Unfortunately for Sara Vaughn, the 2023 Boston Marathon didn't playout anywhere close to how she imagined it going. Sara decided to step off the course around mile 15 and that is where her race ended. In this episode, Sara provides of a full analysis of what went wrong, her thought process during the race, and how she is handling the disappointment that comes with a DNF.
In our latest Boston Marathon recap, we hear from Dani Moreno. This race wasn't merely a chance to experience Boston, this was Dani's first road marathon and a full-fledged attempt to break 2:37 and grab an Olympic Trials qualifying time. That's a lot to handle but Dani was ready. As one of the best sub-ultra trail runners in the world, she spoke about the atmosphere at Boston and how it compares to UTMB and the world's best trail scenes. Dani takes us through the race as she set...
At last week's Boston Marathon, Nell Rojas went up against some of the world's best after a less-than-ideal build and did her thing. Nell ran a 2:24:51, a personal best, which was good for 14th overall and 3rd American. Two weeks before Boston, Nell finished 3rd at Cherry Blossom 10 Miler (USATF Championship). In this episode we detail the training that led to these performances as well as the race tactics and details that defined them. Nell displays her trademark candor and good humor i...
Nico Montañez finished the Boston Marathon in a time of 2:10:52 which was good for 13th overall and the 5th American. A fantastic finish that left Nico wanting more. In this episode he details nearly every mile of the race, the moves that were made, who he ran with, gaps in the second group, and what he thought may have limited his performance in the final miles.
Our first Boston Marathon recap starts with CJ Albertson. CJ ran a gutsy race that proved to far more impactful that his 12th place overall finish (4th American). We dive into all of it while talking at length about his well-crafted IG post detailing his experience: "2:10:33- 12th place at the Boston Marathon On paper, a mediocre result. With analysis, a poor result- with a 62:20 1st half split, then fading hard for a 68:13 2nd half. But this race was special. For awhile now, it’s been diff...
Our final Boston Marathon preview episode before race day is with CJ Albertson. This will be CJ's third Boston after clocking a 2:11 and a 2:10 in 2021 and 2022. In this episode CJ details his atypical 6-8 week build, his feelings on racing/race strategy, his detailed thoughts on tapering (or lack thereof) including a somewhat spicy 21 mile run on Monday, and his thoughts on using ketone esters in training and on race day.
Nico Montañez is back on the show to give us a full preview of the upcoming Boston Marathon. First we dive into his 2022 experience that left Nico, who was as fit as he'd ever been, navigating emergency dental surgery and running on antibiotics. Then Nico details his training over the past six weeks, how he is approaching race day strategy and tactics, and his favorite pre-race movie. Oh, and of course we talk about his all new mustache.
Our Boston Marathon previews continue with Dani Moreno. Dani, one of the top sub-ultra trail runners in the world, is gearing up for Boston in a way that is truly unique. Not only is a road marathon not her forte, but her home of Mammoth Lakes, CA has had historic snowfall that pushed nearly all of her running onto the treadmill. Despite the atypical build, Dani nearly nabbed an OTQ time at the Ventura Half Marathon several weeks ago. In this episode she details her recent training, her spectacu...
The Boston Marathon is around the corner and we are kicking off our preview episodes with Sara Vaughn. Sara details what types of training she prioritized in over the last two months, non-running challenges she's had to work through, her pre-race logistics and mindset, and her difficulty choosing a race day shoe (two great options that can't decide between!).
Jereny is back on the show for her second appearance this season. Since her first episode, and running 2:47 at the Houston Marathon, she has done some shorter races in the Orlando area. In this episode, Jereny continues to share her open and honest feelings about her training, how she approaches it mentally, and how she reacts during a race when things aren't going well. Jereny also open us about what this process means to her in the short term and long term. Finally, Jereny discusses what c...
In our second conversation with Nico Montañez, Nico shares an amazing amount about training and racing. First, Nico does a nearly 30 minute breakdown of his recent training heading into the United Airlines NYC Half and the upcoming Boston Marathon. In the second half of the podcast Nico discusses his 7th place performance, and 2nd U.S. finisher, at the stacked United Airlines NYC Half. It was a freezing day in which Nico ran well against some of the world's best. It was a clear sign that hi...
