Women's Running Stories

Introducing Roads to Boston 2021. Join us following the running journeys of 9 women from around the world to the 125th Boston Marathon, which happens October 11, 2021. From their early days lacing up, all the way to the start of one of the most beloved athletic events in the world, we're telling their stories. Listen . . . to energize your own running pursuits. The last Boston Marathon took place...

This story follows the journey of runner Megan Flanagan through relative energy deficiency in sport, RED-s, to health and developing a community of awareness and support, Strong Runner Chicks.  Megan started linking thinness with performance at a young age. Body commentary, prevalent ideals of what a winning distance runner should look, and the desire to be competitive led Megan down the path towa...

Special bonus introduction to the Hear Her Sports podcast, featuring elite sabre fencer Dagmara Wozniak. Hear Her Sports is hosted by Elizabeth Emery, a former professional cyclist who has a deep interest in increasing the visibility and strengths of women in sports. For five years, Hear Her Sports has been featuring long-form intimate profiles of female athletes and other women in the sports spac...

This is the story of how Beatie Deutsch, an Israeli and observant orthodox Jewish woman, found her passion and talent for marathon running after becoming the mother of four. Though this journey, she navigates the pregnancy of her fifth child on the road to making marathon racing her full-time career pursuit. (image credit: Kate Rifkind) Beatie Deutsch had always been athletic. But after getting ma...

Elite South African ultrarunner and 2018 Comrades Marathon champion Ann Ashworth shares her experience of navigating relative energy deficiency in sport, or RED-s. Soon after her outstanding 2018 performances, Ann's running and health began to falter. She was finally diagnosed with RED-s in 2019. This is the story of Ann's challenging journey to that diagnosis, and how she's reclaimed her health. ...

Special bonus introduction to the Keeping Track Podcast, featuring Olympic champion 100-meter hurdler Dawn Harper Nelson. Keeping Track is co-hosted by running superstars Molly Huddle, Alysia Montaño, Roisin McGettigan Dumas. Each episode, they interview outstanding women in sport. This episode is from January 2020 and gets deep with Nelson about being a two-time Olympic medalist. It's not the sto...

We hear the story of Barbara Hannah Grufferman as she navigates menopause away from a glum-looking future, to a thriving today. Hear Barbara's personal journey of how she went from being a non-runner at 50 to a multi-time marathon and also ultra finisher, as well as a healthy aging advocate, author, and so much more.   As Barbara Hannah Grufferman approached her 50th birthday, she was feeling, as...

Sally Kipyego is one of the fastest distance runners in the world, with a long resume of incredible performances. But, she also wanted to be a mom. This is her journey navigating pregnancy and returning to elite-level competition, just in time to compete at the historic 2020 US Women's Olympic Marathon Trials.  Sally was born in Kenya and started running at a young age. She discovered early on tha...

Ultrarunner and marathon runner Charlotte Gibbs shares her journey navigating relative energy deficiency in sport, commonly known as RED-s; it’s a condition that used to be known as the female athlete triad. If you aren't already familiar with RED-s, you can be now, and you’ll also understand why it’s important to be aware of, for yourself and for other athletes you may know, especially young athl...

Sophie Speidel is a lifelong athlete: being a competitor is motivating, rewarding, and fun. But there's a simple fact that comes with aging: our ultimate potentials in speed and strength begin to fade. In a sport like running, where we generally measure getting better as getting faster, how can we adjust to a body that's slowing down and still feel like we're improving? Sophie's journey explores t...

Get inside the process of navigating an ultramarathon with world-class runner Courtney Dauwalter. Courtney shares her evolution into the sport of ultra running, and how she's learned to problem solve the many challenges involved to get from start to finish. Central to her exploration is the mental game and excavating the hallowed space of the pain cave.  Courtney is well known in the ultra running...

This second bonus episode from season 1 features clips about how running has the ability to be transformative, for ourselves and others. You'll hear from Blanche Moila, Enie Manzini, Cheryl Winn, Ann Ashworth, Karen Williams, and Anjali Saraogi.  At Strides Forward, we're always interested to learn about how running is more than the act of putting one foot in front of the other. What do we take in...

