Upcoming Races

Karin Bachrodt

Boca Raton, Florida

My name is Karin, but in many circles, I'm known as Happy Mama. You will rarely see me without my signature braids and visor! I am 48 years old and have 2 amazing kids – Baxter (age 10) and Cassidy (age 7). I’m a mama and a runner and a coach. I'm known for speaking in quote — and not infrequently, John Wooden quote.

I started running in my early teens, when I needed a way to/from swim practice. I eventually made my way into triathlon, competing nationally at 16. I did high school cross country/track, and tris on the side. I ran recreationally in college, and my senior year (1996) did my first full marathon. I trashed my knee at mile 19, and over the next 10 years, had 8 knee surgeries and figured I was done running. Alas, not yet.

In 2005, I lost a dear friend to leukemia. I started "Joggin' for Jenn" and over the next 4 years, raised $10,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by running full/half marathons. In 2006, 2 days after the Chicago Marathon, I had my 9th knee surgery. In 2010, I ran what I suspected would be my last long race (San Diego Rock n Roll Half).

When I started Joggin’ For Jenn, the focus was on raising funds and awareness to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. As I’ve grown as a person and a runner, I’ve found other ways to give back and pay it forward.

The last 2.5 years I have focused on raising awareness and support for Tommy Rivs and his family after he was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive lymphoma. I did the first Run With Rivs challenge in 2020 — crafted up something of my own (9 half marathons in 9 days) and have been doing my best to continue that effort ever since. In August 2020, I ended up with a tibia fracture. With the help of a great doc and care team, by the end of the year, I was back running had my race calendar for 2021 set.

To continue giving back, this past year, I participated in the Peak Run Performance Race Series. The series, spearheaded by my coach Jacob Puzey, benefitted Bigger than the Trail. So often our mental health is not given a priority, and speaking from personal experience, it needs to be prioritized. I am proud to be a 2023 BTTT Ambassador.

In 2021, I set PRs for 5k, 10k, 15k, half marathon, 25k, marathon, 50k, 50 mile, and 100k. Completing 3 ultras plus a training marathon has been my most proud accomplishment to date. Last year, I ran the year: 2021 miles.

2022 is proving to be a year of "who knows". I started the year with covid in Jan, and didn't get back to structured training until the end of March. Even in September, I'm still dealing with post-covid heart rate challenges, which is making things challenging at best.

I used to spend hours and days overthinking everything. But what I’ve learned is that you can train, plan, prepare, and you will ALWAYS need a plan B. Nothing rarely, if ever, goes 100% to plan, so I stopped planning. I do the best I can to prepare for anything and just show up and go. But what’s always running through my head is just one foot in front of the other, keep moving forward. Probably the one thing I say over and over and over and over is Eyes Up. Just a gentle reminder to just keep moving forward. :)

Ultimately, I love to run. It’s as simple as that. And if I can find a way to make my running count for something, to help someone else, or to benefit a group in need, I’ll do it.

“Well, your greatest joy definitely comes from doing something for another, especially when it was done with no thought of something in return.” — John Wooden