Ali on the Run Show
862. Roisin Willis, Professional Runner & Stanford University Student
1h 6m
"Sometimes you've just gotta be a little bit fearless."
The last time Roisin Willis was on the Ali on the Run Show, the "fastest high schooler in American history" at the time was fresh off earning a gold medal in the 800m at the USA Track and Field U20 Outdoor Championships, and was headed to Stanford University. (Listen to that episode here.) Now, the middle-distance runner is wrapping up her time at Stanford — and she's gone pro! The two-time NCAA 800m champion opted to forgo her remaining NCAA eligibility in favor of signing a professional contract with New Balance, and she just made her pro racing debut with a stellar indoor season. In this conversation, Roisin talks about racing at New Balance Indoor Grand Prix (she ran and won the 800m), at Boston University (she ran 1:57.97, becoming the first American woman to break 1:58 indoors, and breaking the American record in the event), and at the Millrose Games (she won the 600m). She also talks about her struggles with mental health during her time at Stanford, and about the tools that helped her through the hardest days. Plus, a peek at what's next. (First: midterms!)
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In this episode:
- Where in the world is Roisin Willis? (3:00)
- What it's like being a professional athlete as a senior in college (4:30)
- On being in a sweet spot with running right now, and where Roisin wants to improve (8:50)
- The athlete Roisin looks up to most in the sport — and all about the first time they met (11:30)
- What's making Roisin happy today (14:55)
- Roisin's key takeaways from the short but sweet 2026 indoor season (16:35)
- What it was like making her professional debut at New Balance Indoor Grand Prix (18:45)
- Why Roisin decide to race the 800m at BU six days later — and how she broke the American record in the indoor 800m (22:50)
- How Roisin approached racing the 600m at the Millrose Games, which she also won (27:45)
- Why Roisin decided to forgo her remaining NCAA eligibility in favor of going pro, and what that process has looked like (33:20)
- Roisin talks about making it through the dark days, and about the tools that helped her find the sunshine again (46:00)
- What's next for Roisin on the run and off? (1:01:15)
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