What a year 2019 was for Katrina Spratford. Katrina, who had specialized in cross-country after college, battled injuries throughout, and preceding, the build-up to her marathon debut at the California International Marathon. She fought through them all to make it to the starting line only to face a new set of challenges. Ultimately, she reached her goal of an OTQ with a hard-fought 2:44:16. 

Ann Mazur just capped a decade of non-traditional training by qualifying for the Olympic Trials at the California International Marathon with a time of 2:44:45.

Ann had a successful college running career at Notre Dame where she teamed up with Molly Huddle. That is also when she started to dabble in yoga. Ann started to become a devoted yoga practitioner while in grad school at the University of Virginia and her athletic and professional life was changed forever. She has adopted a “run less, yoga more” approach and she has never been faster.

You can learn more about that approach by watching her Ted Talk: https://youtu.be/YZ7tx1YB35o.

From collegiate runner, to non-runner, to the podium at the California International Marathon as a masters runner. Meriah Earle ran a 2:34:35 am to finish third at CIM and she is just getting started. She went into the race hoping to get an OTQ. It turns out, she was ready for much, much more. Meriah‘s resurgence isn’t nearly amazing in her own right, but shows what so many people are capable of doing even if they haven’t followed a linear path to their goals. 

Last weekend C.J. Albertson finished in a close second place at the California International Marathon with a personal best 2:13:40 - a mere four seconds behind Elisha Barno. C.J. has had a remarkable year including setting the world record in the indoor marathon and a mammoth training sessions (including a 30 mile training run three weeks before CIM where he averaged 5:15 per mile) all at a relatively young age for a marathoner. In a very short period of time, Albertson has elevated himself to the near top of the U.S. marathon field and has done so in an untraditional manner. 

I’ve recorded nearly 300 podcasts in my life and this episode with Peter Bromka was the most emotional and insightful one that I’ve ever done. Peter just ran 2:19:02 at the California International Marathon to nearly miss the Olympic Trials qualifying standard. That heartbreaking fact does not come close to telling the whole story. Peter is not only an excellent runner but also a fantastic writer who has put out wonderful pieces on the sport. Over the last couple years he has accrued a following of people who appreciate his work and see themselves in his attempt to achieve an Olympic Trials qualifying effort. In this episode, Peter shares his journey, his feelings before, during, and after the race, and how he views the process of dedicating yourself to a goal while managing a business and family life.

Who doesn’t love a comeback story? Amazingly, Laura Thweatt has two of them. After four years at Colorado University that didn’t progress the way she hoped, Laura seriously considered stopping her running career. Luckily she did not. She quickly rose to the top of the sport with wonderful performances in cross country and on the roads. After a fabulous marathon debut and second performance, Laura was beset by injuries. After two years she finally regained her health and toed the line at the 2019 Chicago Marathon. In that race she regained her status as one of the elite marathoners in the country and a key figure heading into the Olympic Trials.

Jared Ward once again proved himself worthy on the highest stage. At the TCS NYC Marathon, Jared Ward clocked a 2:10:45 on his way to a sixth place finish. This fantastic time on a challenging course showed, once again, showed that Jared will be a favorite to finish in the top three at the Olympic Trials in February. In this episode Jared details his training, how he executed on race day, plans for winter training, and his BYU Cougars winning the NCAA men’s cross country championship. 

It was great to catch-up with Kellyn Taylor after her recent performance at the TCS NYC Marathon. Kellyn finished finished just behind fellow U.S. elite marathoner Desiree Linden for seventh place , crossing the line in 2:26:52. This was the fifth fastest time by an American in NYC Marathon history. In this episode, we talk about her great race, how it didn’t quite match her pre-race expectations, and her epic training block leading into the race.

At the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon Dr. Stefanie Flippin was ready to put it down and earn her Olympic Trials Qualifying time. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate and she was unable to reach this amazing goal. Stefanie was so effected by the cold weather and brutal winds that she could barely remember what transpired over the final six miles. Despite the conditions, she  achieved a huge PR and an even better perspective on her effort and how far she’s come.

This episode is sponsored by InsideTracker. In an era where there are more diet plans than people getting personalized nutrition can make all the difference. InsideTracker analyzes 43 different biomarkers so you can optimize your health and performance. Use code RAMBLINGRUNNER to save 15% at www.insidetracker.com.

What’s better than seeing someone reach a goal they have spent years trying to accomplish? That’s exactly what Lou Serafini did at the TCS NYC Marathon. In his seventh marathon he battled cramps and a grueling 23rd mile to a stellar 2:16 finish. In this episode, Lou details his mental, physical, and emotional push to the finish.

This episode is sponsored by InsideTracker. In an era where there are more diet plans than people getting personalized nutrition can make all the difference. InsideTracker analyzes 43 different biomarkers so you can optimize your health and performance. Use code RAMBLINGRUNNER to save 15% at www.insidetracker.com.