Queens Distance Runners

By Paulina Albarracin

“The Pilates Method teaches you to be in control of your body and not at its mercy.” 
– Joseph H. Pilates

Nestled near the vibrant Austin Street in Forest Hills, Spencer Pilates Arts was founded in 2006 by Spencer Baker, making it one of the first Pilates studios in the World’s Borough. Baker developed a passion for dance and fitness while pursuing a Master of Fine Arts [MFA] at CUNY Hunter College. Drawing inspiration from his undergraduate degree in Anatomy and Physiology at Cornell University, the Chicago native envisioned a studio that offered rehabilitation services to address physical ailments. With three years of experience creating workouts in a physical therapy clinic, Baker approached each session as an extension of his visual creativity. This unique philosophy has earned Spencer Pilates Arts the title of Best Pilates Studio from the Queens Courier five times during the 2010s and 2020s.

Samantha Baker, his wife, also utilizes her background in jazz and ballet dance to help clients understand their body mechanics. Born and raised in Detroit, she moved to State College, Pennsylvania before relocating to New York City in 2007. Together, the Bakers lead various fitness classes, ranging from barre to specialized workshops. Since 2020, they have developed a passion for running through the streets with Queens Distance Runners (QDR). Their shared love for movement has solidified their status as a power couple in the fitness community.

What kickstarted your passion for Pilates?

Spencer Baker: While attending graduate school at CUNY [Hunter College], I took a dance class every day as a hobby. I just fell in love with it [dance]. I also heard about Pilates from people in these classes. This was about 20 years ago. Several people were making a living out of this job, and I didn’t even know what it was. But I knew that it used rehabilitation [techniques] and it helped people. I thought it seemed like an interesting world. I was working as a freelance photographer after graduating, and the freelance work suddenly dried up. I knew somebody doing this [Pilates], and she offered to certify me. So that’s how it all happened.

Samantha Baker: I was working at a law firm as a paralegal. And then, I met Spencer while taking classes at the studio. I realized I loved it! It reminded me of when I did dance when I was younger. I appreciated its relationship to dance and how it made me feel better about my body. So, I decided to teach. I wasn’t happy with my job at the time. I didn’t like the place I was working at. I changed careers from working at a desk job to becoming a Pilates instructor. [Laughs]

Based on what you’ve seen in your tenure as instructors, how is Pilates beneficial to runners?

Spencer Baker: I think the issue is that runners inflict themselves with common injuries. Almost all distance runners get some type of injury. Pilates is an exercise where you ask yourself, “Could you defend against an injury before it happens?” You have to think about it, which has quite a bit in common with how runners train. If you execute your plan, you don’t injure yourself over a distance race. Pilates mirrors that because you have to make your plan. You’re going to build up the strength in places that will prevent yourself from getting injured. Even though distance runners didn’t develop it [Pilates], it seems to work well [for runners].

Samantha Baker: I would agree. A lot of it [Pilates] is balancing muscles and increasing awareness of how your body functions. You’re also developing your core strength and improving your alignment. You will also become more aware of which muscles are stronger or weaker. It [Pilates] targets smaller muscle groups that you might not engage with other forms of exercise, which can help prevent injuries.

Pilates studios have become more ubiquitous in NYC as of late. What makes Spencer Pilates Arts stand out from the rest of them?

Samantha Baker: We offer affordable classes. And a lot of classes.

Spencer Baker: That’s true.

Samantha Baker: We have a lot of diversity in our classes. We have different machines that we use.

Spencer Baker: There are different apparatuses. But there are other great Pilates studios in New York and other great people in the field. I think what’s rare about our studio is that compared to other studios, we do not sell ourselves on a brand. All these places are selling people with their brand. You can come into our studio and say hello to us. And we know almost all the names of those walking to the door. And we might even know things about their body. Some of the people have been coming here for 15 years. Because we have a mom-and-pop brand, we help people on a personal level. You won’t get that in business chains or large studios that are popping up left and right.

But I know we’re in New York City, and I want to be generous. There’s got to be great people out there giving great fitness classes. I don’t want to say, “I’m the only one.” There are other mom-and-pop studios that deserve love. [Laughs]

What made you guys catch the running bug?

