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Peninsula Distance Club

A PAUSATF Elite Development Club, competing in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.
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    • Roster
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  • Results
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PDC Embraces Virtual Racing During 2020

November 25, 2020

2020 has been a year like no other. Responding to the challenges of race cancellations, many team members have successfully taken on new ways to stoke their competitive fire.

Several went after top marks on some of our favorite local Strava segments, including Matt Leach - Lake Merced, Steven Grolle - Baylands 5 Mile Loop and Stanford 2 Mile Loop, Benedikt Bünz and Kevin Bishop - Old La Honda (cycling), Dena Evans and Melinda DiNapoli - Old LaHonda (running). Others participated in lengthy journeys with a focus on completion rather than competition. Benedikt Bünz cycled down the coast of California from central Oregon. Tasia Potasinski and Amy Schnittger ran Rim to Rim to Rim at the Grand Canyon, while Melinda DiNapoli and Dena Evans went Rim to River to Rim.

Others rallied for time trials with great results and personal bests including Maya Weigel with 15:47 for 5000m this summer, 9:19 for 3000m this fall on the track. Steven Grolle and Josh Sealand debuted over the half marathon distance with Zach Swenson testing out the 10K alongside newcomer Jason Intravaia on Guadalupe Parkway this October, while Intravaia pulled off a personal best in the 3000m on the track just last week.

Throughout the year, virtual races have become the new normal as well, with the benefit of competition with others from across the area, the country, and even the world. Many of these have been now compiled on our results page, including top marks for Chris Olley in several competitions, and wins for Maya Weigel in the virtual Wharf to Wharf as well as the Training Group 3K Time Trial. While we head toward more virtual competitions and hopefully restarted in person opportunities, the unique challenges of 2020 have been many, but where a door has closed, a window has opened.

2020 Results

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PDC Partners with Local Start-up AxGen - Register by Friday to Enter our Contest!

April 06, 2020

PDC is thrilled to announce a new community partnership with local startup, AxGen!  AxGen uses genetic insights from quick and easy testing to help athletes reduce potential injury and achieve peak performance.

Company co-founder and PDC team member Andrew Roos takes a few moments above to share how AxGen can make a difference in your training, even in these challenging times.

Visit the link in our bio to find out how AxGen could make an impact, regardless of your age or level. Use code “PDC” for a 10% discount, with 10% of all sales going to United Way during the month of April. 

This week, we are also running a contest: Everyone who registers with AxGen before noon Pacific on Friday, April 10 will be entered into a drawing for a free test. Don’t miss out!  Injuries are never fun, but AxGen is working to make #injuriesexplained.

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Miles for Meals Generates Over $15,000 for Second Harvest of Silicon Valley

April 06, 2020

A huge thank you from all of us for the dozens of contributions made to our Miles for Meals campaign, March 23-29!

During this time we aren’t able to train together, but Miles for Meals allowed us a way to use our solo efforts to benefit others. All told, the team ran 2034 miles in seven days. When per-mile pledges and flat donations were combined, we well exceeded our goal of $5000. With matching funds from our friends at Findora, as well as additional matching from team member Melinda DiNapoli and her husband John above the goal, we were able to contribute $15,162 to Second Harvest and their important work.

Thank you again to everyone who pledged or donated! If you weren’t able to, but would like to contribute to Second Harvest directly, please visit them here.

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Miles For Meals: PDC is Running for a Reason This Week

March 23, 2020

We may not be able to train as a group right now, but we want our solo miles to continue to make an impact.

Miles for Meals is our effort to generate funds for local food banks based on the total miles we run collectively between this Monday and Sunday (usually about (1700-2000). Join us with a pledge (even just a few cents per mile!) or a flat donation of any amount at the link below. All funds will be donated to Second Harvest and will be matched by our lead club partner, Findora (parent organization for Eian). We may not be together, but together we can make a difference. Let’s go!

Make your pledge or flat donation here!

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2019 Competitive Year in Review

December 31, 2019


At the close of our 13th fall season, Peninsula Distance Club has had plenty to celebrate as we embark on the new decade in January. Some of our results by the numbers:


  • Over 250 race performances, with 

  • 10 all-time club records, set in

  • 10 countries worldwide, 

  • 19 US states, and

  • 31 different cities in California


Internationally, PDC athletes represented the United States, Great Britain, and Greece this year, led by Matt Leach, who was the third scoring team member as Team GB took team silver at the European Cup 10,000m in June. Dena Evans also served as Head Women’s Coach for Team USA at The Match (Europe vs USA) in Minsk, Belarus, and Assistant Coach for Women’s Distance at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar. Marissa Ferrante enjoyed a breakthrough year in international professional sprint triathlons, winning both CAMTRI sprint events in Richmond, Virginia and Magog, Quebec. Tom Tayeri heads to the April 2020 World Marathon Majors Age Group Championships as the 55-59 age group champion at the 2019 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, winning the division by nearly five minutes. 


Nationally, 5 team members (Caitlin Chrisman, Jeannette Mathieu, Mara Olson, Stephanie Pancoast, and Amy Schnittger) have qualified for the US Olympic Marathon Trials in February 2020, with still more attempts yet to come in January after Pancoast and Mathieu’s successful runs at the California International Marathon in December. In 2019, PDC team members competed at the USA Indoors and USA Outdoors on the track, while in cross country, our women’s team finished sixth at the USATF Club Cross Country Nationals, our 9th consecutive year with a top 10 team finish. Maya Weigel led all PDC athletes with a 12th place individual effort in Lehigh.


At the USATF Pacific Association level, Maddy Berkson won the women’s short course road Grand Prix in her first post-collegiate season. Trevor Halsted took third in the long course series with an outstanding year which included a victory at the Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon in February. Newcomer Chris Olley made an immediate impact with individual PA wins both at the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot as well as the PAUSATF Cross Country Championships, our first male athlete to take home top honors at that event. Olley extends a run of 9 of 10 years in which a PDC athlete of either gender has won the meet, this year leading the men to their first runner-up team finish. The women finished second to maintain a streak of 11 years with a podium team finish at this event.  Also with a One Mile Bang team victory, they began a new victory streak at the inaugural PAUSATF Oakland Marathon Relay competition with a team featuring Mara Olson, Victoria O’Neil, Tasia Potasinski, and Olivia Mickle.


Our terrain this year has been varied, with competitions on the road, track, cross country course, trail, and over triathlon venues, while our competitive distance has varied from 300m to the marathon. In 2019, we have been fortunate to gain the adaptive and innovative support of financial network cryptography leaders Eian and parent organization Findora, and have had the opportunity for a footwear partnership with On while enjoying another year wearing rabbit gear in competition. Our community partners Sports Medicine Institute and Agile Physical Therapy have again been absolutely crucial and invaluable to our ongoing success.


Heading into 2020, many opportunities await.  The work well underway to achieve next year’s personal bests, and we look forward to sharing with you the teamwork, growth, and breakthroughs that result.  

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