Brooks Running Company welcomed Michele Lee to the Hansons-Brooks Original Distance Project (ODP) as well as Marta Pen Freitas to the Brooks Beasts Track Club. The addition of these women deepens their teams’ growing rosters and showcases Brooks’ continued commitment to supporting the sport of running and its athletes.

“We’re incredibly excited to welcome these new athletes to their Brooks teams,” said Brooks Sports Marketing Manager Steve DeKoker. “Michele and Marta have successful records in their events, and we know they’ll continue to grow with Brooks. The Brooks Beasts Track Club and Hansons-Brooks ODP are pinnacle training groups for some of the world’s best athletes, and we continue to invest into both teams to inspire runners everywhere and to support the athletes in our sport.”

Lee, who competed for the University of Wisconsin, ran 2 hours, 30 minutes, 32 seconds at the 2018 U.S. Marathon Championships at the California International Marathon last month, finishing fourth and narrowly missing a bronze medal. Lee’s first marathon with the Hansons team will be the Boston Marathon this April.

“I can’t wait to start the next step of my running career with Kevin, Keith, and the rest of the Hansons-Brooks ODP. I never thought I would have the ability to join a team of this caliber! I trust their approach in long term development and I look forward to help carry on their tradition of great results from training smart.”

Pen Freitas competed for Portugal in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in the 1,500-meter run, the same year she won the NCAA title in the 1,500 competing for Mississippi State University. Pen Freitas is a 5-time Portuguese national champion.

“Joining the Brooks Beasts is an honor to me. When visiting for the first time I really felt a big connection to Brooks’ values and mission, so being able to represent that means a lot to me,” said Pen Freitas. “I’m very excited to be a part of a group of such talented and ambitious people. I truly believe that to grow, you have to challenge yourself and be surrounded by equally motivated people. When you put those people in such a prolific environment, the probability of achieving great things is really big.”

Current rosters for both teams follow below:

Brooks Beasts

  • Allie Buchalski
  • Katie Mackey
  • Marta Pen Freitas
  • Garrett Heath
  • Josh Kerr
  • Brannon Kidder
  • Dillon Maggard
  • David Ribich
  • Ryan Vail
  • Drew Windle
  • Henry Wynne
  • Izaic Yorks

Hansons-Brooks ODP

  • Chelsea Blaase
  • Michele Lee
  • Anne-Marie Blaney
  • Sydney Devore
  • Danna Herrick
  • Melissa Johnson-White
  • Jordan McDermitt
  • Dot McMahan
  • Olivia Pratt
  • Rachele Schulist
  • Shadrack Biwott
  • Brendan Gregg
  • Ian La Mere
  • Trent Lusignan
  • Ryan Mahalsky
  • Mike Morgan
  • Jonathan Mott
  • Dathan Ritznehein