"Treat every athlete as an individual, and every individual as an athlete. Customers deserve and will receive attention." --Potomac River Running Stores in Ashburn and Burke, VA

Cathy (Stanmeyer) Pugsley grew up in Great Falls, VA, and started playing team sports at eight years old. We had an hour- long conversation at Chesapeake Bagel in McLean, in the company of her lively toddler, Lia, eating chicken morsels from a plastic bag. Cathy provided information on her formative years as an earnest long distance runner. She entered Langley High School with basketball on her winter and soccer on her spring schedules. She decided on a whim to try cross-country in the autumn to improve her conditioning and discovered that she enjoyed running. As a member of the Class of 1987, it was a "crazy" time at her McLean public high school for girls' cross country: her classmate Erin Keogh was setting national records. Witness this October 2004, press release from the USATF: "Nicole Blood has been named USA Track & Field's Athlete of the Week after breaking an 18-year-old course [New York City's Van Cortlandt Park, 2.5 mile girls' cross country) record . . . set in 1986 by two-time Foot Locker champion Erin Keogh of Langley, VA."

The social interactions within a running community are as important as the workouts performed by the athletes. As runners, we inspire each other. This is the basic chemistry that produces high school championship programs. Cross country success requires a contribution from seven individuals and a coach, plus support from the other team members, friends, and family; the team sport of cross country has been compared to a game of cards. One star does not win team titles.

The camaraderie Pugsley experienced on the Langley high school cross-country team was high; five of her teammates freshman year became very close friends. The Saxons had a girls' dynasty during her four years: Virginia state champions her freshman and sophomore years (1983, 1984) and second place her junior and senior seasons (1985, 1986 won by nearby Lake Braddock High School). The extreme talent of girls' running in northern Virginia (three of the top four finishers at national championships were from the local area) caused her to take cross- country seriously; she worked hard to make a meaningful contribution. Cathy Pugsley was running with the best and tended to underestimate her own ability because the local standards were so high. Pugsley has been chasing talented colleagues during her entire running career.

For her collegiate studies, Cathy Pugsley chose Duke University in North Carolina without seeking an athletic scholarship offer at other schools. She experienced a new racing environment in North Carolina; the names she knew from Virginia had served as markers for her own results. Athletes accept that some competitors are faster and do not challenge for victory; prejudging a competitive outcome in sport is subtle but it plays an important role in the psychology of racing. Without the knowledge of who was faster and who was slower among her fellow collegiate runners, Pugsley quickly earned a role as Duke's number one female cross country athlete in her first season (1987). She had developed a fierce work ethic during her years in McLean and she blossomed at Duke.

Later during her freshman season, Pugsley developed anemia; the resulting fatigue meant she did not finish the season at the top. With diagnosis and a remedy, she continued running during the indoor and outdoor collegiate 1988-track season. At the ACC Conference Outdoor Championship, she debuted in the 5000m and scored points for the Blue Devils with a fifth place finish in 17:13. She decided another year of private university tuition without a scholarship offer would be too expensive and she left for an in-state (Virginia), non-ACC school to retain her athletic eligibility sophomore year. The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg became her new home for the next five academic years, including a two-year Master of Public Policy (MPP) program.

Cathy Pugsley helped catalyze a revival in women's cross country and track at William & Mary, "One hard worker encourages others to match that effort." The program also improved its athlete recruiting. Pugsley won the individual (CAA) conference champion title (17:36 on a 5000m course and ahead of Kim Saddic, GMU, 17:57), and qualified for cross-country nationals her senior season, leading the team to its first NCAA appearance. An injury, surgery to correct her shin (compartment syndrome), and difficult academic work limited her participation during her senior track season and final year of eligibility as a graduate student.

Her first job after graduation in 1993 was consulting for Price Waterhouse in Rosslyn, VA; workdays were 10 to 12 hours long. But Cathy was in the right place at the right time: Georgetown University coach Ron Helmer put together the Enclave group in autumn 1993, and Helmer knew about her collegiate racing credentials. Four months into her new job, Cathy Pugsley talked to her employers and asked to shift her work schedule to accommodate twice weekly (Tuesday, Thursday) practices at 2:00 pm. Pugsley squeezed her Enclave workouts into a demanding workday by starting at 7:00 am, running from her downtown office to Georgetown's track for practice, and returning to work until 8:00 pm. As usual, she was pushing the envelope, and Enclave workouts left her so tired that she couldn't climb the stairs at the Rosslyn Metro station in the evening.

