Amanda Vestri

Chris Chavez and Mac Fleet recap the 2025 Houston Half Marathon, where Conner Mantz shattered Ryan Hall's 18-year-old American record with a stunning 59:17 in a thrilling sprint finish and Weini Kelati broke her own American record for the second consecutive year.

Facing freezing conditions, headwinds, and a late quad injury in training leading up to the race, Mantz delivered one of the most historic performances in U.S. distance running. Overall, the American depth was on display with seven men breaking 61:00 and Amanda Vestri moving to No. 8 on the all-time U.S. list with her 67:35. Plus, they break down Joe Klecker’s debut and what some of these performances mean for the track and spring marathons ahead.

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“Ultimately, for that Orlando race, that was more about getting my feet wet a little bit and seeing how the distance felt. Now that I know how it feels, I know that I can push harder.”

My guest for today's episode is Amanda Vestri. She's a professional runner for Brooks who trains with Zap Endurance. She's a rising star on the U.S. distance running scene who just made a stunning half marathon debut at the Orlando Half this past weekend with a blazing 1:18:12 performance that puts her at No. 13 on the U.S. all-time women's half marathon list and sets the stage for what could be an incredible road racing career ahead for her.

Amanda's path to this milestone hasn't been smooth after an injury disrupted her training just weeks before her debut. She pivoted her plans and showed remarkable adaptability and determination to test herself in Orlando. The positives for 2024 outweigh the negatives. She ran a 31:10 personal best for 10K on the track. She was the top American at the NYRR Mini 10K. Over the summer, she signed a pro contract and then took fifth at the US Olympic trials 10,000m final on the track.

In this episode, we discuss her breakthrough 2024 season and unpack some of her aspirations for Houston and beyond. We also look back at what spurred her passion to someday become a professional runner and then follow her long term vision of making the U.S. Olympic Marathon team for Los Angeles in 2028. 

Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram

Guest: Amanda Vestri | @a_vestri

Time stamps:

4:20 - Reflections on her 2024 season

7:21 - How her training has evolved throughout the year

9:58 - Details on her training group (Zap Endurance)

14:33 - Plans on chasing standards + U.S. teams

17:44 - Thoughts on racing the 10K

19:52 - Her transition to the roads

24:46 - Her path to elite running 

27:32 - Reflections on her college career at Iowa State + Syracuse

34:33 - How she handled getting COVID leading into the Olympic Trials

36:51 - Signing with Brooks during the Trials

40:24 - Breaking down the Olympic Trials 10,000m

45:29 - Half marathon being an underrated distance

51:13 - Details on some of her workouts + long runs 

54:36 - Breaking down the race

56:33 - Goals for the Houston Half

59:34 - Fueling during the race 

1:02:21 - Thoughts on moving up to the marathon 

1:06:51 - Goals looking ahead to 2025

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"I’m used to having to claw my way to prove myself to the people I need to prove myself to. But now, it’s more of a mentality I have: Keep your head down. There’s nothing glamorous about this sport. For me, it’s all hard work, show up, showcase your fitness, and then go celebrate with the people who really care about you."

Amanda Vestri was the talk of the running scene last weekend, after her breakout road race at the New York Mini 10K. She finished fourth overall (Senbere Teferi won the race for the third year in a row), was the top American finisher, and ran 31:17 in a deep, star-studded field. In this conversation, the Syracuse University graduate and ZAP Endurance athlete talks about getting a huge confidence boost heading into the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials later this month where she'll race the 10,000m. Plus, why the 24-year-old likes racing with a chip on her shoulder, and her long-term plans and goals in this sport.

FOLLOW AMANDA @a_vestri

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What you’ll get on this episode:

• How Amanda is feeling after racing the Mini 10K in New York City (2:20)
• All about race morning (7:30)
• Amanda breaks down her race at the Mini 10K (10:20)
• On racing with a chip on her shoulder, and who Amanda looks up to in this sport (21:40)
• What it will take to make Team USA this year (28:45)
• On growing up with Olympic dreams (30:30)
• What Amanda was like as a kid, and how she became a runner (50:50)
• What training will look like between now and the Trials (53:50)

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