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When longtime runner Jeremy Hoffman faced a career-altering injury, he didn’t slow down—he simply changed course. What began as a way to stay in shape while he couldn’t run soon became a new competitive outlet. From challenging hilly rides in Pennsylvania to an epic showdown on Palomar Mountain, our June 2025 Rider of the Month proves that setbacks can spark even greater achievements. 

From the Starting Line to Being Sidelined

Jeremy grew up in the small borough of Northumberland, Pennsylvania, and started running in high school. By junior year, he was leading his team. During his senior year, Jeremy received a recruiting call from his idol: the legendary runner and coach Steve Spence of Shippensburg University. “To hear his voice on the line saying he wanted me at Ship—it blew me away,” Jeremy remembers.

At Shippensburg, he studied human resource management, ran competitively, and managed a house-painting franchise. He also met his future wife, Amy. “I had a pretty solid college running career,” he says, “but I never really took full advantage of my potential.”

After graduation, Jeremy and Amy got married and settled in the West Chester/ Downingtown area of Pennsylvania. He began working at ChristianaCare Health Systems, where he’s now a process and system architect. He also ran for Bryn Mawr Running Company, setting personal records from the 5K to the marathon. But once he and Amy started a family, running took a back seat. Today, their daughters, Hilary and Lindsey, are standout collegiate field hockey players.

“As my daughters got older, I started getting back into running,” says Jeremy. “I went full throttle. That’s when the injuries started.”

He returned to his favorite race, Run for the Diamonds, where the top seven finishers win diamond jewelry. In the early 2000s, Jeremy had twice scored a diamond ring. In 2015, despite nagging calf pain, Jeremy won the 40 and over masters diamond. It was the last race he’d run before everything changed.

A hilly training run in new running shoes left Jeremy with a sore Achilles tendon. “I thought I could run through it and I’d recover,” Jeremy recalls. “Boy, was I wrong.”

Finding a New Way to Move

His Achilles injury continued to plague him for more than a year. A nearby running store sold ElliptiGO bikes, and Amy bought one for Jeremy in 2017. Jeremy rode it mainly to stay in shape while battling his injury. But he was happily surprised that the bike gave him that coveted “runner’s high” while also helping him maintain aerobic fitness.  

Following a TOPAZ radiofrequency procedure on his Achilles in 2018, Jeremy began using an AlterG treadmill and riding his ElliptiGO bike more consistently. In 2020, he traded his bike in and got the ElliptiGO 11R. “Hands down, it was the best decision I made,” he says. “It allowed me to take my fitness to a whole new level.” He also added an MSUB to his stable.

Jeremy is still plagued by Achilles tenderness today. He says, “For anyone who used to run, walk or hike, but can’t because of Achilles issues, plantar fasciitis, knee problems or injuries, ElliptiGO bikes give you that outlet for fitness. There’s no impact and it’s just a thrilling experience when you’re out riding.”

The 2024 World Championships

In 2024, Jeremy set his sights on training for the annual ElliptiGO World Championships race up Palomar Mountain. He became a vegan in 2023, which helped him feel healthier and stay lighter. To prepare for the race, he logged 150 to 220 miles a week, focusing on hills, sometimes doing two-a-day workouts of running and riding or doubling up on riding. He also did light weight training, concentrating on his glutes, quads, calves and core.

Along the way, he climbed the Global ElliptiGO Riders Club (GERC) leaderboard. Jeremy ranks seventh for 5K speed, in the top five for 8K and 16K rides, third in the one-hour time trial, and in the top 10 for total elevation climbed in both 2023 and 2024.

One training loop—a 70-miler with over 6,000 feet of climbing—tested his endurance so much that he had to stop for donuts and Gatorade to replenish his carbs and fluids! As he faced yet another climb to make it back home, he says, “I pulled over and called my wife to come pick me up. But then, being the competitor I am, I couldn’t give up. I started riding home.” 

Two weeks later, Jeremy crushed the same ride. He finished in four hours and 55 minutes, cutting more than 20 minutes off his original time. Jeremy shares, “I was pretty excited after that ride. I knew that I was fit to ride hard up Palomar.”

The race began, and Jeremy surged up the mountain. Soon, he and Dante were battling one another for first place. Jeremy raced ahead at mile 5.5. Then Dante passed him at mile 8. In the end, Jeremy finished in second place, just 40 seconds behind Dante.

Jeremy shares, “I have no complaints! My goal was to ride under 1:20:00. I beat my stretch goal, riding 1:14:35! Dante is a great person, a great competitor, and a friend for life. To be within 40 seconds of Dante—who’s in his 20s—and I’m 49 … That was a huge accomplishment.”

What Keeps Jeremy GOing

Jeremy credits his speed on an ElliptiGO bike to group rides. “I push myself to keep up with other cyclists, and I think that also helps me build my fitness,” says Jeremy. His friends, many of whom ride road or mountain bikes, are stunned by how he keeps up on the 11R and MSUB. “Some call me a beast,” he laughs. “They’re amazed I can ride faster than them uphill.”

His motivation comes from his fellow ElliptiGO riders. “GOers like Britt Brewer, Teresa Fukumoto-Beebe, and Doug Hanna, along with other, more experienced riders, motivate me to get out there and ride as much as I can,” he shares.

In fact, Teresa, whether she knows it or not, has been his biggest motivator. Jeremy explains, “Seeing her rides with the elevation and the speed made me push myself that much harder. I was afraid she’d ride faster and farther than me! LOL!”

As Jeremy looks ahead to his 50th year, he’s focused on running five times a week and riding his ElliptiGO bikes three to four times a week, including one trail session on the MSUB. He’s eyeing a one-hour time trial ElliptiGO ride this fall, looking to improve his current third-place ranking.

Jeremy’s also hoping to win the diamond ring for the 50 and over category at the Run for the Diamonds on Thanksgiving Day 2025. It will be his first return to the race since winning the 40 and over diamond ring 10 years ago. To prepare for the run, he’ll be riding his ElliptiGO bikes to build his aerobic fitness.

“To be honest, I wish I didn’t have to work, so I could ride and run every day and not worry about the time it takes,” he laughs.

Whether he’s logging leaderboard-worthy rides, racing up mountains, or simply enjoying the thrill of the GO, Jeremy continues to inspire with his humor and heart. We’re cheering him on every mile along the way, whether he’s running or riding! Congratulations to our June Rider of the Month!

 

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