Emma 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 away with the win, which she did. The American record holder in the marathon and half-marathon, Emily Sisson is having a "moment," to put it mildly. But how would the rest of the race unfold for this stellar field of competition? Emma Grace had her sights on making sure she had some say in the matter, which is exactly what she did. No doubt, we'll be hearing a lot from Emma Grace in the future. Stay tuned to the end of the episode to hear top 10 results from this incredible field of top American runners. Keep Up With Emma Grace Online Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmagracehurley/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/emmagracehurley

In this special collaboration with Hear Her Sports, we talk to Jae Gruenke, a Feldenkrais practitioner and running form expert, and founder of The Balance Runner.   Both Cherie Turner (host of Women’s Running Stories, WRS) and Elizabeth Emery (host of Hear Her Sports) have experience working with Jae, especially in her online running form camp. But Feldenkrais and Jae’s approach to running form work is different and feels almost mysterious. Elizabeth and Cherie wanted to learn more, and get a greater understanding of what makes this work so powerful and also challenging, especially for runners and others who focus on working harder and putting in more effort to get results.  Jae is also featured in the WRS episode "Olympian Sonia Samuels with Movement Expert Jae Gruenke: Recovering Skillful, Pain-Free Running": https://womensrunningstories.com/olympian-sonia-samuels-with-movement-expert-jae-gruenke-recovering-skillful-pain-free-running About Jae Gruenke Jae Gruenke is known as “the wise woman of running” and has helped runners from beginner to Olympian relieve pain and improve their performance; she specializes in helping runners whose problems have persisted despite medical treatment. Jae’s interest in running technique was sparked when, as a professional dancer, she was asked to perform choreography that included sustained running in large, outdoor environments. Frustrated by how difficult and uncomfortable running felt, she began to study running technique and use the Feldenkrais Professional Training Program she was enrolled in as a laboratory to discover how to coordinate her movements so that running felt comfortable, easy, and enjoyable. Eventually, realizing she’d come to prefer running to dancing, and also that the changes in movement that had made the difference to her running were not being taught, discussed, or researched elsewhere, she retired from dancing and launched The Balanced Runner. Jae has been a member of the Feldenkrais Guild of North America since 1999 and the United Kingdom since 2011, and was an ACE-certified personal trainer from 1999-2012.  She graduated from Williams College in 1992 where she majored in literary studies and cross-enrolled at Bennington College to study modern dance. Working as a professional dancer from 1992-2003, she performed with a number of New York City-based companies, and at the time of her retirement from dance in 2003 she was a senior company member of Sarah Skaggs Dance. Ways to Keep Up With Jae Gruenke and The Balanced Runner Online Website: https://balancedrunner.com The Balanced Runner on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/balancedrunner/featured Online Running Form Camp (mentioned in the episode): https://www.balancedrunner.com/online-training-camps Ways to Keep Up With Hear Her Sports Join Hear Her Sports on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hearhersports Find all episodes: http://www.hearhersports.com/ Find Hear Her Sports on all social media @hearhersports Ways to Keep Up With Keeping Track Find all episodes: https://keeping-track.com/ Ways to Keep Up With Women’s Running Stories  Find all episodes: https://womensrunningstories.com/ Instagram: @womensrunningstories Twitter: @WomenRunStories

Erika 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 coaches, great success, and probably most importantly, she had a great time and discovered a deep drive to explore her ultimate potential in the sport. Erika turned pro right out of college, becoming a member of the Boston Athletic Association professional team in 2018. In her time as a pro, she has upped her racing distances and earned two national titles; she also won the 2021 USATF Running Circuit over title. But, she has also had her fair share of defeats and frustrations. Through it all, Erika has absorbed the wisdom of her experiences. And she'll be taking all of that to the start line of her first marathon on April 17, where she'll be representing her new team, Brooks Running. Erika shares the story of her entire running journey, as she prepares for her next great challenge, the marathon. Along the way, we get to celebrate her wins, learn from her difficulties, and get excited to cheer her on at Boston. Keep Up with Erika Kemp Online Erika is on Instagram: @imtinyrik

