Our Story
Our story begins with another organization. In 2005, Michael Harlow founded Endorphin Fitness with the goal of impacting the lives of young people through fitness. Specializing in youth triathlon and run coaching, Endorphin Fitness grew rapidly and Michael became a leading national youth coach (2012 US Youth Triathlon Coach of the Year). With the goal of impacting young peoples’ lives foremost, Endorphin Fitness empowered their athletes with the phrase “Be More – Live Red.” This phrase means to give 100% to your training but then allow the lessons learned to make you better in the other areas of your lives (as a student, sibling, and friend). In 2017, Michael was struck with the impact Endorphin Fitness was having in the lives of young people but was unsettled that only well-off families were able to participate. He set out to change this, and Live Red Foundation was born!
Live Red Foundation empowers children in low-opportunity communities throughout Richmond, VA by teaching them life skills through free fitness programs. In 2021, we provided over 100 programs which reached over 5,500 children! We fund our programs through corporate sponsorships, individual donations, and through the proceeds from a series of youth run and multisport events. These events further our mission of empowering children and are critical to our fundraising efforts.
Our Team
Board of Directors
Lenora Mariner
Lenora Mariner was born and raised in Akron, Ohio. She earned a BS in Chemical Engineering degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, and a MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University, in Richmond, VA. She is currently employed at Estes Express Lines where she wears the title of Director, Employee Development and Training, Support. She is active in her church and enjoys participating in endurance sports. In her spare time she enjoys traveling and solving Suduko puzzles.
Allan Ng
Allan Ng joins the Live Red Foundation Board for its explicit commitment to bringing the sport he loves—triathlon—to an often-overlooked population and/or unable to access or afford all the sport entails. Allan has built a career in hospitality, seeing firsthand the importance of diversity, inclusivity, and communication for team effectiveness, both in the restaurant and on the course. He is excited to use his skill set to advance the vital work of the foundation. Allan has been involved with Endorphin Fitness since he lived in Richmond, VA, in the early 2000s. He has remained committed to the group because of his love of the sport and the sense of community and camaraderie that fitness offered. Ng is excited by the opportunity to help ensure that a fitness community is available to the broader Richmond area it serves and welcomes the chance to see Live Red Foundation morph into a true ambassador for fitness as a tool for community connectedness and integration. Allan lives with his wife (Noelle), son (Henry), and corgi (Theo) in Arlington, VA; when he’s not racing around courses or restaurants, he enjoys a weekend at home with friends and family and whatever latest home project he has going on.
Parker Spencer
Parker Spencer (Tempe, AZ) is a USA Triathlon Level III Certified Coach and certified Exercise Physiologist through the American College of Sports Medicine. He came to USA Triathlon from his alma mater, Liberty University, where he served as the head coach of the men’s swimming & diving, men & woman’s cycling, and men & woman’s triathlon teams while managing five assistant coaches and 74 athletes. In addition to his role at Liberty, Spencer held various positions with Endorphin Fitness from 2012-16 including as Director of Coach Operations, Head Coach of Adult Programs and Junior Elite High-Performance Draft Legal Coach. In his first two years as the Project Podium Head Coach his athletes had two World Cup top 5’s, six continental cup podiums (21 top 10 finishes), one junior continental championship podium, one Pan American Games qualifier, four Junior/U23 World Championship qualifiers and one Tokyo Olympic Test Event qualifier.
Yolanda Hall
Yolanda Waymer Hall, MEd, CLC, is a native New Yorker who is a graduate of VCU. She holds a Master of Education degree in Guidance & School Counseling and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. Her passion and purpose are to promote and empower healthy development and overall wellness in young people so they can live their best life on purpose. She currently serves as a Prevention Coordinator at Henrico Area Mental Health – Prevention Services, she is a Certified Life Coach who specializes in working with teens and young adults, and she brings with her, 16 years of experience as a Professional School Counselor. Yolanda organizes community-based afterschool programming for youth, parent education, community empowerment and trains educators and community groups on creating environments that promote wellness for youth. Additionally, she provides training in the areas of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Awareness, Mindfulness and Self-Care.
Leadership
Michael Harlow
Michael Harlow wears a lot of hats. He is a husband, father to seven, leader of two local organizations, and an athlete. In 2005, Michael Harlow started Endorphin Fitness which prepares kids and adults of all levels for youth and adult triathlon and running events. Through Endorphin Fitness, Michael coached athletes at the highest level nationally and witnessed the impact of sports in the lives of young people. In 2018 though, Michael became unsettled with the fact that he was only working with kids from well-off families when ALL kids need fitness and what it teaches. In response, he started the Live Red Foundation. Live Red Foundation offers free fitness programs which teach core life skills to children in low-opportunity neighborhoods throughout Richmond.
Jennifer King
Introduced to Live Red Foundation in 2021, Jennifer comes with a heart to serve. After realizing LRF’s mission to teach Richmond youth life-skills through fitness, she began with the organization as a volunteer and now serves as our Head Timer & Project Manager. Jen knows how lives can be transformed through the power of fitness. As an adult, she faced her own valleys and during those times she discovered endurance sports. She used them as an outlet and a way to direct her attention toward a more purposeful life. The sport and a relationship with God helped her become more resilient and believe in her ability to do really hard things – two life-skills we teach our youth! Her experiences led Jen to complete a M.A.Ed. concentrated in Adult Education and Training. She’s held positions in Leadership Development and Performance Improvement at fortune 500 companies in Richmond. In 2015, she realized God’s further calling to be fully available to her family as a full-time mom. This gift has provided her the opportunity to do more than she ever imagined with LRF, be more involved at her church, and spread a little “salt and light” to those around her. Jen and her husband, John, live in Chesterfield with their 4 daughters.
Michelle Jones
Michelle Jones is an experienced fitness coach and educator. Her certifications include group exercise, ACE personal training, Bikram Yoga, Yin Yoga, and Hot Inferno Pilates as well as CPR, first-aid, and lifeguard certifications. Michelle has worked in the fitness industry since 2007 as a personal trainer, group exercise instructor, girl force leader, youth fitness instructor, running coach, and yoga instructor before accepting her role as Live Red Foundation’s Program Coordinator. Michelle has been a a source of energy and inspiration for our program as she empowers thousands of children annually to believe in themselves.
George Turner
George joined the Live Red Foundation as a Race Director in 2023. After 30+ years in corporate IT leadership roles, George was ready for a change: it was time to be a part of something that seeks to make a difference. And, if the stars would align, a place where he could repurpose his corporate skills, while allowing him to indulge his passion for running and fitness. He could have never imagined a more perfect fit than the Live Red Foundation. Through Live Red, George has not only been able to fulfill his desires to be a part of something meaningful but has found his purpose in this post-retirement chapter of his life. George feels blessed to be a part of Live Red and eagerly looks forward to the adventures ahead. George and his wife, Lisa have one daughter and live in Henrico with their 3 dogs.
