A 36-year-old former New Yorker who has traded the bustling streets of NYC for the sunny shores of St. Petersburg, Florida. Her past life as a nightlife professional has given way to a new passion: building and nurturing a vibrant community in the wellness space. She also might be part Mermaid.
OCR Buddy Ambassador Mariel Pauline sits down in the next 10 Questions to share her journey in OCR and what motivates her both in OCR and trail racing to continue to push forward.
- Tell us about yourself.
I am a 36-year-old former New Yorker now living in St. Petersburg, Florida. A former nightlife professional, I am now focusing my energies on building community in the wellness space. I am probably part mermaid.
2. Why are you a part of the OCR Buddy community?
My favorite thing to do is connect and information-share! OCR/hybrid/Ultra running is such a niche space, and I love empowering our athletes through resourcing and community-building.
3. How did your OCR journey start?
The summer of 2021, I was living in Killington – just off the Access Road. I had a very informal running background prior, but had begun trail running a few hours every day and was loving my newfound strength and focus. A friend had done the Spartan Killington Beast a few years prior and basically said that the Killington Sprint would be too hard for me to just jump into. There’s nothing I love more than a challenge, so needless to say – I jumped, and here we are.
4. What is your best race story?
Spartan Atlanta 2022 was my first time doing back-to-back Supers (10k x 25 obstacles), having just ran my first Super earlier that year in Jacksonville. I had a fairly standard first lap (minor bruise on my rib from taking a hurdle wrong), then went right back out for lap two – collecting a girlfriend to pace with. All was going fairly to plan until I completely went sideways under the Dunk Wall – causing me to open my eyes under water, and resulting in a pretty severely scratched eye. As a contact lens wearer, I immediately knew I messed up – but wasn’t interested in DNFing a Super. Luckily, my friend decided she would be my eyes and guide me through the rest of the race where we dropped our time goals and just focused on having the most fun possible frolicking through the chest-deep mud.
4. Who or what inspires / motivates you?
I’m inspired every day by the world around me and the people I surround myself with. I love running the Open heats at events and seeing athletes of all ages and abilities pushing themselves to the limit. I think there’s a lot of strength that comes from that display of vulnerability and humanity in its rawest form – and inspiration from witnessing it.
I am motivated by my desire to continuously grow as an athlete and a human – but when that motivation wanes, I fall back on discipline. You can’t complain about the results you didn’t get from the work you didn’t do.
5. If you could race any race in the world, which race and why?
The Barkley Marathons. Always Barkley. I’m not great at orienteering, and am still learning how to not be afraid of running in the dark – both of which are required skills for Barkley. It seems like the ultimate challenge – and I know by training to hit that course, I’ll inherently be growing in my ability to take on other intense challenges with grace along the way… like Cocodona 250. Outside of the States- Spartan Abu Dhabi and Morzine look fun. The gnarlier, the better.
6. What are your goals for this year?
This year is a development year for me. I’m focusing on building my running base, playing with speed, and focusing on strength/form to keep my knees healthy as the miles increase. I’m excited to return to Killington to celebrate my 4th Spartan anniversary on the mountain, and can’t wait to play on the War-X and Midwest OCR courses! My only goal is to keep growing, and really lean in to what it means to train like a competitive athlete – including aligning my life to support my wellness goals. When everything is in alignment – the limits do not exist!
7. What team are you involved with and why?
I’m involved with two teams – Spartan 4-0 and Lionhearts Fitness. Spartan 4-0 has been an incredible group to connect and compete with, and truly instrumental in making every athlete feel welcome. It’s hard to put into words how magical joining Lionhearts Fitness has been – from the unwavering support of founders Shell and Luccketta – to consistently being encouraged by teammates and mentors to push myself further as an athlete and human, I feel truly blessed to be on a team with such high-quality individuals. Moreso, Lionhearts’ mission is incredibly close to my heart and it’s an honor to help bring awareness to their incredible work for the youth of TN and global OCR.
8. How do you train? Any special gyms or trainers?
Wait we’re supposed to train for this?
Right now, I’m training 6-7 days/week. I incorporate a mix of long runs, VO2 Max training, speedwork, strength training, and calisthenics. For active recovery and mobility – I spend a significant amount of time on my bicycle as well as open water swimming and doing yoga. My social activities also focus around running and training, and I am very active in multiple run clubs in my area.
9 Are you an ambassador or fan of any other brands? Give them a shout out and let the community know why.
I also am an ambassador for Still I Run – a nonprofit running community that promotes the benefits of running for mental health. A large part of why I began running was to help shift my mental health from a very stuck space, and I’m grateful to help support others on their journey.
