Meet Our Team
The task ahead of us is never as great as the power behind us.
Debbie Mercer
USA FIT President
Debbie had always wanted to be a runner and when a friend recommended she join Houston Fit to train for a marathon, she signed up in the summer of 1997. After training for 6 months she ran the Houston Marathon, where her love for running began. Completing the training program and finishing long-distance races changed her life. Throughout the years, she has completed 14 marathons and countless half-marathons.
Debbie later became a head coach and organizer for Houston Fit. In 2007, she stepped in as President of the parent company, USA FIT, where she’s been ever since. In this role, she has helped organizers across the United States, lead their chapters through the USA FIT training model, helping runners and walkers finish marathons, half-marathons, and shorter distances from 5K – 20 milers.
Debbie’s entrepreneurial spirit sparked her desire to help women have a more enjoyable, safe, and private experience in their outdoor adventures by designing pants that have a unique zipper than unzips in a unique way, allowing women to go to the bathroom outdoors without pulling down their pants. Zip Hers has helped hundreds of campers, hikers, runners, climbers, anglers, and paddlers embark on their outdoor adventures with empowerment, knowing they have an option to safely and discreetly “go” outdoors.
Debbie has a passion for helping disadvantaged women and individuals with special needs and volunteers with non-profits in the greater Houston area.
In addition to running, Debbie fell in love with hiking and in 2016 started her hiking adventures. She has hiked the Grand Canyon (rim to rim), Machu Picchu, Bryce Canyon, Big Bend, and many day hikes throughout Texas. There’s no telling where she’s planning to go next.
Cindy Menjivar
USA FIT Webmaster
Cindy is a creative digital marketing specialist with over 15 years of experience. She is passionate about design and finds joy in providing solutions and working with purpose-driven organizations and entrepreneurs to help them reach their goals. Cindy joined USA FIT in 2020 and oversees the organization’s web and digital marketing efforts. She works directly with the USA FIT organizers to provide technical support for their website and social media content updates.
Eric Garcia
USA FIT Art Director
Eric is responsible for establishing the “creative tone” for USA FIT, from the graphics, flyers, t-shirt designs, and race day banners you see out in the wild. He is a passionate, creative professional with over 20 years of experience. He is always ready to assist our organizers with their creative needs to ensure they are ready for race day! Eric joined USA FIT in [YEAR].
Benjamin Fox
USA FIT Content Writer
Benjamin Fox is a writer with 18 years of experience in writing, and 20 years of experience with video editing. He did both in the United States Army, writing news and feature articles, and editing footage that was distributed to national news organizations. He currently edits video for a variety of organizations and writes newsletters, screenplays, poetry, and short stories.
Sonia Cargill
USA FIT Schedule Creator
Sonia decided in 1994 that she wanted to run a marathon and found Houston Fit. She began running with this group and completed her first marathon in January 1995. This training program, along with the friends she made in the program, helped her get to the finish line. She was hooked. She continued to come back and train with her fellow runners and the next year, She took 40 minutes off her time. Sonia qualified for Boston and had the opportunity to run Boston multiple times. This was done only with the help of her fellow runners. She has never wanted to leave this group as she believes in the USA FIT philosophy and that everyone can achieve their goals.
Eventually, Sonia decided she wanted to give back and became a coach. She has never felt more pride and joy in seeing those in her group achieve their goals.
Regardless of your goals, whether you are a walker or a runner, this experience can expand your confidence, bring friends into your life you may never have met, and give you a whole new positive outlook.
