Stephanie Bruce

On this week's show, it's silly season in the track and field world with athletes switching teams and signing new contracts. The Boston Marathon unveiled its deepest fields maybe ever. The Millrose Games Wanamaker Mile and men's 800 fields were released. World Athletics has posted the schedule for all athletics action at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

3:25 – Recent athlete signings & moves: Natosha Rogers to PUMA Elite | Josette Norris to On Athletics Club | David Ribich to Union Athletics Club | Charlie Grice, Eric Avila to Very Nice Track Club | Paige Stoner, Cruz Culpepper to HOKA NAZ Elite | Stephanie Bruce unretires, re-signs with HOKA NAZ Elite 

11:15 – Millrose Games Wanamaker Mile: Olli Hoare is back to defend his Wanamaker mile title after setting the indoor Australian mile record with last year's 3:50.83 victory. His biggest challengers this year include Cole Hocker, Mario Garcia Romo, Yared Nuguse, Johnny Gregorek, Sam Tanner, Sam Prakel, Neil Gourley + more.

15:57 – Millrose Games Men's 800m: Bryce Hoppel returns after last year's victory but will be up against Clayton Murphy, Noah Kibet and Cade Flatt.

18:09 – The Boston Marathon fields include Eliud Kipchoge, Evan Chebet, Benson Kipruto, Albert Korir, Daniel Do Nascimento, Conner Mantz and Scott Fauble on the men's side. There are five women with sub-2:18 marathon PRs and the big stars are Amane Beriso, Sharon Lokedi, Lonah Salpeter, Sara Hall, Gotytom Gebreslase, Emma Bates and Edna Kiplagat.

26:57 – World Athletics' 2024 Olympic schedule has all evening finals. Track and field at the Games will be held from Aug. 1 to 11.

32:58 – Buy or Sell: World Bests, World Record Pending Ratification*, Off Distances, Jake Wightman Losing, Bobby Kersee, Track Meets In Los Angeles.

42:17 – What else is happening inside CITIUS MAG

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Welcome to Episode #333 of the 303 Endurance Podcast. You are listening to your weekly connection to coaches, experts, and pro athletes to help you reach your endurance goals. We're your hosts coach Rich Soares and 303 Chief Bill Plock. Thanks for joining us for another week of endurance interviews and discussion.

Show Sponsor: UCAN

Take your performance to the next level with UCAN Energy and Bars made with SuperStarch®  UCAN uses SuperStarch instead of simple sugars to fuel athletes.  UCAN keeps blood sugar steady compared to the energy spikes and crashes of sugar-based products.  Steady energy equals sustained performance!

Use UCAN in your training and racing to fuel the healthy way, finish stronger and recover more quickly!  Use the code 303UCAN for 20% off at ucan.co/discount/303UCAN/ or ucan.co

In Today's Show

• Endurance News
• • April 18, 2022 Boston Marathon results
  • Who Wore What? These Were the Top Shoes at the 2022 Boston Marathon
• What's new in the 303
• •  Ride the Rockies update - 7 days / 50 porta pot

Our News is sponsored by Buddy Insurance.

Buddy Insurance gives you peace of mind to enjoy your training and racing to the fullest. Buddy’s mission is simple, to help people fearlessly enjoy an active and outdoor lifestyle. 

Get on-demand accident insurance just in case the unexpected happens. Buddy ensures you have cash for bills fast.  This is accident insurance not health and life insurance.  Go to buddyinsurance.com and create an account.  There's no commitment or charge to create one.  Once you have an account created, it's a snap to open your phone and in a couple clicks have coverage for the day.  Check it out!

Endurance News:

Boston Marathon Pro Field

The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) has announced more than 140 athletes will compete at the 126th Boston Marathon as part of the John Hancock Professional Athlete Team. Olympians, Paralympians, and global marathon winners will race from Hopkinton to Boston on April 18 and will be the first race held on the traditional Patriots’ Day date since 2019.

The Boston Marathon made history last year by becoming the first Abbott World Marathon Major event to offer equal $50,000 course record bonuses across open and wheelchair divisions, and the first event to provide a designated prize purse for athletes with upper limb, lower limb, and visual impairments. For the 37th year, prize money awards will be provided by principal sponsor John Hancock.

