The Bowery Bunch team comprised of physicians from Cardiology, Dermatology, Gastroenterology, Neurosurgery and Sports Medicine.
The leaves changing color from green to golden hues signals the excitement of fall and the return of one of Akron’s favorite seasonal traditions, the First Energy Akron Marathon.
Five provider teams, sponsored by medical staff services, joined nearly 14,000 First Energy Akron Marathon participants on Sept. 27 in the relay team event. This is the second year that medical staff services provided marathon sponsorship opportunities. Criteria to be sponsored included having at least 3 or more providers (physician or advanced practice) rostered on a marathon team. Sponsored teams were selected by random drawing.
The effort was led by the sports and leisure subcommittee of provider resilience. The subcommittee organizes activities to bring providers together, in person, for fitness and community events.
Team Distance and Distress Tolerance gathered at the finish line with their medals.
Leading the mix of physicians and advanced practice providers of the sponsored teams included:
Team name: Distance and Distress Tolerance
-Shana Schuler (captain) (PhD, Psych), Krista Caldwell (PhD, Psych), Allyson Weldon (PhD, Psych), Allison Burke, (PhD, Psych) and Mallory Zehe (PsyD, Psych)
Team name: Milestone Movers
-Kristen Stefanski (captain) (MD, NDSC), Jessica Foster (MD, FAAP, NDSC), Jackie Branch (MD, FAAP), Carolyn Muha (MSN, APRN-CNP, NDSC) and Sarah Delahanty (PhD, MBA; Administrative Director Subspecialty Practices)
Team name: MV Marvels
-Wendy Gill (captain) (APRN-CNP MV Hospital Medicine), Allie Schule (PhD, ABPD, Psych), Brooke Crawford (Hospital Medicine), Caitlyn Hadley (RN, BSN) and Katie Bakkum (MD, Hospital Medicine)
Team name: Running the ACH PICU
-Kalyn Seislove (captain) (MSN, APRN-CNP, PICU), Christopher Page-Goertz (MD, PICU), Danielle Maholtz (DO, PICU), Zachary Goldstein (MD, PICU) and Claire Hanson (MD, PICU)
Team Name: The Bowery Bunch
-Zaid Khatib (captain) (MD, Sports Medicine), Corey Scherer (DO, Gastroenterology), Kathyrn Wheller (MSN, APRN, Cardiology), Emily Kapper (PA-C, Neurosurgery) and Christina Cernik (MD, FAAD, Dermatology)
Cochairs of the sports and leisure subcommittee, Cody McCullough (APRN-CNP, Emergency Room) and Marlene Thompson (MSN, APRN-CNP, Rheumatology) are hopeful that this opportunity builds on the marathon tradition and motivates colleagues to join future marathon relay teams, support volunteer efforts such as the first aid tent or participate by cheering on runners during the race weekend.
Below are some insights from captains of the medical staff sponsored teams.
Team: Distance and Distress Tolerance
Q: How did you select your team’s name?
A: “It was born out of a psychotherapy concept (distress tolerance), which also applies to training and running races,” explained team captain, Shana Schuler (PhD, Psych). “Tolerating distress, which one may feel on the course, happens through positive coping mechanisms such as acceptance and mindfulness.”
Team: The Bowery Bunch
Q: What keeps the team motivated during training and on race day?
A: “We each knew a few team members, but no one knew the entire crew prior to us coming together. With most of us going to meet for the first time, in person, on race day, we did a lot of planning via email and group text,” said Zaid Khatib (MD, Sports Medicine), who served as team captain.
For training, each teammate worked to stay injury-free. This was achieved with varying levels of success over the summer, but on race day, everyone put out a killer performance and enjoyed time together in the finisher’s area.
Group text was key on race day to coordinate the hand-off and update our progress throughout each leg of the race.
“I found the texts uplifting and motivating as I ran my leg for The Bowery Bunch,” said Khatib, who then went on to finish the marathon.
The following questions include responses from three teams:
Q: How did the team come together to design your race shirt?
A:
Distance and Distress Tolerance: “We decided to go with a rainbow theme with each teammate wearing a different color to represent positivity, harmony and balance,” said Schuler.
Running the ACH PICU: “The team wore blue shirts made by a hospital vendor that featured the team’s name and Akron Marathon Relay 2025 on the front and the hospital logo on the back,” shared Seislove.
The Bowery Bunch: “First, the team used ChatGPT to help design a logo,” explained Khatib. “For the next step, our team enlisted the help of colleague and athletic trainer, Kyle Harper, who brought the design to life and was able to print the shirts. We are so grateful for Kyle’s assistance.”
Q: What has this process taught the team and any post-race reflections?
A:
Distance and Distress Tolerance: We are all proud that we prioritized our personal wellness. From signing up to training and competing in the marathon, we came together with the support of our colleagues who know what our job entails better than anyone.
MV Marvels: “We had an incredible experience,” shared Wendy Gill, who expressed gratitude for the medical staff sponsorship. “Our team finished 44 out of 93 all-female teams. Our team comprised of two participants who had never competed in running a race prior to the marathon.”
Running the ACH PICU: Seislove shared, “We are all proud of completing the race and having more in the tank to give at the end of each of our portions. We’re already looking forward to next year!”
The Bowery Bunch: “It was a great chance to meet and interact with providers with whom we often share patients but rarely cross paths,” said Khatib.
