Polly Cunes - Making Dreams Come True With Hard Work (and the magic mirror) | RunChats Ep.142

Polly Cunes has been on quite the marathon journey. In 2008, at age 25, she ran 3:25 in her first marathon as a bucket list item, and recently rocked a 2:41 PR at Chicago—17 years later! Polly is a mom of two, a teacher, and a master of juggling hard training and chasing down big goals. She bounced back strong from a knee injury in 2020 and surgery in 2021, despite the "advice" from her surgeon that running marathons was "too hard on her knees..."And we're SO glad she listened to her inner voice instead.17 marathons down. Faster times ahead.Polly is a fun follow, inspires many, and personifies #fasterasamaster. We dug in on her build, the magic mirror, and what's next.I hope you enjoy the listen!If you enjoy the episode, it would mean the world to me if you would rate the podcast or write a review and share feedback wherever you get your podcast groove on.Connect With Polly:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mommytosubthreeConnect With Ron:Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ronrunsnycPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runchats_with_ronrunsnycFacebook: https://fb.me/runchatsWebsite: https://ronrunsnyc.com----Produced by: David Margittai | In Post MediaWebsite: https://www.inpostmedia.comEmail: [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/_margittai© 2025 Ron Romano

Kelsi Chappell is on a TEAR!A 2:43:15 PR at Boston followed by a 2:49:31 at London......Just 6 DAYS APART!Then? She wins the hilly Bristol Half by breaking her own course record of 1:24:57!Kelsi is not just a rockstar runner, she's also a Team O'Leary Coach—helping others chase big goals.We dive into:-Her Boston to London double-Her continued progression-Her dynamic with coach Brendon O'Leary-Her coaching philosophy & approachThis convo was PACKED with insight and inspiration. Kelsi brought the fire!I TRULY enjoyed our conversation. Go give Kelsi a follow and I hope you enjoy the listen!If you enjoy the episode, it would mean the world to me if you would rate the podcast or write a review and share feedback wherever you get your podcast groove on.Connect With Kelsi:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelsichappellConnect With Ron:Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ronrunsnycPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runchats_with_ronrunsnycFacebook: https://fb.me/runchatsWebsite: https://ronrunsnyc.com----Produced by: David Margittai | In Post MediaWebsite: https://www.inpostmedia.comEmail: [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/_margittai© 2025 Ron Romano

Meet Jack Anstey, we covered his journey from "the Outback" in Alice Springs, Australia, to the US for college at Illinois State University—where he initially struggled to find his footing before becoming an All-American and enjoying the best years of his life.After graduating in 2021, Jack signed his pro contract with Under Armour, moved to Flagstaff, and enjoys training with Mission Run Dark Sky Distance.His running achievements include:-2x Australian record holder for the 1000m and road mile-A mile personal best of 3:51.51-A 1500m personal best of 3:35.37-He's been to multiple world championships representing Australia and finished top-10 in 2023-NCAA Division 1 first team All American while at Illinois StateI TRULY enjoyed our conversation. Go give Jack a follow and I hope you enjoy the listen!If you enjoy the episode, it would mean the world to me if you would rate the podcast or write a review and share feedback wherever you get your podcast groove on.Connect With Jack:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackansteyConnect With Ron:Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ronrunsnycPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runchats_with_ronrunsnycFacebook: https://fb.me/runchatsWebsite: https://ronrunsnyc.com----Produced by: David Margittai | In Post MediaWebsite: https://www.inpostmedia.comEmail: [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/_margittai© 2025 Ron Romano

"An individual medal isn't won alone." -Marie-Ange Brumelot "I have so much to share and sometimes the story feels too big to sum up in one post. Over the past few months, I faced a torn glute, a broken bone, and 11 weeks away from the sport I love. There were countless tears of sadness, but also 6 weeks of relentless running that eventually led to a team gold medal and an individual silver medal at the 100K World Championship." In this episode, we dove into how the power of our running community, unwavering hope, and little miracles along the way helped Marie get back on track—even when it seemed impossible. "Thank you to every single one of you for your endless support during this stressful journey. We did it together!" Remember: every step—no matter how small—counts. I'm hoping you all will be inspired by Marie's grind and journey back to become Vice-Champion at the 100K World Championships and help her team earn gold. If you enjoy the episode, it would mean the world to me if you would rate the podcast or write a review and share feedback wherever you get your podcast groove on. Connect With Marie: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marie11201 Connect With Ron: Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ronrunsnyc Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runchats_with_ronrunsnyc Facebook: https://fb.me/runchats Website: https://ronrunsnyc.com ---- Produced by: David Margittai | In Post Media Website: https://www.inpostmedia.com Email: [email protected] Social: https://www.instagram.com/_margittai © 2025 Ron Romano