The full international field, including the Para Athletics Divisions field top contenders, can be found below.

Who Wore What? These Were the Top Shoes at the 2022 Boston Marathon

Ever since the first carbon-plated super shoes hit the roads, they’ve dominated the pro running conversation. With any speedy performance, we want to know: What latest shoe technology were they wearing?

That was certainly the case for Monday’s thrilling Boston Marathon where Peres Jepchirchir and Ababel Yeshaneh fought until the very last mile for their glory moment. In the end, it was Jepchirchir who out-kicked Yeshaneh 2:21.01 to 2:21.05.

In the context of super shoes, though, it may as well have been a head-to-head battle between Adidas and Nike, two Goliaths in the space. And though Nike had more racers finish in the top 15 wearing its shoes, the eventual 2022 Boston Marathon champion was wearing a pair of Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 2’s.

Curious what the other ultra-fast women were racing in on Marathon Monday? We tracked down the 6 shoes that were worn by the top 15 women.

RELATED: American Original: Why Nell Rojas Broke Her Adidas Contract Right Before Placing 10th at Boston

Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 2 | $220

adidas-adizero-adios

Who wore it?

Along with 2022 Boston Marathon champion, Peres Jepchirchir, fellow Kenyans Viola Cheptoo (6th place) and Joyciline Jepkosgei (7th place), and ninth place Charlotte Purdue sported the German shoe.

Nike Vaporfly Next% 2 | $250

nike-zoomx-vaporfly-2

Who wore it?

Who didn’t wear the fabled Nike super shoes? First and second runners up, Ababel Yeshaneh and Mary Wacera Ngugi sported Nikes along the Boston Marathon course, followed by fourth and fifth place runners Edna Kiplagat and Monicah Ngige. Degitu Azimeraw (8th place), Nell Rojas (10th place, first American finisher), and Bria Wetsch (15th place) round out the list of top 15 Boston finishers that raced in Nikes on Monday.

Saucony Endorphin Pro 3

saucony-endorphin-pro-3

Who wore it?

Malindi Elmore, the 11th place finisher, was the only top 15 competitor to sport this new style from Saucony.

HOKA Rocket X 2

close up of Stephanie Bruce's unreleased HOKA Rocket X 2 shoes from the Boston Marathon

126th Boston Marathon April 18, 2022 (Photo: Kevin Morris)

Who wore it?

Second American finisher Stephanie Bruce rocked these brand-new (not available until next year) shoes from her long-time sponsor. She came in 12th overall in 2:28:02.

RELATED: The Best Women’s Racing Shoes Available This Year

Brooks Hyperion Elite 3 | $250

brooks-hyperion-elite-3

Who wore it?

Desiree Linden finished her ninth run at the Boston Marathon in 2:28.47 in this new edition of Brooks carbon-plated super shoe.

Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite

puma-fast-r

Who wore it?

Minnesota-based Dakotah Lindwurm came in 14th in 2:30:42 wearing the Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite, a shoe that is not yet available in America.

2022 Boston Marathon results

Women

1. Peres Jepchirchir (KEN) — 2:21:01
2. Ababel Yeshaneh (ETH) — 2:21:05
3. Mary Ngugi (KEN) — 2:21:32
4. Edna Kiplagat (KEN) — 2:21:40
5. Monicah Ngige (KEN) — 2:22:13
6. Viola Cheptoo (KEN) — 2:23:47
7. Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN) — 2:24:43
8. Degitu Azimeraw (ETH) — 2:25:23
9. Charlotte Purdue (GBR) — 2:25:26
10. Nell Rojas (USA) — 2:25:57
11. Des Linden (USA) — 2:28:47

DNF. Molly Seidel (USA)

