"As runners, we all deserve to be at the start line — and at the finish line, winning races."

Last month, Weini Kelati broke the American record in the half marathon, running 1:06:25 in Houston in her debut at the distance. Just a few days later, she ran — and won — the USATF cross-country championships. Weini's plan was never to be a record-breaking runner, though. Growing up in Eritrea, Weini was accustomed to walking — sometimes running — two hours to get to school each day, six days a week. Running on top of that? No thank you, she told her P.E. teacher. But somehow, she ended up on the school's track team, and at 17 years old, she was chosen to represent Eritrea at the Junior World Championships in Eugene, OR. The rest, as they say, is history. Weini intentionally missed her flight back home in favor of seeking asylum to stay in the U.S. and pursue a running career. She attended the University of New Mexico, where she became the most-decorated track and field athlete in the program's history, and she's been breaking records ever since. Weini lives in Flagstaff, AZ, where she is sponsored by Under Armour and trains with the Dark Sky Distance group.

FOLLOW WEINI @weini_kelati

SPONSOR:

• Vuori: Click here for 20% off your first Vuori purchase.

What you'll get on this episode:

• What's next on Weini's racing calendar? (3:40)
• All about Weini's childhood (4:30)
• When — and why — Weini started running in elementary school (10:00)
• The trip to the U.S. that changed Weini's life forever (19:00)
• On acclimating to life in the U.S. (25:45)
• What it was like for Weini to go eight years without seeing her mother (30:00)
• Weini's college experience at the University of New Mexico (41:00)
• How Weini became a professional runner (45:00)
• Why Weini wanted to move up to the half-marathon distance (49:00)
• Weini's advice for first-time half-marathoners (55:35)

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"I wouldn't say I'm a favorite in a lot of peoples' eyes. But it's the Trials. We're here to select a team. So I'm going to go for it and see what happens."

Happy Olympic Trials Week! This Saturday, the fastest distance runners in the U.S. will line up in Orlando, FL, racing for their chance to represent Team USA in the marathon at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Among those runners will be Fiona O'Keeffe, making her debut at the distance. Fiona runs professionally for Puma, and trains with the Puma Elite coaches Amy and Alistair Cragg. Fiona qualified for the Trials by running a 1:11 half marathon, and now she's ready to see what she can do over the course of 26.2 miles. In this episode, Fiona talks about her training, about the advice Amy Cragg (who won the 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials) has given her, and about her recovery from a staph infection in her ankle last summer.

FOLLOW FIONA @fiona_okeeffe

SPONSOR: New Balance. Click here to shop New Balance's latest releases for the season. (The SuperComp Trainer is my favorite shoe!)

What you'll get on this episode:

• Race week! Fiona shares how she's feeling just days away from the Trials (1:50)
• Was Fiona's plan to debut in the marathon at the Trials? (5:10)
• What Fiona's Trials training looked like, including her favorite and least favorite workouts (10:00)
• On pressure — internal and external (17:20)
• The ankle injury that sidelined Fiona last summer (18:45)
• Fiona's visualization plans, and what the week before the Trials entails (27:25)
• Why Fiona chose to train with Amy and Alistair Cragg (31:10)
• Noise vs. hype (34:20)
• All about the runners in Fiona's family (36:30)
• What it might look like to continue competing on both the track and the roads (41:50)
• Fiona's pre-race must-dos (44:50)

Follow Ali:

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"Put yourself in a position to get a yes, otherwise it's automatically a no."

Need a little pep talk? A little boost? A gentle nudge, or some tough love? I've got all that and more today, with a roundup of the best advice listeners of the Ali on the Run Show have ever received. Plus, a short story about a time very recently when I took my own advice and "sent the email" — and it didn't work out the way I'd hoped. (It's OK!)

SPONSORS:

• UCAN: Click here to get a FREE UCAN energy bar sample pack (you'll just pay the cost of shipping), and use code ALI for 20% off your next UCAN order.
• goodr: Click here and use code ALI for free shipping.

Pre-order To the Gorge, by Emily Halnon, here.

Follow Ali:

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"You take what you have and make the most of it."

Gabi Rooker was an anti-running competitive gymnast growing up. After college, she began working full-time as an internal medicine physician's assistant. Now, she's headed to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials Marathon as the eighth-fastest woman in the field. In this conversation, Gabi talks about her unconventional road to becoming a 2:24 marathoner. Gabi ran her first marathon in 2021 — a 2:56 finish at Grandma's Marathon in her home state of Minnesota — and in just two years progressed to a 2:24 finish at the 2023 Chicago Marathon. Gabi is coached by her husband, Alex, and she just signed her first major sponsorship deal with Nike at age 36. The Trials are just 11 days away, and Gabi's name is one you should know.

