“What is the use of living, if it be not to strive for noble causes and to make this muddled world a better place for those who will live in it after we are gone?”
-Winston Churchill
Founded in 2014, Virtual Strides is based in Florida and run by a small group of running enthusiast friends. Our mission is simple: Raising money for charity while promoting physical fitness and better health.
Our founder, Mark, is better known for running (as in organizing) races than he is for running in races. Mark has several years of experience as a volunteer race director for events that have raised more than $300,000 for local charities. He has an MBA in Marketing and enjoys volunteering. Mark has made giant strides in his running over the years, improving from being a “middle-of-the-pack” runner to setting a 5k PR with a time of 25:32.
Mike works behind the scenes at Virtual Strides, helping make the magic happen. He is our go-to problem solver and our database guru, all rolled into one Canadian. Yes, Mike is from Canada, but we try not to hold that against him. Mike’s 5k PR is 24:10. He and Mark have been friends for over 20 years.
Stephanie is our lead Shipping Manager and also our primary Customer Support representative. She is also a part-time MRI technologist and a full-time soccer mom. While you won’t find her pounding the pavement, you will find her driving the pavement in her mom-mobile to chauffeur her two daughters to soccer and other various clubs and activities. She enjoys cruising and scuba diving in Florida and the Caribbean with her husband.
Mindy is another Shipping Manager at Virtual Strides. She is the mom of two spunky girls, a full time teacher, and a professional photographer. She enjoys running, traveling the country, going to Disney, and shopping at Target (usually while drinking a coffee). When she isn’t planning her next vacation or Disney trip, you can usually find her curled up reading a book.