Men

1. Evans Chebet (KEN) — 2:06:51
2. Lawrence Cherono (KEN) — 2:07:21
3. Benson Kipruto (KEN) — 2:07:27

4; Gabriel Geay (TAN) — 2:07:53

5. Eric Kaptanui (KEN) — 2:08:47
6. Albert Korir (KEN) — 2:08:50
7. Scott Fauble (USA) — 2:08:52
8. Jemal Yimer (ETH) — 2:08:58
9. Elkanah Kibet (USA) — 2:09:07
10. Kinde Atanaw (ETH) — 2:09:16
11. Lemi Berhanu (ETH) — 2:09:43
12. Geoffrey Kamworor (KEN) — 2:11:49
13. Yuki Kawauchi (JPN) — 2:12:55
14. Jared Ward (USA) — 2:15:24
15. Jake Riley (USA) — 2:30:48

DNF. Lelisa Desisa (ETH)

DNF. Birhanu Legese (ETH)

DNF. Sisay Lemma (ETH)

What's New in the 303:

Video of the Week:

5k Bike Race l Sarah Crowley & Emma Pallant-Browne 🔥

Closing:

Thanks again for listening in this week.  Please be sure to follow us @303endurance and of course go to iTunes and give us a rating and a comment.  We'd really appreciate it!

Stay tuned, train informed, and enjoy the endurance journey!

Regina Lopez is a pro runner for Salomon, competed in the 2020 Olympic Trial Marathon, and won her first Spartan Trail Race.  Last year she set a new 50 mile treadmill world record (8:41:37), despite never having trained for or run anything longer than a marathon and never having run longer than six miles on a treadmill. 

You’d never expect that somebody so accomplished would struggle with confidence and self-image, but she has.  Today she talks about how she works through those issues, the importance of surrounding yourself with people who believe in you, and taking on the challenge of trying new things.

Know that you are equal to them, that if you put in the work and you get in that line, you  belong there, and I did belong there.

Throughout her twenties, Regina mainly ran marathons, and it was starting to get old.  “I was just doing the same thing, and just hanging out with the same people doing the same thing and I just got bored,” she recalls.  She had friends who ran Spartan races and followed Courtney Dauwalter and other ultra runners, and was intrigued by the idea of running trails and longer distances.  

So she entered the Spartan Trail US Championship Women’s 21K in 2019.  She hadn’t focused on trail running, and she wasn’t sponsored at the time, so seeing all of the sponsored athletes competing was a little intimidating.  But, she says, “I just went in that race, I had fun. I was competitive, I raced my own race, and I won.”  In 2021 she ran her first ultra, the 50K Road National Championship, and earned second place.

I wanted to be part of something where I felt included, where I felt that it was something bigger than myself, with people who want to just grow, who are about inclusion, who are about just treating people right. 

She caught the attention of Salomon, which she believes is the perfect sponsor for her.  They’re not as interested in her times as in who she is as a person.  If that wasn’t the case, if she didn’t feel welcome, she wouldn’t have taken the sponsorship.

To live a life where you’re not being acknowledged, you’re not being appreciated, you’re not doing something that’s rewarding, then why do it?

When Covid hit, Regina realized that she wanted to be more than “just a runner.”  She’d been so focused on being an athlete that she had never thought she’d have a career.  She’d also never had anyone support her ambitions.  Then she found her current job, which she loves, working with children with autism.  Like Salomon, it feels like a community, and she has mentors to help her grow.  

When I got into running it made me feel like I was strong, like people's opinions didn't matter to me. Yeah, that's how I gained confidence and so I just put all my focus on running.

There were many times when Regina felt alone and self-conscious.  She had a speech problem and didn’t begin speaking until she was five.  Ever since she was a baby, she was called “chubby.”  It wasn’t intended to be mean; people thought it was cute, but it hurt.  

She was athletic, though, and played basketball and volleyball, and then got into running and weight training.  All of that helped her shift her mindset and appreciate what her body can do.

When I've been put down so much during my life, I feel like that pushes me to want to achieve that goal.

Regina didn’t have access to a track and did all of her running workouts on the streets of Los Angeles.  She didn’t have money for college tuition.  But the more that people told her that she wouldn’t run competitively or go to college, the more determined she was to prove them wrong.  In her senior year of high school, she went to a running camp at UCLA.  She earned a college scholarship.  

When she was at the running camp, the coach told her, “keep running; we need more representation.”  At first what he meant didn’t click, but then, she says, “I went to a half marathon and a woman and her daughter came up to me after the race and the mom, she said, ‘thank you so much.’ You know, ‘you're a strong Latina woman. We need more women like you.’”  Now she loves giving the encouragement that she lacked when she was growing up to other young women.

