Run to the Top Podcast | The Ultimate Guide to Running 100 Marathons at Age 24: Jocelyn Rivas
If you think running a single marathon is tough, get ready to be inspired by Jocelyn Rivas. Jocelyn is on a mission to not just run 100 marathons, but break the Guinness World Records (plural) for being the youngest person to run 100 marathons AND the youngest woman to run 100 marathons AND the youngest Latina to run 100 marathons. Whew!
At age 24, Jocelyn already has 82 marathons behind her, many done during the pandemic, which was no easy feat. And we’re not talking loops she’s running through her neighborhood. These are real certified races, each one bringing her closer to her ambitious goal.
No stranger to adversity, Jocelyn is a DREAMer who was brought to the United States from El Salvador as a child and remains in this country for now thanks to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act.
Part of her 100-marathon motivation stems from her desire to shine a light on people like herself and to show others that women can do anything no matter where they were born. She talks about what this quest means to her, how she manages to pull this off with a challenging full-time job, and what training and recovery is like for her. Oh, and she’s doing this on a completely plant-based diet.
Jocelyn’s great determination and positive energy makes for a very unique and enjoyable conversation with Coach Claire!
Questions Jocelyn is asked:
4:00 You are currently trying to break two Guinness World Records to become the youngest person to run 100 marathons and the youngest woman to run 100 marathons. How old are you and what got you started with this quest?
4:50 How did you start running then? Did you just start with a mile or what was the first day of training like?
5:45 How old were you when you ran your first marathon?
5:56 When did you get this idea to go for the world record?
7:05 Can you explain what a DREAMer is?
8:04 What country are you from?
8:11 Does anyone else in your family run?
8:43 How did the pandemic affect your mission?
10;33 What are some of your favorite stories? How many marathons have you run in a week?
11:49 The obvious question is how do you recover from running 26.2 miles for six out of nine days? You must be sore and tired, so how do you get through that?
16:33 Let’s talk about food. You’re a vegan so you’re like me, and the first question that everyone’s going to ask is, how do you eat enough on a vegan diet? Where do you get your protein? How do you pull this off on just plants?
19:06 You just started eating vegan as an experiment. It wasn’t ethical or environmental. You just saw that people were doing it and decided to try it. Is that it?
19:52 Do you still use gels while you run marathons or do you eat something else?
20:50 How long does it usually take you to run the marathons? Are you running them really fast or what is your average finishing time?
22:28 What are you doing in-between each marathons? Do you have some kind of structured plan? Do you do speed work? Do you do strength training or are you just recovering?
23:59 Have you had any injuries? Are you worried about overtraining or anything like that?
25:22 You’re still working a full-time job 40 hours a week. What do you do and how do you fit all this in with your life?
29:47 You’re planning on hitting marathon number 100 in November in your hometown at the Los Angeles Marathon. What are you anticipating that day to be like?
31:13 What’s been the hardest part of this journey for you?
31:54 You don’t drive. Why don’t you drive?
33:34 What kind of support are you getting from the community? If you pull this off, you will be the youngest Latina to run 100 marathons. Why is that important to you?
35:07 Once you accomplish this, do you have any idea what’s next?
35:31 What’s your next marathon coming up?
Questions I ask everyone:
36:14 If you could go back and talk to yourself when you started running, what advice would you give yourself?
36:53 What is the greatest gift running has given you?
37:18 Where can listeners connect with you?
Quotes by Jocelyn:“I was actually not in a good place mentally. There were things going on with being deported potentially, and so I was just in a very dark place. And I was like, I want to make a statement. I want to make a statement that DREAMers are here to do something good. DREAMers are here to just help.”
“My biggest thing is I take recovery, I prioritize it more than anything. I use so many tools. I massage myself. I use so many lotions. You would make fun of me because I literally have like 10 different lotions and I use them all.”
“I use running as a type of therapy and it’s just so amazing. Once I am done with work, I go for a run. I come back and I’m just like, I feel amazing. That feeling that wow, just everything goes away.”
Take a Listen on Your Next Run
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