Human Race

On Rosie Swale Pope’s 70th birthday, she jumped out of an airplane. But on Rosie’s list of nutty accomplishments, skydiving doesn’t even place. Pope has sailed solo across the Atlantic, run 27 marathons in 27 days, and ridden 3000 miles on horseback in South America. Her story is one of love and loss, a trip around the world and across America. She did both of those things, too. Unsupported and on foot.

Human Race caught up with her on the side of the road (appropriately) in Albany, Texas. She talked about the people she met on her journeys, running in sub-70 degree temperatures, and why “short, sharp adventures” are in her immediate future.

Further reading:

Just a Little Run Around the World by Rosie Swale Pope

40 Million Steps Around the World by Rachel Swaby (about Tom Denniss’s journey)

Episode Credits:

Host: Rachel SwabyProducer: Rachel SwabyFeedback from: Christine Fennessy, Brian Dalek, Sylvia RyersonTheme music: Danny CockeHuman Race editor in chief: David WilleyHuman Race is a proud part of Panoply.

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On May 6, 1967 in a suburb of Toronto, Canada, a 13-year-old girl named Maureen Wilton accomplished something extraordinary. In a marathon of 30 people, she set the women's world record, running 26.2 miles in 3:15:23.

Nicknamed “Little Mo” by her track teammates, Wilton’s accomplishment should have gone down as a defining moment in running history. It was, after all, just two weeks after the famous Kathrine Switzer completed the Boston Marathon wearing bib 261—despite the race director attempting to tackle her off the course.

Instead, Wilton’s achievement was treated with controversy and accusations of cheating. Whereas Switzer became a champion for women’s running—sparking an unprecedented growth in female participation in the sport—Wilton receded into the background.

So what happened to Little Mo? Fifty years after her world changing run, we revisit the historic race. And share the story of a forgotten women’s running revolutionary.

Episode Credits:

Host: Rachel Swaby

Producers: Rachel Swaby, Kit Fox

Feedback from: Christine Fennessy, Brian Dalek, Sylvia Ryerson

Theme music: Danny Cocke

Human Race editor in chief: David Willey

Human Race is a proud part of Panoply.

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Runner’s World goes to Boston every year for the marathon. We always hear so many great stories while we're there. In this special Marathon Monday bonus episode, our hope is that we can share a few of those stories with you. 

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Shortly after mile seven in the 2015 Chicago Marathon, Richard Sikorski had a sudden cardiac arrest. His heart stopped beating and he collapsed in the middle of the road.

He wasn’t supposed to run the marathon. He was feeling under-trained and a little tired. But the energy at the race expo changed his mind. He called his wife. Told her, “It’s pasta for dinner.” He’d rather be around other runners and suffer through 26.2 than stay at home.

The decision to run profoundly altered the trajectory of his life. Sikorski started the race, but he did not finish it.

This is the story of the race to save his life—a race that requires a NASA-like command center, a year's worth of planning, hundreds of volunteers, and a little luck.

Additional reading:* "Last time I saw him he was dead" by Cindy Kuzma

* The Runner's Heart

Episode Credits:

Host: Rachel Swaby

Producers: Cindy Kuzma, Rachel Swaby

Editor: David Weinberg

Theme music: Danny Cocke

Human Race Editor-in-Chief: David Willey

Human Race is a proud part of Panoply.

Follow us on Twitter (@rwaudio) and Facebook (Runner's World Audio).

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Rachel is back from maternity leave, and Human Race will be back with season 3 on April 11th.

In the meantime, we want to hear from you!

Tell Human Race about your running club—and what makes it truly unique and special! Why? Because we—Human Race in collaboration with our sibling podcast The Runner’s World Show—want to do a story about you and the group of people you run with. Rachel wants to come to your favorite trail, local track, or Saturday morning meeting place to record your story. And, of course, she wants to run with you, too.

So please reach out! Give us a sentence or two about your club and a member of your group that you admire. And you, your club, or someone in it might be featured on Human Race or The Runner’s World Show. You can email us at [email protected]. Or tweet Rachel at: @rachelswaby.

We can't wait to hear your stories.

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Two years ago, at the 2015 Fifth Avenue Mile, Witold Bialokur ran a seven minute time. He did it at 80 years-old. The second place finisher in his group came in a minute and twenty seconds later.

Witold is what most of us can only dream of becoming at his age. He’s fit, not frail, and he runs faster that most Americans can run at any age.

But greatness like this comes at a price. 

We’ll visit Witold Bialokur, a Polish immigrant born before the start of WWII. Witold’s run nearly his whole life. When he was young, it was a way to survive as a kid in exile during the war. Later it became a path to notoriety as a promising athlete and national running coach in Poland. And, when he got older, running was a part-time passion—and an obsession—as an amateur in Queens, New York.

Take a journey through the life of one of the most remarkable runners around. You’ll get a glimpse into the methods of a master running coach, see what it takes to achieve greatness, but also the perils of being super competitive and obsessed with being your best.

And there will be dancing.

