Women's Running Stories

Emma Grace Hurley is an exciting young professional runner, now running for the newly formed all-women's team, the Heartland Track Club. Emma Grace was first featured on WRS in March 2023, in our Race Report episode about the USATF 15k National Championships, which was held on March 6, 2023, at the Gate River Run in Jacksonville, Florida. In this episode, get caught up with what's happened since; it's been an exciting time, and you'll hear all about it. That 15k championships was a breakout performance for Emma Grace: she came in 2nd place to seasoned pro Emily Sisson, earning her first podium spot on the national stage. But that wasn't Emma Grace's only podium performance last year, which her first full year racing as a professional distance runner on the roads. In addition to her big successes, Emma Grace did experience her share of challenges. And, she's been through some significant changes. She moved teams, from the Atlanta Track Club to Heartland. And, this change necessitated a physical move as well, from her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, to Indianapolis, Indiana. One key element that has stayed the same is her coaches, Andrew and Amy Begley. In this episode, Emma Grace tells the story of how her time as a pro has been unfolding, including starting 2024 with another outstanding performance. Get inspired, and get ready to keep cheering Emma Grace on as she embarks on a big racing season this year! Keep Up With Emma Grace Hurley Instagram: @emmagracehurley Photo credit: Karen Mitchell: Instagram: @kmitchpa; Website: runnersgazette.com Mentioned in This Episode Race Report: Emma Grace Hurley + 2023 USATF 15k National Championships: https://womensrunningstories.com/race-report-emma-grace-hurley-2023-15k-national-championships Race Report: Katie Camarena + 2024 USATF Cross-Country National Championships: https://womensrunningstories.com/race-report-katie-camarena-2024-usatf-cross-country-national-championships Ways to Connect and Engage with Women's Running Stories Instagram: @womensrunningstories Twitter: @WomenRunStories Website: womensrunningstories.com Email host Cherie: [email protected]

Jay Ell Alexander is a runner and the CEO of one of the largest running groups in the United States: Black Girls Run, aka BGR, with 258,000 members. Alexander has been leading BGR for six years now, after working as marketing and PR lead for the previous six years. And she has a very clear understanding of the women she is inspiring and motivating because she is her own target audience. The goal of BGR is to "encourage and motivate Black women to practice a healthy lifestyle." Statistically, African-American women have the highest rates of being overweight, and along side that disproportionately experience health issues associated with a poor nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle. Alexander herself came to running as a response to her own health issues, which she began to experience in her 20s. She's knows first hand the transformative power of running and how it can help people participate in their own wellness. Along the way, she also discovered what a terrifically unique group of people runners are. This is Jay Ell Alexander's running story, from why she first started lacing up, through to becoming a leader in the running community and navigating motherhood, twice, as a CEO and runner, to what goals she's got for herself today, as she continues to lead a movement that is shifting the wellness stats for African-American runners throughout the country. Keep Up with Jay Ell Alexander Instagram: @jayellalexander Mentioned in this episode Black Girls Run website: blackgirlsrun.com Black Girls Run Instagram: @officialblackgirlsrun WRS episode featuring Tiffany Chenault: https://womensrunningstories.com/podcast/women-running-stories Ways to Connect and Engage with Women's Running Stories Instagram: @womensrunningstories Twitter: @WomenRunStories Website: womensrunningstories.com Email host Cherie: [email protected] Women's Running Stories is a member of the Evergreen network: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/