Lauren 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 now, and what she's looking forward to. Keep Up With Lauren Hagans Instagram: @haagendazs_86 Twitter: @HotPaquettes HOKA NAZ Elite Team Profile: https://nazelite.com/athletes/lauren-paquette/

Sara 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 won the next three years. The rules changed for the following year and women were officially allowed to run marathons beginning in 1972. In addition to work that supported other women runners and helped change the rules that limited women's participation in running, Sara Mae was one of the fastest marathon runners in the world on record during her peak. The strides she and other women of her generation made helped set the bar and lay the foundation for the future of women's distance running in the United States. Mentioned in this episode: Starting Line 1928 podcast: an oral history project featuring interviews with pioneering women runners: https://www.startingline1928.com/ Bobbi Gibb: The First Woman of the Boston Marathon: https://womensrunningstories.com/bobbi-gibb-the-first-woman-of-the-boston-marathon Evergreen Podcast Network: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/ Women's Running Stories on the Evergreen Podcast Network: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/womens-running-stories Hear Her Sports podcast: http://www.hearhersports.com/ Keeping Track podcast: https://keeping-track.com/

Lindsey 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 perform its best–as an athlete, mom, and business owner. She also talks about body acceptance, moving toward appreciating the shape her body takes when it's healthiest and performs its best. Lindsey also recognizes that this journey is a process with ups and downs, and the tools we develop can be used for a lifetime. Discover more about Lindsey online Rise Up Nutrition website: www.riseupnutritionrun.com Female Athlete Nutrition podcast: www.riseupnutritionrun.com/podcast Instagram: instagram.com/female.athlete.nutrition Mentioned in this episode Hear Her Sports podcast: http://www.hearhersports.com/ Cherie Turner + Comrades Marathon: A Hear Her Sports Special Collaboration: https://womensrunningstories.com/cherie-turner-comrades-marathon-a-hear-her-sports-special-collaboration Cathy Hopkins + Comrades Marathon: Discovering Community: https://womensrunningstories.com/0105-cathy-hopkins-comrades-marathon-discovering-community Ways to keep up with Women's Running Stories Our website: womensrunningstories.com Instagram: @womensrunningstories Twitter: @womenrunstories Women's Running Stories is a member of the Evergreen network: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/

We're excited to bring you a something a little different and let you know about another women-hosted podcast that features women runners. Please enjoy this episode from the podcast Starting Line 1928, which features in-depth interviews with women running pioneers. The episode we chose features ultra legend Bjorg Austrheim-Smith, who is best known for winning the historic Western States 100-mile Endurance Race three times: 1981, 1982, 1983. She began running when she was 35 and a mother of two (she would eventually have three children). Following an interest to be healthy and just get outside and move, she found a talent and passion that culminated in her becoming a champion and a trailblazer. Starting Line 1928 is an oral history project documenting the lived experiences of women distance running pioneers. A team of freelance historians interviews women who are trailblazers in the sport—with a special emphasis on women of color and others whose voices haven’t been heard as often. The project spans the 20th century, chronicling the individuals who paved the way for a post-Title IX world. Guests have included Olympians, steeplechase pioneers, ultrarunning champions, coaches, and those who fought hard for women to have new opportunities in the sport. The show is a proud recipient of a 2022 Tracksmith Fellowship. Learn More about Starting Line 1928 StartingLine1928.com Instagram @startingline1928 Twitter @startline1928 Learn More about Women's Running Stories Our website: womensrunningstories.com Instagram: @womensrunningstories Twitter: @womenrunstories

Professional 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 things up, being playful among the seriousness of big pursuits, and how going after wild goals can reignite your ambitions. She also got that sub-2:30 PR, at CIM! Maegan tells her story in her own voice. Follow Meagan on Instagram: @mkrifchin Lean more about Maegan in our live interview, also featuring Marilyn Bevans, recorded just before the 2022 Boston Marathon: LIVE EVENT: Marilyn Bevans & Maegan Krifchin, Celebrating 50 Years of Women Running Boston, Officially; hosted by Strides Forward & Run Father & Faster podcasts Also mentioned in this episode: Hillary Allen: An Unbreakable Will Ways to keep up with Women's Running Stories Our website: womensrunningstories.com Instagram: @womensrunningstories Twitter: @womenrunstories

