ERIN JASKOT
PRESIDENT, FOUNDER, HEAD COACH
New York native Erin Jaskot is a lifelong runner and competitor with a deep passion for coaching the sport she loves. Her running career began just outside the island Manhattan Track Club now calls home, at Tappan Zee High School, where she was a two-time New York State Champion, All-American, NXN individual qualifier, and school record holder in events ranging from the 100m to the 5000m.
Her versatility earned her a spot on Villanova University’s cross country and track & field teams, where she became a five-time All-Big East performer while completing undergraduate degrees in Communications and Psychology. Capitalizing on her remaining eligibility, Erin continued her career at Mount St. Mary’s University, where she earned her MBA and competed as a Mountaineer for four seasons. During her tenure, she became a seven-time All-NEC performer and the school record holder in the indoor 3000m and outdoor 5000m. At the 2019 Northeast Conference Indoor Championships, she was named NEC Most Valuable Performer.
Following her collegiate career, Erin transitioned into coaching, where she spent eleven seasons at Tatnall School in Wilmington, Delaware. During her tenure, the program captured ten Delaware Team State Championships. She coached multiple athletes to collegiate competition, All-American status, individual state titles, and Gatorade Player of the Year honors. In her final season with Tatnall, she helped guide the girls’ cross country team to a ninth-place finish at Nike Cross Nationals.
In fall 2023, Erin returned to New York City to co-found Manhattan Track Club alongside Steve Finley. She brings high energy, empathy, and intentionality to her coaching, taking particular pride in helping athletes break through barriers they once believed were impossible — especially those navigating mental or physical adversity.
Erin is currently on a comeback journey of her own following a serious car accident in fall 2024 that resulted in multiple injuries, including a few fractured vertebrae. She is also a passionate advocate for women’s health and Lyme disease awareness, shaped by her own health challenges.
In addition to her role as Head Coach of Manhattan Track Club, Erin serves as Event Director for the National Scholastic Athletics Foundation, where she oversees premier events including Nike Indoor Nationals and Nike Outdoor Nationals. She previously served as Assistant Director of Track & Field at The Armory in Washington Heights.
Laura barreca engel
TUESDAY NIGHT COACH
Laura grew up on Long Island and competed for Miller Place High School, a place where her immense joy for running blossomed. Laura was slowly introduced to the running world at the age of 14 when her 8th grade social studies teacher tried to convince her to run track & field. Joining as “just a sport to stay in shape” for soccer and basketball, Laura became a member of the track & field team and over time, became a three season, year round runner.
Laura attended SUNY Geneseo for undergrad, the absolute perfect place to continue to thrive as an athlete but also focus on her education, while most importantly having fun. The first few years at Geneseo were spent plagued by injury as Laura dove into a much more competitive program and learned what her body was able to handle. Year after year, she worked closely with her college coach to find the right balance and eventually got to her junior year where things started to click. Laura competed at the SUNYAC, regional, and national level for SUNY Geneseo and served as captain her senior year.
The next chapter for Laura was attending Stony Brook University’s DPT Program for grad school. After years of her own PT journey due to injury, and a ton of time spent in the trainer, she knew this was the right fit. She started at Stony Brook in 2019 and graduated in 2022, moving to NYC after where she accepted her first job at Custom Performance, a running specific physical therapy clinic in NYC– an absolute dream; she was so excited to start working as a physical therapist. Since 2022, Laura has been at Custom Performance working as a PT while also managing the clinic and moving into a co-director role. She has continued to train and run competitively in the NYC running community focusing on the half marathon and marathon distance.
In 2024, Laura joined as a coach with MTC, a newfound family. Coaching sessions week to week, racing side by side, and traveling for running events – so lucky to have been given the opportunity to join such an amazing & inspiring group of people. Laura is beyond excited to see where the running world takes her next!
DANI STURTZ
Dani has a passion for running, teaching, and living a healthy lifestyle. She is a certified RRCA run coach and has been coaching since 2015. Dani has coached for large organizations in addition to privately coaching individuals. She aims to share her love of running and the transformative physical and mental benefits of running. Dani enjoys helping others achieve their running goals and feel proud of their accomplishments.
Dani grew up playing team sports, doing gymnastics, and dancing. In high school she played field hockey and lacrosse and went on to play both sports in college on the club teams at Penn State University. Dani didn't start running until after her sophomore year of college and has been running ever since. She has run 28 marathons and earned her Abbott World Major Marathons 6 star medal. Dani has been running in NYC since 2005 and loves being part of the NYC running community. She is a proud founding coach of Manhattan Track Club and loves working with the team.
In addition to being a runner and a run coach, Dani is a former elementary classroom teacher and works part time as a staff developer for the Mossflower Reading and Writing Project. She holds a master’s degree from the Reading Specialist program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Dani is also a yoga teacher, a pilates instructor, and a volunteer for Back on My Feet NYC. Dani's passion for living a healthy lifestyle led her to the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in 2013 where she received certification as a Board Certified Holistic Health and Nutrition Counselor through the American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP).
COMMUNITY MANAGER