What a treat it was to welcome legendary hosts, Deena Kastor and Martin Yelling from The Marathon Talk Podcast. They recently ran NYC for fun and fully immersed themselves in the 5 Boro Block Party. They stopped for selfies, chatted up other runners, and shared their perspectives on what it was like to be back in the pack. We also discussed our favorite Abbott WMM's courses, Sydney becoming the 7th Major, and what's next with Cape Town & Shanghai in the queue. We closed the convo with Deena & Martin talking some smack about a possible showdown in Sydney—so stay tuned! I hope you all enjoy the listen, once I finally hit the record button... If you enjoy the episode, it would mean the world to me if you would rate the podcast or write a review and share feedback wherever you get your podcast groove on. Connect With Deena & Martin: Deena's IG: https://www.instagram.com/deena8050 Martin's IG: https://www.instagram.com/martinyelling Marathon Talk Podcast: https://www.worldmarathonmajors.com/marathontalk-podcast Connect With Ron: Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ronrunsnyc Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runchats_with_ronrunsnyc Facebook: https://fb.me/runchats Website: https://ronrunsnyc.com ---- Produced by: David Margittai | In Post Media Website: https://www.inpostmedia.com Email: [email protected] Social: https://www.instagram.com/_margittai © 2024 Ron Romano

Adam is a 12-year combat veteran of the Air Force with deployments to Iraq & Afghanistan as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team leader. In 2007, while working to disarm a roadside bomb (IED) in Afghanistan, Adam was injured by a secondary IED—resulting in the amputation of his right leg above the knee. Adam is a Purple Heart recipient, Tillman Scholar, and now an eight-time Guinness World Record holder, and became the first above-knee amputee to complete a 100-mile ultramarathon within 30 hours in 2016. He has five 100-mile finishes and set an amputee record time of 16:13:43 for 100 miles in 2024. Adam also has the fastest marathon time for an above-knee amputee at 2:57 and completed a full Ironman in 11:03:06. Adam is one of the most humble, most inspiring people you will ever meet. It was an honor to host this conversation. I hope you all will enjoy the listen and be moved to rise above and achieve beyond! If you enjoy the episode, it would mean the world to me if you would rate the podcast or write a review and share feedback wherever you get your podcast groove on. Connect With Adam: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eodpopp Website: https://adampopp.com All Other Links: https://linktr.ee/adampopp Connect With Ron: Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ronrunsnyc Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runchats_with_ronrunsnyc Facebook: https://fb.me/runchats Website: https://ronrunsnyc.com ---- Produced by: David Margittai | In Post Media Website: https://www.inpostmedia.com Email: [email protected] Social: https://www.instagram.com/_margittai © 2024 Ron Romano

This was a FUN live interactive expo chat with one of my running besties Kelly Willis! Kelly is an inspiring former guest (episode 64), fellow 3X Six-Star finisher, and 4X World Age Group competitor! Kelly and I discussed what inspires us, what keeps the fire burning, the biggest challenges we've had to overcome, and how we handle race day challenges. Our goal was to provide tips and best practices for the large amount of first-time marathoners taking on Sydney and we finished off by taking some questions from the audience! If you enjoy the episode, it would mean the world to me if you would rate the podcast or write a review and share feedback wherever you get your podcast groove on. Connect With Kelly: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelly_brown_willis Connect With Ron: Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ronrunsnyc Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runchats_with_ronrunsnyc Facebook: https://fb.me/runchats Website: https://ronrunsnyc.com ---- Produced by: David Margittai | In Post Media Website: https://www.inpostmedia.com Email: [email protected] Social: https://www.instagram.com/_margittai © 2024 Ron Romano

