Past Races

Pamela Bilyeu

Eugene, Oregon | https://mapspearson.wordpress.com

I am a 38 year old woman who lives in Tracktown USA. I returned to running just a little over two years ago after finally reaching a place in my recovery (with an eating disorder) and was delightfully surprised at how the simple act of running would change my life for the better. I have experienced a lot of hardships in life and running has not only taught me to keep going, but it has also given me a wonderful community.

Because I am now engaging in movement for the benefits that I gain for my mental health and joy rather fueling the idea of restriction and trying to be in a "smaller" body, I have been able to experience so many other ways to move my body that brings enlightenment, peace, adventure, and joy. And I am not just tending to my physical and mental well being through the ways I move, but my creativity as well. I have been doing photography most of my life, and started doing professional events and gigs about 15 years ago. I also love to dabble in making videos about my experiences in life and how that seems to always to come out on my running and allows me to not only process it, but create art from it as well.

Every day I try my absolute best to practice living the most authentic, vulnerable, and compassionate life I can...for myself and others.

I am currently apart of a running club here in Eugene that is coached by Cathie Twomey Bellamy, who was a professional [and Nike sponsored] runner in the 80's. I love the running community I have found in that group, The Eugene Running Club, as well and the one with the Oiselle Volée Team! Connection is so important, and my life is enriched because of those I have crossed paths with in these communities!

I was lucky enough to meet Steph Bruce on her Grit Tour when she came through Eugene, as well as some of the Picky Crew (like Sarah Conklin who is absolutely rad). Not only did I get some sweet swag from that meetup, but I was able to do some creative work for Picky Bars (I created a GIPHY account and stickers/gifs as well as a Reel) in exchange for three Picky Bar deliveries! This was not only a blast to do, but a very tasty one as well!

And as far as running goes, I have been really reflecting on what goal I would like to have next. I am toying with the idea of doing the Eugene Marathon instead of the half, to see if I can get a BQ...which would hopefully take me back out to Boston around my 40th birthday to run the marathon! This is something I still am needing to discuss with my coach. While I have ran longer distances while training for a 50K that I was sadly unable to participate in due to family reasons, I have never ran a full marathon. This is both an exciting and little anxious of an idea! Most importantly, I just love to run- and right now, trying to keep that in my life while navigating some difficult times seems to be a pretty big goal to live up to, and one I am happy to keep my sights on!

Most of the links I have provided (like youtube, my blog, my twitter) have not been nearly as active as my instagram. And the Facebook account was created a year ago merely so I could access a business account that I was doing social media content work for. I created a new instagram account this past year that I dedicated specifically to combine both my love of running and creativity. While I absolutely love being able to share my creativity through photography, videos, and words, I would be amiss if I didn't acknowledge that it can sometimes be overwhelming with everything happening in the world. There are times that I just need to take a break and put my @walkswithmyphone gram on mute, but the page dedicated to running + art (@runningcreatively) is always live...