Hustle Clean Spotlight: Peter Knowlton
Peter is an amazing father and is the quiet storm at District Running Collective. He is super supportive at community events, contributes to the newsletter, and is a familiar, friendly face on Wednesday runs.
He balances his mental and physical health by getting out as much as he can. Peter, like many of us, has his ups and downs and keeps his sanity by not only running with the crew, but skateboarding with his son, James. He takes trips to the beach and has picked up a new hobby: surfing. “It's all about balance as much as possible. Most importantly I try to stay in contact with friends and family, even if it is still virtually.” Peter states that he feels so much better mentally and physically after a run, even a short one, just to keep himself motivated.
Peter started running on a whim by signing up for the Paris marathon back in 2012 and we feel that this solidifies his quiet-storm status.
“On my first training run I could barely finish a mile, but I kept at it and somehow. 6 months later, I was officially a marathoner. I immediately got hooked and running became my daily escape. I wouldn't recommend starting with a full marathon (the half is my current distance of choice), but there's something to be said about setting goals for yourself no matter how far-fetched they may seem at the time.”
His first run with the crew was actually Midnight on Mars IV in 2016 and he remembers everyone was so friendly and welcoming. “The vibe at Lab 1270 in Union Market was so dope, I knew I wanted to be a part of the crew from that day on.”
Thinking about running goals now that things are opening back up and races are in person once again, Peter emphasized just getting back into race shape. “Like most people during Covid times I've gone back and forth between being in running shape and being very much not in running shape. I've had some back issues the past year, so I'm finding ways to slowly ease back into longer distances. I ran the Cherry Blossom last weekend and it felt really good to be back.”
Peter's always positive spirit is what contributes to our collective and makes it unique. He grew up in Paris, France and played baseball while he was there. At 16, his team won the French National Championships – which sounds like something special except that people in France don't really play baseball. He still likes bringing it up randomly in conversations though.
"The trouble with running is that by the time you realize you're not in shape for it, it's too far to walk back"
Quick fact: Peter has been working at the same job for 15 years.
Learn more about how Hustle Clean empowers all athletes at www.hustleclean.com