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 her twice before, coming in 2nd in 2022 and 3rd in 2023. Rodenf…

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…

Katie Steele fell in love with sports at an early age. By the time she reached high school, that love had developed into a passion for competitive running. But the fun of racing turned destructive as Steele progressed through the competitive world of top level collegiate racing in the US, the NCAA. Her experiences were further exacerbated by the in…

Madie Boreman is a professional steeplechaser for Oiselle, and last year, 2023, in her very first season as a pro, she established herself as a racer to watch. Getting to this point, however, has been full of many ups and downs. In this episode Boreman shares the fascinating story of transitioning from collegiate racing to the professional ranks. B…

Olympian and professional marathon runner for Asics Betsy Saina tells the story of how it all went down at the 2024 USATF 25k National Championships. Saina returned to this race as the reining champion. Saina was born in Kenya and that is where she currently lives. She came to the US for college and had an incredible collegiate career racing for Io…

Jarvis Evans hails from Miami, Florida. He finds inspiration in every turn of events. From 2005 to 2010, Jarvis participated in American Idol’s Season 9 & 10 as a Semi-Finalist. Jarvis is a favorite at Broadjam.com, the largest independent music network. His songs reached #1 on the charts several times. Jarvis has performed at Underground Atlanta H…

In this episode, part 5 of this series, Cherie shares how she's getting away from being so reliant on the GPS watch and committing to learn how to run and pace by feel. This is, she continues to discover, a work in progress, especially when it comes to pacing. Cherie also gets into addressing race anxiety and confidence and how these are challenges…

Young professional runner Rachel McArthur shares how it all went down at the 2024 USATF 1-Mile National Championships, which took place Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Des Moines, IA. But more than most race stories, this one is all that much more exciting because of what came before. In this episode, you'll hear it all. A bit of background on MacArthu…

This is a live recording from Sunday, April 14 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 Making a Statement: Breaking Barriers in Women's Running, and it featured outstanding runners Al…

Carmen Graves is a professional track racer sponsored by Oiselle, and she specializes in the uniquely challenging event of the steeplechase. Graves's unexpected discovery of excelling at this event and the exciting reality that she continues to improve as a steeplechaser at the age of 33 is what this story is all about. Graves loves to run and race…

Barbara Bruckmüller is a composer and jazz pianist born in Vienna. She was influenced by the sounds of Hollywood Jazz, from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. She studied piano early on for seven years, but it took time for her to discover her passion for jazz. She studied jazz piano with Paul Urbanek at the Gustav Mahler Conservatory in Vienna, in 2004. Bar…

In August 2020, marathon and ultra-distance trail runner Emily Halnon set out on an FKT (fastest known time). The goal: cover the 460 miles of the Pacific Coast Trail that traverses Oregon, from south to north, faster than any other human yet recorded. The purpose: to honor her mother, Andrea Halnon, who had been her inspiration and her biggest sup…

Adidas professional runner Emily Durgin is back on the podcast! She shares how it all went down at the 2024 USATF 10-Mile National Championships, which took place April 7, 2024, in Washington, D.C. This is a follow up to Durgin's last appearance on WRS, where she told the story of how the USATF Olympic Trails Marathon played out for her. While Durg…

Women's Running Stories is moving to Tuesdays; expect the next new episode Tuesday, April 30. This Friday episode is a re-air of a great story featuring running great Sally Kipyego. The episode first aired back in March 25, 2021, and it centers on Kipyego's return to competitive running after having her first child, and the journey to making the 20…

In 2016, elite ultra-distance trail runner and writer Katie Arnold experienced a traumatic river rafting accident that left her questioning whether or not she would ever be able to run again. This is the story of how Arnold healed after her accident and how that process helped her rediscover a pure joy of running and a magical return to racing. Thi…

In this episode, Emilia Benton focuses on how she discovered the approach to marathoning that earned her a Boston Marathon qualifying time, and then how it all went down at last year's Boston Marathon. Benton is a well recognized journalist in the running world, with a particular focus on professional runners as well as runners and stories that hav…

