Sarah Lorge Butler talks to Hawi Keflezighi about celebrating 20 years as a track & field agent. He discusses how he got his start, whether he ever doubted the agency would make it, and some of the highs and lows he's dealt with over the years.

Hawi also discusses the role agents play in combating doping, whether some agents have too many clients, and agents who promise more than they can deliver.

HAWI Management on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hawimanagement/

Sarah Lorge Butler on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/slorgebutler.bsky.social

Fast Women on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastwomen/

Fast Women on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fastwomen.bsky.social

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Sarah Lorge Butler talks to Courtney Frerichs, 2021 Olympic silver medalist and the American record holder in the steeplechase. In April 2024, Courtney tore her ACL and both her medial and lateral menisci while going over a water barrier during practice. 

She thought that might be the end of her professional running career, but over the past year, she has worked her way back. In May, she finished third at the USATF 5K Championships in 15:18. Courtney talked about considering retiring, working her way back, whether she'll run the steeplechase again, and some of her other goals for the future.

Courtney Frerichs on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneyfrerichs/

Sarah Lorge Butler on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/slorgebutler.bsky.social

Fast Women on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastwomen/

Fast Women on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fastwomen.bsky.social

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Sarah Lorge Butler talks to Kenya's Sharon Lokedi, who recently won the Boston Marathon in a course record of 2:17:22. Sharon came to the U.S. for college, and became 10-time All-American and the 2018 NCAA 10,000m champion for the University of Kansas.

She signed with her current sponsor, Under Armour, right out of college and learned that she really excels on the roads, particularly in the marathon. In her debut at the distance, she pulled off a surprise win at the 2022 New York City Marathon.

Sharon has built a stellar marathon resume, so many people were surprised when she was only selected as the alternate for Kenya's Olympic marathon team. But six weeks out, she was informed that she was being called up to race. She quickly switched into marathon training mode, and on a tough course in Paris, she managed to finish fourth in a four-way sprint finish.

Next up, Sharon will race Saturday's New York Mini 10K.

Sharon Lokedi on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shazrine/

Sarah Lorge Butler on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/slorgebutler.bsky.social

Fast Women on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastwomen/

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Drew Hunter was 18 when he signed his first pro running contract, and now, at 27, he's already a seasoned veteran. He talked to Sarah Lorge Butler about what his parents did right in supporting him as a young runner, being coached by his mom as a pro, NIL and the business side of the sport, switching from Adidas to Asics, becoming a parent, and his stroller sponsorship.

After thinking it might be his final year as a professional runner, Drew had a breakthrough year in 2024, running personal bests in the 1500m, 5,000m, and 10,000m, and finishing fourth in the latter at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials.

This episode was recorded on May 21. The following day, Drew published a newsletter about his departure from Tinman Elite: https://drews-newsletter-3d1534.beehiiv.com/p/not-with-a-bang-but-a-whimper

Watch Drew's stroller running tips video here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DHTr2VaO6m3/

Drew Hunter on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drewhunter00/

Sarah Lorge Butler on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/slorgebutler.bsky.social

Fast Women on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastwomen/

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Big changes are coming to the NCAA and Sarah Lorge Butler spoke with Victoria Jackson to help make sense of it all. Jackson was the 2006 NCAA champion in the 10,000m and she went on to run professionally. Now she's a sports historian and clinical associate professor of history at Arizona State University. 

Jackson discusses how we got here, what changes are likely coming, and why they aren't all bad. And she encourages cross country and track & field coaches to think creatively.

Watch the Great Game Lab Set Piece with Des Linden: https://greatgamelab.asu.edu/set-pieces/des-linden

Victoria Jackson on X: https://x.com/historyrunner

Sarah Lorge Butler on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/slorgebutler.bsky.social

Fast Women on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastwomen/

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The morning of the 2025 Boston Marathon, Des Linden announced via a full-page ad in The Boston Globe that the race would be her final professional marathon. And then she went out on a high note, finishing 17th in 2:26:19, and winning the masters' division. 

She'll continue to run professionally, but she plans to focus on different events. Sarah Lorge Butler caught up with Des two weeks after that announcement to discuss her career so far, and what's next. See the chapter markers for more details.

Des Linden on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/des_linden/

Sarah Lorge Butler on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/slorgebutler.bsky.social

Fast Women on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastwomen/

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Jess McClain discusses finishing seventh at the 2025 Boston Marathon, where she ran 2:22:43, was the top American woman, and PRed by 3:03. She discussed hiring David Roche as her coach, as well as some of the training and fueling changes she made leading up to the race. 

