On the Move

Phillip Deane's connections with Sports Backers and active living started in 2005, when he was recognized as one of the overall winners in the Richmond Times-Dispatch/Sports Backers Scholar-Athlete Awards program as a senior at Varina High School in Henrico County. He went on to play baseball at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, graduating with a degree in economics in 2009. He continued to stay active after his college athletics career ended, taking part in a number of road running events over the next decade.

His life was changed during a medical emergency near the finish line of the Richmond Half Marathon in November 2018, and thanks to the quick actions of the event medical team and doctors at VCU Health, he received lifesaving care. It was a very scary situation for Phillip and his family, and he spoke about the challenges of his recovery and his commitment to staying active.

Phillip reached out to a few of us at Sports Backers in the fall of 2020 to with a few updates about his active living journey and to share his appreciation for the role that Sports Backers has played in his life. It was very impactful to read and we wanted to follow up with him to learn more. The result of that discussion is this episode, which has been several months in the making. We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.

In this episode of the On the Move podcast, Anthony and Tara Clary joined to talk about the powerful community impact of their running group, Running with Rock and Tara. The group, based in the Manchester area of Richmond, has grown over the past year and welcomes runners of all experience levels and backgrounds. Anthony is also training to be part of the Sports Backers Fitness Warriors program, and he's preparing to lead free fitness classes in the Blackwell community of South Richmond, where he and Tara live. They are truly dedicated to improving their community through healthy and active living and, as they say, getting everyone off the couch.

As part of Sports Backers' 2020 Storybook, which details the organization's response to the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year, several members of the Sports Backers marketing team joined the podcast to share insight into the process of generating ideas and marketing strategies for virtual, hybrid, and in-person events. Ashlee Snider, Nan Callahan, and Katharine Benfer join host Pete Woody talk about developing the marketing and communications strategies to encourage event participation and the importance of being honest, transparent, and proactive in participant communications.

After listening to the podcast, you can check out the full report online at www.sportsbackers.org.

After an impressive 2020 full of great performances, Richmond-based runner Keira D'Amato turned pro in early 2021 and has more big goals in sight, including the U.S. Olympic track and field trials. She joined the podcast to talk about the latest developments in her running journey, her upcoming schedule, and her quest for redemption for Team Studs in the Great American 5000, a virtual team race across America. She also discussed tap dancing and her family food-ranking competitions. So it's safe to say this is an episode you don't want to miss.

In this episode of the On the Move podcast from Sports Backers, Brantley Tyndall joins to discuss bike and pedestrian advocacy. Brantley is part of Sports Backers' Bike Walk RVA program and recently became the new president of the Virginia Bicycling Federation. He talks about the main legislative goals for bike and pedestrian advocates in 2021 and also shared plenty of interesting stories about his various hobbies and interests, including biking across the country, road and trail running, and woodworking.

In this episode of the On the Move podcast from Sports Backers, Kristen Eichert joins to talk about her experiences running 60 miles in 24 hours in April 2020. She gives us the inspiration behind her accomplishment as well as the planning and logistics that went into it. It's great insight for anyone planning to take part in the '24 Hours of Richmond' event on February 20. Learn more at www.sportsbackers.org.

In this episode of the On the Move podcast from Sports Backers, experienced runner and Marathon Training Team coach Carrie Parker joins to share her advice and best practices for winter running. Whether you are working towards a goal race in the spring or trying to get started with a new activity routine, Carrie offers some great tips to keep you moving through the winter. Find out more about training teams and upcoming events at www.sportsbackers.org.