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About Team Red Lizard

Team Red Lizard (TRL) is a non-profit running club based in Portland, Oregon.

Our members have a wide range of running interests. Some focus on road races. Some do trail runs. Some take advantage of the startling diversity of track meets open to Oregon runners. Some do all three.

We have 5K/10K runners, marathoners, milers, and ultra-runners. We’ve even had the occasional sprinter. We have people in their low 20s, and people in their 70s. People who win races, and people who run mid-pack. One thing we are not, is a youth club. If that is what you are looking for, try Bowerman. They are one of the best in the country. (We do, however, have plenty of runners with kids, and are family friendly.)

Although we are primarily a running club, many of our members enjoy other activities such as hiking, mountain climbing, snowshoe racing, adventure races, bicycling, and Ironman competitions. We support and encourage this, under the theory that for most runners, running may not be the only thing they want to do. We once had a group that met frequently at a local climbing wall.

TRL also seeks to provide members with opportunities to help others. These vary with what’s available, but have included providing runners to lead pace groups at the Portland Marathon and other local races, volunteering at the Foot Traffic Flat’s final aid station, working at a local soup kitchen, and providing volunteers and officials for a regional Special Olympics meet. We have also collected more than 4,400 pairs of used shoes for the homeless and under-privileged high-school students. We are looking for other ways to give back, and are open to whatever new ideas might come along.

You don’t have to be a member to try our runs, and there is no limit to the number of times you can visit as a guest.

TRL is managed by a Board of Directors whose meetings are open to everyone. Our bylaws can be read here.

History

TRL is one of the oldest running clubs in Oregon. Founded in 1992 by triathlete Kevin Foreman, it was initially associated with a running store in Lake Oswego. When the store closed, Kevin moved on to other endeavors, but the club persevered, diversified, and grew, merging in 1997 with another group, the Rose City Runners.

People often ask where the name came from. It appears to have originated in a post-run conversation at a local pub, in which people started spitballing ideas for a club name. The topic turned to colored animals, “Red Lizard” won, and it has been Team Red Lizard ever since.

OFFICERS & DIRECTORS

President

Megan Taylor

Megan is relatively new to TRL—she first found the club at a Stumptown cross-country race in 2021. But she’s not new to running, having been a runner since elementary school. Nor is she new to the world of nonprofit organizations, working as Executive Director and former board president for an organization that helps provide affordable housing by training volunteers to assist underserved communities in home repair. “As a new member of TRL, I experienced the warm community and deep friendships that are the heart of the club,” she says. “I hope to focus our energy on what we do best—creating a welcoming community of people who love to get moving and support each other!”

Chelsea on left.

Vice President

Chelsea Warren

Chelsea has been a passionate runner since age 15. After a challenging pregnancy and a 10-year break from running, she joined TRL in 2016, seeking to regain health and fitness. She now races regularly. “I love how TRL brings people together, supports each other, and welcomes new members,” she says. “I want to help continue that tradition, ensuring our club is a place where everyone feels at home and empowered to reach their goals, whether they’re running a 9-minute mile or a 5-minute mile.”

Secretary

Sophia Bigio

Sophia started coming to TRL events after graduating from college in 2022, where she ran track and cross-country. She’s now “dabbling” in ultra-running (to the extent it’s possible to dabble in multi-hour racing), but also still does road races and cross-country. “I love running with TRL,” she says, “because, regardless of what I’m training for, I feel supported and empowered by those around me. I appreciate the diverse group of runners that make up the TRL community and support each others’ health, wellness, and enjoyment of running.” The goofy helmet in the photo is from one of the stages of the Tour de Goose, which she won in a furious sprint in 2023.

Wendy Terris (center, standing).

Treasurer

Wendy Terris

Wendy has been a member of TRL since 2007. She’s run three times in the U.S. Olympic Team Marathon Trials (2004, 2008, and 2012), most famously doubling the 2008 Trials (in Boston) and the Boston Marathon, the following day. Not surprisingly, she’d run a number of ultras in the lead-up to 2008, always hitting the podium, and never finishing less than 2nd. More recently, she’s focused on cross-country, running with TRL masters teams in the 40+ and 50+ divisions. In college, she was a hepthlete, though in track meets she filled in at everything from hurdles to horizontal jumps and javelin.

Stumptown Race Director

Steven Short

Steve has been a member of TRL since 2016long enough to have run more than 600 races. “I’ve been a member of many running clubs throughout that time,” he says, “and TRL is by far the most well-rounded club I’ve been affiliated with.” He is an avid cross-country runner (he is the one jumping over a hay bale on the racing page of this site), and will be leading the task force directing the 2024 race as long-time race director Torrey Lindbo retires.

Membership

Kellie Houser

Kellie ran in high school and college and now finds running serves as an important medium for positive work/life balance in her life. She joined TRL a few years ago, and has been active in a number of roles. “I believe forming the relationships I now have serves as a key driving force to keep me going and striving to be a better runner and a better version of myself,” she says.

Apparel

Michael Haynes

Michael has been a long-standing presence at TRL’s Tuesday’s track workouts. He’s also done the Boston Marathon enough times that some Lizards think of him as “Boston Michael.” 

Club Contact Information

5331 South Macadam Ave Ste 258-401
Portland, OR US 97239
Email: [email protected]