879. LIVE at The TRACK at New Balance with Aisha Praught Leer & Eric Jenkins
Ali on the Run Show
"Winning is really fun!" On Saturday afternoon during Boston Marathon weekend, more than 775 of us took over The TRACK at New Balance for a super fun live show with cohosts Eric Jenkins and Aisha Praught Leer. No further intro needed. SPONSOR: New Balance. to check out the brand new Ellipse, New Balance's just-released everyday trainer. (It's gorgeous!) Follow Ali: SUPPORT the Ali on the Run Show! If you’re enjoying the show, please . Spread the run love. And if you liked this episode, share it with your friends!
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878. LIVE at WBUR CitySpace in Boston with Claire Holt
Ali on the Run Show
"I have severe FOMO. All I want to do is run this marathon on Monday." Claire Holt is an actress best known for her work on Pretty Little Liars, H20: Just Add Water, The Vampire Diaries, and Mean Girls 2. She's a mom of three who lives in Miami. And she is a runner and a marathoner. Claire came to Boston to do this live show with us, and to take in all the weekend vibes, and I think it's safe to say she'll be back. Biggest thanks to Shokz for supporting this episode and for making all this magic happen, and thank you to Steven and the amazing team at WBUR CitySpace for having us. FOLLOW CLAIRE...
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877. My Boston Marathon Pep Talk
Ali on the Run Show
"I went back to Boston, and I found myself again. I found the Ali I knew was in there. The Ali who lives and breathes running. The Ali who had felt so isolated for so long, but who craves community and connection, and knows exactly where to find it." We're just days away from the 130th Boston Marathon! Last year, I was honored to be asked to be the keynote speaker at the Boston Athletic Association's annual partner summit at the Museum of Science. I used the opportunity to share my Boston Marathon story. My story, as someone who grew up 80 minutes north of Boston, who knew nothing about the...
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876. Sara Hall, Author of For the Love of the Grind
Ali on the Run Show
"Doubt and belief can coexist. In the book, you see a ton of my doubts and struggles with confidence. But then there’s also this untouchable belief that’s always there, too. So it’s almost like, which voice are you going to listen to?" It's a big week for professional runner Sara Hall! She turns 43 tomorrow, and then heads east to race the Boston Marathon on Monday. And while most marathoners are recovering on Tuesday, Sara, in true Sara form, will be doing the opposite: It's book launch day! Sara's debut memoir, , comes out April 21, and in this conversation, Sara talks about why...
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875. Everything You Need to Know About the 2026 Boston Marathon
Ali on the Run Show
"Calm, calm, calm. Relax, relax, relax." Welcome to your guide to the 2026 Boston Marathon! We just about one week away from the 130th running of the world's oldest marathon. This year's Boston Marathon takes place, as always, on the third Monday of April — this year, that's April 20. In this mega-episode, I (along with a team of experts and insiders) attempt to answer all of your questions about all things Boston. Katie Hawkes and Lauren Proshan from the Boston Athletic Association are here to talk logistics (take some deep breaths — the journey to the start line is doable, and you...
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874. Emily Sisson, Boston Marathon-Bound
Ali on the Run Show
"That’s been my thing lately: What excites me?" Emily Sisson is the American record holder in the marathon, a two-time Olympian, and a New Balance professional athlete. And right now, she's gearing up to make her Boston Marathon debut. In this conversation, Emily talks about how the Boston build has been going, and why now was the time to finally race Boston. She talks about her sixth-place finish at last month's United NYC Half, explains why she wanted more from her 2:25 finish at the New York City Marathon in the fall, and talks about making Ireland home — and making new friends in the...
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873. Jess McClain, Boston Marathon-Bound
Ali on the Run Show
"All I can do is move forward knowing that one day I’ll have that moment." Jess McClain just might be the most-loved professional marathoner in the country. The Phoenix, AZ-based Brooks athlete made national headlines last month when she was leading the U.S. Half Marathon National Championships in Atlanta and was led off course by an official vehicle in the final mile of the race. That day, Jess lost out on a national title, a spot on Team USA, and a good amount of prize money. (Listen to Emma Grace Hurley's recap of the day .) She handled the aftermath with grace, compassion, and optimism....
