2014 Bier Run with Kevin, Juanita, Jeremy, & Teryn

This week's East Nasty of the Week hails from the land of Springsteen and is one of East Nasty's newest but most familiar faces. It's my honor to present your ENOW, Patrick Sullivan!

Patrick was born and raised in Millburn, New Jersey, a NYC commuter town just outside Newark. He grew up the youngest of 5 in a typical Irish Catholic family. He spent his childhood rockin’ to the Boss (swoon) & Bon Jovi, visiting the Shore, going to see the Yankees or GIANTS, and learning how to say “Ay, Oh!” & “Forgedaboudit!”

Patrick was fairly quiet in middle school and high school, and he didn't get into sports until high school when he joined the football team. At the suggestion of his football coach, he spent a season on winter track during which he participated in shot put and spent most of the type in the gym. He had sporadic bouts of running on the school track but never stuck with it.

CMM party w/ his P2T Coaches Brad & Lauren

Patrick attended University of Hartford, a small liberal arts college in CT, and majored in Communication (Broadcasting). He thought he would end up being a radio DJ, but once he graduated, he took a job in sales with a local company. As for college life, he pledged & joined a fraternity. Patrick did what most law-abiding fraternity guys do: partied and played intramural sports (particularly, flag football & street hockey). By his senior year, he had started working with some of the school’s teams and was PA (Public Address) for Women’s Volleyball & Men’s Lacrosse in the hopes of it being a resume builder. According to Pat, he never did put this skill to good use until he joined East Nasty. He can yell "car back" or "runner up" like a Boss.

Remember the sales job Patrick took after college? It's the same job he has now, only 19 years later. Technically, he's in manufacturing sales. What does he sell, you (and everyone else) ask? In most cases, Patrick tells people they really don’t want to know, but in simplest terms, he sells inspection tools to manufacturing companies so they can ensure that what they're making is correct.

Hangin’ with a big shot in the music biz...Tiffany

This Jersey boy has been running off and on (mostly off) since college. He really picked up running the summer before his senior year when he would run with his sister-in-law. That summer, he did a few 5Ks & 5 mile races, but once summer ended, so did his running . . . until he joined the P2T training in 2013. Patrick started the training for 2 reasons. First, he wanted to meet new people. Patrick moved to Nashville from Hartford, CT in Jan. 2011 with just his dog. Running with East Nasty has helped him gain so many new friends. Aside from a few people he knew before P2T, some of his closest friendships in Nashville were developed through East Nasty. His second reason for running was to improve his health. That first year of running, he realized how much healthier he had become. In fact, between P2T and the Country Music Half Marathon, he lost 30lbs and felt better physically and mentally.

From completing his first half marathon, CMM in April, to attending that first P2T training session in June 2013, Patrick has had multiple running accomplishments. His first Tomato 5K was a huge accomplishment for him since it helped him enjoy running again and paved the way to more running goals. His P2T coaches always motivated him to keep going; when he coached this year, he tried to draw from the experiences they gave him. Patrick often sees one or two of the people he coached, and it's always a big deal for him when they tell him that they enjoy running now too. Awesome job spreading the East Nasty running love, Patrick!

Patrick's first introduction to East Nasty is a pretty familiar one. Back in 2011, Patrick saw a large group of people running through the hood was on a hot July night. His first thought was “OK, these people have problems”. Last year, when he first ran the Nasty, he realized that the group he had seen 2 years earlier were finishing up the Nasty. Now he says he's one of those people with “problems”. Aren't we all?

As for what Patrick loves the most about East Nasty, it's getting out to see everyone on Wednesday nights, Saturday mornings, or training events. He honestly gets excited to spend time with the group and experience the energy. The success stories people have are amazing as well and really inspiring. Patrick's most memorable East Nasty experience is an easy one--turning the corner off Barclay and seeing Mt. Nasty for the first time. There is no doubt that anyone within ear shot could tell he was from Jersey by the language he used upon seeing it. We've all been there!

When he's not running and coaching, Patrick loves to cook, have a few craft beers every so often, golf, and soon enough, dabble in home improvement.

Congrats on your ENOW, Patrick, and remember, you were "Born to Run!" (Sorry, I couldn't resist)