A common motivation we heard from runners in Season 1 was that they ran for the simple reason that running makes them feel better. Host Cherie Turner takes you through six inspiring clips about how running has the power to brighten your day. This bonus episode features clips from ultramarathon runners Camille Herron, Renata Vosloo, Cathy Hopkins, Devon Yanko, Karen Williams, and Shirley Mosiakgabo...

Cheryl Winn is the 1982 Comrades Marathon champion and current Chairperson of this historic event, which is now a national treasure in South Africa. This episode tells her Comrades story, from her early days of running through to her experiences and reflections on this great race.  Cheryl has a decades-long and multifaceted relationship with the Comrades Marathon. In this episode, we touch on all...

Karen Williams was not a runner, at least not until her sister urged her to join a local running club, in Cape Town, South Africa. We follow Karen's journey from those first steps to her incredible 2019 Comrades finish. Karen follows her own instincts to get her through this incredible challenge, and she brings a delightful sense of humor, too.  Karen came to running later in life and it took some...

In this episode, we tell the story of Botswana's Shirley Mosiakgabo, who started running 10ks as a way to lose weight after having her children and developed into an ultra runner. Shirley's story is a great testament that, if you have the desire and are consistent in your efforts and patient to let your abilities to develop, you can reach goals that previously appeared impossible or out of reach. ...

South African marathon and utlra-marathon runner, firefighter, and mother Enie Manzini has loved to run since childhood, and now she competes at the elite level of her sport. But she has had to overcome harsh challenges to get there. This is the story about how Manzini embraced her power and continues to rise to her potential. South African firefighter and now single mother of two Enie discovered...

South African runner Renata had planned to run Comrades “just once” with the challenging goal of cracking the 7:30 finishing time barrier. This story is about how not meeting that goal her first time at Comrades led to her becoming an elite runner.  South African Renata Vosloo has loved running since she was young, and she had talent to run fast. For many years, half-marathons were her thing. But...

This episode we do a little something different: instead of focusing on one runner, I focus on a team. This is the story of the creation of South Africa’s first elite and subelite all-women’s long-distance running team, Team Massmart. The team was formed by Ann Ashworth, who was the subject of our previous episode, in October 2017, before she was a Comrades champion. Ann Ashworth had a vision to m...

South African Ann Ashworth had developed into a very good runner and had a passion for long-distance running, especially her country’s crown jewel, the 90-kilometer Comrades Marathon. Over time, she recognized that she just might have the talent and drive necessary to be among the top competitors at the race. This episode follows Ann’s journey of discovering competitive running in her youth all th...

Cathy Hopkins began running alone, in the dark. She wanted to improve her health, but avoid getting harassed. Through discovering her local running community in St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada, Cathy became an avid runner and has gone on to run South Africa's 90-km Comrades 9 times. This is her story of finding a greater joy in running through shared experiences and communal support.  Canadian Cat...

South African running legend Blanche Moila shares how she inspired change through becoming one of the country’s best runners and then through running Comrades, as well as public speaking, mentoring, and coaching. Running legend Blanche shares her story, which is a strong testament to the many ways running can be a vehicle for change. Blanche, who is now in her 60s, has been inspiring others throug...

Camille Herron fell in love with South Africa’s 90-kilometer Comrades Marathon as a child in Oklahoma. It became her number one goal to win this race: the oldest, largest ultra-distance running race in the world. Leading into the 2017 Comrades, Camille suffered a devastating knee injury ten weeks before the race. But her husband literally had a dream that she would win the race. And Camille was dr...

Indian ultra runner Anjali Saraogi shares her Comrades first-timer experience, and why this race is so special to her. Anjali came to running in her 40s, and is now one of India’s best ultra racers. When Anjali entered a half-marathon, with no training, in 2015, she had no idea about the running talents she’d discover. Shortly thereafter, she learned about the Comrades and decided she had to run;...

Devon Yanko discusses why Comrades, the largest and oldest ultra-distance running race in the world, is so close to her heart, and why she has unfinished business there: even with three top-10 finishes, Devon says Comrades is her white whale.  Devon is an elite ultra distance and marathon runner. She excels on the trail and road, an uncommon achievement. Of her  many accomplishments , Devon has qu...