It just feels great when I know I'm making an influence.  Like there's two girls, they actually went to my 50 mile treadmill race. And every time I see them, they always tell me, “you inspire me,” and it just feels great that I'm able to encourage other female young runners.

Resources:

Regina's Instagram

Ecosia - the search engine that plants trees

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Tianna Bartoletta is one of the best sprinters in the world, and she’s on hand to teach all of us, even the endurance runners, what we can learn from short distance running. Really short.

For most of us, a sprint is less than 20 seconds, which is the distance short enough to reach your top speed completely anaerobically, or without needing oxygen for fuel.  Past this point, your lungs scream for oxygen and you will probably not be able to sustain the effort.

Why should long distance runners care about those 20 seconds?  Because by tapping into your anaerobic system a couple times a week, you teach yourself to burn that fire just a little hotter, and train your other gears to run a little more smoothly and efficiently.

Tianna also talks about what surprising things endurance runners can learn from long jumpers and yogis, how to frame our body talk in a positive way, how she’s adapted her training as she’s aged, and her gold-medal-winning, world-record-breaking Olympic relay experience. This episode has something for everyone, whether you’re a walker, a sprinter, or an endurance monster! 

Tianna is a 35 year-old American sprinter and long jumper.  She is a two-time Olympian with three gold medals.   She ran the lead leg in the world record setting  4 × 100 m relay team in 2012, handing the baton to Allyson Felix.  At the 2016 Summer Olympics she won two more golds, first with a personal best to win the long jump then again leading off the winning  4 × 100 m relay team.

In non-Olympic years, Tianna has won the World Championships 3 times and competed as a pusher on the U.S. bobsled team in 2012.

And if all of that weren't amazing enough,  she’s also a registered yoga teacher, writes a blog at tiannabee.com , and her memoir, Survive And Advance, will be released this June!

Questions Tianna is asked: 

4:37 This conversation is a little bit delayed because you got a surprise drug test at 7:00 in the morning. Can you talk about that?

5:09 Can you talk about the 60-day transformation that you posted? What happened? I thought you looked great before, but now you’re like a sculpture. It’s amazing. Can you tell me how that happened?

9:01 I remember reading in one of your Instagram threads that you said you were hungry during your 60-day transformation, and that’s not something that we really like to admit. Why did you want to tell people like, “Hey, yes, this is working but to be perfectly honest, I’m hungry?” Why did you want to share that part about it?

11:45 You'll have to forgive me for asking what might end up being very basic questions, but our listeners mostly are endurance runners. So when somebody says, “I’m going to go run 100,” they’re usually talking about 100 miles not 100 meters, and you are a 100-meter specialist among many of your talents. So I would love to learn more about what it takes to be a good 100m specialist?

13:41 When you say you’re allergic to running long, you obviously don’t just run 100 meters in training and then stop. You do obviously run long. So what’s a long run for you?

17:17 Let’s talk about Stephanie Bruce. One of the bright spots of 2020, an obviously crazy year, is that you two connected, and I would love to hear about that story.

19:39 In 2020, obviously Tokyo was delayed. What was that like for you when you found out the news?

22:12 In both 2012 and 2016, you were a part of the gold-winning 4x100m relay team, in the lead leg position, handing the baton to Allyson Felix.  Talk us through that. What makes a good relay team? How does the coach determine the order?  How many times do you practice that baton pass?  

24:19 What was your favorite moment from those games? 

25:19 You are also a gold medalist in the long jump, and I want to talk about the world record there. The American world record and the overall world record, those are very, very old from the ‘80s and ‘90s. What’s it going to take to break it?

29:00 You recently had a meet where you were jumping really, really well, and you registered under the team name AARP.  Can you explain that?

30:37 What’s your key to longevity in this sport then? What makes you at your age still able to perform at such a high level?

32: 17 How do you get your ego out of the way when training? How do you tell yourself, “No, it’s okay to step back?”

