On a weekly basis, host Mario Fraioli gleans unique insights and inspiration from a wide range of athletes, coaches, and personalities in the sport of running through compelling longform conversations you won’t hear anywhere else.
Christine has been one of my most requested guests since I started the show 3-1/2 years ago and you’ll finally get to hear from her this week. Christine recently completed Ironman Coeur d’Alene in Idaho (it was her first swing at that distance in 14 years), and this was a good opportunity to debrief with her about that experience—why she signed up for the event, how it went, and what she learned from it—as well as to learn more about her and how she operates, us as a couple and how we operate, and a lot more.
Mark Coogan is the coach of New Balance Boston Elite. His squad will be competing at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, beginning on June 18. As an athlete, Mark represented the United States at the 1996 Olympics in the marathon, he’s competed on multiple world championship teams, and he’s also the first sub-4 minute miler from my home state of Massachusetts. During his professional career, Mark was ranked top-10 in the U.S. from the mile to the marathon, which is not something that too many athletes can claim.
Lauren Hurley recently qualified for the Olympic Trials at the Portland Track Festival, running 32:17 for 10,000m, finishing fifth in her first ever race on the track at any distance. Lauren might be new to racing on the track but she is not a novice athlete. She raced triathlon professionally for 10 years, winning 11 Ironman 70.3 events and numerous other races.
Thomas Reiss, 53 years old, is a husband and dad to two teenage boys who is still getting after it on the road, track, and trails from the mile to ultramarathon distances. Like me, he loves it all. In 2018, he broke the American record for 50-54 year olds in the 50K on the track, running 3:39:26. Just last December he broke 5 minutes for the mile and he’s got his eye on some age-group records and national titles. Basically, I want to be Thomas when I grow up. Originally from Germany, running first came into Thomas’ life when he was a young kid. He ran his first marathon at the age of 22 and his involvement in the sport has only snowballed from there.
Abdi Abdirahman is one of my favorite people in the sport and I am super excited to share this episode with you. The 44-year-old is a five-time Olympian and he’ll represent the United States in the marathon at this summer’s Games in Japan. Abdi also has a new book coming out soon. It’s called Abdi's World: The Black Cactus on Life, Running, and Fun and it’s due out in July.
Aaron and Joshua Potts are the guys behind The Running Report, a media outlet produced “for culture and by the culture.” They also co-host the 2 Black Runners podcast, where each week they recap the most recent running news, host insightful interviews with athletes from across all disciplines of track and field, and offer up their perspective on the running world as two black runners in the sport. They first came across my radar a few months ago when they interviewed one of my earliest running heroes, Michael Johnson, and I’ve been following their work ever since.
Stephanie Howe and Jorge Maravilla are quite the power couple and it was a treat to sit down with the two of them recently at their home here in Marin County, where we all live. A little on their respective running backgrounds: Stephanie is the 2014 Western States Endurance Run champion, she’s finished in the top 10 at UTMB, and won numerous other races at various distances over the course of her career. Jorge is two-time national champion on the trails at the 100 mile and 100K distances, he won the Masters national cross country title in 2018, and he’s also got a 2:21 marathon personal best to his credit.
Anthony Costales recently won the Canyons 100K in Northern California in 9 hours, 11 minutes, and 40 seconds, defeating a stout field, which earned him a Golden Ticket to this year’s Western States Endurance Run. He’s only a few years into the trail and ultra game and is really starting to make a splash in the sport. A graduate of Chico State, Anthony has a 2:13 marathon personal best on the roads, he won the U.S. Trail Marathon Championship in 2018, and also represented the U.S. that year at the World Long Distance Mountain Championships in Poland, where he finished 10th overall. Anthony’s a native of Fairfield, California, he now lives and teaches middle school P.E. in Salt Lake City, Utah, and he’s a relatively new dad.
Hillary Allen is a professional athlete, coach, teacher, and author of the new book, Out and Back: A Runner’s Story of Survival Against All Odds. She’s a returning guest to the show—be sure to check out her first appearance back on Episode 49 if you haven’t already—and she’s just one of my favorite people to talk to in general.
Mario Fraioli answers listener questions in the first Ask Mario Anything episode of 2021. On the other side of the mic for this one is sponsorship director, Chris Douglas, who you’ll get to learn a little more about at the beginning of the show. We got some good questions about this summer’s Olympics, returning to running postpartum, balancing running and training with the rest of your life, how the podcast and newsletter get made, and more.
