December Runner of the Month: Winn Koster

Joining NBR coincided perfectly with Winn's dive into running in June 2022. Thanks to a friend’s nudge, his first Monday Night Easy Run to Domino Park marked the start of his running escapades. In just a year and a half, Winn's become an all-rounder at NBR—board member, team captain, and the go-to guy for Wednesday Night Road Runs.

When he's not working as a data scientist or stargazing with his telescope, Winn is running races like the Warriors Ultra. What’s that you’re wondering? A wild all-nighter marathon escapade straight out of a New York movie.

But, running's not just about the miles for Winn; it's a journey of confidence, quirky adventures, and uncovering new facets of himself. His advice is to “find your why” with running. He has certainly found his. From zero to a marathon in just 52 weeks, Winn’s long-term goal is to run all six world major marathons. We think he will.

When did you join NBR and why?

I started running in June 2022 for the first time, and I’ve been running with NBR as long as I’ve been running. A friend introduced me to the club and I first attended a Monday Night Easy Run to Domino Park on a beautiful summer evening. I didn’t really know how to get started running, but with NBR all I had to do was show up. We have such a strong community and everyone is so welcoming and passionate. It was easy to just keep coming back.

In what ways have you been involved with NBR?

In the year and a half I have been involved with the club I’ve worn a couple different hats. Right now I’m on the board and serving as a team captain, and you can also catch me at the bins on Wednesday nights as a run leader for WNRR. I’m technically a social coordinator as well, although my involvement with that has definitely taken a backseat since stepping up as a captain. As a free running club, we’re very volunteer driven, and I’m always excited to give back to this community that has done so much for me.

What do you do when you’re not running?

I work in tech as a data scientist and I’m also a member of a local astronomy club, so you can sometimes catch me with a telescope doing public observing. Serving on the NBR board is a pretty serious time commitment as well, and I’m happy to contribute. This year I’ve been trying to get more into hiking and camping, with modest success.

How did you initially get into running

I’ve been running with NBR for my entire running career! I think I started running because I was looking to find some mental clarity amidst a lot of upheaval in my life. The club makes it easy to build out a routine quickly if you’re willing to make time for it.

What is your favorite race distance?

I really like a ten miler or a half marathon. For me that’s about the perfect distance to get into a great tempo rhythm, not have to worry too much about mid-race fueling, and you can still kick a bit at the end. I’ve found I tend to exceed my own expectations at these distances, plus they’re just so fun to run.

Best running memory?

It’s gotta be the Warriors Ultra. It’s an all-nighter ultra marathon from the Bronx to Coney Island with a route and costumes inspired by the 70s cult classic film, The Warriors. It’s truly one of those “only in New York” experiences, because where else can you find that many passionate people who are crazy in the exact same way that you are? I ran with a few friends all in matching costumes and we had a great time; we started at 1am, stopped for pizza in Times Square at 3am, blasted ABBA as we climbed the Brooklyn Bridge at 4am, and made it to Coney Island around 6am. I’ll definitely do this one again.

Favorite running route in NYC?

Kent Ave below the crowded part of Williamsburg is my favorite spot to run in the city. You get a continuous few miles down there to just kind of zone out and focus on your breathing. On a weekend, you can come back along Berry when it’s closed to cars and it’s a similar vibe. It’s meditative.

Any running-related superstitions?

I’m convinced that pizza is secretly the best pre-race carb food and cannot be convinced otherwise. It shouldn’t work, and yet it does. Paulie Gee’s slice shop has won me many a PR.

What has running taught you or changed about you?

Running has given me the confidence to lean into discomfort in a way I have never really been able to previously, and through that discomfort has come tremendous growth. I have a lot of social anxiety, and volunteering as a run leader and talking to a crowd has helped me chip away at that over time. I’ve gained a lot of physical and mental discipline, which has positively impacted my professional life and also (more importantly) just made me a happier person.

I’ve also felt empowered to take on ambitious backpacking trips, camping, and solo travel this year, in part because I’ve felt inspired by the cool people I’ve met in NBR. And finally, I feel really connected to my neighborhood in a way I didn’t previously; there’s something kind of zen about running the same routes over and over and over again and attuning yourself to the subtle changes of the neighborhood and its people through the seasons and years.

Favorite post-race food?

The hashwich at Lite Bites. It’s pretty much my long run tradition at this point. 

Favorite song to run to make you want to run?

The Miley live album is literally the perfect tempo for a threshold run and I’ve used this for a few races. 

Favorite running social media account?

Runday Scaries for your hyper-local gossip and memes about the McCarren Park Track.

What do you think is the worst part about being a runner?

I used to be kind of a foodie but at this point my diet consists primarily of high carb or lean protein foods that are easily digestible. My eating has definitely gotten less adventurous, and main staples of my diet now include things like donuts, oatmeal, pizza, pierogies, sandwiches, chocolate milk, coffee, and smoothies. All the stuff my parents wouldn’t let me eat as a kid, basically. Oh, and energy gels are awful. They’re necessary, but awful.

Best advice to running newbies?

It’s important to find your why if you want to stick with running – or anything else – long term. The reality is that you’re never going to make time for running in your life if you don’t have a compelling reason to do so. Sure, you might force yourself to show up for a week or two, but until you start asking yourself “why am I even here?” and have an answer, you frankly aren’t going to form that habit. I love asking people why they run (and people love telling), and it’s important to keep in mind that no answers are any better than others. Some people run because they want to be as fast as possible, others want to meet new people, others for physical or mental health reasons, and some people like getting a beer after a run. There are no wrong answers to the question of why you run, but it’s important to find your answer. 

Current running goal?

I have this long-term dream of running all six world major marathons, and to that end my medium-term goal is to qualify for Boston. That would inherently get me into Chicago as well, and I just got into Berlin for next year, so would be four out of six – then onto the harder to get into ones. But at the same time, I mostly just want to have fun. If I get bored of trying to run fast just for the sake of running fast, I’ll probably do some endurance events or ultras or sign up for some of the weirder races. Some of the most fun I’ve had running is at the Warriors Ultra or OSR races, and I’m sure I’ll lean into the chaotic nature of those events more fully with time. My gut tells me that chaotic endurance events that involve sleeping in either a tent or a moving vehicle are probably my running endgame.

Any other fun running facts about you?

I went from zero running to a marathon in exactly 52 weeks! It’s kind of a random fun fact that probably nobody else cares about, but it’s a cool reminder that a year is a lot of time, and you can accomplish a lot in a year :)