Member Profile of the Week - Chris "DNEChris" Hawson - You Can Take the Boy Out of the Country...

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Member Profile of the WeekChris "DNEChris" HawsonYou Can Take the Boy Out of the Country...Chris Hawson, also known as DNEChris on the forums, is 55 and has lived in New York City, New York, for the past 20 years. He admits he is really a “country boy” who has been trapped in Manhattan. Chris is originally from Sheffield, England. He is married to Ruth and they have 2 children. He works as a Sporting Goods Buyer. He enjoys drinking, eating, and XC skiing whenever the opportunity presents itself.He has been running on and off for the past 45 years and is a member of the Barefoot Runners NYC group. He has achieved a 3:45 in the marathon distance, but he enjoys running any distance over 5 miles.His most memorable running experiences were “Running the Snowdon Horseshoe in North Wales – it’s normally a scramble!" And he includes, “I did an accidental barefoot 29 miler recently – that was pretty cool in retrospect.” His favorite race was the recent 1st Annual New York City Barefoot Run on Governor’s Island. It is his favorite because “It was not a race! It was a blast! – No pressure, no nerves – just a great vibe. Roll on year two!”Chris says he enjoys running because “Running through mid-town Manhattan clears my head of any workday worries, as I’m only able to concentrate on avoiding pedestrians – making like a leaf flowing down a rocky stream. That gives me 12 miles most weekdays and the purely fun runs are on weekends and Wednesdays with friends chatting all the while.”He explains his reason for running barefoot and minimal. “Health concerns brought me back to running initially, but aching hips and knees reduced the pleasure. VFF, after the initial adjustment phase, removed the discomfort completely, and barefoot was a fairly easy transition this April. I’m currently running a little more than half my weekly 70ish miles barefoot – I’m sure that proportion will reduce as the weather gets cooler!”He says his reason for joining the Barefoot Runners Society was for the “Education!”
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Atop Mt. Victoria, Wellington, with Karen

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Snowbird, Chris Hawson - Another way of running downhill