ZAP Endurance uses the power of community and passion to make its mark in the sport

There’s a small but mighty group of runners in Blowing Rock, N.C. that’s making a big splash in the running community, and have been doing so over the past 23 years.

The group is called ZAP Endurance, and they feature some of the best distance runners in the United States. While the group continues to make its mark in the sport, it’s founded by a love and passion that is felt and reciprocated from the community that surrounds the team.

ZAP Endurance was founded in 2001 by Zika Rea and her late husband, Andy Palmer. The goal of the group was to provide opportunities and support to post-collegiate distance runners, while also enhancing the local running community through various camps and gatherings that promotes running education and showcases the joy that comes with running. 

“What can we do to give some young, talented American athletes the opportunity to pursue running full time?” head coach Pete Rea said. “And our plan was to support a relatively small number of athletes – 10 to 12 athletes with everything that they needed to be able to focus most of their energies on their training without having to break the bank.”

The team has had 67 members since its launch in 2001. Rea has been there since the beginning to help coach them all to their full-potential. The surrounding community has helped boost the success of the group down through the years.

“We’ve created a real community of people who have allowed us to flourish and have allowed us to support five dozen athletes over the last 23 years,” he said.

ZAP Endurance doesn’t have an official shoe sponsor, or corporate sponsor at that. The group, which covers the salaries of the runners of the group, is funded based on donations from generous people in the community. Elite women’s marathoner Tristin Van Ord, who is a member of ZAP Endurance is grateful for the support that she and her teammates and coaches receive from the community.

“ZAP isn’t just a pro running team, we’re a family and a community,” she said. “I’ve made so many great relationships being here, not just with the other professional athletes, but with my coaches, ZAP campers, and ZAP donors. We’re so lucky to have such a great back-bone of support.”

ZAP Endurance is led by Rea, and assistant coach Ryan Warrenburg, who has been with the group for eight years. Rea and Warrenburg don’t operate by a one-size-fits-all coaching method, which has proven beneficial for the athletes that they’ve coached over the years.

“It’s been incredibly gratifying,” he said.” And I sort of view each athlete as a Rubik’s Cube. No one system works for everyone. And the job of my co-coach Ryan Warrenburg is to figure out which buttons to push to make the athletes perform well, stay healthy, and move.”

Van Ord, who ran collegiately for Appalachian State University, has continued to climb the ranks when it comes to the women’s marathon. She ran a lifetime best of 2:25.58 at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in 2023, and competed at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials back in February. The team at ZAP Endurance has had a big impact on her career, as she continues to reach her full potential as a runner.

“The team has been everything for me in my career so far,” she said. “Pete and Ryan took a chance on me as a 2:40 marathon runner and turned me into a 2:25 marathon runner who has world championship and Olympic dreams. I never could have made it to this level without ZAP.” 

Van Ord is not the only talented athlete that will have represented ZAP Endurance at the U.S. Olympic Trials this year. Ryan Ford and Andrew Colley will represent the group on the track in the men’s 10,000m, while Amanda Vestri will represent the group in the women’s 10,000m at the Trials that will be held in Eugene, Oregon from June 21-30.

In the case of Vestri, the talented young distance runner who was an All-American for Syracuse has shown that she’s a force to be reckoned with this season on the track and on the roads. Vestri recently was the first American to cross the finish line at the Mastercard New York Mini 10k. Earlier this season, she ran a new personal best of 31:10.53 at the Night of 10,000’s PB’s in London. 

Vestri credits her relationship with her coaches on what’s helped her when it comes to her preparation headed into her successful races so far.

“I didn’t have set expectations going in, but I will say the dynamic relationship I have with coach Pete and Ryan is unmatched,” she said. “We all know how to communicate with each other and they both understand my personality and what makes me feel confident going into a race.”

The city of Blowing Rock has less than 1500 people. But the great people of the small town are in perfect harmony with ZAP Endurance. Rea believes that the community’s presence is a part of the group’s identity.

“Blowing Rock has 1300 year round residents,” he said. “And we know most of them. And, and the vibe and the feel of the town is very much a big part of our DNA. We’re not a big city club, and I think there’s some real power in being in a relatively small town.”

The talent that the group produces is undeniable, and it will continue to be showcased at major meets, including the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene. When people think of ZAP, Rea wants people know that it’s a club that cares and takes of its own, but they also are helping the sport progress. 

“I hope they see a club that has an impact on the state of the sport, on every level at every age,” he said. “Both of those missions are equally as important to us.”