The Running for Real Podcast

Roberto Mandje believes in meeting people where they are, which is also where he believes running will meet you. His philosophy stems from his multi-cultural upbringing and his professional running career, when he competed in the 2004 Olympics, the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, and twice in the XTERRA Trail World Championship. 

For complete show notes and links, visit our website at runningforrea...

Mikah Meyer is the first person to experience all 419 U.S. National Park Service sites in a single journey. He also made a different kind of history along the way, becoming the first openly gay man featured in an outdoors recreation campaign, for REI. Now he advocates for greater inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community in the outdoor space. His documentary short film, "Echoes in the Canyon," will have its world premiere late...

Fiona O’Keeffe raced into the record books in the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials this year. In her debut at the distance, she smashed the previous record, set by Shalane Flanagan in 2012, by over three minutes. She also became the youngest woman to claim victory. She’s focusing on her performance, but she’s also embracing the opportunity to champion environmental advocacy, leveraging her running platform to inspire chang...

As a runner and fitness professional herself, Erin Bailey understands how difficult it can be for athletes to represent themselves on social media and in their brand relationships. Her talent agency, Momentum Management, helps them present themselves authentically and forge business relationships that align with their values.

For complete show notes and links, visit our website at runningforreal.com/episod...

Many people define themselves in one way: “I am a runner.” “I am a DJ.” “I am an artist.” Matt Green, on the other hand, describes himself as a “multi-hyphenate.” The co-founder of the  District Running Collective (DRC) combines his talents to explore different ways of impacting the world.

For complete show notes and links, visit our website at runningforreal.com/episode391.

Thank you to Pre...

Whether it’s serving as Race Director of the Front Runners New York LGBT Pride Run, leading the Global Parkinson’s Genetic Program at the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, or advocating for non-binary inclusion in races, J Solle supports and raises up others. 

For complete show notes and links, visit our website at runningforreal.com/episode390.

Photo credit (podcast player i...

Today, March 8th, is International Women’s Day, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. To celebrate it, Tina reached out to some of the women who inspire her and asked them to answer one of these questions:

What is one piece of advice you would give to women listening?

What do you wish the women listening knew?

What is your fa...

Ian Gonzalez is a trailblazer. He co-founded 7 on Sundays,  a run crew on Chicago’s South Side, an area where running as a pastime had been virtually nonexistent. 7 on Sundays created a community of runners, but there was nowhere for them to buy running shoes, clothes, or nutrition. Ian filled that void by opening Last Lap Cornerstore, the only running store on the South Side, and the only Black/Latino-owned running st...

A conversation with her mother and a television documentary changed the trajectory of Vanessa Peralta-Mitchell’s life. They led her to take up running; become a Certified Run Coach; and create the Game Changers and L.E.A.D. programs, redefining who is seen as the experts and leaders in the run industry. This year she was honored with Running USA’s Award of Excellence, which recognizes “outstanding contributions, initia...

In October 2022, Tina released a podcast episode called “I Felt So Lost.” At the time, she knew she wanted to combine running with sustainability, but she wasn’t quite sure what direction that would take. Now, just a little over a year later, she says, “I feel like I've got my path; the train track is in front of me and I can see it, and I feel very excited about where it's going.”

For complete show notes ...

On March 16, the Selma to Montgomery Relay will follow the route taken by Civil Rights Movement activists in March 1965, as they walked from Selma, Alabama to the state capital of Montgomery, to protest the blocking of Black Americans’ right to vote. It’s a history lesson, an opportunity to honor those who risked so much for justice, a way to give back to their communities, and a party for the runners, walkers, and cyc...

Before he was “Ricky from St. Louis,” Ricky Hughes was rapper and music producer Ricky Rock. He was also caught up in a wild lifestyle that he knew he needed to escape. As part of his evolution to a new version of himself, he started distance running and founded the St. Louis Run Crew, for “all faces, paces, and laces.”

For complete show notes and links, visit our website at runningforreal.com/episode384.

Lucie Hanes is a professional ultra runner, a professional climber, a journalist, and a sports psychologist. Those potentially conflicting pursuits actually complement each other, as evidenced by her second place finish in her debut 100 mile race, the 2023 Leadville 100 Trail Run. Remarkably, that achievement came after health issues forced her to stop training the year before. She discovered how much mental health aff...

Kayla Jeter has always been athletic: she was a professional volleyball player after a stellar high school and college career, and moved onto coaching at the University of Cincinnati. But running became an important part of her life when she was caring for her dying mother and was embraced by the running community. Since then, she’s helped that community grow through the 100 Miles of Summer challenge, and as Run Commun...

It’s been an eventful year for Tina and Running for Real! In this episode, Tina looks back on the highs and lows of 2023, and in the tradition of Together Runs, offers space for you to reflect on your own experiences.

For complete show notes and links, visit our website at runningforreal.com/episode381.

Thank you to Tracksmith, AG1, and Allbirds for sponsoring this episode. 

Jason Suarez dreamt of going to the Olympics. He ran track in high school and college, but when he went to Tokyo in 2021, it wasn’t as a runner, but as a photographer. He shoots for major running brands, has published three collections of running photos and stories, and his handle, @notafraid2fail, is well-known in the running world. But as in demand as he is, Jason still takes time to give back to others.

William Faulkner said, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” As James Fell recounts it, the past is alive, kicking, and throwing f-bombs. Volume I of his self-published, two-volume On This Day in History Sh!t Went Down has just been republished by Bantam Books.

Before he became the "Sweary Historian" though, James was a fitness columnist for the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune, and author...

From the outside, Tim Tollefson appeared to have everything as a runner. He was a collegiate steeplechase champion, a 2-time US Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier, and is one of the country’s most accomplished ultra runners. He podiumed at UTMB in both his 100K and 100 mile debuts, and went on to win the Javelina Jundred, Lavaredo Ultra Trail 120K, and the Ultra Trail Australia 100K.

But appearances can be ...