If you’ve ever run, or watched the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, you’ve probably wondered how everything comes together to create such an inspiring, well organized, large scale event. Mike Nishi is the Chief Operating Officer for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon and the architect behind that race day organization. He talks to us about how his passion for organization translates to race day operations. Another of Mike’s passions is sustainability. Recognized in the Running Industry, as a leader for sustainability, Mike takes us through how the Bank of American Chicago tested compostable cups. Ever wonder how all those volunteers get onboard, trained and assigned? Mike shares insight into his amazing team, and how they align their values with that of the volunteers, with the target of retention and appreciation. Last but not least, Mike shares his routine that helps him manage stress, a very intentional routine of stretching, meditation and creating boundaries between work and family.

Dick Beardsley is the ultimate story teller, as he talked to us about his running, personal life and shared some Beardsleyism’s. Dick detailed 1981 London Marathon, and how he and Inge Simonsen crossed the finish line, in first place, hand in hand. Then Dick takes us down memory lane with the 1982 Boston Marathon (Duel in the Sun), where Dick and Alberto Salazar battled it out the entire 26.2 Miles, with Salazar winning by 1.6 Seconds. Dick has overcome a lot in life and he shares with us his “glass is ALWAYS half full” attitude. He shares details of the injuries that led to his pain killer addiction, and how he recovered. Just when he thought he would never deal with anything that painful again, then he lost his son to PTSD. Dick can’t image not sharing these experiences, as he feels everyone can learn, grow and find something positive from the most tragic situations.

Author of The Story of the Human Body (https://amzn.to/39q3bvi) and most recently Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding (https://amzn.to/2Pchhda), Dr Daniel Lieberman is a paleoanthropologist and Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. He has studied the evolution of the human head, but his main focus is currently on the evolution of the human physical activity. He has lived with cultures, all over the globe, to explain the science of how and why we move today. Research specifically related to activities such as walking, running as well as changes to our body's environments can help prevent injuries and treat musculoskeletal diseases.  

Max has played basketball most of his life and has always been a good ball handler. At the same time, he is a strong miler, training with the Hartbeat Track Club (https://www.hartbeattc.org/). When you combine his two super powers, you have an opportunity for a unique World Record - Mile While Dribbling a Basketball – 4:30.38!! His brother noticed that the record was in reach and challenged him to make the record breaking attempt. With friends and family (https://bit.ly/3r7wXeo) pacing, recording, and timing him, Max broke Dylan Sorenson’s record by 3.35 seconds. Max’s running story is more about determination and overcoming adversity than it is about his word record.  Max talks to us about what inspires him to run, health challenges he has had to overcome, and motivates us to persevere in our own running.

John “The Penguin” Bingham has been called the Pied Piper of the second running boom.  His column, The Penguin Chronicles (https://bit.ly/3bJaWyh), resonated with and inspired an entire generation of runners. In the Chronicles, the Penguin never gets old and is always having a great time, embracing his “back of the pack” speed, with his goal of having fun and crossing the finish line. John has completed over 40 marathons and written several books, most notably The Courage To Start (https://amzn.to/3cumCnF)  and No Need for Speed (https://amzn.to/3bIkfyl). In this interview, John talks to us about how he transitioned from a sedentary life to one that was healthier and more active. By writing about his race experiences, with his own unique sense of humor, John has delivered a message of hope and inspiration to anyone that hopes to run, or has been running a lifetime.

Jonathan Shubert is an amateur cyclist, (and science teacher) that recently broke a 27-year-old record. Jonathan rode his bike, on the open road, for 100 miles in under 3 hours - 2 Hours, 57 minutes. An impressive feat, but when you consider that he also had a mechanical issue and the roads were open to traffic, it becomes an extraordinary achievement. He talks to us about becoming “slippery in the air”, and how a $500 suit that makes you more aerodynamic is more valuable than a $6,000 bike. Since the age of 6, Jonathan aspired to be the British 24 cycling Champion, from the inspiration of his grandfather, who was also a British cycling record holder. He has cycled around the globe, finding that cycling is the best way to see a country. The true inspiration from talking to Jonathan comes from his motivation to break the 3-hour -100 mile cycling record - like Roger Bannister's 4-minute mile, Jonathan wants to inspire people to do more than they believe that they can achieve.

Do you spend your time cooking spaghetti? What does a dog look like? How do you find peace with food and peace with your body? Nancy Clark answers these questions, along with several other nutrition questions we had for her. Nancy (https://nancyclarkrd.com) is a registered dietician (RD) and board certified specialist in sport dietetics (CSSD). In layman’s terms, she is a food coach and nutrition educator. Nancy has worked with the Boston Celtics, the Boston Red Sox and many elite and Olympic athletes from several sports. When it comes to sports nutrition, Nancy wrote the book, literally, she wrote The Sports Nutrition Guide Book (https://bit.ly/3kxAtgH), which is now in its 6th edition and has sold over 750,000 copies. Listen to our conversation with Nancy to learn the impact that nutrition plays in our performance.

Paula (https://bit.ly/2YU6yFf) has won the London Marathon and the New York City Marathon, each three times and the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, once, in 2002. She captured the Gold Medal in the 2005 Marathon World Championships in Helsinki. Paula held the title of the world’s fastest woman marathon runner for over 16 years, clocking 2:15:25, until 2019, when her record was broken by Bridgid Kosgei.

Inspired to run at a young age, by her father’s passion for sport. Paula gained a lot of running knowledge from her father, that she shares - such as how to run downhill to create a gap. She also shares some real wisdom, of marathon running – "respect the distance, but don’t be afraid of it".  Paula explains the value for all of us to have role models that help you break your own belief barriers.

As if that wasn’t enough, we talk about parenting. Paula becomes reflective when she shares with us that most people don’t realize how great their parents are, while they are growing up. We discuss the importance of learning to make decisions and living with those decisions.

The Penguin

Hal Higdon has written over 34 books, most notably Marathon the Ultimate Training Guide (https://amzn.to/3pCU1Si) and created several training programs, that can be found on his site – Run with Hal https://www.halhigdon.com/. Hal competed 8 times in the Olympic Trials, his best performance came in 1960, when he finished 5th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. He has run over 110 marathons, his best clocking his best performance in the 1964 Boston Marathon, where Hal placed 5th overall, after leading through the first 19 miles and crying at the finish line – tears of heartache and joy. Heartache from not winning and joy from setting his best time.  In 1975 Hal set a World Masters Championship M40 record of 9:18.6 in the steeplechase, which holds as the longest standing American Masters record. Hal has been running competitively for 75 years and shares with us what he has learned about training and nutrition.