Sharon Litschauer – President

As President of On A Shoestring, my goal is to help people increase the enjoyment of walking and running. I became involved with walking marathons over 10 years ago, after joining the Team in Training Program of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Since that time, I have completed 8 full marathons, 10 half marathons, 3 Century rides, and 1 Olympic Distance Triathlon. I am among a small group who has achieved the status of a Triple Crown recipient from The Team in Training Program. I have also participated in many local 5Ks, 10Ks, and sprint distance triathlons. I am a certified Coach with RRCA and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training Program. I enjoy working with people to allow them an opportunity to participate in an endurance event as a walker. When I am not at the store, I work as a Nurse Practitioner with Florida Cancer Specialists. I enjoy working with the community and currently am the Advocacy Chair for the local American Cancer Society on their Board of Directors and Secretary for the Executive Network of Manatee County.

Steve Litschauer - CEO

Steve oversees the daily operations of the store since he retired in December 2007 after 35 years in Law Enforcement / Public Safety in Manatee County. He brings many years of experience of organizational management and public relations to the business. Steve has completed 5 half marathons and 2 Century rides. Steve holds the following certifications: Road Runners Clubs of America (RRCA) – Running Coach, UAS Cycling – Coach, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of America – Walking Coach, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of America – Running Coach, FitSystem – Shoe Fitting. He also has been a Mentor (cycling, walking, running, and triathlon) for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of America since 2000 and has been the Chairperson and a Team Captain for American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life since 2000. Steve also holds a Teaching Certificate from the State of Florida, has contributed to, and has authored, a number of articles and has presented and instructed in Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Brazil, Argentina, and Canada, as well as throughout the United States. Steve is the President of Bradenton Runners Club, Vice Chairman of the Manatee Chapter of the American Red Cross, Vice Chairman of the Branch Board of Mangers of Bradenton YMCA, Bradenton Kiwanis, Manatee County Chamber of Commerce, Manatee County Better Business Council, Recipient of BEALL’S Corporation’s 2002 Humanitarian of the Year Award, Active Member - America On The Move Partnership.

Rae Ann Darling Reed – Vice President

Rae Ann is a certified running coach, president of RunnerGirl Inc., Webmaster and secretary of the Bradenton Runners Club, and vice president at On A Shoestring where she enjoys helping customers find just the right shoe as well as offering them training and injury prevention advice. Rae Ann coaches high school cross country and track plus runners of all ages at various endurance events. She has been running and competing since 1986 in cross country, track, and road races of all distances from the mile to the marathon. Rae Ann has completed 12 marathons including Boston three times and ran her last one in Monaco in 2001. She has also participated in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training program for several of her marathons. Rae Ann incorporates her personal experience with strength training, yoga, massage, and rehab from her own injuries to help others prevent and recover from injuries in order to become better, stronger runners. Rae Ann holds coaching certifications from USA Track & Field (USATF) Level 2, Road Runners Club of America (RRCA), American Sport Education Program (ASEP), and the State of Florida Department of Education for Athletic Coaching.

Mary Bellows – Assistant Manager

Mary is a recent graduate of Manatee High School, where she was a member of the Track and Field team, participating in the half mile and mile events. She is now a full time student at Manatee Community College. Mary loves working at OAS because she enjoys meeting new people, and helping them find what they need, and gets to meet many new friendly faces each day at work. When Mary is not at school or work she enjoys playing sports such as Ultimate Frisbee, and the most demanding sport of all, shopping!

Sayuri Beretta

Sayuri Beretta is a 2006 graduate of Lakewood Ranch High School. She ran three years of track and two years of cross country at Manatee High School, where she met a very inspirational person, Coach Darling Reed, who introduced her to the wonderful world of running. She attended and graduated from Manatee Community College in 2008 with her AA degree and transferred to the University of South Florida, where she is currently seeking her Business Degree. She plans to graduate in the fall of 2010. She started working at On A Shoestring in August of 2007, and has learned a tremendous amount about shoes, injury prevention, and nutritional products over the past two years.

