Ericka is the muse for Inspired 2 Race Sports Management. Ericka’s heartening story of an excellent high school running career, that turned into a disappointing college career, and how she overcame that to reveal a very inspirational post-collegiate future ahead!
Ericka is a middle-distance runner, specializing in the 800m. She graduated from the College of Health and Human Performance at East Carolina University in 2011 with a BS in Sports Studies (minor in Communication Studies).
Unfortunately, things did not work out well for Ericka in college as she grew more and more discouraged with each performance. For four years, Ericka confesses, “I came in determined, but left the season feeling humiliated and upset with myself”.
At ECU is where she fell in love with biomechanics and the physiology of exercise; everything about the body’s movement and the different muscle groups. To keep her six-pack shredded, believe it or not, she does 1000 crunches a night (religiously).

In 2016, Ericka switched coaches and began training with well-renowned Coach George “Pup” Williams and joined his team of Elites and the G.W. Express Track Club in Raleigh, NC. This change provided Ericka the opportunity to train with some of the best world-class track and field athletes
Ericka is the niece of former NC State basketball standout, the late-Lorenzo Charles (2011). Lorenzo is well-remembered for his quick thinking, split-second decision that granted NC State the win over Houston in the 1983 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship (1983: NC State’s last-second win over Houston, 2013).
Ericka recently became very public about what it is like to live with adult autism. Autism is a spectrum disorder. Autism is not singular but is comprised of many different things. Autism refers to a broad range of cognitive conditions categorized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication (What is Autism, 2019). Autism is different in each individual and is either undiagnosed, under-diagnosed, or non-disclosed. This admission alone makes Ericka incredibly courageous.
Fun Facts about Ericka:
- Loves peanut butter, but not peanuts
- Loves to play with numbers and calculate splits in her head
- Signature running/racing look, Oakley sunglasses are prescription
- Loves dogs, especially dachshunds
- Favorite food to eat in the off-season: Pepperoni Pizza
Ericka currently has her sights set on competing in the 2022 Indoor & Outdoor National Championships
Personal Bests
400m Indoor | 57.46 | JDL DMR Invitational |
400m Outdoor | 56.10 | Jim Law Invitational |
500m | 1:15 | Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational |
600m | 1:31 | USATF Indoor Nationals |
800m Indoor | 2:08 | Liberty Elite Invitational |
800m Outdoor | 2:06 | Music City Distance Carnival |
1000m | 2:47 | Liberty Elite Invitational |
Mile | 4:58 | DC Road Runners Track Championships |
Road Mile | 4:46 | Raleigh Rundown |
Follow :
Twitter: @RunErickaRun Instagram: @RunErickaRun
1983: NC State’s last-second win over Houston. (2013). NCAA Championships. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubCybJk-IAY
Katz, A. (2011). ’83 legend Lorenzo Charles dies in crash. ESPN. Retrieved from https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/news/story?id=6710669
What is Autism? (2019). Autism Speaks. Retrieved from https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism