Shows
Women's Running StoriesWRS Host Cherie Louise Turner: A Running Journey Update, May-Aug. 2025It's been a summer of training and getting back to racing; surviving the heat, building back speed and strength, and looking ahead, with a new coach.Plus, a shout out to the power of breathwork, especially for managing anxiety.Mentioned in this EpisodeThe last update from me, Cherie: womensrunningstories.com/wrs-host-cherie-back-to-training-running-update-mid-mar-mid-may-2025To support WRS, please rate and review the showiTunes/Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/womens-running-stories/id1495427631Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4F8Hr2RysbV4fdwNhiMAXc?si=1c5e18155b4b44faMusic Credi...
2025-08-2628 min
Women's Running StoriesWRS Host Cherie Louise Turner: A Running Journey Update, May-Aug. 2025This is an update from me, WRS host and producer Cherie Louise Turner, about my running, training, and racing. This picks up from where the last update, which dropped mid-May 2025, left off.
It's been a summer of training and getting back to racing; surviving the heat, building back speed and strength, and looking ahead, with a new coach.
Plus, a shout out to the power of breathwork, especially for managing anxiety.
Mentioned in this Episode
The last update from me, Cherie: womensrunningstories.com/wrs-host-cherie-back-to-training-running-update-mid-mar-mid-may-2025
To support WRS, please rate...
2025-08-2629 min
Women's Running StoriesLIVE! Annie Rodenfels: 3x National Champion, Professional Runner, at the Boston Tracksmith Track HouseThis is a special live recording featuring professional runner and 3x national champion Annie Rodenfels, in conversation with WRS host and producer Cherie; that's me. We sat down at the Tracksmith track house in Boston on Sat., March 22, with a wonderful crowd on a beautiful morning to have this fantastic conversation. Annie Rodenfels is a born competitor. We get into how she progressed from being a high school soccer player who ran track and field, to a top NCAA DIII runner, and then to one of the best distance racers in the US.
2025-04-0853 min
Women's Running StoriesLIVE! Annie Rodenfels: 3x National Champion, Professional Runner, at the Boston Tracksmith Track HouseThis is a special live recording featuring professional runner and 3x national champion Annie Rodenfels, in conversation with WRS host and producer Cherie; that's me. We sat down at the Tracksmith track house in Boston on Sat., March 22, with a wonderful crowd on a beautiful morning to have this fantastic conversation. Annie Rodenfels is a born competitor. We get into how she progressed from being a high school soccer player who ran track and field, to a top NCAA DIII runner, and then to one of the best distance racers in the US.
2025-04-0854 min
Women's Running StoriesLIVE! Sue McDonald: 8x Masters World Record Holder, from the Boston Tracksmith Track HouseThis is a special live recording featuring 8x masters world record holder Sue McDonald, 61, in conversation with WRS host and producer Cherie; that's me. We sat down the Tracksmith track house in Boston on Sat., Feb 1, to a wonderful group who braved snowy weather for this terrific conversation. We get into how McDonald has stayed healthy and competitive over her 40-plus year career as a highly competitive athlete—in many sports. And how, at age 59, she looked over the record books and set to raising the bar for what's possible for women athletes her ag...
2025-02-1153 min
Women's Running StoriesLIVE! Sue McDonald: 8x Masters World Record Holder, from the Boston Tracksmith Track HouseThis is a special live recording featuring 8x masters world record holder Sue McDonald, 61, in conversation with WRS host and producer Cherie; that's me. We sat down the Tracksmith track house in Boston on Sat., Feb 1, to a wonderful group who braved snowy weather for this terrific conversation. We get into how McDonald has stayed healthy and competitive over her 40-plus year career as a highly competitive athlete—in many sports. And how, at age 59, she looked over the record books and set to raising the bar for what's possible for women athletes her ag...
2025-02-1154 min
Women's Running StoriesLIVE EVENT: Alisa Harvey, Kelly Bruno, Briana Boehmer at the 2024 Boston Marathon ExpoThis is a live recording from Sunday, April 14 at the Boston Marathon Expo. Once again, WRS host Cherie Turner teamed up with Julie Sapper and Lisa Levin from the Run Farther and Faster podcast to co-host an excellent panel. This year's panel was titled Making a Statement: Breaking Barriers in Women's Running, and it featured outstanding runners Alisa Harvey, Kelly Bruno, and Briana Boehmer.Alisa Harvey is an elite-level competitor on the track and road who has qualified for the Olympic Trials at the 800m, 1500m, and marathon distances. Among her long list of accomplishments over decades...
2024-05-1747 min
Women's Running StoriesLIVE EVENT: Alisa Harvey, Kelly Bruno, Briana Boehmer at the 2024 Boston Marathon ExpoThis is a live recording from Sunday, April 14 at the Boston Marathon Expo. Once again, WRS host Cherie Turner teamed up with Julie Sapper and Lisa Levin from the Run Farther and Faster podcast to co-host an excellent panel. This year's panel was titled Making a Statement: Breaking Barriers in Women's Running, and it featured outstanding runners Alisa Harvey, Kelly Bruno, and Briana Boehmer.Alisa Harvey is an elite-level competitor on the track and road who has qualified for the Olympic Trials at the 800m, 1500m, and marathon distances. Among her long list of accomplishments over decades...
2024-05-1745 min
Women's Running StoriesCherie Turner: Over 50, Sub 20, 5k Project: Part 3, The ResetIn this episode, part 3 of this series, Cherie shares how a freak non-running injury caused her to take time away from structured workouts and formal training. While the injury was a bummer, in the end, it provided a healthy reset. Cherie shares how the recovery process has gone and why she feels like navigating this period of relative downtime has resulted in her realizing how much she is truly enjoying the process of going after a tough goal.In June of 2023, Women's Running Stories host and producer Cherie Turner closed the chapter on running longer distance races...
2024-01-0538 min
Women's Running StoriesCherie Turner: Over 50, Sub 20, 5k Project: Part 3, The ResetIn this episode, part 3 of this series, Cherie shares how a freak non-running injury caused her to take time away from structured workouts and formal training. While the injury was a bummer, in the end, it provided a healthy reset. Cherie shares how the recovery process has gone and why she feels like navigating this period of relative downtime has resulted in her realizing how much she is truly enjoying the process of going after a tough goal.In June of 2023, Women's Running Stories host and producer Cherie Turner closed the chapter on running longer distance races...
