Why We Marathon

Matthew Growney details how running has helped him handle the grief of losing his mother and why he now runs for the Dana Farber Institute. Matthew provides excellent background on how he fundraises for the Dana Farber Institute and how they run their marathon fundraising program different compared to other organizations.

Matthew brings up how running connected him deeply to memories of his mother and how it's also made him a better father, husband, friend, and professional. It's a deep episode as Matthew provides commentary on how he can better relate to his mother and connect with her on a spiritual level during runs.

Matthew has run 9 marathons, finishing 8, and we explore the story of his DNF on heartbreak hill during the Boston Marathon on Easter Sunday. Yet, Matthew battled back and ran Boston again and continues running to this day!

Janet speaks about how she's been able to run for decades including the original marathon in Athens, Greece along with her memories from the Disney Marathon. Janet details how her running journey all started in a bar with a bucket list promise to run the New York City Marathon with her friend. Janet has run 19 marathons all across the country and we highlight the beauty of smaller races.

Gabriel talks about growing up poor, his father walking out on Gabriel's family at age 12, and how marathon running helped Gabriel redeem his self worth. Gabriel also digs into how marathon running is all mental and how he still struggles with his diet but is constantly working to improve his health. We touch on how karma and being a good person helped Gabriel get into the Boston Marathon.

My favorite line from the podcast is "Your attitude determines your outcome." Gabriel says that he's going to get it done no matter what this takes. He adds that there's no shame in walking which we totally agree with on the podcast.

Gabriel also speaks about how marathon racing has taken him all over the world to the Tokyo Marathon, Kingston Marathon in Jamaica, and many more! And we even cover the toilet situation in Tokyo too!

Corrine Fitzgerald shares her story of going from a high school steeplechase superstar to marathon runner. Corrine explains how she transitioned to become a marathon runner and why she loves coaching runners for a variety of races today in New York City. Coach Fitz also talks about major injuries she's had from running and how it changed the way she approached running and recovery.

I'm your host Alex Elman and I’m proud to announce my new podcast Why We Marathon where I’ll dive into the deep personal reasons people run marathons. Episode 1 is a bit emotional and my own story about how marathon racing helped me cope with my mother’s death, concealed a binge eating disorder from myself and those I love most, go from 280 pounds to 185 pounds, build a tighter community of friends, and change my overall outlook on how to achieve my goals in life.

Phil Irvine dives deep into his family history and how many of his family members lived into their 90s and even early hundreds but how is dad actually passed away in his early 60s due to health and fitness reasons. This inspired Phil to stay in shape and conquer the three marathons he's run to-date in San Diego, Orange County, and most recently Los Angeles in 2020 right before COVID-19 became an official pandemic. We also dig into the podcasts Phil listens to while running and how running has become a way for him to be better informed across a variety of subjects. Phil enjoys The Ringer and Bill Simmons' podcast series and I recommended Broken Record by Rick Rubin and Malcom Gladwell for any music fans.

Liz Corkum also known as Coach Corky dives deep into her 20 plus marathons including running Boston during the bombing and how she persevered to make it back to Boston two years later. 

Kristen Dunleavy has run three marathons with her PR coming from the Philadelphia 2019 race. Kristen is passionate about running for causes such as Running to Protest and is a member of the Goldfinger Track Club. She admires runners like Eddie Gieda Jerry Francois, Gavin Wynn, and Alison Desir.