MEMPHIS FIT
By Lucy Harrison Photo by Tindall Stephens
Chris Clothier: Running for a Reason
Chris Clothier, a 48-year-old father of five (ages five to 18) and a partner at real estate investment company REI Nation, makes it sound easy to get up and run four to five miles every day—despite that being a daunting idea for most of us.
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This Dallas native is a lifelong athlete and runner. His family moved to Memphis in 1986, and his athletic career continued to flourish. Chris started on the varsity soccer team at Germantown High School as a freshman and went on to play at the University of Memphis. Post-college, Chris
began coaching competitive soccer, training children of all ages for 25 years. Currently, Chris’s fitness routine centers on running, and a typical jaunt is four to five miles. While most runners love to track their progress on Fitbit or Strava, Chris’s approach is unique. “I run without a watch or anything. A good way to ruin a great run is by worrying about metrics like distance and speed.” Although balancing fitness and family isn’t always easy, he says that focus and
prioritization are essential to maintaining balance. “My kids, wife, business, and health are all a priority,” Chris explains. “It’s just a matter of not falling into the trap that time is a limiting factor, and knowing that you may have to sacrifice those extra miles in order to spend time with the family.” Chris believes in ensuring that, above all else, every run feels good. “It’s hard to make running a habit when you’re overly focused on how fast you’re going; you’ve got to just do what feels good,” Chris says.