34:19 Let’s talk about yoga. One stereotype about runners is that they really don't have to be all that flexible.  You are a yogi and you are super flexible. Can you share how yoga physically helps you, and then we get more into the mental side of it?

36:44 You have a book coming out. Tell us about that.

37:57 When does your book come out?

38:10 What do you think long-distance runners can learn from sprinters, jumpers, and yogis?

39:27 How often do you do plyometrics?

40:14 What's next for you?

Questions I ask everyone:

40:39 If you could go back and talk to yourself when you started running, what advice would you give yourself?

41:04 What is the greatest gift running has given you?

41:17 Where can listeners connect with you?

Quotes by Tianna:

“You realize how much of our eating is just habit and mindless snacking. And so that’s really the biggest transformation is that everything is mindful. Everything I ingest is done with that little pause, like why am I eating this? What is it for? And that’s been the difference and my body has really responded to that.”

“I loved not realizing that we broke the world record. Somebody had to point it out to us in 2012.  I just knew we won and we won by a lot.”

“You have to be able to put your ego aside and say, ‘This is what my body needs. Sure, I can see that my rivals and competitors are doing six days a week but I can’t do that.’ And at the end of the day, you have to train the body that you have. That you actually have. Not the one you wish you had; the one you have. And that’s the key.”

Take a Listen on Your Next Run

Want more awesome interviews and advice? Subscribe to our iTunes channel

Mentioned in this podcast:

Tianna Bee

Survive and Advance

Runners Connect Winner's Circle Facebook Community 

RunnersConnect Facebook page

RunnersConnect Focus Classes

email Coach Claire

Follow Tianna on:

Instagram

We really hope you’ve enjoyed this episode of Run to the Top.

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The more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, the more I can reach out to and get top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!

We are kicking off our inspiration series with someone who's whole mission is to inspire others to break their own self-imposed limitations, and he's doing it epic style.  Bill, remember the phrase that summed up our plan for 2021?  #DOEPICSHIT.  Tez Steinberg, Founder of United World Challenge solo rowed from California to Hawaii this past summer/fall and we get to hear what it was like for 6 weeks alone, rowing, in the largest deepest ocean on the planet.  Do epic shit, indeed. 

Show Sponsor: VENGA

Today's show is sponsored by Venga CBD.  Venga is a premium CBD that will improve your athletic performance by helping reduce inflammation and anxiety.  Venga CBD products are made for endurance athletes here in Colorado with the highest quality hemp. All their products are THC free, with the highest bioavailability of any CBD. 

Venga has a no-risk, 60-day, money-back guarantee.  It's easy to order online and have delivered right to your door.   Get yours at https://vengaendurance.com/303podcast/.  Get 30% off your first order with promo code - 303podcast. 

In Today's Show

• Feature interview with Tez Steinberg
• Endurance News - Aliphine Tuliamuk, Olympic Marathon Trial champ having a baby
• What New in the 303 - BRAC Q/A with Andy Johnson; Castle Rock Fat Bike Snow Adventure
• Video of the Week - Tez Steinberg on Land Sighting after 70 days

Interview Sponsor: UCAN

Take your performance to the next level with UCAN Energy and Bars made with SuperStarch®  UCAN uses SuperStarch instead of simple sugars to fuel serious athletes.  UCAN keeps blood sugar steady compared to the energy spikes and crashes of sugar-based products.  Steady energy equals sustained performance!

You put in the training, so don't let nutrition limit your performance.  Use UCAN in your training and racing to fuel the healthy way, finish stronger and recover more quickly!  Use the code 303UCAN for 20% off at

ucan.co/discount/303UCAN/ or ucan.co, 

UCAN DAILY PERFORMANCE BUNDLE includes 2 Energy Bar Boxes, 2 Hydrate Electrolyte Boxes.  You get to customize the flavors in your bundle and it's now 25% using this link.

Interview with Tez Steinberg

We first spoke to Tez Steinberg in the summer of 2019.  He was preparing to do the solo row from California to Hawaii in the winter 2019-2020.  We stayed in touch to follow his story.  His schedule was delayed until the summer of 2020.  While most of us were isolating because of COVID, Tez was isolated by himself for 6 weeks 2,700 miles, documenting the plastic in the Pacific and collecting , and raising $76K for scholarships to United World College.  

