I'll Have Another with Lindsey Hein Podcast Episode 595: Kellyn Taylor – New Chapter and Big Plans for 2025; Next Up: USA Half Marathon Champs This Weekend
Today, my guest is Kellyn Taylor, and I’m so happy to have her back on the podcast! Kellyn is a returning guest, and she’s been on the show multiple times over the eight years I’ve been hosting. Most recently, we had her on just before the Olympic marathon trials last February. Kellyn’s got some exciting races coming up. She’s gearing up for the US Half Marathon Championships this weekend, and she recently ran the Mesa Half Marathon, where she had an amazing race, finishing second with a time of 69:15.
Right now, Kellyn is also training for Boston, where she’ll be running this spring. She’s also got the New York City Half on her schedule. So, lots of great races ahead! Kellyn ran for Hoka NAZ Elite for a decade, and we’ve all watched her and that team grow and achieve incredible things over the years. It feels like I’ve kind of grown up alongside her in the industry.
But this past year, Hoka made the decision to drop Kellyn, along with Steph Bruce and Lauren Hagans, some of the team’s original members. We talk with Kellyn about how she’s processed that change over the last few months, what’s been going on in her world since, and what new shoes she’s trying out. We also dive into the topic of ageism, because as Kellyn puts it, nobody gets to decide when your career ends—only you get to decide that.
Last year was definitely a tough one for Kellyn. I think she called it a “hard year but a decent year”—she says it in the episode, but it was a year of recovery after some injuries. Despite that, she managed to place 15th at the US Olympic Marathon Trials, and then she went on to place sixth in the 10,000 meters at the US Trials. After that, she placed 10th in New York, running a 2:27:59. That was actually her worst finish ever at New York, but it’s still incredible. She’s always been in the top 10 there, and it was her fifth time racing the course.
I’m really excited for Kellyn and what’s ahead for her in 2025. She’s got big goals and is looking forward to trying new things this year. I’ll definitely be cheering hard for her. So, I hope you enjoy my conversation with Kellyn Taylor.
What we talked about:
3:00- Catching up with Kellyn
5:05- Running the half marathon championships this weekend
12:50- The cuts from HOKA and reflections on her past few years
18:00- NYC Marathon
22:00- Looking ahead to the Boston Marathon
34:00- What’s exciting Kellyn in life and in running
37:45- Her kids and family
44:00- What shoes she is trying out
46:20- What her future with sponsorships looks like
50:00- Favorite memories over her career so far
52:00- Her plans to race trails
54:00- End of podcast questions
Connect with Lindsey:
Support our sponsors:
Go to CureHydration.com/another and use the code “another for 20% off your first order
Use the code “Another” at checkout for 20% off your order
Go to andersonmaple.com and use the code “Fuel20” for 20% off