Race Director Melissa McConville Wants to Help Caregivers Hone Their Strength in Running and Beyond

When Melissa McConville's first born was 12 weeks old, she went for her first run postpartum. After many sleepless nights and a few stressful moments navigating new motherhood, that run gave the event organizer a much needed exhale while she enjoyed a space that was just for her. 

Now as a mom of three living in Santa Cruz, California, McConville continues to prioritize running as a tool that helps her feel powerful and energized in every area of her life. 

“It's so important to make that space for yourself so that you can be your best self in all the other roles that you have,” McConville says. 

Through the races she founded, McConville hopes to share that message with other women, so they too can feel empowered through the sport. Since 2010, she's hosted the She.is.Beautiful 5K and 10K, a female-focused event open to all runners. At 24 years-old, she organized the event as one of the few women race directors in the country. To date, they’ve raised over $230,000 for local nonprofits. This year, the race is partnering with &Mother to bring critical resources for moms and caregivers, including a caregivers lounge, lactation spaces, and free childcare, so runners with children are able to participate with full support on race day. 

Ahead of the 13th annual event on March 18 in Santa Cruz, &Mother caught up with McConville to discuss the inspiration behind the race, how she became a trailblazer in the running industry, and the importance of providing support with mothers and caregivers in mind. 

&Mother: Tell us a little bit about your running journey and how you became a race director.

McConville: I started running in high school. Both of my parents ran. They did local races, but they weren't obsessive about it. I always had this idea that running is a tool you can use to feel empowered and strong in your body. I really took onto that idea and used it through high school and college at a recreational level. Running is how I met some of my best friends and my husband. 

After college, I worked in marketing at Whole Foods and event management. In my early 20s, I entered a phase where I was searching for my purpose and what I wanted to do with my life. I read the book called, The Secret, and got really into Oprah and vision boards. I've always been very passionate about doing something that excites me and contributes positively to the world on a larger level. When I was in this major search mode, I realized I should combine things that I love to do, and the race just came to me. 

This was in January 2010 and I wanted to put on the race in March 2010. It would be a women's race that's fun and inviting. Even though I was paying for this event out of my own pocket and offering my own money for prize money, I still thought it was important.  I also wanted my friends who hadn't run before to come out and experience how amazing movement can be and be inspired to incorporate it into their life. 

I learned a lot in that first year and there was so much I didn't know. At that point in the running industry, there wasn't a lot of education for race directing and there wasn't a big network, especially for women, to learn from. So, it was kind of a big learning experience on the job. It's been so fun to put on this event and be surrounded by so many incredible women from different walks of life that are all showing up to move together. I get chills when I think about it. There's just something about people who run that feel so connected to the sport, and they have their own personal reason for what inspires them to get out the door. But I think we all share the common feeling of being more connected to ourselves, more connected to the earth, to our community, and just this greater perspective when we move our bodies. And I think it's something that keeps us coming back. I think we can all connect to that greater purpose that running can bring us all together.

Now as a mom of three, how has running and your motherhood journey come together for you?

I had my first kid the year after I quit Whole Foods, and it was the fifth year of She.is.Beautiful. But moms have been top of mind since the beginning of the event. We've had a stroller division from the start. Even though I didn't have a kid myself at the first race, it was something I wanted to bring into that space. I wanted the whole woman or female population to be out there, whether it was the 90-year-old grandma, the new mom with her stroller, or the post-collegiate athlete running their fastest 5K. I wanted it to be a space for everyone. After I had my baby, I was able to be more empathetic to our mother participants. I remember putting on the first event with a baby and it was incredibly stressful. I had to plug my pump into the side of a building at 2 a.m.

Especially as a mom, running is my time, it's my space. It's where I get my power back, so that I can come home and be a great mom. The first run postpartum reminded me that running is a tool that helps me feel strong and powerful and gives me energy and I want to make sure I make this a priority in my motherhood. We've continued to share that message to our participants because so many women, mothers and parents in general forget how important it is to take that time for yourself and how doing so makes you a better parent.

What inspired you to partner with &Mother for this event?

Alysia has such a powerful voice. She's been such a strong role model for women and mothers specifically. I was so excited for her to take on this role with &Mother. I wanted to be connected with her mission because I think she's bringing such powerful change to the running industry. Having this be the standard would be so great as opposed to people coming to our event and being shocked there is a changing table, right? 

I ran the Solomon Women's Half Marathon last year and saw the partnership with &Mother, where they had free childcare. I realized there were so many people who could benefit from this, so we found Helping Hand, which does childcare for events. 

I remember the first time I trained for a marathon and my husband was gone on a Saturday that I needed to do a long run, and I paid $120 for childcare. It's something you don't think about when you don't have kids, but running isn't actually free. Look at all these different costs behind it. That perspective of being a mom, you realize they've all had to figure out childcare in order to make it to the start line feeling fit. 

What do you ultimately hope participants gain from the experience of being at She.is.Beautiful and utilizing the services that support moms and caregivers?

We want every single person to leave reminded of how strong they are. It's something we can all forget. I think there's something really empowering about moving our bodies and when you cross that finish line, you feel so amazing. We want you to take that feeling and bring it into all other aspects of your life, knowing you can do hard things. And we want to celebrate the joy that you feel in that moment, which can create amazing ripple effects. You can spread that in conversations you have with anyone else throughout the day. And there's opportunity, especially with some of these people who are using these services for moms and caregivers. They may not have access to that on an everyday basis. As a mom, if I want to show up as my best self, I need support. I cannot do it on my own. I see the privilege of being able to afford childcare or having a partner that can help me, but even with all of that, it's hard. Without that support, it would feel impossible. And so, I want to give some of these people who may not have that support, an opportunity to experience that. For us to have this moment to support these moms in this way feels really important, and I'm just excited for them to have this day where they can walk away feeling stronger than ever.