The Rambling Runner Podcast

Hayley Carruthers was launched into the consciousness of most running fans when she collapsed at the finish line of the 2019 London Marathon with 2:33 on the clock. While that was an indelible moment, it does not define this remarkable woman. Hayley works full-time as a cancer research radiographer while also training full-time. She is now competing with the best runners in the world, which is an...

Have you ever met one of those people who seem to have endless energy and optimism? Tanya Carrier is one of those people. She has run 39 half marathons (PR-1:32), 14 marathons (PR-3:11), teaches first grade, and is a mom and wife.  We had a great conversation about how she has improved as a runner and maintained such an energetic and positive outlook. Tanya also revealed some of the struggles that...

Often times running around on a track can serve as a metaphor for our own training. At first it may seem novel and result in fitness gains, but it can also become tiringly monotonous. Beyond that, we can also fall into a repetitive rut that finds us craving PR‘s while disengaging from the beauty of our pursuits.  This is exactly what happened to Jenny Donnelly after four years of running in colleg...

When Greg Macken began running he was close to 250 pounds. He started that run by saying to himself, “Just jog to the stop sign, once you get there you can walk.” Later that year, Greg finally made the decision to get sober and, in doing so, reversed the trajectory of his life which was headed towards “prison, a psych ward, or death.” Since then, he has completed countless road races including 5Ks...

When runners get injured we often hear that we should cross train to maintain fitness. Sarah Bishop, an Olympic Trials qualifier in the marathon, took it to the extreme. After racing nearly every weekend in the fall she was sidelined with leg injuries. True to her personality, she dove into cross training with both feet. Not long after, she signed up for her first triathlon - IRONMAN Chattanooga 7...

Lauren Floris is an elite whose love of the sport was first sparked watching the start of the Boston Marathon every spring in her hometown of Hopkinton, MA.  Lauren ran four years of Division I Cross Country & Track for Pepperdine University. During her time as a Wave, Lauren set 5 school records in the 1500m, 3000, 3000m steeplechase, 5000m, and DMR - all 5 records still stand today. Since colleg...

It was an honor and a privilege to speak with Katie Arnold, one of the best writers and runners in the country, for this episode. Her new book Running Home: A Memoir had an immediate and profound effect on me in many ways.  An elite ultra runner, Katie is the 2018 women's champion of Leadville Trail 100 Run, where she finished 11th overall in field of more than 700 runners. She won the 2018 Jemez...

Ron Romano may be the happiest guy in running. Not only that, he’s worked hard to become one heck of a runner. He’s run 42 marathons (with a PR of 2:40) and is a veritable wealth of knowledge on all things running. After taking a nine year break from racing he roared back with abandon and is now one of the best runners in the country for his age (58). You can learn more about Ron at www.instagram....

When it comes to comeback stories, there aren't many better than Alys DiMercurio's. From 2011-15 Alys lived a life consumed by drug and alcohol addiction with trips to the ER, mental hospital, and jail. After all of that Alys transformed her life. Now, instead of being the patient she has focused her life on being a healer. She works as a medical assistant while studying to be a physician assistan...

In this episode, my friend Carrie Tollefson and I talk about some of the topics in the running community that have really drawn our attention. This is a slight departure from the normal episode that I do but I was excited to speak with Carrie given her expertise in so many areas of the sport. We touch on pressures and eating disorders that affect high school and college runners, the state of femal...

 When Jordan Marie Brings Three White Horses Daniel ran the 2019 Boston Marathon she competed for far more than PR or a time goal. Jordan had 26 names in her prayers, and paint on her face and legs, to bring attention to the violence that indigenous woman are facing on a daily basis. For each mile of the marathon, she said a prayer for an indigenous woman who is either missing or was murdered. Jor...

Special education teacher, mother of three, and consistent marathoner, Lisa Etter sets a great example for what can be accomplished in the short and long term. In this episode, Lisa talk about how and why she started going full-time into running in late-2015, successfully and unsuccessfully balancing training with the other areas of her life, setting marathon PR's from 3:52 to 3:25, and much more....