Spencer Baker: It was because of the [COVID-19] pandemic to some degree. But also, I was getting into my 40s and thought I needed something else. One of my clients, Dana, told me about this thing called The Kessel Run. [Laughs]

Samantha Baker: She mentioned that we should try it! [Laughs]

Spencer Baker: That’s right. Dana mentioned to us that we must go to this weekly run. It’s got friendly people. It’s pretty much a short, friendly Friday night run. I thought it sounded great! Then, the pandemic happened, and I needed to go out. I was getting older, which changed the way I looked at fitness. I liked getting to know runners from different running clubs doing something that improves their fitness. The running clubs seem inclusive. You see people of all ages running together. And it’s not just QDR. A lot of running clubs have good energy. So, I was impressed with the sport. Most people who are in these [running] clubs, as far as I can see in New York, are older. A lot of them are older adults, which is inspiring to see.

Samantha Baker: At first, I found it hard to run. But once I started running more often, I loved it. I love the challenge of it. It’s a mental challenge, not just physical. It’s a nice feeling to run through the trails at Forest Park.

Spencer Baker: It’s something that we get to do together.

Are there any classes offered at Spencer Pilates Arts that are geared towards runners?

Spencer Baker: I think Pilates was made for runners! The way Pilates was originally made works well with the sport. I can’t really improve upon it. [Laughs] 

Samantha Baker: We have workshops.

Spencer Baker: We’ve had workshops for runners. But honestly, the way it was made, it would be great if I can add something to it. Pilates will defend against common running injuries.

Also, I realized that Spencer Pilates Arts will be celebrating its 20^th anniversary next year! Are there any plans to commemorate this milestone?

Samantha Baker: I think we’ll have to plan something! [Laughs] We’ve had a couple of gatherings before, like Fourth of July parties.

Spencer Baker: But we’ll keep planning great classes and teaching people about exercise. We’ve got great plans. [Laughs]

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

By Paulina Albarracin

Queens has earned the nickname “The World’s Borough,” thanks to over one million immigrants contributing to its multicultural vibrance. The work ethic of immigrant-owned businesses has transformed the borough into a haven where tenacity breeds success. Christine Jeanjaquet, the Founder and Managing Director of the August Tree Inc., started the company in her living room and has since partnered with the Queens Museum to become their official gift shop. Joining the Queens Night Market as a vendor kickstarted her involvement with a dynamic community that selflessly supports each other. Jeanjaquet also operates the Unisphere Café at the Queens Museum, where customers purchase various beverages and snacks. She utilizes the lessons she learned as an aspiring entrepreneur in the Philippines before her NYC arrival in 2003. After spearheading the Hecho Local program amid the pandemic, she curates product lines to celebrate fellow Queens-based entrepreneurs and their stories. Through the community-oriented mindset that encapsulates its mission, the August Tree Inc. provides a space for those who call Queens home. Despite her challenges as a non-native speaker, Jeanjaquet moved past the struggles and established herself as a business force to be reckoned with.

What led you to become a business owner in New York City?

I was working as a preschool teacher, then for a shipping company, and then I managed a store at a museum. What I realized was that even as much as New York City is multicultural, for someone like me with a very thick Filipino accent, even if I had a high educational attainment, they didn’t think I was smart enough. It was getting exhausting, and I really wanted this to be my home because my husband is an immigrant too. I really love New York. I came to visit here growing up. I thought that for me to actually be able to do what I studied for, I wanted to start my own [business]. One of my coworkers at the shipping company said, “Let’s start a business!” I said I wanted to start it, and he said, “You know what? I’ll invest in it.” So, we started a business online [in 2013]. Nobody bought [our items] except my mom and my best friend. We would get five sales a week. It wasn’t enough to sustain us. And then we got wind of the Queens Night Market.

I have been to the Queens Night Market before!

We were one of the original vendors during the time when we didn’t know if there was going to be a Queens Night Market next week. We did that for five years. Sales were really good. We would have five lines of people in front of us just wanting to buy soap. After a while, the organizer [of the Queens Night Market] John said, “Do you have a store yet?” We were like, “No.” “Why are you still here?” [Laughs] And we realized that it was very difficult to have the store because we would try to apply for stores. There’s this stretch of stores in a subway station around 57 th [Street]. I was applying and they told me that it was $4,000 a month. I said, “Yeah, we can manage that,” because if we can get the sales at the Night Market, we would be able to do this. When I met up with them and the broker saw us and noticed the way we spoke, he became a little hesitant. I guess sometimes people are not exposed to a lot of different cultures even if they live in a city that is very multicultural.

I understand that.

We had a couple of instances like that. So, we just gave up. And then John, the organizer of the Night Market, introduced us to the Queens Museum. They loved us! They gave us the opportunity. That was five months, four months before the pandemic. [Laughs] The Museum was very supportive. I wanted to give back. When the Museum reopened in three months, they had a food pantry and I started a program called Hecho Local. I started the program teaching [people]
how to start their own businesses on Etsy. Mayor [Bill] DeBlasio actually featured us for the Hecho Local program.

