RaceMob - Running Together Podcast

I’m so excited to introduce you all to Samuel Pappas - a member of our very own RaceMob community.  A few weeks ago I asked our community “what are you struggling with?” and Sam replied - balancing my newly found love for running with not aggravating my double hip replacement surgeries.

Through our email exchange - it was clear that Samuel was an absolute inspiration - so we quickly jumped online to chat.

You’re going to love this story about a retired air force veteran, who was living a sedentary lifestyle and had reached 260 lbs on his 5’5” frame.  After his second hip replacement surgery - Samuel decided to make a change - and it started out small by normal human standards.  But bear in mind - when Samuel started by walking on a treadmill, he had to use his arms to support him.

Fast forward to years - and Samuel says that walking and eventually running has given him his mobility back.  Now 140 lbs and able to run 10 miles in the Florida heat - people might mistake him for a different person altogether.  We hope that you enjoy our conversation with Samuel Pappas!

#024 - In honor of our running fundamentals course, we wanted to make sure that we could cover every tip our community had for new runners.  So we asked our Facebook communities: 

"What tips do you have for a beginner runner?"

We got over 800 different comments from people how wanting to share their favorite tips for beginners. 

So I tallied them all together, and bucketed them into different categories.  And here we have those tips from 17 all the way to one.  If you're looking for help in any of these categories - reach out to us, and we'll be sure to help you in your running journey.

We have an incredibly special treat for you guys today. Bob Anderson is the founder of Runner's World. Yup, that Runner's World. The incredibly popular magazine that Bob started while in high school. In today's conversation you'll learn about the state of running in the 1960s and how a high school kid was able to build one of the most popular magazines in the world.

You'll learn about how Bob got to meet some of his idols, including Hal Higdon, Ted Corbitt, Billy Mills, Steve Prefontaine, and even Ronald Reagan. We get into the story of Bob's film, A Long Run, where he celebrated 50 years of running with an incredible challenge. The goal was to complete 50 races at a distance of 350 miles (563.27 km), and to average 7:00 per mile at the age of 64.

I won't give away the ending, but you have to hear the stories behind the challenge. We get into the new type of racing that Bob has invented the double race. And we get to hear about the new training camps in Kenya, that Bob is building that you can take apart in. Finally, Bob has this incredible story of the Boston marathon because the one year that he got to run

I was also the year of the bombing. Our full conversation with Bob was almost an hour and 45 minutes. And honestly we could have kept going. 

If you want to hear the full version, join our community at https://community.racemob.com.   And you can hear all the bonus stories that we couldn't fit here.  

We’re so excited to welcome Paul Fukuma to the podcast.  Paul’s a fourth generation army veteran, who brought a friendly little month-long 100 mile competition - the Taji 100 - stateside.  Paul's the chairman of the Taji 100 fitness challenge that takes place every year in February.

He was part of the event in its inception in 2010 at camp Taji. And under his leadership, this event has grown exponentially and has raised over $200,000 supporting military families.

Not only do we get into Paul’s background, and his experience - in camp taji Iraq for the first ever Taji 100 event.  But we also talk about the inspiring stories of participants of the years, and the reason that Paul’s been doing the event year after year - spending hundreds of hours and not taking a cent. 

We also dig into another topic, to understand Paul’s unique perspective.  Paul is a public safety officer - which means that he wears three hats - as a police officer, fire fighter, and EMT.

And as you hopefully recognize - we’re currently in a critical moment in time. Political tensions are running high and the world may seem more divided than ever.  There’s been a large focus on systemic racism and even calls to defund the police.   

So I wanted to get Paul’s take.  I didn’t give him any advanced notice - but his honest answers were refreshing and real - and I just appreciate him so much  for it.  You guys are going to love this conversation - and if you want to improve your health and raise money for an amazing cause - I encourage you to participate in the Taji 100 this February. 

Signup for the Taji 100 Fitness Challenge

Hello, everybody. We are so fortunate to have a legend. Coach Jay Ridgeway, 20 years helping athletes be happier, healthier versions of themselves through PacWest Endurance. He's also an accomplished athlete in his own right. Oregon Duck graduate, triathlete, ironman finisher, Boston marathon participant, and biomechanics expert.

Jay also has an accomplished daughter, Emily, who is an ironwoman, and finished the Kona world championships. She has followed in her father's footsteps and now leads PacWest endurance.

Check out this great episode where we talk about proper running form - which will help you run longer, more efficiently, faster, and injury free.

Check out the Running Form Video: https://youtu.be/zivDKAeKkN0

Links talked about during this episode:
PacWest Endurance

#020 - Our guest today is James McCluskey. Jake has such an inspiring story. He once weighed in at over 380 pounds and was leading a sedentary lifestyle. 

In fact, he would go six to nine months at a time living within a tiny bubble between his house and the corner store. Just next door. 

