Shows
The Longest Stride55. Ben Preisner on His Journey to The Tokyo 2020 Olympic GamesBen Preisner joined the cross country team in Grade 9 as a way to stay fit while playing hockey. As he progressed through High School, his relationship with running took an unexpected turn. Ben, still relatively new to the sport, represented Canada for the first time as a junior, placing 11th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and 16th in the 2,000-meter steeplechase at the IAAF World Junior/Youth Track and Field Championships. The following year, he won the 2,000-meter steeplechase and placed 3rd in the 3,000-meter run at the OFSAA Track and Field Championships.
Ben would go on to...2021-10-2151 minThe Longest Stride54. ManDem Cycling Club on Building Community One Pedal Stroke at a TimeAt the height of the pandemic and increasing racial tensions in the United States, Chris McGarrell found himself in a dark place. With gyms and basketball courts closed, Chris would return from work, curl up on his couch, and immerse himself in the social injustices in the world playing out on social media. It was then that two events would change his life. As restrictions were lifting, Chris noticed one of his friends would cycle to the basketball courts. Around the same time, Chris bumped into another friend who was noticeably fit after he discovered cycling. Chris knew what...2021-10-071h 10The Longest Stride53. Goldfinger Track Club on Driving Change Through RunningJerry Francois always had a sense he could run fast but the schools he attended growing up in Brooklyn didn’t have access to a track nor the funding for a cross country team. By the time Jerry entered High School, he started to get in trouble. In his junior year, Jerry lost his mother and struggled to cope with the loss; realizing he needed something to ground him, he turned to running in his senior year and attended his first track meet at the Armory in Manhattan. Running made Jerry feel normal again.
Fast forward to 2016 wh...2021-09-231h 25The Longest Stride52. Fuel Simply with Endurance TapIn 2014, two friends came together to solve a problem in the sports nutrition market. Matt Smith and Patrick Stark, both passionate about sports and nutrition, recognized the market lacked real natural fuelling options that not only tasted great, but contained real food; that’s when Endurance Tap was born. To start, Matt and Pat didn’t have to look any further than Canada’s number one export, maple syrup, and after months of experimenting with different ingredients, settled on just two more simple ingredients; ginger and sea salt. The combination of these three simple ingredients not only resulted in an all...2021-09-0958 min
The Longest Stride51. Jay Crews on running a fitness photography businessThere’s no question platforms like Instagram and Facebook have transformed how we create and share content and how brands leverage content in marketing and advertising. In this episode, we chat with Jay Crews, a commercial photographer who works with brands like Lululemon, Saucony Canada, and Bauer Hockey to name a few. We discuss her decision to pursue a career as a photographer and how her active lifestyle led to her becoming one of the most sought after photographers for active brands!
Jay also shares her thoughts on how smartphones have disrupted the commercial photography space and ho...2021-08-261h 01The Longest Stride50. Latoya Shauntay Snell on Body Politics in Athletics“I got to a place where I was just sick and tired of being sick and tired. I’m looking at all these people curate their lives on social media and their everyday lives. It started off as a thought. It started off like a blank canvas and that’s what I looked at myself as.” - Latoya Shauntay Snell
Throughout life, Latoya Shauntay Snell had to overcome adversity. Growing up in Brooklyn during the crack epidemic, Latoya watched as her dad struggled with drug addiction. While the experience made life difficult for Latoya and her family, it expos...2021-08-121h 30The Longest Stride49. Eddie Lee and April Cockshutt on The Healing Power of Zen & TonicApril Cockshutt and Eddie Lee met at Sir Wilfrid Laurier University while April was pursuing a degree in International Business and Marketing and Eddie was pursuing a degree in Kinesiology. When April started to experience digestive issues and wasn’t seeing any improvements in her health following the advice of Western medicine, Eddie introduced her to someone in his family who practiced traditional Chinese medicine; April quickly started to feel better and that’s when she realized her true calling. At first April was working part-time practicing herbal medicine, but Eddie convinced her to pursue her passion and leave the...2021-07-2953 minThe Longest Stride48. Jacky Hunt-Broersma: Cancer Survivor, Amputee, Ultramarathoner“That’s part of the reason why I do a lot of these hard races is to show well, you know what, you can do anything that you put your heart and your mind to. You can do it. You can achieve it and you don’t have to be held back by a disability.”
