Running Between The Raindrops
2016 Comm Grad Eli Stillman Runs And Writes His Way To Career Success In Portland’s Mighty Sports Apparel Industry
Eli Stillman is taking his dreams and running with them, literally.
A previous editor for The Siskiyou student newspaper, and steeplechaser for the Raider track and cross country teams, Stillman graduated from SOU in 2016, and now works at On Running, a fast-growing sports apparel company with U.S. offices in Portland.
Stillman recently synthesized his passions for sports and writing when he published a post on LinkedIn reflecting on his love of running. The post, and its tale of Stillman’s 27-mile run on his 27th birthday, gained a lot of traction both with his professional colleagues at On, and his larger community.
Stillman’s life in running began when he was in elementary school and his mother told him and his sister to “run through the raindrops” while hustling to the car at the end of the day. His favorite subject in elementary school was recess, but rainy days were the worst, Stillman wrote.
“You were confined to a single room all day and expected to burn off the never-ending energy of youth by playing card games or reading,” he said.
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, all the days are metaphorically rainy in Portland. Stillman mostly works alone in a single room, and manages his energy by helping runners of all levels find the products that work for them in his role on the Happiness Delivery team. His heartfelt post explored his love of running, and his work for On, a Swiss company that caters to runners of all levels with shoes and running apparel.
Before he got onboard with On, and after graduating from SOU, Stillman returned to his hometown in northern California, where he worked as a newspaper reporter for one year.
“I decided that I needed a big change of pace and moved to Costa Rica for about a year, to teach English,” Stillman said. “When I came back to the USA, most of my friends from college had moved to Portland. After only living in smaller towns, I wanted to try out a city and Portland seemed welcoming with my friends and contacts.”
Stillman has been running less due to an injury he sustained in July, but has been slowly worked his way back up to about 40 miles a week. With a busy fitness routine and a full-time job, Stillman relies on his previous experiences at SOU as he prioritizes his schedule.
“The Siskiyou taught me a lot about time management and taking on projects,” Stillman said. “I have memories of sitting through night classes in my running shorts because I would forget to pack a change of pants and didn’t have time to go home after practice. Having to schedule interviews and story deadlines between practice and classes was very tough at first, but I’m better now because of it. ”
Meanwhile, On continues to grow rapidly, and Stillman joins a cohort of recent SOU track & field and cross country grads who have landed jobs there, including Cary Dunagan, Morgan Pfunder and 2019 Comm grad Kayle Blackmore.
Story by Autumn Micketti (@mountainmusicwoman), Community Manager for the Communication Program at Southern Oregon University.
