Pacifica Runners

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MEMBER OF THE MONTH - April 2026

Allen Hong

How did you hear about Pacifica Runners.

Looking for local run clubs on Strava! My first summer pub run sealed the deal.

How long have you been running, walking or hiking as a form or exercise? What motivates you to stay at it?

I have been casually solo running over the years with a few local 5K fun runs here and there. I wore only one pair of overused daily trainer running shoes for everything and a GPS running watch wasn't even on my radar. A different era! It wasn't until last June that my first serious race sent me down the rabbit hole of doing more structured training and group runs, getting tempted to buy way too many shoes, and loading up on running gear to tackle longer distances! I'm still learning a lot and it's cool to achieve hard things that I never knew I could do.

How did you get into running, hiking or walking as a form of exercise?

Growing up, I could often be found running short distance sprints, relays, and jumps in track and field. I loved going fast! Anything over 400 meters was far for me, and even one mile was torture. I also ran cross country for fun for two seasons just to hang out with friends and regularly finished at the back of the pack. Running was a big part of playing soccer as a really different (and often violent) kind of running. Nowadays, running is a great way for me to meet new people, get outside in nature, explore new places on foot, and push myself to longer distances that I've never done before. Woohoo

If you're a runner, do you have a favorite race? If walking or hiking are more your speed, where is the best place you've ever taken a walk or hike?

Monterey Bay Half Marathon and Seoul Marathon have been my favorites for those distances so far among the few that I have done! Hopefully I'll get to do other cool races like the Big Sur International Marathon, NYC Marathon and Chicago Marathon. Running the hometown San Francisco Marathon is an eventual must for me. Fun runs with no goal time like Bay to Breakers are coming up for me as well! I'm always open to new race ideas.

What are your favorite running/walking/hiking trails/routes?

Our Saturday runs from Pacifica Pier to Mori Point and beyond are great! Presidio never misses and Golden Gate Park and Great Highway are always good routes. I often go for a quick spin around the SF Bay Trail since it's so close. Further favorites in the Bay are pretty much any routes near water along Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito, Berkeley, Monterey, Santa Cruz, and more. I make it a priority to go for a run when I travel to a new city, so it's been fun to explore Santa Barbara, LA, Orange County, San Diego, NYC, Boston, Zurich, Tokyo, most recently, Seoul and Busan! Overall I haven't done as much trail running and I'm interested in community favorite route recs.

What are your future running or fitness goals?

It's such a gift and privilege to be able to keep running over the years! I've been upping my road race distances to the half marathon and finally the full marathon just recently! I want to work on building speed for longer distances, better pace management, and improving general conditioning. Having fun is always the most important thing and I'm making good progress on completing the Golden State Challenge this year. My New Years run goal is to pet more dogs. Nice-to-have goals along the way include: 6-minute 1 mile, 20-minute 5K, 1:30 half marathon, and 3:30 marathon. Signing up for a beginner-friendly trail race is also something I want to do eventually! I have never gotten up to this level of mileage in my life, so it's definitely a growing experience. Beyond running, I want to keep snowboarding in the winter, get better at surfing, and pick up scuba diving if I get the chance.

What do you enjoy most about Pacifica Runners?

Pacifica Runners is an awesome, friendly, and inspiring community with people chasing after their big goals and new adventures. Unique experiences like mile time trials, summer pub runs, guided trail runs, new race ideas, and hosted races make it really enjoyable! The merch offerings are also great.

Any other cool info about yourself?

I am definitely better at eating than running, so it was tons of fun to be a pacer for a casual SF Asian Bakeries Half Marathon organized by a friend a few weeks ago. I am also easily distracted by the latest shoe releases. Memes and cringy puns are also a must with me. See you at our group runs and come say hi!!