Captain's Blog: United World Challenge - United World Challenge

UWC - What is UWC?

Our News is sponsored by Buddy Insurance.

Buddy Insurance is the kind of peace of mind you need as an active outdoor enthusiast.  Buddy’s mission is simple, to help people fearlessly enjoy an active and outdoor lifestyle.  You can now get on-demand accident insurance to make sure you get cash for bills fast and fill any gaps between your current coverage.  Go to buddyinsurance.com and create an account.  There's no commitment or charge to create one.  Once you have an account created, it's a snap to open your phone and in a couple clicks have coverage for the day.  Check it out!

Endurance News:

Marathon trials champion uses Olympic postponement to start family

Even if she couldn't immediately renew her nursing assistant license to help during the coronavirus pandemic, marathoner Aliphine Tuliamuk was determined to be productive through a one-year postponement until the Tokyo Olympics.

One way was to fulfill orders for her crocheted Allie Resiliency Beanies that took off following her victory at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in late February 2020.

The other way, she and her long-time boyfriend Tim Gannon decided, was to start a family. So this month, the 31-year-old Tuliamuk will give birth in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Then when she is physically ready, Tuliamuk will resume training with Northern Arizona Elite in Flagstaff to prepare for the Olympic marathon Aug. 7 in Sapporo, site of the 1972 Winter Olympics selected for distance events due to excessive summer heat in Tokyo.

For Tuliamuk and Gannon, engaged to be married, the birth of their daughter already named Zoe will be a joyous start to 2021 that her coach believes will carry over through the hard work necessary to prepare for the Olympics.  "Aliphine is as happy as she's ever been, and I just think there's something to be said for that," NAZ Elite coach Ben Rosario said. "Any couple who's really wanted to have a baby then have one, sure there's stress that comes with that and sleepless nights. But overall there's joy. And Aliphine has always competed best when she's happy.

Tuliamuk naturally was ecstatic after conquering the demanding trials course in Atlanta to win in 2:27.33 and become the first Olympic qualifier for NAZ Elite, going into its eighth year of operation. Her finish-line celebration with teammates Stephanie Bruce (sixth) and Kellyn Taylor (eighth) is one of the indelible 2020 Olympic sport memories before the Tokyo Games were postponed less than a month later.

In early December, Tuliamuk made her pregnancy public via social media. "Tim and I always knew that we wanted to have a family," she said. "The goal was post 2020 Olympics. As it turned out this year had other plans. By mid-April we were convinced there will be no more races this season. The darkness ahead was too much, we created our own light at the end of the tunnel.

"If anyone told me this would be the case 10 months ago, I would have called them crazy, but this is 2020. We planned this knowing that we would have six-plus months to get ready for Tokyo Olympics."

What's New in the 303:

BRAC a Year in Review and What’s Ahead with President Andy Johnson

303Endurance caught up with Bicycle Racing Association of Colorado (BRAC) President, Andy Johnson to take a look back at 2020 and all the challenges and how they will help BRAC moving forward in 2021 and beyond to benefit not only bike racing community, but the cycling community in general. 

303: You have mentioned a new name for BRAC, are you ready to reveal that at this time and if so what is it?

Andy: Years ago when BRAC was under different leadership, the organization was keen on creating a URL that speaks to the larger vision of BRAC’s role in the Colorado cycling community.  So, if approved at Club Council in February, the Bicycle Racing Association of Colorado (which is a mouthful) and BRAC (which is always awkward to say and explain) will be known as ColoradoCycling.Org.  The name change affords us the ability to talk about cycling and cycling events in the broader context of our Colorado community.

Castle Rock Fat Bike Snow Adventure and Cultural Hub Extraordinaire?

When I say Castle Rock, Colorado…what comes to mind? Awesome backcountry adventure? A gritty and popular brew pub vibe from “the other side of the tracks”. Perhaps that shining monument to Law and Order—The Douglas County Jail complex? Or, if you are like me, Castle Rock reminds you of New York City right? Well, in an epic Dirt Journal mix tape they all collided last week.

