About us

Get to know us

RunningQuest was founded in 1998 under the name ?No Sweat?, meaning to train hard is just that "No Sweat". However the name never really stuck and fizzled out. I continued the private training without a name. I knew I needed a name and one autumn evening in 2004 I sat down with my wife and we began to create various names. After a few created flops I began to ask questions as to what I as a runner would want if I were looking for a private coach. I asked the question "What do all runners want?" The answers were 1. To get faster, 2. To run long, 3. To lose weight, 4. To reach a specific goal race and do well. After an hour of creating names the answer was simple. Runners all had different goals but their specific goal was their quest or their "Holy Grail" or better yet their "RunningQuest"

Once the name was set I began the task of creating a logo. I played around with many different logos. I initially began with an owl feather, which represents me for the Owl is my spirit animal. But no one understood that and I tired of explaining it so back to the drawing board. I began to look at other running logos from other teams. Finally I sat at the computer and began to design what is now the current logo with the Running man in front of the word RunningQuest. Blue is my favorite color, which is why I created the running man in blue.

Next was how to get the word out. My friend James of IRUNMAN-HQ took on the challenge of designing this website and we went live in 2010. Thank you very much James.

About RunningQuest

So what sets RunningQuest apart from all other types of running workouts? RunningQuest is not only choosing a goal and reaching it through hard work and determination but also reaching that goal through Play Running.

What is Play Running? Play running is exactly what it says running and playing to get fit. As children growing up prior to 1980 we would play games in the streets or the park that today can be used as workout. Many of those games have been lost due to lack of interest, PE classes and the invention of various computer games.

When I was growing up in the late 1960's and 1970's computer games were not yet invented. I was raised with board games, etch-a-sketch and Duncan yo-yos. The only active board game in existence was Twister.

I grew up playing more active games such as Frisbee, Kick the Can, Freeze Tag, Red Rover and many more. What all these games had in common was running. As children in the 70's we were in shape and never stopped to think why.

Today with all the new innovations in training and high tech devices to make life easier for us, people have the opportunity to be in fantastic shape or in very bad shape. I do not like to use all the electronic gadgets or devices. I will when a workout requires a device such as a heart rate monitor but for the most part I run my workouts E-free (electronic free) or my term "running naked".

Attention spans are now very short for many people. I find that if some runners are not listening to their playlist, or fiddling with their smartphone during a run they soon get bored. So to keep things fresh and interesting I like to incorporate games like the ones I grew up with and many more so people can have fun getting in shape.

I also for many years I studied the art of Chinese Martial Arts or specifically Kuan Chuan Fa Chinese Kung Fu. A big part of this style was learning to know my body through meditation. I have carried over this knowledge and try to incorporate into running relaxation techniques and to teach runners how to feel. Running is not just placing one foot in front of the other at a fast pace. Running is an experience and comes from the heart. I use running as a meditation to reach a higher plane and experience oneness with all of what is around. I call this The Way of RunningQuest or the Tao of RunningQuest.

How do you get started? You must take that first step by contacting me and I will take it from there.

A bit about Bob

I was born to run, cycle and swim. I love activity and feel unfulfilled when I do not get some type of aerobic workout in daily. I am not a fanatic but I am passionate.

As a child and now as an adult I know I am impatient. I ran to get places but I found that I could not get from point "a" to point "b" fast enough. So I forced myself to run faster, bike harder and swim better. I used any excuse to workout.

In elementary school I ran during recess and played red rover, barnyard, and kickball. When I got home I played kick the can, freeze tag, baseball and rode bikes every chance I got. If I was not running I was riding the bike. If I was not riding the bike I was skating. And during the weekends I was swimming at Santa Ana College pool where my mom had enrolled my older sister and me in swimming lessons.

When I reached high school I attended Mater Dei in Santa Ana and I joined the track team during my sophomore and junior year. I ran the 100m, 200m and did the pole vault. I enjoyed it but during my senior I chose to give it up to have a fun year with dances, senior plays and other senior activities.

When I graduated high school I realized one of my passions that every kid in the 70's knew, martial arts and to be like Bruce Lee. I watched all Bruce's movies and wanted to learn kung fu like him. I did some research and found a school in Tustin called Kuan Chuan Fa. I enrolled and began to study the way and learned to be in tune with my body and how to feel everything with the universe. I learned about meditation and how to bring out my power using my Chi. I studied for three years and became a senior student.

During my brief martial arts training, I began to run again to keep in better shape. I began to run 45 minutes to an hour a day. Soon I ran so much that I began to neglect my martial arts training. It was then that I realized that I had rekindled an on old flame.

After graduation and during my martial arts training I began working at Disneyland. It was not until a few years working at Disneyland that I found out that the park held an annual 5k race for the cast members. I had never run a 5k before and frankly did not even know how far it was. Regardless I decided to enter and run it. I did not have any fancy running clothes. In fact I wore swim trunks and a cotton Mickey Mouse t-shirt with the arm cut off. I wore Kangaroo athletic shoes because I liked the pocket on the side. I ran the 5k with little training only casual running and placed 3rd overall. Needless to say I was hooked on road racing. I ceased my martial arts training and I began training and running to prepare for 5k's all over the county.

I realized I loved running and found out there were a lot of other people like me who shared the same passion for running. I entered 5k all over the county but was picky about the ones I chose. I chose a race to get a good shirt or finisher prize.

In the 1980's running races was serious stuff. There were no finisher medals just for completing the event. Or what I call medals because everyone is a winner. We are not kids and if you wanted a medal you had to earn it by running well. I only entered races when I knew I was ready to run, race and compete. I ran to win. I placed in 90% of my races. Winning my division was common place. However I was not happy with that, I wanted an overall win. I usually placed in the top 7 for most of my races. An all out win was tough but I kept pushing.

I began to train hard and focus only on running and how to get faster. I have learned a lot since that first race at Disneyland and all from personal experience. I have read many books that only confirmed all that I already knew. I am officially certified by USATF, RRCA and ISSA.

In my training sessions I will make you work hard, play hard and sweat hard. You may not like me but you will see results. I will focus on your training for you and do my best to keep you focused. But you must work hard and you must listen. I cannot work with someone if that person does not have complete confidence in my training methods or if someone is always questioning my methods and is constantly trying to test me.