FOLLOW GABI @gabirooker

SPONSOR: New Balance. Click here to shop New Balance's latest releases for the season. (The SuperComp Trainer is my favorite shoe!)

What you'll get on this episode:

• On being "one to watch" at this year's Olympic Marathon Trials, and what live has been like lately for Gabi (2:45)
• On the pressure and stakes of this year's Trials (6:00)
• How Gabi's life changed after the 2023 Chicago Marathon, and her thoughts on experience vs. newness (7:20)
• How Gabi feels about being the 8th-fastest woman lining up at the Trials (10:50)
• Gabi shares her goals for the 2024 Marathon Trials (12:20)
• Growing up Gabi: the life of a competitive gymnast (14:55)
• Gabi's introduction to running (23:00)
• How Gabi's husband, Alex, became her coach (29:30)
• All about Gabi's work as a physician's assistant (32:15)
• Why Gabi wanted to run a marathon (39:45)
• On signing with Nike, and moving to part-time PA work leading up to the Trials (48:30)
• The magic of the Mill City Running community (54:10)
• How Gabi is feeling a few weeks out from the Trials (57:00)

Follow Ali:

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Chris Chavez has made a living out of being track and field's biggest fan and hype person. And when he's not obsessively covering the sport for Citius Mag, Chris is pursuing his own running goals. For the past several years, it's been no secret that Chris wanted to run a sub-3:00 marathon. This past weekend, that dream came true at the Houston Marathon, where Chris crossed the finish line in 2 hours 59 minutes and 12 seconds. This is his official race recap.

SPONSORS:

• UCAN: Click here to get a FREE UCAN energy bar sample pack (you'll just pay the cost of shipping), and use code ALI for 20% off your next UCAN order.
• Sidekick: Click here to get 15% off any recovery tool.

FOLLOW CHRIS @chris_j_chavez

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"This is the race they're going to tell their grandkids about — that they took part in the race to pick the marathon team for the Olympics."

We are just three weeks away from the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Marathon! On Saturday, February 3, the fastest distance runners in the country will line up in Orlando in pursuit of their Olympic dreams. To qualify for the Trials, women had to run a sub-2:37 marathon or a sub-1:12 half marathon, and men had to run a sub-2:18 marathon or a sub-1:03 half. The top three men and top three women will earn spots on Team USA.

To answer all of your questions about the Trials — like what's the deal with the men having to unlock spots, and how are the roommates assigned? — we have media director for the local organizing committee Jay Holder (who was the press chief for the 2020 Trials in Atlanta).

The men start at 10:10 AM ET, and the women start at 10:20 AM. The marathon will stream live on Peacock starting at 10 AM ET, and the taped broadcast airs on NBC at 12 PM ET. For more information (and to read all the athlete bios!), check out the official Trials website.

SPONSOR: New Balance. Click here to shop New Balance's latest releases for the season. (The SuperComp Trainer is my favorite shoe!)

Follow Ali:

• Instagram @aliontherun1
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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 am not wired to do something halfway or to do something for fun. I don't know what that means. Fun for me is going as hard as possible."

After nearly two highly-decorated decades of racing the 1500m and the mile, Jenny Simpson is upping the ante and the mileage. In just a few weeks, Jenny will make her marathon debut at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials Marathon in Orlando, FL. In this conversation, Jenny talks about her decision to have a go at 26.2 miles, what she thinks of marathon training these days, how she's handling fueling, and whether or not she hopes the race comes down to a kick.

SPONSORS:

• UCAN: Click here to get a FREE UCAN energy bar sample pack (you'll just pay the cost of shipping), and use code ALI for 20% off your next UCAN order.
• Quin D'Amato! Click here to buy Girl Scout Cookies from Keira D'Amato's daughter!

What you'll get on this episode:

• All about Jenny's run today, and how she feels about returning to the track for workouts (2:35)
• Meet Barkley: Jenny's second dog! (5:55)
• On New Year's Resolutions and looking at life after competitive running (7:20)
• Jenny's high and low moments from 2023 (13:00)
• How Jenny's body is feeling during marathon training, and how she feels about training right now (17:00)
• On being a contender at the Trials (26:25)
• "Do you love marathon training?" (34:10)
• The important stuff: how Jenny plans to wear her hair for her marathon debut (42:50)
• How Jenny is approaching and handling fueling for marathon training and racing (45:15)
• "It's so top of mind to me: You are responsible for everything that goes in your body" (53:35)
• What Jenny doesn't want to happen on race day, and where she sees her strengths (57:25)
• How Jenny anticipates measuring success on race day (1:09:00)

Follow Ali:

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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 survived!"

