Presence Over Pace - A New Movement

There are a few constants that come along with the Cheer Dad lifestyle. This includes road and/or air travel, weekends in hotels, and dining outside your kitchen. Many of you have likely set goals for this new year, and some of these goals are likely centered around health and wellness. These cheer dad constants can often make it difficult to adhere to your new and developing routines, and thus set you back on achieving your goals. 

As fathers, we will sacrifice just about anything to help our kids. I’d break my own heart to help put my daughter’s back together, so I get it. The ultimate gift we can give our kids is our love; presence and support. The longer we can stick around to help guide them through this journey of life, the better. I lost my dad when I was 29, and at 46, I still find times where I would love to seek his input.

Early alarms. Long drives/flights. Hotels that blur together. Convention centers at dawn. We sit mat-side for hours, coffee in hand, watching our kids give everything they have for two and a half minutes on the floor. You show up, over and over again. But somewhere along the way, many of us stopped showing up for ourselves.

This is where Mat-Side Milers was born.

My Story

Health and fitness has always been a big part of my life. It started with me trying to be bigger and stronger than my older brother (which never happened), and I’ve gone through multiple phases, from bodybuilding to strength-focused training, to endurance racing. Regardless of activity, I have always incorporated walking and/or running into my routine. Walking alone has so many benefits, such as improved clarity and focus, stronger bones and muscles, weight management, mood enhancement and can even reduce your risk of many chronic illnesses. 

Mat-Side Milers started as a realization.

Cheer weekends are full of waiting — waiting for warm-ups, waiting for awards, waiting between sessions. I began noticing how often those hours passed sitting still. I also noticed how many dads quietly talked about health scares, sore backs, weight gain, stress, and exhaustion. No complaints. Just facts of life.

I often choose hotels based on the fitness center that is attached, but I generally do my workouts in isolation. The workouts vary - no distance goals or specific reps. It’s all about movement, fresh air, and a few minutes to get think before the day starts.

As a cheer dad, you already travel hundreds, if not thousands of miles each year.  What if you reclaimed a few of them for your health?

The Manifesto

Mat-Side Milers is a movement for cheer dads who believe that health is an important part of fatherhood.

We believe:

• Showing up beats showing off
• Slow miles count
• Consistency beats intensity
• Health is a long game
• Presence is more important than pace

Mat-Side Milers is not a race. There are no podiums or leaderboards, and also no pressure. You don’t need special gear, or be at a specific fitness level. You just need to show up.

Presence Over Pace

The guiding principle is simple. It applies to how we move and how we parent. One mile completed tired, is better than five miles that never started. It can be a 10-mile run around a new city center, or a half-mile walk around the parking lot. The movement exists to remove barriers, not add them.

Why This Matters

You are already committed. You drive the miles, sit mat-side for hours, and invest the time. Let’s redirect a small part of that commitment inward, so we’re healthier, steadier, and here for the long haul. Because being present for our kids tomorrow, starts with taking care of ourselves today.

A good friend of mine and I recently completed a Hyrox race, and the best part of the training and the race, was the community. We both significantly improved our health, which wasn’t a primary focus, but was a great benefit.

The Vision

Mat-Side Milers is designed to grow locally and connect globally.

The vision is simple: Cheer gyms around the world, organizing their own Mat-Side Milers - Dads moving together in their own communities, while staying connected to a shared identity.

We would love to see local gyms organizing walks or runs, meeting during competition weekends, and creating simple rituals around fitness and fellowship. All connected by one principle - Presence Over Pace. No rankings. No competition between gyms. No pressure. Just dads showing up for their health, so they can keep showing up mat-side.

Over time, this becomes a global network — local groups, shared language, one movement. Train where cheer takes you.

Be sure to join the Mat-Side Milers group on Strava to share your miles, and find local events where you and your gym can get involved.

Welcome to Mat-Side Milers.