IRUNLIKEAGIRL…do you?

What do you get when you mix a few friends with great active apparel, a camera, some flattering lighting and bit of running and biking around the most scenic spots in San Francisco?

Well, if you’re me (aka the one doing the running and biking; that Twin Peaks hill is no joke), the answer is ‘pretty sweaty’ — otherwise the result is a really fun and hopefully inspiring photo shoot for IRUNLIKEAGIRL women’s activewear.

Kelly McCloskey, a friend and creative director of the brand, teamed up with the fabulous duo of Cody and Natalie at C+N Creative to catch me in action while training for my first Olympic triathlon. Check out the write-up on it here.

But I also decided to turn the tables on Kelly and interview her here so you can get to know her brand and the incredible dedication and passion she brings to every hand-picked piece in the line.

We caught up recently, and here are a few of her thoughts on the importance of friends, fitness and female empowerment when it comes to both getting active and getting down to business.

KineticFix: Thanks so much for inviting me to be a part of your new campaign! So tell us about the inspiration behind IRUNLIKEAGIRL. What does it mean to you?

Kelly McCloskey: IRUNLIKEAGIRL is all about heart. It’s about going after something that makes you feel alive. And then being able to share that ‘moment’ with a friend. For me, IRUNLIKEAGIRL lives at the intersection of my love for running and dream to run my own business. We’re driven to create fun, flattering and functional active apparel that you can identify with; it’s like wearing a feeling. The ‘I’m going to make this happen’ feeling.

KF: You’re big on empowering and encouraging females to get active and involved in the running community. How does IRLAG facilitate this?

KM: My favorite thing about running is racing. The training, the long runs with friends, the buildup, the having a goal that gets you out of bed to run when you just want to sleep– it never really gets old to me. I’ve met and continue to meet incredible people through running which is why I started Team IRUNLIKEAGIRL.

It’s an international program; our team of IRUNLIKEAGIRL ambassadors each select a goal race in their city and recruit local runners to train for the race together. I’ve experienced nothing quite like working towards a common goal with friends and teammates. When we get together and push each other forward we challenge the limits of our comfort zone and rise up to our best.

KF: I love that! Can you tell us a little bit about your own running – what are you training for, current race goals, etc?

KM: I’ve been running since I was 12, and competed on the XC/track teams for the University of New Hampshire. I was always more of a hurdler and middle-distance runner but post-college I met my love for the marathon. Next goal: Boston, baby! And to break the 1:30 barrier in the half marathon. Right now I’m training for the Santa Rosa marathon in August in effort to run a new marathon PR/qualify for Boston 2015.

KF: What inspires the IRLAG line, and what’s your favorite piece at the moment?

KM: There are a few things about apparel features and fit that I’m fanatical about, and I focused on them while designing this line. Fun color, extra length, flattering fit and soft-yet-functional fabric. I’m all about the little things too, like adding thumbholes, playing around with where we feature the logo and adding an armsleeve pocket that can fit an iPhone.

My favorite piece in the line is the Racer Girl tank. I wanted to make something for race days that brought to life those special feelings of anticipation and excitement. Its bright colors are unique, and the supportive, soft and super quick-drying fabric all came together nicely. If you look good you feel good, and you need to feel good on race morning, right?!

KF: Couldn’t agree more! So, where do you hope to take the company from here?

KM: My long term dream is to have an IRUNLIKEAGIRL truck that travels around the country to different races. We’d drive in and meet with our ambassadors and local runners. The pre-race energy would be high with music, laughter, friends and IRUNLIKEAGIRL active apparel, of course. It would be a ‘fitfashion’ truck. And this truck would also serve cupcakes. Because cupcakes and running are the perfect pair.

Kelly, I like where your head is at 🙂 Huge thanks for sitting down to chat!