At 26, Jacky Hunt-Broersma discovered a sensitive spot on her leg which doctors initially thought was scar tissue from a prior surgery; however, when Jacky woke up one morning to discover a lump on her leg, her doctor quickly scheduled a biopsy. Two days lat...2021-07-1551 minThe Longest Stride47. Filsan Abdiaman on Exploring Matters of The Heart Through Running“My relationship with running shifted. It was around the time I started doing ultra racing and trail running when it actually really switched for me. I would run to just work on me and my relationship with my mind and my relationship with my body and find a better way to love myself even more.” - Filsan Abdiaman
Filsan Abdiaman’s love for running came at a time of self discovery. In 2014, Filsan traveled from Canada to her hometown in Kenya following a breakup and, in the process, discovered she was struggling with depression, eating disorders, and anxiet...2021-07-0847 minThe Longest Stride46. April and Melanie Boultbee on Ultrarunning and the Indigenous Running CommunityApril and Melanie Boultbee are twin, Indigenous runners who have been blazing a trail in the running community for more than 25 years. Early on, April and Melanie had great success running cross country in school and continued to have success later in life, even after taking a break in High School to party. After dominating the roads, both April and Melanie transitioned to trail running where they continued to have success. In 2016, April finished first overall in That Dam Hill 24 hour race by running 204.25km in the alloted time.
When April and Melanie are not racing, they're...2021-07-0143 minThe Longest Stride45. Lindsay Scott on Building Better Runners“The fun part about running is every experience, every race, every training run is an opportunity to learn something. Put that into your back pocket and try to tease out what works best for you. It’s kind of this endless curiosity of how do we just fine tune just a little bit more.” - Lindsay Scott
After University, Lindsay Scott moved to Nepal, where she would spend the next eight months teaching life skills through sport play, leadership, and goal setting. The trip was also an opportunity for Lindsay to connect with the sport of running while...2021-06-2457 minThe Longest Stride44. Baring it all with the Toronto Wolfpack Run ClubWolves are social animals and occasionally a lone wolf will break off from a pack to join another pack or form their own. Unlike wolves, Jon Suckling and Paul Brioux didn’t stray from their original pack; they just formed another one within it.
Blacktoe Running is a local running store in Toronto owned and operated by Mike and Maya Anderson. Not only do they sell the latest and greatest products, they also do a lot of great work in the running community; giving back to the athletes who make this amazing community. Back Toe Running also of...2021-06-1756 minThe Longest Stride43. Get to Know the High Park Rogue RunnersThis week on the pod, we’re chatting with Dr. Meghan Hughes and Danielle O’Hanley, two members of The High Park Rogue Runners Executive Team. Both Meghan and Danielle found themselves at the High Park Running Room for different reasons, but ultimately they would meet Colin Murray-Lawson, a coach at that location. When Meghan qualified for the Boston Marathon, she wanted to find a group of runners who could train with her, so Colin and Meghan created the High Park Rogue Runners.
Today, the High Park Rogue Runners have over 60 runners on custom plans and countless othe...2021-06-101h 01The Longest Stride42. Krista DuChene on Setting the Canadian 50K Record“I’ve traveled all over the world to race in big events and sometimes it comes down to those simple things that motivate you and push you to be your best and create those memories and how I can be that to my daughter and other girls. Those things excite me and motivate me.” - Krista DuChene
Krista DuChene is one of Canada’s most decorated marathon runners with an impressive list of accomplishments that started back in 2010 when she first became the National Marathon Champion. In 2012, Krista and teammate Lanni Marchant both ran faster than the Internat...2021-06-0354 minThe Longest Stride41. Canada Race Organizers on Porta-Potties, Virtual Races, and The Future of RacingAs the World starts to return to normal ways of living, we’re also starting to see the return of live racing in cities like Boston, New York, and elsewhere. So what does this mean for Canada? We invited two of the top race organizers in Canada to share their thoughts on everything from porta-potties to motivating runners in a virtual race format. We’ll also discuss what’s required to pivot from virtual racing to in-person racing; it’s harder than we thought!