Well 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 the lack of diversity in the sport, especially the absence of other Black women runners. This led to Tiffany setting out on a running challenge and research project of completing a half-marathon in each one of the 50 states. Her approach and interest is both academic and personal: she's assessing the project through the dual lens of being a Black woman runner herself and also as a sociologist focused on the intersection of race, gender, and class. Tiffany has been chronicling her journey on her blog RunISee50. Once Chenault finishes her project in 2023, by completing a half-marathon in her 50th state, Hawaii, she'll turn her findings into a book. Tiffany has come to define her own space in the running community, and she's working to help other women do the same. She is the co-ambassador for the Boston chapter of Black Girls Run, and she a member of the Boston Running Collaborative, which the Boston Athletic Association created to strengthen its focus on increasing diversity and access to the running community in the Boston area. Tiffany also recently modeled for REI and was featured in their catalog. As part of that campaign, there was an accompanying article that featured her titled "What a Runner Looks Like." Ways to keep up with Tiffany Her blog: RunISee50.com Instagram: @runisee50 Ways to keep up with Women's Running Stories Our website: womensrunningstories.com Instagram: @womensrunningstories Twitter: @womenrunstories

If you aren't familiar with Hillary's racing career, it's likely because most of the racing she's done is in Europe where the style and the terrain of the racing suits her; it's what she really loves. Hillary is also the author of the book Out and Back where she chronicles in fine detail exactly what she's had to overcome and what's she's learned. Hillary will readily tell you that she's not the same as she was before her running journey began. She doesn't consider her story one of comebacks; it's one of growth. It's a story punctuated by a near-death fall and then other serious set-backs. Through it all, Hillary has honed the art of growth through adversity, and she's cultivated a lot of skills along the way.  In this episode, Hillary brings us up to the present, which very significantly includes her running the 100-mile UTMB, which just took place at the end of August 2022. If you're not totally familiar with UTMB, it can refer to the collection of races that take place over the course of a week in late summer in the Alps, with all of the action based out of Chamonix, France, or it can refer to the UTMB race, which is the premier event of that week of races. The race is a full circumnavigation of Western Europe's highest peak, Mont Blanc. Suffice to say the UTMB festival of events is the largest, most competitive collection of ultra events in the world.  When Hillary isn't racing up and down the tough technical terrain in Europe or elsewhere in the world, she's training and racing on the tough technical terrain near her home in Boulder, Colorado. She relayed her story from there just after returning from her time in Chamonix and the UTMB. This episode is sponsored by The Feed, the largest online marketplace for your sports nutrition, offering the brands you know and love, from Skratch Labs, Clif Bar, to Maurten, plus their athlete customized supplements called Feed Formulas. In addition to supporting Strides Forward, this sponsorship supports Hear Her Sports and Keeping Track: together we are a collective of women-hosted podcasts focused on women in sports. As part of this sponsorship, you can get $80 in credit at The Feed: just go to TheFeed.com/forward to claim your $80 in credit at The Feed. Keep up with Hillary Online Hillary's website: https://hillaryallen.com/ Hillary's book Out and Back Hillary's TedTalk Hillary on Instagram: @hillgoat_climbs Podcast co-hosted by Hillary, Corrine Malcolm and Keely Henninger: Trail Society

