Drew Ozuna
CULTURE. RUN CLUB LEAD.
What people see: the PRs, the leadership role, the growth.
What they don’t see: the internal battles, identity shifts, and mental skills required to sustain it.
Building More Than Miles
Where are you now and what are you currently building or pursuing?
I’m currently the run club lead for CULTURE. RUN CLUB., where I’m focused on building more than just a weekly run, I’m growing a community. Every Saturday is part of something bigger, and I’m quietly working on what’s next (it’s a surprise). On the personal side, I’m chasing a Boston Qualifier and lining up for my fourth marathon this spring at the Eugene Marathon.
What milestone do people usually focus on?
People usually focus on my growth within the CULTURE. community. What started inside the studio has grown into something much bigger, especially since we launched RUN CLUB in spring 2025 and it quickly became one of our strongest pillars.
They also highlight my racing milestones. I ran a 1:46:31 PR at the Race to Robie Creek Half Marathon, known as the toughest half marathon in the Northwest, and a 3:08:46 marathon PR at the Ogden Marathon both in 2025.
The Path Wasn’t Linear
Was this always the dream?
It is something I discovered along the way, but the desire to make an impact in the fitness world has always been there. College baseball first showed me what it meant to chase something bigger than myself. When injuries ended that chapter, CrossFit carried the torch and deepened my love for training and community.
After five years of CrossFit and more injuries, I realized running was where I felt most alive. My father was an elite marathon runner, and growing up watching his journey planted the seed long before I knew it. Stepping into his footsteps felt less like a choice and more like a calling.
What required more patience than expected?
Learning to trust myself took the most time. Trusting my ability, my knowledge, and my strength did not come overnight. Neither did understanding what I am truly good at and what I still need to improve.
I also had to learn how to listen to my body in a deeper way. Not just physically, but mentally too. That awareness changed everything and taught me that patience is part of the process, not a pause from it.
What did progress look like before results showed?
Progress looked like learning how to stop punishing myself for falling short. I have always been hard on myself, whether it was striking out on the baseball field, missing a lift, falling short on a workout, or not hitting a mile split.
Over time, I realized that when things are not working, it is not the end of the world. It is feedback. It is an opportunity to learn, adjust, and go back to the drawing board with more clarity than before.
Strength You Don’t See
The hardest internal battle?
The hardest internal battle was learning to stop comparing myself to others. I placed too much pressure on myself and tied my worth to performance instead of progress.
Letting go of comparison taught me to run my own race, trust my path, and measure success by growth rather than perfection.
A moment of doubt?
Yes, there was a moment that truly tested me. In October 2024, I ran the Portland Marathon, my first real attempt at a Boston Qualifier. I trusted my training and felt ready, but at mile 17 I blew out my quad and my race was over.
That moment shook me. I questioned everything. Did I do enough. Am I built for this. What am I doing wrong.
What helped me move forward was choosing to believe that one race does not define me. Injuries happen, but they do not erase the work. I learned to separate a single outcome from my purpose and let resilience, not fear, guide the next step.
Managing pressure
Most of the pressure was self imposed. Being seen as a running expert created an expectation I felt every day. When people knew my goal was to qualify for Boston, I felt the weight of needing to prove that I was truly the guy.
I learned to manage that pressure by shifting my focus. Instead of trying to validate myself through one result, I returned to why I started. I trust my process, stay grounded in my work, and remind myself that growth is louder than any label.
Commitment without motivation
Staying committed meant leaning on my community when my own motivation ran out. Training can feel lonely when you try to do it alone, but surrounding myself with like minded people changed everything.
Even after long days at work when I had no energy to move, showing up with friends who believed in me made it easier to keep going. The running community reminded me that consistency is not built alone. It is built together.
The Mental Skills Behind the Milestone
The mental skills that showed up most for me were confidence, self talk, resilience, and acceptance. Confidence helped me trust the work I was putting in. Self talk shaped how I responded to hard moments. Resilience kept me moving forward when things did not go as planned. And acceptance taught me how to grow without fighting the process.
Together, they changed how I show up in both running and life.
Relationship with failure
My relationship with failure has completely changed. I no longer see it as something negative. I see it as something necessary. Failure is feedback. It shows me where I can grow and how to move forward with more purpose.
A defining mindset shift
Yes, there was a clear mindset shift that changed everything. It happened about halfway through my Ogden Marathon training. While the goal was still to qualify for Boston, I realized the pressure I was putting on myself was pushing me toward burnout.
That is when I changed my language from I have to run to I get the opportunity to run. I took a more relaxed approach and trusted the process. That shift paid dividends and helped me fall in love with the journey again.
Identity Beyond Performance
Redefining success
I had to redefine what success meant to me. I learned that it does not always have to be tangible. Sometimes success is growth, consistency, and showing up with intention, even when there is nothing to measure yet.
How this journey changed him
This journey has made me more grounded, more patient, and more self aware. I no longer define myself only by performance or results. I define myself by how I show up, how I grow, and how I treat the process.
Running did not just change what I do. It changed how I see myself and what I believe I am capable of.
Reflection
I would tell my younger self that I am proud of you. Even when it feels impossible, you are on the right path and exactly where you are supposed to be.
You are not behind. You are becoming. Your path does not have to look like anyone else’s to be meaningful. Trust that every step you are taking is preparing you for what is next.
Rapid Fire
A belief you had to unlearn: That my worth is tied to performance.
A moment you almost quit: After getting injured at the Portland Marathon while chasing my Boston Qualifier.
One mental habit you rely on now: Positive self-talk when things get hard.
Strength means ___ to you now: Showing up even when it is uncomfortable.
One thing people underestimate about success: How much patience it really takes.
The Strength People Don’t See
The strength I wish people understood better is the courage it takes to walk away from a life that no longer feels aligned. I was on a path that was not truly mine. I was not surrounding myself with the right people, I was not taking care of myself, and I was constantly seeking validation instead of purpose.
At the start of 2023, I completed 75 Hard, and that became a turning point. It forced me to slow down, take responsibility, and be honest with myself about the life I wanted to live. That was the moment I decided I needed to change and find my footing again.
Having the strength to change my lifestyle is what defines who I am today. It brought me healthier habits, meaningful friendships, and a much stronger relationship with myself. More than anything, it taught me that growth begins the moment you choose yourself.
