Running and education have always been central to Diana C.’s life. She began college as an engineering major but soon realized her passion was elsewhere.
“I didn't like my major but at that point I was kind of stuck in it and I was just unhappy and being in the gym made me happy,” Diana said. “I was like, ‘hey, I might be good at this.’”
After graduating from the University of Maryland, she moved to Ohio to pursue her master’s degree, then spent four years in Massachusetts earning her PhD in Sport and Exercise Psychology.
"Education has really helped me develop in so many ways," she said. "It has made me more confident but also a better critical thinker. I always approach my work as an opportunity to learn. I strive for evidence-based teaching and training, which means being open to the fact that what we know is always evolving."
Today, Diana works as a personal trainer and Group X fitness instructor at the Lenexa Rec Center, leads our run club and teaches statistics and research methods as a local professor.
Though she describes herself as an introvert, connecting with others is at the core of her work.
“I’m a totally different person when I’m teaching,” Diana said. “Like teaching classes and training and everything is like public speaking — it doesn’t scare me anymore. I’m much more confident in myself, which is a great outcome of all of this.”
She’s especially intentional about creating an inclusive environment in the run club.
“I feel like a lot of times you go to a run club and it's like they’re exclusive and then everyone takes off and you're left behind and I'm, like, that is the last thing I want someone to feel because as someone who's a regular runner, I have felt that before,” she said.
The Lenexa Rec Center Run Club (hosted Thursdays at 6 p.m. through July 2) emphasizes enjoyment over performance — whether participants are walking, running or simply showing up to be part of the group. The goal is to get outside, stay active and have fun.
"I love the community aspect of Lenexa Rec Center," Diana said. "I have worked out and trained at campus recreation centers since starting college in 2013 and Lenexa Rec Center gives me the same feeling as the college campus facilities – there is a feeling of a close-knit community, people who care about and acknowledge each other and a welcoming atmosphere that is difficult to find at commercial facilities."
Diana’s own running journey has been a steady progression of challenges. She has completed two 100-mile races, building up mileage over time from shorter distances.
“I've somehow progressed from a half marathon in high school to marathons in college to a 50K when I was in Massachusetts and then that became an Ironman, which led to 50 miles, which then became 100K, so 62 miles. And then that became, hey, I can run another 38 miles,” Diana said.
When she’s not at the Rec Center, teaching, or training for her next race, Diana enjoys spending time with her husband, Jordan, and their three pet rabbits, Quigly, Teddy, and Lachy. She also enjoys reading sci-fi/horror novels, volunteering with Achilles International as the Kansas City chapter lead — an organization that supports people with disabilities participating in running events — and just being outdoors.