What inspired you to run your gift shop in Queens, NY? What is it about the borough that makes it stand out from the rest of New York City?

When I moved here, I also stayed at Staten Island and Rockland County. But Queens felt like it was home. When we started joining the Queens Night Market, I met all these other vendors, and it felt like a community. That’s when I locked in on Queens, like, “Queens will be where my business is. Queens will be where my forever home is gonna be.” When I was 11, I went to an international summer camp where you have to learn to live with other cultures. You revel in everyone else’s differences, you accept it, and you learn from it. That’s how I feel about Queens. It’s a giant international summer camp. [Laughs]

How do you set your business apart from other gift shops in the area?

There is something that I am really proud about of my gift shop. In the Philippines, people speak both English and Tagalog [A native dialect in Manila, Philippines]. If you go to a bookstore, books are separated by topic, not language. I make sure that if you go into the bookstore, you see different language books side by side. When families bring their children in, they know that there’s a hundred different languages that is spoken here and that’s normal. That’s what sets this store apart. We want people to come here and feel represented and seen, but in the context of a multicultural setting. It’s a safe space for a lot of people.

What are some of your best learning experiences as an entrepreneur?

As an entrepreneur, it’s all a learning process. My biggest learning experience from all of this is that when you do a business, it’s not to make money. You have to have a purpose. If it serves the community, everyone is happy. That what makes it work. If you do not serve the community, your employees are unhappy. And I would not have realized that if I started the business in the Philippines where I am from. I only realized that because I’m an immigrant. When you try to make something of yourself in a place where it is absolutely new, you will realize that if you become part of the community, that’s when something happens. You bring who you are and see
how you share it to that community. As a business, that’s what you should do.

What advice would you give to an immigrant with dreams of running a business in Queens, NY?

You have to do it for the community and make sure, at the very beginning, to get all of your licenses in check. Register for a license. You can always ask for help with local government. Get your licenses in check. When you do your business plan, the planning can be very scary, but start with, “What can I do to serve for my community?” From there, that’s how you move forward.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

By Paulina Albarracin

Running is one of those sports that requires unwavering discipline and perseverance to unlock your potential. The sight of a runner pushing their limits inspires spectators to embrace the physically demanding routine. It is a highly accessible pastime that beckons the strong-willed and the single-minded, more so for aspiring marathoners. James Poch is one such runner who defied his limits to become a seasoned marathoner.

Poch is an NYC native who was born and raised in Queens. After studying in Pittsburgh for four years, he has built a career in product management within the financial industry. When not fulfilling his daily responsibilities, Poch is committed to maintaining his weekly mileage and overseeing events held by Queens Distance Runners (“QDR”). His curiosity in tackling the unforgiving marathon distance catapulted him into a lifetime journey of eight marathons—two completed in under three hours. Poch’s devotion to improving his marathon performance and fostering the running community is evident in his role as QDR Co-Captain. He has risen to the occasion for his teammates and earned respect for his renowned attitude in beating yesterday.

What first piqued your interest in running?

Honestly, it was just a bucket list item. When I turned 30, I was like, “What is something I can do that’s challenging yet not particularly something I loved?” I was never really a runner. I didn’t really like cardio. So I thought, “Why not try to do the New York City Marathon and run 26 [26.2] miles?” Just do something that will challenge me in the new decade of my life. I actually didn’t really know much about running at all, but I googled, “How can I run the New York City Marathon?” I learned about the 9 + 1 program and just started from couch to 5K, and this only happened over the summer. So essentially every single weekend, I had to run a race to finish the 9 + 1 [program] for the year. Luckily back then, they didn’t fill up as quickly as they do now. I basically signed up for every single remaining 9 + 1 race to get it done for the year.

You must have had a lot on your plate!

It was to qualify for the following year. It was a really good introduction to running because the way the 9 + 1 [program] is structured, a lot of it is 5Ks and 4 Milers. That helped me build up my mileage. I think the last 9 + 1 race was the Staten Island [Half Marathon] and that was my first half ever. It’s like, “Okay, now I just have to run through this twice next year for the New York City Marathon!” [Laughs]

You have had quite the running journey since your first marathon in 2019. How do you keep yourself motivated?

