Resolute Running launches racing team

Few options exist for elite runners who wish to continue their competitive careers after college.

Unlike mainstream sports, such as baseball and basketball, distance running lacks a professional development pipeline. As a result, only the most accomplished collegians get a chance to pursue their sport full time once they graduate.

“That whole system, in my opinion, is flawed,” said Alex Morrow, owner of Resolute Running in Homewood. “That means a lot of extremely talented athletes in our country never get the chance to perform on a professional level.”

Morrow is working on a solution. In February, he and Trak Shak co-owner Jeff Martinez announced the formation of the Resolute Racing team, which is comprised of elite local athletes. Team members receive coaching, evaluations, treatment, nutritional guidance, gear and other benefits at no cost.

Morrow said he wants to provide promising runners with resources that might otherwise be unavailable to them.

“Our whole goal is to be able to take these young athletes who have potential and just may not have realized their full potential and help them to grow that, develop it and see what we can do,” Morrow said.

Morrow said he had thought about starting the team for some time. But it wasn’t until a few key components were in place, namely partnerships and coaches, that he decided to launch it.

Trak Shak, TherapySouth and All About Sports Massage Therapy have teamed up with Resolute Running to make the team a reality. All are donating goods and services to offset costs.

Morrow also has enlisted a pair of knowledgeable coaches, Richard Kimani and Brandon Hazouri, to guide the program.

Kimani was a world class marathoner in his native Kenya; Hazouri, a Spain Park High School graduate, garnered All-America honors in the 800 meters while competing at Samford.

“Those two guys together are incredibly formidable as coaches, no matter your distance,” Morrow said. “Whether you want to be a short distance, middle distance or long distance guy, we have a coach who can help you in your specialty.”

Hazouri knows more about post-collegiate running than most. After graduating from Samford in 2017, he spent a year competing as a professional for the Atlanta Track Club. He said the club gave him a housing stipend and covered all of his running-related expenses.

Although Resolute isn’t yet able to provide as much support, Hazouri called the team a step in the right direction for the local running community.

“It’s a cool opportunity for people who are already training in town and looking for something a little bit more serious than just training on their own or flying by the seat of their pants,” Hazouri said. “It gives a little more structure to them and, hopefully, it’s something that can build into something more serious down the road.”

The Resolute Racing team currently consists of athletes, both men and women, who have met either an A or B time standard. Morrow said that A standard runners receive full benefits of team membership, while B standard runners receive about half of those benefits.

The team’s roster includes Marty Wennblom, Wesley Curles, Layton Dorsett, Justin Ahalt, Austin Duckworth, Austin Farmer, Joshua McClung, Steven Crain, Jennifer Dunn and Elizabeth Laseter.

Duckworth starred at Vestavia Hills High School before competing at Alabama, Dorsett starred at Mountain Brook High School before competing at Samford, and Crain starred at Spain Park before joining Dorsett at Samford. Morrow said he wants Resolute Racing to be an Alabama team that supports Alabama residents.

Applications can be submitted for review by the coaching staff via resoluterunning.com, which contains more information about the team and its standards.

“I believe in the runners we have in the program,” Morrow said. “If we can see some of these guys go on and do amazing things on a regional or national level — and a little pipe dream, on a world level at some point — how amazing would that be?”