The Running Kind Podcast

Today Aimee sits down with Mere Beaton, founder of EcoEndurance. EcoEndurance creates meaningful movement experiences around the world that support local and Indigenous communities and highlight community-based conservation.  In 2025, The Running Kind will head to Ecuador with EcoEndurance for our own immersive running experience. The Running Kind group has two spots remaining for January 20-28. I...

Aimee is welcoming back Holly Benner to the pod! Holly is the founder of Metta Performance and is a coach for both endurance athletes and business professionals. In this episode we dive into training specifics, as we collected some questions from the community! You can listen to Holly's first episode on the podcast here on Episode #4: Holly Benner.  Learn more about Metta Performance at mettaendur...

On this week's episode, Aimee is joined by Kathleen Baker, executive director of Runners for Public Lands. Runners for Public Lands is dedicated to protecting the people and places we love by organizing runners for climate action, the protection of public lands, and equitable access to nature. Kat is also the founder and race director for the Mt. Laguna Trail Marathon in San Diego, CA. Learn more...

Kim Levinsky is the founder and owner of local trail running company Sassquad Trail Running, where every race is a trail party! She also recently set the 358 Mile Long Path Fastest Known Time in NY, as the first woman to put down a record for the route. In this episode, we dive into being female race directors, starting Sassquad Trail Running, inclusivity in the space & more. Connect with Kim at @...

On Episode #20 Aimee sits down with friend, John Mikovits for an Olympic deep dive. Each of the runners pick their top three track and field events of the Olympics. In addition, the men's and women's marathon are discussed as well as the inclusion of trail running in future Olympic Games. You can find more information about The Running Kind here. https://therunningkind.net/ https://www.facebook.co...

On this week's episode, Aimee sits down with Sadio Fenner, a young buck entering the trail running scene this year. Sadio is coming off a successful Track & Cross Country career with the University of Nebraska among various other accolades including being National Champion in the 2,000m Steeplechase in 2018. Sadio has taken that speed to the trails and in 2024 joined The Trail Team, whose mission...

Co-host of the podcast and fellow plant based crushers, Emily Walker and Josh Walker, just finished their first hundred miler taking on the gnarly Jigger Johnson. Jigger Johnson is one of the hardest 100 mile races in the United States, covering about 108 miles and over 32,000 ft of elevation gain and loss in the technical White Mountains of New Hampshire. Let's hear about their race day! You can...

Luis Escobar is a legend in the trail running community. Luis is a full time adventure photographer, avid trail runner and race director for his own running company, All We Do Is Run. As a runner, he was one of the inaugural ultrarunners invited down to join the infamous race through Copper Canyons in the book "Born To Run." He is a 8x Western States finisher, 12x HURT 100 finisher & one time cham...

In today's episode Aimee sits down with Race Director for the infamous Cocodona 250, Steve Aderholt. Steve was formerly the Senior VP of Operations at Ragnar and since has started his own running events business, One Step Events. We dive into what goes into putting on these larger scale events and the sustainability components necessary to consider.   You can find more information about The Runnin...

On this week's episode, Aimee dives into her most recent race effort at Loon Mountain Race. She sits down with Emily to discuss the US Vertical Mountain Running Championship, the course & the pain of a Vertical Kilometer. Loon Mountain Race is deemed one of the hardest mountain climbs in the country and it certainly doesn't disappoint.  You can find more on Loon Mountain Race here. https://six03en...

In this episode of The Running Kind Podcast, Aimee sits down with recent Climb It For Climate champ, Greg Ahlswede. Greg is a member of the National Orienteering Team and has trained in a variety of mountainous terrain throughout Europe and the United States. Aimee and Greg discuss his recent effort at Climb It For Climate, how sustainability can shape your approach to sport and the nature of orie...

In today's episode of The Running Kind podcast we talk about our favorite thing - snacking! Aimee and Emily are joined by producer & master snacker Josh Walker on this episode to offer another perspective on fueling. We dive into fueling for different distances and genders, talk about fueling strategies for race day, and recommend several awesome vegan products for our fellow plant based athletes!...