As the Event Director for Canada Running Series, Charlotte Brooks is responsible for organizi...2021-05-271h 13The Longest Stride40. Celebrating 25 Years of The Toronto Pride & Remembrance Run"It's not just a race, it's a party. Yes we're taking it serious, yes we're running fast, yes we're trying to win, but you can't help but party; you can't help but dance." - Gabriel Jarquin
In June, LGBTQ2S+ communities around the world come together to celebrate love, diversity and acceptance. The month of June was chosen to commemorate the riots held by members of the community against a police raid that took place at the Stonewall Inn in New York City on June 28, 1969.
In addition to the parades, parties, and concerts, various cities...2021-05-2040 minThe Longest Stride39. Aristotle Domingo on Losing His Legs to Reclaim His Life“I’ve already been living 15 years in this pain. How do I want to live the rest of my life? If I was given a second chance 15 years ago, what else can I do now? I was willing to try anything, so I said, ‘I think I want the leg gone.’" - Aristotle Domingo
In 2001, Aristotle Domingo’s mom discovered him unconscious in the hallway in their home and he was rushed to the hospital where he lay in a coma, on life support, for the next three months due to sepsis. Aristotle would beat the odds and surviv...2021-05-131h 16The Longest Stride38. Rach McBride on Non-Binary Athlete Inclusion in Sports"Generations are growing up with a completely different identify of gender and understanding that you don't have to fit in these boxes. It's a fluid, self expression, wonderful, everyone accepted, kind of thing and that it is about being curious about each other which I think is so powerful." - Rach McBride
Rach McBride (they/them) is a three-time Ironman 70.3 champion, course record holder, and one of the strongest cyclists on the world circuit; very impressive for someone who got their start at the sport “later in life!” TRS Radio dubbed Rach "the most interesting [person] in tria...2021-05-061h 19The Longest Stride37. Rally Beer. The better (for you) beer.After a nice, long run, or really any run for that matter, many runners like to reward themselves with a well deserved donut or their favorite post-run drink. While some may head for the beer fridge, there really aren’t enough electrolytes in their favorite pint to help their body recover. In July 2020, three friends came together to solve that issue by launching a functional beer that is also rich in electrolytes.
I know our listeners will recognize the name Rally beer, so we’ve invited the co-founders, Alan Wood, Spencer Sgro, and Michael Mavianto share thei...2021-04-2952 minThe Longest Stride36. Bernard Abarquez on running a marathon a week for 42 weeks at 42 years old“When there were no races I said, OK, I’m still going to run my 42, but who knows how long this pandemic is going to be, when races will come back online, so how can I extend this running calendar, and so that’s when I came up with the project 42.” - Bernard Abarquez
When Bernard Abarquez turned 40, he celebrated by mapping out a 40 kilometre route that resulted in gps art representing 1979, the year he was born. A year later, he did it again, although this time the route was 41 kilometres. For his 42nd birthday, Bernard wanted to do so...2021-04-221h 05The Longest Stride35. Aire Libre. Discover the World Through Running“Their answer was, ‘yes you can do this because we see this as a sacrifice that you guys are going to take on and that’s going to bring good to our land and our people.’” - Mauricio Díaz
The literal translation of the words libre and aire from Spanish to English are free and air; however, together they form aire libre or outdoors. For Mauricio Díaz, running started as a journey to push himself further and faster, but he soon discovered the trails and running became a medium of spirituality, healing, and connection to the outdoors...2021-04-151h 01The Longest Stride34. Sté Hetherington: On Coaching, Superheroes, and Guinness World Records“It’s not super fun, going to practice, hammering out repeats, doing long runs. It’s fulfilling, we all know that and when you’re younger you get attracted to it because not a lot of people have those abilities.” - Sté Hetherington
This week we’re joined by Sté Hetherington, who discovered he was an outstanding runner while playing rep soccer in his teens and joined the Etobicoke Track and Field Club in Grade 9, running middle distance. Sté continued running through High School, earning a scholarship to Columbia University in New York City.