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872. Emma Bates, Mom-to-Be
Ali on the Run Show
"It’s a new day, it’s a new age, let’s learn, let’s grow together. That’s it." Last week, professional Colorado-based marathoner Emma Bates when she shared that she had been dropped by her fueling sponsor after they found out she was pregnant. In this conversation, Emma shares her side of the story that has taken the running community by storm. Emma also talks about running a 2:25 at the Valencia Marathon in the fall, about finding out the next day that she was pregnant, and about the realities of being a pregnant professional marathoner. SPONSOR: Lagoon. to...
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871. Why Did You Run Your First Marathon?
Ali on the Run Show
"I needed to do it like I needed to breathe." At any given marathon, there are thousands of runners on the start line, hoping to complete the 26.2-mile journey to the finish line. That means that at any given marathon, there are thousands of reasons to run. This episode is about those reasons. (Thank you to the nearly 1,000 of you who shared the stories behind why you ran your first marathon. Truly inspiring.) SPONSOR: Oofos: The best in the recovery footwear game. to check out Oofos's new CLUB+ line! Your feet are going to be so happy! In this episode: Why I ran *my*...
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870. My 2026 NYC Half Weekend Recap
Ali on the Run Show
I remember being like, 'I can’t believe I’m here. I can’t believe I’m doing this right now.'" It's been a while since I've done a race recap! This weekend, I ran the United Airlines NYC Half — my first half marathon in two years. With 11 rounds of chemotherapy in the rear view, I felt a major shift this weekend in my favorite city, with so many of my favorite people, doing one of my favorite things. In this solo episode, I'm breaking down the entire weekend (in far too much detail, and with too many stories about parking, turkeys, and eyebrow tinting). From the parties and plays to...
info_outline"I had this sense of nostalgia, of we’re going to look back on this as something special. We all felt a little bit of something magical going on."
She’s come a long way, baby! Jenny Grimshaw returns to the Ali on the Run Show, this time as a 2:32 marathoner. Jenny just ran four-minute personal best at the California International Marathon, qualifying for the 2028 Olympic Marathon Trials with room to spare. This is the same Jenny who spent years trying to break three hours. The Jenny with a long history of race anxiety. The Jenny who dropped out of CIM in 2022. In this episode, Jenny, a mom to two young kids who lives in San Francisco and works full-time, talks about how she made that 2:32:50 happen, and how she has kept chipping away at her marathon time and enjoying herself along the way. Jenny also has the BRCA1 gene: She had a preventative prophylactic double mastectomy a few years ago, and will have her ovaries removed next year.
FOLLOW JENNY @jenny_gshaw
SPONSOR:
- New Balance: Click here to get your hands on the fan favorite Rebel v5!
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In this episode:
- Jenny’s snapshot moment from CIM 2025 (2:50)
- All about Peninsula Distance Club, and the power of female friendships (5:20)
- How Jenny fits running and training into her days, and on learning to get over mom guilt (10:00)
- How being a mom has made Jenny a better runner (15:15)
- What it felt like to run a 2:32 marathon (17:40)
- How Jenny reacted when, at six weeks postpartum, she learned that the Trials standards had changed from 2:45 to 2:37 (21:10)
- On running 2:36 at the London Marathon this year — before the OTQ window opened for 2028 (25:50)
- How Jenny has navigated big running dreams and family planning (27:40)
- The decision not to run this year’s Chicago Marathon, and why Jenny chose to do CIM instead (30:20)
- How Jenny knew it was going to be a special day at CIM (34:20)
- What it felt like standing on the CIM start line, and Jenny's goals for the day (38:30)
- What happens when the CIM finish line clock hits 2:37 (50:00)
- What's next for Jenny on the run (51:10)
- How Jenny is feeling about needing to have her ovaries removed as a result of having the BRCA1 gene (55:15)
- Jenny's advice for people who have big goals and dreams and are feeling stuck (58:20)
- All about Jenny's job at Equip, which provides virtual eating disorder treatment (1:00:15)
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SUPPORT the Ali on the Run Show! If you’re enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Spread the run love. And if you liked this episode, share it with your friends!