Becky Croft’s life experiences have led her to becoming not only a performance minded runner but also a sought-after running coach. She’s developed a specialty in guiding runners through their menopausal years—pre and post. Croft brings her own experience of post-hysterectomy menopause, which resulted from of a long history of endometriosis. Croft …

Jessica Mena is a longtime runner now focused on ultra trail running. She’s continually driven to discover what she is capable of: beginning with her first marathon, at age 12!, to today, as she explores running long distances on the trails. This episode focuses on Mena reaching one of her biggest goals yet: running 100 kilometers (62 miles) over h…

This is an update from me, WRS host and producer Cherie Louise Turner, about my running, training, and racing. This picks up from where the last episode of the Over 50, Sub 20, 5k Project, Part 9, left off. As I mentioned in my last episode, I have decided to stop focusing so completely on this sub-20 minute 5k goal, so am just calling these runnin…

Angel Tadytin shares the epic story of her first 50-mile trail race, and how it unfolded in unexpected and magical ways. Tadytin is a wife, mother, social worker, and ultra runner, and she is from the Navajo Nation. She and her family currently live in Mesa, Arizona, but she’s originally from Page, Arizona, and the surrounding area. Tadytin is also…

This is a live recording from Sunday, April 20 at the Boston Marathon Expo. Once again, WRS host Cherie Turner teamed up with Julie Sapper and Lisa Levin from the Run Farther and Faster podcast to co-host an excellent panel. This year's panel was titled Mental Strategies for Mastering the Marathon, and it featured exceptional masters marathoners St…

This episode features prolific marathon runner and internationally competitive masters racer Gwen Jacobson. Jacobson, who is 66, got started running in 2010, when she was in her 50s. She has run many distances, but without question she has the greatest affinity for the marathon: in the last 15 years, Jacobson has run over 120 marathons as well as o…

This episode features Alia Qatarneh, whose running story is deeply infused with community and leadership, especially through the Boston area based TrailblazHers Run Co. Her story highlights the way the three forces of running, community, and leadership have coalesced to drive her running journey. And how that's led to her running the 2023 Boston Ma…

This is a special live recording featuring professional runner and 3x national champion Annie Rodenfels, in conversation with WRS host and producer Cherie; that's me. We sat down at the Tracksmith track house in Boston on Sat., March 22, with a wonderful crowd on a beautiful morning to have this fantastic conversation. Annie Rodenfels is a born com…

This episode features ultra trail runner and mom Mayra Garcia, who is originally from Honduras and now calls Maryland home. Garcia loves to run, and she loves to run very far: training for ultras is a big part of her life today. But not too long ago, Garcia wasn’t a runner at all. Not until one fateful day, when, instead of turning to coping with l…

This episode features longtime professional runner, entrepreneur, mother of three, wife, and so much more, Stephanie Bruce. In this episode Bruce, who is 41, shares the purpose and passion that’s driving her these days, as she moves into a new chapter in her running career. It’s a time of transition and exciting new paths forward. As a professional…

This is part 9 of the Over 50, Sub 20, 5k Project, where WRS host and producer Cherie Louise Turner is sharing her journey to break 20 minutes in the 5k, in her 50s, in real time. Feel free to join the journey from here; it's not mandatory to listen to previous episodes in order to enjoy this one. Previous episodes will provide more context around …

This is the transformative running story of Samantha Powderhorn, who is from the Sayisi Dene First Nations community, in northern Manitoba, Canada. She currently lives in Winnipeg. Powderhorn’s story revolves around breaking cycles of addiction and healing trauma, for herself, her family, and her community. Today Powederhorn is the first Sayisi Den…

Therese Munthe, 48, has always been athletic, and she's always been competitive. But she did not like to run. She believed she wasn't good at it—until she discovered marathoning, in her 40s. That all changed in 2021. Munthe was looking for a way to connect with her father when he was facing the end of his life. This led Munthe on a journey that has…

Molly Hurford knew she wanted to be a writer from a very young age. She also loved being active outdoors. But she had decided that, as a writer, she couldn’t possibly also be an athlete. That all changed in college. Today Hurford embodies many identities, including owner/founder of Strong Girl Publishing, writer, podcaster, and athlete, including b…

Katie Gunvalson had a calling: traverse the entirety of the 2,700 mile Pacific Crest Trail. This audacious goal was something Gunvalson's younger self would have never considered. But, it's exactly what she did. The PCT, true to its name, follows the crest of the mountain ranges between Canada and Mexico, going through Washington, Oregon, and Calif…

This is a special live recording featuring 8x masters world record holder Sue McDonald, 61, in conversation with WRS host and producer Cherie; that's me. We sat down the Tracksmith track house in Boston on Sat., Feb 1, to a wonderful group who braved snowy weather for this terrific conversation. We get into how McDonald has stayed healthy and compe…

