out and try different races, but of course the pinnacle would be Boston [marathon]. “