If Castle Rock reminds you of none of the above, except perhaps the Justice Center (that’s a separate story on to itself) I’ll show you how this overgrown Highlands Ranch is actually a trippy Narnia. You just need to put on the magic rose colored hippie glasses to see it.

If you have been reading Dirt Journal, a familiar sequence is starting to appear: Bike, Business, Beer, Boondoggle. My Castle Rock mission was long overdue but with the last snow and cooler weather…and the holidays upon us…it was “go” time for Castle Rock.

Video of the Week:

Day 70 | September 10 | Mile 2601

Closing:

Thanks again for listening in this week.  Please be sure to follow us @303endurance and of course go to iTunes and give us a rating and a comment.  We'd really appreciate it!

Happy New Year!  Stay tuned, train informed, and enjoy the endurance journey!

Elevating American Distance Running: Ben Rosario 

Ben Rosario is the head coach of the HOKA Northern Arizona Elite. His athletes have been wildly successful in recent years, with the most notable being Aliphine Tuliamuk's win at the 2020 US Olympic Trials. His athletes Stephanie Bruce and Kellyn Taylor also finished in the top ten of that race, and on the men's side, Scott Fauble, a 2:09 marathoner, came in 12th.

In this episode, Coach Claire talks to Ben about the Olympic Marathon Trials, focusing on how well his female athletes did, how HOKA NAZ treats female athletes, especially in light of the Nike Oregon Project, and why he thinks so many female runners are still posting PRs well into their 30s.  Ben also shares some great coaching advice, his training philosophy, and his insight into why so many world records have been posted during COVID. 

At the time of this recording, Ben was preparing for The Marathon Project held on December 20. Coach Claire asks Ben for his predictions and will post the results here in the show notes following the race.

Like many coaches, Ben started out as an accomplished runner himself as a member of the Hansons Brooks team and he competed in the Olympic Trials twice before turning to coaching full time. 

In his six+ years with Northern Arizona Elite, Ben’s athletes have won U.S. National Titles in cross country and on the roads at 10k, the half marathon and the 25k, as well as New Zealand National Titles on the track and the roads. 

HOKA NAZ Elite athletes have recorded 8 top-10 finishes at World Marathon Majors.The team has been represented at the World Cross Country Championships, the World Half Marathon Championships, and at the World Track and Field Championships. 

His athletes have also competed at the European Athletics Championships, the Great Edinburgh International XC Meet, the NACAC Cross Country Championships, the NACAC Track Championships, the Pan American Cup Cross Country Meet and the Pan American Games. 

In 2016, the team produced two sixth-place finishes at the Olympic Trials Marathon and two fourth-place finishes in the 10,000 meters at the Olympic Track and Field Trials. At the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials, four HOKA NAZ Elite athletes posted top 20 finishes, including three in the top eight in the women’s race led by Aliphine Tuliamuk–the Trials Champion. 

Questions Ben is asked:

4:19 2020 has been pretty crazy for everyone in the world but specifically for the team that you lead, Northern Arizona Elite. Let's go back in time to February when you were getting ready for the Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta. Can you take us back there and recap what you were thinking?

5:10 Atlanta is a pretty tough course with all the hills. Obviously that was not a problem for at least your female athletes.

5:28 Your athlete, Aliphine Tuliamuk, won the women's race and was planning to head to Tokyo when the world shut down. What was that like as her coach?

6:41 I would love to talk to you about Aliphine Tuliamuk’s recent announcement that she is pregnant and due in January. As her coach, I’m sure she came to you and said, “Hey, Ben, this is what I’m going to do.” What was that conversation like? 

7:26 How tough was it keeping Aliphine’s pregnancy a secret?

8:33 You are quite experienced in elite mom runners. Several women on your team are moms and are still just killing it. I would love to talk about Kellyn Taylor, Stephanie Bruce. I would love to talk about Stephanie for a minute. She is almost 37 years old and still getting PRs in the 10K. How is that possible?

10:14 It didn’t used to be so long ago that mid-30s was old for a runner but now that’s not the case, and I think maybe it has something to do with belief, too, seeing all these new great examples.

11:06 I want to keep going back to the women because you have been coaching some really great ones obviously, and American women are seeing a resurgence in endurance running. American men maybe not so much. Would you want to talk about that?