After graduating Univ...2021-04-081h 14The Longest Stride33. Food Runners: Run, Refuel, Relax, RepeatIn 2014, Chuck Ortiz wanted to highlight the mental and physical stress many chefs and other industry folks experience due to long hours, intense conditions, and demanding customers. Initially he considered sharing his thoughts in an article in Acquired Taste magazine where he is the editor-in-chief, but Chuck decided to approach it from another angle. Chuck pitched Nike his idea to bring together a few chefs for the purpose of encouraging physical activity in a stress-free environment. Chuck considered organizing these activities around basketball games, then quickly switched to running because the sport was more easily accessible and didn’t re...2021-04-0150 minThe Longest StrideThe Sprint 3. Celebrating Women With The Women Run Canada PodcastMarch is Women’s History Month and on this episode of The Sprint, we’re celebrating the incredible women in running. To help us, we’re joined by Kirsten Parker, Host of the Women Run Canada podcast. Women Run Canada celebrates Canadian Women runners from all walks of life and the community they create within this fantastic sport. Kirsten has interviewed Olympians, Running Legends, Community Builders and more on her podcast and we ask her what she learned from speaking to her inspiring guests and what some of her favourite moments were.
Kirsten also shares her own journe...2021-03-2528 minThe Longest Stride32. Kat Stefankiewicz: Don't Believe in Regrets“Opportunities, some of them, are once in a lifetime. I don’t believe in regret. I believe in taking yourself out of your body and then, watching from the outside, what should I do? That’s often how I tackle situations.” - Kat Stefankiewicz
Kat’s running journey started when she went through a challenging time ten years ago. At a time when Kat found herself competing for auditions as an on-air personality, running was her escape. Kat would eventually start her career with Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), joining the Toronto Raptors Dance Pak. After five seaso...2021-03-1852 minThe Longest Stride31. Connor Emeny: Living an Intentional Life“Focus on building your life resume and not your paper resume. Go after things that scare you, that are so big and audacious, that you put them on your piece of paper and you keep going back to them. Those are the things that are worth pursuing.” - Connor Emeny
Connor Emeny learned about the importance of encouraging and motivating others while playing ball hockey with his older brothers. In University, Connor and two friends tried out for the triathlon club to meet new people and it was that experience that prepared him for his biggest challenge. In 2...2021-03-1142 minThe Longest Stride30. Reid Coolsaet: Float On“Coaching's fun and it’s definitely a passion of mine and I’m looking forward to helping as many athletes as I can.” - Reid Coolsaet
In this episode, we’re honoured to chat with one of Canada’s fastest marathon runners and two-time Olympic Athlete, Reid Coolsaet. Reid’s accomplishments and dominance at many of the popular races in the GTA and on the world stage is well documented and what many might not realize is he was just as impressive at trail and road racing as he is riding a skateboard; recording a time of 3:49 in a skateboar...2021-03-041h 05The Longest Stride29. Chix Run The 6ix“Our mission was really to give women of any age this approachable, social, supportive and non-competitive community that builds on their confidence and creates a belonging for anyone who wants to be a part of it.” - Kim Munro Roberts
In this episode, we chat with Amanda Richardson and Kim Munro Roberts, two of the four founders of Chix Run The 6ix. We discuss their personal running journeys and what inspired them to start a run club with both an awesome name and purpose. Chix Run the 6ix got its start when Amanda suggested to a few frie...2021-02-2545 minThe Longest StrideThe Sprint 2. Celebrating Black RunnersIn this episode of The Sprint past guests Olivia Levy and Melissa Doldron celebrate Black History Month by discussing past episodes and some of the great work happening in the running community to elevate the profile of Black Runners and ensuring running continues to be an inclusive space.
Below are some of the links to topics discussed by your hosts:
https://kickbackconnect.com/founders-note
https://www.oiselle.com/blogs/oiselle-blog/alison-mariella-desir-joins-oiselle
https://journal.tracksmith.com/no-man-left-behind
https://www.runningdiversity.com/
https://rungrl.co/2021-02-1819 minThe Longest Stride28. Fatma Ramadan: A Women's Run“I saw the number of minority women that would show up, specifically Muslim women, and how much of a difference it made and how excited they were and I thought maybe it’s not really a temporary thing.” - Fatma Ramadan
Shortly after Fatma Ramadan relocated to Toronto to attend University, she experienced a heartbreaking event which resulted in her focusing on her health and wellbeing. Initially she started power walking, but over time she got comfortable with running on a treadmill. Fatma would do most of her running on the treadmill because as a hijabi woman, she fe...2021-02-1155 minThe Longest Stride27. Mel Offner: Influence from Music to MotherhoodFrom her early days working at a record label, writing for magazines, and touring with bands, music had a strong influence on Mel’s identity. Prior to the introduction of social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, Mel used to shoot live photography for concerts and shared the content on newspapers and magazines.
