Youth Running Club
Meet the Coaches
Walker started his running career in middle school and continued his journey running competitively in high school and college. Recognizing his exceptional speed, Walker specialized in the the 800 and 1500-meter events, achieving peak performances with times of 1:51 for the 800 and 4:01 for the 1500 (equivalent of 4:20 for the full mile!).
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Beyond his athletic endeavors, Walker discovered a passion for providing opportunities for the youth at a young age. His passion is manifested in his current role as an art teacher, a paraprofessional and after-school program organizer for Achieve Charter School, where he emphasizes the importance of community building curriculum. Walker is also a California certified coach for K-12.
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Driven by a desire to contribute to a cause that resonated with him, Walker eagerly joined Striders after a single volunteering experience, recognizing the alignment of their mission with his own.
Daniel has been running competitively since high school. He ran for Chico State where he graduated as a four year student athlete. Daniel’s passion for running continued beyond his school years. While remaining a competitive runner, Daniel’s true passion is coaching others. He started coaching through Fleet Feet in 2016. Daniel has coached 5K to half marathon groups. Daniel believes in building a running community that encourages synergy among team members. He builds confidence in his runners while sharing his passion for the sport.
An advocate for youth programming, Matthew has always encouraged others to recognize the power they have to create and transform their own lives and the community at large. Matthew has spent the past eight years of his professional life as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker providing an array of Mental Health services in the North State. New to the sport of running, Matthew has already accomplished four half marathons, with the support of Fleet Feet Training Programs. Being a mentor for the Inaugural Striders Program was a perfect way to blend his love for running, and passion for supporting our kids.
Kaitlin started recreational running about six years ago. Too young at the time for her mom to allow her to run on her own, she joined a running group through Fleet Feet where she mentored the younger kids in the group. Through that group she met Coach Shawna, who then thought she needed to meet Danny. Danny introduced her to the Strider program and she has been in love with youth coaching ever since.