It's a tradition! Here on the Ali on the Run Show, we kick off every year with the annual State of the Show episode — a look at the past, present, and future of the podcast. In 2023, the Ali on the Run Show surpassed 21 million downloads, and released 87 episodes with 75 different guests (34 first-timers, and 40 returning and recurring guests). So, what did we learn from 2023, and what's in store for 2024? Time to assess!

SPONSORS:

• UCAN: Click here to get a FREE UCAN energy bar sample pack (you'll just pay the cost of shipping), and use code ALI for 20% off your next UCAN order.
• Vuori: Click here for 20% off your first Vuori purchase.

What you'll get on this episode:

• The Ali on the Run Show by the numbers (2:30)
• My 2023 personal and professional highlights (15:40)
• Revisiting my 2023 goals (30:40)
• Looking forward on the Ali on the Run Show (35:00)
• The 2024 Ali on the Run Show mission statement (43:20)
• My 2024 goals (46:30)

Follow Ali:

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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!

"If you have that heart of a lion, you will get back there. You just have to have patience."

It was a big year for Kara Goucher! Her book, The Longest Race, debuted and became a New York Times best-seller. She and Des Linden launched their podcast, Nobody Asked Us with Des and Kara. She called dozens of exciting races as a distance analyst for NBC's track and field and marathon broadcasts. She continued navigating life on the run with runner's dystonia. And today, she's here to recap all of it with us. Plus, we take a look at some of the year's highlights in professional running.

FOLLOW KARA @karagoucher

SPONSORS:

• UCAN: Click here to get a FREE UCAN energy bar sample pack (you'll just pay the cost of shipping), and use code ALIUCAN for 20% off your next UCAN order.
• Sidekick: Click here to get 15% off any recovery tool.
• Tracksmith: New customers, use code ALINEW for $15 off your first Tracksmith order over $75. Returning customers, use code ALIGIVE for free shipping, plus a portion of the proceeds from your order will be donated to Moms Demand Action.

What you'll get on this episode:

• Kara attempts to sum up 2023 in one word (2:10)
• Kara looks back at the success of her book, The Longest Race (2:50)
• Kara's year on the run (9:00)
• Kara's year on the mic: Kara talks about becoming a podcast host, and what it's been like co-hosting "Nobody Asked Us with Des and Kara" with Des Linden (16:15)
• Kara's year on TV, and which races she enjoyed broadcasting the most (19:45)
• 2023 on the run, professionally: recapping the highlights from the year in professional running (26:45)
• The one rule Kara would love to implement in professional running (53:30)
• Kara's predictions for 2024 (1:04:40)

Follow Ali:

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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 felt like I was constantly treading water and barely staying afloat. It felt like I was stuck, as everything else just raged on. Time doesn't stop and the world doesn't stop. Everything doesn't stop just because you're having a hard time. There were days where I'd be at the grocery store, standing in line, and I wanted to scream, 'Don't you all know that I have cancer? Don't you know this is the hardest day of my life, and it's a normal day in your life?' It's the ultimate reminder that you never know what someone's going through. So be kind."

At long last: the big, long, TMI-filled cancer episode. After being diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year, I've wanted to do regular check-ins on the podcast, but it's been a little daunting. One day last week, I finally felt up for chatting a bit. So in this episode, I'm talking about what life has looked like on the health front over the past seven months. I walk through my timeline from first lump (April 27) to mammogram and ultrasound (May 12) to biopsy (May 16) to diagnosis (May 19), followed by surgeries (double mastectomy July 3, reconstruction surgery August 30), chemotherapy (September 26, October 17, November 7, and November 27), and "now what?" Plus, answering listener questions and offering thoughts on how to support a loved one going through a cancer diagnosis and treatment.

SPONSOR: New Balance. Click here to shop New Balance's latest releases for the season. (The SuperComp Trainer is my favorite shoe!)

What you'll get on this episode:

• "Notecard thoughts" from the past few months, including Annie as my anchor, and ruminations on being called a "fighter" and "warrior" (2:40)
• My timeline: from first lump to diagnosis, surgeries, chemotherapy, and beyond (12:10)
• On the treatment front: Now what? (1:01:00)
• Answering listener questions about all things cancer (1:08:50)

LINKS:

Pre-order To the Gorge, by Emily Halnon

Ali vs. Breast Cancer GoFundMe

Penguin Cold Caps

ChappyWrap

Minky Couture blanket

Oofos slippers

Stanley hand-held water bottle

Nordstrom pajamas

Zip-front bras

Athleta zip-front bra

The one-shoulder bodysuit (on major sale!)

Follow Ali:

• Instagram @aliontherun1
• Join the Facebook group
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• 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!