Lu

“The race maybe didn’t go the way we had planned, but that’s part of the journey. That’s that’s part of the the whole bit. Things aren’t going to go your way. How are you going to respond and how quickly will you respond?” Upon reflection of his DNF at the @towaterfront42 - @_luloya shared with us his perspective on having the will and drive to go again, regardless of how race day goes.

Chasing Excellence: Luis Loya Episode 4 of Chasing Excellence features @demonhrs Head of Product and Chicago athlete, @_luloya . This episode explores Lu’s upbringing, the chaos he grew up in, and the internal work required to break cycles instead of repeating them. At its core, this is a story about transformation. Built on pain, discipline, and the decision to stop running from the things that shaped him. Lu chose to confront his past head on, a choice that would change everything for him. What followed was the slow, uncomfortable work of becoming someone he could stand behind. Transforming him into the man he is today, someone he’s exceptionally proud of. We hope you enjoy this piece as much as we did bringing it to life. Massive thank you to the team that made it all happen ⬇️ 

Production Company: @koimedia 
Executive Producer: @jasminegragg & Andreas Endregaard 
Director: Andreas Endregaard 
DoP: @lanamattice 
Photographer: @alinatsvor 
Drone Operator: @stokesmachine 
Camera Operator: @kingarthurt.didit 
First AC: @cjoonclark & @bigsubwayy 
Gaffer: @mikekhammond 
Production Assistant: @mooreandmooreshots @nmole75 @dvnric 
Script: @djslizzard 
Recording & Mixing Engineer: @Wellium 
Edit: Andreas Endregaard 
Score: @epidemicsound Cover by: @alinatsvor 
#chasingexcellence #athletestories #RunningMotivation #cinematographer

Every ‘Chasing Excellence’ episode features two parts: a narrative piece and a raw, unscripted interview with the subject. 

There’s no scripts, predetermined questions and zero preparation of any kind. You can make the argument that these aren’t really interviews, more so a natural conversation to depict the individual in their most authentic light. 

Here are a couple of my favorite clips from our interview with @_luloya , where he speaks honestly about who he is, what he’s been through and how that’s shaped him into who he is today. An honest conversation about discipline, pain, identity, and the internal work that no one gets to see.

Full interview out now on Youtube - link in bio to watch ⚡️

Production Company: @koimedia 
Executive Producer: @jasminegragg & Andreas Endregaard 
Director: Andreas Endregaard 
DoP: @lanamattice 
First AC: @cjoonclark 
Gaffer: @mikekhammond 
Production Assistant: @mooreandmooreshots @nmole75 @dvnric 

#athlete #sonyfx3 #filmmaker #cinematographylife

The future of fueling is here. Built in Chicago by Chicago. Link in the bio to come along with us on this journey. Video and Creative Direction: @andreasendregaard Art Direction: @mus____a___ Talent: @_luloya @ruqforshort @sharonjzhang

Chicago, this one is for you. To the kids who grew up fighting for something. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round pegs in the square holes. They can quote us, disagree with us, glorify, or vilify us. But they can’t ignore us. Because we change things. Some might see us as the crazy ones, but believe in your genius. Because the ones who are crazy enough to believe they can change the world, are the ones who do. Still, and forever just a kid from Logan Square. Me for @hoka Photo by @denniswernersson #runner #hoka #explore

She’s on the way 🎀 Baby Girl Loya coming this September 💕 PC @reaganaleea

I didn’t start running for any of this to happen. Posting about it or doing it to be seen has never been — and will never be — the reason. I never saw myself as a runner and never imagined I’d be trying to accomplish anything in this space. Experiences weren’t something I thought about.
Notoriety wasn’t on my radar. If I’m being honest, I started running for myself. It gave me an outlet — a way to escape and process things I didn’t know how to face on my own. And truthfully, it still does. Leading a community was never the goal.
Storytelling was never part of the plan.
Being front and center still makes me uncomfortable and honestly pretty insecure. I never thought life could change in the way it has. Over time, running has helped me let go of things I’d been carrying for what felt like forever. It gave me a way to reconnect with the person I’ve always been. Life has a way of taking a toll. 
All of our experiences shape us into something we either love… or try to convince ourselves to love. For a long time, I lied to myself about who I was and what I valued. I lied enough to believe it. The mind is powerful like that — even when it’s not in the right place. I’ve always had an addictive personality, and it’s a big reason why I’ve been sober for almost three years. But somewhere along the way, that addiction shifted. It became rooted in process.
The work.
The repetition.
The fight. Knocking on the door, over and over again. Because at my core, that’s who I am.
I love to compete — with myself, not anyone else. If all of this disappeared tomorrow, my mindset wouldn’t change. I’d still be out there running. I’m grateful for everything — truly.
But I don’t expect anything from anyone. I try my best not to attach myself to anything material in this world — it can be gone in an instant. I’m constantly inspired by people, but wary of idolizing anyone. And I will always try to do it for the right reasons. Photos by: @andreasendregaard #runnerlife #hustle #lifestyle #endurance #explore

2:57 - @parismarathon

Calm through the storm. @thespeedproject @demonhrs 📸: @alinatsvor @shaun.baluyot @sarahtruittphotography #PoweredByOn #TSP #TheSpeedProject

This post is for my team. The ones who carried me when I needed it most. Family who let me dig deeper when I asked for more. Friends who gave me space to be myself. Companions who made me laugh when things felt heavy. We showed up for each other, from the beginning until the very end, with the same energy — and that’s what I’m most proud of. @thespeedproject is something I’ll never forget but not for the reasons I originally thought. During this experience, all you see is what’s in front of you: 10 runners. 4 crew.
LA to LV. 62 hours.
460 miles. 4,000+ ft of vert.
No spectators.
No rules. But what you don’t see…is what you leave with. Bonded. Linked. Forged through something bigger than all of us. Nothing great is ever done alone — and this was never just a race. This was us. This was DH. @demonhrs 📸: @alinatsvor @shaun.baluyot @sarahtruittphotography #TheSpeedProject #DemonHours #TSP #PoweredByOn

Mood when you only have 20 miles left of @thespeedproject 😈 🎥: @shaun.baluyot #poweredbyon #demonhours #thespeedproject

400 miles in. Just a kid from Logan. @demonhrs @thespeedproject #poweredbyon #thespeedproject 📸: @alinatsvor