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To know her was to love her. Sounds so cliche, but when it comes to Alicia Haven, it’s the truth. Loveable, caring, funny, loyal, generous, hard-working, supportive – all the things that make a good friend were in her. She had the biggest, baddest hair you’ve ever seen and girl could run! I had the honor of being her coach for a brief period of her life. No thanks to Covid, we did not get to see her shine at her first 70.3, but we did work on some goals together. More about that in a moment, but first I’d love you to learn more about Alicia.
From her obituary:
On February 12th at 3:08am (the date of her birth) the Lord wrapped his loving arms around our earthly angel Alicia and took her home. Alicia lived every moment of her life devoted to her faith. She proudly had the word faith tattooed on her arm, believed in the power of prayer, and daily read scripture to guide her life. Alicia’s journey on this earth lasted only 33 short years, the same as her Savior Jesus. Gone too soon, but never forgotten.
You should really read the rest of her beautifully written obituary. Below is an interview that her mother gave one year after her death.
Alicia and I started working together in February 2020, building towards her “A race” of IRONMAN Traverse City 70.3 the following September. This would have been her first 70.3.
But, the world came to a halt just a few weeks later with Covid-19 throwing us all into quarantine.
Covid was a strange time to be a coach. It was a strange time to be an athlete. We are creatures of routine. We work towards events, and this was all taken from us.
Alicia’s race was cancelled. But, she persisted. She kept working on her goals with the most amazing, positive attitude ever.
She did have to push pause on training for a medical procedure, but as soon as she was able to resume training, we began working again on strength and speed. She had a kick-ass training session at the MFB YMCA track just days before she suddely passed away on February 12.
In the few years since, I have scheduled “Alicia’s Run” on February 9 for a few of the athletes I coach that knew her and loved her as well. But, this year everyone is getting it! Her memory deserves to stay alive. And what a better way to do it than by agonizing 3x2000m threshold repeats. Ahhh!! Could I have scheduled a worse session? Alicia would have found this humurous, no doubt. Her Garmin ran short, but she did indeed nail the entire session… with the exception of the cool down.
CELEBRATE ALICIA
I invite you to join us in remembering the beautiful soul of Alicia Haven by running your version of Alicia’s Run on or around February 9.
Running gives us space to leave the stress of the world behind and focus on our body, our thoughts and our surroundings. With intention and a focus on gratitude, running can become a powerful healer.
While you’re out running for Alicia, please take a moment to think about who and what you are grateful for in your life. Remember the people who have impacted you in a positive way. If they are still here, maybe you’ll reach out to them after your run to let them know what they mean to you. Finally, thank your body for the ability to breathe and move freely, even when running is uncomfortable, it is still a gift.
If it’s your style, please share your thoughts with a picture on Instagram and use the hashtag #Run4Alicia.
I’m looking forward to sharing your posts – and the impact that Alicia has had on others all week long on my Stuart Coaching Instagram stories.
#Run4Alicia