Jenny Sandoval is the 2022 NCAA DII 10,000 national champion, and now running as a post-collegiate elite/pro, she is focused on discovering her full potential in the sport. It's been a time of big ups and downs, as Sandoval navigates life as an elite runner, with a full time job. Her performance at the recent USATF cross country national championsh…

Weini Kelati is a professional road and long distance track racer for the Mission Run Dark Sky Distance team sponsored by Under Armour. Kelati is one of the best US racers in the 10k, 5k, and, more recently, half marathon. In this episode, Kelati shares how she got to this point in her running career, with a particular focus on the transformation h…

Heather Caplan's running story spans many seasons of her life. And through those seasons, she has discovered how wins in her running life can show up in many different ways. These days, Caplan is a runner, a run coach, a dietician, the mother of three children, and she is also well known for being the co-founder of the Lane 9 Project, with Alexis F…

Today Chantelle Erickson is an ultra trail runner and, as she says, a multipreneur, in addition to being a wife and the mother of two children. Erickson runs her business Be Well Chantelle, and under the umbrella of that business, she has many offerings. One of them is Baby Mama, where she offers pre- and postnatal fitness services; she is a runnin…

Vanessa C. Peralta-Mitchell was inspired to start running after learning how hard women had fought to just participate in sports. That moment of inspiration would eventually change her life, setting Peralta-Mitchell on a path to change the running industry. How that all unfolded is what this episode is all about. Peralta-Mitchell is a runner, busin…

For this episode, I chose a variety of clips from 10 episodes published in 2024 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 fo…

This is part 8 of the Over 50, Sub 20, 5k Project, where WRS host and producer Cherie Louise Turner is sharing her journey to break 20 minutes in the 5k, in her 50s, in real time. Feel free to join the journey from here; it's not mandatory to listen to previous episodes in order to enjoy this one. Previous episodes will provide more context around …

Birdie Wermy had moments of connecting to running early in life. But it wasn't until she was an adult that her journey with the sport really got going. At that time, Birdie was going through some big life challenges, and a co-worker suggested she participate in a running event. That was where it all started. Birdie Wermy lives in Oregon but is orig…

Marlinda Francisco has run many distances on road and trail. In this episode, she shares how she first got into running and how it has become such a big part of her life. Marlinda also shares how she first started out running on the roads but then discovered her love of trail running. She now runs ultras, and she shares how just this past October a…

Lauren Hagans is a professional distance runner with a long racing career, and she's been a top competitor at many distances. Now that includes the marathon, which Hagans just started racing in 2023. This episode focuses on this new chapter of Hagans's running career. At 38, Hagans is just getting rolling with at the 26.2 mile distance, and she's c…

This week Women's Running Stories is taking a break and bringing you an episode of Starting Line 1928. This outstanding podcast features in-depth interviews with women running pioneers. The episode I chose features Cheryl Toussaint, the meet director of the Colgate Women’s Games and an Olympic silver medalist. Toussaint grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesan…

Grace Norman is a four-time Paralympic medalist, once in track and field and three times in the sport of Paratriathlon. She is also, as of October 2024, a five-time world Paratriathlon champion. This episode focuses on Norman's Paralympic journey which spans Rio, Tokyo, and this year's 2024 Paralympics in Paris. For over a decade now, Norman's prim…

Professional runner for Nike Emily Venters shares how it all went down at the 2024 USATF 5k National Championships, held Nov. 2 in New York City, as part of the New York City Marathon weekend of events. Venters shares how she has overcome mental and emotional challenges to return to a state of health, and deliver an outstanding performance at this …

A special episode from WRS host Cherie, in acknowledgement of this deeply challenging time, post-election 2024. This podcast doesn't exist in a vacuum; it is impacted and informed by the world at large. This is a moment to reflect and, for Cherie, a call to action. She shares thoughts on moving forward. Mentioned in This Episode Jinghaun Liu Terval…

Naseemah Palmer had wanted to try running, but she didn't see it as a place for someone like herself. Until, as she recounts in her story, running found her. On the fateful day of May 4, 2014, a day when Palmer was deep in the depths of undiagnosed post-partum depression, she encountered the Broad Street 10-mile Run, and it changed her life. Today,…

Stefanie Flippin is one of the fastest North American women to race the 100-mile distance. Her trajectory to get to that point is truly astonishing. This episode, however, is focused on more recent occurrences. In addition to her terrific success as an ultra runner, Flippin has experienced significant challenges. Illness, injuries, and grief have c…

This is a live recording from Saturday, October 13 at the Chicago Marathon Expo. WRS host Cherie Turner teamed up with Cindy Kuzma of the Starting Line 1928 podcast to co-host a conversation with members of the Native Women Run (NWR) running the 2024 Chicago Marathon—Angel Tadytin, Birdie Wermy, Jessica Louis, and Amber Henderson—along with NWR fou…

Running has been a steady presence in Vicki Hunter's life since she was an early teen. Running began as a way to find calm through the challenges of youth, and developed into an arena of competitive challenge, on the roads and then the trails. Among her many accomplishments as a competitive runner, Hunter qualified for the 1988 Olympic Trials Marat…