I think motivation is an interesting topic. I think that’s very individual. Everyone has a different “why,” a different reason why they run. And it’s not always the same reason. What started as my “why” has constantly evolved every single year. You finish one goal and then you reassess and say, “Is this still something I’m passionate about? Is this still something I want to pursue?” Throughout the years, it originally was a bucket list item. I honestly thought I was going to do the New York City Marathon and just never run again. Honestly, I think it started as, “I really liked the routine.” I’ve always been into fitness, so it’s a good outlet for me to stay fit. The reasons for staying have grown every single year. I found the running community, which has been really welcoming, and I wanted to give back to that community. I think that led to the leadership position within QDR. Broad championing of running with my social media channels and constantly pushing my own limits have all been various reasons of why I stayed around.

Out of all the marathons you have ran, which is your favorite and least favorite marathon to run?

There actually has not been a least favorite. I’ve run eight now. They’ve all been kind of special to me in some way, but I’m always going to be biased to New York City. I don’t think the energy of New York City has been matched anywhere else. New York is home, so I do have that bias there. But every single race has been special to me. Berlin [Marathon] was my first international one and that’s actually my toughest marathon to date because it was number two [his second marathon]. 

My debut went so well that I didn’t know what a tough marathon could be. Number one [his first marathon] just went as perfect as it could be. I set out a goal. I never hit the wall. Even going up Fifth Avenue felt good. I left number one [his first marathon] thinking, “The marathon’s easy! No big deal!” [Laughs] At Berlin, by the halfway mark, I already hit my limit, and it was an extremely hot day. Even though that was my toughest one, I don’t consider it my least favorite because I got to visit Berlin, which was never on my radar, and I loved the city itself. The race taught me a lot about even when a race gets hard, I got what it takes to just push through.

In between Berlin and then New York [Marathon] a second time, I was just traveling through Europe. Honestly, after Berlin, I was wiped out. I was like, “I’m not gonna really train anymore for New York. I’m just gonna enjoy my travels.” I think I averaged 15 miles a week up until like the final week where I had to come back to New York. I was like, “All right, I’ll get some mileage in before I run another marathon next week.” And then I just came into New York trying to have fun.

That morning, I was just like “I’m not nervous!” because honestly for me, it was just another fun run. That actually ended up being a five-minute PR from Berlin. I ran a 3:29 for my debut. I think Berlin was like 3:15, 3:16 and then New York ended up being a 3:11. If you’re fit, I think a lot of people, a lot of runners especially, they fear that when you take a break, you lose all your fitness right away. Blowing up on a race does not mean you’re slow or all the work that you did was wasted. The rest helped me a lot and just not putting pressure on myself. It ended up being a huge PR for the third one [his third marathon]. I had good and bad races since then, but it taught me something. I think the experiences themselves have all been memorable.

You ran your first sub three-hour marathon at the 2024 Chevron Houston Marathon! Can you walk me through your training regime? How did you build your mental fortitude for such a feat?

I think for that one, it was really finally getting up the mileage to a point where my body was equipped to do the miles I wanted [to run]. I loosely follow Pete Pfitzinger’s Advanced Marathoning, but I tweak it for my own schedule. I did that basically for the last four cycles. I started with the London Marathon, and that brought my mileage up to a peak week of 70 miles per week. And I think for London, because that was a new introduction, that was actually very difficult. I felt close to burning out by the time the race already came. I repeated that cycle after London for the Sri Chimnoy [Marathon] at Rockland State Park in August. I did the exact same cycle, but the mileage didn’t feel daunting because I already did it once. I repeated the same exact cycle for Houston [Marathon], and I knew what to expect. My body knew what to expect. Not stacking those cycles back-to-back was what fortified both the mental side and the physical side to finally run the sub three-hour [marathon] at Houston.

You have undergone physical therapy for an ankle injury before your second sub three-hour marathon at Chicago last week. How were you able to push past your limits while recovering from your injury?

I think one of my strengths is having a good gauge on my body. I know when something is injured or if it’s just a niggle [injury]/mental fatigue. It was a pretty bad ankle injury. I went to the doctor and I got their “okay” to continue running. From there, I just built up the mileage again gradually. I gave myself six weeks to get back to a base level of 40 miles per week. That’s what I’ve seen a lot with runners too. They miss it so much and they’re fearful of losing that fitness. They go from zero to where they were right before an injury. They don’t give their body enough time to build up that strength. Then they just get reinjured, or the injury never fully heals. So be okay with not being at your prior peak. Think each cycle as its own little chunk and know what you need to get to that end goal, even if your ego has to take a step back and run slow for four weeks straight. Be okay with that.

Your dedication to the sport has led you to become the Co-Captain of QDR. How did this opportunity come about?