In this episode, Alison tells her running journey and touches on many of the topics that are featured in her book. Let this serve, then, as an inspiration to read her whole story in Running While Black, a book that will certainly become a best-seller and an important read for all runners, especially white runners.  On Women’s Running Stories, we often feature running journeys that highlight how running is about more than the simple act of putting one foot in front of the other. Alison's story is exceptional in this regard.  Her new book is the latest example of how Alison interweaves her running with her commitment to leave the world a better place than it was when she found it. Over the years, she has become a leader in the running world, with a clear, powerful voice. She has shown how running can be a vehicle to create change. She’s also working to create change within the running industry so that this sport can some day truly live up to the claim that it is open and welcoming to everyone.  Alison not only does the work herself, but also inspires and encourages and helps make space for other people doing the work to move the sport of running toward being a space where everyone feels not only welcome, but that they belong.  This episode is sponsored by The Feed, the largest online marketplace for your sports nutrition, offering the brands you know and love, from Skratch Labs, Clif Bar, to Maurten, plus their athlete customized supplements called Feed Formulas. In addition to supporting Strides Forward, this sponsorship supports Hear Her Sports and Keeping Track: together we are a collective of women-hosted podcasts focused on women in sports. As part of this sponsorship, you can get $80 in credit at The Feed: just go to TheFeed.com/forward to claim your $80 in credit at The Feed. Keep Up with Alison Online Alison’s website: http://alisonmdesir.com/ Alison on Instagram: @alisonmdesir Buy Running While Black:  Links to Organizations Mentioned in this Episode Harlem Run: http://www.harlemrun.com/about Run 4 All Women: https://www.run4allwomen.com/ Meaning Through Movement: https://www.meaningthrumovement.com/ Running Industry Diversity Coalition: https://www.runningdiversity.com/ Take the Lead on Instagram: @woctakethelead

Gina 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 record in the mile and set numerous cross-country course records. She went on to be a champion DIII runner in college.  Post-college, Gina began working in the sports industry, eventually focusing on the outdoor run/hike space. She also discovered a love of trail running and racing, which ultimately led her to becoming a sponsored athlete. All along the way, Gina continued to take note of the preferential treatment male runners and racers received, in every facet of the trail running world. After numerous efforts to create change within the system, she decided to create to something herself.  Trail Sisters was born. What started as a passion project at Gina's kitchen table quickly grew to a large community of women who share experiences and support to get out on the trails. Over the past six years, Trail Sisters has developed into a leading voice in the trail running and hiking industry, helping establish a space that values and includes women.  Gina emphasizes that the power of the community is rooted in the collective efforts of all of the individuals who have been involved in Trail Sisters, in whatever capacity that is: "I feel like we're very powerful when we work together and we support each other," says Gina.  This episode is sponsored by The Feed, the largest online marketplace for your sports nutrition, offering the brands you know and love, from Skratch Labs, Clif Bar, to Maurten, plus their athlete customized supplements called Feed Formulas. In addition to supporting Strides Forward, this sponsorship supports Hear Her Sports and Keeping Track: together we are a collective of women-hosted podcasts focused on women in sports. As part of this sponsorship, you can get $80 in credit at The Feed: just go to TheFeed.com/forward to claim your $80 in credit at The Feed. Ways to Keep Up with Trail Sisters Online The Trail Sisters website: TrailSisters.net Trail Sisters on Instagram: trail_sisters Ways to Keep Up With Strides Forward Online  Website: StridesForwardPodcast.com Twitter: @stridesforward Instagram: @stridesforward

Cherie is a lifelong athlete whose first serious competitive love was racing bicycles on the road and track; in the early 90s she earned her way on to a professional domestic team. Her post cycling life has primarily focused on running and she's raced distances from the 400m on the track to 50 miles on the trails, all the way to her recent completion of the historic 56-mile hilly road race, the Comrades Marathon in South Africa.  These days Cherie is excited to explore the potential and the benefits of being an older athlete and what it means to improve as an athlete as the years go by. When Cherie isn't running or telling stories about other women running on Women's Running Stories, she's probably traveling or looking at animals.  Ways to follow Hear Her Sports Hear Her Sports website: HearHerSports.com Hear Her Sports on Twitter: @hearhersports Hear Her Sports on Instagram: @hearhersports Ways to follow Women's Running Stories Women's Running Stories website: WomensRunningStories.com Women's Running Stories on Twitter: @womenrunstories Women's Running Stories on Instagram: @womensrunningstories Mentioned in this episode Women’s Running Stories podcast about Comrades Comrades Marathon Stacy Sims on Hear Her Sports Coach Tony Gentilecore Western States 100 The Balanced Runner, (Feldenkrais Method) Founder, Jae Gruenke  Tracksmith Boston Hares RxBars CETS (Cherie & Elizabeth Talk Sports)

