Thorne Ransom

​About Thorne

 

I was born in Charleston, SC, but moved up and down the East coast most of my life (navy brat). I work at RTKL as an architect here in Washington DC. I moved to DC in June 2010, from Los Angeles, Calif. I really started running with the DC Front Runners in April 2011. I have not stopped running since! I cherish all the friendships I've made here and hope to keep them forever!

 

 

​Questions

 

How long have you been running with the Front Runners? I heard about Front Runners through Harry Wilson in June 2010; I ran probably 10 times with the group at that point.  I lived in Maryland and it was an hour and half to drive from Maryland to do the 2 miles I could barely do! I officially joined when I got the job I wanted in DC in April (2011).

 

What were your first impressions of the group? Even though I was the hands-down slowest runner in the group besides the walkers, no one looked at me any differently.



I’m sure you weren’t slower than I am. I was doing a 12-minute pace – and that’s what I did for a long time. I wasn’t trying to get any better at that point. And eventually in mid-summer I was able to run the four miles or longer without stopping.

 

So, when did your times start to come down? I only started picking up speed when Harry asked me to be the driver for the Ragnar [relay] team, in January 2012, and I said, “No, I think I want to be one of the runners, if possible.” And Harry hesitated for a moment, and then he said, “Oh, Ok!”



That’s quite an ambitious goal. Why set one so early in your running ‘career’? We had just started doing the Massachusetts Avenue run, and it was really fun, and it was hard. I decided I wanted a larger running goal, and I’d heard Harry talking about marathons, and I finally decided I wanted to do the relay, not even knowing the distance.

 

What’s your pace now? High sixes low sevens, when I do my Front Runner runs.



How did it feel to cut your times basically in half? I’m always looking at my pace in my phone, and so I could see my results, month to month, getting faster. But I’d hear Seth and other people say during the run, “You’re getting faster!”



What was your first race? My first 5K was the Women & Politics Race for Representation 5K, in October of 2011, and that was difficult – but it was fun, it was fun to do my first race. It was such a rush to do it. It was fun to do it, even if I was dressed like Catwoman! Now I’m signed up for my fourth marathon.



What are your non-running hobbies? Architectural design competitions for projects and freelance architectural work. I’m studying for my licensing exam right now, and also getting certified in LEED (energy-efficient design) through the federal government. And I’m spending time with my boyfriend. We’ve been dating for almost seven months now.



What advice or recommendations would you give to other people joining Front Runners? Just to come. It’s a great place to meet new people. I like the health aspect about it. D.C. is one of the more health-conscious cities I’ve been to, and having a group of people who have no bias on your speed, who will congratulate you whether you walked a half marathon or PR’d. To me, it’s a nice stress-relieving exercise. Come if you want to have friends, people who respect you and whom you respect.



If you set yourself personal goals, DC Front Runners is a great place to meet them.

 

 

Interview by Stephen Sawchuk, Design by Micah Norgard

September 2012