The Wake Up Running Story

My name is Chad Dillavou, and I founded Wake-Up-Running because running changed (and probably saved) my life. I was a three sport athlete in high school, who struggled with weight gain ever since my playing days ended. My high school weight of 185 steadily ballooned to above 230 in the years to follow. While my frame held the weight well, the excess weight was killing me, literally. My cholesterol was above 220 and my triglycerides were nearing 400. My family’s history of heart problems meant that I had to make a change. In 2003, my wife and I invested in a treadmill, with the intentions of walking each day. It wasn’t long however, until each of us had begun a running program.

With a combination of healthy eating and a steady diet of 5K, 10K, 7 Mile, 15K and Half Marathon races, my weight bottomed out at 177 pounds in 2007 and my cholesterol and triglycerides were totally in check (without medication). I felt great and as a morning person, I would Wake Up Running six out of seven days a week.

Unfortunately, while training for the 2007 Chicago Marathon, my intense training caught up with me and I was diagnosed with a stress fracture in my right foot just days before the race. With all of the training runs complete, my first Marathon would have to wait.

For the first time since becoming a runner, I would not enter a single race in 2008. My body and family needed a little break. During my recovery however, I became more passionate about helping others to “run” better lives. I enjoyed helping people find the right training program, or selecting a treadmill, or researching ways to minimize or avoid injuries. Additionally, my conviction, regarding the notion that running can benefit almost everyone was fueling my passion.

Whether you want to lose weight, eat healthier, reduce stress, make time for yourself, make time for your friends, get away from the kids, be active with the kids, raise your self esteem, pray more, have some quiet time or jam to your iPod, running IS THE ANSWER. I’m convinced that there is no better way to start a day.

I hope that you spend some time on our site. Read our stories. Follow some of our favorite links. Share with us, some of yours. We’ll keep you anonymous if you like, but your stories, favorites and ideas are important for beginners, competitors and elites alike. If you have a running question, or question about Wake-Up-Running, email us at info@wake-up-running.com. We’ll do our best to research your question and respond to you within 24 hours.

THANK YOU again for stopping by today. Please stop by often. As the Wake Up Running Community grows, we hope to add t-shirts, backpacks and technical gear to spread the word so that you too can make a difference by helping people to “run” better lives.

One last thing. I hope you find the information you need here to join us for a run today. No matter where you are in world, when you Wake Up Running amazing things happen.

CPD