While working at a TV network, Mel was looking for something to cope with her anxiety and turned to running. Mel would eventually get introduced to the running community through a friend who invited her to a Nike Run Club event and the experience in...2021-02-0444 minThe Longest Stride26. Marcus Brown: The Power of Belief, Hard Work, and Representation"You have doubts in your head and there’s times when you’re by yourself thinking how is this even possible and then you come through and you think actually when I believed in myself and when I trusted myself these things do happen." - Marcus Brown
Marcus Brown’s journey to break the 3-hour marathon mark is an accomplishment in itself considering he started his journey North of 4 hours; however, Marcus is so much more than the time on a clock. In this episode, we discuss Marcus’ running journey which includes becoming a World Marathon Major 6-Star fi...2021-01-281h 07The Longest StrideThe Sprint 1. Host Hot Seat: Q&A with Jonathan + DreWe’re back! For our first episode of Season Two, we’re introducing a format called, “The Sprint.” The Sprint is a short distance episode (see what we did there?) where we cover various topics throughout Season Two. Don’t worry, we’ll still bring you the marathon full length interviews with inspiring runners as well!
For our first sprint, the hosts become the guests and past guest, Olivia Levy will be asking the tough questions. We'll share our experience starting a podcast and our future plans. We'll also answer questions from previous guests!
Feels good to be b...2021-01-2133 minThe Longest Stride25. Mike Krupica, Co-Founder Parkdale RoadrunnersAs we close out our first season of the podcast, it’s only fitting we invite someone who, together with a few friends, was responsible for putting the Toronto running community on the map and kicking off the groundswell of running crews who make our running community one of the best in the world.
Mike Krupica is the co-founder of Parkdale Roadrunners and if you’re a runner in Toronto who has been following the run scene, you’ll know it was just ten years ago when the explosion of Toronto run crews took place. Longboat Runners were a...2020-12-311h 02The Longest Stride24. Pedro MalvarIn this episode we chat with Pedro Malvar about his impact on the Toronto Running Community. We look back at Pedro’s introduction to athletics as a competitive curler and soccer player. When his curling team started to see some success, competing at the highest levels through High School and University. After graduating University, Pedro set his sights on the Toronto running scene.
Pedro’s first introduction to the run crew culture occurred when he started running with Bond Running, a now retired run crew. Pedro eventually channeled his competitive spirit and joined Unleashed Running, a run crew...2020-12-2459 minThe Longest Stride23. Lisa SweetmanTen years ago, Lisa Sweetman had an MRI following a year of ill health and no clear answers to explain why. It was then that doctors identified a tumor in Lisa’s pituitary gland. On December 6th, 2010 Lisa underwent brain surgery to remove the tumor in what Lisa describes as a difficult, eventful surgery. Lisa would then spend the next ten days in the hospital recovering.
Lisa considers her life after surgery as a bonus life and has lived the past ten years as if she was reborn. Lisa ran her first marathon in 2016, saying she would ne...2020-12-171h 03The Longest Stride22. John Harrison PocklerGrowing up in Germany, John Harrison Pockler’s introduction to running occurred at the age of 18 when his dad received an entry to the Berlin Marathon. John would end up participating in the race, finishing 13th in his age group! The experience made John realize how much he enjoyed running and running long and far was what gave him the greatest satisfaction. John would eventually make the switch from road to trail running where he competed as an ultramarathoner. His running resume includes the Ultra-Trail Cape Town 125 km and placing 1st at the Schinder-Trail Grauer Kopf 125 km.
