WHY RUNLAB™

We know how to provide the best treatment for you, because we not only have a team of experts but are also runners, triathletes, adventure racers, crossfit athletes, marathoners, and track athletes ourselves.

 

We understand that each runner and athlete has his or her own strengths, weaknesses, structural limiters, and goals that must be considered when determining a rehab or injury prevention plan. We are staunch advocates of running for both mental and physical health, and believe everyone should be able to run. Runners need a healthcare team that not only understands running injuries, biomechanics, and how to unravel complex movement pattern issues, but who are also runners themselves and understand what it means when you say you “need” to be able to run. At RunLab™, we work with you on a running-specific treatment plan based around your individual needs. Our goal is not only that you keep training through the healing process whenever possible, but that you come out stronger on the other side with a more thorough understanding of your own body.

 

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Kimberly A. Davis, DC, ART

FOUNDER AND CEO

As evidenced by permanent sports-bra tan lines earned through tens of thousands of miles running, biking and paddling all over North America, Dr. Davis understands the unique challenges of endurance athletes. She also understands firsthand how frustrating it is to be sidelined from the sport you love without proper guidance on how to get back out there.

Working as part of sports medicine teams for over a decade, Dr. Davis has dedicated her career to the study of clinical biomechanics and helping runners get back on the trails, improve their performance and enjoy running again. Tired of hearing her clients say they had been told not to run or that “running is bad for your knees” without any discussion about biomechanics, she launched RunLab in 2014 as a running-centric healthcare facility built entirely by, and for, runners.

Dr Davis and her team treat runners of every shape, size and experience level from all over the United States and have worked with Olympic & Junior Olympic gold medalists, National Champions, Elite and professional runners and triathletes, and every type of recreational runner imaginable, including brand new runners and those with special needs such as Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism, and a variety of movement disorders.

The RunLab team loves to tackle any and all running-related issues, from performance limiters and efficiency problems to complex or confusing injuries that have garnered the dreaded “you should just take up cycling” statement from the medical world. RunLab has grown to earn the trust of thousands of runners through performance-centric treatment plans, full body gait analysis, and a fantastic treatment team of specialists who are all dedicated runners.

Dr. Davis is a huge advocate of multi-disciplinary care and her team will work closely with a client’s current physical therapist, medical doctor, or coach to collaborate on a care plan specific to the needs of the individual runner.

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EDUCATION

Dr. Davis graduated Cum Laude from the University of Western States in 2008. In addition to a bachelor’s degree in human biology and a doctorate in chiropractic, Dr. Davis has undergone extensive specialized training in running biomechanics, movement pattern analysis, return-to-sport protocols, clinical gait analysis, and Active Release Therapy. As part of the University of Western States Research Department, Dr. Davis worked for several years as a treating clinician and rehabilitation specialist for NIH funded low back pain research studies on both adolescents and adults and has co-authored several publications on musculoskeletal injuries in the pediatric population. She also travels around the United States teaching and lecturing on gait evaluation and clinical biomechanics and enjoys helping personal trainers, coaches, and healthcare practitioners understand how to effectively utilize gait evaluation as an assessment tool.

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PERSONAL   

In her late 20s, Dr. Davis moved from downhill mountain biking, cyclocross and mountaineering into the endurance world, at which time an old knee injury began to plague her training. After being told she should stop running altogether by an orthopedist in her early-30’s  (the impetus for starting RunLab), she promptly decided to increase her mileage, focus on her mechanics, fix her own knee, and prove a point.

Now, despite her hilariously bad swimming ability, she is a 4X Ironman and consistent podium finisher in triathlon and adventure racing.  She runs 60-80 miles per week, ran her first 18:56 5K at 42 years old and has not had knee pain or any other running-related injury in almost 10 years. Her favorite races are 24-72 hour adventure races involving mountain biking, trail running, bushwhacking and kayaking, all based around navigation through the backcountry with map and compass (why yes, it IS the greatest sport in the history of ever). She is passionate about making RunLab a home for runners of every shape, size and experience level and currently sits on the board of The Arc as well as an advisory committee for building fitness programs for special needs populations. In 2017 Dr Davis and her team helped the first Down syndrome runner complete the Austin 1/2 marathon and have since launched Kayleigh’s Club, one of the only special-needs running teams in the country.

In 2014, Dr. Davis married serial entrepreneur and newly indoctrinated adventure racer Jonathan Davis, and has inherited three amazing children: Gigi, Cash and most recently, a fuzzy little Jabber-puppy-wocky named Chuck. She has never met a frozen margarita she wouldn’t drink and has a love-hate relationship with Ben & Jerry’s…meaning she loves Half-Baked and hates when there isn’t any in her freezer.

