Ali on the Run Show

"In dance, you're kind of always told what to do, how to do it, how perfect it has to be. Running has been a way for me to let all of that go." Sarah Grooms spent 13 years doing hundreds of eye-high kicks a day as a Radio City Rockette. On this episode, she talks about everything you've ever wanted to know about performing at one of the world's most famous venues (including how Radio City's famous...

"We are both a bit stubborn — especially about our goals." —Jenny Donnelly It was a big, exciting weekend at the 2019 California International Marathon! It was especially exciting for the Donnelly family: 28-year-old Jenny qualified for the Olympic Marathon Trials, finishing in 2:44.31, and her mom, 62-year-old Judi celebrating 25 years of being breast-cancer-free, ran a lifetime personal best, fi...

"I really hope that people seeing amputees in line at the grocery store don't think, 'Oh, you poor thing,' they wonder, 'Oh, are you a marathoner?'" In April 2013, Adrianne Haslet was living her dream as a professional ballroom dancer. On Marathon Monday, she found herself near the Boston Marathon finish line, watching the runners finish the iconic race. But then, so many lives were forever change...

"It was in that moment I realized that I wasn't running. I also realized I wasn't jogging. I was barely walking. I looked down, and the tops of my shoes are scraping the ground — one slow movement after the next slow movement." It's an Ali on the Run Show Thanksgiving tradition! Four years ago, my now-husband, Brian, and I lined up at the start of two very different Turkey Trots. Though both races...

"One of the hardest conversations I ever had was to admit that I'd been struggling. And I no longer wanted to be alive." Sarah True is a professional triathlete and Olympian. On this episode, she honestly and vulnerably shares her story of competing at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, hitting rock bottom, and the intense emotional recovery that followed. She opens up about her history with mood disorders...

"When you're in a powerless position and the rest of your career is totally dependent on what you do, you aren't going to burn bridges. You don't have many bridges to walk across." Phoebe Wright is a former professional middle-distance runner who spent six years competing as a Nike-sponsored athlete. Phoebe, an 800-meter specialist from Tennessee, became a five-time national champion before retiri...

"I'm kind of labeled as the gay runner. But those are two things I'm really proud of. I'm proud to be gay and I'm proud of my running." —Nikki Hiltz Nikki Hiltz and Therese Haiss are professional runners for adidas. They live in San Diego where they train with the Mission Athletics Club, and on this episode, they talk about how they met — and how their immediate friendship evolved into something m...

"I want to know that every person that crosses that finish line is celebrated. I don't care what the time on the clock says. I want everyone's hard work and dreams to be celebrated." Last Sunday, I became an official TCS New York City Marathon finish line announcer. I always said my dream was to "stand at a finish line and cheer for all the runners." And I got to do that on the world's largest sta...

It was an honor, a pleasure, and a privilege to host this live recording of the  Ali on the Run Show at the New York Road Runners RunCenter the day before the 2019 TCS New York City Marathon. Five leaders in the industry — Mary Wittenberg, Lauren Fleshman, Alison Desir, Jen Ator, and Lindsay Crouse — discuss why it's an exciting time to be a woman in running right now, and address the work that st...

"Everyone talks about the roar on first avenue. Mine was trying to dodge the roar of the cleaning trucks!" Last year, 55-year-old Janelle Hartman became a marathoner. After running more than 100 races and volunteering at just as many, Janelle decided that 2018 was the year she would run the TCS New York City Marathon. And on this episode, she talks about what it's like to be the very last finisher...

"This illness is just a small part of me. It's not all of me. I'm still able to be a mom. And I haven't allowed my disease to rob me of that. It just gives me strength. It almost makes me feel like a badass some days! It's not always pretty, but for the most part, I'm doing what I want to do with my life despite my illness." Natalie Hayden was diagnosed with Crohn's disease right after graduating...

"They don't expect a group to be there. And any runner deserves that incredible finish, no matter if it took two hours or if it's taken 12. It's not so much the time that needs to be celebrated in this case, it's the passion and the drive and the motivation behind each runner's story." In 2015, Stephanie Pennington had just completed her first New York City Marathon. After finishing, she went out...

"I think kindness can solve a lot of problems." Last year, Carly Gill made a goal to qualify for the Olympic Trials in the marathon. She ran CIM in December 2018 — and came up just two minutes short of her goal. So this year, Carly was ready to get stronger, faster, and fitter, and again chase down an OTQ time of 2:45 or faster. On this episode, Carly talks about her dream come true: running a 2:4...

