Lynn Nguyen is an Asian American Runner and Librarian, born and raised in Alhambra, California. She currently resides in Los Angeles, California and works as a Young Adult Librarian for the Los Angeles Public Library. Her job is unique because she gets to design community programs for youth and prepares them for success. During her spare time, she enjoys drinking boba milk teas, eating out, and running with the family- Koreatown Run Club (K / R C) . As a club captain, she helps lead and inspire a vibrant community of runners (both new and elite) to run through the streets of Koreatown every Thursday Night. She brings on a new sense of community leadership, bursting with positive energy and is always the life of the party. When you’re running with Lynn, she will stay by your side and cheer you on until you make it to the finish line. At the finish line, you can guarantee there will be hugs, high fives, karaoke, cake, and a beer waiting for you. She has been running since 2017 and enjoys meeting new people and runners from all walks of life.

What pushes you to be the best person you can be? 

The first person that comes to my mind is my mother. As a child of immigrant parents, I know my parents didn’t always have everything growing up. They left their war-torn country of Vietnam after the Fall of Saigon in 1975. My mother escaped by boat and settled at a refugee camp in Indonesia with her family until they were sponsored by Church World Service to come to Glendale, CA in 1980. She never had a chance to go to college and live out her dreams, so she has worked very hard to make sure that my 3 siblings and I got to live out ours. Everything was great and I was excelling in my academics and my career- until 2018 when I almost loss her. She became very sick one day and when she went to the hospital, she was immediately put under sedation and went into a septic shock. I remember my whole life flashing before my eyes and the doctor telling my family and I to pray because there’s a 99% chance she wouldn’t make it. I never wanted anything more in my life than for my mom to live because she was always my biggest supporter and the best mom I could ever ask for. I had spent the next few weeks in the ICU with my mom praying everyday for a miracle. I covered the night shift from 10pm - 7am to be by my mom’s side ensuring that she was never alone if something happened. My siblings would cover the daytime shift since they had a more flexible work schedule. 10 days passed and the doctors finally took her off sedation. She opened her eyes and started to move her head and fingers. She still had tubes down her throat, but she was able to understand my questions. She nodded for me to fan her because she was so hot. The day finally came when the doctors removed her tubes. She couldn’t exactly talk yet, but I remember my eyes welling up in tears because she was going to be okay. I think the moment when you realize that you are about the lose the one person that you love the most in this world, that’s the person that pushes you to be the best version of yourself. I’ve always worked hard and have done things to make my mom proud, but everything I do now, I do it for my mom. I do it because I want her to know that she’s my person that inspires me everyday to be my best. My mom has been working for the Glendale Public Library for almost 40 years. She enjoys cooking Vietnamese food, knitting, and singing karaoke. 

What inspired you to start running/live an active lifestyle? 

Right before my 30th birthday, I wanted to take on a whole new challenge for myself. My best friend Annie had invited me to run the LA Marathon for my birthday, and boy was I in for a huge surprise. Running was not easy, but I had Annie a lot of new friends to run with. I ran my first marathon and it was great, but now what? I had to keep the momentum going. I joined the Koreatown Run Club that same year and fast forward, I was selected to be one of the Captains. I've met so many amazing people through running and that's what keeps me going now. My family. I can't thank them enough for always inspiring me to be better and to push myself harder. 

What is your favorite song(s) to listen to while running/working out? 

The Weekend- I Feel It Coming SG Lewis- Sunsets Pt. 2  

Big Wild- When I Get There PartyNextDoor ft. Drake 

Bad Bunny- LOYAL  

Drake ft. Michael Jackson - Don't Matter to Me  

Alina Baraz Ft. Khalid - Electric (R3hab remix)  

Swae Lee- Guatemala  

Emotional Oranges - Motion Pink  

Sweat$ ft. Crush - I Wanna Be Yours  

Cash Cash - Finest Hour  

88 Rising- Midsummer Madness  

Big Wild- Joypunks 

Goals for 2020-2021:  

• My dreams and aspirations have always been to find ways to create a more inclusive community both professionally and personally. Running does that to you. It opens up dialogue and breaks barriers when you’re running with people whom you just met a few minutes ago. Kindness, Compassion, and Empathy is taught through relationships that we have with many our friends, family, and often our community. Now more than ever, my goal in life is to create a dialogue with everyone in my running community about providing support to those that may not have a voice and to dismiss all acts of violence and racism towards BIPOC. I hope to be a person that can make my parents and my community proud of who I am. I have so many goals, but this one is the most important for me right now. In terms of running, I just want to be a faster runner every time my foot hits the pavement, but that’s not always the case. I’m getting there slowly, but surely.
• I plan to incorporate more high intensity training and weight lifting into my practice. It's important to build muscles if I want to be a stronger runner.