Emerging professional runner and new member of Tinman Elite out of Boulder, Colorado, Katie Camarena tells the story of how it all went down from her viewpoint racing in the 2024 USATF Cross-Country National Championships, which took place January 20, 2024, in Richmond, VA. On the line at this race, in addition to a national championship title, cash awards and series points, racers were vying for a spot on Team USA going to the Cross Country World Championships, which will take place March 30 in Belgrade, Serbia. There was a lot on the line! This is Katie's first championship race as a member of her first professional team and shortly after moving to Boulder, so the pressure was on. Katie is a relatively recent college grad. She graduated in 2022. Katie started off her NCAA running career racing for UCSB, the University of California at Santa Barbara, and she finished her collegiate career racing for a short time for Portland State University, in Portland, OR. Post-graduation, Katie was introduced to seasoned pro and Olympian Colleen Quigley, whose terrific support brought Katie into an outstanding crowd of professional runners in the pro running hub of Flagstaff, AZ. While there, she trained and learned and solidified her determination to race as a pro. After some ups and downs, but steadily building her race ability and speed, Katie landed a spot on Tinman. This race is a terrific culmination of patience, belief, support, and determination. Just like last year, you can expect to a Race Report episode for each race of the USATF Road Circuit series of races. Each episode features one top 10 runner telling the story of how the race went down, from her perspective. And because a race is never just about what happens on race day, you will get to know a little bit more about each one of the runners featured and how this race figures into their larger running story. The USATF Cross-Country National Championships is a part of the USATF Running Circuit championship series of races. These are races that happen throughout the United States all year long and each race serves as a national championship for the distance or the type of race that is being run. Also, at each one of these races, in addition to vying for a national title, runners earn cash prizes and they earn points. And of course all of that is dependent on where they finish. The points go toward the series overall, which is determined at the end of the year. This year, like in years past, the series will finish off in November at the 5k National Championships, which happen in New York City as part of the New York City Marathon Weekend of events. This was the first race of the circuit in 2024. The next race on the circuit is the 15k National Championships taking place in Jacksonville, Florida on March 2nd. A WRS Race Report will publish shortly thereafter. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss it! You can catch up on last year's Race Reports on our website or on your favorite podcast app. Keep Up with Katie Camarena Instagram: @katieecamarena Mentioned in this episode: Tinman Elite: tinmanelite.com Previous Women's Running Stories Race Report Episodes: https://womensrunningstories.com/podcast/women-running-stories Ways to Connect and Engage with Women's Running Stories Instagram: @womensrunningstories Twitter: @WomenRunStories Website: womensrunningstories.com Email host Cherie: [email protected] Women's Running Stories is a member of the Evergreen network: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/

Michelle Sikes's story centers around how her collegiate running career is inextricably linked to her first book, Kenya's Running Women: A History, published in December 2023. This is the first academic monograph to focus on the history of any women's sport in Africa. Back when she was in her collegiate years, Sikes became a Rhodes Scholar and the 2007 NCAA outdoor 5K national champion. The story of her surprise win in that race over Sally Kipyego—who was dominating the longer distances that year and would go on to become an Olympic medalist—is outstanding all on its own; it's a classic underdog story. (It's also noteworthy that Michelle was coached by women all the way up through her first year as a pro, which is almost her entire running career.) It was in fact that NCAA victory that led Sikes to focus her graduate studies on the pioneering women runners of Kenya, and then tell their stories in her just published book. As Sikes says, "History matters." Sikes is now an Assistant Professor of Kinesiology, African Studies, and History at Penn State. This summer, she'll be teaching an African sport history class and Kenya's Running Women will be part of the curriculum. Hear the whole story in this episode. Mentioned in this Episode Kenya's Running Women: A History: https://msupress.org/9781611864816/kenyas-running-women/ "Long hours, poor pay, discrimination: Why the number of women in collegiate coaching remains low" by Alison Wade for Fast Women: https://fastwomen.substack.com/p/long-hours-poor-pay-discrimination Sally Kipyego: Becoming a Mother Runner, Navigating Pregnancy Toward a Bid for the Olympics: https://womensrunningstories.com/sally-kipyego-becoming-a-mother-runner-navigating-pregnancy-toward-a-bid-for-the-olympics-sally-kipyego-becoming-a-mother-runner-navigating-pregnancy-toward-a-bid-for-the-olympics Molly Huddle: 2023 NYC Marathon, Postpartum Bone Health, and What Comes Next: https://womensrunningstories.com/molly-huddle-2023-nyc-marathon-postpartum-bone-health-and-what-comes-next Race Report: Molly Huddle + 2022 Ways to Connect and Engage with Women's Running Stories Instagram: @womensrunningstories Twitter: @WomenRunStories Website: womensrunningstories.com Email host Cherie: [email protected] Women's Running Stories is a member of the Evergreen network: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/

