Jason Lakritz, DPT, FAFS
While I have coached two athletes to the Olympic marathon trials standard and have helped numerous runners qualify for the Boston marathon, I’ve found that I enjoy working with runners of all levels.
Continuing Ed & Certifications
Personal Running History I grew up in Newburgh, New York, a suburban town about 60 miles north of NYC. In high school, I started out playing soccer and basketball in addition to running track, until finally, in my junior and senior years, I ran all three seasons. At the 2005 New York State Indoor Track Championships, I placed 4th in the mile. I went on to run at Florida State University (FSU) where I was a scoring member of the team that ran at the Division I National Cross Country Championships. Individually I earned All-South Region Honors by finishing in the top 25 at the Division I South Regional Championships. After graduating from FSU, I used my last year of running eligibility to compete for the Long Island University Blackhawks, where I was attending PT school. My final track meet ended with a 2nd place finish in 1500 meter race at the Division I NEC Championships. Since my college days, I have completed 8 marathons and numerous half marathons. Although I enjoy the road racing scene, especially here in NYC, my passion continues to be running the mile and 5K races on the track. PRs 1500 3:57 Road mile 4:18 Track 5K 15:08 Road 5K 14:46 5 mile 25:08 Road 10K 31:32 Half Marathon 1:08:20 Marathon 2:36:20 |
David Alfano, DPT, FAFS
I've been fortunate to have been involved in the care of a wide range of runners, younger and older, shorter distances and ultra-marathons, both in a coaching and clinician capacity. While much of my experience has revolved around coaching in the high school space, I've spent my entire physical therapy career helping runners in the NYC/Tri-State area accomplish their goals from the 400 meters up to the 50 mile distance.
Continuing Ed & Certifications
Personal Running History I grew up in West Orange, NJ where I spent all my time as a kid playing basketball, soccer, tennis, and baseball. It wasn't until my freshman year at West Orange HS until I found my love for running during my first season of spring track, and I never looked back. I was fortunate during my time at West Orange HS to experience some success, winning the Essex County XC title and earning several all-state teams. After one year at Seton Hall University, I transferred to La Salle University in Philadelphia where I ran under the legendary Charles Torpey, who was big advocate for building the aerobic engine. Most of my training consisted of tempo/thresholds, long runs, hills, and keeping my mileage consistent and higher than before. At La Salle we won several Atlantic-10 team championships in cross-country and on the track while individually I was runner-up at the cross-country meet and in the indoor mile. With my 8:07 indoor 3K, I placed 8th at the 2008 indoor IC4a champs, earning all IC4a-First Team. Post-collegiately, I've enjoyed running several times per week while connecting with the Tri-State running communities. In 2019 my partner and I created Trials of Miles Racing where we've organized and hosted many running events around the country. I'm currently training for a trail race in April. PRs 1500: 3:50 3000: 8:07 5000: 14:26 |
Shanshan Feng, DPT
I changed my career from research to physical therapy because of my love for running. I have completed my Doctor of Physical Therapy degree at Columbia University in 2023 where I strengthened my knowledge about running medicine by participating in various elective courses, including advanced orthopedics, management of running athletes (Columbia RunLab), foot and ankle, women's health, and sports rehabilitation. I performed running gait analysis for runners of various levels, and provided individualized running cues, drills and exercises recommendations to each runner. I also held a running footwear seminar for my peers. I have experience working with different levels of runners through my clinical experience at physical therapy clinics in NYC/NJ.
Personal running history:
I grew up in a small city in China and have been running since I was 7 year-old. My dad would carry my backpack on the bike while I ran to school everyday. However I did not enjoy my daily commute back then. It wasn't until I moved to NYC that I found the passion for running and haven't looked back. I signed up for my first race in 2016 - the Mini 10K and was blown away by how fun it was to run a road race. Since then, I've run 9 marathons including 5 NYC Marathons and countless other races.
I was very fortunate to be an official pacer for the NYC Marathon in 2022 and had the most fun at a race even with the abnormal hot weather. I loved leading my runners through the five boroughs and picking up runners the last few miles when things got really tough. Best day of my running career! Recently, I've dipped my toes in trail running and it is definitely staying as part of my training. Nothing beats staying in the woods on a summer day.
I believe running should be fun and a lifelong sport. I strive to help runners stay healthy, injury free and have longevity in the sport.
PR's
5k: 21:11
10k: 44:24
Half marathon 1:41:07
Marathon 3:23:15
Personal running history:
I grew up in a small city in China and have been running since I was 7 year-old. My dad would carry my backpack on the bike while I ran to school everyday. However I did not enjoy my daily commute back then. It wasn't until I moved to NYC that I found the passion for running and haven't looked back. I signed up for my first race in 2016 - the Mini 10K and was blown away by how fun it was to run a road race. Since then, I've run 9 marathons including 5 NYC Marathons and countless other races.
I was very fortunate to be an official pacer for the NYC Marathon in 2022 and had the most fun at a race even with the abnormal hot weather. I loved leading my runners through the five boroughs and picking up runners the last few miles when things got really tough. Best day of my running career! Recently, I've dipped my toes in trail running and it is definitely staying as part of my training. Nothing beats staying in the woods on a summer day.
I believe running should be fun and a lifelong sport. I strive to help runners stay healthy, injury free and have longevity in the sport.
PR's
5k: 21:11
10k: 44:24
Half marathon 1:41:07
Marathon 3:23:15