Jess lives in Phoenix, Arizona, and runs professionally for Brooks. But she also has a full life outside of running. She discussed her work with foster youth and rescue dogs, and how she balances that with her training.

See chapter markers for more episode details.

And if this episode left you wondering about U.S.'s selection procedures for the World Championships marathon, you can read about them here: https://www.flipsnack.com/USATF/2025-world-athletics-championships-marathon-selection-procedures/full-view.html 

The Road to Tokyo rankings are here, and you can sort by event and country. https://worldathletics.org/stats-zone/road-to/7190593?eventId=10229534&country=USA 

Jess McClain on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jesstonn/

Sarah Lorge Butler on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/slorgebutler.bsky.social

Fast Women on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastwomen/

Fast Women on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fastwomen.bsky.social

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Emily Infeld, 35, recently set a 10,000m personal best of 30:59.38. Three days later, she unexpectedly got a call asking if she would like to take part in Grand Slam Track's first Slam, in Kingston, Jamaica. She flew out 13 hours later. 

Despite the late notice, she held her own, finishing fifth overall and leading the way for the Americans. 

Emily won a bronze medal in the 10,000m at the 2015 World Athletics Championships, and she's been through many ups and downs since then. After spending the first 12 years of her professional career as a Nike athlete, she signed with Brooks in January. And she's back to working with her college coach, Chris Miltenberg.

Emily talked about how her training has changed, getting the Grand Slam call (on April Fools' Day no less), and proving herself right.

Emily Infeld on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyinfeld/

Sarah Lorge Butler on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/slorgebutler.bsky.social

Fast Women on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastwomen/

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Sarah Lorge Butler caught up with Ahmed Muhumed shortly after he ran a 53-second personal best of 27:03.19 for 10,000m at The TEN, which puts him seventh on the U.S. all-time list. 

Ahmed was born in the Somali region of Ethiopia and moved to Oregon in 2011, when he was 13 years old. Though soccer was his first love, a PE teacher discovered his talent for running and encouraged him to go out for cross country and track. In addition to balancing his academics and athletics, Ahmed worked several jobs throughout high school, which was a tough balance at times.

He ran collegiately for Boise State and Florida State, and finished 20th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, but his accomplishments weren't quite enough for him to earn a contract right out of college. At first, he tried balancing work with post-collegiate running. But when he found himself nearly being chased down by a high schooler in a race, he knew something had to change.

He quit his job and moved to Flagstaff, Arizona, with his savings. He began working out with athletes who were faster than him, and it didn't take long for his hard work to pay off. In September, 2023, he signed a professional contract with HOKA NAZ Elite.

Ahmed Muhumed on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ahmedmuhumed14/

The 2016 Runner's World article about him, from when he was in high school: https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a20796173/a-rookie-pacer-causes-a-collision-but-sportsmanship-wins-the-day/

Sarah Lorge Butler on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/slorgebutler.bsky.social

Fast Women on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastwomen/

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Juli Benson discusses her journey from barely making it to the NCAA Track & Field Championships her senior year to becoming an Olympian, and her subsequent transition into coaching. Juli coached Jenny Simpson to 1500m gold at the 2011 World Athletics Championships, and she now coaches runners of all abilities.

Juli got a flurry of attention after Nikki Hiltz, currently the U.S.'s top 1500m runner, announced last month that they are now working with Juli. But Juli coaches a number of high level athletes, which she discusses in this episode.

Topics include:

• How mentors like Frank Gagliano, Pat Henner, and Ron Helmer helped shape her coaching philosophy.
• How she wound up coaching Jenny Simpson and Kevin Sullivan.
• The seven pro runners she currently coaches.
• How she and Mike Smith handled the Nikki Hiltz coaching handoff after Smith and Hiltz were forced to part ways.
• Helping athletes navigate social media.
• The lack of opportunities for female coaches at the professional level.
• What it will take for U.S. middle-distance and distance runners to consistently medal on the world stage.

Juli's coaching website: https://julibensontraining.com/

Sarah Lorge Butler on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/slorgebutler.bsky.social

Fast Women on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastwomen/

Fast Women on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fastwomen.bsky.social

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Thanks for being one of the original listeners of the Fast People podcast!