Ali On The Run Show

"Sometimes a short build up can do a miracle. So I’m hoping for the miracle in Chicago!" In a stacked field of elite runners, Betsy Saina is absolutely one to watch at this weekend's Chicago Marathon. Betsy is a 2:19 marathoner — a time that makes her the third-fastest American woman marathoner (behind Emily Sisson and Keira D'Amato). She's a 2016 Olympian who competed in the 10,000m, and she's the 2024 USATF 25K Champion and women-only American record holder in that distance. She's a three-time NCAA champion who ran at Iowa State University, and she currently lives and trains primarily in Kenya. In this conversation, Betsy — who is a mom to three-year-old Kalya — talks about how she's feeling heading into the Chicago Marathon. She talks about the fall earlier this year that derailed her training and set her back several weeks, and about how she's come back from a DNF at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. Plus, whether or not she's planning to go for an American Record in Chicago, what it's like training alo

"I looked like a fainting goat at mile 20." Logan Aldridge just might be the real-life human version of a golden retriever. But as charming and funny and lovable as he may be, Logan isn't afraid to kick your butt and make you sweat. Logan is a Peloton instructor who is best known for his adaptive classes. When Logan was 13, he was wakeboarding with his family and the rope around his arm became entangled in the boat's propeller. It cut through all of Logan's arm muscles, down to the bone. His left arm — and he was a lefty at the time — had to be amputated. Remarkably, Logan never let this keep him down. He relearned how to do everything with his right arm and hand, and went on to become "The Strongest One-Armed Man on Earth." Most recently, Logan became a marathoner! He ran the 2023 Chicago Marathon, and is currently training for this year's New York City Marathon. FOLLOW LOGAN @loganaldridge SPONSOR:  Lagoon: Click here to take Lagoon’s 2-minute sleep quiz to see which pillow is right for you. (Emma Ba

Welcome to Ask Ali, LIVE at the 2024 Akron Marathon! I spent this past weekend in Akron, OH, as one of the start and finish line announcers at the Akron Marathon, Half Marathon, and Team Relay, and got to do a live show at the race expo — with a twist. This time, I was the one being interviewed! Join Jasen Sokol and me (and some wonderful question-asking audience members) for this fun getting-to-know-you-better conversation covering running, cancer, motherhood, and so much more. Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Join the Facebook group Twitter @aliontherun1 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!

"Remember the entire journey, because it’s very special." It’s almost time for the 46th running of the Chicago Marathon! The 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon will take place on Sunday, October 13, 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 (Bates! D'Amato! Saina! Chepngetich! Hall! Rojas! Rooker! Frisbie!), 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! Planning to tune in from home? Here’s how to watch. SPONSORS: Sidekick: Click here to get 15% off any recovery tool. UCAN: Click here to get a FREE UCAN training essentials pack (you’ll just pay the cost of shipping), and use code ALI for 20% off your next UCAN order. In this episode: Chicago Marathon executive race director Carey Pinkowski talks about what to expect at this year’s race (5

"It felt like the riskiest choice I could make, but it changed the whole trajectory of my life and I feel so grateful." Lauren Peterson's list of professional contacts is wildly impressive. As a political speechwriter and strategist, she has worked for and with President Obama, Hillary Clinton, and President Biden. She's the New York Times best-selling co-author of Make Trouble: Standing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding the Courage to Lead, with former Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards, and is currently working on her next book, This Will All Be Worth It, about LGBTQ+ family building. In this conversation, Lauren shares her most memorable stories from the campaign trails and Air Force One, to her encounters and interviews with Barack, Michelle, and more. And, of course, Lauren is a runner and marathoner. She talks about running through the best of times, the worst of times, and the most stressful times. Lauren lives in New York City with her wife and their son, Remy.  FOLLOW LAUREN @lcollinsp SPONS

