4 like-minded, Rochester area athletes scratched their heads…
“How is it possible that the Rochester and Finger Lakes Region has such world class trail running and yet… there’s no website collecting all the information in one place and promoting trail running?”
#TrailsRoc was born on an idea and a dream. Meet the current board below.
Eric Eagan – (President and Founder) Eric is an avid and passionate runner living in Greece, NY. Eric tells his stories about the Western NY running scene in a unique way while sprinkling in his goals of motivating others to start running, keep running, and love running.When Eric is not running or writing about running at www.trailmethods.com , he is hiking the Adirondak Mountains, the Finger Lakes Trail, snowshoeing the trails and hills of Western NY, or canoeing the waterways of New York State.
Sheila Eagan (Secretary and Treasurer) – When she’s not running or hiking with Eric and their dog, Picasso, Sheila’s probably coming up with fun new race ideas (case-in-point: Ready, Set, Glow, Filthy Formal 10k, and Mess the Dress), baking for post-run snacks, dancing around the kitchen, or reading a book. Sheila is the Race Director for Many On The Genny a 40 mile ultra in Letchworth State Park.
Mike Valone (Vice President) has joined the #TrailsRoc crew after years of running and supporting area runners on the trails and on the roads. He has been known to “bleed orange” after any stumbles or falls on the trails and remains a site to see at all of his race finishes. Valone has developed a habit of creating a new “scream” for each race he completes. “Colonel Valone” as we call him is in charge of all merchandise and shirts for #TrailsRoc. If you have questions about our gear, let him know.
Todd Beverly (Trail Maintenance Co-Coordinator) — When he’s not working on trails or running on them, he enjoys bicycling and hiking. Rumors that he can fell trees by looking at them may or may not be exaggerated. He has never heard a dad joke that he doesn’t like..
Katie Gailey (Trail Maintenance Co-Coordinator) — Katie joined the team in 2020 as a way to give back to the running community. Trail advocacy is important for our current and future community to keep it sustainable for everyone to use. In addition to trail work, she can either be found running those trails, hiking, camping, kayaking, or plotting any kind of Type 2 fun activity.
Jeffrey McBeth (Technology and App coordinator) Jeff doesn’t like talking about himself. Just about anything else in this universe, though, and he’s in. He is however a father of 3 beautiful children and husband to one of the most caring women we have ever met.
Special Thanks to Founders Eric Eagan, Sheila Eagan, Ron Heerkens Jr, Sean Storie, and Ben Murphy
Ron’s adventures continue with GFMedia and the Beast Coast Film Series (among many others).
Ben will often be seen running stupid throughout the trails of upstate New York.
Sean can be found at any local XC/Track Meet or Ice Rink as he supports his children as they continue to find success in their own sports.
We would not be who we are without their involvement!
If you want to hear more of our stories, we’ve just about all been on the Running Inside Out Podcast:
Eric Eagan: More than one trail existed
Sean Storie: Expanding that Elasticity
Sheila Eagan: If it’s not puking, it’s crying
Mike Valone: I touched his yaris
Amy Lopata: Stupid is what we’re after
Laura Howard: Continue to be Awesome
Jeff McBeth: A good time to be a nerd
Ron Heerkens: You deserve this
Ben Murphy: A pretty dicey situation
Katie Gailey: Silencing Self-Doubt
#TrailsRoc 
February 24, 2013 at 12:39 am
cool website Ron! Wore the trailsroc shirt for today’s freezeroo finale! if possible, could you please get a map of the trail network of Cob’s Hill Park? Need all of the advantage I can get to retail a third place position in my age group. your father-in-law,
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May 25, 2013 at 3:11 am
How did I not know about this… This will be the summer of endurance building!
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May 28, 2013 at 1:40 pm
We would love to be a part of your endurance building!!
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May 25, 2013 at 10:09 pm
just stumbled onto this site and i’m thrilled to find it! Mendon Ponds Park and the Crescent Trail have kept me sane since i moved here a few years ago, but I didn’t realize there were so many other runners around. Hope to see y’all on the trails soon!
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May 28, 2013 at 1:40 pm
join us for a trail run sometime!!
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July 2, 2013 at 3:11 pm
Wow! This is amazing. I am a new runner – I run very much just for the fun and freedom of it. So I have A LOT of endurance building to work on. I think trail running would be spectacular. A feast for the soul and certainly a challenge to the competitor in me. Is it ok for a beginner to join up at one of the Tuesday Trots? I’d love to get involved and see how far i can go, and where this leads. Great job with the website and the information. Very inspirational, and triggers a great desire to GET OUTSIDE AND RUN!
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May 2, 2014 at 5:28 pm
Is there any age limit? My 15 year old is interested in trail running and this sounds perfect! I would be with her of course. 🙂
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May 8, 2014 at 11:57 pm
Diane, My granddaughter age 10 runs with us and has even participated in one of our races. We would welcome you both anytime. Try a Tuesday Trail Trot or the upcoming SAS (Slow and Steady) run.
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December 14, 2014 at 4:59 pm
[…] I even ran up a part of the horrible hill. As I came around to finish lap 2, I could hear the #trailroc crew cheering. Pretty sure I heard Eric say “…your coach hates you.” Probably […]
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March 15, 2015 at 12:02 pm
[…] Then Coach told me I could be good at stuff (before he was coach). Then I started running more with #trailsroc and Trail Methods came […]
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June 12, 2017 at 3:58 pm
[…] with the founders of TrailsRoc, the trail running mecca located in Rochester, NY. A group of amazingly talented runners started this group over 5 years ago and it has successfully put Rochester in a trail running boom. […]
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