Ultra Runner Jessica Croisant

Jessica Croisant is an ultra runner, pescatarian and former mixed martial arts instructor — uber healthy, right? Just under a decade ago, she was smoking, eating fried cheese and severely depressed. But when an acquaintance invited her to a boxing class, the out-of-place Wisconsin transplant acknowledged she needed a change, so with much anxiety, she went. “I would leave just covered in sweat and have this tremendous sense of accomplishment,” says the now 37-year-old Stow resident.

That gratification led her to start running in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and join running groups, through which she discovered a community ready to embrace her. “It made the Akron area home to me. I had a tribe,” she says. To share her newfound passion for down ‘n’ dirty trail running as well as a cleaner diet, Croisant started her own running club, Eat Clean, Run Dirty, with Cleveland and Akron meetups. She expanded her network by starting Sugarstride, a fitness blog and podcast, and the running-focused Burning River Film Festival. Croisant advanced to ultra-endurance races, completing 17 including the 2018 Georgia Death Race. She shares how running has put her life on a new path.

I had a lot of negative self-talk in my head. Running is a meditative process where instead of being a victim of your own thoughts, you don’t have to acknowledge them. You look past.

When you run 100 miles, you go through times of feeling euphoric and then you go through times where you want to burn all your shoes. But you just keep moving forward. The bad stuff doesn’t last forever. You grind through it and it gets better. Learning that has helped me in life.

All the people that I’ve shared miles with helped me get there. All the volunteers at the aid station. My husband being OK with laundry not being done. It’s all those things that go into that accomplishment when you’ve crossed the finish line. Not only are you proud of yourself and all the weeks of work that go into being ready for a race like that, but it reminds you of how much love you have. How much love your family has. The support of your friends. It reminds you of how fortunate you are to have this beautiful life with all these people and these experiences. As somebody that once had depression that honestly just wanted to die and could barely leave their house, to have this thing that I do that reminds me of how lucky I am to have this life — that’s huge. — as told to Kelly Petryszyn

3 Fun Groups to Join:

Century Cycles Night Rides on Towpath Trail, various dates June 9 through Sept. 29

Pinnacle Sports leagues Sports from baseball to volleyball, Medina

Akron Metroparks Hiking Club Summit Metro Parks and Cuyahoga Valley National Park