"Sometimes you need to just shut your brain off and run." At this time last year, Karissa Schweizer was undergoing foot surgery. Then, as she mounted her comeback heading into an Olympic year, she faced another setback: a femoral stress fracture. But as we know, the comeback is always greater than the setback, and Karissa proved that by racing both the 5000m and the 10,000m at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials on her home turf at Hayward Field in Eugene, OR, making the team in both distances. She went on to finish in the top 10 in both events at the Paris Olympic Games. Karissa's season didn't end there: She went on to race the 5000m at the Zurich Diamond League, she raced (and won!) the Fifth Avenue Mile, and she ran a season's best in the 5000m at the Diamond League Final in Brussels. Now, the two-time Olympian, Nike-sponsored athlete, and longtime Bowerman Track Club member is back in Oregon for some much-deserved downtime, and back on the Ali on the Run Show to catch us up on all of it. SPO

"I was so afraid of being vulnerable, and afraid of having to look at other people and say what was going on. But when I did…it was the most incredible experience of my entire life." In December 2019, life was good for Kate Greene. She had a good job in Boston, she had just completed her first half marathon, and her New York-based family was planning a trip to visit for the holidays. Her younger brother, Ryan, who had struggled with drug addiction since they were young, was finally doing well. Kate and Ryan celebrated his birthday together over FaceTime. Everything was falling into place. Then, Ryan died of a heroin overdose. In this conversation, Kate talks about processing such a tremendous loss, and about leaning into running during that time. She explains how Ryan's death became the catalyst in getting her to run her first marathon, and about how getting involved with The Herren Project is what saved her when she needed it most. (Kate first heard about The Herren Project on the Ali on the Run Show. She

"I am a champion for love. I root for love. I am a delusionally optimistic lover of love stories and romantic comedies and love songs." Welcome to Ask Ali, where I answer all of your questions submitted on Instagram (I'm @aliontherun1). This time around, we're covering everything from business and life lately to Summer House, Sex and the City, and Emily in Paris Season 4. (OK, and some running talk mixed in.) SPONSORS:  New Balance: Click here to shop New Balance's latest releases for the season. UCAN: Click here to get a FREE UCAN training essentials pack (you’ll just pay the cost of shipping), and use code ALI for 20% off your next UCAN order. Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Join the Facebook group Twitter @aliontherun1 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!

"I’m an Olympian, and will forever be an Olympian, no matter what I do in years to come. It’s a very fulfilling thing. To be able to achieve it this early — it takes a lot of pressure off for years to come." Two years ago, Juliette Whittaker became one of the fastest high school girls in American history, and only the second girl to break two minutes in the 800 meters. Now, in the summer between her sophomore and junior years at Stanford University, Juliette is an Olympian. (An Olympic finalist, to be exact. Juliette finished 7th in the 800m Final.) Juliette was on the Ali on the Run Show a few weeks ago, after she earned her spot on Team USA by finishing third in the women's 800m at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team Trials. Now, she's back, talking all things Paris Olympics, including what it was like staying in the athlete village, what the highest and lowest points were from the races and beyond, and where she decided to get her Olympic rings tattoo.  What you’ll get on this episode: How Juliette is

"I have zero expectations. I'm ranked 60-plus. But I think I have a good shot at being top 10 in the world, and maybe even having a shot at a medal. Those were my own expectations and my own pressure. Good expectations, and good pressure. It started as, 'We made it, we checked the box, we got to the Olympics!' But it quickly transitioned to, 'Oh, let's see what we can do. Let's swing for the fences.' When Clayton Young lined up at the start of the Paris Olympic Marathon, he had thousands of fans cheering him on. Sure, he had his friends and family — including his wife, Ashley — in Paris. But because Clayton and Ashley so meticulously documented the build from the Trials to Paris in a docu-series, they gained legions of new fans and followers along the way.  Clayton earned his spot on Team USA by finishing second at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in February, just seconds behind teammate Conner Mantz. In Paris, they did it again, finishing seconds apart at the Olympic Marathon on that grueling, hilly, scenic