Eric Rhoden, PT, DPT

Eric Rhoden, PT, DPT

CLINIC DIRECTOR & DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY

Dr. Rhoden was born and raised in San Diego, California, making Austin, Texas his home in 2016. Dr. Rhoden has always thrived on competition and learning new skills. After dabbling in many sports over the years, soccer became his primary focus. Just before playing soccer at the collegiate level, he sustained a knee injury, removing him from the sport and solidifying his desire to pursue a career in physical therapy. He graduated Magna Cum Laude with his bachelor’s in Kinesiology from California State University, San Marcos and received his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Loma Linda University. 

Following his academic accomplishments, Dr. Rhoden has served in various institutions and corporations as an advisor for health-related products, policies, and research projects. He has over 10 years experience in wellness coaching, nutrition, and personal training. During the past 6 years, Dr. Rhoden has been a movement disorder specialist with a local neurology practice. During the height of the pandemic, he co-founded a remote COVID-19 testing company to support the community. In addition, Dr. Rhoden has also spent time providing continuing education courses throughout the US on comprehensive Parkinson’s care and enjoys presenting to local groups throughout the Austin area.

Dr. Rhoden is married to his incredible wife Erin and together they have a 9-year-old son Mason who keeps them busy. While fitness has been a part of his professional life, it is also a part of his personal life as well. Dr. Rhoden currently participates in local running groups, Camp Gladiator, CrossFit, and any other competition he can get his hands on. His goal is to “be the grandpa that can still run, climb, get on the floor, and defeat my grandkids in a push-up contest.” When Dr. Rhoden is not competing, he enjoys creating healthy dishes in the kitchen, gardening, camping, and enjoying time with his family.

Scott Murphy Halasz, PT, DPT

Scott Murphy Halasz, PT, DPT

DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY

As a little kid, Dr. Halasz wanted to be a stunt man. After four years of swimming for Indiana, followed by Physical Therapy school at Virginia Commonwealth University, he landed his first physical therapy job by jumping onto a Swiss ball and simultaneously juggling. With his extensive knowledge of running and swimming biomechanics, he is a perfect addition to the RunLab team, where he is the current balance board record holder and inventor of tricks that involve kids, dogs, broomsticks, dental floss, and other household items. Unfortunately, perfecting his bag of tricks has meant testing his limits frequently, landing him an ER punch-card in his early days. Injuries to date include: stitches to the head, wrist, thumb, foot, and back, two broken ribs, wrist, ankle, talus, and two fingers; chipped teeth more than 10 times; multiple sprained ankles, both thumbs, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, IT band syndrome, strained hamstrings, patellar tendinopathy, sprained MCL, and bilateral shoulder labral tears. Each injury has been a learning experience and a way to better understand his clients and how compensation patterns develop, making him one of the best physical therapists in Texas when it comes to treating athletes. Now, as a father of three, a 2000 and 2004 U.S. Swimming Olympic Trials participant, Ironman, NCAA All-American, swim coach and veteran physical therapist, he goes to the ER much less often. Dr. Halasz still competes in local triathlons, running races and can be found pushing a stroller around town, swimming at Deep Eddy, throwing a Frisbee at Zilker, Kitesurfing on Lake Belton, or perfecting his Kermit the Frog imitation.

Matthew Bierschenk, PT, DPT

Matthew Bierschenk, PT, DPT

DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY

Throughout his life, the biggest constant in Dr Bierschenk’s (pronounced BEER-SHANK) life has been sports. Growing up on the mean streets of Nacogdoches, TX, it was commonplace to find him practicing soccer, or recreationally running, cycling, disc golfing, or playing basketball in his driveway. He moved to Austin to attend the University of Texas, where he majored in Sociology. Almost immediately after stepping onto the 40 acres, he was swept into the world of ultimate frisbee. What followed next was a 17 year (and counting) career that included being a member of a national championship winning team in 2012 with Austin Doublewide and a three year stint as a member of the Austin Sol, a professional team associated with the American Ultimate Disc League. He also volunteered his time for 8 years as a coach of the men’s ultimate frisbee team at UT and worked as a coach and counselor at various ultimate frisbee summer camps.  It was through Ultimate Frisbee that Dr. Bierschenk met Dr. Halasz as he was introduced into the field of Physical Therapy for the first time in 2012 before attending Texas State University for Physical Therapy in 2014. After 15 years of living in the hill country he moved to Fort Worth in 2020 for a brief stint before being beckoned home by the opportunity to join the team at RunLab 15 short months later. While he still finds a great deal of identity and release through sports, his main passion now revolves around family life with his wife, 1yo daughter, and two dogs; always looking for new adventures and new horizons.

