About Us

Amy Kentner is the originator behind one of Cleveland’s most adored races and the owner of Road Runner Enterprises. Amy has been in event management for 20 years, and spent her early years in Mogadore and Avon Lake, Ohio and considers her Cleveland roots something to be proud of.

The Cleveland Christmas Run is an evolution from the former A Christmas Story Run, celebrating all things Christmas in Cleveland over the holiday season. Amy’s running career started at the age of just 6 years old. After being hit by a car when she was 6, she overcame obstacles with therapy and determination and started running. By the age of 9 she was running with the Mogadore High School track team as a mascot, and at the age of 10 she broke the 1 Mile record for the AAU Junior Olympics at the Akron Rubber Bowl. Running has been the thread that has had the most positive impact in her life.

As an accomplished runner, she has completed over 100 Marathons in 6 different countries, has served on the NIKE Pace team nationally, and Paces for Marathonpacing.com. Determination and pushing limits have led her to the completion of 2 IRONMAN competitions.

In addition to Amy’s running career, she is a Nurse and resides with her husband, Matthew, and 3 children: Eli, Olivia, and Emma

As co-owner of RoadRunner Enterprises, Jim Crist has been active in race event management for over 30 years. Jim has focused on events that have a positive benefit to others; from smaller events with just a few hundred runners, such as the Hampton Rotary 5K, to the larger event Run the Lights! which attracted over 7,000 participants to benefit the Salvation Army’s Project: Bundle Up. The launching of the A Christmas Story Run in 2013 was yet another fund-raising event that Jim was excited to add to his list! He is happy to carry on this tradition through The Cleveland Christmas Run!

While he was a student at Carnegie-Mellon, Jim was a competitive swimmer. Upon graduation, Jim shifted his focus to running when he completed the Pittsburgh Marathon in 1981. He continued to complete over 75 marathons (including the Boston Marathon) and is still running! Wanting to provide more support to runners, Jim founded MarathonPacing.com in 2003 and provides Pace Team services to forty events across the US and Canada.

Jim still maintains his interest in swimming and can be seen as the television broadcaster at the Pennsylvania State Swimming and Diving Championships. He also operates a consulting practice focused on energy and utility regulatory issues.

Jim currently resides in the north hills of Pittsburgh, but he does have some Cleveland roots. He lived in Shaker Heights for several years and shopped at Higbee’s Department Store!

Leeann resides in Wapakoneta, Ohio with her husband, Derrick. They have 2 grown children: Brock (Adrian) & Amanda Whetstone (Lavare Daniel) and 6 grandchildren: Aidan, Isaiah, Lainey, Ryleigh, Remington & Se’Vie. In Leeann’s spare time, she likes to spend as much time as she can with her children and grandchildren. She can often be found at their favorite place Gatlinburg, TN where they own a timeshare.

Leeann was looking for something challenging and different to do to fill some of the time created by being an empty nester, so she took the position as Volunteer Coordinator to do just that. This position has been challenging and rewarding and has led her to meet some wonderful people. Leeann also helps coordinate other RoadRunner Enterprises races; including the Moon Challenge Series that celebrates the life of the legendary astronaut Neil Armstrong (whose hometown was also in Wapakoneta, Ohio).

Leeann’s stepfather made sure that her family watched A Christmas Story every year because it was his favorite Christmas movie. Her knowledge of the movie made the whole concept of a themed run so intriguing and exciting. Her goal is for you to have the best experience on race day!