"I wanted to change the world just like she had." Kate Gunderson — best known online as "The Plane Kate" — is living a real-life Top Gun...kind of. (She'll explain!) Kate is a flight test engineer (a literal woman in STEM!), a former NASA engineer, and a nine-time marathoner with a 3:18 personal best. In this conversation, Kate explains what her role entails, what it's like being in flight test school, and how she handles being a woman in a very male-dominated industry (she's the only woman in her program!). She offers advice on improving your confidence, on speaking up when you're "the only," and on chasing your biggest dreams. Plus, all about her first flight, what it took to run a massive personal best, and whether or not she still dreams of heading into space someday. FOLLOW KATE @theplanekate SPONSOR:  Lagoon: Click here to take Lagoon’s 2-minute sleep quiz to see which pillow is right for you. (Emma Bates and I are both Otters!) Use code ALI at checkout for 15% off your order. What you’ll get on t

"It’s like everything you’ve been working for coming true in one moment." Today in 2024 Paris Olympic Games recap episodes: marathoner Dakotah Lindwurm! Dakotah earned her spot on Team USA by finishing third at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials Marathon in February, and now, she finally got to run those 26.2 miles (or 42.1 kilometers, as she learned) through Paris, and can officially call herself an Olympian. Dakotah finished 12th at the Olympic Marathon, and was the top American woman in the race, running 2:26:44. In this episode, we get to hear all about the race, including what it was like leading the Olympic Marathon, and what it was like getting engaged at the finish. Plus, what's next: Dakotah announced this week that she will be running the TCS New York City Marathon in just 11 weeks. SPONSORS:  goodr: Click here and use code ALI for free shipping on your entire order. UCAN: Click here to get a FREE UCAN training essentials pack (you’ll just pay the cost of shipping), and use code ALI for 20% off your n

"I knew it was going to be incredible. I knew it was going to be such a fun and crazy experience. But it was an experience of a lifetime. There’s no other way to describe it. I just had so much fun. One of my goals was to soak it all in and have fun, and I really did that." Nikki Hiltz returns to the Ali on the Run Show for the tenth time — and this time, officially, as an Olympian. Nikki finished seventh in the 1500m Final at the Paris Olympic Games, and in this episode, they give us the full scoop about what it was like being at the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, living in the athlete village, and competing at the Stade de France. Let the 2024 Paris Olympic Games recap episodes begin! FOLLOW NIKKI @nikkizhiltz SPONSOR:  New Balance: Click here to shop New Balance's latest releases for the season. What you’ll get on this episode: How Nikki is feeling post-Olympics (2:40) Nikki’s Olympic expectations vs. reality (4:25) All about that moment between Nikki and Tara Davis-Woodhall, and Nikki’s take on the

"Everyone’s doing their dream, you know? There are people who are winning, and that’s their dream. There are people who, just being there, that’s their dream. Hearts are being broken. It feels like you’re on that most emotional day of your period for two weeks." Michelle Wolf is best known for her work as a stand-up comic. (Earlier this year, she wrote Kim Kardashian's bit for Netflix's Tom Brady roast.) But runners know: She's one of us. Michelle is an ultramarathoner and track and field super fan. (She even worked with Hayward Magic at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, OR.) In this episode, Michelle returns to the Ali on the Run Show to kick off all things 2024 Paris Olympic Games. We're recapping our viewing experiences and most memorable moments as two of running's most eager cheerleaders. SPONSORS: Vuori: Click here for 20% off your first Vuori purchase. UCAN: Click here to get a FREE UCAN training essentials pack (you’ll just pay the cost of shipping), and use code ALI for 20% off yo

"I remember watching the New York City Marathon on TV and just saying, 'One day, I want to do that.' I’m watching it, and I’m like, 'They’re superheroes! How do they do that?!'" Sam Ryan is WABC 7's Emmy Award-winning sports anchor and reporter. The New York City-based mom of two spends her days talking baseball, football, and hockey on live TV — but her favorite day on air is when she gets to co-anchor WABC's New York City Marathon coverage. Sam is an 11-time marathoner who has worked at ESPN, ABC Sports, CBS, and the MLB Network. She has covered the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Little League World Series, Monday Night Football, and the Home Run Derby. (I was fortunate to get to work with Sam at the 2023 New York City Marathon and at this year's New York Mini 10K!) FOLLOW SAM @samryanabc7 SPONSORS:  Vuori: Click here for 20% off your first Vuori purchase. New Balance: Click here to shop New Balance's latest releases for the season. What you’ll get on this episode: Sam’s best on-the-job celebrity encounter