2024-01-0536 min
Women's Running Stories2023 Reflections: Clips to Take With You Into the New YearFor this episode, I chose a variety of clips from 10 episodes published in 2023 that have stuck with me and made an impact. This isn't a "best of" so much as a celebration of the huge variety of experiences and motivations women have in this sport.I hope you'll find something in here to motivate and inspire you, and perhaps spark a new interest for 2024. It's incredible how much this sport brings to so many people and the myriad ways it can show up and change throughout a lifetime.Enjoy!Clips were pulled from...
2023-12-2938 min
Women's Running Stories2023 Reflections: Clips to Take With You Into the New YearFor this episode, I chose a variety of clips from 10 episodes published in 2023 that have stuck with me and made an impact. This isn't a "best of" so much as a celebration of the huge variety of experiences and motivations women have in this sport.I hope you'll find something in here to motivate and inspire you, and perhaps spark a new interest for 2024. It's incredible how much this sport brings to so many people and the myriad ways it can show up and change throughout a lifetime.Enjoy!Clips were pulled from...
2023-12-2937 min
Women's Running StoriesCherie Turner: The Over 50, Sub 20, 5k Project: Part 2, Learning to Train WellIn June of this summer, 2023, Women's Running Stories host and producer Cherie Turner closed the chapter on running longer distance races (at least for now), like marathons and ultras, and turned her attention to the 5k. Her goal: break 20 minutes in the 5km. Cherie is currently 54 years old and she has never dipped under 20 minutes at this distance. The closest she's ever gotten was back over a decade ago, when she ran 20:19.This is Part 2 of Cherie's journey, an update that spans September and October 2023. Part 1 of this series concluded with Cherie setting a baseline time of 21:10...
2023-10-2728 min
Women's Running StoriesCherie Turner: The Over 50, Sub 20, 5k Project: Part 2, Learning to Train WellIn June of this summer, 2023, Women's Running Stories host and producer Cherie Turner closed the chapter on running longer distance races (at least for now), like marathons and ultras, and turned her attention to the 5k. Her goal: break 20 minutes in the 5km. Cherie is currently 54 years old and she has never dipped under 20 minutes at this distance. The closest she's ever gotten was back over a decade ago, when she ran 20:19.This is Part 2 of Cherie's journey, an update that spans September and October 2023. Part 1 of this series concluded with Cherie setting a baseline time of 21:10...
2023-10-2726 min
Women's Running StoriesJennifer Maxwell: PowerBar Founder, Running through Grief and HealingJennifer Maxwell is best known as the co-founder of PowerBar with her late husband, Brian Maxwell. Not only did the couple found a hugely successful company, they created the energy bar sector. Before PowerBar, which launched in 1986, there were no energy bars. These days, Jennifer continues to reinvent in the energy bar space with the launch of JAMBAR.While Jennifer's passion for running certainly played into her interests in creating an energy bar company, her life as a runner started long before then. Jennifer has been running since she was a child, and running continues to be...
2023-10-2031 min
Women's Running StoriesRace Report: Jeralyn Poe + 2023 USATF 10k National ChampionshipsElite runner and PhD student Jeralyn Poe tells the story of how it all went down from her viewpoint racing in the 2023 USATF 10km National Championships, which took place September 23, 2023, in Northport, NY, at the Great Cow Harbor 10km. Poe is in a relatively new phase of her racing journey, having finished her collegiate career just a couple years ago. Specifically, over the past two years, she's gone from the collegiate level of racing to the pro/elite field, and she's switched from track racing to racing on the roads. In addition, she's focused on a whole n...
2023-10-1326 min
Women's Running StoriesSabrina Pace-Humphreys: Ultra Trail Runner On a Quest to Reach Her Red LineSabrina Pace-Humphreys understands what pushing through, putting one foot in front of the other in the face of great pain and on the edge of breaking feels like. She's been doing it her whole life.But it wasn't until she discovered the world of ultra trail running that she truly understood how deeply empowered this had made her. She's now on a quest to discover just how far she can push her boundaries, for herself and for others: to represent and inspire.This is the story of how Pace-Humphreys went from growing up as the...
2023-10-0637 min
Women's Running StoriesClaire Bartholic: A Sub-3 Hour Marathon JourneyClaire Bartholic shares how she went from being a first-time marathoner trying for, but not quite reaching, a goal to qualify for the Boston Marathon, to running a sub-3-hour marathon: for context, only 1% of women marathoners have achieved this sub-3-hour milestone.It all started when Bartholic was in her mid-30s looking to get in shape for a high school reunion. It was then that she decided to start running. Then she got the running bug, and started marathoning: she was 38, the mother of two children, working as a real estate agent when she ran...
2023-09-2937 min
Women's Running StoriesCarolyn Su: Founder of Diverse We Run, Her First Trail AdventuresCarolyn Su is a runner and the founder of Diverse We Run, a space to build racial diversity and amplify diverse voices and stories in running on Instagram.Until 2020, Su was a road runner. She hadn't run on the trails, let alone race. And when she documented her friend's experiences at the 2019 Trans Rockies, a multi-day trail running stage race, she thought it looked amazing, but it didn't even occur to her that this was something she'd be capable of.But then, on one fateful day, she got a call from her friend Mirna Valerio...
2023-09-2250 min
Women's Running StoriesRace Report: Tristin Van Ord + 2023 USATF 20km National ChampionshipsProfessional runner for Team ZAP Endurance Tristin Van Ord tells the story of how it all went down from her viewpoint racing in the 2023 USATF 20km National Championships, which just took place September 4 in New Haven, CT. This 2023 season has been full of success as well as learning experiences for Van Ord. She started the year running her fastest marathon ever—she set a PB by over two minutes—placing first American and fourth woman at the Houston Marathon in January.Going into the summer, however, Van Ord, who has OCD, began to experience worsening sympt...
2023-09-1526 min
Women's Running StoriesCherie Turner: The Over 50, Sub 20, 5k Project: Part 1, Setting the BaselineAt 53 years old, Women's Running Stories host Cherie Turner has found a whole new focus for her running pursuits: she's working toward breaking 20 minutes in the 5km. This is the first phase of the journey, setting a baseline 5k time.In this episode Cherie shares how she got to this point, how the lessons she's learned throughout her many years of running are starting to reap benefits she's never felt before, and how she's as excited as ever to push her limits as an athlete. She briefly traces her running journey through to a recent 5k effort...
2023-09-0833 min
Women's Running StoriesCherie Turner: The Over 50, Sub 20, 5k Project: Part 1, Setting the BaselineAt 53 years old, Women's Running Stories host Cherie Turner has found a whole new focus for her running pursuits: she's working toward breaking 20 minutes in the 5km. This is the first phase of the journey, setting a baseline 5k time.In this episode Cherie shares how she got to this point, how the lessons she's learned throughout her many years of running are starting to reap benefits she's never felt before, and how she's as excited as ever to push her limits as an athlete. She briefly traces her running journey through to a recent 5k effort...
