Ali On The Run Show

"You prioritize your life for the people who mean the most to you. And that's how it's been since day one for us." Two days before Thanksgiving, I was up at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center for my eighth round of chemotherapy. This time around, I was joined by my college roommate and one of my favorite people of all-time, Danielle "Dee" Mastronardi. This is our recap from the day at the infusion center, with a whole lot of detours for stories [we probably shouldn't be sharing] from our college days.  SPONSOR:  Shokz: Use code ALI for $10 off your next headphone purchase. The Eugene Marathon: Register now for the Eugene Marathon or Half Marathon, taking place April 26, 2026. Use code ONTHERUN for $10 off. (These races will sell out, so register ASAP!) Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon Subscribe to the newsletter SUPPORT the Ali on the Run Show! If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Spread the run lo

"If they come up with a Dancing with the Stars and it's Dancing with the Podcast Hosts, and it's tap dancing, put me in, coach." Welcome to Ask Ali, a monthly series where I answer all of your questions submitted on Instagram (I'm @aliontherun1). This time around, we're tackling cancer stuff, running stuff, work stuff, and more. SPONSORS:  Lagoon: Click here to take Lagoon's 2-minute sleep quiz to see which pillow is right for you, and take advantage of Lagoon's massive Black Friday sale, in effect now! In this episode: Cancer questions (1:40) Motherhood questions (18:40) Running questions (23:20) Work questions (29:35) Grab bag questions (49:40) Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon Subscribe to the newsletter SUPPORT the Ali on the Run Show! If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Spread the run love. And if you liked this episode, share it with your friends!

"Running the marathon and doing two Broadway shows in the same day — I've never felt more New York than that day." Did you hear about the man who ran the 2025 New York City Marathon and then went on to star in two performances of Wicked on Broadway that same day? That man is Jordan Litz, who is currently starring as Fiyero in Wicked on Broadway. He's the longest-running Fiyero in Wicked history, having performed the role more than 1,500 times. And two of those times were immediately after he crossed the finish line at his first marathon, the New York City Marathon. In this conversation, Jordan talks about how he pulled off this tremendous physical and mental feat — and how it felt to run 26.2 miles and then get through "Dancing Through Life," twice! FOLLOW JORDAN @litzjordan SPONSOR:  New Balance: Click here to get your hands on the just-released Rebel v5! In this episode: How Jordan is feeling post-NYC Marathon, and why he wanted to run a marathon and perform in two Wicked shows in one day (2:35) What it

"Running single-handedly saved me during this last year." Carl Radke is best known as a longtime cast member on Bravo's Summer House. Through nine seasons of the reality show, he's been open and honest about his mental health struggles and his history with drug and alcohol addiction. Carl got sober in 2021, and this year, he opened Soft Bar, a non-alcoholic bar and café in Brooklyn, NY, where he lives. His memoir, Cake Eater, comes out next month. And this month, Carl added another title to his resumé: marathoner! In this conversation, Carl talks about how he found running and the role running plays in his sobriety journey, and he shares every detail from his first 26.2-mile race at the 2025 New York City Marathon.  FOLLOW CARL @carlradke SPONSOR:  Oofos: The best in recovery footwear! Check out Oofos's 2025 Project Pink collection, where 10% of every purchase is donated to cancer research.  In this episode: How it feels to be a New York City Marathoner (1:50) On the fear of not finishing (11:30) Carl's h

"I just feel like when I see injustice, at this point in my life, I have to call it out." Katie Couric has been my idol since I was in high school, and it's truly an honor to welcome her to the Ali on the Run Show! We recorded this episode in person together on the Monday after the 2025 New York City Marathon, at Katie's home on the Upper East Side. Katie is a journalist who is best known for her 15-year career on the Today Show. Today, she is the founder of Katie Couric Media, where she publishes a daily newsletter (Wake Up Call), and hosts the podcast Next Question with Katie Couric. She is the author of Going There, she's a mom of two, and she's an avid pickleball player who, despite my best efforts, will not be signing up for a marathon anytime soon! SPONSORS:  Lagoon: Click here to take Lagoon's 2-minute sleep quiz to see which pillow is right for you, and take advantage of Lagoon's massive Black Friday sale, in effect now! In this episode: Katie's day spectating the 2025 New York City Marathon (3:20

