Hooray Run Podcast

Tyler Brinks, a dear friend and 2:34 marathoner, joins me in conversation for Episode 34. Tyler and I had one academic year together at Hope College, where we logged many XC and track miles as Dutchmen in 2013-14. I remember quickly forming a bond over running fandom. Tyler has been on the podcast before — the debut episode, no less! — to discuss marathons and track world records. I wanted this episode to be about Tyler. We talked about his marathon progression, some standout Hope moments, an awesome steeplechase experience he had at Hayward Field, and the mile he ran in boots on an indoor track right before we started recording. // Subscribe, tell a friend, recommend. Thank you for listening. Celebrate every step!

Jonathan Gault and I talk about the 2023 Chicago Marathon. Jonathan has been a writer for LetsRun.com for nearly a decade. We discuss Kelvin Kiptum's 2:00:35 world record, Sifan Hassan's ridiculous 2023 season, and standout American performances from Oct. 8 in the Windy City. Jonathan reflects on his evolution as a writer and offers advice to aspiring journalists. // This episode is sponsored by Sportwatch. Save time with the Sportwatch app by quickly storing athlete performance and identifying trends. Start tracking your team today at sportwatch.us.

Seth Norder, Nolan Clark and Will Hewitt join host James Rogers in conversation. Seth and Nolan represent Grand Haven High School in Michigan and are two of the fastest runners in the state. They had incredible performances at the Division 1 state track meet on June 4 in Rockford, Michigan. Seth finished second in the 1600 meters with a time of 4 minutes, 7.99 seconds (4:07.99). Nolan finished fourth in the 3200 meters with a time of 9:08.74. They were also part of the Grand Haven 4x800 relay team that broke the school record at the state meet -- the first Grand Haven 4x8 team to go under eight minutes. Seth and Nolan talk about the state meet in detail, their high school careers so far, team culture, summer miles and goals for 2022 cross country.

James then welcomes Will on the pod to get a coaching perspective. Will is one of Seth and Nolan's coaches, and he shares thoughts on Grand Haven running and what it's like to coach two of the best high school runners in Michigan.

This episode is sponsored by Sportwatch. Sportwatch is a team management app built by former athletes for track and cross-country coaches. View team performance, track athlete growth and much more all from the convenience of your phone. Ditch the clipboard and pick up Sportwatch! Learn more at sportwatch.us.

Freelance photographer Joe Hale joins host James Rogers in conversation for this comeback episode of Hooray Run Podcast. Joe is known best for his running photography, and his client list includes Nike, Adidas and Tracksmith -- to name a few. Joe graduates from Manhattan College this week and moves temporarily to Oregon later this month to shoot big-time track and field events from late May to late July. Joe talks about his time with Tinman Elite, upcoming travels to Eugene and the best running performances he's seen in person.

This episode is sponsored by Sportwatch. Sportwatch is a team management app built by former athletes for track and cross-country coaches. View team performance, track athlete growth and much more all from the convenience of your phone. Ditch the clipboard and pick up Sportwatch! Learn more at https://sportwatch.us.

Host James Rogers sits down with professional runner and former Michigan State standout Leah O’Connor for an expansive conversation. Now based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the 27-year-old discusses her hometown roots, decorated MSU career and pro running roller-coaster ride. Topics also include mental health, faith, writing, farm life, support systems and Harper (her dog).

At MSU, Leah captured multiple Big Ten titles—cross country, indoor track, outdoor track—and won a national title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (June 2014) and indoor mile (March 2015). She was a member of the undefeated 2014 MSU women’s cross-country team coached by Walt Drenth that won the national title in dominating fashion.

Leah’s 9:18.85 personal record in the 3K steeplechase set in May 2016 makes her the fifth-fastest American ever in the women’s steeple. Now sponsored by HOKA and coached by Dathan Ritzenhein, Leah is a member of the Gazelle Elite Racing Team.

Cousin Mike makes his third appearance on Hooray Run Podcast. Host James Rogers goes all over the running map with Mike in the first portion of this episode, then the cousins talk music, time, nostalgia, Grand Rapids—many non-running topics but thoughtful conversation nonetheless. Mike also gets James to consider registering for a half-marathon in the fall.

Host James Rogers welcomes former University of Wisconsin-Stout standout Tim Nelson to the podcast. Tim was on top of the NCAA Division III running world in 2012, the year in which he won the D3 national title in the indoor 5K (March), outdoor 5K (May), outdoor 10K (May) and cross country (November). He set multiple school records—including a sub-14 5K and a sub-24 cross-country 8K—while fine-tuning his collegiate priorities.

Tim reflects on his prestigious UW-Stout career and shares how he became one of the best D3 runners of all time. The conversation also covers his Army service, his career in real estate and a prediction for the 2019 Green Bay Packers.

Cousin Mike returns to go in tangents with host James Rogers. This episode includes extensive fast-food talk and a discussion on 2019 NBA Finals players running miles. Also, is Cousin Mike thinking of getting more serious with his training?!

Freelance writer Amanda Loudin joins host James Rogers to discuss her May feature entitled "HOKA NAZ Elite: Inside the Hottest Team Going" for PodiumRunner. Northern Arizona (NAZ) Elite—a professional running group based in Flagstaff, Arizona, and led by head coach Ben Rosario—partnered with HOKA in 2015 and had a breakthrough 2018 with multiple team members posting eye-catching results. Now a 13-member team, NAZ Elite's most notable performance came this year at the 2019 Boston Marathon, where 27-year-old Scott Fauble finished seventh in 2 hours, 9 minutes, 9 seconds (2:09:09) to become the 11th-fastest American ever for the 26.2-mile distance.

Host James Rogers' cousin, Mike Debowski, makes his debut Hooray Run Podcast appearance. Cousin Mike and James discuss running from both personal and spectating vantage points (5:05). Then, James brings on two longtime friends—Jon Weiss and Wilson Shaner—who joined him in Ohio on May 19 to complete the Cleveland Marathon. The trio, now fully recovered, shares recaps and stories from a wild day on the streets of Cleveland (53:36).