Kara never planned for running to become her life.

Before coaching runners, building a community, and becoming one of the first women to complete all seven World Marathon Majors, she was pursuing dance and theater in New York City while trying to figure out where life was taking her.

In this episode, Kara shares the leap from corporate life into coaching full time, the relationships and breakups that shaped her running journey, how she unexpectedly became faster over time, and why running eventually became about freedom more than performance.

We also talk about race anxiety, building confidence, mental performance, balancing coaching while training at a high level, creating community through running, and what it really feels like to build a life around something you genuinely love.

This is one of the more honest conversations we’ve had about identity, growth, and what running can become when it turns into more than just training.

Chapters

00:00 The Turning Point: From Dance to Running

06:20 The Coaching Leap

12:13 Finding Her Voice

16:08 Chasing Seven Stars

20:56 Freedom & Getting Faster

28:27 Inside Her Training

31:03 Lessons From The Marathon

39:51 The Mental Side of Racing

47:47 Building Something Bigger

53:09 Community & Connection

57:46 Betting On Herself

Follow Kara:

Instagram: instagram.com/karagracedudley/

Follow The People Run Podcast:

Instagram: instagram.com/thepeoplerunpodcast/

Spotify, Apple Podcasts & YouTube: The People Run Podcast

Music: instagram.com/mech__beats/