"Oh I'm hooked." Last weekend, Amanda Vestri made her much anticipated 26.2-mile debut at the TCS New York City Marathon. She ran 2:25:40, good enough for ninth place in the women's pro race and a strong showing for the marathon debutante. In this conversation, Amanda breaks it all down, including how training went, why she wanted to move to the marathon this year, what she wants to do next, and what it was like running through the five boroughs. Plus, Amanda shares her training, living, and coaching plans now that her longtime training group, ZAP Endurance, is disbanding.  FOLLOW AMANDA @a_vestri SPONSOR:  Vuori: Click here for 20% off your first Vuori purchase. In this episode: How Amanda is feeling post-NYC Marathon — and what's next (2:10) All about Amanda's new coach, and what's motivating to her in the marathon (10:00) Why the marathon, why now, and why New York? (12:45) Amanda's snapshot moment from the New York City Marathon (18:15) Amanda reflects on her first marathon training block and her goals

"They play 'New York, New York,' and everyone goes crazy." It was another New York City Marathon to remember. It was one of the most rewarding weekends of my life and of my career. I hosted a live show with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone at Jazz at Lincoln Center, I was on the ESPN and ABC broadcasts on race day, I interviewed Katie Couric for the Ali on the Run Show, and I was on top of the world the entire time. This is my exhaustive recap of every step. SPONSOR:  Shokz: Use code ALI for $10 off your next headphone purchase. In this episode: Friday: Annie's Halloween parade, the drive to NYC, a run in Central Park, a fancy sushi dinner, and a New Balance party (3:20) Saturday: a run in the park, cheering for the Dash to the Finish 5K, the Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone live show, and broadcast rehearsals (12:50) Sunday: the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon! (38:45) Monday: a sleepless night, a run in the park with friends, and an interview with Katie Couric (1:00:00) Listener Q&A (1:18:10) Follow Ali: Instagr

"People always give me a hard time, they're like, 'You never show emotion after your race.' And I'm like, 'You run this and then you try to show emotion!'" It's hard to describe the feeling of walking out into the stunning Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center, warmly greeted by 500 people in Team Ali sweatshirts, courtesy of New Balance, and getting to interview Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. This live show was magical, marvelous, magnificent, and so very memorable. Thank you to everyone who joined us, thank you to Sydney, and thank you to New Balance for the unwavering support.  Sydney is one of the greatest track and field athletes of all-time. She's a six-time world record holder. She holds the world record in the 400m hurdles, and the American record in the flat 400m. She's a four-time Olympic gold medalist, a five-time World Championships gold medalist, a one-time silver medalist (oh we talk about her relationship with the silver), and a five-time U.S. champion. She can also juggle, and it was an absolute jo

"Fast, slow, good weather, bad weather — you are out there doing something that so many people are never going to do, and that's so cool." Caroline Moss has a dream: to run the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon. As a New Yorker, it's her favorite day of the year. The catch: Caroline has never been a runner — until now. In this series, we're following author, creator, theater producer, Saved by the Bell super-fan, proud millennial, and professional shopper Caroline Moss as she embarks on a quest to start running and run the race of her dreams.  Caroline Moss Wants to Run a Marathon, Episode 1 Caroline Moss Wants to Run a Marathon, Episode 2 In Episode 3, Caroline updates us on hitting a major roadblock in her marathon dreams: a broken foot that took her off the run for the entire summer. She talks about dealing with an injury — a non-running-related one — just as she was hitting her running groove, and about how she spent her summer. She shares her unbridled enthusiasm for the New York City Marathon, and, uns

"It's seeing the bridge from a distance and saying, 'There are going to be 55,000 people that are going to traverse over that bridge from 150 countries from all over the world, and from every neighborhood in New York City.' And they've put in months of hard work. We have thousands of people that have raised millions of dollars for charity. There are people that are running for various causes that are inspiring their families, their friends, their neighborhoods, their communities. And most of all, they're inspiring the world. They're inspiring complete strangers as they run by them. And I think about that when I look at that bridge." —Ted Metellus, TCS New York City Marathon Race Director Every year on the first Sunday of November, more than 55,000 runners will take over the five boroughs for one reason: the TCS New York City Marathon. This episode is your unofficial guide to the iconic 26.2-mile race. Two jam-packed hours of New York City Marathon-related information. And this episode isn't just for the marat

