Randy Step

Randy Step: Bio

My greatest accomplishment in running has been getting my butt out the door for over 40 years, in the book I share what goes through my mind to make it happen each day. This applies to YOU, no matter if you are an Olympic qualifier or walker. The rest of this run bio is Bla, Bla, Bla ... I have ran 70 something marathons, 12 of them in the 2 hour 40 minute range, a few at Boston and have logged over 75,000 miles. As a younger faster punk, I was voted Michigan’s Runner of the Year, also at that time I competed on the big stage at the Ironman world championship Triathlon, a 140.6-mile event in Kona, Hawaii.

I guarantee some serious road blocks to your daily run, you will have to dig through the rubble to get back, but you can and will. In midlife, I had a heart valve replacement due to a congenital issue that had gone undetected. Yep, life can throw you curves, duck! I have been able to run daily since and continue to run at least one marathon each year, albeit slower.

I have a business background that includes a degree in Mortuary Science. After 7 years in the family funeral business, I ran out the door and opened Running Fit, a specialty running store group I grew to 9 stores and after 30 years of success, they were acquired by the Running Specialty Group out of Denver, CO. I spent 13 years as head coach for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Societies Team in Training program where I successfully coached over 2,000 runners across the marathon finish line and helped raise millions of dollars. I have created some iconic running events including Run Woodstock, now in its 12th year, a weekend trail running/classic rock/camping/yoga festival with distances from 5K to 100 miles. Also, Dances With Dirt, a 3-state trail running series that celebrated its 25th year. DWD is the original obstacle course run with no man-made crap, just the worst of what Mother Nature has to offer. My company RF Events, currently produces 27 events that include marathons, triathlons, relays, running excursions and ultra marathons with a total of 37,000 participants crossing the finish line in 2019. Shameless plug: Check out rfevents.com and join us sometime! And this may be relevant, I have been a running writer for many years.