“It’s about an active lifestyle, not an elite performance.”
This is the motto associated with Julie Curtis of ROJ Running, which stands for Republic of Julie Running. Julie was given the nickname of ROJ by her mother who believes she always had her own way of viewing and experiencing the world. Julie began running in 2007, after taking part in a local Relay for Life event. During her first year on the road she went from losing nearly 50 pounds to finishing her first half marathon, while also dabbling in triathlon and multisport. In 2009 she set her sights on the Niagara Falls International Marathon, using her blog ROJ Running as a motivational tool and completed it successfully. Since then she has finished countless 5Ks, over 20 half marathons (half fanatic #1747), 1 marathon and 2 50Ks on both roads and trails. In 2012, the year she joins FitFluential, she hopes to finish a 50 miler and possibly take a trip down memory lane and back into multisport for a 70.3.
When not outside or in the gym, Julie works as a Drug and Alcohol counselor holding credentials as both a chemical dependency counselor and a mental health therapist. With her remaining free time she is rediscovering her love for cooking, baking and crafting. Weekends often include time with her best running companion, Emme Award Winning Oom aka Emily, her papillon. She believes in prompting an active lifestyle over ranked placings since many people have multiple demands on their time. As a former concurrent graduate student and full time worker, she understands wellness is more than physical fitness. It’s about how you feel, what you think and the people in your life. It’s the time parents spend with their children and the training an Olympian may face. She believes, no amount or variation of activity should ever be perceived as lesser than the next person’s.
Follow ROJ Running for tales of Julie as a runner and as a person, for race recaps, product reviews and weekly recipe ideas.