Meet Joshua Holmes of Run It Fast® in Hollywood Hills

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Holmes.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Joshua. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
Fifteen years ago, I started running marathons while living in my hometown of Jackson, Tennessee. I had known a couple of guys, mainly my youth minister at church, Jeff Keas, who had run marathons. After I had run about a dozen marathons, I Googled to see if it was possible to run beyond 26.2 miles as I didn’t know anyone personally who had done it.

My search found a race called the Strolling Jim 40 Miler, created by the mysterious (at the time) Lazarus Lake, that had been going on since 1977. So, yes, people can and had been running and racing beyond 26 miles for a long time in these events called ultramarathons. I decided to run Strolling Jim 40 Miler in 2010. I fell in love with ultramarathons that day and haven’t stopped.

My love of ultramarathons has led me to complete more than 230 marathons/ultramarathons, with an average distance of more than 50 miles. I have completed many iconic races, including the ‘World’s Toughest’ Badwater 135 (5x) in Death Valley, the Vol State 500K (3x), and the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning, which is a set of four of the five most prestigious and oldest 100 mile races in the United States, and completing them in a calendar year.

In Jackson, there was a Roadrunners Club, but it wasn’t an active community at the time, and admittedly were just a timing club (today, it is now a thriving community of local runners!). I wanted to find people to interact with, grow with, learn from, and train with other ‘mutants’ who liked to push their limits.

So I came up with the idea to create a running brand called Run It Fast® with a club within the brand called Run It Fast – The Club® for people like me that were very driven, not ever quite content, and who wanted to consistently chase the best version of themselves.

I wanted it to be national and international as I knew there were many people like me in smaller towns without peers and running clubs and even in larger metropolitans that were lost and wanting a place to connect with similarly minded endurance warriors.

The Club grew quickly with people I knew from local 5K’s. Back then those 5K’s were the place I most often met other runners in my hometown, as there were always two or three small 5K’s nearly every weekend… to the point I called it ‘5K City.’

As The Club continued to grow, other runners from marathons and ultramarathons in different cities and states started to join Run It Fast®. I refused to advertise or really promote the club as I wanted it to grow organically, attracting people who wanted to be a part of a community, who were wired and driven like myself.

During this time, I moved to California and started splitting time between Hollywood and my home state of Tennessee. This created two hot spots for the brand and club to grow and thrive. Most of our members are from Tennessee, and surrounding states, along with Southern California/Nevada/Arizona.

Being in Southern California and Los Angeles has really helped grow Run It Fast because of the amazing amount of endurance athletes that live in the area that love the warmer climate and are always working hard to stay fit. I love training in the Hollywood Hills because there are many hidden trails to explore, along with the very popular trails, and others which pop up in reality television shows.

I go back to Tennessee to host many different marathons and ultramarathons in Jackson and across the state, to help grow the running community there, help educate and fight against the obesity epidemic that has hit the south hardest, and grow Run It Fast®.

In California, there are an array of marathons, ultramarathons, and shorter distance races every weekend. Many great opportunities happen here in Los Angeles for Run It Fast®, making it easier and even more enjoyable to grow the brand.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No, of course, it hasn’t been smooth every step of the way. There are always struggles when starting something from nothing and trying to take the vision in your head and transform it into a reality.

Generating funding/capital needed to really grow, expand, produce merchandise, hire designers, etc. is always a challenge.

Also, as a large, diverse group of driven individuals from around the world, there’s naturally going to be times when people disagree. Being able to maneuver around and work with different personalities has been a reason for our growth and success.

Run It Fast® – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
There are many bigger running brand and clubs, but they don’t usually have nearly the heart and compassion for each other. We want to lift everyone up along the way as we chase our goals.

We are the most driven runners on the planet. It’s what our club is comprised of – amazing mutant-like beings from all corners of the globe doing truly amazing things with their drive and their legs.

When people see our “RIF” branding on shirts or at races, there is a lot of respect knowing that we compete, we battle, we do epic races/challenges, and inspire many not because we are the most talented or gifted but because we are the most driven and stubborn… relentless.

Run It Fast – The Club® now has members in 47 states and 18 countries with nearly 900 members.

Members enjoy discounts to many races across the country, Running Warehouse, Run It Fast gear. There are often special offers, giveaways, and many other running related products.

Membership costs just $35 to join and includes a Run It Fast tech shirt, and renewals are just $15 a year. Runners can join online at http://runitfastclub.com.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
As far as Run It Fast®, it’s been watching so many members do things they never imagined they’d do before. At the same time, over the past few years, I’ve been surprised and elated to see such big names, and some of my heroes, from the running world becoming part of Run It Fast – The Club®.

Our presence at the Badwater 135 can’t be missed, and we are a large part of the field at the Vol State 500K. It’s always an adrenaline kick to see Run It Fast® merchandise pop up all over social media from across the globe.

I used to be one of the people that didn’t know if it was possible to conquer these crazy distances. So now when I see others accomplish things they never thought possible, I have strong flashbacks to the euphoria high I felt when I completed many of the same things.

Pricing:

• Run It Fast Membership (includes RIF tech shirt) – $35
• Yearly Membership Renewal – $15

Contact Info:

• Website: http://runitfast.com
• Email: runitfast@gmail.com
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/runitfast
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/runitfast
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/runitfast
• Yelp: http://instagram.com/joshuaholmes (personal IG)
• Other: http://runitfaststore.com

Image Credit:
Jobie Williams, Howie Stern, Beyond Limits Ultra, Chris Kostman, Jeff Liu

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