"I don't think I really liked running until maybe two or three years in of actually trying to run. I wouldn't even call myself a runner at that point at all, but just somebody trying to get their life right and trying to have some balance. It really started to open up a new world for me." Sister Liz Sjoberg's running journey started out as an interest and need to improve her health and lose weight, but over the years, it became a strong and steady force in her life. Running became something she enjoyed; the sport became a pathway not only to physical health, but also psychological and spiritual health. As Sister Liz said, it opened a whole new world to her. As her interest in running grew, Sister Liz built up to running marathons, and added a fundraising element to her running. Thus was born Sisters on the Run. Over the past few years, Sister Liz, in the company of a growing number of participants both in person and virtually, has raised money for the community organization she serves in Brownsville, Texas, Proyecto Juan Diego. PJD provides low-income families in the Lower Rio Grande Valley with a wide variety of support and guidance, in realms such as health, education, and immigration. This year, 2024, Sister Liz will serve as race director for the first ever chip-timed Sisters on the Run event: a 5k and 1-mile walk/run. The event takes place Saturday, January 27, in Brownsville. This is a virtual and in-person event, and it does raise funds for PJD. Earlier on that day, beginning at 5am, Sister Liz will be contributing to the running efforts in a slightly different way: she will, once again, run a marathon, accompanied by whomever wants to join her. And that is what this story is ultimately all about: how running is both personal and can be so much more. Keep Up with Sister Liz Sjoberg Instagram: @runswiththewind Sisters on the Run 2024 5k and 1 mile Race, registration, donation page: PROYECTO JUAN DIEGO INC - Sisters On The Run 2024 (networkforgood.com) Proyecto Juan Diego Website: www.proyecto-jd.org Instagram: @proyectojuandiego Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/proyectojuandiego TikTok: @proyectojuandiego YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@proyectojuandiego/videos Ways to Connect and Engage with Women's Running Stories Instagram: @womensrunningstories Twitter: @WomenRunStories Website: womensrunningstories.com Email host Cherie: [email protected] Women's Running Stories is a member of the Evergreen network: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/

Anita Cardinal is an ultra trail runner, advocate for the indigenous community, race director, and community builder who lives in Northwestern Canada in the beautiful city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. In her story, Anita gets into why running has been a powerful force in her life from a very early age, and how the impact of the sport continues to evolve for her. A First Nations woman, Cardinal has a specific focus on empowering and honoring others in the indigenous community. She does this through the Indigenous Runner YEG (Edmonton) running group she founded, and through the Orange Shirt Day Walk/Run Every Child Matters events she created. These events, which take place on the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, honor survivors of the notoriously abusive residential schools, as well as those who did not survive. Also, to quote Cardinal, these events are a time of "celebrating one another and recognizing that we are resilient and we are a community and we can move forward together in a good way while still always remembering." It is from this great base of empowerment and support and experience and resilience that Anita has been able to tackle the challenging running goals she sets for herself. Goals that she goes after because of the wisdom, healing, bonds, and confidence she gains through these experiences. Most recently, Cardinal went after the 2023 100k race at the Javelina Jundred, an ultra trail event that takes place each year in Arizona, right around Halloween. This is the longest event Cardinal has entered, and this was her second time here, after having a DNF in 2022. Cardinal ran Javelina as a member of the Native Women Running team, and this year, her race was both an incredible success, as well as a great redemption. Cardinal went through many ups and downs on her way to ultimately reaching the finish line. She will tell you all about it, including how her son paced her to the finish line, inspiring her with just enough tough love to keep her going strong all the way through the final kilometers. Have some tissues at the ready. Keep Up with Anita Cardinal Instagram: @runswiththewind Indigenous Runner and Orange Shirt Day Walk/Run Every Child Matters Website, : www.indigenousrunner.com Instagram: @indigenousrunner Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/844745502931986 Mentioned in This Episode Verna Volker Instagram: @hozhorunner4 Native Women Running Instagram: @nativewomenrunning Website: NativeWomenRunning.com Verna Volker on WRS: Verna Volker: A Journey of Health and Healing, Culture and Community Javelina Jundred Instagram: @javelinajundred Website: https://aravaiparunning.com/network/javelinajundred Ways to Connect and Engage with Women's Running Stories Instagram: @womensrunningstories Twitter: @WomenRunStories Website: womensrunningstories.com Email host Cherie: [email protected] Women's Running Stories is a member of the Evergreen network: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/