Michelle Wheeler is an internationally competitive marathon and distance road racer. Last year saw Wheeler race marathons in Boston, Berlin, Sydney, London, Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia, in addition to traveling throughout the US to shorter-distance races. And, this year, she'll also be returning to shorter distance racing on the track. Whee…

Jen Kanyugi is running her 20th consecutive Boston Marathon this year. Her journey to get to this point is about this one event, and so much more. In this time, Jen went from not running more than 20 minutes on the treadmill to being a steady presence at this, one of the most recognized and celebrated running events in the world. In that time she b…

In this episode, part 4 of this series, Cherie tells the story of her return to formal training and workouts after recovering from an injury. And, back at it, Cherie returned to racing and experienced a frustrating bought of race anxiety. This set Cherie down a path to tackle this difficult barrier and think deeply about what this goal means to her…

Wendy Vaughan hails from Caracas, Venezuela. She is a singer, songwriter, and saxophonist. Her musical journey began in her childhood. She began composing in her thirties. Born to Cuban and Dominican parents, her family moved to New York City when she was 4. Wendy's musical journey began 12, in Houston, Texas, when she discovered the saxophone. She…

Liz Rock is a marathoner and community leader, focusing on women and diversity: "We [women] are so powerful and I wish we knew that more," she says. "We are powerful and we need to lead with that more often than not." Rock tells her running story with a focus on training for the 2024 Boston Marathon, and her journey is about so much more than putti…

Minnesota Distance Elite Team member and Puma professional marathoner and long-distance road racer Annie Frisbie shares how it all went down at the 2024 15k National Championships, which took place March 2, 2024, in Jacksonville, FL, at the Gate River Run. Frisbie had a great race at the 15k, for some interesting and special reasons. And she gets i…

Alison Crockett is a vibrant vocalist who has performed and recorded in a wide range of genres including neo-soul, acid jazz, R&B, gospel, funk and electronica. Following breakthrough success as a featured vocalist working with DJ King Britt and British jazz-rap group Us3, Alison continued to evolve musically, recording diverse projects: the jazz E…

Professional middle distance track racer Rebecca Mehra shares her professional running story. It's been marked by great success, two years of disappointing hurdles, to now: coming into 2024 healthy and ready, with a new perspective, new coach, and new set of training partners. Rebecca Mehra is a professional middle distance track racer, sponsored b…

Jessie Laine Powell hails from Lexington, Kentucky. She grew up with her talented siblings, listening to gospel music. Jazz vocalists Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Nancy Wilson, and Shirley Horn, along with the Lawrence Welk Show stirred her soul, dominating her musical taste. Her love for the stage, orchestras, and Jazz standards led her to Holly…

Kelly Bruno has been an athlete since she was a child. Because of a birth defect on her right leg, she went through a below-the-knee amputation, and competes with a prosthetic. Competitive sports has played a fundamental role in her life and her development, and throughout, Bruno has been a role model in the para-athlete world, pushing the limits o…

Adidas professional runner Emily Durgin shares how it all went down at the 2024 USATF Olympic Trials Marathon, which took place February 3, 2024, in Orlando, FL. On the line at this race, in addition to a national championship title, cash awards and series points, racers were vying for a spot on Team USA going to the 2024 Paris Olympics. This was t…

Emma Grace Hurley is an exciting young professional runner, now running for the newly formed all-women's team, the Heartland Track Club. Emma Grace was first featured on WRS in March 2023, in our Race Report episode about the USATF 15k National Championships, which was held on March 6, 2023, at the Gate River Run in Jacksonville, Florida. In this e…

Jay Ell Alexander is a runner and the CEO of one of the largest running groups in the United States: Black Girls Run, aka BGR, with 258,000 members. Alexander has been leading BGR for six years now, after working as marketing and PR lead for the previous six years. And she has a very clear understanding of the women she is inspiring and motivating …