This episode of Human Race is sponsored by Aaptiv, an on-demand audio fitness app that you can do at home, at the gym, outdoors - anywhere. Get your first month free when you sign up for a monthly subscription at and use the promo code "HUMAN."

To see pictures of Witold and Urzsula and of the master coach in action, head to www.runnersworld.com/audio and check out the show page for this episode.

Visit Witold's Runner's at:

https://www.facebook.com/witoldsrunners/

Episode Credits:

Host: David Weinberg

Producer: Mervyn Degaños

Editing help: Christine Fennessy, Sylvia Ryerson

Theme music: Danny Cocke

Human Race editor in chief: David Willey

Human Race is a proud part of Panoply.

Follow us on Twitter (@rwaudio) and Facebook (Runner's World Audio).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Keith Giroux decided to run the Boston Marathon he had a number of logistical hurdles to overcome. For starters, he hadn't run a qualifying race. In fact he'd never run any formal race ever. Then there was the issue of gear. He didn't own a pair of running shoes or running shorts. And he only had ten days to solve all these problems. Also he was in jail.

This episode of Human Race is brought to you by Brooks. Sign up for the Brooks Big Endorsement and become a sponsored athlete at www.BrooksAthlete.com/rw.

To support Keith's running goals visit:

http://www.gofundme.com/a-run-for-meaning

Episode Credits:

Host: David Weinberg

Producer: David Weinberg

Editing help: Christine Fennessy, Sylvia Ryerson

Theme music: Danny Cocke

Human Race editor in chief: David Willey

Human Race is a proud part of Panoply.

Follow us on Twitter (@rwaudio) and Facebook (Runner's World Audio).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We've got two stories this week. The first is about why we run, not just as runners but as human beings. In the 1980s a biologist named Dave Carrier came up with a controversial theory about human evolution. He called it the "Running Hypothesis" and it was based on the idea that humans became elite long distance runners so that we could hunt large game by chasing it on foot until the animal collapsed from exhaustion. So Carrier and his brother, a radio producer named Scott went to Wyoming to prove this theory by trying to run down an antelope until it collapsed.

The second story comes from producer Karen Given and is about a runner who set a surprising marathon goal after volunteering for a major surgery to save his mother-in-law’s life. We also learn how to hide an engagement ring in your running clothes.

Additional Listening:

Producer Scott Carrier has a podcast called Home of the Brave. You can listen to more of his work at homebrave.com.

Producer Karen Given works on a show called Only A Game. You can listen to more of her work for that show at http://www.wbur.org/staff/karen-given.

This episode of Human Race is sponsored by Aaptiv, an on-demand audio fitness app that you can do at home, at the gym, outdoors - anywhere. Get your first month free when you sign up for a monthly subscription at and use the promo code "HUMAN."

Episode Credits:

Host: David Weinberg

Producers: Scott Carrier, Karen Given

Theme music: Danny Cocke

Human Race editor in chief: David Willey

Human Race is a proud part of Panoply.

Follow us on Twitter (@rwaudio) and Facebook (Runner's World Audio).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sylvia Weiner is a prolific runner. She’s 85 years old, and she estimates that, during the course of her running career, she’s completed nearly 2,000 races—and she’s got an extensive collection of race medals and trophies to prove it. In 1975, Sylvia even claimed a very special spot in Boston Marathon history.

But her most significant legacy has nothing to do with race accolades. When Sylvia runs, she shows others what’s possible. Her long-term dedication to the sport is impressive. “I have to stick to [running] for dear life,” she says. That’s because running is more than a passion; it’s a way of dealing with her traumatic past.

In this week’s episode, Sylvia shares her incredible story. Let’s just say, there’s a reason Sylvia’s longtime running buddy greets her with an enthusiastic, “Sylvia! She’s our hero!”

Episode Credits:

Host: Rachel Swaby

Producers: Rachel Swaby, Audrey Quinn, Christine Fennessy

Editing help: Brian Dalek

Special thanks: Gordon Asmundson from the University of Regina for sharing his research.

Debbie Weiner for her help with this story.

Theme music: Danny Cocke

Human Race editor-in-chief: David Willey

Human Race is a member of Panoply.

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A story about a man who lost his heart. And what he gained in its place. On this episode, we meet Randy Shepherd, one very unlikely runner. Randy is 42 now, and never enjoyed running very much. He was more of a team sports guy. But beyond that, he had a rock-solid excuse for staying on the couch. Back when he was in his 30s, Shepherd’s already compromised heart rapidly began to fail. There was no time to match him with a transplant donor. Certain that Shepherd could die at any moment, surgeons removed his heart and replaced it with a machine called a total artificial heart. Right out of the surgery, he faced difficult questions. What happens when you lose such an essential part of yourself? What can you physically do (and not do) when a machine powers your body? His choice ultimately transformed his life.

Visit the show page here for pictures of Randy in action.

Episode Credits: Host: David Weinberg

Producers: Rachel Swaby, Audrey Quinn, Christine Fennessy

Editing help: Brian Dalek, Chris Kraft, Sylvia Ryerson

Theme music: Danny Cocke

Human Race editor in chief: David Willey

Human Race is a proud part of Panoply.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices