Q — Hi Rocky, welcome to our runner profile series. How are you doing? Are you answering from home or from your office?
R — Hi! Everything is fine, I'm writing to you from my apartment, which has been transformed into an office.
Q — How do you feel about staying home, especially not traveling anymore? (Interview conducted during lockdown – spring 2020)
A — Honestly, I feel good. I've tried to take advantage of it by establishing a routine, which is difficult when I'm always on the go. I tried to establish it from the beginning of the lockdown and stick to it.
Q — You travel a lot. Is that how you got into running? It's a good way to combat jet lag and acclimate to a city, right?
A — In a way, yes, but I really got into running during the Nike Go LA 10K in Los Angeles, as they closed the freeway for it. Right after that first race, I signed up for the Miami Half Marathon. I continued to travel a lot (mainly to New York, Tokyo, London, and Paris), and while training for the marathon, I discovered new sides of these cities I'd never seen before and became better acclimated to each one through running. I agree: the best way to combat jet lag is to go for a run as soon as you land after a long-haul flight.
Q — Can you tell us what you do at Beats and what your background has been?
A — Sure! I work in international marketing at Beats by Dr. Dre. I've been at Beats for three years now; before that, I was at Nike for almost ten years.
Q — We ran with Eugene, Dao, and Ryo from the Old Man Run Club (OMRC) in New York. I understand you're a real family. Do you have any shared goals for the coming year?
A — It's a little complicated because we're all in different cities right now, but we're looking into it with the OMRC family. I'm sure we'll find a solution to meet in the same city and run together.
Q — Los Angeles Marathon in 2021?
A — I wanted to run my first marathon in New York, but I'm not sure it'll happen this year. It might well be there in 2021, then...
Q — The weather in Los Angeles makes it easy to run year-round. But when you're staying in West Hollywood or K-Town, you don't always want to drive. Where do you go running in LA?
R — LA is great because there are so many different places. My favorite places:
• Santa Monica for long runs: Start at Ocean Towers and run south to Marina del Rey, a 15–20 km run.
• Silver Lake: Another route I love. The loop around the lake is 2.25 miles; three loops make it about 10 km. You pass Richard Neutra's famous VDL research house and other incredible houses.
• Beverly Hills: Probably my favorite spot, because it's the closest for me and most of my friends. You can drive there and park on a weekday evening or weekend, and go for a long or short outing depending on your mood.
Q — Big debate (at least for beginners): should you run with or without music? Leave your work aside and be honest!
A — Haha! I've always preferred running with music, but I know purists who say running without it is still the way to go. No matter the option, no judgment; personally, I prefer it with music.
Q — Mandatory question: what shoes do you use for running?
A — I ran in the first Next% and recently started running in the Blue Ribbon Sports version of the same pair. I'm patiently waiting for Nike to release the Air Zoom Alphafly Next%!
Q — Between all your travels, where do you love to run?
A — My favorite city for running has to be Paris. I feel like you can always get lost going down a street you've never run on before. Running along the riverbanks when the weather is nice is always exceptional!
Q — If you could choose an idol or hero to join you on a one-hour run, who would it be? (Not Michael Jordan, he already runs with me!)
A — Tough question, but I would love to run with Eliud Kipchoge. What he's been able to accomplish is phenomenal, and I would be forever grateful to have guidance from the greatest athlete alive today.
Q — Thanks for answering our questions, Rocky. One last question: who would you recommend we interview for the rest of the series?
A — I would recommend Sosupersam, Phil Toronto and Abdul “Quddus” Fouzi.