"I love this sport and I love the people in it. I love the people I race against. I love all the fans. People are wonderful."

Fresh off her U.S. Outdoor National Championships 10,000m win, fan favorite Emily Infeld returns to the Ali on the Run Show to talk about winning her first national title at age 35, 13 years into her professional career. Ten years ago, Emily made her first World Championships team, and went on to win a bronze medal in the 10,000m on the world stage. The next year, she made her first Olympic team, and competed at the Games in Rio. Then, Emily had a string of tough years and struggles, including injuries, surgeries, changing teams, changing coaches, changing locations, changing sponsors, and navigating a three-year ordeal with a stalker. Today, Emily is happy, healthy, and breaking the tape. She lives in Portland, OR, with her husband, Max. She's sponsored by Brooks, after 12 years with Nike. And she's coached once again by her college coach, Chris Miltenberg. In this conversation, Emily talks about what it took to unleash that kick in the homestretch and to break the tape at a National Championship.

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:

• What the view from Cloud 9 is like (2:15)
• Emily’s take on becoming a National Champion at 35 years old (5:35)
• How Emily reflects on the runner she was in 2015, when she won bronze at World Championships, and the runner she was last summer, when she finished last in the 5000m at the Olympic Trials (11:15)
• How Emily has maintained an unwavering belief in herself — and whether she’s ever doubted herself (16:00)
• Emily’s approach to visualization, and what it was like breaking the tape at USAs (19:00)
• All about the victory lap (23:30)
• What it took to go from last place at the Trials to first place at Nationals (29:20)
• Did Emily know it was going to be a special day? (32:10)
• Emily’s race plan (38:00)
• How Emily spent the day leading up to the 10,000m, how Hayward Field felt that day, and how the race played out (43:15)
• What it was like going through the mixed zone after the race, and how Emily spent the rest of the night and weekend in Eugene (57:45)
• What’s the deal with world rankings, and is Emily definitely going to Tokyo for World Championships? (1:06:20)
• What it’s like being on the receiving end of an outpouring of support (1:10:00)

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!