Jacqueline De Berry Spotlight
ONE THING RUNNERS have in common, despite most other things, is their ability to suffer better. This isn’t a bad thing, either. In fact, it’s pretty admirable. Physical exhaustion, mental exhaustion, searching through the depths of your body and soul to simply keep going, and going and going—it’s inspiring and it’s all a part of it. Whether you’re running away from problems or sprinting towards your goals, a runner’s heart is strong and unique; it beats differently. Jacqueline De Berry knows this first hand.
From qualifying and conquering major marathons like Boston, Chicago and NYC to running less traditional (extremely epic), unsanctioned races like The Speed Project, Jacqueline De Berry has been on a roll the past few years in the world of running and has found a new level of support and performance with Lasso running socks hugging her feet along the way. But like many of the greatest things in life, often the rewards of these feats come with struggles to overcome, roadblocks to hop over and hiccups to scare away all the same. Yet, without these challenges, there’d be no way to gauge the good!
Known by many as JDB, Jacqueline has lived up and down the east coast, from NYC to Florida for the majority of her life, and tells us with a laugh, “I’m originally from New Jersey, although I hate to admit that." She is currently living in NYC and is an active member of the New York running community, where she participates in weekly runs and is currently spreading some Lasso love around the east coast.
Who remembers 2020? Let’s rewind to that strange year. Like most people, Jacqueline had her fair share of struggles during the pandemic, whether mentally, physically or both. With all races being canceled and parting ways with her longtime career, she was on a mission to find new ways to stay positive while motivating herself to keep running and create a new routine. “I had to redefine what my professional and athletic journey looked like moving forward,” she tells us. “Firstly, all races were canceled for the unforeseeable future so I had to motivate myself to keep running and not fall into a rut/stop. And then, secondly, from having to leave one job where I thought that was it and my ‘family’ for life.” Hearing this made me think — whether you can relate or not, a handful of us were forced to roll with the punches during these trying times, but with them came plenty of resilience, newfound friendships and new avenues of inspiration. Jacqueline tells us it was the NYC running community (BRidge Runners and Old Man Run Club) who really saved her from a potentially dark place. Thankfully, with the dark, tends to comes the light. “During the pandemic, my good friend brought me to my first Bridge meet up and the rest was history,” she explains. “I knew I found my new home and lifelong family friends.”
The years following the pandemic have been a little different for everyone, but there’s no denying the surge of enthusiasm in the health and wellness world that followed along with it. It seems like the whole world woke up and decided it was time to get in shape, get moving and get motivated, which has been amazing to witness. From at-home workouts to another surge in running, the entire world is moving more than ever and we’re glad to be moving with you all.
“Running is probably my favorite thing to do to stay active or Stay Moving,” Jacqueline tells us. “A running joke with my friends is that you can catch me on Strava and not so much on Instagram if you want to see what I'm up to or find me.” Jacqueline typically runs anywhere from 40-50 miles per week and when she’s training for a race, that number is closer to 50-75 miles per week, an amount any runner (or person) can respect. “Aside from running, I do love yoga (Y7) and Solidcore,” she adds. “I also try to incorporate some mobility/stretching as much as I can into my routine with all the miles that my body endures.”
“I had to redefine what my professional and athletic journey looked like moving forward."
Marathons. A feat many accomplish once and throw in the towel, or a unique opportunity to race yourself year after year. Despite your reasoning, marathons take training and a real lifestyle shift—general health, eating habits and taking the time to let your body and muscles recover along the way. Running 26.2 miles without stopping is a physical accomplishment not everyone gets to experience, but a reward unlike many for those who do. “So far, I've run 4 marathons including Chicago, NYC 2x, and most recently Boston,” says Jacqueline. “My first marathon was the NYC Marathon in 2019 where I first BQ’d [qualified for the Boston Marathon] with a 3:26:14. Little did I know, that BQ time would not be enough of a window to guarantee a bib for 2021.” This little hiccup was minor however, and simply motivated Jacqueline to ensure she’d make it happen the next time around. She adds, “So when I ran the NYC Marathon in 2021, I made sure to BQ again and finished with a 3:16:28, which would give me plenty of room.” With her sights set on Berlin or London this fall, as well as Tokyo in the near future, Jacqueline is well on her way to completing all of the Abbott World Majors to earn herself the 6-star medal. “I'd also love to do the SF Marathon eventually just to run over the Golden Gate Bridge,” she mentions.
Another thing most runners have in common is their love (and at times, slight obsession) for performance gear. The right shoes, socks and clothing can really make or break a good run, especially when training for things like marathons and ultras. We can’t stress enough here at Lasso how important strong foot and ankle health is, and we love seeing athletes like Jacqueline really pushing the limits in our performance running socks, when she’s training, participating or recovering. “Proper gear is super important. Especially as I get older, I want to make sure what I wear is helping me achieve maximal potential with little risk,” says Jacqueline. “Before I got into ‘training’ I would just wear whatever was clean. Nowadays, I swear by Lasso socks and hate running in anything else.”
“Proper gear is super important. Especially as I get older, I want to make sure what I wear is helping me achieve maximal potential with little risk.”
“I was actually first introduced to Lasso by a good friend, Lindsey Clayton," Jacqueline mentions. "From Brave Body Project as I used to run with the Brave Body Project Run Club. Lindsey mentioned that I would really like Lasso and now I can't imagine running in anything else.”
Jacqueline doesn’t only wear Lasso when it’s time to put in work—she is also one of the many athletes out there who have been able to use Lasso’s compression benefits to assist with a recent ankle injury. When we say move better, feel better and recover safer—we mean it! “I actually sprained my ankle coming off of a 22-miler training run over the summer right before the Chicago Marathon,” explains Jacqueline. “My PT suggested that I wear a compression sock when sleeping so I obviously used Lasso and do think it made a huge difference in helping to get better quicker.”
Jacqueline's 2019 pre pandemic goals—Boston marathon & The Speed Project—finally came to fruition this year. Now she's simply plotting what the future holds so she can get to work on what’s next. "In May, to keep up with running/having fun, I did the Women Take The Bridge relay race and then the NYRR BK 1/2 Marathon is on the coming up. I'll also be doing the Orchard Street Runners Midnight Half, which I'm pumped about. It's my first OSR unsanctioned race." Jacqueline also tells us she's aiming to take on more of these fun, less traditional unsanctioned races in 2022 and beyond, adding, "After completing The Speed Project, I'm all about these wild, fun, and unsanctioned races now. My current career is also coming to an end this summer so I will be starting to explore new possibilities soon. So, stay tuned on all fronts!"
"When observing negativity or something is out of my control/doesn't go as planned, I try to take a step back and not absorb it into my own life.”
We’re excited for the future and glad to have an athlete (and all-around epic human) doing incredible things in Lasso socks; someone who epitomizes our Stay Moving mantra and a positive personal outlook all the same. “Observe, don't absorb,” Jacqueline concludes. “You can't control everything. So when observing negativity or something is out of my control/doesn't go as planned, I try to take a step back and not absorb it into my own life.” A notion, I believe, we can all take away from this story.
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