5 ye...2020-12-101h 19The Longest Stride21. Heather GardnerIt’s hard to imagine just 10 years ago the Toronto Running Community barely existed except for the 1 or 2 run crews just appearing on the scene. At the time, Heather Gardner moved from Hamilton to Toronto and would occasionally run past the Lululemon Store on Queen Street, stopping from time to time to chat about running. Eventually, Heather was asked to become an ambassador and help build-up the community by leading group runs. Three years later, Heather’s time with Lululemon ended, but thanks to her entrepreneurial spirit, Tribe Fitness was born. Initially, Heather and the team offered over 500 free comm...2020-12-0300 minThe Longest Stride20. Galan YousufGalan Yousuf’s first exposure to running came at an early age when his Elementary School basketball coach made the team run laps. In High School, Galan was invited to join the XC team and his coach would end up mentoring him; by grade 12, Galan realized he had what it took to compete.
Galan went on to attend the University of Toronto and, because he wasn’t recruited to join the XC and Track team, he was required to attend an open tryout. When he missed the required time, he was dejected, but not to be deterred. Gala...2020-11-2600 minThe Longest Stride19. Run The FiftyThis week the host becomes the guest as we discuss Jonathan’s recent experience becoming an ultramarathoner when he ran the Happy Trails Racing The Beav 50K course in the Hilton Falls Conservation Area. When the race was canceled due to the global pandemic, Jonathan was determined to cover the distance, even if it meant doing it unsupported (or self-supported). We’ll cover everything from the decision to attempt the distance to the feeling of finishing and everything in between! Every race is an adventure for Jonathan and running 50-kilometers through technical trails was no exception!
We woul...2020-11-1900 minThe Longest Stride18. Ekua CudjoeGrowing up the youngest of six children, Ekua Cudjoe watched her older siblings participate in various sports. As she got older, Ekua participated in almost every sport imaginable and, in High School, she competed in sprints and hurdles with the Junior Varsity Blues. Prior to graduating High School, Ekua stepped away from sports to focus on her education and upon entering her first year at UoT, she discovered she couldn’t compete on the track at a competitive level given her absence from training. Ekua really wanted to compete on the team, so her coach suggested she try throwing (bo...2020-11-1200 minThe Longest Stride17. Marco LiWhen Marco Li noticed he was always one of the last runners to finish Elementary School XC races, he was so determined to improve, he started running everyday when school ended. Two years later, he won the TCDSB XC Boys race and the rest is history. Or so he thought.
Marco had some success in High School and eventually attended Queen’s University, making the travelling XC and track teams. While Marco’s times his first year at university were nothing to brag about, he was once again determined to improve. Over the Summer, Marco ran 25 kilometers ever...2020-11-0500 minThe Longest Stride16. Chad Holt: Saucony Associate Product Line ManagerIf you’re a fan of Saucony shoes or simply like to stay informed on what’s happening in the industry, you’ll know the global running brand released their first carbon plated shoe, the Endorphin Pro, this Summer to rave reviews. Shortly after, they released the Endorphin Speed, and followed that up with the Endorphin Shift. Instead of your hosts trying to explain the difference between the three shoes, we’ve invited Saucony’s Product Line Manager, Chad Holt on the podcast to help us out! Chad shares the typical product life cycle of a running shoe and as well as...2020-10-2900 minThe Longest Stride15. We Run North YorkThe We Run North York run crew may be relatively new to the Toronto community, having recently celebrated their one year anniversary, but you wouldn’t know it by the number of new runners joining their ranks and their presence on social media!
Joyce Law and Lisa Sun met when they both ran with another crew in 2017. When the leader of the run crew decided to move on. Joyce and another runner, Matthew Ma, took over are rebranded the crew as We Run North York.
In this episode, we discuss why the crew decided to pl...2020-10-2200 minThe Longest Stride14. Rejean ChiassonGrowing up in a small fishing village in New Brunswick, Rejean’s first real exposure to running came when he joined the army, shortly after graduating high school. As a member of the infantry unit, Rejean ran several days a week and recalls being surprised by how easy it felt.
In 2004, nine days before he was to be deployed to Haiti, Rejean was attacked by a group of men and, as a result, wasn’t able to deploy due to his injuries. Rejean was invited to join a run club started by some of the soldiers at his...2020-10-1500 minThe Longest Stride13. Phil Suzor-MorinThis week we chat with Phil Suzor-Morin. Back in 2003, Phil signed up for a half marathon and trained exclusively on a treadmill. After finishing the race, Phil felt unfulfilled and gave up on running; he would ultimately return to running years later, participating in 1-2 half marathon races a year. On Christmas Day 2015, Phil was watching a documentary on the Kona Triathlon World Championships and was inspired by the stories of athletes who overcame obstacles to compete; shortly after, Phil registered for the 2016 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon.