"The way that I'm training is good for my soul right now." Carrie Tollefson is a professional middle-distance runner and Olympian turned mom of three, broadcaster, race analyst, podcast host, running camp director, and so much more. Most recently, the former 1500-meter specialist added another impressive title to her list: 2:51 marathoner. Six years ago, Carrie was four months postpartum and ran h...

"I'm not one to usually show too much emotion crossing a finish line, but that last 100 to 200 meters, I thought about my children, my family, and all the hard work I did to put into this race that I had a lot of people doubt or question. It was just this moment of, 'This is why I do what I do.'" Roberta Groner just returned from Qatar, where she was one of three women representing the United Stat...

"That's running — all of us are having major fails along the way! That's what keeps bringing us back. We're chasing that perfect race and that perfect day." This past weekend, Janae Baron — Hungry Runner Girl — ran a 2:49 at the St. George Marathon. It was a 9 minute 55 second personal best time at the distance. It took Janae nine years to go sub-3:00 in the marathon. Last year, she ran a 2:59 — a...

"Gabe was all about trying her best, whereas I was more about striving for perfection. And thankfully, I had Gabe in my life to show me what that really meant — trying your best — and why that was so much better than striving for perfection." Ladia Albertson-Junkans is a collegiate cross-country runner turned ultramarathoner. Most recently, Ladia ran the Western States 100, and followed that up by...

"You can race as many 5Ks, 10Ks, and half marathons as you'd like, but that suffering that's at the end of the marathon is a totally different experience." —Greg McMillan On the final episode in the You Can Run a Marathon series, experts Greg McMillan and Dr. Cathy Yeckel are on hand to answer dozens of listener questions about training, race day, nutrition, and more. Greg McMillan is the founder...

"One run or two runs, or even a handful of runs, in the grand scheme of things isn't really going to make that much of a difference. So I try not to get too stressed out about it." You may know Megan Harrington (formerly Kretz) as one of the OG running bloggers: She is the woman behind the popular "Runner's Kitchen" blog . In 2008, Megan had just graduated from Wesleyan University and moved to New...

"The marathon is a metaphor for life. It's about patience, and you get out of it what you put in it." This is a very special episode of the You Can Run a Marathon series, because it was recorded live in front of a fantastic audience at Finish Line Physical Therapy in New York City. Meb Keflezighi is the only person to ever win the New York City Marathon, Boston Marathon, and Olympic silver medal....

"If you are sitting on an idea, a dream, a plan, the longer you wait to execute on it, the sooner someone else will. So stop waiting, stop procrastinating. Do as I say, not as I've done!" It's solo episode time! On this episode, I'm talking all about what goes on behind the scenes of the  Ali on the Run Show , answering listener questions about getting started, choosing guests, recording, editing,...

At about mile 9, I was in the porta-potty, wishing and praying that somebody would pick it up. I was like, 'If I stay here long enough, somebody will pick up the porta-potty. I just want to disappear in here.' That's how terrible I felt."" At 41 years old, Dawn Grunnagle is proof that you can, in fact, keep getting faster with age. Dawn is a Nike-sponsored professional 1500-meter runner turned mas...

"We decided, 'OK, I'm gonna run in the Trials and then we'll hopefully get pregnant right away, and then I'll maybe even be able to run a fall marathon the next year!' And…it didn't happen like that." You probably know Amanda Nurse by her Instagram moniker: Amanda Runs Boston . And she sure does. Amanda is a 20-time marathoner and two-time Olympic Trials qualifier in the marathon. She's a clinical...

"You deserve to be on that starting line. Believe in yourself and your training." Molly Bookmyer is a 2:44 marathoner who recently finished third in the U.S. 25K championships. But the road to an Olympic Trials qualifying time hasn't been easy. On this episode, Molly shares her inspiring story of resilience and positivity. In 2013, Molly's doctors found a brain tumor and needed to perform brain su...

"Pressure is a privilege." —Nikki Hiltz Allie Ostrander and Nikki Hiltz are both having huge breakthrough years on the run. Allie, who recently signed with Brooks Running, and Nikki, who is in her second year as a pro athlete for adidas, joined me for a live show at New York Road Runners's second annual RunnerCon event the day before the New Balance Fifth Avenue Mile to talk racing, big dreams, go...