Emerging professional runner and new member of Tinman Elite out of Boulder, Colorado, Katie Camarena tells the story of how it all went down from her viewpoint racing in the 2024 USATF Cross-Country National Championships, which took place January 20, 2024, in Richmond, VA. On the line at this race, in addition to a national championship title, cas…

Michelle Sikes's story centers around how her collegiate running career is inextricably linked to her first book, Kenya's Running Women: A History, published in December 2023. This is the first academic monograph to focus on the history of any women's sport in Africa. Back when she was in her collegiate years, Sikes became a Rhodes Scholar and the …

"I don't think I really liked running until maybe two or three years in of actually trying to run. I wouldn't even call myself a runner at that point at all, but just somebody trying to get their life right and trying to have some balance. It really started to open up a new world for me." Sister Liz Sjoberg's running journey started out as an inter…

Anita Cardinal is an ultra trail runner, advocate for the indigenous community, race director, and community builder who lives in Northwestern Canada in the beautiful city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. In her story, Anita gets into why running has been a powerful force in her life from a very early age, and how the impact of the sport continues to …

In this episode, part 3 of this series, Cherie shares how a freak non-running injury caused her to take time away from structured workouts and formal training. While the injury was a bummer, in the end, it provided a healthy reset. Cherie shares how the recovery process has gone and why she feels like navigating this period of relative downtime has…

For this episode, I chose a variety of clips from 10 episodes published in 2023 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…

Natalie Barlatier has a determination when it comes to her running that is truly remarkable. Barlatier discovered a love of track and field in her youth, but took a break from running when she entered college. She returned to the sport after being diagnosed with MS in her late 20s, and began to explore distance running. Barlatier worked her way up …

Briana Boehmer had dreamed about qualifying for an Olympic trials since she was young. But she'd let go of that dream as she moved into her 40s. In her mind, she had aged out. That all changed in 2020. Boehmer's first competitive sport was running, which she did through college. After college, she became a competitive triathlete, eventually working…

Professional distance and marathon runner Neely Spence Gracey has been a competitive runner since she was in her teens and running has been a part of her life since she was born: both of her parents were competitive runners, and her father was an internationally competitive marathoner. In recent years, however, Neely's running focus and motivation …

Elite marathon runner Ari Hendrix did not grow up dreaming of running. Up through college, Hendrix’s athletic heart was firmly focused on the basketball court. But when professional prospects didn’t pan out after her college career ended, Hendrix had to face the harsh fast reality that the sport that had defined her days and shaped her dreams was o…

The story behind becoming 2023 USATF Masters Track and Field Athlete of the Year. Masters 60+ track and field athlete Sue McDonald has been a competitive athlete most of her life. And she's been a competitor in a wide variety of events: she'd started out her collegiate career as a heptathlete and has since continued to enjoy working at multiple dis…

Fatimah M. Jackson is a unique and diverse writer, self-published author, spoken word artist, and song writer. From Western Pennsylvania, she dreamed of becoming a singer and songwriter as a child. In her pursuit of that dream, she attended California State College where she majored in Music Composition, Human Services and now she is living that dr…

Top American distance pro runner Molly Huddle tells the story around her 2023 NYC Marathon, her first time racing this distance since having her first child, Josephine, in April 2022. WRS featured Huddle in March of this year, 2023, to tell the story of her postpartum return to racing and how it all went down at the 2023 NYC Half Marathon. Immediat…

Elite runner and Olympian Rachel Smith tells the story of how it all went down from her viewpoint racing in the 2023 USATF 5km National Championships, which took place November 4, 2023, in New York City. This is Smith's first big event back since having her first child, her daughter, Nova, 6 months ago. Smith shares her experiences running through …

Adria Shahid hails from Columbus, Ohio. She is a vocal stylist and songwriter who developed an ear for music by listening to and singing with her father a musician and vocalist. Her mother is a pianist and vocalist. With the tutelage from her parents, Adria was destined to be a musical artist. Adria’s musical journey began with one of the top Midwe…