While Phil lost 50 lbs in the process of training for...2020-10-0800 minThe Longest Stride12. Jamal Burger: Founder of Kickback ConnectThis week we speak with Jamal Burger, Founder of Kickback Connect. We discuss Jamal’s vision for uplifting youth and how his love for sneakers turned into a youth-led organization whose impact is felt around the globe. Unlike traditional programs, the Kickback aims to empower underserved youth dreams to change their world.
Jamal’s passion for connecting people is not only visible in the name of his organization, it comes through in his messaging throughout the interview. We’ll also discuss how Jamal applied the same thinking to start Tier Zero, a toronto-based production company, with a group...2020-10-011h 15The Longest Stride11. Sasha GollishThis week we chat with Sasha Gollish, one of Canada’s most decorated competitive runners. Sasha opens up about the impact her parents had on her childhood and ultimately her decision to quit her job to pursue a career as a professional runner.
At an early age, Sasha grew up on a healthy diet of sports, which included field hockey, cross country running, nordic skiing, downhill skiing, swimming, water polo, and track and field. By the time she entered the University of Toronto, Sasha fell out of love with running and ultimately applied to the University of We...2020-09-241h 44The Longest Stride10. Chris "Hawaii" DeKoningIn our 10th episode, we chat with Toronto’s running ambassador, Chris DeKoning about skateboarding, cats, and the hilarious (we think so!) story behind the nickname, “Hawaii.”
We also discuss Chris’ progression as a runner as well as his experience as the assistant director of the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon Broadcast. Chris also shares his thoughts on the Toronto running community, the future of racing, and his experience trying to keep up with kids on a track.
To learn more about Chris, you can follow him on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/misterhawaii/
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The Longest Stride9. Richard KuchinskyIn this week’s episode, Richard Kuchinsky from the Directive Collective tells us how designing running shoes for 10 years led to him becoming a runner and ultimately one of the most sought after race experience designers in the Toronto running community.
Richard’s designs can be found on the shirts of many races in the GTA, but perhaps one of his proudest design moments came last year when he was named the Creative Director for the Pride Run in Toronto. In his capacity, Richard designed everything from the shirts to medals and everything in between! Richard shares his...2020-09-101h 00The Longest Stride8. Forbidden 5This week we’re speaking with the organizers of the Forbidden 5 race and we get them to spill the beans on everything we wanted to know about their popular race, except their names!
When the global pandemic forced race directors to postpone or cancel races, two friends in the GTA running community came together to give runners a reason to keep training; while the name of the race may give the impression runners were participating in the some sort of illegal activity, the race encourages runners to “come together while staying apart” to hit their fastest times.
...2020-09-031h 08The Longest Stride7. Quinton JacobsIf you search for the word “community” in the dictionary, you’ll likely find a picture of Quinton Jacobs and his captivating smile. Q, as his friends call him, is a community builder, a connector, and advocate for promoting the health and wellness of children in the Greater Toronto Area.
In this episode, Q opens up about his life growing up in subsidized housing and later on becoming a father with three kids. We’ll then discuss how a difficult time in his life changed his perspective and ignited a passion to help others. Q also shares his appr...2020-08-271h 25The Longest Stride6. Intersectionality and RunningThis week we chat with Olivia Levy and Kahle Richardson, two BIPOC runners in the Toronto running community, about the social intersectionality of gender, race, and class in running. Olivia and Kahle may both be runners of color, but they have their own social identities which create a unique running experience. We discuss how the generalization of BIPOC runners in conversations might be leaving out other aspects of their identity.
We’ll also discuss how to make running and races more accessible to BIPOC runners and how run crews, race directors, run brands, and others can help....2020-08-201h 12The Longest Stride5. The Art of Running RecoveryThis week we’re speaking with a panel of paramedical professionals about running injuries from prevention to treatment and everything in between! What we love about these guests is they’re not only treating the running community, they’re members of the running community! Melissa, Nate, and Brittany may provide different paramedical services to runners, but they all have a common goal; educating runners so they can avoid injuries in the future.