James expertly broke down the exciting new course, the Fan Zones that will be bringing the hype, community engagement, support from sponsors and volunteers, as well as the vision, hard work, and steps taken by the team to be on the doorstep of becoming the 7th World Marathon Major. We cover all that and so many more insights on how to have your BEST Sydney marathon experience on Sunday! Please share with anyone running or planning to run in 2025! If you enjoy the episode, it would mean the world to me if you would rate the podcast or write a review and share feedback wherever you get your podcast groove on. Connect With James: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/that.guy.who.runs Connect With Ron: Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ronrunsnyc Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runchats_with_ronrunsnyc Facebook: https://fb.me/runchats Website: https://ronrunsnyc.com ---- Produced by: David Margittai | In Post Media Website: https://www.inpostmedia.com Email: [email protected] Social: https://www.instagram.com/_margittai © 2024 Ron Romano

"At my best, I was trying to be competitive with myself to get the best out of what I could do." -Alan Ruben Alan Ruben is an icon in the NYC running community—a paragon of consistency and an inspiration to so many in the masters running world for his remarkable running resume. Alan has completed 35 straight NYCs, with 25 consecutive sub 3s from 1989-2014, and—the most astounding of all—15 consecutive sub 2:40s from 1991-2005! Alan ran his fastest marathon 2:29:54 at age 41 and placed 48th overall in the 1998 Boston Marathon. Alan gives a lot of credit for his success to joining Central Park Track Club in 1990, where he enjoyed grinding twice-weekly workouts with fast teammates that helped push him. In the storied 100th Boston in 1996, he ran 2:30:30 with teammates Peter Allen and Andreas Nolte and they captured the Team Masters Title. Key coaches/mentors who helped guide him: George Wisniewski & Tony Ruiz of Central Park Track Club. Alan has run 704 races—100 half marathons, 67 marathons, and about 95,000 lifetime recorded miles—but the most inspiring thing about Alan is that he is still going strong and out there every day. I'm so proud to be his teammate and I thoroughly enjoyed discussing his epic running journey! If you enjoy the episode, it would mean the world to me if you would rate the podcast or write a review and share feedback wherever you get your podcast groove on. Connect With Ron: Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ronrunsnyc Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runchats_with_ronrunsnyc Facebook: https://fb.me/runchats Website: https://ronrunsnyc.com ---- Produced by: David Margittai | In Post Media Website: https://www.inpostmedia.com Email: [email protected] Social: https://www.instagram.com/_margittai © 2024 Ron Romano

"You just have to be so grateful for the races that go according to plan and where you do set a dream goal and achieve that dream goal. Nobody's written anybody's future—it's not scripted, so you have to make the most of the moments that you have in running. That can be true in any era, at any age, at any stage, and any talent level and accomplishment level. It's one of the great lessons of running." -Gordon Bakoulis Gordon Bakoulis is a 5-time Olympic Trials marathoner and one of the most accomplished runners I've had the pleasure of speaking with. Gordon qualified for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, & 2004 and was a finalist in the 1992 U.S. Olympic 10,000m Trials. She has represented the U.S. internationally at the 10K, half-marathon, & marathon distances, and has run a 1:11 half-marathon and a 2:33 marathon. We discussed the enormous growth in women's running, the runners who inspired her, and how much the sport has evolved. Gordon's most memorable race was the 2001 NYC Marathon, which was held less than 8 weeks after the 9/11 attacks. Gordon won the masters division in 2:41 and it was really emotional hearing her reflect on what it felt like running through her beloved, broken, yet resilient city. Gordon has also been coaching since 1985 and has worked in the media and for NYRR since 2002—which affords her a really unique perspective. I'm so grateful to Gordon for sharing so many great lessons! If you enjoy the episode, it would mean the world to me if you would rate the podcast or write a review and share feedback wherever you get your podcast groove on. Connect With Gordon: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gordonbakoulis Connect With Ron: Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ronrunsnyc Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runchats_with_ronrunsnyc Facebook: https://fb.me/runchats Website: https://ronrunsnyc.com ---- Produced by: David Margittai | In Post Media Website: https://www.inpostmedia.com Email: [email protected] Social: https://www.instagram.com/_margittai © 2024 Ron Romano