2023-09-0835 min
Women's Running StoriesCeleste Yvonne: Outrunning Mommy Wine CultureEarly in her life, Celeste Yvonne had decided she wasn't a runner. She felt like she didn't look like a runner or have a runner's mindset. Furthermore, running didn't feel good.Enter, her first child, who was colicky; Celeste struggled mightily to get him to calm down. In an act of exhausted desperation, she tried jogging. And, it worked. As someone who always enjoyed working out, this also filled the need for Celeste to incorporate meaningful movement into her new life as a mom.While Celeste had cleared that parenting hurdle, being a mom was...
2023-09-0136 min
Women's Running StoriesRuby Wyles: A Disordered Eating Healing Journey, with Lindsey Cortes, Rise Up NutritionRuby Wyles is an elite level runner and athlete who has worked through significant health challenges. She is currently pursuing the exciting new world of multisport, as a triathlete.From an early age, Wyles experienced serious challenges with disordered eating. While her health was stabilized, Wyles' fraught relationship with body image and food wasn't completely healed, especially when it came to the mental health facet of that process.Over time, Wyles, who is British, also found a passion for running. She developed into an elite level runner and earned an athlete scholarship to run in...
2023-08-2552 min
Women's Running StoriesCherie Louise Turner + 2023 Comrades Marathon: Experiencing the Magic, Again and BetterWomen's Running Stories host and producer Cherie Turner tells the story of her return to the 56-mile Comrades Marathon in South Africa. This is Cherie's second running of this, the world's oldest and largest ultra distance race in the world. And this for running, she had the goal of running better, both physically and mentally: she wanted to finish in under 10 hours (in 2022, she ran it in 10:25) and with a more positive, less fearful mindset. She wanted to fully soak in the magic of this one-of-a-kind event.Cherie tells the story of what she did different to...
2023-08-1841 min
Women's Running StoriesCherie Louise Turner + 2023 Comrades Marathon: Experiencing the Magic, Again and BetterWomen's Running Stories host and producer Cherie Turner tells the story of her return to the 56-mile Comrades Marathon in South Africa. This is Cherie's second running of this, the world's oldest and largest ultra distance race in the world. And this for running, she had the goal of running better, both physically and mentally: she wanted to finish in under 10 hours (in 2022, she ran it in 10:25) and with a more positive, less fearful mindset. She wanted to fully soak in the magic of this one-of-a-kind event.Cherie tells the story of what she did different to...
2023-08-1843 min
Women's Running StoriesJasmine Santiago: Running and Healing Trauma, Finding Her VoiceJasmine Santiago is a runner and podcaster: she's the host of Brown Girl Running, where she shares her own running story and interviews other BIPOC runners about their experiences. Santiago is one of the few BIPOC women to host a running podcast.But getting to this point has been a journey, with very steep ups and downs. In this episode, Santiago shares it all: the breaking point of trauma fueled addiction, finding running as a way to heal and discover her authentic voice, discovering the beauty of a supportive running community, experiencing racist, threatening backlash for speaking...
2023-08-1142 min
Women's Running StoriesRace Report: Kassie Parker + 2023 USATF 7-Mile National ChampionshipsKassie Parker just finished one of the most successful NCAA DIII careers on record. On the indoor and outdoor track and in cross country, racing for Loras College, she set records, helped her team reach its first national title, and won numerous national titles herself.Parker graduated in May 2023 and immediately moved into her pro career. She ran her first post-collegiate pro-elite race at the USATF 6km National Championships, earning a solid eighth place. Then, she set her sights on the Bix 7, this year the 7-mile USATF National Championships, which took place on July 29, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa.
2023-08-0430 min
Women's Running StoriesRace Report: Sgt. Ednah Kurgat + 2023 USATF 6km National ChampionshipsSgt. Ednah Kurgat tells how it all went down at the recent USATF 6km National Championships in Canton, OH, July 15. Krugat runs as a member of the US Army's WCAP (World Class Athlete Program) and has primarily focused on cross-country and distance track racing, with a particular focus on the 10,000-meter.In January 2023, she won the USATF Cross-Country National Championships; this earned Kurgat her first spot on an international team, representing the US at the Cross Country World Championships that took place in February in Australia.Kurgat is relatively new to road racing, having only...
2023-07-2821 min
Women's Running StoriesLiz Derstine: Her Appalachian Trail FKT Story, a Journey of Self DiscoveryLiz Derstine is a musician, runner, writer, and as of 2020, a long-distance hiker. On July 7, 2020, she embarked on the life-altering adventure of through-hiking the 2,193-mile Appalachian Trail, as quickly as possible.Now, having had several years to reflect on this epic journey, Derstine tells her whole AT story: from what inspired her to want to hike the entirety of this daunting trail, to how it all went down, through to the many ways her life has changed as a result of transporting herself on foot, through the wilderness, from Georgia to Maine.At its core...
2023-07-211h 04
Women's Running StoriesSika Henry + Comrades Marathon: An Experience Like No OtherSika Henry is a professional triathlete, as well as a marathon and ultra runner. She is the first African American woman to earn her pro card in triathlon, which she did in 2021. And, in 2020, she ran a sub-3-hour marathon which added her name to The List, which accounts for all of the American-born Black women who have broken 3 hours in the marathon. There are currently 30 women on The List.Sika is relatively new to the world of ultra running, and once she'd gotten a taste of the sport, she wanted to choose a meaningful event to...
2023-07-0734 min
Women's Running StoriesChristine Yu: Her Book, Up to Speed, Inspired by Life as an AthleteChristine Yu is a lifelong athlete and a runner, though it took time before she used either of those terms to identify herself. Yu is also a writer, and she focuses on the intersection of sports science and women athletes. These dual passions recently culminated in the much anticipated book Up to Speed: The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes.This is ultimately the focus of Yu's story for this episode: where her personal athletic and running journey and her professional writing pursuits meet. Her story is both uniquely personal and touches on experiences many women share: the...
2023-06-3037 min
Women's Running StoriesRace Report: Nell Rojas + 2023 USATF 25k National ChampionshipsNell Rojas is one of the best marathon racers in the U.S. having placed top American at both the 2021 and 2022 Boston Marathon. In this episode she shares how it all went down at the 2023 USATF 25k National Championships, which took place just one month after the 2023 Boston Marathon. But of course, there's so much more to the story than just one race.The 25k race, as it would turn out, was not the day that Nell had hoped it could be. The story behind that stretches back to Nell's build up to Boston 2023, and this episode...