We’ll cover why they chose their respective career paths, the services they offer to their clients, and the importance of listening to your body. Our gues...2020-08-131h 17The Longest Stride4. Lyndsay TessierLyndsay Tessier discovered she loved running at an early age and, when she didn’t make the cross country team in elementary school, Lyndsay continued to watch the other runners practice solely because she loved the sport so much. The cross country coach would eventually agree to allow Lyndsay to participate in an inter-school fun run where she went on to win, resulting in an invite to join the team. Lyndsay would continue to have success running cross country, but would eventually stop running in High School when the expectations of placing took away from her love of the sp...2020-08-061h 20The Longest Stride3. Moe BsatMoe Bsat is as equally passionate about running as he is about bringing awareness to diversity in the running community. In this episode, Moe share’s how he got his start as a runner, his experience as a BIPOC runner, and his thoughts on diversity in the Toronto running community and beyond.
In 2018, Moe left Toronto for Hamilton and soon recognized a need to create a space for runners that reflected his vision of how a run crew could be, so he created The Air Up There Run Crew (@air_up_there_rc) with his Co-Founder Brad, a...2020-07-301h 07The Longest Stride2. Brendan CarpenterBrendan Carpenter always struggled with his weight, even as an active child and young adult. Several years ago, Brendan experienced two events where he was publicly humiliated resulting in the decision to make a change. Brendan joined a gym and eventually started running. It wasn’t always easy and he did experience a few setbacks along the way, but Brendan never quit.
After winning a radio contest for a local race, Brendan’s focus shifted from weight loss to personal accomplishments. He would ultimately finish the race with an incredible time and hasn’t looked back. Brendan’s weight loss journey...2020-07-2344 minThe Longest Stride1. Frontrunners TorontoFrontrunners Toronto was founded in 1987 as a chapter of the International Frontrunners organization. The LGBTQ+ run crew is made up of runners and friends of all abilities, from novices to advanced runners, for recreation, health and friendship.
In this episode, we are joined by Lisa Sweetman (@thislisasweetman), one of the newest team members of Runners of the Six as well as two members of the Frontrunners Toronto Executive team, Val Leon (@valemouse14) and Scott Joudrey (@sjoudrey). We’ll discuss the importance of having an LGBTQ+ run crew in Toronto and how running communities and races be mo...2020-07-1645 minThe Longest Stride0. IntroWelcome to The Longest Stride podcast! In this debut episode, we’ll introduce you to your co-hosts Jonathan (runthesix) and Dre (dreizle) and attempt to explain why we started this podcast.
The goal is to bring you a new episode each week! Let’s go!
To learn more about the work we’re doing in the Greater Toronto Run Community, visit us at Runnersofthesix.com!
If you know someone who would make a great guest or you just want to share feedback, please email us at thelongeststride@gmail.com. You can also find us on...2020-07-0909 minThe Longest StrideThe Longest Stride Podcast TrailerWelcome to The Longest Stride.
Each week, we'll chat with runners, run crews, leaders in the community and so much more!
We're excited to bring to you a podcast FOR runners, BY runners.
Join us as we connect the Boroughs, one stride at a time.
Stay tuned for our official launch on July 9th!2020-06-2201 min
The Don Tony ShowTWIWH Episode 31 (07/31 – 08/06) #ThrowbackTuesdayRUNNING TIME: 3 Hours 18 MinutesHosted by Don Tony SYNOPSIS: Episode 31 (07/31 - 08/06) Superstar Billy Graham vs Bruno Sammartino get bloody with special referee Gorilla Monsoon. Audio: Rare audio clip of Roddy Piper's 1979 WWF TV debut. Tony Atlas makes WWWF debut. Mr Florida (Paul Jones) loses Mask vs Mask match against Super Destroyer. Looking back at this awesome card. Bob Backlund wrestles last WWF match (1984) until his return in 1992. Shane Douglas def Eddie Gilbert for UWF TV Title. Memories of WWF Wrestlefest '88. Audio: Hulk Hogan vs Andre The Giant Cage Match from Wrestlefest '88. World Class merges with Continental Wrestling to form...2018-08-043h 18