RunChats with @RonRunsNYC

Today I sat down with Nicholas Thompson , CEO of The Atlantic , world-class masters runner, and author of the national bestseller and Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year, " The Running Ground ." We dove into: -Why we push ourselves to our physical limits -Breakthroughs that only happen on the run -The stories behind The Running Ground -Mental toughness when the race gets dark -The futur...

Polly Cunes has been on quite the marathon journey. In 2008, at age 25, she ran 3:25 in her first marathon as a bucket list item, and recently rocked a 2:41 PR at Chicago—17 years later! Polly is a mom of two, a teacher, and a master of juggling hard training and chasing down big goals. She bounced back strong from a knee injury in 2020 and surgery in 2021, despite the "advice" from her...

Kelsi Chappell is on a TEAR! A 2:43:15 PR at Boston followed by a 2:49:31 at London... ...Just 6 DAYS APART! Then? She wins the hilly Bristol Half by breaking her own course record of 1:24:57! Kelsi is not just a rockstar runner, she's also a Team O'Leary Coach—helping others chase big goals. We dive into: -Her Boston to London double -Her continued progression -Her dynamic with coach Bren...

Meet Jack Anstey , we covered his journey from "the Outback" in Alice Springs, Australia, to the US for college at Illinois State University—where he initially struggled to find his footing before becoming an All-American and enjoying the best years of his life. After graduating in 2021, Jack signed his pro contract with Under Armour , moved to Flagstaff, and enjoys training with Mission Run Dark...

"An individual medal isn't won alone." - Marie-Ange Brumelot "I have so much to share and sometimes the story feels too big to sum up in one post. Over the past few months, I faced a torn glute, a broken bone, and 11 weeks away from the sport I love. There were countless tears of sadness, but also 6 weeks of relentless running that eventually led to a team gold medal and an indi...

What a treat it was to welcome legendary hosts, Deena Kastor and Martin Yelling from The Marathon Talk Podcast . They recently ran NYC for fun and fully immersed themselves in the 5 Boro Block Party. They stopped for selfies, chatted up other runners, and shared their perspectives on what it was like to be back in the pack. We also discussed our favorite Abbott WMM's courses, Sydney becoming the 7...

Adam is a 12-year combat veteran of the Air Force with deployments to Iraq & Afghanistan as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team leader. In 2007, while working to disarm a roadside bomb (IED) in Afghanistan, Adam was injured by a secondary IED—resulting in the amputation of his right leg above the knee. Adam is a Purple Heart recipient, Tillman Scholar, and now an eight-time Guinness Worl...

This was a FUN live interactive expo chat with one of my running besties Kelly Willis ! Kelly is an inspiring former guest ( episode 64 ), fellow 3X Six-Star finisher, and 4X World Age Group competitor! Kelly and I discussed what inspires us, what keeps the fire burning, the biggest challenges we've had to overcome, and how we handle race day challenges. Our goal was to provide tips and best p...

James expertly broke down the exciting new course, the Fan Zones that will be bringing the hype, community engagement, support from sponsors and volunteers, as well as the vision, hard work, and steps taken by the team to be on the doorstep of becoming the 7th World Marathon Major. We cover all that and so many more insights on how to have your BEST Sydney marathon experience on Sunday! Please sha...

"At my best, I was trying to be competitive with myself to get the best out of what I could do." -Alan Ruben Alan Ruben is an icon in the NYC running community—a paragon of consistency and an inspiration to so many in the masters running world for his remarkable running resume. Alan has completed 35 straight NYCs, with 25 consecutive sub 3s from 1989-2014, and—the most astounding of all—...

"You just have to be so grateful for the races that go according to plan and where you do set a dream goal and achieve that dream goal. Nobody's written anybody's future—it's not scripted, so you have to make the most of the moments that you have in running. That can be true in any era, at any age, at any stage, and any talent level and accomplishment level. It's one of the gr...

It was a HUGE honor to host and share this live convo from Grandma's with rockstar Olympian and 2X Grandma's Champ, Dakotah Lindwurm ! We discussed Dakotah manifesting her Paris Olympic dream, what it means to be called an Olympian, her buildup for Orlando & plan for Paris, and why Grandma's is so special and will ALWAYS be on her race calendar! Dakotah shared tips on the course an...