Erica Stanley-Dottin is a lifelong competitor and athlete, but it wasn't until she was in her 30s that she discovered her love of distance running: marathons and half-marathons, specifically. She also discovered that she is fast at these distances. Today, she has big goals: Erica is going after a sub-3-hour marathon. This is the story of Erica's dedication and drive, and the people who helped her get to the next level.  Erica was a competitive track sprinter beginning in her teen years, all the way through college. She started out being coached by the legendary Fred Thompson, who founded the Colgate Women's Games: this is the longest running track series for women in the country; it's been happening for 47 years.  After college graduation, however, Erica decided to hang up her cleats, and running became about fitness and health. That is, until she started running with a friend who was training for the New York City Marathon. This eventually led Erica back to competitive running, but this time tackling long distances.  Her competitive spirit reignited by her distance running pursuit, Erica found her way to the competitive running team the Black Roses, a team with a particular focus on supporting women racers. Through working with her teammates and coach/team founder Knox Robinson, Erica's running progressed to the next level.  She has continued to hone her distance racing skills and reach ever faster PRs, on her quest to run the marathon in under 3 hours: at Boston 2022 she ran a 3:01. For Erica and several of her teammates, this milestone has significance for multiple reasons, including adding their names to The List. This is an account of all the American-born Black women who have run the marathon under 3 hours. To date, there are only 24 names on that list: two of them are Erica's teammates. And no doubt, she'll be there soon. Erica will be racing for this goal once again at the 2022 Berlin Marathon, September 25.  In addition to being a competitive marathon runner, Erica is the mom of two young boys; the New York City community manager for Tracksmith; and a social impact producer for the documentary Sisters on Track, which is streaming on Netflix. This episode features a bonus anecdote from Erica after the credits: it's all about world's colliding in delightfully fortunate ways and how running is about so much more than the simple act of putting one foot in front of the other. This episode is sponsored by The Feed, the largest online marketplace for your sports nutrition, offering the brands you know and love, from Skratch Labs, Clif Bar, to Maurten, plus their athlete customized supplements called Feed Formulas. In addition to supporting Strides Forward, this sponsorship supports Hear Her Sports and Keeping Track: together we are a collective of women-hosted podcasts focused on women in sports. As part of this sponsorship, you can get $80 in credit at The Feed: just go to TheFeed.com/forward to claim your $80 in credit at The Feed. Erica is on Instagram: @estanleydott Black Roses is on Instagram: @blackrosesnyc Sisters On Track documentary website: https://www.sistersontrack.com/ Tracksmith calendar of events Tracksmith newsletter sign up Ways to Keep Up With Strides Forward on Social Media Twitter: @stridesforward Instagram: @stridesforward

Pat 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, but it was something that only the men did. And that was true for a good part of her life: Comrades didn't open to women until 1974. But even after that, for Pat, running was a pursuit for men. Until one fateful day when a neighbor who was running by suggested they run together.  Pat discovered how running helped her through rough patches and gave her a sense of confidence and accomplishment.  And over time, her runs and races continued to get longer until, one day, she was lining up for Comrades. Running became a foundation of wellness that she could rely on, as well as a source for adventures and building strong relationships. While she never set out to run Comrades over multiple decades, every year when it was time to start training for this spectacular event, she had a reason to do it again.  When Pat finishes Comrades this year, she'll be one of three women who have run Comrades the most in its long history. She is also a member of the Comrades Board of Directors.  The Comrades Marathon started in 1921 and has run every year since, other than during war time and during COVID. This year marks the much awaited return of this beloved event.  We here at Strides Forward have a deep love of Comrades: it's spectacular history, traditions, and cultural significance. It is truly a magical event. To learn more about Comrades and hear more women's experiences there, please enjoy our whole series dedicated to the event: http://stridesforwardpodcast.com/podcast/women-comrades-marathon This episode is sponsored by The Feed, the largest online marketplace for your sports nutrition, offering the brands you know and love, from Skratch Labs, Clif Bar, to Maurten, plus their athlete customized supplements called Feed Formulas. In addition to supporting Strides Forward, this sponsorship supports Hear Her Sports and Keeping Track. Together we are the podcast network Keeping Her Forward, a collective of women-hosted podcasts focused on women in sports.  As part of this sponsorship, you can get $80 in credit at The Feed: just go to TheFeed.com/forward to claim your $80 in credit at The Feed.  Ways to Keep Up With Strides Forward on Social Media Twitter: @stridesforward Instagram: @stridesforward