Daniel Murray, PT, DPT

Daniel Murray, PT, DPT

DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY

After a major injury in high school, Dr. Murray had both positive and negative experiences with rehab. Those experiences, combined with his interest in kinesiology and a desire to help others, led him to the field of physical therapy, intent on doing better. As an Austin native, Dr. Murray stayed close to home and earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas at Austin, followed by his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Texas State University. While much around the city has changed, Dr. Murray finds stability in the big family he still has in town and their weekly dinners. Dr. Murray’s favorite forms of movement include ultimate frisbee, cycling, and trail running, with more casual forays into local triathlons, tennis, volleyball, swimming, and cyclocross. While he gets a lot of running in, you will rarely find Dr. Murray just going for a jog – the more dynamic the movement, the more appealing. These varied sports have given Dr. Murray additional experience in assessing and treating athletes in agility-based sports. Further areas of interest include motor learning, movement as a form of mindfulness, and public health. While often assumed to be a healthy eater, Dr. Murray’s strong sweet tooth ensures he gets more than enough calories to sustain his active lifestyle.

Emily Skipper, PT, DPT

Emily Skipper, PT, DPT

DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY

Dr. Skipper was born and raised in Victoria, Texas where she grew up with a great passion for sports. From a very young age she has competed in basketball, track, baseball, and softball. Her interest in sports and the medical field led her to pursue a career in physical therapy. She graduated from The University of Texas at San Antonio with a Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology – Athletic Training concentration in 2016. She received her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from South College in 2019. Additionally, she completed a Sports Residency through Evidence in Motion in 2020 to further her knowledge in specialized care working with athletes. Dr. Skipper has had the opportunity throughout her career to work with a wide variety of sports including soccer, basketball, volleyball, running, baseball/softball, cheerleading, football, volleyball, rugby, lacrosse, swimming, CrossFit, golf, and wrestling. She has worked with a wide range of athletes including youth, high school, collegiate, semi-pro, and masters athletes. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, hanging out with her dogs, and playing basketball when she is able.

John Love, PT, DPT

John Love, PT, DPT

DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY

Dr. Love graduated from Texas State University Magna Cum Lade with a Bachelors in Exercise Sport Science in 2015, and again from Texas State University with a Clinical Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2021. In addition to extensive work in clinical biomechanics and sports rehab, John has worked as part of and managed large physical therapy and sports training facilities, participated in physical therapy research, and worked with out-patient orthopedic teams for over 7 years. John loves working with the pediatric running population and has donated extensive time to research projects surrounding motor learning, social skills, and cognitive retention in children with Autism. He works closely with UT’s Texas 4000 cycling team, helping to develop training and injury prevention plans for University of Texas students each year who ride bikes from Austin, Texas to Anchorage, Alaska while raising money for cancer research. John has an extensive competitive background in Tennis, Golf, Football, Baseball, Basketball, and Track. He currently spends every spare moment either on the golf course or relaxing by water.

Colby McCune

Colby McCune

CLINICAL GAIT SPECIALIST

I was raised in Manhattan, Kansas as an avid Kansas State Wildcat football fan. I fell in love with running at 10 years old when I signed up for my first road race. It was a 2-mile road race on St. Patty’s day, I won my age group and after that I was hooked on running. I relocated to Texas at the age of 12 and was lucky enough to be a part of a great cross-country program at Boerne High School. I was a part of two team cross country state titles and in my final year my team won the national championship. This experience fostered my love for running and gave me the opportunity to compete at the college level. I attended Stephen F. Austin State University on a track scholarship and majored in Kinesiology. Each summer I work with high school kids as a running camp counselor because I’m passionate about giving back to the youth and using the sport of running as a catalyst to develop character and a healthy lifestyle. I consider myself a running nerd and love reading about the science and history of the sport. These days I still run and compete at the highest level that I can with the goal of qualifying for the US Olympic Trials in 2020. If I’m not running then I’m probably watching MMA and or listening to Hip Hop.

Jocelyn Smith

Jocelyn Smith

MOBILITY SPECIALIST

Born in Hawaii and raised in El Paso, Tx, Jocelyn graduated with her Bachelor of Science degree in Athletic Training from THE University of Texas at Austin and her Master of Science degree from Texas State University. She was drawn to athletic training not just because of the combination of sports and medicine, but the ability to be a “Jack of all trades” to help people get back to doing what they are passionate about. Her education and career have allowed her to work with various athletes at different levels and exposed her to numerous sports-related orthopedic injuries. She has worked with track and field, football, swimming, volleyball, tennis, lacrosse, and soccer. Her athletic background began at a young age with horseback riding and she has since participated in barrel racing, taekwondo, basketball, and track and field. These days you can find Jocelyn going on hikes or runs with her two high-energy dogs, kickboxing, watching Texas football, traveling, or watching the latest movie release.