It was a HUGE honor to host and share this live convo from Grandma's with marathon LEGEND, Dick Beardsley! We discussed his iconic 1982 'Duel In the Sun' with Alberto Salazar, his co-win in the 1981 inaugural London Marathon with Inge Simonsen, and his 2:09:36 course record at Grandma's in 1981 that stood for a remarkable 33 years! Dick is a great motivational speaker, a gifted sto...

We're talking ALL things Sydney Marathon in this IG Live Convo with 2X Olympian Eloise Wellings , Race Director Wayne Larden , and Digital Marketing Manager James Constantine . The Sydney Marathon is a candidate race, poised to become the seventh of the Abbott World Marathon Majors . We broke it all down—way too many topics to list. The stoke level is HIGH as they get ready to host the AbbottW...

London Marathon tips with one of my running besties, Kelly Brown Willis , fellow 3X Six-Star finisher and inspiring former guest ( Episode 64 ). This episode is a deep dive into all things London! Weekend logistics, fun events, shakeouts, fueling, course strategy, mindset tips, and more. Please share with anyone running London on Sunday! We hope you enjoy the listen and this helps prepare you to h...

This episode is for anyone running the 128th Boston Marathon and everyone who has it on their long-term radar. Coach Brendon O'Leary of O'Leary Racing Team joined me on an IG live and we took a deep dive into all things Boston. Race logistics, the Expo, weekend activities, shakeouts, fueling, and, of course, we dug in on course strategy and how best to approach the hills! We're coming...

We've got tons of Tokyo tips & questions answered from yesterday's IG Live convo with Naomi . Big thanks to all who joined—we look forward to seeing you in Tokyo! Naomi was a great co-host and is running for her Six-Star, like so many others. She asked me her top-of-mind questions and we answered many more from our engaged audience, as well. We covered: -Starting area logistics -GPS &a...

In one of the most inspiring running stories of the year, Tammy Hsieh ran 2:37:00 at CIM and hit the OTQ standard on the number to qualify for the US Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando, FL on Feb 3, 2024! When Tammy turned the final corner, the finish line clock read 2:36:50 and she kicked for home with everything she had left and crossed the line at 2:37:03. There were a few uncertain moments bef...

Meet Polly Moody , mom of two, full-time teacher, and 2:46 marathoner! Polly tore her ACL and meniscus two years ago when her running had been on an upward trajectory. She tackled a long, difficult rehab where she faced a number of setbacks and had serious doubts about whether she would make it back to her previous form. Polly injected more long runs on trails and shifted her focus to process vers...

Meet Simone Carniglia , Six-Star finisher, and Guinness World Record holder as the fastest runner with Type One diabetes—with an amazing average time of 2:42:30 per race! Simone started his running journey to lose weight and was inspired by Stefano Baldini, the great Italian marathoner who won the gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Running these incredibly fast times is impressive, but for a...

We're catching up with Jereny Rivera on her recent training in the Florida heat and delving into her experience with ferritin iron deficiency. I really enjoyed having her back to share insights on her transformational journey to inspire runners and how she perseveres in the face of challenges and channels the haters. I'm rooting for Jereny to crush it at CIM! If you enjoy the episode, it w...

This episode is from an IG Live covering a course breakdown of the New York City Marathon with 19th place finisher in the 2017 NYC Marathon, Kate Pallardy . Kate is a rockstar and was my episode 100 guest, which we recorded the night before last year's race. Topics we covered include: -Expo & race weekend -Race day logistics -Race plan -Fueling -How to run the bridges -Saving something for...

Meet Rob Dalto , Six-Star finisher, Abbott ambassador, and running community builder. When Rob's dad was battling cancer in 2017, running marathons with his sister, Nicole, became a way for his family to bond together. His dad enjoyed watching them race and they made him a big part of their Six-Star journey. And though he didn't make it to their finish line, Rob runs with his dad's nam...

Meet Natalie Dau , best-selling author, ultra runner, and travel/lifestyle content creator extraordinaire! We discussed the origin of ' Run Like a Woman ', why it's such an important topic, and the amazing response it has received. We also dive into Natalie's drive, energy, and upcoming passion projects that fuel her fire, as well as her 'why', and how she keeps going in ul...

Meet Teddy Levarda, Licensed Acupuncturist at Morningside Acupuncture M.S., L.A., Dipl. O.M. (NCCAOM) Teddy joined me for a FUN and informative IG Live RunChat, where we discussed the value of utilizing dry needling, acupuncture to treat chronic pain, running, and sports injuries. Teddy & Morningside are well known in the NYC running community for helping runners work through and solve challen...