Fast People

Host Sarah Lorge Butler talks to Ben Rosario, CEO of the Marathon Project, about the return of the race, which takes place December 20-21 in Chandler, Arizona. Ben discusses what fans and runners should expect from the race, and how things have gone so far in year one. He also discusses as well as his decision to leave NAZ Elite, and how he's balancing his new role with teaching middle school.Marathon Project website: https://www.themarathonproject.com/The Marathon Project on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marathonproj/Sarah Lorge Butler on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/slorgebutler.bsky.social Fast Women on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastwomen/ Fast Women on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fastwomen.bsky.social Subscribe to the Fast Women newsletter: https://fastwomen.substack.com/

Sarah Lorge Butler talks to longtime NC State coach Laurie Henes, coming off the team's fourth NCAA cross country title in five years. Laurie discusses teamwork, managing nerves, what she's looking for in recruiting, the dynamics behind coaching some of the best collegiate runners, and much more.Laurie was an eight-time All-American at NC State and went on to run professionally, and she's now in her 34th year of coaching at the school. That kind of longevity at one school is very rare in the NCAA.NC State T&F and XC on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wolfpack_tf_xc/Sarah Lorge Butler on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/slorgebutler.bsky.social Fast Women on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastwomen/ Fast Women on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fastwomen.bsky.social Subscribe to the Fast Women newsletter: https://fastwomen.substack.com/

Mike Smith, a renowned track and cross-country coach who led Northern Arizona University to multiple national titles, now heads Nike's Swoosh TC in Flagstaff. In this conversation, he reveals the challenges of balancing college and professional coaching. Mike discusses the transition to building a pro team, the influence of NIL on collegiate athletics, and the importance of elite training partners. He shares insights on fostering professionalism among young athletes and the emotional journey of coaching, including supporting postpartum athletes like Rachel.

Two-time Olympian Elise Cranny discusses her recent move to the M11 Track Club in Manchester. She shares insights on the motivating team environment and the club's focus on middle-distance training. Elise contrasts her U.S. training with the M11's high-intensity methods and sand-dune workouts. She emphasizes her plan to focus on the 1500m and 5k while managing past overtraining. The conversation reveals her adaptations to urban life, routines with teammates like Keely Hodgkinson, and the support system vital for her career longevity.

Sarah Lorge Butler talks to Minnesota Distance Elite coach Chris Lundstrom, whose athletes just had a great showing at the New York City Marathon. Annie Frisbie finished fifth in 2:24:12, Joel Reichow was sixth in 2:09:56, and Elena Hayday placed 12th in 2:31:22. Chris discussed his team's recent success, a key workout they did leading up to the race, what makes a good coach, and offered some advice for those who might be cramming for their upcoming turkey trots.And a big thanks to Aletheia Run for sponsoring this episode. Visit aletheia.run to start your free, no obligation 30-day trial.Chris Lundstrom on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachlundo/Minnesota Distance Elite on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/minnesotadistanceelite/Sarah Lorge Butler on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/slorgebutler.bsky.social Fast Women on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastwomen/ Fast Women on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fastwomen.bsky.social Subscribe to the Fast Women newsletter: https://fastwomen.substack.com/

Host Sarah Lorge Butler catches up with Olympian and professional runner Aliphine Tuliamuk days before she's scheduled to give birth to her second child. Aliphine discusses her return from hamstring surgery, signing with Brooks while she was injured, the timing of her pregnancy and delivery, her group chat with other pro runner moms, and much more.Aliphine Tuliamuk on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aliphine/Sarah Lorge Butler on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/slorgebutler.bsky.social Fast Women on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastwomen/ Fast Women on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fastwomen.bsky.social Subscribe to the Fast Women newsletter: https://fastwomen.substack.com/

Emily Sisson holds the American marathon record of 2:18:29, but she has yet to take on the New York City Marathon. That will change on November 2, when she lines up with a stellar field on Staten Island. Fast People host Sarah Lorge Butler caught up with Emily shortly after she set an event record of 31:05 at the Boston 10K for Women to find out how the buildup has gone.Emily Sisson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/em_sisson_/Sarah Lorge Butler on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/slorgebutler.bsky.social Fast Women on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastwomen/ Fast Women on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fastwomen.bsky.social Subscribe to the Fast Women newsletter: https://fastwomen.substack.com/

Helen Schlachtenhaufen talks to host Sarah Lorge Butler about walking on to the cross country team at Dartmouth, having a big breakthrough her senior year, and becoming a professional runner. Helen is now eight years into her pro career, and despite running her fastest times ever last year, she found herself without a sponsor this season. Her 2025 track season was off to a promising start when an unavoidable fall at the USATF Outdoor Championships took her out for most of the rest of her season.Earlier this week, she was able to run one final race to end the season, and she pulled off a win. Helen also discusses the fact that speed runs in her family. In the 1920s, her maternal great-grandmother was one of the best 220 yard runners in the world.Cindy Kuzma's Runner's World article about Helen and her husband, Brian Shrader:  https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a62573906/brian-shrader-helen-schlachtenhaufen-chicago-marathon/Helen Schlachtenhaufen on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helenschlach/Sarah Lorge Butler on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/slorgebutler.bsky.social Fast Women on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastwomen/ Fast Women on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fastwomen.bsky.social Subscribe to the Fast Women newsletter: https://fastwomen.substack.com/

Professional distance runner Josette Andrews recently qualified to represent the U.S. in the 5,000m at the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. A few days before heading to the event, Josette caught up with Sarah Lorge Butler to discuss her season so far, her non-linear path to professional running, the injury that she dealt with last year, and the training that has been working well for her.Josette Andrews on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josettenorris/Josette and Robby Andrews' coaching business: https://www.milestogocoaching.com/Sarah Lorge Butler on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/slorgebutler.bsky.social Fast Women on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastwomen/ Fast Women on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fastwomen.bsky.social Subscribe to the Fast Women newsletter: https://fastwomen.substack.com/

Sarah Lorge Butler talks to Olympian Kate Grace about her recent retirement after 12 years as a pro track & field athlete. Kate recently transitioned into a career in investment consulting, and she discussed some strategies that could help set pro runners up to have more flexibility when they retire from the sport. She also shared her advice for young runners, as well as her thoughts on pro training groups.This episode was recorded August 5.Kate Grace on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastkate/Sarah Lorge Butler on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/slorgebutler.bsky.social Fast Women on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastwomen/ Fast Women on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fastwomen.bsky.social Subscribe to the Fast Women newsletter: https://fastwomen.substack.com/