Ashley Bradford
Member Since 2015
Ashley has been doing triathlons since 2007 and ran several years before that. She has competed in Nationals for Olympic distance and World’s for 70.3 and qualified for 70.3 World’s in New Zealand. Memorable races are 3rd place overall in the Harbortown 5K, Overall win at Mighty Mite, and 2nd in age group at 70.3 Ohio. Before running, she danced from the time she was 4 until 31 years old. She has twin 8 year olds, 2 golden retrievers, and is married to David Bradford (aka sherpa). She is a physical therapist of 23 years and does some coaching on the side. Outside of triathlons she loves being with her family and traveling with them. She loves being goofy and loves being a part of Thunder for group events, fellow athletes to enjoy the sport with, and the opportunity to give back! She has made some of the most treasured friends on the team and truly believes in sharing the sport with each other.
Lesley Brainard
Member Since 2003
Lesley has been competing in triathlons for 20 years and is a co-founder of Memphis Thunder Racing Triathlon Team. She is involved in the sport as an athlete, a coach, a Memphis Thunder Board Member, and a fan of everything triathlon! Lesley enjoys training just as much as racing and the best times are surrounded by fellow Thunder team mates! She was a Division 1 collegiate swimmer with many athletic achievements including 4 year high point swimmer and NCAA Women's Athlete of the year for Ball State University. As an All American triathlete for over 10 years, and a multiple Team USA qualifier, she has also qualified and raced in the Ironman World Championships in Kona, HI three times and qualified multiple times for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships, placing 2nd AG in 2010. She loves being a mother to 3 adult children who have enjoyeded many athletic and academic successes as well; Alexa (267, Sammy (26), and Colton (20).
LaDell George
Member Since 2012
LaDell comes from a competitive Rock Climbing background taking numerous podiums and a 2nd place rank in the Nation in the advanced level. After taking a long hiatus from sport and moving to Tennessee from Arizona he starting running. Quickly falling in love with that sport and working his way up to two 50k’s in only 2 years, he knew there was more out there to push him. He found Memphis Thunder Racing in 2012 and has never looked back. Since then he has competed in 13 half Ironmans, 3 Ironmans and countless Olympic and sprint distance races. He loves the long days of training with his friends and teammates. He has sat on the Memphis Thunder Racing Board and now is an active committee member. LaDell is not shy of hitting his age group and overall podiums at the super-sprint to Half-iron distances. He’s qualified for and competed at both sprint & olympic Nationals, Ironman World Championship and holds the All-World Athlete status of Ironman races. While not training, racing and running his own business, he loves being with his three kids- Ethan, Morgan & Savanah!
Meg Hall
Member Since 2019
Meg has a strong background in running, and began competing in triathlons while in college in 2016. With a passion for pushing the limits, she expanded her sport to include ultrarunning at a competitive level and has achieved notable success in races at the 100 mile, 100k and 50k distances. In 2022, she competed in the 70.3 World Championship in St. George, UT, showcasing success, dedication, and skill in the endurance sports community. In addition to her athletic pursuits, Meg has been an Occupational Therapist for 5 years in the Memphis community, working with the aging population, and is a proud dog parent of two furry companions
Jeff Holbrook
Member Since 2019
Jeff’s first triathlon was in 1990 and has been competing consistently in triathlons for the past five years. He was a Division 1 collegiate swimmer for the University of Tennessee, world ranked in high school, college and in US Masters age group swimming and still travels to compete in open water swims. Jeff has competed in both Memphis 70.3’s placing third both years and enjoys triathlons of all distances and is planning the Chattanooga Ironman in September. Jeff’s favorite thing about triathlons is being with like minded people who thrive in a competitive environment.
Melissa Puppa-Lasher
Member Since 2022
Melissa grew up swimming competitively through high school. During graduate school she took up
CrossFit which she continued to do until 2022. In 2019 she tried her hand at an Olympic distance
triathlon and quickly fell in love with the training and the sport. She has completed the Memphis 70.3 all
three years and Blue Ridge 70.3 in 2023 and has competed in Age Group National Championships 2019,
2021, 2022, and 2023. Melissa has quickly worked her way to achieving several top age group and
overall finishes at local and national events as well as qualifying for Age Group Worlds in the Standard
Aquabike, Standard Triathlon, Sprint Triathlon, and Mixed Relay. She also has gone back to her
swimming roots and competes in US master’s swimming. Melissa enjoys the challenges of training for
three sports and the community that triathlon has provided.
Heather Perkins
Member Since 2018
Heather Perkins has been enjoying the sport of triathlon since 2008. She comes from a running background, but swimming and biking were always favorite activities. Over the last few years she has focused on consistently training and improvement in the sport. She enjoys the hard training day, and is constantly looking for new areas to work on. She also enjoys the team rides and the opportunity to hang out with her fellow athletes. Over the years, she has had numerous top age group and overall finishes and has participated in nationals several times. She also qualified for Age Group Sprint Worlds in 2020. Outside of triathlon, Heather enjoys rock climbing, hiking, and gardening.