This is part 7 of the Over 50, Sub 20, 5k Project, where WRS host and producer Cherie Louise Turner is sharing her journey to break 20 minutes in the 5k, in her 50s, in real time. Feel free to join the journey from here; it's not mandatory to listen to previous episodes in order to enjoy this one. Previous episodes will provide more context around …

Professional runner for Brooks Erika Kemp shares how it all went down at the 2024 USATF 10k National Championships, held Sept. 21 in Northport, NY, at the Cow Harbor 10k. This is Kemp's second appearance on WRS, and I am so happy to have her back. In this episode, Kemp shares what's been happening in her racing and training life this year, leading …

Wynonna Curely-Fulgham first discovered the life-changing impact running could have on her during her Kinaaldah, the Navajo puberty ceremony. She's carried the teaches from that transformative time into her adult life. Wynonna has continued to be drawn to running, and specifically ultra trail running, as a way to test her own limits and also to pro…

Katie Holmes started running in her 40s: she's since become a runner and racer of many distances over many types of terrain. She's also a women's running historian and she blogs about masters runners: see her writing on RunYoung50.co.uk. Through running, Katie has discovered interests and abilities she never knew she had before. In short, the sport…

Professional distance and marathon racer for Asics Savannah Berry shares how it all went down for her at the 2024 USATF National Championships, which just took place in New Haven, CT, on Sept. 2. Berry is having a stellar season this year, reaping the benefits of consistent, tough training, month after month, year after year. She's coming into her …

Dakotah Lindwurm is a professional distance runner for the Minnesota Distance Elite Team, sponsored by Puma. Her specialty is the marathon. Just a few short weeks ago, Lindwurm became an Olympian. This is Dakotah Lindwurm's Olympic dream story. It begins with the moment that sparked this dream, way back in childhood. Lindwurm shares how, despite no…

This week Women's Running Stories is taking a break and bringing you Unexpected Curves. This is a terrific new podcast hosted and created by Olympian and professional runner Marielle Hall. Unexpected Curves is a topic-driven show that dives into women's sports in ways that, true to the show's name, are unexpected. In the most interesting ways. Tune…

Just this year, 2024, Sarah Pardus realized a goal that she'd been aiming toward for a decade: she ran the Boston Marathon. While her road to that finish line was full of twists and turns, it was also a full-circle moment. It both begins and ends with the terrific organization Girls on the Run (GOTR). Sarah's first organized run training came at a …

Olympian, professional 400-meter runner for New Balance, and now author Micha Powell tells her running journey through a series of transformative racing stories. Micha's first book, Sprinting through Setbacks: An Olympian's Guide to Overcoming Self Doubt and Imposture Syndrome, came out in July 2023. It highlights big racing and life lessons Micha …

Mary McManus contracted paralytic polio at the age of 5. She recovered from the paralysis, but the disease had a lasting impact on her ability to move. This led to taunting and teasing from other children, especially when it came to physical activities. In addition to experiencing the difficulties of polio, Mary experienced physical and sexual abus…

Professional runner for the BAA/Adidas, Annie Rodenfels shares how it all went down at the 2024 USATF 6k National Championships, held July 13 in Canton, OH. Rodenfels is a Dayton, OH, native now living in Boston, MA, so this is something of a "hometown race" for her. And, she has raced here twice before, coming in 2nd in 2022 and 3rd in 2023. Roden…

In this, part 6 of this series, WRS host and producer Cherie Louise Turner shares how she set a new time milestone, getting 10 seconds closer to her goal of breaking 20 minutes in the 5k, and how this ushered in a time of focusing on training. At the close of the previous episode, Cherie was addressing some 5k and racing burnout, but she also knew …

Angelina Ellis is a professional steeplechaser for the Mission Run Dark Sky Distance team, and 2024 marks her first year running as a professional. And what an incredible year it's been. Becoming a professional runner has been a dream for Ellis since she was in high school. But back then, that's what she thought it would always be: a dream. Ellis d…

Alison Mariella Désir is an athlete, mother, activist, public speaker, community builder, and now a hiker and mountain climber. Désir is well known for her groundbreaking book Running While Black: Finding Freedom in a Sport that Wasn’t Built for Us and for her work making space for and creating communities that center and welcome BIPOC athletes int…

Elvin Kibet was born and raised in a small village in Kenya, not far from Iten, a town internationally recognized as a hotbed of elite running. Kibet's focus growing up, however, was school; she was determined to excel. And she did. But that wasn't enough to earn her the scholarship she wanted. There was, however, another way. Kibet's two older sis…

UK-based runner Andrea came to running as an adult and discovered a joy in setting big goals for herself in the sport. The first goal: run 50 races. Once she'd met this goal, Andrea was looking for another project to fuel her running motivation. Andrea's young adult daughter had recently moved out on her own, and the two of them shared a love of ru…