Meet The Running Company Eastside's Staff

Lauren LaRoche, Co-Manager

Lauren is the fearless leader of the New York East Side store. She ran cross country and track at the University of Maine in her home state where she was 2004 state champion in the mile. She has worked for the company since 2008. She is a grand personality despite her diminutive stature. She is so small that despite the fact she is the boss, we cannot justify carrying her shoe size. 

Matt McInerney, Co-Manager

Matt is more antique Roman than Dane.  He is, at once, industrious and kind, stoic and compassionate, expert and curious as a cat.  He started with the Princeton Running Company in October of 2008, and has, in the fullness of this time, established himself as one of the most tenacious field generals in our company.  Ask him what time it is.  He knows.

Diego Vanegas

Diego has been working in specialty running stores for over a decade. He is a highly competitive marathoner and won the 2005 Des Moines Marathon. Diego has narrowly lost many other marathons due to his chronically bad luck, but like a true warrior, he perseveres. Diego will run his 29th marathon this year in Barbados. He has been active in the NYC running community since he came here from his native Ecuador in 1995.

Chris Ryan

Chris is a multi-threat employee.  He has a storied background in track and field, football, injury, song, dance, acting, and eating (a lot).  You can recognize him in Central Park by his flowing, shimmering hair.

Joe Pienta, Captain Emeritus

Joe has been with the company longer than anyone.  Most of the year Joe coaches college runners, but you can find him here during the summers since he has nothing better to do during the off-season.

Strength: 10

Constitution: 9

Dexterity: 11

Intelligence: 17 

Charisma: 15

Wisdom: 18

Willpower: 14

Perception: 15

Luck: 12

Brad Rosen

Brad, a native son of Long Island, attended the University of Maryland where he majored in criminology. He recently received his MBA in Music Busniess and is already being touted as the next David Geffen.  We all believe he will be very successful in the industry as he always plays the best music in the store. He has competed in races ranging from one mile up to the marathon. 

Stephen Sherman

Stephen is our weekend warrior, working Saturdays and Sundays but disappearing to his "real" job the rest of the week. Stephen, a native New Yorker, is an accomplished photographer and also teaches photography at the International Center of Photography in Manhattan. While he now runs for fun and fitness, Stephen has run numerous New York City marathons throughout his life. If you want to hear some good stories, ask him about his time at Woodstock.

Kaitlin O'Sullivan

Remember that dream where you were flying really high over a forest?  And then you sorta floated up effortlessly into the clouds and came down in the middle of this big city? Well, that's what it feels like to be Kaitlin O'Sullivan.  You could say she is of this world, but you'd be wrong.

Ashley Gregg

Ashley is a possibly too proud native of the Lone Star State. There she attended Texas A&M, but studied neither agriculture or mechanics, instead opting for business and marketing. She also is a proud member of the NY Eastside Running Co. Red Head Club along with Dillon, Lauren, and Madison. 

Silas "Danger" Carey

YYYAAAAARRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!

Nyles Garrison

Nyles joined The Running Company after over a decade of work in running specialty retail. An avid and competitive runner himself, he most recently competed in the 2010 Boston Marathon. While everyone at our store is very well acquainted with the products we sell, Nyles is especially so, as he owns at least half the products we sell. He even has two GPS watches so he can average the distance which both of his arms have traveled to ascertain the actual distance traveled by the center of his body. Ask him about shoes and he will likely tell you more than you could ever manage to remember. 

Emily de La Bruyere

Emily, a Manhattan native and junior at The Brearley School, began working for The Running Company in Spring 2010. Emily competes in every event from the 800m to cross country including the most badass event in track, the steeplechase. Your humble author, Dillon, believes Emily to be the best high school runner in NYC. As New York is often called the greatest city in the world, I believe it can safely be assumed by extension that Emily is the greatest high school runner in the world.