Robert J. Petrillo

Robert loves being around people excited about running/walking, really he just loves being around fitness in general. When he was in making a purchase at On A Shoestring and noticed the help wanted sign he knew right away that it would be a perfect fit. Since then, Steve Sharon, Rae Ann, and Craig have all been large contributors to his knowledge of running and walking fitness gear. Robert looks forward to helping all sorts of people find the best fit possible when selecting any of the wonderful products at On A Shoestring. Robert also works for the United States Postal Service where he has been a Rural Carrier Associate for the past three years. He holds an Associate’s Degree in Commercial Photography from the Ohio Institute of Photography and Technology in Dayton Ohio. When he is not working or training for his own personal fitness goals, he photographs weddings and families in his spare time. Robert wasn’t much of an athlete in school growing up. He started running in his late twenties. He did it mainly for weight control and to help manage everyday stress. He joined the Bradenton Runners Club where he learned about what it takes to be a dedicated runner. Since then, he has run 5Ks, 10Ks, half marathons, and full marathons. In the past year he has learned how to swim; bought a bike to cross train and is presently training for his first half iron man triathlon.

Miles Laney - "Shoe Guru"

Miles has been an avid runner for over 10 yrs and is a returning college student. Running has been a primary "pillar" in his life. Following his father's and brother's footsteps, he got the "runner's high" at a young age and it's hard to get him off the track. His PRs, most of which came from high school and college, include: 400m - 51.3, 800m - 1:59, 1600m - 4:28, 5K - 15:41, 8K - 26:59, and 10K - 34:09. Miles is happy to be a team member at OAS. He loves the feeling of helping people in need of finding the right pair of shoes or athletic advice to reach their running/fitness goals. He is an enthusiastic "shoe guru!" With over 6 years of successful sales experience and a strong background in running shoes and products from previously working at running stores, he hopes to exceed your expectations. After finishing his degree in Business Marketing, he would like to pursue a career as a running specialty representative for a global organization. Miles' lifetime dreams would be to run the Antarctica Marathon and own a running store, which he would name the Runner's Lounge.

Craig Gibbs

Craig Gibbs has run 4 marathons, 12 half marathons, and numerous 5 and 10Ks. He enjoys talking with people about their training goals and helps them if he can. He also enjoys cycling (road or mountain), trail running, and working at the store part time. Oh, and he likes to talk about beer! Craig is a certified running coach with Runners Clubs of America (RRCA).

Lauren Wickman

Lauren is a graduate of Manatee High School and is currently attending the University of Florida majoring in Environmental Engineering. She was a member of Manatee’s track and field team for four years and a member of the Cross Country team for two years. Lauren loves working at On A Shoestring because she has an appreciation for how important the perfect shoe fit can be for someone who loves to run. When not running or in school, Lauren loves any sort of sporting event or activity, and cheering for the Gators.

Caroline Curran

Caroline is a student at Manatee High School. She has run varsity cross country and played varsity softball the past 3 years. She is also the secretary of the Red Cross youth program and the president of Anchor Club (a service club at manatee). She loves to run and loves working with people who share her passion. Caroline loves learning new things about the running world from the experts at On A Shoestring. In her spare time she loves relaxing with friends and spending time with her family.

Di Nelson

Diana Nelson is currently a student at Manatee High School where she is a member of the varsity cross country, basketball and track teams. At MHS, she is also the project coordinator of Key Club and Vice President of National Honor Society. Her favorite track events are the 1600 meter run and the 4x800 meter relay. She participates in many of the local road races and recently ran her first half marathon. She just started working at OAS this year and is very excited to be a part of the staff. She enjoys helping people that have the same love for running that she has. In addition, it allows her to broaden her knowledge on running shoes and learn about all of the different aspects that each pair has to offer.

Ryan Litschauer

Ryan has completed several 5K runs and walks, four half marathons including one in Anchorage, AK in summer 2008 and one sprint triathlon. He has attended several vendor based training sessions and enjoys helping people find the right shoe to fit their needs.

Laura Clay

Laura Clay got involved in walking in 2000; a year and a half after a serious accident injured her knee. She used the incentive of completing a marathon to bring her physically back from this injury and completed the Disney Marathon in January of 2001 with Team In Training. Laura then completed two half marathons before discovering the Breast Cancer 3-day. She has crewed the 3-day three years and in 2007 decided it was time to walk the 60 mile event. Laura is the captain of Save Our Ta-Ta's, the largest Bradenton 3-day team, which has grown from five ladies in 2007 to 17 in 2008. She completed two more half marathons to keep in shape for the 3-day during the off season. She is a Training Walk Leader for the 3-day, organizing numerous training walks throughout the season to keep her teammates and others motivated about training properly and effectively so that they can experience the best event possible. She rounds out her training with yoga and stretching, which she heads up at her church.