"The energy is just so palpable. Even though it’s the crack of dawn, we are all abuzz and going. You have to be able to get it going." The next time you're watching the Today Show and you see the anchors eating or drinking something delicious, that's the work of Katie Stilo. As Today's food stylist and culinary producer, it's Katie's job to prepare segments, write scripts based on guest-submitted recipes, cook those recipes (often from world-renowned chefs), and artfully arrange all the food and tablescapes on screen. Plus, she's often on camera, whipping up masterpieces for Savannah, Hoda, Al, Craig, Carson, and the crew. In this conversation, Katie talks about her Emmy Award-winning career, and about the road to landing her dream job. She also talks about becoming a runner two years ago. Katie's goal to see if she could finish a 10K turned into seeing if she could finish a half marathon, which turned into seeing if she could go sub-2:00 in the half marathon. (Spoiler: She did, running a 39-minute half-mar

"I live in constant duality now." We're taking a break from the Trials recaps and Olympics episodes to catch up. Welcome to Ask Ali, where I answer all of your questions submitted on Instagram (where I'm @aliontherun1). SPONSOR:  goodr: Click here and use code ALI for free shipping on your entire order. Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Join the Facebook group Twitter @aliontherun1 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!

"Of course making the Olympic team would be amazing, but it’s not going to define who I am. It’s not an end-all-be-all for me." When Jess McClain lined up at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials earlier this year, she did so as an under-the-radar, unsponsored, self-coached athlete — and she finished fourth, becoming the official Team USA Alternate in the marathon. Just a few weeks ago, Jess competed in the 10,000m at the U.S. Track & Field Trials, this time as a Brooks Running-sponsored (still self-coached) one to watch — and, again, she finished fourth! In this conversation, Jess talks about being a two-time fourth-place finisher at the Trials, and about how she reflects on each race. She breaks down the 10,000m race, talks about how life has changed since the Marathon Trials in February, and shares what's next. SPONSOR:  UCAN: Click here to get a FREE UCAN training essentials pack (you’ll just pay the cost of shipping), and use code ALI for 20% off your next UCAN order. Follow Ali: Instagram @alionther

"I went there to do a job, and that was to make the team." New Balance Boston's Elle Purrier St. Pierre lined up at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials a total of five times — each time as the fastest-seeded athlete in the field. In this episode, Elle talks about racing the impressive 5000m and 1500m double, and making Team USA in both. She talks about the last-minute decision to race the 5000m, and the decision not to compete in the 5000m at the Olympics. Plus, her musings on motherhood, getting her first postpartum period at the Trials, and what it will take to medal in Paris. SPONSOR:  New Balance: Click here to shop New Balance's latest releases for the season. What you’ll get on this episode: Who is getting more post-Trials attention: Elle or Ivan? (1:55) What it’s like competing at the Olympic Trials with a one-year-old (6:10) How Elle is feeling two weeks after the Trials (9:25) Elle’s decision to double at the Trials, and why she won’t double in Paris (10:30) How Elle was feeling heading into

"That’s always my goal: to win. And I always think I can. I have the belief." Emily Mackay is a World Indoor Championships bronze medalist. She's a 3:55.90 1500m runner. And she's going to the Olympics! Emily just raced the 1500m at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team Trials, where she finished second, ran a huge personal best, and earned her spot on Team USA for this summer's Olympic Games in Paris. In this episode, the New Balance Boston athlete returns to the Ali on the Run Show to talk about how the rounds played out, how she finished so strong in that final, and what life has been like since. SPONSORS:  UCAN: Click here to get a FREE UCAN training essentials pack (you’ll just pay the cost of shipping), and use code ALI for 20% off your next UCAN order. New Balance: Click here to shop New Balance's latest releases for the season. What you’ll get on this episode: How Emily is feeling on the Trials, what it’s like being a 3:55 1500m runner, and how making the Olympic team compares to making the World