Shasta Zielke on co-founding RCTC, evolving as a runner
Tell us about co-founding RCTC! What’s the origin story?
We started the club with some friends back in 2017. Liz (Derstine) and I were actually bouncing around a few other ideas at the same time, and the club is the one that really stuck. (And all credit to Liz for the initial idea!) At the time we had a solid group of friends who were always down to meet super early in the morning for workouts or dawn patrol runs, and we thought it would be awesome to expand on that with a more structured training group.
Back then there weren’t many strictly amateur clubs on the Portland scene (that we knew of) who had quite the approach we envisioned: weekly track sessions, easy runs, and team strength training sessions. We hoped to provide a supportive environment for non-elite runners in Portland who wanted to focus on improving their running and competing, but who were also working professionals, parents, etc. We basically launched solely on Instagram and via word of mouth in the summer of 2017, recruited about 15 members the first year, and the rest is history!
You recently joined us again after a short break. What inspired you to return to this community?
Exactly that: the community. In 2020 I felt the need to take a step back from some of my commitments as a way to help process everything that was happening with the pandemic and other life things and get clear on my priorities. After being away from the team for about a year I started to feel a pull to be a part of that community again. I was missing having a built-in community of folks to run and race with, especially as cross country and other races seemed like they were back for real. I’d been chatting with Lauren about potentially rejoining the team and decided to make my return in 2022.
How does it feel to watch the group you co-founded evolve over the years?
It’s so great to see how far the club has come, and how it’s evolving under a different leadership structure! It’s so awesome to see so many people devoted to the growth and wellbeing of the club, and really cool to see how it’s become such a big part of the Portland running scene. Back in 2017 we were a small but mighty crew and it’s so fun to see SO MANY Rose City Track Club singlets at races now!
You were at Shamrock a few weeks ago. How did that feel?
Oh my gosh, so fun! I’ve missed Shamrock! Between the three-year COVID break, and the fact that I was coming off an injury in early 2019, I hadn’t raced Shamrock in four years, which is wild to think about because I used to do it every year. It was so nice to be back, and to have such a huge group of friends to run the 8K with. It felt like a reunion of sorts, and I was just so grateful to be able to be out there. And the race went surprisingly well, which was a nice bonus.
What’s something about you that your teammates would be surprised to know?
Hmmm, that’s a good question. Some folks already know this, but maybe the fact that my (now) husband and I lived in a tiny house together for three years. We built it ourselves and moved into it without having lived together before. (Thankfully it was NOT during a pandemic.) It obviously worked out ok, because we’re still together and now we’re married, but it was quite the adventure!
Where are you at with the sport right now and where do you want to go?
I think I’m in a pretty good spot right now. I’ve been training consistently again for about six months after being a little on and off during the latter half of 2020 and 2021. I just did a marathon back in January, and now I’ve shifted gears to focus on shorter stuff for a while. In the short-term I’m revisiting a pre-COVID goal to try and break 18 minutes in the 5K. I also would like to do all the World Marathon Majors so plan to use my qualifying time from the Carlsbad Marathon to register to run Chicago and Boston in 2023. More broadly though, I feel a lot less tied to results now than I used to and want to focus on running races that sound fun and running with friends. While I’d still love to run some fast times, my priorities have definitely shifted around that in the last couple of years, which feels like a nice place to be.
What’s your message to beginner runners? How about people thinking about founding an organization?
To beginner runners I’d say, get some good shoes, be patient, and have fun! Keep the focus on why you want to run and what is motivating to you. If you like running short races or just enjoy being out on the trails or running a few days a week for stress relief, those are all valid goals! Do whatever is fun or meaningful to you.
And for people thinking about founding an organization, I would say the same - keep the focus on your why and what you hope to create. And also on a more practical note - do lots of research about the rules and regulations around starting a business/organization, because there may be more than you realize and getting some of that set up can be a lot of work. It’s worth it, but good to know about going in.
