Tom and Brian Williams: Chasing Ghosts at the Comrades Marathon

Over 52,000 people ran the 2019 New York City Marathon. Some were fast, some were less fast, but they all ran the same course, and the same distance, and according to our panel of experts, they were mostly all still nervous, and hoping that they didn’t have a problem with a bowel movement.This episode features the best tips and tricks from a pre-race panel with marathon coach Jon Honerkamp, ultrarunner and filmmaker Billy Yang, 85-time marathon/ultramarathon finisher Mary Arnold, and Scott Fauble, who finished seventh in the 2018 NYC Marathon. It was moderated by Runner’s World editor Jeff Dengate, at the New York Roadrunners RunCenter, not far from the marathon’s finish line.

Before Brian Williams and his son Tom set off to run the Comrades Marathon – an 86.8 kilometer race in South Africa, Brian’s mind was already at the finish. He said, “If we succeed, it'll just be to be the fulfillment of a dream. It'll put to rest many of the ghosts of my past. It's hard to put into words what it means, but it means a lot.”For his role in the anti-apartheid movement, Brian was exiled from South Africa for decades. He grew old away from his country, had a family in the UK and could not attend his mother’s funeral back home. So to return to South Africa after so many years, running Comrades was about much more than covering that massive distance. It was about reclaiming his sense of home. And running 53 miles in your 70s after a lifetime of not really being that active… it was a triumph of stubbornness, too. Listen to the season finale of Athletes Unfiltered. 

Most athletes don’t have to fight for the right to compete in the sport they love. The vast majority of us can just sign up and race. For Rachel McKinnon, it’s not that simple. She’s a transgender athlete, one of the first to win a world championship. And while she has competed in sports her whole life, now she faces harassment just for pinning on a number. “I've received a few death threats. I receive physical hate mail at work. I receive tons of electronic hate mail. And even just today – before we were recording – I had to delete two hateful comments on an Instagram post.” In the newest episode of Athletes Unfiltered, we speak with Rachel about why she loves racing so much she’s willing to put up with a level of harassment and hatred that would make most of us afraid to leave the house.

“I only won two races in my career and I had a 16-year career, so that would be a shit career if it was about winning for me.” Many cycling fans might be surprised to hear that from Larens ten Dam. In his long career, he finished 9th the Tour de France and stood on more than his fair share of podiums. But he also carried bottles, worked more in support of slightly faster riders, and got hit by a few cars. Throughout it all, he realized that the only certainty in pro cycling is that everything will continue to change – and he credits his longevity to his ability to adapt. Learn more about Laurens’ "Live Slow, Ride Fast" approach in the newest episode of our podcast, Athletes Unfiltered.

Susie Chan didn’t start running until she was almost 40 years old, but she didn’t waste any time. She went all in, racing ultras like the Marathon Des Sables – a multi-day epic through the Sahara Desert. Surviving cancer only motivated her to push harder. But when an injury threatened the possibility that Susie may never be able to run again, she was forced to ask why she was running in the first place. And the answer she finds might be one any runner who is struggling with injury needs to hear. Learn more about Susie and follow her on Strava.

After finishing a 3,000 mile run across the US, Rickey Gates had a strange feeling that he’d missed something. His route showed him a super thin slice of the country and left him with more questions than answers. He had ended in San Francisco, so for his next adventure he decided to run every single street in the city. “I thought it would be interesting to turn it into a project and treat it similarly to someone who is going after say the Appalachian Trail or the Pacific Crest Trail and dedicate myself to it. You know 8, 10, 12 hours a day. And do it all in one go,” Rickey said. Would he find what he was looking for? Find out on the latest episode of Athletes Unfiltered. Listen now and subscribe so you don't miss any of season two!

When Mirna first started running, she wasn’t very good at it. The body she has isn’t most people’s image of a “runner’s body”. “It's a fat body. It's definitely a fat body,” Mirna said. “And I have no trouble using that word. And I know that it makes people uncomfortable which is why I have no trouble using it because I want people to think about the words that they use and about the intention behind their words.” What Mirna does have is a runner’s mind. She has the drive to train almost every day and to keep moving for hours on end to finish ultramarathons. She has a deep love of nature and of being out on trails. Mirna wants to show that no matter what your body looks like, if you’ve got the will to run, you are a runner.

On this episode of Athletes Unfiltered, we’ll speak to three athletes who asked themselves, “How did I get here?” We’ll introduce you to Mimi Anderson, who was a normal British housewife – until she ran across the Sahara Desert. We’ll speak to Greg Erwin, who was touring the world as a rock drummer, but realized what he really wanted to do was ride his bike. And we’ll introduce you to Ayesha McGowan, who went from chasing cars on her fixie, to chasing a dream of becoming the first ever African-American pro female road racer.

In this episode, we show how sport can help us overcome self-doubt, help us make new friends and face up to problems we could never overcome alone. We’ll introduce you to Ernest Gagnon, who struggled with his weight, until the cycling community helped him break away from his anxiety. You’ll hear from Maggie, a runner in LA who wouldn’t let a broken foot keep her from running a half marathon with her friends. And you’ll meet Giuseppe Adeola Richard, who, with the help of a London cycling club, decided to fight back against addiction.

In this episode, we speak with three athletes who are getting better with age. Gene has run 200-milers and has a marathon PR of 2:54:23 - the fastest ever run by a man in his 70’s. Patricia Berthelier learned to ride a bike at 38 and now, in her 60’s, has discovered a community of ultra-endurance mountain bikers and a sense of freedom she’s never felt before. Brad Huff was the oldest professional cyclist in the US men’s peloton, and now that he’s announced his retirement he has to face a whole new set of challenges. So what are you waiting for? You’re not getting any younger! Listen now.