Why Sam Weinstein Prioritizes Community Connections & Slow Running

Sam Weinstein is a neuromuscular massage therapist, a runner, and a regular at Inside Trail races from Marin County. He now lives in Emeryville, next door to his Berkeley business, Forget Me Knot Massage. If you’ve run with Inside Trail in the past few months, chances are you’ve seen Sam at an aid station, making sure you had everything you needed to go on, or at the finish area, taking care of runners’ sore legs. This is the story of how he went through several sports and injuries to find trail running and the wonderful communities that surround it.

From Gymnastics & Mountain Biking to The Running Community and Volunteering

Sam Weinstein grew up doing gymnastics and mountain biking. He loved these sports; however, by the time UC Santa Cruz opened its doors to him, significant injuries put a stop to his training. That’s when he was first introduced to physical and massage therapy. Wanting to pay it forward and help others just like him, Sam went back to school to study massage therapy at the National Holistic Institute in Emeryville.

While in college, he rediscovered running.

“It was just much easier to head out with just a pair of shoes,” he said. What’s more, running brought him one unexpected surprise: community.

Whenever Sam couldn’t run, he volunteered. After a few races, he started to set up his massage table at the finish line. The more races he worked at, the more in love he fell with the trail running community.

“It just went from there,” he said. “Every time I leaned in more, I got a really nice welcome from other people and that’s what keeps bringing me back.”

Sam has worked at other races in the past, too. He’s done massage therapy at cycling events, however, the general feel of these races wasn’t exactly what he looked for.

“Trail running just feels better,” he said. “It’s not as vain, especially the longer distances. People are just hanging out… I really like the energy.”

As Sam learned, volunteering also sometimes takes just as much grit as running and racing does.

“There are some early starts,” he said. “I don’t love waking up at 4:30 on a Saturday but it’s nice when that’s where I get to go.”

The 2023 Redtail Ridge was a great example of the joy and resilience of the running community.

“It was wet and cold—but everybody was excited to be there,” Sam said. “This stuff is not easy. It’s tiring and it’s not always convenient, but these people are always so committed. It’s inspiring to see that. Most of the aid station volunteers were injured and they all still wanted to be there.”

A Runner Is Born

Sam has run before—even before gymnastics and mountain biking, there was running. His father ran every day regardless of weather. However, Sam, at only 10 years old, ended up with foot pain and orthotics. As he and everyone around believed, his feet were always going to need support from then on. Eventually, he began experiencing pain because of the orthotics.

After years of trying to figure out how to run despite his limitations, Sam broke his tibia in a mountain bike crash. At first, it seemed that his days of running were numbered. Then a physical therapist taught Sam how to walk again.

Since walking is only one step removed from running, Sam, of course, tried running once more. A few of his friends ran the Quad Dipsea in 2023. The event piqued Sam’s interest and he decided that he, too, would run the race one day. Getting involved with the trail running community, Sam discovered “slower, social” running—the kind of running that, for the first time in a long time, didn’t cause him any leg or foot pain. Like a phoenix from the ashes, on the other side of injuries, a trail runner was born.

“I had my Born to Run moment then,” he said.

Eventually, Sam took part in the Marin Ultra Challenge.

“It went superbly well,” he said, and, encouraged to keep exploring what his body could do, tried running without orthotics. The persistent pain in his back that he’d been experiencing for years finally left. Sam found out that he “was onto something.”

When issues with his lower legs returned, he found another physical therapist and started working with them to keep running pain-free without orthotics.

There are a couple races that caught Sam’s interest. Firstly, it was the Golden Trail Series Headlands 27K with its “insane athletes.” The speed of the event made it “very different” from any other race he’d seen before. A close second was the 2025 Marin Ultra Challenge.

“It was so much less about performance and so much more about morale,” he said. He found that very gratifying.

However impressive and satisfying Sam found these races, on the top of his list is the Quad Dipsea, which he wants to run with the friends who first introduced him to trail running. He’s also planning on exploring races around the Bay Area and is considering the Broken Arrow 23K event.

There are even longer races on the horizon—a hundred miler “would be cool”—but as Sam said, he needs get a few more 50K races under his belt before he can think about going any further.

“Forget Me Knot!” (—Your Cross Training Plan, Probably)

“We tend to be so addicted to the movement that when we can’t do it, it’s a huge f*cking deal,” Sam said. His own history with injuries and physical therapy shapes how he approaches the related subjects with his clients. “I believe deeply in the power of connecting with your own feet,” he said.

Until February, Sam worked at a clinic in Oakland while starting his own business. Working six days a week and trying to market his own business at the same time, he had to “figure out how to avoid burning out.” Now, he’s finally in his own space with his own business, Forget Me Knot Massage.

“When I went to school, I knew that I wanted to run my own business… I wanted the responsibility and the freedom that you get from operating your own thing,” he said.

Sam had managed to get his name out in the running and rock climbing community. In his work with clients, he focuses mainly on symptom management and injury prevention.

“Any time I get to help somebody get back to the way they want to move—or help them get just one step closer—is a good day,” he said. “Those days have been very meaningful in my life, so it seems fitting that that’s what I’m doing for a job now.”

For all the runners out there, Sam has one message: “Do your strength training regularly. You will break down slower. If you want to run long, get strong.“