One day, he was inspired by Marshawn Lynch's quote. And since then, it's been all about that action boss. In this discussion, we talk about the moment that changed Jake's life. How he went from a couch to marathon in a little over a year. Jake gives us a detailed account of his solo 50-mile trek from San Francisco to San Jose. 

And then his hundred-mile Trek from Petaluma all to raise money for foster kids. Plus we go into some of the details on how Jake became the first person to run every street in San Jose. And why was way tougher than anyone imagined. There's a little bit of audio distortion during this discussion, but we try to take care of it as best we could. We really hope that you enjoy it.   

 We have some very special guests for you in today's podcast.  The Road Runner's Club of America has been an extremely influential organization in the sport of running for over 60 years.  It  insures some of the biggest races in the world and running clubs.  They're also famous for a variety of programs including their coaching certification, kids run the nation program, and run pro clinic.

We're so fortunate to have the president of the RRCA George Rehmet and Executive Director Jean Knaack on Today's podcast.  In fact, Jean has been named one of the most influentail people in running by Runner's World Magazine - Alongside Usain Bolt, Shalene Flanaghan, and Meb Kefleghzi to name a few.

In this episode, you'll learn about what the RRCA is and what it does.  How they've been extra busy during the pandemic - expecially since George started as president on April 1st of this year!  We have a special discussion about diversity in running, especially in the wake of the murder of Ahmad Arbuery.  George and the board are on a mission to make running safer for everyone, and they're working on real change here.

Plus, you get to know these deeply caring, incredibly warm, and very accomplished individuals.  Plus, George is incredibly active on Social Media - and we've been following his awesome adventures - including his recent 50K up in Oregon.

We're incredibly grateful to get to know these incredible individuals, and to be able to share this conversation with you.  We hope that you enjoy it!

#018 - When Bertrand met Leo over 20 years ago, he had no idea that this unassuming handyman was dealing with a crippling back condition and a debilitating drug addiction. Nor could he imagine Leo's backstory a former Latin rock star and the percussionist for the group Malo   at the age of 18, Leo was being whisked away via limo and private jet to famous venues like Carnegie hall, American Bandstands, Rolling on the River, and much more. 

Leo's life is so fascinating that it was even documented in an ESPN Deportes feature. From the highest of highs to being so broken, he could barely function.  It got so bad. His family staged an intervention and forced Leo into rehab. But it was here and shortly after at Skyline College, where Leo began to rekindle his passion for running.   A passion. He almost completely threw away due to his addiction. 

But was now ready to embrace. Leo and his wife, Virginia joined the Dolphins South End Running Club.  And today have logged over 17,000 miles, attended hundreds of races, become Brazen Streakers, qualified for Boston and have been sober for over 16 years. But most importantly, Leo and Virginia have now become pillars of the running community. 

Spreading their love and positive message to everyone they meet, especially those who are struggling with addiction. 

And they've even become running coaches, inspiring the next generation of runners. Best of all, Leo never lost his passion for music and is performing with his new band Momo Tombo, and they are killing it.   You're going to love this story from the heartache, the perseverance and the triumphs. So here we go.  

#017 - Will Turner - is a Legend!  I should just drop the mic there!  Will loves to set Big Hairy Audacious goals.  When he turned 50, he completed his first IronMan.  When he turned 60 - he completed 60… in One year!!!  Smashing the previous record of 44 - he averaged an IronMan every 6 days.  

He continued that journey and ended up completing 105 IronMan distance triathlons over the course of two years.  And it was only slightly derailed when his partner and Uber Sherpa was diagnosed with kidney cancer - and they took a few months for surgery and recovery!

This is a long way from his first race - a half-marathon where he ended up in the hospital from dehydration.

So what’s an ultra endurance athlete of this caliber like?  Humble, warm, welcoming, awe-inspiring…  A motivational speaker who talks to at school assemblies expounding the virtues of “Live Your Bold”.  And a National Park lover who promotes conservation of the environment.  This was an amazing all-encompassing conversation, and I really hope that you enjoy it.

#016 - We’re so excited to welcome Joyce Lee to the podcast.  Joyce is a Bay Area running legend.  After stumbling into long distance running - rather haphazardly (a story we definitely get into) - Joyce has become a pillar of the running community.

Perhaps she’s best known for her running streak, having run at least 1 mile every single day since January 1st 2013.  That’s over 2,800 days of running.  The streak has turned this once admittedly inconsistent athlete into a model of stability.  And just displays the power of perseverance even when you sometimes don’t feel like it.

The streak has opened Joyce up to new athletic endeavors, including - completing an IronMan triathlon, qualifying for the Boston Marathon, and starting her very own race - the Joyce 365K.  More importantly, she’s found a supportive community - something that she stresses - doesn’t require a streak.  So don’t wait to be part of the amazing running community.  Here’s our really fun conversation.