Her desire to continue training with future Olympians led Pugsley to negotiate a reduced schedule (8 to 10 hours) as a "part-time" consultant; fortunately, Price Waterhouse recognized the value of her extracurricular activity. An enthusiasm for running became a way of life; her social life centered on running friends, including future heartthrob Ray Pugsley. Her best performances as a member of the Enclave came early-exhaustion took a toll on her body and she was riddled by injuries during her years with the Enclave through 1998. At an indoor meet at Boston in 1994, she ran two personal bests in one weekend: a 3000m race on Friday night (9:30) and a one-mile race on Sunday (4:46). She qualified for the 1994 USATF Indoor Nationals but did not compete due to injury, and barely missed qualifying during the outdoor season.

Cathy Pugsley had the intensity to fuel a dream of making it to the Olympic Trials on the track, but she lacked the resources to train full-time. Cheri Goddard Kenah started with the Enclave at the same time; Pugsley is thankful for the opportunity she had to train with Kenah and other top athletes like Juli Henner. Cathy Pugsley competed in big meets on the East Coast and experienced the respect offered by a program nurturing Olympian talent.

Pugsley has translated her experiences into her current coaching role. An important trait for a good coach is the ability to motivate with a gentle personality. A love for running cannot be drilled into an individual. Pugsley has this trait and personal experience that makes for a motivational teacher. She is a running fanatic who listens to others and shares her knowledge. "Coach through individual attention."

"At first people would walk by our booths (at marathons, bicycle races, climbing competitions) without stopping . . . I would coax them, "Please, just try it." . . . For years we worked at the grassroots level converting people to our bar . . . With this intensive grassroots approach we made believers out of consumers who thought PowerBar was the only answer for quick and sustained energy." (Clif Bar founder Gary Erickson, Raising the Bar: Integrity and Passion in Life and Business, Jossey-Bass, 2004, page 41, on the importance of living and working away from the freeway as an independent business owner.)

Cathy Pugsley recently completed her second marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon on October 30, in 2:58:48. Looking drained but happy after the race, with her running mate Ray Pugsley, she surpassed her target of a three-hour race. The final hill was "ugly" and her quads cramped near mile 24, but Ray refused to let her quit the race. She had audience support from her mother, Ray's parents, and three siblings and their families. The Pugsleys were recognizable in their Potomac River Running store singlets. She also completed a successful recovery from a "scary" post postpartum ordeal. Daughter Cecilia was born on October 13, 2004, but Cathy was barely able to run again by January 2005. She was grateful to be able to return to running and chose a training goal of the Leesburg 20K in August, which she completed with a time of 1:24:41 in hot summer conditions.

Cathy Pugsley plans to continue her marathon training with a lighter road race schedule, and target the 2008 Women's Marathon Olympic Trials standard of 2:47. Her body has been able to handle the mileage (75 to 85 miles per week); she has started using a heart rate monitor to avoid pushing too hard on long runs. But time remains a scarce commodity, so she doesn't do weight training in a gym.

Cathy and Ray Pugsley partnered with her sister, Margie Shapiro, and her husband Brandon to enter retailing with two Potomac River Running Stores in 2003. They have combined their years of experience providing business plans and market analysis to clients at Price Waterhouse, and their enjoyment of running and triathlons. (Margie, who was profiled in the Sep-Oct '02 issue, won the ITU International Amateur Championship in October; Cathy flew to Hawaii to watch her dramatic win.) They chose sites in Ashburn and Burke in rapid residential growth areas not yet served by an independent running store. As business owners they have taken a risk and learned along the way; Cathy Pugsley views it as an opportunity to introduce more people to running.

A lot of time is spent on nitty gritty issues rather than grand strategic planning; a strong revenue stream must be established before hiring more employees to handle routine tasks. Cathy Pugsley works at home on the bookkeeping and administrative work while raising Lia; Ray left his job last autumn when they became parents to work full-time in the store. Cathy and Ray helped establish a RRCA running club in Ashburn and, together with sister Margie, also offer formal coaching to two or three dozen runners through the PR Running Club. They have invested in a healthy pursuit and are well prepared to guide others seeking the joy of running.

More information on the Potomac River Running stores and club can be found at www.potomacriverrunning.com .