I think it was pretty organic. When I was training for the first marathon, long runs are always, for me, easier with a group. I’ve done solo long runs, but a marathon cycle is anywhere from 12 to 20 weeks. It becomes monotonous. Even if you’re introverted and prefer solitude, I think 20 weeks of solo long runs is a grind. [Laughs]

I just googled “Queens running groups long runs.” I just wanted to find people to run those [long runs] with and the first one I did was the Main Street to Main Street run. Back then, I was a complete newbie. So that’s how I found QDR and then organically, I started going to track because I always thought track was an important ingredient in getting faster. I’m lucky enough to live in Rego Park, just between Juniper Park and Forest Park. That’s when they were alternating Wednesday track mornings between the two [parks] and both worked for me. That led me to meet more members of the team and then I got close to Nancy, I got close to Kevin. Things just organically happened where eventually Kevin stepped down and Nancy became Captain. She reached out and asked if I wanted to be her Co-Captain to help her organize some of the stuff. That led to where we are today.

And now you’re the current Co-Captain along with Sam and Mike?

Yep. Under Nancy, she was the true one captain. And Mike and I were essentially just helping her as Co-Captains. But once she stepped down, we knew that captainship comes with a lot of responsibilities, and it takes a lot of work. Between the three of us [Sam, Mike and I], none of us wanted to assume the sole captaincy. We decided to share it equally amongst all three of us. I feel like all three of us have different strengths and weaknesses, so we just spread our energy across evenly and take on different parts of the responsibilities. And I think it’s lessened the load. We don’t put it all on one person because that tends to be a lot and then they tend to burn out. [Laughs]

How have you advanced the QDR mission?

I think that’s been a constant evolution as well. But to me, QDR at its roots has always been just a reflection of its members. I’ve always wanted the community to grow organically and empower each of our community leaders to feel like they can mold their little chunk of Queens how they want. QDR is the larger organization that eventually brings it all together. I think Mike’s analogies are always, “Hey, we’re like the Avengers!” or “There’s a crossover event!” [Laughs] I don’t see many other running clubs that are as widespread as us. A lot of them are solely focused in either running fast or hosting one or two events a week. We have nine or eight [runs] across the week, with special events on Saturdays. I think that’s the beauty of QDR. We have such a wide net and we can still get together for these big events as well.

Are there any pending ideas for QDR that you would like to see come to fruition?

Yeah, there’s plenty. I can’t disclose them yet. I think the biggest thing is to keep making it community based and health based. I would just like to keep seeing people get what they want out of it. It’s beautiful when members step up. Kristen, for example, she reached out last year and she was like, “I have a background in graphic design. If you guys need help with your Instagram posts, I’m here to help.” She volunteered to design our weekly posts, or any flyers for us. You with your current journalism background and restarting the blog. Members just saying, “Hey, I have this skill. Because I love QDR and want to see it grow, I can help out in this way.”

I want to spread that message amongst the community. If you guys want to help out somehow, just reach out to anyone, like your community leaders, one of the captains, or one of the founders. We love it when people want to make us bigger, better, or greater. Like Kevin, his mission is to get these road races out on the road. “Let’s turn the Queens Marathon into a big road marathon!” I love that about him. He always dreams big. [Laughs]

What advice would you give to runners aiming to break the three-hour marathon barrier?

If your goal is to break the three-hour barrier, I think consistency is the biggest thing. Building a plan where you know you can commit to it and put in the miles in a way that you’re not going to injure yourself. It might not happen at the first race, but if you’re able to stack a couple of consistent training cycles together, you’ll get to your result. But you also got to do it in a way that’s sustainable with your lifestyle. We’re not professional runners, so we can’t dedicate our entire day to nutrition, recovery, run, and repeat. We have a nine to five job. We have school. We have commutes. It does take time and effort but have consistency and realize it won’t happen overnight. 

I think after Berlin, I was very upset that I couldn’t run a sub three on Marathon Number Two. [Laughs] Luckily, it was in a time where I didn’t have to dwell on it, and I had the luxury of traveling and getting my mind off that. You can have such an amazing result by trusting that your training will bring you to a good place. Once you get that first milestone, you’ll realize, “I built it up [a sub three-hour marathon time] as this very difficult goal. And this time, for Chicago, I went out trying to run a 2:53. And it was a hotter day with 80% humidity. I had to deal with some adversity around mile 20 and onwards, but even having a tough race, I still ended up with a 2:59. Now I can go for even quicker times if I want. If you want to put in the work, you put in the work. Then you can get the times, if that’s your goal.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.