2023-05-3131 min
Women's Running StoriesVanessa Fraser: 100 x 1-Mile SF Women's WR Relay Attempt, en Route to Forging Her Own Pro Running PathProfessional runner Vanessa Fraser has raced at the highest levels of her sport, but then found herself in a prolonged phase where things just weren't clicking. So she decided to switch things up–a lot. Which is why Vanessa, along with her coach Shalane Flanagan, decided to put the 100 x 1-mile Nike San Francisco Women's Miler Club World Record Relay attempt on her racing calendar. The event takes place June 3, 2023.Discover how Vanessa got here, and why choosing to run a huge community event with 99 other women became an excellent fit for her process of continuing to co...
2023-05-2546 min
Women's Running StoriesRace Report: Alexina Teubel + 2023 USATF One-Mile National ChampionshipsAfter a month's long hiatus in 2022 due to a sacral stress fracture—the first major injury of her long running career—Alexina, Alex, Teubel is back and racing better than ever. Teubel has focused on the 3000-meter steeplechase for several years, earning her way into the 2021 Olympic Trails finals. But now she's refocusing on the 1500 and its close cousin, the mile.The USATF One-Mile Road National Championship was Teubel's 2023 season opener and revealed that the 29-year-old pro runner and running coach—for her alma mater, the University of Northern Iowa—hasn't lost a step. In a deeply competit...
2023-05-0926 min
Women's Running StoriesNicole Pinto: Returning to Racing Post-Partum (Part 2/2)In this, part 2/2, Nicole Pinto shares her running journey from giving birth to completing a half-marathon nine months later. Part 1 of this story features Nicole sharing the journey of how she trained for and ran the Boston Marathon while pregnant with her daughter, who was born in February 2022. We are excited to follow up on Nicole's postpartum journey in this episode.We first featured Nicole as part of our Roads to Boston series and she surprised everyone, including herself, with her pregnancy, which happened leading into the October 2021 event. We've loved keeping up her journey ever since...
2023-04-2834 min
Women's Running StoriesLIVE EVENT: Podium Pioneers Panel, Boston Marathon ExpoThis is a special live recording of the Podium Pioneers Panel, which took place at the 2023 Boston Marathon Expo live stage. Women's Running Stories host Cherie Turner once again teamed up with Lisa Levins and Julie Sapper of the Run Farther and Faster podcast to co-cost a live Boston Marathon event.This year we welcomed three women who helped form the foundation of marathoning; they have each also placed among the top three at the Boston Marathon. Please enjoy the panel discussion with these three groundbreaking guests:Marilyn Bevans: Marilyn was the first African-American woman...
2023-04-2454 min
Women's Running StoriesLIVE EVENT: Podium Pioneers Panel, Boston Marathon ExpoThis is a special live recording of the Podium Pioneers Panel, which took place at the 2023 Boston Marathon Expo live stage. Women's Running Stories host Cherie Turner once again teamed up with Lisa Levins and Julie Sapper of the Run Farther and Faster podcast to co-cost a live Boston Marathon event.This year we welcomed three women who helped form the foundation of marathoning; they have each also placed among the top three at the Boston Marathon. Please enjoy the panel discussion with these three groundbreaking guests:Marilyn Bevans: Marilyn was the first African-American woman...
2023-04-2452 min
Women's Running StoriesPatty Hung: 37 Consecutive Boston Marathons, A New Streak RecordPatty Hung, a retired teacher who now works as a pediatric nurse, never set out to run more consecutive Boston Marathons than any other woman. But that's the position she finds herself today. On April 17, 2023, when Patty crosses the finish line at the marathon, she will have completed her 37th consecutive Boston Marathon, more than any other woman in the history of the event. She'll break the record previously set by Andrea Hatch, who last ran the Boston Marathon in 2013.Patty, who was born and raised in Boston but moved to California many decades ago, turned to...
2023-04-1122 min
Women's Running StoriesRace Report: Amber Zimmerman + 2023 USATF 10-Mile National ChampionshipIn this race report, get the inside story on how the Cherry Blossom 10-mile USATF national championship played out from the perspective of elite amateur racer Amber Zimmerman.Amber, who races for the Tracksmith amateur support program, has been in this sport for a long, long time. But as she herself has said on many occasions, she feels like up through her college career, she was performing at a subpar level. She moved into triathlon for a little while after graduation and has similar feelings about her performances in that sport, even though she was entering into t...
2023-04-0828 min
Women's Running StoriesDani Moreno: Track, Trail, Boston: A Pro Runner's Lifelong Running JourneyDani Moreno is a professional mountain runner with Adidas Terrex, and she is one of the best in the world. Her specialty has been sub ultra distances, which our distances of a marathon or shorter. A traditional marathon is 26.2 miles or 42.2 kilometers. Among Dani's many outstanding accomplishments, last year she placed 3rd at the highly prestigious 50-kilometer/31-mile OCC; this is part of the UTMB series of events, which are widely considered the equivalent of world championship events given the level of competition.In an exciting turn of focus, this year, for the very first time, Danny...
2023-03-291h 00
Women's Running StoriesMolly Huddle: Pro Runner Postpartum Return, the 2023 New York City Half MarathonMolly Huddle is already a legend in the running world, and her story continues to develop. She's a two-time Olympian, multi-time national champion, and American record setter. In addition, she is a strong voice in the women's running space, as a writer and podcaster: she's published many articles, co-wrote the book How She Did It: Stories, Advice, and Secrets to Success from Fifty Legendary Distance Runners, and is the co-host of the women's sports podcast Keeping Track.In this episode, Molly shares how it all went down at the New York City Marathon, her second elite-level race...
2023-03-2324 min
Women's Running StoriesRace Report: Emma Grace Hurley + 2023 USATF 15k National ChampionshipsEmma Grace Hurley is a young professional runner with the Atlanta Track Club. She is relatively new to racing longer distances on the road, having raced her first road races as a pro last year.In this race report, Emma Grace gives us some background on her racing career, as well as the inside scoop on how things went down at the 2023 USATF 15k National Championships, which were held on March 6 at the Gate River Run in Jacksonville, Florida.With Emily Sisson lining up, it was an all but foregone conclusion that she would run...