Running 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 2019, she has completed the event 16 times, and in 2004, she was the face of Comrades.  Blanche, a psychiatric nurse, continues to be an inspiration to young girls and women and works to change negative beliefs about women and running. She does this by continuing to set an example with her own running, as well as public speaking, mentoring, and coaching. Also, Blanche runs Comrades for charity: in 2019, she ran for the Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust.  You can learn more about the Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust on their website.  I first learned about Blanche through Bob de la Motte’s book Runaway Comrade.  Additional audio for this episode comes the 2017 Comrades Marathon Promotional Video

From a young age, Verity Breen taught herself how to race the clock: she set challenges for herself to get from one place to another as efficiently and fast as possible. She also learned how to finish what she started. Verity transformed these skills into a long career as an elite athlete, first in triathlon and then marathons. Now, at age 55, Verity has set her sights on a new discipline: ultra trail racing. Self-coached and forensic in her approach to training and racing, Verity is fixed on finding out just how far she can go in ultra racing. And in hand, she's helping to rewrite the script of what it means to be a woman over 50. Verity Breen has raced over a hundred marathons as well as 5ks, 10ks, half marathons and ultras, and she has had a lot of wins and top finishes throughout. She's won numerous state titles in her home country of Australia, and she's been the Australian national champion in the marathon and the 50km (roughly 31 miles) road race. She's represented her home country at both the 50km road world championships and the mountain running world championships. In her earlier days, when she was competing in triathlon in the Olympic distance races, she was a member of the Australian world championship team for 20 to 25 year-olds.  This is all to say, Verity understands how to prepare for and execute peak performances at an elite level. In her story, Verity shares how she developed her self-coaching and training skills, and how she's taking all that experience to the trails. She's developing her technical abilities and overcoming fears. Verity also runs watch-free, choosing instead to rely on her well honed ability to pace herself and listen to her body. Simply put, she loves to run and her enthusiasm is infectious.  This episode is sponsored by The Feed, the largest online marketplace for your sports nutrition, offering the brands you know and love, from Skratch Labs, Clif Bar, to Maurten, plus their athlete customized supplements called Feed Formulas. In addition to supporting Strides Forward, this sponsorship supports Hear Her Sports and Keeping Track. Together we are the podcast network Keeping Her Forward, a collective of women-hosted podcasts focused on women in sports.  As part of this sponsorship, you can get $80 in credit at The Feed: just go to TheFeed.com/forward to claim your $80 in credit at The Feed.  Ways to Keep Up with Verity on Social Media  Verity is on Instagram: @verity_breen Verity is on Facebook Verity's website: VerityBreen.com More episodes about 50-plus women runners continuing to crush it Sarah Lavender-Smith: Competitive Running Longevity Cathy Utzschneider: A Champion After 40, A Passion for Masters Racing Sophie Speidel: A Menopause Journey as a Competitive Athlete Barbara Hannah Grufferman: How Menopause and a (Literal) Sign Ignited a Passion for Running and Aging Well

