Aoife Cullen

Q: When did you begin running and why?
By choice, in a more regular fashion, and actually registering for races maybe 2010. Before that, only when I had to in school, or sporadically in university. Back when I was still in Australia it kicked up a notch when I bumped into a work colleague when we were both running. Soon after we started running together and she conned me into signing up for a 30K trail run… I’d never run more than 5K and never on trails. A couple of months later we did the Kokoda Challenge together, and the Brisbane half Marathon (I’ve still no idea how).

Q: How did you find out about DCRR and when did you join?
When I moved from Brisbane to DC in 2017, I wanted to know about running routes in the area and being new, wanted to see what was going on in the area and running is a pretty great way to find/build community. I found DCRR online via Google. At first, I mostly just stalked online, and my first proper interaction was to volunteer at the George Washington Birthday Marathon in 2018, and a few months later joined in some of the training runs DCRR organized for the Capitol Hill Classic. I still only stalk the SLR group online. I’m not brave enough for those distances, but I have enjoyed the G’town running programs—as a person who likes to sleep its proximity is perfect (please never leave this spot for programs!).

Q: What are you training for right now?
To outrun the COVID-19? Nothing really for now—I had signed up for the Backyard Burn series and a few other races before everything got cancelled.

Q: What is the toughest run or race you’ve ever participated in?
Probably the Kokoda Challenge that my friend Sarah conned me into. It’s a 30K trail route around Mount Coo-tha in Brisbane (it’s named for the Kokoda trail—an Australian WW2 campaign). She’s a marathoner; I am not. Somehow, she convinced me to go trail running with her and sign up for this. She was a brilliant training buddy and navigator though, so I was really just baggage. It was in the brutal depths of Brisbane winter (hence the trash bags we wore at the start). That’s the furthest I’ve run to date . . . and probably ever will.

Two of the nicest that I’ve done in this area were the Sheetz-to-Sheetz run in King George this March—it was really sweet. It’s a trail, but a rails to trails route, so nice and flat, they had a scout cook out along the way, complete with s’mores, and each mile was “celebrated,” the best was a button on the 7 mile, halfway, marker—you hit it, and a line from Bon Jovi would play (“Woah, we’re half way there; woah, livin’ on a prayer” was stuck in my brain on repeat after that). It’s also pitched as not competitive, and about slowing down to enjoy, so that’s my ideal run. The other fun one around here was the Spook Hill run—a wine-stopper for a medal and free soft serve ice cream after—the best.

Q: What’s the most important lesson running has taught you?
Physiotherapy is expensive (and US health insurance is not like Australia)? So mostly nothing philosophical really—just if it hurts, lay off for a bit . . .  oh and stretching is apparently important . . .  though I’ve yet to properly incorporate that lesson.

Q: What is your favorite route in the area?
There are some brilliant routes in this area—back when I lived closer to the Capitol I loved the approach to the building; seeing it from anywhere on a run never gets old (the hills at it, less so). I’m lucky that I live right by the C&O, so I probably use it the most (like I said, not a hill fan), and the CCT and Mt Vernon are my other go-to routes. I do want to do more trail running and get to know those trails more.