2023-03-1020 min
Women's Running StoriesErika Kemp: Championships, Challenges, and a Marathon DebutErika Kemp will be racing 26.2 miles for the first time ever at the 2023 Boston Marathon on April 17. As one of the top professional distance road racers in the United States today, Erika has had a lot of success. But she's also gone through some significant challenges. Through it all she's gained wisdom, which she brings to her training, racing, and career choices.Erika began racing in high school and found early success. But she wasn't completely sold on the sport until she reached her college years. Racing for North Carolina State University, Erika had great teammates, great...
2023-03-0645 min
Women's Running StoriesRace Report: Lauren Hagans + 2023 USATF Half Marathon National ChampionshipsLauren Hagans (formerly Paquette), a professional distance runner and member of the HOKA NAZ Elite team, takes us inside the 2023 USATF Half Marathon National Championships. Her bold decision and gutsy racing earned Hagans a close second place, her first podium finish at a national championship.Hagans has a long racing career and has been a top competitor at many distances. The half-marathon is the longest distance she's raced, yet.In addition to letting us know what went down in the race, Hagans shares why she had to take most of 2022 off racing, where's she at...
2023-03-0323 min
Women's Running StoriesSara Mae Berman: Three Time Boston Champion & Running PioneerSara Mae Berman started running and paving the way for other women's distance runners in the 1960s and 1970s. She is best known these days for winning the Boston Marathon three times: 1969, 1970, 1971. In those years, women weren't officially allowed to run marathons in the United States.However, there was that six year period between 1966 and 1971 when women ran Boston unofficially. It all started with Bobbi Gibb, when she popped out from behind the bushes to run the 1966 Boston Marathon. Bobbi went on to win again in '67 and '68, and then Sara picked up the torch and...
2023-02-0947 min
Women's Running StoriesLindsey Cortes: One Runner's Nourishment & Body Acceptance JourneyLindsey Cortes is a runner and dietician who specializes in helping women athletes overcome the challenges of disordered eating and negative body image through her business Rise Up Nutrition. She brings both professional knowledge and her own personal experiences with body image and nutritional challenges to her business practice.Here, Lindsey shares the personal details of how she's navigated her own unhealthy eating habits and body image challenges, to arrive at a place of peace and wellness on both fronts. Lindsey talks about how intuitive eating has led her to be able to nourish her body to...
2023-01-1045 min
Women's Running StoriesLindsey Cortes: One Runner's Nourishment & Body Acceptance JourneyLindsey Cortes is a runner and dietician who specializes in helping women athletes overcome the challenges of disordered eating and negative body image through her business Rise Up Nutrition. She brings both professional knowledge and her own personal experiences with body image and nutritional challenges to her business practice.Here, Lindsey shares the personal details of how she's navigated her own unhealthy eating habits and body image challenges, to arrive at a place of peace and wellness on both fronts. Lindsey talks about how intuitive eating has led her to be able to nourish her body to...
2023-01-1043 min
Women's Running StoriesMaegan Krifchin: An Epic Marathon PR StoryProfessional runner Maegan Krifchin wanted to make the 2022 NYC Marathon an epic day. A native of Long Island, the Atlanta Track Club runner visualized bettering her 2:30 PR (2021 Chicago Marathon) while also breaking the 2:30 barrier, cracking the top 10, and shining her brightest on November 6.That did not happen, and it was heartbreaking. But it led Meagan on a marathon adventure that would see her run the Philadelphia Marathon two weeks later, on November 20, almost grabbing the win, and then CIM in Sacramento, California, two weeks after that, on December 4. Along the way, Maegan realized the importance of shaking...
2022-12-1231 min
Women's Running StoriesTiffany Gayle Chenault: Running Through Grief, Creating Her PlaceWell into her 30s, Tiffany Gayle Chenault didn't have any interest in running, even when she said yes to a friend who asked her to run a 5-mile event near her home in Boston, Massachusetts. But during that run, she felt something, a renewed sense of being alive that had gone quiet since the passing of her mother a few years earlier.That aliveness led to a whole new path for Chenault, whose professional life is as a professor of sociology at Salem State University. As Chenault began her running journey, she also developed a curiosity about...
2022-12-0139 min
Women's Running StoriesAlison Mariella Désir: Running While Black, Her Story, Her BookAlison Mariella Désir is a runner, mother, activist, community builder, and now author: her highly anticipated book Running While Black: Finding Freedom in a Sport that Wasn’t Built for Us is available today, October 18. Alison’s story is one of love and gratitude for running, and the power of this sport to create change. Hers is also a story of highlighting how the running world mirrors the racism and sexism of our larger culture and history. And her story is about making a path forward, creating space for change. In this episode, Alison tells her story completely in he...
2022-10-1836 min
Women's Running StoriesGina Lucrezi: Running Toward Equity, Establishing Trail SistersGina Lucrezi started to take note of the preferential treatment that the boys got in sports in high school. Her consciousness around this grew over time and combined with her love of running and her experiences in the running industry ultimately developed into her founding the women's trail running and hiking community Trail Sisters. In this episode, Gina tells the story completely in her own voice. Gina discovered an interest in running early on and her talent for the sport was recognized by the high school running coach. The coach was onto something: Gina set a school r...
2022-10-0438 min
Women's Running StoriesPat Freeman: 30 Years Running Comrades, and CountingPat Freeman jokes that the first time her neighbor invited her to run, she thought jogging down her driveway might be enough. Now, over three decades later, she's training to run her 31st Comrades Marathon, the 90km or roughly 56-mile road race in South Africa. It's the oldest, largest, and most prestigious ultra-distance road race in the world. In this episode, Pat shares her enduring running journey. This episode celebrates the return of Comrades, which has been on hiatus since 2019 due to COVID. Growing up in South Africa, Pat Freeman had been a Comrades spectator since childhood, bu...
2022-08-2136 min
Women's Running StoriesReair Celebrating the Return of Comrades!: Blanche Moila + Comrades Marathon: Inspiring ChangeRunning legend Blanche Moila 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 through running since she started competing in the 1980s. Blanche found her competitive running talents in her 20s and became one of South Africa’s best middle distance, cross-country, and marathon runners. Her accomplishments broke down racial barriers and, eventually, made her an inspiration throughout the country. After her elite running career, Blanche began to regularly participate in the Comrades Marathon. As of...
2022-08-1239 min
Women's Running StoriesCamille Herron: Menstrual Health & Running Western States on Day One of Her PeriodRace photo credit: Vasily SamoylovCamille Herron, one of the best ultra runners in the world and a leading voice in the sport, speaks out about the importance of menstrual health for athletes. She tells the story of how her period played a pivotal role at this year's Western States 100 mile trail race, and also how attending to her hormone and overall health led to her navigating menstrual cramps, nausea, and general period malaise on race day. Camille advocates strongly for women athletes to understand that regular periods are normal and that not getting your period is a...
