Jake Lepak
2024 Training Coach
Jake Lepak is an avid runner and coach. A native of St. Louis, MO, he attended Macalester College in St. Paul where he ran cross-country and track and field at the Division III level and graduated with degrees in Economics and Statistics.
Growing up, he primarily focused on soccer, wrestling and sprint events in track. A medical injury forced him to retire from soccer and wrestling and he gradually transitioned to distance running his sophomore year of high school. With distance running as his sole focus, he was able to take advantage of skills he learned from other sports and excel enough to receive an opportunity to run at Macalester College.
In college, he continued his development and experienced both success and failure. He was able to compete against some of the most talented runners in Division III through the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and his passions for excellence and performance continued to grow throughout his 4 years as a student athlete. While the COVID-19 pandemic did cut his college career short, his time at Macalester left more to be desired, so he continued on running as a way to find some peace during a time of confusion and chaos and looked to continue elevating his performance along the way.
Following his graduation, he received his RRCA coaching certification and continues to stay informed on the latest developments in the coaching sphere to inform his own training. He continues to train at a high level and has primarily focused on marathon and greater distances these past couple years. Some highlights include placing 16th at the Twin Cities Marathon in 2021 and 3rd in the Afton 50k trail race, sporting PRs of 2:40 and 4:18, respectively.
Outside of running and coaching, he works at U.S. Bank as a technical consultant. He is heavily involved with Special Olympics Minnesota, both as a coach for weightlifting and as a Young Professional Board Member, which acts as an extension to the Executive Board of Directors. He also has a wide range of interests and hobbies – from arts and crafts, to movies, reading, listening to podcasts, and much more!
He is passionate about supporting others so that they can reach their goals and building a large network of friends along the way. He continues to learn through a wide variety of resources and continually pursue educational opportunities to both inform his own running and work with athletes of all levels.