Human Race

Candice Caesar is 44 years old with a son in college, a master’s degree, and a job as a speech pathologist. A dedicated runner, Candice spends her weeks training with several running clubs and her weekends traveling. She’s in the process of running 50 half marathons in 50 states by the time she’s 50.

But 17 years ago, a life like this was unthinkable. First of all, she hated running. But then, a near fatal car crash left her paralyzed and unable to speak. But even in the darkness of her new reality, Candice realized she had to keep moving. When a doctor told her she may never walk again, Candice replied: “I’ll walk a marathon.” That reply set in a motion a process that allowed Candice to rebuild herself, to become someone new. Through running, she discovers what matters most to her may not have been lost in the accident after all.

This episode of Human Race is sponsored by Stamps.com. Buy and Print official U.S. Postage using your own computer and printer. Get a 4-week trial plus a $110 dollar bonus offer by going to Stamps.com and using the promo code “HUMAN.”

Episode Credits:Host: Tennessee Watson

Producers: Tennessee Watson, Rachel Swaby

Editor: David Weinberg

Theme music: Danny Cocke

Human Race editor-in-chief: David Willey

Human Race is a proud part of Panoply.

For the transcript of this episode, click here.

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A few years ago, Don Bravo was “one WrestleMania buffet” away from weighing 400 pounds. After his doctor warned that his weight would shorten his lifespan, Don started climbing stairs in his neighborhood...which led to the Harvard Stadium steps. And then the BAA 5k. His story of triumph is unexpected and funny. It might just make you stand up and cheer. It’s our election special—an uplifting story in what has certainly been a stressful time.

This episode of Human Race is sponsored by Stamps.com. Buy and Print official U.S. Postage using your own computer and printer. Get a 4-week trial plus a $110 dollar bonus offer by going to Stamps.com and using the promo code “HUMAN.”

Credits:

Host: Rachel Swaby

Producers: Casey Martin, Rachel Swaby

Editors: Audrey Quinn, David Weinberg

Theme music: Danny Cocke

Human Race editor-in-chief: David Willey

Human Race is a proud part of Panoply

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In April 2015, a viral post on Facebook about the Boston Marathon kicked off a wave of controversy. In this week’s episode, we explore how that controversy turned into a full-blown movement. Today, a league of at-home vigilante race investigators are changing the way we police marathons online for everyone to see. The story takes us from a race in Pennsylvania to the Boston Marathon to a set of spreadsheets (yes, really) to a runner in a suburb in New Jersey. For those outed online, we wonder if the punishment fits the crime.

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.

Additional Reading:

“Dozens Suspected of Cheating to Enter Boston Marathon” by Kit Fox

Marathon Investigation, Derek’s blog

Episode Credits:

Host: Rachel Swaby

Producers: Kit Fox, 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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Anthony Butler, a native of the Bronx in New York City, lost his sight eight years ago. For many people who lose their ability to see in adulthood, the decline is inevitable and gradual. Often a degenerative disease will chip away at someone’s vision to the point that they become legally blind.

That’s not what happened to Anthony. One second, Anthony was hanging out with friends. The next second, his sight was gone.

But even through a series of struggles—learning to navigate a new world, getting kicked out his home—Anthony found ways to turn his life around. One of those ways: running. It was last spring when Anthony met Kate Dixon on a group run in Central Park with Achilles International. Neither was a great runner, but something clicked when they began running together that made them decide to get serious for their own, important reasons.

In this episode, we explore what happens when you lose something so essential. And what, perhaps, you might gain in its place.

Episode Credits:

Host: Rachel Swaby

Producers: Mervyn Degaños, Rachel Swaby

Editor: David Weinberg

Special thanks to Doug Pedersen for research help and Dr. Steve Lomber. Dr. Lomber is the Canada Research Chair in Brain Plasticity and Development at the University of Western Ontario.

Theme music: Danny Cocke

Human Race editor-in-chief: David Willey

Human Race is a proud part of Panoply.

Extra Credit:

Kate and Anthony are raising money for Achilles. If they top the donor list before the New York City Marathon on November 6, they’ll win a free trip to Disney World. If you feel so inclined, you can donate here.

This episode of Human Race is sponsored by Stamps.com. Buy and Print official U.S. Postage using your own computer and printer. Get a 4-week trial plus a $110 dollar bonus offer by going to Stamps.com and using the promo code "HUMAN."

