THE RUNNING EFFECT PODCAST

Annie Kunz knows what it feels like when an Olympic dream doesn’t follow the script.  She’s a U.S. Olympic Trials champion in the heptathlon (6,703 points in 2021), a 2020 U.S. Indoor pentathlon champion, and one of the most uncommon dual-sport athletes you’ll ever meet: an All-American in track and field and an All-SEC forward in soccer at Texas A&M. But Annie’s story isn’t just about talent;...

Jack Mullaney stepped into one of the most scrutinized coaching jobs in professional distance running and made it his own.  In just over a year at the helm of HOKA NAZ Elite, Jack Mullaney has navigated a generational coaching handoff, delivered U.S. road titles, Olympic top-10 finishes, and team records, and helped shape one of the sport’s most talked-about high-performance environments. Coach Mu...

In the last 14 months, Sara Hall has shattered the American  marathon masters record, finished runner-up at back-to-back marathons, and proved (once again) that elite performance doesn’t have an expiration date.   Sara most recently finished second at the 2026 Houston Marathon with a time of 2:26:26. At 42 years of age, she is still setting Masters records, including her 2:23:45 showing at the 202...

Tayvon Kitchen joined one of the deepest programs in college running as a freshman, and immediately became top billing.  He kicked the door down, and in just a few months at BYU, he’s gone from high school phenom to All-American, Big 12 Freshman of the Year, and now one of the fastest U20 5,000-meter runners in American history. Tayvon earned All-American status in his NCAA Cross Country Champions...

Jeffrey Stern is an elite ultrarunner, a coach obsessed with keeping athletes  happy , and a storyteller inside the sport who understands what it really takes to stay in it for decades, not just seasons. Jeffrey has completed the oldest trail race in America, the Dipsea Race, an astounding 16 consecutive times–and even recorded a personal best in his most recent foray.  He’s also set several Faste...

Hello 2026, and goodbye to another longstanding record in the world of professional running.    Mr. Versatility himself, Hobbs Kessler, barged into the New Year like a storm and crushed Kenenisa Bekele’s 2,000m Indoor World Record with a 4:48.79 at Boston University on January 24 to set a new standard. (Grant Fisher also beat the World Record time with a still-sizzling 4:49.48.)   Hobbs is a one-t...

The Mitch Ammons story is no longer just a comeback story. He’s now a living case study of what happens when discipline compounds. Last time Mitch was here he had run a 2:16 marathon, which was fast enough to qualify for the 2024 US Olympic Marathon trials. But he had bigger dreams.   And the quiet workhorse has since improved upon that impressive time with a new marathon PR of 2:14:48 at the Cali...

Cole Sprout and Charles Hicks are here: two Stanford running legends in the same place, ready to chop it up at the exact moment their careers diverge. Cole Sprout is just stepping into the professional ranks, leaving behind a dominant NCAA résumé to test himself on the roads and rethink how far his talent can stretch. Charles Hicks has already taken the leap to the roads, running 2:09:59 in his ma...

A recent 59:23 half-marathon for American long-distance star Alex Maier wasn’t a case of him catching lightning in a bottle. It was the culmination of years of quiet dominance: from Oklahoma State to national titles, American records, and a seamless transition to the roads. And with his stellar race in Houston, he’s now the second-fastest U.S. man of all time at the half-marathon distance.  But th...

Everett Smulders has seen and done a lot in his running and coaching career: he went from running 3:58 for the mile at Ole Miss, to finishing one of the most brutal endurance events on the planet, the Ultraman Florida (a 321-mile, multi-day test of resilience).  That doesn’t even include the dent he’s made as a coach.  Everett competed for the University of Mississippi, where he became an All-Amer...

In the last 12 months, Andreas Almgren has rewritten European distance running history. He ran 26:45 for 10,000m (beating his previous European record), 12:44 for 5,000m and 58:41 for the half marathon. That’s three European records in one calendar year.  What makes Andreas’ story so compelling is the winding road that led to these records: he was one of Europe’s most promising middle distance tal...

If you care about running for the long haul–physically, mentally, and emotionally–this episode is for you. We want to look at what actually moves the needle for runners, and we’re back with Alex Ostberg to recap his recent newsletters from The Rundown to do just that. We start with a hard truth many athletes learn too late: performance doesn’t fix identity. That idea sets the tone for a broader re...