We are honored that Camille Herron chose to tell her menstrual health story and the details of her Western States experience here first. We strongly support her adding her strong voice to the efforts to destigmatize discussions around periods and healthy eating.  In this story, in addition to unveiling what really happened at States, Camille talks about how she's understood as a young athlete that period health is a sign of overall wellness and is linked to proper nourishment. She has never, in her long career as a competitive long-distance runner, missed her period.  Camille also goes into detail about the role oral contraception has played in her health and wellness journey. Camille had used oral contraception for years, and it had worked well for her, until it didn't. Her decision to go off oral contraception improved her health and wellness, but ultimately led to getting her period at Western States. This all speaks to the complexities of our changing bodies and highlights the need to better understand and discuss strategies for working with those changes.  Loss of menstruation is all too common with women athletes, and that is especially true in the sport of running. It is, as Camille emphasizes, not normal and further is a sign of poor nourishment, which impacts performance, training, and it has short- and long-term health impacts.  Period loss is a key symptom of RED-s, a serious health condition caused by under-fueling. For more on that subject, please listen to our episodes that focus on experiences with RED-s:  Ann Ashworth: A RED-s Recovery to Running Healthy, Strong, and Fast Charlotte Gibbs: A RED-s Journey to Rediscovering the Joy of Running Megan Flanagan: A Young Runner's Journey through RED-s To hear about Camille's epic Comrades win, please listen here:  Camille Herron + Comrades Marathon: Dream Race Ways to Keep Up With Camille on Social Media  Camille is on Instagram: @runcamille Camille is on Twitter: @runcamille Mentioned in this episode: Inside Tracker The Flow App Ways to Keep Up With Strides Forward on Social Media Twitter: @stridesforward Instagram: @stridesforward

Nicole Pinto has been a runner, from track racing to marathons, for years. We feature her backstory in our Road to Boston series. Nicole had been scheduled to run the Boston Marathon in 2020, but then . . . COVID. She also wanted to start a family. These two pursuits came together over the course of 2021: Nicole got her entry into the October 2021 Boston Marathon and she got pregnant. Her training and racing journey, then, took on a whole new approach.  This is the story of how it all went down: the research, the concerns, the precautions, the joys, the worries, and ultimately, the victory. Nicole talks about the support and the pushback; how being in the medical field helped her navigate the process; how her experience with and knowledge of the science of the body helped her make good choices and boost her confidence; and how advocating for yourself around health is really important. Nicole wanted to show through example how capable and strong women can be through pregnancy. We are honored to share this story. Keep Up with Nicole on Instagram @runner_nic Hear Nicole's whole running story in our Roads to Boston series  Want to hear additional stories about pregnancy and running. Check out these two episodes: Sally Kipyego: Becoming a Mother Runner, Navigating Pregnancy toward a Bid for the Olympics Beatie Deutsch: Pregnancy, Fast Marathons, Shattering Stereotypes  Ways to follow Strides Forward Online Learn more about Strides Forward on our websiteLearn about how you can submit a story for consideration on the next Strides Behind the Mic episodeFollow Strides Forward on Instagram and Twitter: @StridesForward

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 podcast Tiffany: RunISee50.com Sophie: What Next Mum podcast and blog In 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 preorder Temple’s Tigerbelles by Dwight Lewis and Susan Thomas, illustrated by James Threalkill Tigerbelle: The Wyomia Tyus Story by Elizabeth Terzakis and Wyomia Tyus The Black Sportswoman website and newsletter by Bria Felicien  Olympic Pride, American Prejudice, the documentary (and book) by Deborah Riley Draper A Spectacular Leap by Jennifer Lansbury Also mentioned in this episode: Sister on Track documentaryLearn about ParkRun. For people in the US, here's the link to ParkRun USA.  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 1-3 minute story related to the prompt "Share a memorable moment from a recent run" and email it to Strides Forward producer Cherie at clouiseturner@gmail.com.  You can also use the form on our websiteBe sure to include details about why this moment was so memorable. Please share where in the world you were running, and if you want to, please include your name.  Have questions about how to record yourself and email your recording, please feel free to email Cherie, clouiseturner@gmail.com.  Visit Strides Forward on our website Catch up with us on Instagram and Twitter: at both, we're @StridesForward