USA FIT Albuquerque Coaches & Organizers
USA FIT Albuquerque coaches and organizers are ready to help you have a great training season!
Get to know your coaches and organizers here!
Lee Smith
Half Marathon Coach/Organizer/Equipment & Storage
I was raised in Albuquerque, NM and graduated from the University of New Mexico with a degree in Applied Mathematics.
While I have lived in Albuquerque most of my life, there was a 12-year stint where I was trying to find myself and lived all over the Western U.S. I have been in the mortgage industry for the last 15 years and love what I do!
I played sports growing up including high school football, wrestling and track. Because our high school football team was so bad and always in trouble, our coach made us run more than the cross-country team. That may be why I never pursued it. I found out much later in life that I actually enjoy running.
My wife (Barbara) and I joined USA Fit in 2020 and started training for a 10k. I found out quickly that I love longer distances – half and full-marathons. Because of the support and training from USA Fit, I was able to complete my first two marathons recently and plan on completing two more in 2024! I have been married to my amazing wife Barbara for 10-years and between us, we have three (3) awesome children.
Jaxine Dye
Sponsorships/Run Organizer
It was October 2009 when a co-worker told me she was training for a Rock n Roll Half Marathon in January 2010. My weight was toward its highest and I was motivated to lose some weight and improve my overall fitness. I told my co-worker I would train and run the half marathon with her. After all, who runs and doesn’t lose some weight or improve their wellness?!
And wouldn’t you know it, my co-worker dropped out of training due to a back problem! I stayed with it though. Two weeks before race day, I ran the furthest I had ever run, a whopping 9 miles. I couldn’t stop smiling (and grimacing each time I had to use the stairs). My brother signed up to support me, later admitting he was concerned about how I would do as I had no racing experience and very little training. It would be a first at that distance for both of us.
Race day came and pretty much the first half of the marathon was great. As we got further along, we began to feel the pain of what we had taken on. We would look at all the runners around us and say, these people are all amazing! Some were running strong, some were struggling, we admired them all. That first race was as exhilarating and grueling as it was memorable. I conquered something very difficult and I felt so elated for having done so. My sister-in-law was there to run the marathon as well. That is when I met her USAFIT ABQ running coach. Her performance in the marathon amazed me. I knew the coaching she received, the training program she followed and the comradery developed with her running friends elevated her as a runner. It was then I decided I would join USAFIT ABQ. Now the same is true for me.
That first half marathon was a 2:43 finish. My road half marathon PR is 2:04 (ABQ Half) and my downhill half marathon PR is 1:56 (Revel Big Bear). In 2012, I ran my first full marathon in 5:53 (Duke City), 2 years later my second marathon finish time was 4:50 (Long Beach), a smashing improvement, then a year & 2 mos. after Long Beach, it was back to Tempe for the full marathon. It was my marathon PR day and I finished in 4:36 (Rock n Roll AZ).
My goal with USAFIT ABQ is to share running knowledge acquired from experience, coaches and time with other runners which I hope will aid you in achieving your running goals this season. See you at the finish line!
Diana Bibeau
5K & 10K Coach/Organizer/Website
I am excited to be part of the leadership team for USA Fit Albuquerque. I grew up in Corrales, but left New Mexico shortly after graduating from NMSU.
After 35 years in TX, AZ, and Nashville, I’m now back home. I started running in 1991 to pursue a healthy lifestyle. Little did I know the life changing journey running would take me on.
Over the years, I have run hundreds of races from the 5K to marathons (126 marathons and at least one in each of the 50 states) and developed such a passion for the sport of running. I have met so many people and developed lifelong friendships through this running journey and want to share this passion with others of all abilities. The beauty of running and walking is that we meet people from all walks of life and develop a network of friendships. Look for me at the tent each Saturday during training seasons in 2025!
Cindy Heredia
Organizer/Registration & Accounting
In 2009 at the young age of 49, I created my own challenge, to run a Full Marathon on my 50th birthday. It was only through this group that I found the encouragement and commitment from Coaches who truly wanted to see each person reach the Start line with excitement and injury free.
I have been part of this group ever since. I am usually bringing in the end of the crowd with our slow and easy pace. This group teaches us that we are all different, but we can do it together. Each year brings on new adventures and new journeys.
I have completed 23 Half Marathons and 4 Full Marathons. I’m excited to meet you and help you on your own journey. Let’s find that START line together and get across the FINISH LINE with the wonderful sense of accomplishment.
Juaquin Sanchez
Graphic Design
I am the Graphic Designer for USAFit Albuquerque and have designed graphics and t-shirts for the group for the past several years.
My wife Dianne became a member in 2011 and she inspired me to run my first half Marathon and marathon. I joined the group in 2013 and since then I have run twelve half marathons, fifteen marathons and one 50k.
USAFit, its coaches and members have helped me achieve running goals beyond my wildest dreams and I hope help others do the same.
Barbara Smith
Organizer/Social Media/Equipment & Storage
Hey, I’m Barbara. A mother, wife and wine lover. I was born and raised in Santa Fe and moved to Albuquerque to raise my daughter.
I met my husband, Lee, in 2009 and together we have 3 children and now 3 fur babies.
I never liked running but decided to join USA Fit in 2020 with Lee when we became empty nesters. Over the past 3 years, I have grown to enjoy running but truly love the social aspect. I quickly discovered distance running wasn’t so bad. I followed the training schedule and ran a 5k, 10k, a half marathon, and then thought why not a marathon. I’ve completed two marathons and am looking forward to many more.
Eliza Linde
Organizer/Banquet/Event Planner
I had been a wanna-be runner for a long time. Over the years, I purchased all the appropriate clothes and accessories, all the shoes, all the various hydration systems, made kick-*ss playlists, and had energetic dogs as great running partners. And, I was the biggest fan and admirer of my friends who are runners. I ran regularly for a few weeks, or months, but would inevitably stop because my motivation fell off, or I got busy with other priorities (riding and racing mountain bikes), or – like many over-enthusiastic, under-informed newbie runners, I would over-do it, and get injured and sore.
That was my pattern for several years, until I heard about USAFit, and joined the Albuquerque group in the spring of 2022. Turns out, group accountability, supportive and motivating coaches, a welcoming and friendly community, a smart training plan, and paying a little money, all go a long way towards establishing a committed and healthy love of running!
I initially engaged in running with ABQFit as cross-training to improve cardiovascular endurance for my mountain bike riding and racing. But I have since come to love and appreciate running – especially on local trails – as equally important to my health, fitness and quality of life. I have completed four half-marathons, two 12-mile trail runs, one 15-mile trail run, and one 10-mile trail run so far, even getting onto the podium in my age group, and hitting PRs every time! I am registered for more races in 2024, and look forward to putting in the miles with my ABQFit friends!
