If you ran any of the big 5k or 10 k races in the Houston area between 2014-2018, chances are Maximo beat you at some point. A prolific racer during his days at Luke's Locker, he got started running at a young age and ran his first half marathon when he was just 15 years old. After running a 2:35:30 at the 2016 Chevron Houston Marathon, Maximo thinks he might run another marathon one day, but for now is focused on his son, Maximo Jr., who is just getting started. 

Insatgram - Maximo_saysrunit

Facebook - Maximo Mendoza Sr. 

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Twitter - @runnersofhou

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Not only is Subbu Venkat a member of the HARRA and Houston Marathon Committee Board of Directors, he is also a living organ donor. We talk through some of the 25 marathons he has run, including his 3:10:30 PR at the 2018 Grandma's Marathon, how he was instrumental in Hitomi Niiya's win at the 2020 Aramco Houston Half Marathon in a Japanese national record, what it takes to be a living organ donor, and why runners make good candidates. 

Twitter - subbuHTX

Instagram - subbuvenkat

Donate Life

The Living Bank

United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)

Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network

Organ Donor.Gov

KIdney Donor Athletes Facebook Group

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Twitter - @runnersofhou

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A relative newbie to Houston, Blake is excited to explore the Houston running scene. We chat about everything from his exploration of the best places to run in Houston to what it was like having to take a year off from running to recover from a fractured patella. 

You can follow Blake on Instagram at @alder.run

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Twitter - @runnersofhou

Instagram - @runnersofhou

Instagram - @vickyoddi

While Stephanie only lived in Houston for a few years, she had a big impact on the Houston running community. Listen as we talk through her running career at Purdue, including the second-best day of her life, what it was like to participate in the 24 hour Houston Hack-a-thon, which brought about the creation of Swiftally, and chasing a sub-3 hour marathon. 

Strava - Stephanie Bonk

LinkedIn - Stephanie Bonk

Insatgram - Swiftally 

Web - Swiftally

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Twitter - @runnersofhou

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Meet Mary T - the founder and executive director of Girls on the Run Greater Houston. A runner for over 50 years, Mary T did not run her first marathon until after her children were born. And she started with the Paris Marathon, which led to a goal of running on every continent! Find out how far she is in her journey and learn more about how you can get in involved with Girls on the Run Greater Houston in the latest episode of the Runners of Hou podcast.

Girls on the Run Greater Houston

Website - gotrgreaterhouston.org

Facebook - @GOTRGreaterHouston

Twitter - @gotrhouston

Instagram - @gotr_greaterhouston

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Meet Marcus Lewis aka @irondad on instagram. A 44-year-old father of four, Marcus is a Boston Marathon qualifier, an Ironman, and a Woodlands Marathon Ambassador.

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Twitter - @runnersofhou

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Meet Heather Foley. One of the happiest mother runners you will ever come across. Heather got started in running in 2008 when a coworker told her she wouldn't be able to run a half marathon. Twelve years, four 100km races, 25 ish marathons, and countless other races since, it's safe to say she proved them wrong. 

Find out what a purse potato is and what she wants to do with Matthew McConaughey in this episode! 

You can find Heather here:

Twitter - @haf811

Instagram - @haf811

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Sam Robles is a runner, striking coach at Gracie Barra Heights, and former employee of Luke's Locker. Sam has been one of the most outspoken members of Houston running community for the past eight years - from when he joined Luke's Locker, to when he became a coach of their 9-5 program and was the head of the Team Luke's program, to being a guide for team Catapult. 

Sam has just rejoined social media and you can follow him on instagram at @teamdumptruck

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Twitter - @runnersofhou

Welcome to the Runners of HOU Podcast! I'm your host, Vicky Oddi, and I'm here to share the the stories of the runners in and around the Greater Houston Area. The goal is to make this a weekly podcast, so be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Soundcloud or however you get your podcasts. 

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Twitter - @runnersofhou

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