Help Panoply learn more about the podcasts you love, and how much you listen to them, by taking a short survey at Panoply.fm/survey. Thanks!

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

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About half of all runners who enter the Leadville Trail 100 don't finish. What stands between them and a finisher's belt buckle? Sandy Monahan.

In this episode of Human Race, we follow Sandy as she dashes runners' dreams by enforcing the event's very strict cut off schedule. As she breaks countless timing chips in two, there are tears, hugs, and only the occasional death threat. And yet, Sandy keeps coming back. And so do the runners. There's something special about Leadville.

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.

Episode Credits:

Host: Rachel Swaby

Producers: Willow Belden, Rachel Swaby

Editor: Audrey Quinn, David Weinberg

Thanks to Amanda Jamrogiewicz, Tom Kleinman, Caolan MacMahon, Jon Perz, and Scott Schaunaman

Theme music: Danny Cocke

Human Race editor-in-chief: David Willey

Additional Listening:

Producer Willow Belden has a podcast called Out There. Here are two episodes she thinks Human Race listeners will like:

Episode 11: Failure in Success

Episode 17: High on Failure

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

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We have reached the end of the first season of Human Race. But don't worry. We won't be gone for long. Season two will resume in about a month.

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Greg O’Brien is 66 years old and open about his struggles with early onset Alzheimer’s. When a story about Greg appeared on NPR detailing how he uses running to combat mental decline, Runner’s World editor Christine Fennessy reluctantly decided to reach out.

Reluctantly because up until this point, Fennessy had done whatever she could to avoid personal stories about Alzheimer’s. They hit too close to home.

This week, Fennessy meets O’Brien in person—and confronts her biggest fears about the disease. 

Additional Resources:

On Pluto by Greg O’Brien

Outrunning the Demons by Greg O’Brien, edited by Christine Fennessy

Inside Alzheimer’s: NPR

Episode Credits:

Host: Rachel Swaby 

Producers: Christine Fennessy, Rachel Swaby 

Editor: Audrey Quinn 

Production help: Mervyn Degaños 

Theme music: Danny Cocke 

Human Race editor-in-chief: David Willey

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The last time someone broke the record for the fastest crossing of America on foot was 1980. Frank Giannino Jr. traveled from San Francisco to the Brooklyn Bridge on foot in 46 days, 8 hours, and 36 minutes. His journey was marked by an almost military-like routine—a routine that has yet to be replicated.

Three people have attempted to break Giannino’s record this year. Human Race goes out on the road with one of them. In the process, we find out what happens to your body when you run more than 50 miles every day, and what it is about this 36 year-old record makes it so tough to beat.

Further Reading:

Ultrarunning Newcomer Will Run Across America Trying to Break 35-Year-Old Record by Kit Fox

Renowned Ultrarunner Attempting Trans-America Record by Kit Fox

Episode Credits: 

Host: Rachel Swaby

Producer: Rachel Swaby

Editor: Audrey Quinn

Production help: Mervyn Degaños

Theme Music: Danny Cocke

Human Race editor-in-chief: David Willey

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In the Barkley Marathons' thirty years, only 14 people have ever completed it. But it’s not for lack of trying. Some 1000 runners have attempted to complete Barkley’s five loop course of agony through Frozen Head State Park in Tennessee. The route is supposed to be 100 miles, but Barkley veterans guess that it’s more like a very hilly 130. With no GPS, no course markers, and not an aid station to speak of, sleep deprived runners are challenged more than just physically. For the vast majority of runners, this race isn’t about finishing. It’s about pushing themselves to their absolute limits.

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.

Further reading:

The 2016 Barkley Marathons: One Person Finishes! by Brian Dalek

Notorious by Charlie Engle

Episode Credits:

Host: Rachel Swaby 

Producers: Brian Dalek, Rachel Swaby 

Editor: Audrey Quinn with help from Christine Fennessy 

Production help: Mervyn Degaños 

Thanks to Pam Bede from Swim, Bike, Run, Eat! and Bryce Mander from UC Berkeley’s Sleep and Neuroimaging Laboratory for their help on this story 

Theme music: Danny Cocke 

Human Race editor-in-chief: David Willey 

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Human Race is taking a two week hiatus. We'll be back on July 5th with a new episode.

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