The Boston Marathon can be a brutal race, especially when the weather takes an unexpected turn. That is why I am excited to have Teri Hutcheon on the show. She recently negatively split the course, and set a 10 minute marathon PR, on her way to a time of 3:17:50. Not only that, she endured a devastating 24 hours before her race started. You can learn more about Teri at www.afoodiestaysfit.com Lear...

Several years ago Michelle Roos was convinced that she would never break 3:40 minutes in the marathon. She had tried three times without success. In this episode, Michelle recounts how she became a 3:05 marathoner, how she dealt with the body pressures of the NYC fashion industry, the highs-and-lows that come with months of dedicated training, and balancing that training with a demanding job. Mich...

There are few people, if any, more plugged into the running scene than Mario Fraioli. It was a pleasure to have him on the show to talk about his background in running media and his recent running resurgence.  We also talk about how the elite runners fared at the 2019 Boston Marathon and what the future looks like for those runners looking to be at their best for the 2020 Olympic marathon trials....

What an incredible Boston marathon we had this year. Not only did the winners of the race do so in an incredible manner, the race was enthralling for runners of all abilities. In this episode, James McKirdy and I take a deep dive into things that we learned about the race, and race prep, that we can use for future Boston Marathons (and plenty of other races, as well).  Learn more about your ad cho...

It is an honor to welcome the great American runner Ryan Hall to the show. This week Ryan releases “Run the Mile You're In: Finding God in Every Step.“ A tremendous book sheds light on so much of Ryan’s life. In this episode, Ryan really opens up about the vision that started his running journey, how his faith has helped him through the ups-and-downs of his career, and how he continues to become t...

Who better to talk to in a lead-up to the Boston Marathon than Bronson Venable? This native New England-er set his marathon PR of 2:37 in the brutal 2018 race (finishing 84th) and has experienced everything that running in this area has to offer. In this episode he provides great tips for anyone looking to do well in Boston. Bronson's other PR's, 5k (Road) = 14:48, 5k (Track) - 14:28, 5 Miles = 24...

Susan Loken is who I want to be when I grow-up. Susan started running at the age of 35, after having three kids, and was striving for the Olympic Trials just a few years later. Not bad for someone who used to skip gym class. She has now qualified for the Olympic Trials three times and is a four time masters champion. With that said, she is far from done setting and achieving goals. Susan is curren...

The Funny Running Stories are back! My co-host for this episode is Colleen Quigley. Colleen is a 2016 Olympian in the 3,000 meter steeplechase and the reigning U.S Indoor Track Champion in the mile. We read through dozens of hilarious stories (a big thank you to everyone who submitted one) before providing our commentary on the best of the bunch while also sharing some of our own experiences.  Lea...

Laura Pierce is back and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Laura just smashed her long-standing goal of breaking 90 minutes in the half marathon and was willing to discuss every aspect of the preceding 16 months that led to this performance. Laura transitioned from a burnt out runner in need of recovery to an athlete who is no longer beholden to positive workouts and races in order to apprec...

Tamarynn Bennett is one of the most requested guests we‘ve ever had, and she exceeded even those lofty expectations. Tam has PR’d both the marathon and the 10k this year, but that isn‘t what makes her story remarkable. It was the twists and turns that led to those performances, coupled with her amazing spirit, that makes her success story so much fun to dive into.  Learn more about your ad choices...

The title of this episode says It all: 7 days, 7 marathons, 7 continents. Eric Tozer conquered the amazingly difficult World Marathon Challenge, a historic feat under any circumstances, while managing his type 1 diabetes. Eric‘s story is filled with inspiration, achievement, and the understanding that our potential is far greater than we imagine. Learn more about Eric at www.erictozer.com Learn mo...

If you have consumed any running-related content in the last three years then you probably know Chris Chavez. An elite running and track writer for Sports Illustrated, co-creator of Citius Mag, host of the Citius Mag podcast, and co-host of the Runners of New York City podcast, Chris is literally everywhere in the running community. Not only that, he just set a marathon PR of 3:16 at Tokyo while e...

Mary Wright is a mother, run-lover, and co-founder & director of Arete Women’s Running Club: an all-women’s running team geared toward intermediate and advanced runners, with chapters all over the country. She’s a 2:57 marathoner with aspirations of getting faster while having fun and spreading her love of women’s running community near and far. In this episode we talk about creating and maintaini...