In 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 (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 update that spans November and December 2023. Part 1 of this series concluded with Cherie setting a baseline time of 21:10 on August 30. Part 2 ended with Cherie learning more about how to train well and some of the lessons she's continuing to work on. Please click the links below to hear those episodes (they're not prerequisites to this episode, but they do provide helpful context). Come along for the journey. Mentioned in this episode Cherie Turner: The Over 50, Sub 20, 5k Project: Part 1, Setting the Baseline: https://womensrunningstories.com/cherie-turner-the-over-50-sub-20-5k-project-part-1-setting-the-baseline Cherie Turner: The Over 50, Sub 20, 5k Project: Part 2, Learning to Train Well: https://womensrunningstories.com/cherie-turner-the-over-50-sub-20-5k-project-part-2-learning-to-train-well Sue McDonald: 9 Times a Masters World Record Holder: https://womensrunningstories.com/sue-mcdonald-9-times-a-masters-world-record-holder Cherie Turner at Comrades 2023: https://womensrunningstories.com/cherie-louise-turner-2023-comrades-marathon-experiencing-the-magic-again-and-better Cherie Turner at Comrades, a Collaboration with Hear Her Sports 2022: https://womensrunningstories.com/cherie-turner-comrades-marathon-a-hear-her-sports-special-collaboration Shane Benzie, Running Reborn: https://runreborn.com/ Ways to Connect and Engage with Women's Running Stories Instagram: @womensrunningstories Twitter: @WomenRunStories Website: womensrunningstories.com Email host Cherie: [email protected] Women's Running Stories is a member of the Evergreen network: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/

For 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 these 10 episodes Caroline Su: Her First Trail Adventures, Why Representation Matters: https://womensrunningstories.com/carolyn-su-her-first-trail-adventures-why-representation-matters Sabrina Pace-Humphreys: A Quest to Reach Her Red Line: https://womensrunningstories.com/sabrina-pace-humphreys-on-a-quest-to-reach-her-red-line Cherie Turner: The Over 50, Sub 20, 5k Project: Part 2, Learning to Train Well: https://womensrunningstories.com/cherie-turner-the-over-50-sub-20-5k-project-part-2-learning-to-train-well Celeste Yvonne: Outrunning Mommy Wine Culture: https://womensrunningstories.com/celeste-yvonne-outrunning-mommy-wine-culture Jasmine Santiago: Finding Her Voice, Living Out Loud: https://womensrunningstories.com/jasmine-santiago-finding-her-voice-living-out-loud Molly Huddle: 2023 NYC Marathon, Postpartum Bone Health, and What Comes Next: https://womensrunningstories.com/molly-huddle-2023-nyc-marathon-postpartum-bone-health-and-what-comes-next Ari Hendrix: Journey to the Olympic Trials, A Quest to Top The List: https://womensrunningstories.com/ari-hendrix-journey-to-the-olympic-marathon-trials-a-quest-to-top-the-list Race Report: Jeralyn Poe + 2023 USATF 10k National Championships: https://womensrunningstories.com/jeralyn-poe-10k Lindsey Cortes: One Runners Nourishment & Body Acceptance Journey: https://womensrunningstories.com/lindsey-cortes-one-runners-nourishment-body-acceptance-journey Sika Henry + Comrades Marathon: An Experience Like No Other: https://womensrunningstories.com/sika-henry-comrades-marathon-an-experience-like-no-other Ways to Connect and Engage with Women's Running Stories Instagram: @womensrunningstories Twitter: @WomenRunStories Website: womensrunningstories.com Email host Cherie: [email protected] Women's Running Stories is a member of the Evergreen network: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/ Women's Running Stories is proud to be featured as one of the top 20 Women's Running podcasts by Feedspot: https://blog.feedspot.com/womens_running_podcasts/ Women's Running Stories is proud to be featured as #4 on the GoodPods top Running podcasts list