In our second episode with Carmen Graves she details a recent breakout performance - top 10 at Gate River/USATF 15k Championships. As always, the field was loaded with stud endurance athletes. As Carmen said afterwards, "I think I’m officially a long distance runner now." Carmen details this important race, the strategy she used, and the training that led to this breakout performance. In the second half of the episode Carmen details her thoughts on only 3% of American distance runners being Afri...
In our last intro episode of Season 3 we meet with CJ Albertson. CJ is simultaneously one of the best marathoners in the United States and one of the most interesting. He finished 7th at the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials and has run exceptionally well at several marathons since then, including a 2:10 at Boston. CJ has also set the 50k world record twice, most recently last fall. In this episode, CJ talks about where running fits into his life, he gets up for races while working hard to develop th...
Dani Moreno is a professional trail runner for adidas living in Mammoth Lake, CA. Over the last couple of years, Dani has established herself as one of the best shorter distance and sub-ultra trail runners in the world. Last season, Dani finished on the podium of both the Mont Blanc Marathon and OCC. This year Dani is taking on a new challenge: Qualifying for the Olympic Trials in the marathon. Following her journey from one of the best trail runners in the world to potential elite marathoner wi...
Ramiro "DJ Curly" Guillen is next up in our series of introductory interviews for season three and what a story he has to tell! Ramiro is a our first masters runner in Road to the Trials and the self-proclaimed "World's Fastest DJ." Ramiro's athletic journey is filled with twists and turns that include leaving his college team and quitting running for 7.5 years and also winning the first marathon he entered. At the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials he sprained his ankle at mile five before limping al...
Carmen Graves began distance running after becoming a 5 time All-American in the 800m at Roanoke College where she also played soccer. After college she decided to opted to pursue pro running. She found the 3k steeplechase which tested her endurance, speed, and athletic abilities. Like many elite runners, Carmen prioritizes her training outside of long work hours. She works in the non-profit sector as a Program Advisor for the Center of Work Education and Employment, coaches horizontal jumps at ...
Jereny started running in 2015 and ran her first marathon in 5 hours and 25 minutes. Since then, she's lost over 50 lbs. and knocked 2.5+ hours off her time. Last month she ran a 2:47 in Houston and she has been smashing several shorter races in-and-around her local Orlando running scene. Jereny is in a similar position to where Stefanie Flippin was in season one - her big stretch goal is to qualify for the trials. An enormous feet and one that will require all of Jereny's considerable will and ...
Sara Vaughn started her elite running career as a middle distance track star before turning to the marathon in 2021. In addition to being one of America's best runners she is a mom of four and a full-time realtor. She ran her third marathon this past fall at the Chicago Marathon where she placed 7th in a time of 2:26:23. We will be following Sara over the next year as she prepares for the Boston Marathon and a full-time track season. As busy as Sara's life is, she has taken on a new ...
In our second profile of season three we are highlighting Nico Montañez. Nico is a 2:09 marathoner, National Champion in the 15k, and a top-3 finisher in a stacked field at the 13.1 National Championship. Nico shares his unique journey that began in Tuscon, Arizona, went from junior college to BYU, and landed at Mammoth Track Club with Deena and Andrew Kastor. Nico also talks at length about how his work with a therapist and sports psychology has helped him as an athlete and person.  ...
We are starting off season three of Road to the Trials with one of the best and most versatile runners in the U.S. - Nell Rojas. In this episode we talk about her 2022 marathon performances and take a deep dive into the tumultuous last two months of her life that nearly ended her 2023 Boston Marathon before it began. Nell is a professional marathon runner for Nike. She grew up in Boulder, CO with two older brothers and her dog Starblaze. She walked on to the Northern Arizona University cross cou...
