Our Team

Pittsburgh Area Run and Ride Trail Association

We're Lauren Bilsky and Jamie Martines, co-founders of PARRTA and co-race directors for Steel City Man vs. Horse. A few years ago, we started competing together in Ride & Tie and Equathon events -- trail races that combine horseback riding and running. When there weren't any races closer than four hours from Pittsburgh, we decided to make our own. We formed PARRTA in 2025 with two goals in mind: Expand the trail running and riding communities in Western PA, and support the trails and parks where we love spending time!

Jamie Martines

Jamie is a lifelong runner who caught the trail running bug when she moved to Pittsburgh in 2016. She has raced several ultramarathons and is training for her second 100-miler this fall. She's still new to riding -- Lauren talked her into getting on a horse for the first time in 2023 -- but has competed in both Ride & Tie and Equathon races since then.

Lauren Bilsky

Lauren was a horse girl from the start, though she didn't ride much until learning to play polo in college. She bought her first polo pony Dulce in 2017, followed by Argo and Miss Sugar. Also an avid runner, Ride & Tie is the perfect sport combining both of her hobbies and she was lucky enough to be able to convince some running friends to start riding and some riding friends to start running.