On Episode #12, Aimee sits down with Nancy Hobbs to dive into the history of trail running, where we started and where we are now. Nancy founded the American Trail Running Association in 1996 and is a chairperson for USA Track & Field's Mountain, Ultra & Trail Running Council. She is also secretary of the World Mountain Running Association and started the first Women's US Mountain Running Team in...

On today's episode we are joined by Courtney Morrissette from Change Climate Project. A 501(c)3 nonprofit, Change Climate leads a global movement of individuals and companies to eliminate carbon emissions. Their label, Climate Neutral Certified, is a trusted, independent standard for climate neutrality that empowers consumers to find brands that are leading on immediate climate action. Courtney is...

Janji athlete, Mika Thewes, is an ultra-distance specialist with 14 finishes in the 200+ mile distance and a variety more finishes in the ultra world. In 2023, she smashed the Bigfoot 200 course record by over 8 hours and just recently she finished 3rd at the iconic Cocodona 250. In this episode, Aimee & Emily dive into her journey in veganism, her passion about sustainability & drive for ultra di...

Shoes, shoes, shoes! On today's episode Aimee & Emily break down some reviews on a variety of shoes covering categories from daily wear, easy trail, speed, technical trail & race day shoes. Not only do we talk about all of our favorite aspects of each pick, but the sustainability specs on them as well. Aimee works as a fit specialist at Aardvark Sports Shop in Bethlehem, PA where a variety of shoe...

In this episode Aimee and Emily had the pleasure of getting into the nitty gritty with Aimee's coach, Ashley Heller! Aimee and Ashley have been working together for a little over one year now and it was extremely interesting to dive into the runner & coach dynamic with this interview! Ashley brings the heat as a coach with her background in running, Exercise Science and current pursuit of a PhD in...

In this episode, Aimee and Emily chat with Steven Lange, another local East Coast athlete. They discuss a variety of topics around trail running, training, and running longevity. Steve recently won Hyner 25k, raced a top 10 finish at the Breakneck Half-Marathon, has numerous other wins in a variety of ultra and sub ultra races and holds numerous FKT's. Notably, he won Manitou's Revenge (54 miler)...

Aimee & Emily both had some recent hard efforts that they dive into on this week's episode of The Running Kind Podcast. Emily recently secured the first female Fastest Known Time with Amy DeMarco in a supported effort of the out and back 50+ mile route in the Catskills! In the sub-ultra world at Breakneck Point 21K, Aimee secured a top 10 finish for the first race of the Golden Trail National Seri...

In this episode, Aimee and Emily dive in deep with Zach Friedley on a variety of topics focused around inclusivity in sport. Zach Friedley is the founder of nonprofit Mendocino Movement Project, through which he hosts his own race for adaptive athletes, Born to Adapt. Zach is one of few professional above knee "trail-bladers," running for On Running for the second year in a row in 2024. He is dedi...

"Life is hard, but suffering is optional. We need each other to get the most out of ourselves. The word compete, we think, it's because one person beats everyone else. But compete is latin for competere, which means to strive together. If you need help, reaching out is a strength." Holly Benner joins us on the podcast to discuss her recent smashing of the course record at The Long Run Spring Forwa...

"We don't need to farm animals, you know, to live, to be strong and to be top performing athletes. We can do all of that on a plant based diet. We can feel good about it and we can minimize that environmental impact and the suffering that happens. And it really just starts with you." In Episode #3, Aimee and Emily talk about their journeys into veganism and why they made the shift. They dive into...

"​​A year and a half ago I didn't think that I could do an hour loop on that mountain & on race day a lot of my times were sub-50 minute loops. For me that was a lot of confidence & showcasing that if you put some hard work in and work on that technical terrain you can see some big improvements."    In this episode, Aimee and Emily introduce themselves to the listeners. We talk about some of our f...

"I think that's what inspired me to do this. How can we not be fighting for the ground we're running on… We're here to put the power in your hands… and feet! Make some moves towards a sustainable future." In this episode, Aimee dives into how The Running Kind came to be, what the community has grown to become and what she hopes it will grow into. We talk about how The Running Kind developed into a...