Charlie Lawrence isn’t a loud figure, but he’s one of the most dangerous endurance runners in the world.  He is a professional ultramarathon and marathon runner who owns the 50-mile world record, the 100k American record, and he’s an Olympic Trials qualifier. His 50-mile world record was run in an astonishing 4:48:21 in November of 2023. Most recently he set the American 100k record in December of...

We live in a world that tells us to do more, push harder, and optimize everything. Even with that, the more we chase success, the more hollow it can feel. Brad Stulberg has spent his career studying a different question: What does real excellence actually look like, and how do you pursue it without losing yourself in the process? He is one of the most influential voices in human performance and we...

One of Britain’s fastest rising stars is here and he’s no slouch. His name is George Couttie, and he’s a 3:55 miler who is shaking up U.S. collegiate running.  George competed for Great Britain English Schools in high school and was the cross-country champion during his time there. He was a U20 National 1500m champion. He currently owns personal bests of 3:36.40 in the 1500m, 13:58.32 in the 5000m...

Marco Langon wants all the smoke, and he isn’t hiding from a soul.    The last time Marco was here, he was already one of the best distance runners in the NCAA. Since then? He’s leveled up.  Marco went out and ran 13:05 for 5,000 meters in December, breaking Villanova’s school record and becoming one of the five fastest collegiate indoor 5000m runners in history. He came in second in a thrilling r...

Is Sam Ruthe the most exciting teenage runner in the world right now?  He may be, and when you look at the numbers, your jaw will drop. He is a New Zealand prodigy who became the youngest person in the world to break the four-minute mile barrier, at the ripe old age of 15 in March of 2025 (he ran a 3:58.35). For reference, Jakob Ingebrigtsen did it at 16. In December of 2025, He set a New Zealand...

Every few years, a high school runner comes along who forces the entire country to look toward one place. This fall, that place was Flagstaff, Arizona, and the runner was Yohanes Van Meerten. Yohanes is a prominent high school distance runner from Flagstaff High School in Arizona, who just finished an outstanding junior season. We’re not kidding when we say outstanding: he was the runner up at Nik...

Robert Gary is an Olympian, a program builder for thousands of runners, and a coach who puts athletes first.  A two-time Olympic steeplechaser (Atlanta 1996, Athens 2004), 11-time World Cross Country Team member, and Track & Field News Cross Country Runner of the Year, Gary now serves as the Director of Cross Country & Track & Field at Furman University, where he has built one of the m...

In this episode, Dominic sits down with Alex Ostberg to distill the three biggest lessons from 2025 and set the framework for a better 2026. They unpack why you sometimes have to “throw out your long-term plans,” how to invest in preparedness without trying to predict the future, and why embracing voluntary struggle is the best training for the inevitable hardships life will bring. They also talk...

Most people see Anna Sitar as a creator. Fewer people know she’s quietly stacking endurance goals, like marathons, long training blocks, and now Ironman-level ambitions, to show what happens when you commit to something long enough for it to change how you think, work and live.  Anna is a content creator and influencer known for her lifestyle vlogs, relatable content and warm and engaging personal...

Marcelo Mantecon is Florida’s all-time 5,000m high school record holder, a Nike Indoor National Champion, and an NXN finalist. And he’s only a junior in high school. Marcelo joins the show after a soaring spring and fall season for Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in Miami, Florida, that saw him cap it off with a 4th overall finish at the Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) on December 6, 2025, with a time...

TRE x LIS The crossover that you knew you needed going into 2026.  This one is full of banter, hot takes, unheard of stories, and wisdom from a year of reflection.  Don't miss the opportunity to have your next run fly by with the boys.  Enjoy & gear up for a massive 2026.  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, and I'm rooting for you this year.  S H O W  N O T E S -The Run Down By The...

Are we watching the rise of the greatest distance running teammate duo in history?  Ethan Strand and Parker Wolfe are well on their way to grabbing that title, and their next stop is with Team USA for the World Cross Country Championships. Parker recently won his first professional national title at the 10,000m XC championship in December; Ethan won the 2,000m in electric fashion. Both runners are...

Anyone can catch lightning in a bottle once.  Kelly Christensen is proving that he can repeat success over and over, as he just won back-to-back national high school cross country titles at NXN, and is clearly on the Mount Rushmore of high school distance coaches.   The Niwot boys cross country team just won a second consecutive national title on December 6 in Oregon. Their 61 points set a record...