Dan Beck
Dan began running at the age of 50 after one of his brothers challenged all of his siblings to run a marathon with him.
Other than taking a break to donate one of his kidneys to his sister, he has been running consistently for 19 years. Over that time he has run 41 marathons including Boston, Rome, Paris, St. Louis, Twin Cities, Quad Cities, CRANDIC, and even one on his grandson’s high school 400m track (Yeah, that’s 105 laps!)
Dan quit counting his half-marathons when he hit 100 — But that list includes 5 Bridge & Dam races!
Before he moved to the Lake in the Summer of 2021, he served as a pacer and organized pace group leaders for several races back in Iowa
Dan started PACE Running Academy after several clients approached him looking for a personal coach. As an RRCA-certified coach, he has trained first time marathoners, ultrarunners, triathletes, and those looking to improve their personal records.
Dan enjoys coaching because he is passionate about running and helping others achieve their race goals. He teaches discipline, determination, and perseverance by example.
Erika Haley
Erika’s journey into long-distance running began after a deployment to Kosovo, where she completed the Virtual Army Ten Miler. Inspired by her platoon sergeant’s challenge, she tackled her first half marathon in April 2009—and she hasn’t stopped since. Over the years, Erika has completed more than 40 half marathons, four full marathons, and a grueling 40-miler. She has also participated in ten in-person Army Ten Milers and taken on the added challenge of rucking two full marathons with a 40+ pound pack, including the 2024 Bataan Memorial Death March. Her passion for endurance events continues to push her limits, proving that every mile is an opportunity for growth and resilience.
Payton Canales
Payton has been running since 4th grade. She is a member of the Camdenton High School cross country and track team. She has run 8 half marathons over the past few years. She really enjoys long runs with her cross country friends during the offseason. She has never paced a race before, so she is really excited to see how it goes.
Averie Hotle
Averie is a high school all state cross country runner who fell in love with the seemingly simple sport of distance running just before 5th grade. Her first experience with this eye opening activity was on family vacation, along the beach of Alaska (she ran 2.5 miles, which she believed to be impressive at the time).
Long run days have always been her favorite part of cross country season, and she enjoys pushing herself to new distances and paces. She has participated in many running events outside of her cross country and track teams, including Four Fore 30 backyard infinity, in which she ran 100k; this remains her current distance PR.
Running has been a steady part of her life for years now, and she looks forward to expanding her experience in the sport by pacing a half marathon for the first time.
April Leonard
April started running races in 2005 and since that first 5K she has collected over 150 bibs, t-shirts, and medals. April’s first half-marathon was in 2007 and her first marathon was a year later.
April has run 40 marathons, a handful of half-marathons, as well as 10K’s and 5K’s. She also now runs “ultras.”
April has run Bridge & Dam 4 times and contributes as a volunteer PR director.
For 3 years April paced the Kentucky Derby Marathon and she has completed 7 Heroes Marathons in Rolla as well as 4 of the now 7 “World Majors” including Berlin, London, Chicago, and New York.
April has 2 cattle farms and lots of animal stories!
She is excited for good race day weather and the great Bridge & Dam Half-Marathon course!
Amanda Banks
Amanda’s running journey started about a decade ago as a positive way to cope with life and work stressors. She ran her first half-marathon in 2018. Five years and a day following that first half, Amanda ran her first hundred miler!
She has stopped counting completed full marathon distance runs/races and has completed multiple ultra-marathons.
Amanda continues to use running as an opportunity to push her limits. As a mental health therapist, she uses her positive and negative experiences with running as real life examples for growth and resiliency.
Gunnar Rhodes
Gunnar began running during his freshman year of high school at age 14 by joining his school’s JROTC Raider team. In 2022, as a sophomore, he claimed the All-Service national championship in the 5K and other physical challenges. Eager to take his running to the next level, Gunnar joined the cross country team in his junior year. Since then, he has qualified for the state meet in cross country, the sectional meet in track and field, and completed two ultra marathons over 80 miles each. Now, Gunnar is excited to expand his running journey by leading a pace group for the first time and helping as many people as possible achieve their goals.