Above is physical therapists Robert Gillanders and Sarah Thorpe, Dane Rauschenberg, Elyse Braner (who wrote this!), and lululemon Ambassadors.

lululemon Logan Circle kicked off Marine Corp Marathon weekend in Washington, DC with our pre-race "Run into More Runners Party". Eighteen elite runners and running experts from across the industry were present to mingle with and advise lululemon guests on everything run. Only at lululemon would the everyday runner have this type of access!

Marathon runner, author, and motivational speaker, Dane Rauschenberg kicked off the evening by leading a pre-race run. Rauschenberg completed 52 marathons in 52 weeks, while raising money for charity. He captivated guests with tales of his marathons, as well as signed copies of his book, See Dane Run.

lululemon run Ambassadors Julie Culley, Lindsay Wilkins, and Mike Hamberger interacted with guests as well. Julie competed on this year’s USA team at the World Track and Field Championships in the 5k. Lindsay was the second place finisher at the 2008 Marine Corp Marathon, and Coach Mike owns and operates his own running and triathalon personal coaching service.

The event was also filled with medical professionals, from sports psychologists to physical therapists. Run charities such as Team in Training, Girls on the Run, and Girls Gotta Run were also on hand to teach runners how they could give back.

Perhaps the highlight of the evening for me were the attendance of two women that I look up to in the industry. Elayne Chow, of Graceful Edge, a website dedicated to hip and active women. Elayne brought me on to be the “Run Expert” for her site, which has grown tremendously in the last few months. The biggest surprise of the evening was the arrival of Brae Blakely. Brae is the Founder and Executive Director of the popular Zooma Women’s Race Series. It was an honor to have a powerful woman in the run industry at our party!

All in all, we all had a great time, and we definitely ran into more runners!

Who are you running into?