"People can say whatever they want. But at the end of the day, I know what my bigger picture is. I know what my why is here. And so I’m just going to really try and stick to that knowing I feel very confident in what I’m trying to do, even if people might not understand it right now. It’s all just a process, baby." Next weekend, Molly Seidel will run the TCS New York City Marathon — her first marathon in two years. But the Molly who will be lining up in Staten Island this year is very different from the fresh-off-earning-an-Olympic-bronze-medal Molly who ran it in 2021. (Her 2:24:42 is still the fastest time run by an American woman in NYC.) In this conversation, Molly talks about the highs from the past few years, including that fourth-place finish in New York City in 2021 and an eighth-place finish and personal best (2:23:07) at the Chicago Marathon in 2023. She also talks about the lows, including what was going on behind the scenes during those races, injuries, mental health struggles, and sponsorship ch

"I’m trying to figure out how to live with stage IV cancer. How do I live and enjoy my life and enjoy these moments while also knowing I had to fly home the next day to go to chemo?" From the press conference and the New Balance live show to the 5K, the marathon finish line, and all the moments in between, this is my recap from the 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. SPONSORS:  Vuori: Click here for 20% off your first Vuori purchase. Oofos: The best in recovery footwear! Check out Oofos's 2025 Project Pink collection, where 10% of every purchase is donated to cancer research.  In this episode: Friday: the press conference, the big feelings, and the New Balance live show (1:30) Saturday: the Abbott Chicago 5K, the ABC interview, the game show, and the time with friends (21:50) Sunday: the 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon! (36:45) Monday: the final run and the trip home (1:01:40) Final thoughts (1:06:40) Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon Subscribe to t

"Running is running is running, and I love it all." Courtney Dauwalter returns to the Ali on the Run Show — this time as a 2:49 marathoner! Courtney is an ultra runner who is best known for her GOAT-status success on the trails. In 2023, she became the first person to win Western States, the Hardrock 100, and UTMB int he same year. Earlier this year, she won Hardrock in a women's course record: 26 hours 11 minutes and 49 seconds. Most recently, Courtney's been hitting the roads! She just completed the Twin Cities Marathon — her first marathon in more than a decade — in 2:49. But it's not about the time on the clock for Courtney. In this conversation, she talks about why she wanted to run a road marathon, why Twin Cities, and why now. Plus, an exciting announcement about what's next. SPONSOR:  Lagoon: Click here to take Lagoon’s 2-minute sleep quiz to see which pillow is right for you. (I'm an Otter!) Use code ALI at checkout for 15% off your next Lagoon order. In this episode: “It’s candy corn season!” (2

"There’s nothing I’m going to shy away from." What a gift it was to be in Chicago this weekend for all of the Chicago Marathon festivities. And what better way to kick it all off than with a live show with 450 of you, presented by our good friends at New Balance? If the goal was to laugh, relax, and have fun before runners toed the line on Sunday (or Saturday, in the Abbott Chicago 5K!), then we certainly succeeded, thanks to our special guest, former professional runner and Off the Rails cohost, Eric Jenkins. On a personal note: This show was one for the books for me. Thank you for welcoming me in such a beautiful way and for wrapping me up in so much love during such a tough time. This room, this conversation, this event gave me everything I didn't even know I needed. Thank you for being there. Thank you for being you. And thank you to New Balance and Fleet Feet Chicago for making it happen. FOLLOW ERIC @_ericjenkins SPONSOR:  New Balance: Click here to get your hands on the just-released Rebel v5! Follo

"I do want to be the greatest to ever do it in our sport. And I mean that wholeheartedly. I genuinely feel like it’s something that I can do, and something I’ve been called to do. In due time it is going to happen. But it is going to start with me taking it one day, one practice, one meet at a time." Melissa Jefferson-Wooden has had the year of her dreams. At this year's World Championships in Tokyo, Melissa became the first American in history to win triple gold, winning the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay. She became the first American woman since Allyson Felix in 2009 to win the 200m at World Championships, and became the first American woman in history to win the 100/200 double at World Championships. Melissa went undefeated in the 100m this entire season, winning Diamond Leagues, Grand Slam Track meets, and, of course, World Champs. Last year, Melissa made her Olympic debut in Paris, where she won bronze in the 100m and gold in the 4x100m relay. In this conversation, Melissa talks about what life is like f