Casey Nall

Casey Nall

MOBILITY SPECIALIST

Casey moved from Yakima, Washington in 2007. Seeking a fitness group to mimic the community feel of the karate school she attended, she stumbled upon running and got hooked. After running her second marathon with floating cartilage, and two knee surgeries later, conventional medicine told her she needed to never run again. Devastated, Casey left her corporate job in 2015 and pursued a career as a Certified Personal Trainer to help individuals find passion in fitness again. This influence of strength training allowed her to become strong enough to run again, this time faster, and she consistently enrolls in races to further challenge herself. She holds a RRCA Level 1 Run Coach certification and none of her fitness certifications match any of her higher educational training (but still, go Hilltoppers!)..

Jin Lenhart

Jin Lenhart

MOBILITY SPECIALIST

Jin Lenhart is a NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) Certified Personal Trainer & Nutrition Coach. She was born in China, adopted at age two and grew up in State College, Pennsylvania. Jin ran track in both middle & high school, as well as ran cross country her freshman and sophomore years before moving to Austin, Texas in 2013. After sustaining countless muscular-skeletal injuries due to hyper-mobility, months of physical therapy, and doctors telling her to do anything but run, Jin realized how important biomechanics truly were in her ability and efficacy to run. She saw such an improvement that she was determined to help improve the lives of others, and so she did (she joined RunLab). If Jin is not outside running, she is probably still outside hiking, cycling, swimming, or SUP-ing with her two dogs: Torchy & Mesquite.

Ashley Laureano

Ashley Laureano

MOBILITY SPECIALIST

Ashley was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She graduated from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez with a double major degree in PE teacher (K-12) and a BSN. She also has a Masters degree in Exercise Physiologist from the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras. She married in 2019 and moved with her husband to the US in 2021. Ashley is an athlete of track and field looking forward to being part of the next Olympic cycle starting in 2026 with the Centroamerican and Caribbean Games in Dominican Republic. She has been part of the National Puerto Rico team since 2010 representing her country in T&F, XC and half marathons. Her next step is to try to have her first ticket to the XTERRA Trail Run World Championship this year. Her parents were National athletes as well and represented the Island for many years. Also she has a brother that plays baseball in the Doble A league in Puerto Rico. Ashley has a passion for Jesus Christ, and she has discipleship with other women athletes since 2014. She looks forward to having the opportunity to create new discipleship groups with her husband and with the help of her church, family, and friends.

Lucas Manring

Lucas Manring

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
BILLING MANAGER

A Missouri native, Lucas moved to Austin in 2013 and quickly engrained himself in the local running community. Lucas received his bachelor’s in accounting in 2012 and has been a RunLab team member since 2015.  You will likely find him on any given day enjoying tacos with his wife, Valerie, son Lando, or chasing down a top 3 time for a local Strava running segment. On the track, Lucas is a five-time collegiate All-American (indoor and outdoor track & field), holds two high school state championships in the 800 meter, a top 3 finish at the Outdoor NAIA national championships, two USA Indoor Championship qualifications, multiple middle-distance records for the CMU Eagles, and a personal best of 1:48.43 in the 800 meter. Off the track, Lucas is an accomplished piano and trombone player, triathlete, adventure racer and accountant who enjoys spending his time reading about how to brew beer, stamping things with his newly acquired Notary Public stamp, and leading RunLab’s free Tuesday night meetup group: The Speedshop Mafia.

Trey Simcik

Trey Simcik

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Trey is relatively new to the world of running and endurance sports. He hobbled into RunLab in late 2016 while training for his first marathon and never really left. Today, he has dozens of races under his belt and has fallen in love with ultra distance trail running. Trey completed his first 100 mile race at the 2019 Leadville 100 and has since then completed numerous others including the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in Chamonix, France . When he’s not out running, he can be found loving life with his wife, Whitney, and their pups, Moonpie and Butters. He is a huge fan of The Office, Harry Potter, chips and salsa, and sweet tea. Trey’s guilty pleasures include hot dogs, Big Brother, and the Gilmore Girls. Say hi if you see him out on the trail! 

Adria Ray

Adria Ray

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND SALES

Adria joins our team with a big love of marketing and a small knowledge of running, but she’s learning every day. You can find Adria on the move, whether she’s hiking, practicing yoga, or taking a barre class.  She received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Texas A&M University (whoop!); her marketing career spans from large tech companies to small, locally owned businesses. In addition to her marketing work, Adria is an experienced yoga teacher having taught more than a thousand hours of yoga. In her spare time, she enjoys playing outdoors with her family, reading, and fostering kittens for her local animal shelter.