2022-07-0636 min
Women's Running StoriesNicole Pinto: Running the Boston Marathon while Pregnant (part 1/2)Nicole Pinto was a featured runner in our Roads to Boston series and she surprised everyone by revealing at the 2021 Boston Marathon that she was 18 weeks pregnant! We had to get the whole story, so we did. This is the story of how Nicole approached training for a marathon while pregnant, and how that magical day of running her first Boston Marathon went for her. This episode is Part 1 of a two-part story about Nicole's pregnancy and running journey. Part 2 (published April 28, 2023) covers Nicole's post-partum running journey and return to racing.Nicole Pinto has been a...
2022-06-2730 min
Women's Running StoriesStrides Behind the Mic 4: Listener Stories, Updates, Recommendations, Comrades Training Has Begun! ParkRun!Keep up with the women from our listener stories via these outlets mentioned on the show: Jenna: When the People Decide podcast and Democracy Works podcastTiffany: RunISee50.comSophie: What Next Mum podcast and blogIn this episode, we recommended the following stories, in honor of Juneteenth: Running While Black: Finding Freedom in a Sport that Wasn't Built for Us by Alison Mariella Désir, available for preorderTemple’s Tigerbelles by Dwight Lewis and Susan Thomas, illustrated by James ThrealkillTigerbelle: The Wyomia Tyus...
2022-06-2222 min
Women's Running StoriesGael Henville: Life Lessons Learned, and Shared: Runner, Coach, Community BuilderGael Henville discovered a pure love of running early in life, growing up in the Caribbean. After immigrating to the US, she experienced racism and bullying, and subsequent isolation. This is the story of how Gael's love of running eventually led her to discovering her own power and a driving desire to empower others through the sport, especially women of color. Gael is recognized as a leader in the running community, sharing the wisdom of many life lessons learned and many races run. She tells her story in her own voice. Gael has run over 100 races, and c...
2022-05-2938 min
Women's Running StoriesStrides Behind the Mic: Listener Stories! Updates; Recommendations; Track Racing & A New Approach to Training for MarathonsIn this episode, we recommended the following books: How She Did It: Stories, Advice and Secrets to Success from 50 Legendary Distance Runners by Molly Huddle and Sara SlatteryRunning While Black: Finding Freedom in a Sport that Wasn't Built for Us by Alison Mariella DésirBreakthrough Women’s Running: Dream Big and Run Smart, by Neely Spence Gracey and Cindy KuzmanNext Level: Your Guide to Kicking Ass, Feeling Great, and Crushing Goals through Menopause and Beyond by Stacey Sims and Selene YeagerWe also mentioned Hear Her Spor...
2022-05-0823 min
Women's Running StoriesLIVE EVENT: Marilyn Bevans & Maegan Krifchin, Celebrating 50 Years of Women Running Boston, Officially, hosted by Strides Forward & Run Father & FasterThis is a live recording featuring an intimate conversation with elite runners from then and now: Marilyn Bevans and Maegan Krifchin, to celebrate 50 years of women running the Boston Marathon. The event was co-hosted by podcast hosts Cherie Turner, of Strides Forward, and Julie Sapper and Lisa Levin, of Run Farther & Faster. This event took place April 16 at the PRX Podcast Garage in Boston. About the featured guestsMarilyn Bevans is a pioneer in US women’s marathoning. In the 1970s, she became the first nationally competitive American-born Black woman marathon runner in the US, and...
2022-04-221h 14
Women's Running StoriesBobbi Gibb: The First Woman of the Boston MarathonRoberta "Bobbi" Gibb is the first woman to ever run the Boston Marathon. That was in 1966, before it was officially allowed. It would be another six years before that ban was overturned. Gibb's brave efforts were foundational to opening up the world of competitive running to women. This episode covers Gibb's entire running journey through to how she continues to be honored today, as well as how her fight to break gender barriers didn't stop with running. This is a very special episode, honoring a momentous anniversary. April 18th, 2022, is the 50th anniversary of women finally, officially, b...
2022-04-1437 min
Women's Running StoriesSarah Lavender Smith: Ultramarathon Trail Running LongevitySarah Lavender Smith was a late bloomer to becoming an athlete, but now at 52, she's been a competitive runner for half her life. We hear how Sarah got started on her running journey and how her passion for the sport was lit on day 1. It's a passion that driven her through many, many miles on road and trail, as a marathon and ultra runner. Discover what's kept Sarah committed to challenging herself as a runner for over two decades, through many transitions of life, including motherhood—how her approach to the sport has shifted, but her love of all th...
2022-03-3134 min
Women's Running StoriesStrides Behind the Mic Mini-Ep: Listener Stories! Podcast Updates; Racing Track & Processing InjuryIn this episode, we mentioned RunYoung50, which shares stories of women's running history and stories about older women runners. You can find RunYoung50 at https://runyoung50.co.uk/We also mentioned the Milk Minute podcast, which provides evidenced-based research for breastfeeding parents. You can find the Milk Minute at https://www.milkminutepodcast.com/Submit your story for consideration to be included on a future Strides Behind the Mic episode: we're excited to share stories from you, the listener. Each Strides Behind the Mic episode, we will share three listener stories. Please record yourself telling a 1...
2022-03-1717 min
Women's Running StoriesCathy Utzschneider: A Champion After 40, A Passion for Masters RacingCathy Utzschneider has a passion for masters racing, especially on the track, as a competitor, author, and coach. And this is certainly in large part due to the fact that she didn't start racing until she was a masters runner herself, at age 40. She has since won many championship events, coached many athletes to incredible achievements, and written extensively about masters running. Cathy also created and developed the goal-achievement method M.O.V.E., which she teaches to others, and uses herself, in her own life and with the people she personally coaches. Cathy has won multiple n...
2022-03-0834 min
Women's Running StoriesSonia Samuels w/Jae Gruenke: Olympian Rediscovers (Pain-Free) FormThis is the running story of UK marathon Olympian Sonia Samuels. We follow her journey from its beginning, and go into detail about how she returned to running pain-free and with great enthusiasm after a long bout with injuries and burnout. A critical part of Sonia's recovery journey was the work she did with Jae Gruenke, a running form expert and Feldenkrais practitioner who founded The Balanced Runner. We hear from both women about the transformative process Sonia experienced to return to her passion for running.Sonia discovered her love of running at an early age, and i...
