Category: 2024spring

Jake Lepak

Posted onAuthorSarah McInerney

2024 Training Coach

Jake Lepak is an avid runner and coach. A native of St. Louis, MO, he attended Macalester College in St. Paul where he ran cross-country and track and field at the Division III level and graduated with degrees in Economics and Statistics.

Growing up, he primarily focused on soccer, wrestling and sprint events in track. A medical injury forced him to retire from soccer and wrestling and he gradually transitioned to distance running his sophomore year of high school. With distance running as his sole focus, he was able to take advantage of skills he learned from other sports and excel enough to receive an opportunity to run at Macalester College.

In college, he continued his development and experienced both success and failure. He was able to compete against some of the most talented runners in Division III through the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and his passions for excellence and performance continued to grow throughout his 4 years as a student athlete. While the COVID-19 pandemic did cut his college career short, his time at Macalester left more to be desired, so he continued on running as a way to find some peace during a time of confusion and chaos and looked to continue elevating his performance along the way.

Following his graduation, he received his RRCA coaching certification and continues to stay informed on the latest developments in the coaching sphere to inform his own training. He continues to train at a high level and has primarily focused on marathon and greater distances these past couple years. Some highlights include placing 16th at the Twin Cities Marathon in 2021 and 3rd in the Afton 50k trail race, sporting PRs of 2:40 and 4:18, respectively.

Outside of running and coaching, he works at U.S. Bank as a technical consultant. He is heavily involved with Special Olympics Minnesota, both as a coach for weightlifting and as a Young Professional Board Member, which acts as an extension to the Executive Board of Directors. He also has a wide range of interests and hobbies – from arts and crafts, to movies, reading, listening to podcasts, and much more!

He is passionate about supporting others so that they can reach their goals and building a large network of friends along the way. He continues to learn through a wide variety of resources and continually pursue educational opportunities to both inform his own running and work with athletes of all levels.

 

Daniel Baron

Posted onAuthorSarah McInerney

2024 Training Coach

Coach Daniel took up running at the age of 40 when his doctor recommended “a little aerobic exercise.” Since then, he has run everything from 5Ks to 50Ks but specializes in a yearly spring and a yearly fall marathon. His continuing personal goal is a sub 3 hour marathon. 

Daniel is interested in all aspects of staying fit, including strength training, cross training, sport psychology, and nutrition.

After a 27 year career teaching the German language and high school history classes, Daniel delved into coaching with the Edina Boys Cross Country team as well as gaining UESCA coaching certification. He is excited to coach with Run Minnesota as a past participant of the MDRA marathon classes where he met his cadre of great running friends. As a former teacher, Daniel takes an encouraging, as well as individualized, approach to help people be the runner they want to be. 

Danny Docherty

Posted onAuthorSarah McInerney

Program Director

Danny Docherty is an elite runner and coach. A native of St. Paul, MN, he attended Loyola University Chicago where he ran cross-country and track and field at the Division I level and graduated with degrees in English and Psychology.

He first competed as a runner at Cretin-Derham Hall High School where he found he had a knack for the sport after qualifying for the State Meet on six different occasions between cross-country and track and field. He went on to become a 2x All-State award winner as a senior in the 1600m and 3200m.

In college, he experienced both success and failure during his time at Loyola Chicago. His major accomplishments include qualifying for the NCAA West Prelims in the 10000m as a senior and achieving All-Conference honors in cross-country and track. He was also a member of a team that finished second at the Horizon League Indoor championships during his senior season. He currently ranks as the #2 All-Time performer in the 10000m at Loyola.

After college, Docherty acquired his USATF Level 1 certificate almost immediately upon graduating. He entered the coaching profession in 2014 as an assistant at his alma mater, CDH. He learned the ins and outs of being a coach and one major highlight was coaching a Girls 4x400m Relay Team to a 3rd Place finish at 2017 State Meet.

Outside of coaching, Docherty has had a range of jobs since college, from working the sales floor at Run N Fun, to delivery driving and substitute teaching.Docherty has continued to compete after college and pursue his goals as a runner. He started out on Team USA Minnesota in 2014 before moving on to Run N Fun from 2015-16 and then back to Team USA Minnesota as a training partner in 2017 and eventually became a full-time member in 2019. He was the USATF Minnesota Runner of the Year in 2019 and qualified for the 2020 Olympic Trials on 3 separate occasions in 2019. He finished 7th at the USATF 25k Championships in 2019, finished 3rd at the 2019 Twin Cities Marathon and recently won the 5k, 10k, and 10 Mile races during the 2021 TCM Weekend.

Docherty has recently stepped away from the professional side of the sport to pursue his career goals which include growing his personal coaching business, Docherty Coaching, and working toward his Master’s in Education at the University of Minnesota in Sports & Exercise Science. He is also aiming at qualifying for the 2024 Olympic Trials and continuing to race and train at a high-level.

Docherty is currently in his sixth year as the Director of Operations for Track and Baseball at the non-profit organization Highland Groveland Recreation Association (HGRA) in St. Paul. He is also entering his third year as an assistant coach at Visitation HS for track and DeLaSalle HS for cross-country. Docherty currently holds Level 2 coaching certifications from USATF (Youth Specialization), USTFCCCA (Endurance Specialist) and the Lydiard Foundation.

As a whole, he is passionate about helping others reach their goals and building community in the process. He has learned the coaching trade over time through his own running, working with coaches and athletes from all levels, and continuing to pursue education and stay updated on the latest in the sports and exercise science profession.