"I will forever tell this story until the day that I die!" Meghan Howard is an 11-time marathoner and educator who lives outside Toronto. She started running in 2019 and had a speedy — literally — rise to running success. Last year, she broke three hours in the marathon for the first time at the Chicago Marathon. Most recently, Meghan ran the Berlin Marathon — alongside Harry Styles! In this conversation, Meghan talks about how she and Harry met at the start, and how they ended up running the first 17K of the race together.  FOLLOW MEGHAN @meghanahoward SPONSOR:  Lagoon: Click here to take Lagoon’s 2-minute sleep quiz to see which pillow is right for you. (I'm an Otter!) Use code ALI at checkout for 15% off your next Lagoon order. In this episode: How Meghan is feeling post-Berlin (2:00) What’s making Meghan happy today, and all about her work as an educator (4:40) What Meghan was like as a kid, and how she found running (12:50) How Meghan found her confidence through running (24:00) How Meghan deals with

"This is just the time to be brave and see what happens." Georgia Hunter Bell just won a silver medal for Team Great Britain in the 800m at World Championships in Tokyo. Last year, she won bronze in the 1500m at the Olympics in Paris. Before that? Georgia was working fulltime in cybersecurity sales, convinced that her running days were behind her. In this conversation, Georgia talks about her time off from racing, her return to the sport, and her road to becoming an Olympic and World Championship medalist. Georgia will wrap up her season next week, competing in the 800m at Athlos in New York City. FOLLOW GEORGIA @georgiabelltheduathlete SPONSORS:  goodr: Click here and use code ALI for $5 off your next order. Vuori: Click here for 20% off your first Vuori purchase. In this episode: How Georgia is feeling post-World Championships, pre-Athlos (2:30) What’s making Georgia happy today, and all about her run today (4:45) Georgia reflects on her race at World Championships, where she won a silver medal, and exp

"Remember the entire journey, because it’s very special." It’s almost time for the 47th running of the Chicago Marathon! The 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon will take place on Sunday, October 12, and this episode is packed with all the information you need before you head to the start line. (And yes, you really should plan to get there two hours early. We’ll explain why!) The elite fields are stacked, and they’ll be followed by tens of thousands of runners en route to 26.2-mile glory. Get ready. Get psyched. And get that Goose Island at the finish! SPONSOR: New Balance: Searching for your dream Race Day Shoe? Check out the New Balance FuelCell SC Elite v5 — my favorite! In this episode: Chicago Marathon executive race director Carey Pinkowski talks about what to expect at this year’s race (2:15) All things pre-race: How to get in for next year's Chicago Marathon, how Chicago is committed to sustainability, and whether or not you can still change your starting corral assignment (21:35) Who to watch in

"I haven’t spent a lot of time breaking down and crying. Every time I’ve started to have a breakdown, I look at myself in the mirror and say, 'Stop, go about your day.' I know at some point I need to let those tears out, but I don’t really have time, so I’m stuffing it all down." I'm fresh off my fifth round of chemotherapy, and am back on the couch recording with friends. This time for chemo (and scan day!), I was again joined by Cousin Jackie, and this is our recap from the day at the infusion center and the few days we spent together.  SPONSOR:  Lagoon: Click here to take Lagoon’s 2-minute sleep quiz to see which pillow is right for you. (I'm an Otter!) Use code ALI at checkout for 15% off your next Lagoon order. Oofos: The best in recovery footwear! Check out Oofos's 2025 Project Pink collection, where 10% of every purchase is donated to cancer research.  Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon Subscribe to the newsletter SUPPORT the Ali on the Run Show! If you’

"Every starting line is a chance for a breakthrough." Josette Andrews is heading to Tokyo! This summer, the On-sponsored athlete went into the 5000m race at U.S. Outdoor National Championships as the top-seeded athlete — and it was the calmest she's ever been in a championship race. In this conversation, Josette talks about racing with a target on her back at USAs, and about making her first outdoor world championship team (she finished third in the 5000m Final at USAs, behind Shelby Houlihan and Elise Cranny). Josette, whose personal best is 14:25 from Rome earlier this summer, will represent Team USA in the women's 5000m race on September 18. Josette and her husband, Olympian Robby Andrews, live in Boulder, CO, where Josette trains with the On Athletics Club. FOLLOW JOSETTE @josettenorris SPONSORS:  New Balance: Click here to get your hands on the just-released Rebel v5! Shokz: Use code ALI for $10 off your next headphone purchase. In this episode: Where in the world is Josette Andrews? (2:30) On Josett