2022-02-1947 min
Women's Running StoriesStrides Behind the Mic Mini-Ep: Updates + Listener Stories (We Want to Hear from You!) + Racing 800 MetersWe're excited to share stories from you, the listener. Each Strides Behind the Mic episode, we'll give you a prompt. Please record yourself telling a 1-3 minute story related to the prompt and email it to Strides Forward producer Cherie at clouiseturner@gmail.com. You can also use the form on our website: https://stridesforwardpodcast.com/podcast/strides-behind-the-micThe prompt from this episode is: Share a memorable moment from a recent run. Be sure to include details about why this moment was so memorable. Please share where in the wo...
2022-02-0911 min
Women's Running StoriesRoads to Boston 2021: We Ran the Boston Marathon! How It All Went Down, Season Finale (part 8/8)We did it! Join us to hear how the 125th Boston Marathon experience was for all eight of our runners who toed the line on October 11, 2021. Get inspired while you get an inside look at being a part of one of the most celebrated and historic sporting events in the world. This episode is part of our Roads to Boston 2021 series, where we followed the journeys of 9 women from around the world to the 125th Boston Marathon, which took places October 11, 2021. The previous Boston Marathon took place April 2019. And finally, this legendary event was back, in...
2022-01-1441 min
Women's Running StoriesUpdate & Reair: Camille Herron at the Comrades MarathonWe've been on a break and we have a few updates to share, including the fact that we'll be back with new episodes in January to close out our Boston 2021 series. And we've got great new stories coming in 2022. In the interim, please enjoy this episode from our very first series, which focuses on experiences at the world's oldest and largest ultradistance race, the Comrades Marathon. The title of the episode is "Camille Herron + Comrades Marathon: Dream Race." Camille Herron fell in love with South Africa’s 90-kilometer Comrades Marathon as a child in Oklahoma, and it bec...
2021-11-1641 min
Women's Running StoriesRoads to Boston 2021: The Final Pre-Race Check-In (part 7/8)It's almost go time! We check in with the runners one final time before they run the 125th Boston Marathon, October 11, 2021. We'll dive into how final preparations is going, some lessons we've learned, and what we are all looking forward to. Join us for these final moments before we all toe the line to inspire your own running aspirations. This episode is part of our Roads to Boston 2021 series, where we are following the journeys of 9 women from around the world to the 125th Boston Marathon, which takes places October 11, 2021. The last Boston Marathon took pl...
2021-10-0737 min
Women's Running StoriesRoads to Boston 2021: How We All Got In (part 6/8)To fully appreciate what it means to participate in the Boston Marathon, it’s important to reflect on what it takes to get here, all of what it takes. Running Boston isn’t only about completing the distance of 26.2 miles, nor is it only about the training to get you ready for this epic race: it's also about the efforts made to even get an entry. Because Boston is not a race you can just sign up for: you have to earn your entry. There are several ways that can happen and the process can be years in the maki...
2021-10-0246 min
Women's Running StoriesRoads to Boston 2021: An Inside Look at Marathon Prep (part 5/8)For this episode, we take a look at what training for a marathon looks like, when you are in the thick of it. Learn about what runners experience and do to prepare for running 26.2 miles. From magical long runs to nutrition experimentation, working through injury and finding the mental resolve to get through hard workouts alone, this episode gets into first-person accounts of putting in the work while navigating life. This episode is part of our Roads to Boston 2021 series, where we are following the journeys of 9 women from around the world to the 125th Boston Marathon, w...
2021-09-3037 min
Women's Running StoriesRoads to Boston 2021: Why We Marathon, Nicole's, Yao's, and Cherie's Stories (part 4/8)Everyone's reason for running marathons and how they got there is different. In this episode, we learn about what inspired Nicole, Yao, and Cherie to want to go this distance. Every runner's journey to running long distances is unique, and these stories make that clear. Listen to inspire your own running goals. This episode is part of our Roads to Boston 2021 series, where we are following the journeys of 9 women from around the world to the 125th Boston Marathon, which takes places October 11, 2021. The last Boston Marathon took place April 2019. And finally, this legendary event is...
2021-09-2024 min
Women's Running StoriesRoads to Boston 2021: Why We Marathon, Marija's, Rochelle's, Zarah's, and Jonna's Stories (part 3/8)Everyone's reason for running marathons and how they got there is different. In this episode, we learn about what inspired Marija, Zarah, Rochelle, and Jonna to want to go this distance. Every runner's journey to running long distances is different, and these stories make that clear. Listen to inspire your own running goals. This episode is part of our Roads to Boston 2021 series, where we are following the journeys of 9 women from around the world to the 125th Boston Marathon, which takes places October 11, 2021. The last Boston Marathon took place April 2019. And finally, this legendary ev...
2021-09-0827 min
Women's Running StoriesRoads to Boston 2021: Why We Marathon, Patty's & Amanda's Journeys (part 2/8)Everyone's reason for running marathons and how they got there is different. In this episode, we learn about what inspired Amanda Watters and Patty Hung to want to go this distance. And their marathon stories are inextricably linked to the Boston Marathon: Amanda has run 16 consecutive times, and this marathon has been a part of her life since childhood; and Patty has completed Boston an incredible 34 consecutive times. Along the way in these stories, we learn about the course and some of the highlights experienced by runners with such a depth of experience at this history race. T...
2021-08-3028 min
Women's Running StoriesRoads to Boston 2021: How We Started Running (part 1/8)Every marathon journey begins with becoming a runner. Meet the 9 women of this series and learn about how they got started in this sport. These were their first strides toward what's led them to now being on their way to one of the greatest sporting events in the world: the Boston Marathon. We're all headed to one finish line on October 11, but we all started in very different ways. Please join us on the journey.For this series, we're following the running stories of 9 women runners, from around the world, who are all preparing for the historic 125...
2021-08-1223 min
Women's Running StoriesIntroducing Roads to Boston 2021: 9 Runners, 1 Finish LineIntroducing 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 April 2019. And finally, this legendary event is back, in person. For every participant who gets an entry to Boston, it's a victory all its own: you can't just sign up for Boston, you...
2021-07-2004 min
Women's Running StoriesMegan Flanagan: A Young Runner's Journey through RED-s (relative energy deficiency in sport)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 toward RED-s: she was amenorrhoeic (had stopped menstruating) by the time she was graduating high school. Her journey demonstrates the numerous challenges young women athletes face to get the health support and education they need t...
2021-07-1634 min
Women's Running StoriesBeatie Deutsch: Pregnancy, Fast Marathons, Shattered StereotypesThis 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 married and having four children in quick succession during her 20s, she realized she’d left that athletic part of herself behind to care for her growing family. In 2015, Beatie decided to...
