Flagstaff, AZ, resident Emily Durgin is heading to the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon to join the elite field on Sunday, October 15, 2023! Emily has had her ups and downs with running: from a thrilling school debut to some challenges and then successes in college, to amazing races that put her in the spotlight as a professional athlete, to injuries and more. But here's the lesson: throughout all of it, Emily maintains a root belief in herself and her ability. She says it herself – the person who thinks they are going to win is the person who will win. We could all use a little bit more of Emily's belief and confidence, and I hope you will take some of it away from this conversation.

Follow Emily on Instagram: @em_durgin

Photo Credit: @felipe_guajardo

It's another chat with my favourite coconut bun loving steeplechaser, Regan Yee! Since we last talked, she's earned two National titles in the 3000m Steeplechase, taken two trips to Worlds, a trip to NACAC, and even run a Diamond League in Eugene. Oh, did I forget to mention she went to the Olympics? Silly me. Now based in Flagstaff, Arizona and running with Under Armour's elite training team Mission Run Dark Sky Distance, Regan is getting more comfortable declaring big goals out loud and having the guts and the talent to go for it.

Follow Regan on Instagram @reganyee

Photo credit: @mr.nono500

Music by Joseph McDade

I have been thinking a lot lately about the message I shared with all of you last year as I was in peak of training for the Chicago Marathon. This year, I have no fall races in the books, and I am kinda full of FOMO. I thought I would share with you how things feel for me right now and how the feelings I had this time last year are strangely still true. So enjoy the Ghost of Races Past and the Ghost of Races Future in this mini-episode. Happy running!

Julie-Anne Staehli has had a heck of a year: World Cross Country Championships in Australia, top three at Nationals in the 5000, and just recently returned from World Championships in Budapest. Now she's also been named to her eighth national team and will run the 5K at the World Road Racing Championships in Latvia. While I invited Julie-Anne to the show to talk about Budapest, our conversation veered more retrospectively. Julie-Anne spoke about how she is being thoughtful and deliberate in looking at her decade-long commitment to high-level running and what she wants in the future. We may not all run with Team New Balance like she does, but these universal questions are very relatable and made for a great conversation.

Find Julie-Anne on Instagram @jastaehli

Theme song: Joseph McDade

When I saw that the fantastic Robyn Mildren had won the Squamish 50K, I immediately wanted to have her back on the show. But I also know how swamped she is with work and training. So I asked her if she would do a half-hour, rapid-fire episode and she graciously offered to squish it into her day. But I should have known better: Robyn is extremely smart and thoughtful, and our rapid fire was not so rapid. We couldn't stop ourselves from digging into all of the good stuff. Robyn's continuing journey as a runner and as a person really illustrates that big things are possible when you surround yourself with the proper support and show up for yourself in the right way.

Follow Robyn on Instagram @robyn.mildren

Photo Credit: Scott Robarts Photography @srobarts

Theme Credit: Joseph McDade

Join me for the most fun you are going to have all day: it's Kim and Michelle Krezonoski! These Thunder Bay, Ontario-born twins have been running together since they attended Midwestern State University in Texas. In 2022, they took on their first marathon (the California International Marathon) and became the year's 11th and 12th fastest Canadian women. These two are full of wisdom (how good is "a bad day is just a lesson to grow from"?!?), fun and confidence, all of which will definitely rub off on you. This episode pairs equally well with an excellent cup of coffee or a slow long run. You'll need your breath for laughing.

Lauren Andrews is the kind of runner who has always felt a passion for the sport deep in her soul. She's pushed and driven and explored to find where her limits might be as a runner and just kept going. When she and her husband decided that they wanted to try to start a family, she had no idea how much she was going to need the mental and physical strength that she had learned in her years so far. Lauren shared her story of returning from severe pelvic trauma due to childbirth and what it has been like to reconcile the extreme emotions of love in becoming a mother and the frustrations and often anger in her recovery process. I'm so grateful to Lauren for sharing her very personal experience, and I hope you do too.

@polarisathletics

@laurenandrews604

@winningwithin_foundation

Theme Music: Joseph McDade

Keri Wong is a dedicated member of her run community in Toronto, particularly with her home crew Kardia. While this girl always looks like she's having a good time (that's because she is), she also has a lot of big goals in mind for her running. Amongst her accomplishments, she can list completing five marathons and two triathlons with more for both on the horizon. As part of the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon panel discussion about barriers for women in the marathon, Keri shared some thoughts and she shared a few more great nuggets here. If you have goals for yourself in running but are also here for the party, this one's for you.

Follow Keri on Instagram @bitesandstrides

Theme music: Joseph McDade

Last week, the Toronto Waterfront Marathon held a run and panel discussion to talk about the fact that last year only 28% of their marathon registrants were women. These conversations, along with some survey data they had collected ahead of the event were the beginning of a fire lit in panellist Sasha Gollish: elite runner and community superhero. I chatted with Sasha about the panel discussion, the research she is continuing to do to look at races around the world, and how we collect more data to move to action.

Denoja Uthayakumar has had her share of challenges in life, but she made the choice never to let them keep her down. After being diagnosed with thyroid cancer at age five, she has continued to deal with the physical and mental health concerns related to it as an adult. But Denoja has taken those challenges and made sunshine with them. She has an indelible presence in the running community: in person in Toronto and Scarborough, on Instagram and as an ambassador for Brooks Running. Despite things not always being perfect, Denoja is committed to using her personal story to inspire others and show that everyone can be active and healthy within their abilities and find a way to live a positive life.

Follow Denoja on Instagram @denoja224

Theme Music: Joseph Dade