Jim O’Hara, the city’s new District 2 City Council member, left the freezing winters of his childhood Massachusetts decades ago to attend college at the University of Hawaii, and there discovered a passion for running.
His love of outdoor exercise led him directly to Encinitas after college graduation, and organizing running events is now what he does for living.
“It had that ‘Ohana’ feel to it — that was one of the things that drew me to Encinitas,” O’Hara, 50, said, using the Hawaiian word for family.
At college, where he majored in exercise science, he was asked by a friend to accompany a group of female cross country running enthusiasts who wanted a guy to go with them. He accepted because he was “a college guy and I wanted to meet girls,” he recalled, laughing.
Initially, the girls were so much better at running than him that “they would destroy me … I’d be at a stop light, ready to hurl,” he said. But, his endurance grew, and he entered a 10k running event around Diamond Head, came in third, received a prize, and got hooked on the sport.
Starting in college and continuing through his early years in Encinitas, O’Hara worked for the energy bar company PowerBar, then established the former Encinitas running store Movin’ Shoes.
“He taught me everything I know about running, which is today one of my favorite sports,” said Tim Saunders, a shoe store customer who ultimately became one of O’Hara’s friends and City Council campaign supporters.
Among other things, O’Hara helped him improve his training routine, eat better and even learn how to become a lifelong runner, Saunders said.
After selling the running store, O’Hara went into the event planning industry, creating his own company Race San Diego. In 2019, his company purchased the rights to Cardiff’s famed Kook Run, which is known for its costume contests. The company also organizes the San Diego Donut Dash, which has a “very obvious donut theme,” and other 5k and 10k events, O’Hara said.
He and his wife, TrueCare pediatrician and former U.S. National Soccer Team member Carmel Murphy-O’Hara, have a 10-year-old daughter.
On the City Council, O’Hara will be representing District 2, an area that includes the downtown Old Encinitas, as well as parts of southern Leucadia and part of the region along Encinitas Boulevard east of Interstate 5. O’Hara, a former treasurer for the Cardiff 101 Main Street organization, was sworn into his four-year council position Tuesday. He said he’s looking forward to the next four years, but is aware of the challenges ahead.
“I want people to know City Hall is a place where everybody is welcome and can get their voice heard,” he said.
Steve Cesnauskas, a recently retired National City firefighter who helped O’Hara obtain the Encinitas Firefighters endorsement in his council race against appointed incumbent Councilmember Allison Blackwell, said he believes O’Hara will do well in part because he’s a “very personable guy” who never “belittles or demeans people.”
Saunders agrees, saying, “He is someone who is always listening when you are talking,” rather than simply waiting for the next opportunity to speak himself.
“I think he’ll be a great influence on Encinitas,” he said.
