Mentors

What is TeamAsha Mentor Program?
All TeamAsha runners are paired with a mentor for their weekday workouts. A TeamAsha mentor is a personal guide, confidence booster, philosopher and a friend you can approach at all times. Mentors take it upon themselves to motivate, inspire and initiate newbies into the sport of running and the challenge of fund-raising. From a training perspective, mentor is a liaison between the coach and the runner. Mentors help the coaches identify runners who need immediate attention while keeping track of each of their mentees training schedule and running pace(s). From a fund-raising perspective, the mentor provides support and fund-raising resources to his/her mentees.

Who can be a Mentor?
A mentor is an experienced runner who has successfully completed at least one marathon with TeamAsha and have fulfilled his/her fundraising goals. Mentors should have the passion to help new folks discover the joy in long distance running.

How does a mentor benefit?
A mentor gets an insight into the art of motivation and teaching. As many previous mentors testify, it is fun to introduce a person to running and help them avoid the pitfalls that a beginner would typically face. The joy and satisfaction is in seeing all of their mentees succeed by completing a marathon and also raising funds for a great cause. Mentors get discount off their fund-raising target. Each mentor will go through a training program focused on running and effective mentoring.

Mentor Testimonials : Balu Vellanki
2008 was my first year with TeamAsha SV. My amazing mentors at Baylands Park taught a nervous me how to stay calm and confident. They guided me through best running practices, apparel and nutrition. Their dedication inspired me to volunteer as a mentor every year since 2009. Being mentor has been a tremendous learning experience. Our coaches made sure that, as mentors, we are knowledgeable and well informed and about running. While I passed on this knowledge to my mentees, they taught me how to be disciplined, dedicated and selfless.

The pure thrill and joy of watching a complete beginner in April finish the SF half marathon with a big smile on his/her face is priceless. I hope every experienced runner volunteers to be a mentor and experience this feeling at least once in a lifetime.