Hi, I'm Sarah.
Originally from Upstate NY, I attended Georgia Tech on academic scholarship to study biomedical engineering, and I was fortunate to be able to compete on the D1 cross country/ track and field team beginning my sophomore year. Growing up I was heavily involved in athletics, yet plagued by foot injuries beginning at just 9 years old. Same story rang true in college as I was sidelined for almost an entire track season due to an overuse injury my junior year. I was tired of countless podiatry appointments for custom orthotics and gait evaluation, and I was done trying every new insert, brace, or taping method that came to market.
Refusing to be satisfied by products that didn't work to prevent yet another injury, I became enamored with the why. Why was I getting injured in the first place?
Since I was 8 or 9 I've wanted to design my own line of athletic shoes, but after diving into the science of running biomechanics post college, I realized it wasn't so much my current shoes that was causing injury, but the way I ran because I grew up wearing shoes. I needed to change my foot strike and subsequently my entire gait, but I didn't even know where to start.
My senior year of college I utilized the prosthetic and orthotic research lab at Georgia Tech to research how the foot worked, and after college I continued to seek experiences that would broaden my insight to overuse injuries, all while utilizing myself as the test subject in all experiments. I spent time at Loughborough University in the UK researching stress and strain on the bottom of the foot during barefoot running. I also worked as a biomechanical engineer on ESPNs 'Sport Science' television show, designing the biomechanical tests completed by the athletes on each episode.
A year with the adidas innovation team in Germany taught me an exorbitant amount regarding footwear design and materials creation, sourcing, and testing. As an ergonomics engineer for a sport orthopedic company in Los Angeles, I helped to design a walking cast that created no disruption to the wearer's normal gait. I even worked at a running retail store to gain insight into customer feedback of current running shoes and fit issues. I learned that back and joint problems are a huge issue in sport, so to become an expert on custom orthotic solutions and the nervous system, I shadowed a pedorthist and worked for many years as a neurophysiologist within the operating room, monitoring the nervous system during spine and brain surgery.
For the past 4 years I've spent my days as a global product manager for medical device, all while continuing to moonlight development of Celer by night. I've become an expert at new product introduction, product marketing, and supply chain/ operations. In 2021, I began the 24 month journey through the executive MBA program at NYU Stern. The executive program is the same as the full-time, it just has class on every other Friday and Saturday. NYU has a massive entrepreneurial community and world renowned professors, and once COVID hit, I decided what better time than the preset to pursue higher education!
Post-COVID, supply chain is slowly stabilizing and I was able to get my first batch of product after a 2 year manufacturing hiatus. Surrounded by the motivation of NYU and NYC, Celer Ergonomics (the company) was born. Our first product, the Celer Running Straps, help you run better by holding your foot in ergonomic position for a mid-foot running strike. A mid-foot running strike is correlated with decreased risk for overuse injury and increased performance!
When I get onto something, I can't stop. I've spent years researching the why, and years more determining the solution. I'm proud to say I've been injury free since I started to wear Celer.
I am genuinely excited for you to try this product, as I know it will truly change your movement for the better. Check out our instagram to learn more!
Best,
Sarah
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