Meet the Team
Chelsea Simms
Chelsea is the owner of Running Water and you can find her coaching early mornings - her favorite time to move. Chelsea is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, and relocated to her husband’s hometown of Harbor Springs during the Pandemic. She is a mom to two fur babies, wife, professional sailor, and newly retired tech executive. As a lifelong athlete (rowing, running and sailing - 3 National Champion titles, 2 Rolex titles, 4 World Championship podium finishes), she fell in love with Michigan and the variety of activities each season brings. After selling two startups in Silicon Valley she was ready to finally pursue her lifelong dream of opening a wellness studio and building a community through movement. Shortly after opening Running Water, she stepped down from her role running marketing and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiatives for a global team at Logitech. Within the first year of opening Running Water, she was honored by the community as the 2023 Young Entrepreneur of the Year through the Harbor Springs Chamber of Commerce. In addition to Running Water, Chelsea is passionate about philanthropy, and championing diversity, equity and inclusion in all facets of her personal and professional work. She holds Board seats as the Marketing Chair for Impact100 Little Traverse Bay; the Vice Chair, Americas for the International Melges 24 Class Association; and as the Vice President for the US Melges 24 Class Association.
Outside the studio she’s busy momming and running trails, in the summer racing with her husband on their two sailboats NM 13 “Running Water” & Melges 24 “Straightarrow” or swimming at the point with Oat and Honey, their two English Setters. In the winter she’s skiing Nubs with friends. And year-round she’s trying to convince her husband that they need to adopt more senior dogs.
chelsea@runningwaterclub.com | instagram: @simmsies
Ellen Beatty
Ellen was the first coach to join our team at Running Water. Ellen grew up in Harbor Springs and loves being on Lake Michigan. She played soccer, basketball & ski raced in highschool and continues to enjoy living an active lifestyle. “As soon as I heard about Running Water, I knew I wanted to be a part of it in some capacity! It drew me in and now I can't get enough!” Ellen started running in college to keep up with the physical demands of soccer during the off season and since has run several half marathons and one full marathon. Ellen loves the way running makes her feel and the full body workout it provides. Beyond coaching at Running Water, Ellen manages the Boathouse here in Harbor Springs, after a decade of owning her own wedding planning business.
Outside the studio and the Boathouse you’ll find her in the summer spending her free time on or in the lake. She loves to take her dog, Hawk, on daily adventures whether that's mountain biking, hiking, running, swimming or cruising around on “The Hawk Express”, their dingy. Ellen coaches the JART Race program through Nubs Nob in the winter and loves to cross country ski whenever she doesn't have her hard shell boots on. When not playing in the snow she’s snuggling up with her tiny cat, Goose.
ellen@runningwaterclub.com | instagram: @lnktbt
Eva MacDonald
Eva is the newest coach to join the Running Water team. Eva grew up in Harbor Springs, spending time on the water and snow. Her love of movement and competition led her to play college soccer where she stood out for her enthusiasm and ability to make everyone feel part of the team. Post-college, Eva pursued running as a way to stay active, completing multiple half marathons. After her second baby was born in 2018, Eva completed her first Half Ironman race. In 2021, after the birth of her third baby, Eva challenged herself to her second Half Ironman race. This time, with a 4 year old, 2 year old and 6 month old as her training partners. Eva and her husband, Scott moved to Harbor Springs in 2020 to raise their family. They love their family ski days, finishing with hot chocolate at the warming hut. In warmer months, you might find them beached on their pontoon or idling for boat naps. Prior to being home with her kids, or what some parents might call their “past life,” Eva worked in advertising creating jingles and taglines for businesses in the restaurant industry and beyond. Let’s just say she’s rarely met a pun she didn’t love.
Eva has two non-negotiables in life- a salt rim margarita should accompany every taco and the extra for guac is always worth it. She fully subscribes to the idea that exclamation points are most often the only punctuation necessary…unless she’s asked to draft up something for work…:)Eva hopes that every client walks through the door with the anticipation and excitement of their first class, and leaves with the experience and confidence that they belong at Running Water.
eva@runningwaterclub.com | instagram: @eeeva10
George “Bear” Peet
Bear grew up in Harbor Springs, sailing on the Great Lakes and skiing the local ski hills. After living all over the world for the majority of his adult life, Bear moved back to his hometown of Harbor Springs in 2018. In college, at Michigan Tech, Bear was a 3x All American ski racer. After college he departed ski racing to pursue sailboat racing full time. He sailed around the world in the Volvo Ocean Race, is a 2x World Champion, holds multiple world distance sailing records, and holds multiple national and regional titles in competitive one design fleets and individually in the Moth Class. He’s dedicated the past 20+ years of his life to racing sailboats professionally and working on the design of cutting edge technology. Off the water you can occasionally find him greeting you at the front desk of Running Water.
Bear loves being a dad to two English Setters Oat and Honey, exploring the non-water covered parts of the world via ski trips with his wife, and working on the never-ending project that is their 100 year old classic wooden sailboat, NM 13 “Running Water”. Bear is passionate about community and preserving natural resources through serving on the Harbor Springs Planning Commission, supporting and fostering the love of sailing and the Great Lakes in the next generation by volunteering to coach local high school sailors, and preserving Harbor Springs’ rich sailing and racing history as the Rear Commodore of the Little Traverse Yacht Club.
Year-round he’s trying to convince his wife that rescuing one senior dog at a time is enough.
george@runningwaterclub.com | instagram: @ghpeet1
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Oat
Oat is the Pup In Residence of Running Water. Although often confused with an English Setter, this guy is an English Snuggler - snuggling sticks, toys, people - whatever he can get his paws on. Find Oat ocassionally greeting the pack at the front desk in the mornings. Don’t be surprised if you find him after class on a treadmill getting his miles in when he can’t make it out on the trails. Oat loves to run, swim, hunt squirrels in the yard, paddleboard, and chase skiers down backcountry trails.
Chloe Jensen - Guest Coach
Chloe joined Running Water shortly after we opened our doors. After taking multiple classes weekly, she became hooked! Chloe grew up in Grosse Pointe and spent summers and winters in Harbor Springs. After living in California for 11 years, Chloe and her husband, along with their dog Lake, decided to move to Northern Michigan to raise their daughter and start their wine label. Chloe lived in Harbor Springs for 3 years before relocating to Grand Rapids in early 2024. Chloe comes back to Harbor Springs often and you can catch her guest coaching morning Run classes at Running Water throughout the year. Chloe loves all that Harbor Springs has to offer: trail run, hike, swim in the lake, ski and cross country ski. Chloe grew up playing soccer, running cross country, and skiing. Chloe lived in Switzerland in high school and again in college where she got to trail run, hike, rock climb, and ski in between classes. Chloe has backpacked extensively throughout the US and has always been a lover of the outdoors. She’s continued to be an avid runner and loves getting to know a new area by cruising through it in her running shoes. Chloe’s completed multiple triathlons, including the Walloon Tri.
Outside of Running Water, Chloe is the momma to Lily, VP of Marketing for Kin Euphorics, and owner of Shed Wine. You’ll often see Chloe at Nubs Nob teaching Lily to ski or hiking with Lake. Come summer, the Jensen crew is at the beach, on the boat, or walking the bluff.
instagram: @chloekjensen