The Road to the Trials has returned for season three and we are fired up! We will be bringing you a yearlong, behind the scenes, look at the training and racing of some of America's best runners as they prepare for the Olympic Marathon Trials on February 3, 2024. In this amazing season we will be following Nell Rojas, CJ Albertson, Sara Vaughn, Dani Moreno, Nico Montañez, Carmen Graves, Ramiro “Curly” Guillen, and Jereny Rivera. In this episode we are joined by Stefanie Flippin and Peter Bromka...
Our Road to the Trials recaps continue with the extraordinary Olivia Baker. Olivia didn't have the lead-up to the Trials that she had hoped for but was holding out hope that it would all come together in Eugene. The women's 800m was maybe the deepest event at the entire meet and it was amazing to witness each round. Unfortunately, Olivia was unable to make the final after running well in a stacked opening heat. After the Trials Olivia stayed in racing condition and finished second at a loaded 80...
After months of following along with eight athletes as they prepared for the Olympic Trials, we are rounding out the series with recap episodes. First up - Frank Lara. Frank competed in the 10k gunning for top three and the Olympic standard. It was a daring run and one that showed the grit and toughness for which Frank is known. Since the Trials, Frank has stayed in top form. He just got runner-up in a stacked field at the Bix 7 Miler. An effort that showed, once again, that Frank Lara is just g...
At the beginning of 2021 Abe Alvarado spoke about the importance of peaking at the right time. He and his Atlanta Track Club coaches were planning so that at the end of June he'd be ready to roll. Kudos to them as that is exactly what has happened. Abe is now on his way to Eugene with fantastic recent results in both the 800m and 1500m. In this episode, Abe talks about how he is feeling going into the Trials, his raceday routine, his mindset at the starting line, and how excited he is race both ...
The Olympic Track Trials start this week and Olivia Baker is ready! In her final episode before she races the 800m in Eugene, Olivia talks about the last two races she participated in, how she is feeling, and what she is doing to prepare for race day. At the Platinum PT track meet in Massachusetts, Olivia was startled to discover that she simply didn't have her legs with 250 meters to go. She fell off the lead and finished way back from the leaders. With the Trials only four weeks away she leane...
Sometimes the road to the Olympic Trials takes a detour and that is exactly what has happened for Keira D'Amato. Keira, one of the favorites in the 10k at the start of 2021, has been battling a hamstring injury for a few months. That injury seemed to be a minor hiccup - until it wasn't. Ultimately, it simply wouldn't allow Keira to do the hard training necessary to compete at the highest level. In this episode Keira opens us about injury, her thought process over the last six weeks, what it feel...
Frank Lara is fresh off a 10k PR at the Track Meet presented by Sound Running and a scorching 13:26 5k at the Portland Track Festival - the day after pacing the 10k to a 14:00! In short, it's all coming together for Frank and just the right time. In this episode, Frank give us a deep dive into the races. Especially the 5k. He provides wonderful insight into many aspects of racing that we haven't covered with any guest in the past. We also touch on his final preparations for the Trials.&nbs...
After months of training Dana Giordano is now fully in race mode. Over the last couple of weeks she has competed at the Track Meet - Sound Running, NYC Qualifier - Trials of Miles, and the Adidas Boost Boston Games. Those events meant racing the 5k, 1500m, and the road mile respectively. In this episode, Dana provides an open and honest analysis of each race and puts each on into the larger mosaic of her season and what she learned from those experiences. We also do a quick preview o...
Olivia Baker is back on the show with some exciting news to discuss. Two week ago she qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 800m with a 2:01:38 at the prestigious Mt. Sac Relays! Her heat was absolutely loaded with talent (Kate Grace, Brenda Martinez, Ellie Baker, Rebecca Mehra, among others) and Olivia ran incredibly well. With that said, and as we discuss in this episode, as excited as she is for her trials qualifying time she is eager and ready for more with three more tune-up races before ...
Tyler returns to the show to share some unfortunate news. I'll quote him from his recent Instagram post: "It's been a struggle trying to be a professional runner. Being able to only do two races and get sidelined for most of my rookie campaign, I wanted to bounce back in a big way from my injury and actually feel like a professional runner. Sadly, my struggles are continuing and I had to make the tough decision to end my season and ending my journey to this year's Olympic Trials. This was not an...