12:32 I want to talk to you about how women are treated in this sport. We’ve all heard about the crazy things with the Nike Oregon Project and how Kara Goucher was treated when she was pregnant. I don’t think that it’s going to be the same story with Hoka. I would love to have you share what you could say about how Hoka supports its female athletes.

15:06 I think you’re right that when all that came out about the Oregon Project that we thought as fans, “Oh. This is the way they’re all treated.” But it’s great to hear that that’s not the case.

15:34 Whenever I get a coach on, I love to talk about coaching advice to hopefully help someone who’s listening become a better runner. Do you have different training approaches for the kids who come straight out of college than you do for your veteran elite runners?

17:03 Let’s talk in a little bit more detail about the training advice. Most runners get the advice hard days are hard; easy days are easy. But then you throw in some medium days. I think that’s where a lot of recreational runners trip up is those medium days. Can you talk about those and what they’re for and how you use them?

19:22 You don’t always have to run your hardest, right?

20:11 You're also a fan of high mileage and I want to know what that means to you because as runners we all want to run as much as possible but clearly there’s a point when high is too high. So what is that point? Obviously it’s individual, but how does somebody know what is high for them? Where’s that sweet spot?

22:51 Besides your athletes, this year we've seen so many world-record breaking performances in 2020, which seems counterintuitive since there have been so few races, the world is not normal, and people can’t train the way they usually do. What do you attribute that to?  

24:14 I’m sure the cynics would say the number of world-record breaking performances in 2020 are because of the shoes or because there’s not enough drug tests in COVID. What do you say about those kinds of things?

25:25 So you think there should be regulations on running shoes like them being available to the public or there’s a stack height, that kind of stuff; is that what you mean?

27:00 What's next for you and your athletes?  How do you predict the running world will change in 2020?  

28:29 This will probably air after the Marathon Project this weekend, but I would love to have you handicap it a little bit, tell us who’s all racing and what do you predict?

31:40 How many participants are there for the marathon?

Questions I Ask Everyone:

32:17 If you could go back and talk to yourself when you started running, what advice would you give?

33:31 What is the greatest gift running has given you? 

33:56 Where can listeners connect with you?

Quotes by Ben:

“I think what we’re learning is that women can run really well into their mid-to-late 30s, and we’re learning that not only from Steph but Shalane, Des, Kellyn, Molly Huddle; all kinds of women in the US and beyond are showing that in distance running, women keep getting better.”

“In general, my goal anyway is to keep people around here for a really long time. So we’re definitely taking a long-term approach and we’re not trying to necessarily throw everything at them right away. We’re trying to slowly add pieces over time, and you see that with the folks who have stayed with us for a long time just getting better and better and better and better, and that’s what we want.” 

“I think uninterrupted training leads to great performances for anybody at any level.”

“The sport has a side to it now that is very technological. And so does golf. And so does swimming. And so does baseball, right? And every sport almost. And like all those other sports, we need to make sure that the playing field is fair.”

Take a Listen on Your Next Run

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Mentioned in this podcast: 

The Marathon Project

Runners Connect Winner's Circle Facebook Community

RunnersConnect Facebook page

claire@runnersconnect.net

https://www.precisionhydration.com/

Follow Ben on:

NAZ Elites on Instagram

NAZ Elites on Twitter

NAZ Elites on Soundcloud

NAZ Elites on Facebook

Ben's Twitter

Ben's Instagram

BITR's Thomas and Meaghan discuss the Skechers Razor Elite (3:02) and the HOKA One One Rocket X (5:07) before previewing the upcoming London Marathon (8:00). Then, they interview Stephanie Bruce, NAZ Elite athlete, and Michael McManus, Global Sports Marketing Director at HOKA, about the Rocket X and HOKA's partnership with the Northern Arizona Elite running team (10:40). Finally, BITR's own Adrienne Langelier explains how to move past failure (50:09).

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Stephanie Bruce is one of the most popular American distance runners competing on the circuit. She has used her platform to build up women, inspire others and uplift U.S. distance running as a whole. And it doesn’t hurt that she’s having one of the best years of her professional career.