Natalie Barlatier has a determination when it comes to her running that is truly remarkable. Barlatier discovered a love of track and field in her youth, but took a break from running when she entered college. She returned to the sport after being diagnosed with MS in her late 20s, and began to explore distance running. Barlatier worked her way up to marathons over time, and running has been an important part of maintaining her health: mental, physical, and emotional. She has continued to run despite a major MS relapse, and she's returned to running after having her two children. Barlatier has run nine marathons, but that's not without some notably unusual set-backs along the way, beginning with the first two marathons Barlatier trained for. The first marathon was NYC 2012, which was cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy. Next up, Boston 2013, the year of the bombing: Natalie was one of the many runners who was stopped just about a mile from the finish. This experience also resulted in lasting trauma that almost spelled an end to Barlatier's marathon ambitions. Barlatier did finally reach the finish line of a marathon on her third try, and followed that up with several more marathons after that. Then came COVID, which put an end to Barlatier's training and plans for running the 2020 Boston Marathon, but she returned to run in 2021 and again in 2023, and most recently she completed the 2023 Chicago Marathon. Beyond her commitment to meeting her own running goals and serving as an example to others impacted by MS of what can be possible, as well as being a role model to her two young children, Barlatier has discovered the joy and strength of her local running community, in particular Black Girls Run. Mentioned in this Episode Black Unicorn Marathoners: https://www.blackunicornmarathoners.org/ Ways to Connect and Engage with Women's Running Stories Instagram: @womensrunningstories Twitter: @WomenRunStories Website: womensrunningstories.com Email host Cherie: [email protected] Women's Running Stories is a member of the Evergreen network: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/ Women's Running Stories is proud to be featured as one of the top 20 Women's Running podcasts by Feedspot: https://blog.feedspot.com/womens_running_podcasts/ Women's Running Stories is proud to be featured as #4 on the GoodPods top Running podcasts list

Briana Boehmer had dreamed about qualifying for an Olympic trials since she was young. But she'd let go of that dream as she moved into her 40s. In her mind, she had aged out. That all changed in 2020. Boehmer's first competitive sport was running, which she did through college. After college, she became a competitive triathlete, eventually working up to racing the Ironman distance, which involves swimming 2.4 miles, cycling 112 miles, and then running the distance of a marathon, 26.2 miles. With the onset of COVID in 2020, however, Boehmer returned to running only and decided to run a marathon. This was an event she'd never done on its own, without having swum and cycled for hours before. In her first marathon, the 2021 California International Marathon or CIM, which took place in December 5, Boehmer shocked herself by running 2:33. With that time, she set the Masters 40+ course record and earned 7th place in the open women's field. Additionally, those scuttled Olympic trials dreams were suddenly back up for grabs: the Olympic trials qualifying (OTQ) time for the 2024 trials was 2:37. But there was one big hiccough: the window to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials didn't open until January 1, 2022. After that debut marathon, Boehmer was plagued by a series of injuries that kept her from getting that OTQ. Her final opportunity was CIM 2023, on December 3, and she was eager to race in the kit of her new sponsor Oiselle, as part of the company's innovative Underbirds program. Unfortunately, an injury flare up just one week out from CIM ultimately led to Boehmer making the incredibly tough but necessary decision to not start CIM. This is the story of what it looks like to face the fears and disappointment of making the difficult choice not to race, when there are big dreams at stake. This is also what it looks like to remove limiting beliefs and experience the power of unwavering support. To borrow Boehmer's words: "I've already won." Ways to Keep Up with Briana Boehmer Instagram: @briboehmer Mentioned in this Episode Oiselle: https://www.oiselle.com/ Oiselle Underbirds sponsorship program: https://www.oiselle.com/pages/year-of-the-underbird Ari Hendrix episode on WRS: https://womensrunningstories.com/ari-hendrix-journey-to-the-olympic-marathon-trials-a-quest-to-top-the-list Ways to Connect and Engage with Women's Running Stories Instagram: @womensrunningstories Twitter: @WomenRunStories Website: womensrunningstories.com Email host Cherie: [email protected] Women's Running Stories is a member of the Evergreen network: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/ Women's Running Stories is proud to be featured as one of the top 20 Women's Running podcasts by Feedspot: https://blog.feedspot.com/womens_running_podcasts/ Women's Running Stories is proud to be featured as #4 on the GoodPods top Running podcasts list