Yancy Potter
Member Since 2022
Yancey started running in high school but took a rather long hiatus from sports until 2002 when he started running again. He had always wanted to do a triathlon since he saw Wide World of Sports and Julie Moss crawl across the finish line in Hawaii, and in 2004 he completed his first sprint distance race and has not looked back since. In 2010 he completed his first of 5 full Ironman distance races in Louisville, and later qualified for the World Championship in Hawaii to have the honor of following the same path as Julie under the Banyan tree to the finish line. His favorite distance is the 70.3 Half Ironman and he has raced quite a few of these including 3 visits to the World Championships in Chattanooga, Port Elizabeth SA and St. George Utah. Yancey is currently a Certified Ironman coach and USAT Coach and loves to help people learn the sport and achieve their goals.
Lacey Rush
Member Since 2023
Lacey has been competing in triathlon for about 15 years. Her triathlon journey started in veterinary
school, initially competing in sprint and Olympic races. As a former collegiate athlete, sport has always
provided a competitive outlet, as well as a much needed mental and physical release. She took several
years off while having her 3 kiddos, but returned to complete her first Ironman 70.3 in 2022. Since then
she has completed numerous 70.3 races (among many short course races) and earned slots to Ironman
70.3 World Championship in Lahti 2023,Ironman 70.3 World Championship New Zealand 2024, and recently a slot for 70.3 World Championship in Marbella Spain 2025. She frequents overall podium finishes and age group wins, but values the relationships she has forged with her fellow triathletes and teammates most! It truly is the best community! This year her target
races are Ironman 70.3 Ohio and Ironman Chattanooga, but she will be competing in many smaller local
races as well. Outside of triathlon, Lacey is equally as busy. She is a veterinarian in the local community,
and her 3 kiddos keep her running constantly. Her husband, Tyler, is also a Thunder member and her
biggest supporter.
Richard Stegura
Member Since 2019
I grew up in Florida, but I moved around quite a bit before settling in Memphis. I've been working as an air traffic controller since 1992,
starting in the Marine Corps, then at various locations, finally ending up here in 2006 at Memphis Tower/Approach. Currently, I work in the enroute environment at Memphis ARTCC. I've been married to my wife, Katrina since 1999, and we have three beautiful daughters ages 13, 19, and 20.
Prior to 2011, I mostly played golf and lifted weights for exercise, but that year, I ran my first 5k. That kind of began my endurance sports journey. In 2012, I completed my first sprint triathlon, Memphis in
May, and I've been hooked on the sport ever since. Since then, I've completed several triathlons ranging from sprint distance to Ironman as well as numerous road and trail running races. I've competed at Age Group National Championships in 2014, 2018,2019, and 2022. For 2023, I
plan on racing Gulf Coast 70.3, Augusta 70.3, Age Group Nationals, and many local races. I've also recently purchased my first mountain bike and would love to do some off road triathlons once my skills get better
Steve Scott
Member Since 2020
Steve has been actively involved in triathlons since his first sprint in 2007 after which there was no turning back. He has now completed five full distance Ironman races including Lake Placid and Mt. Tremblant twice each and Texas. He has raced many half iron and olympic distance races most notably ITU Worlds in Denmark and Australia as well as USAT Nationals in Ohama and Cleveland. Steve comes from a late-in-life running background where he has qualified and ran the Boston marathon nine times as well as enjoyed touring large cities by foot: New York, Chicago, Berlin, Houston, Philadelphia, and Washington. Steve is retired where, besides some consulting gigs, enjoys training, racing, wood working, and home repair and remodeling. This year he hopes to compete in Tulsa, Nationals, Worlds, and Cozumel as well as as many local races as possible. He’s looking forward to meeting more Memphis Thunder athletes and contributing positively to the team.
Jeanine Watts
Member Since 2003
Jeanine Watts has been doing triathlons for over 30 years. She has completed 8 half ironmans; 1 ironman and countless sprint and Olympic distance triathlons. She is always reaching for the podium in every race and usually reaches that goal. She has been invited to Nationals for Olympic and Sprint distances for many years. This year she will attend Nationals. She is also an avid and well know runner in the Memphis Area for over 35 years. She served on the Memphis Thunder Board for 5 years as Training Coordinator. She also served on the Memphis Runners Track Club board for 5 years. She designed and implemented the MRTC Kids Running Program. Jeanine has been involved in the fitness industry for over 40 years. She has worked as a second job for the YMCA for the majority of that time. At the YMCA, she began a Triathletes In Training Program plus implemented an indoor triathlon that was held for over 10 years. Her full time job was a Managing Director of Supply Chain at FedEx for 35 years. She happily retired from FedEx in May 2019. Jeanine raised twin boys while working and racing during her adult life. Her boys are 37 years old and raised to be athletes like their mother. One son, Christopher, is currently a member of Memphis Thunder and also an Elite Member. Her other son, Jonathan, is a runner and completed his first marathon with his mother and wife last year. She is also every busy with 7 grandchild that range from 12 to 6 years old. She has been married to Bill Watts for 40 years. Bill is at every race as her beloved Support Team Manager. Jeanine is a ACE (American Council on Exercise) Coach; Lifetime Power Cycle Coach and an RRCA Running Coach.