2021-06-0332 min
Women's Running StoriesAnn Ashworth: A RED-s Recovery to Running Healthy, Strong, and FastElite 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. RED-s is the syndrome that used to be called the female athlete triad. It's very common among women long-distance runners, and it can be a tricky syndrome to diagnose: Ann's story gets into many of the reasons why. But kn...
2021-05-0735 min
Women's Running StoriesBONUS: Keeping Track Podcast: Dawn Harper Nelson's Cinderella StorySpecial 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 story you're expecting, and it's powerful. Dawn Harper Nelson is an Olympic gold (2008) and silver (2012) medalist in the 100-meter hurdles. In this powerful and important interview, Dawn goes deep about her experiences as a Black woman athlete who also be...
2021-04-231h 15
Women's Running StoriesBarbara Hannah Grufferman: How Menopause and a (Literal) Sign Ignited a Passion for Running and Aging-Well AdvocacyWe 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 she describes it, the “umpies”: lumpy, grumpy, and frumpy. Her health wasn’t great: she’d spent her adult life putting the needs of everyone else ahead of herself: work, family, community...
2021-04-1230 min
Women's Running StoriesSally Kipyego: Olympic Marathon Dreams RealizedSally 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 that she had talent and a will be seek the ultimate limits of her potential. She had early success as a junior, and when she came to the United States a...
2021-03-2538 min
Women's Running StoriesCharlotte Gibbs: A RED-s Journey to Rediscovering the Joy of RunningUltrarunner 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 athletes: RED-s far more common than most of us realize, and it has some awful consequences. But knowledge is power, and this is a powerful story. Charlotte shares her very pe...
2021-03-1037 min
Women's Running StoriesSophie Speidel: A Menopause Journey as a Competitive AthleteSophie 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 this very question as she takes us through her menopause experiences and how she continues to thrive and achieve as her body ages.Mentioned in this episode...
2021-02-2429 min
Women's Running StoriesCourtney Dauwalter: Problem Solving Ultramarathons, Bringing the Mental GameGet 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 community, and news of her accomplishments has even extended into mainstream media. She started gaining wider recognition in 2017, when she won the Moab 240 Endurance Run outright: that's 240, as in miles. She’s also...
2021-01-2231 min
Women's Running StoriesThe Transformative Ability of Running: Highlights from the Comrades SeriesThis 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 into our everyday lives that we learn from running? How does this sport, and our participation in it, impact us and those around us? This episode speaks to those sorts of i...
2020-12-2116 minWomen's Running StoriesRunning Makes You Feel Better: Highlights from the Comrades SeriesA 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. Even though these runners are very different in so many ways, they all share a common experience: running makes them feel better. Whether your looking for a little extra motivation to lace u...
2020-12-0413 min
Women's Running StoriesCheryl Winn + Comrades Marathon: A Comrades TrailblazerCheryl 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 of it. Cheryl was an elite runner in the late 1970s and early 1980s, winning many local events, and she became the Comrades champion in 1982. During her running career through to today, Ch...
2020-10-1636 min
Women's Running StoriesKaren Williams + Comrades Marathon: The Will to TryKaren 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 encouragement. But she discovered that she actually enjoyed running, and even more, she developed a curiosity to see just how far she could go. We follow her j...
2020-08-1931 min
Women's Running StoriesShirley Mosiakgabo + Comrades Marathon: Keep Moving ForwardIn 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. We follow Shirley story from the early days of discovering a joy for making running a regular part of her life through to her experiences running her first C...
2020-08-0531 min
Women's Running StoriesEnie Manzini + Comrades Marathon: Embracing Your PowerSouth 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 her love and talent for running at a young age and began running seriously in 2007. Not long after, Enie had the first child. Committed to excelling in her sport, she...
2020-07-2132 min
Women's Running StoriesRenata Vosloo + Comrades: Becoming An Elite RunnerSouth 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 the pressure to run Comrades was so great, she decided, “Just once.” This story is about how Renata’s plan to run Comrades “just once” and crack the challenging...
2020-07-0130 min
Women's Running StoriesTeam Massmart + Comrades Marathon: Empowering WomenThis 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 make a difference and saw a lack of support for aspiring elite South African women long-distance runners. She made it her mission to create a team that brou...
2020-06-1837 min
Women's Running StoriesAnn Ashworth + Comrades Marathon: What It TakesSouth 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 the way through to seizing her moment at Comrades in 2018. Ann’s story is one of hard work and dedication, overcoming and never, ever letting up. Through heartbreaking disappointment, painful injuries, and financ...
2020-06-0338 min
Women's Running StoriesCathy Hopkins + Comrades Marathon: Strength in CommunityCathy 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 Cathy shares her journey of finding her joy in running by sharing it with others. While running can often appear to be completely solitary , the community that forms around the sport can transcend cultures a...
2020-05-2132 min
Women's Running StoriesBlanche Moila + Comrades Marathon: Inspiring ChangeSouth 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 through running since she started competing in the 1980s. Blanche found her competitive running talents in her 20s and became one of South Africa’s best middle distance, cross-country, and m...
2020-05-0634 min
Women's Running StoriesCamille Herron + Comrades Marathon: Dream RaceCamille 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 driven by a deep passion to fulfill her ultimate racing dream—of claiming that victory.Hear how it all went down: up to the very last moment, Camille’s quest for first remain...
2020-04-2237 min
Women's Running StoriesAnjali Saraogi + Comrades Marathon: Facing FirstsIndian 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; when she registered for Comrades, she’d never even run a marathon. Since her 2017 Comrades experience, Anjali has gone on to become one of India’s top ultra...
2020-04-0824 min
Women's Running StoriesDevon Yanko + Comrades Marathon: Her White WhaleDevon 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 qualified twice for the US Olympic trials marathon, and she has also won and set course records in trail and road ultra races up to 100 miles long. You’ll also learn...
2020-03-2530 min
Women's Running StoriesIntroducing Women's Running Stories (formerly Strides Forward)Welcome to Women's Running Stories, the podcast that explores the intersection of running and life, through thoughtfully produced story-telling by host/creator Cherie Louise Turner and original music by Cormac O'Regan. On this show, the runners featured vary widely, from world record setters to mid-life fitness seekers, and the stories are as different as the runners who share them. This show will bring you into the experience of training and racing and explore what running brings to our lives that keeps us lacing up day after day. Every woman who has committed to the glorious grind of t...
2020-01-1704 min