461: Elena Hayday - I Am Ready

It’s been a fantastic year for newly signed Puma runner Elena Hayday and with the Chicago Marathon on the horizon, she’s hitting her stride at exactly the right time! Elena had a breakthrough performance at the Boston Marathon this spring, running 2:24:45 to finish 13th overall, and recently added another impressive result with a second-place finish at the USATF 20K Championships. But Elena is so much more than a professional runner. She’s also pursuing a PhD in neuroscience while training at an elite level. In this episode, Elena breaks down her research, how it influences the way she approaches her own training, and how she balances the demands of academics and professional running. Carrie and Elena also look back at her journey into running, how her time with Minnesota Distance Elite helped shape her into the athlete she is today, and the big goals she has for the future.This episode is brought to you by Tailwind Nutrition. Please Visit tailwindnutrition.com and use code TOLLE20 for 20% off your order.

Rachael Rudel is having one heck of a season! Fresh off her first national title at the USATF 20K Championships, Rachael has earned the opportunity to represent Team USA in the half marathon at the 2027 World Road Running Championships in China. But getting to this point wasn't always easy. Along the way, Rachael has navigated a medical misdiagnosis, an eating disorder, injuries, and discovering that she carries the BRCA1 gene. Through it all, she's continued to push forward, balancing a full-time job with training and always finding the fun in the sport she loves. In this episode, Rachael recaps her championship-winning race (including some of her running quirks), and opens up about her journey, the mental strategies that have helped her overcome adversity, her approach to health and training, and what's next in her running career. This is an honest and inspiring conversation about resilience, health, and finding your way forward when the path doesn't always go as planned.This episode is brought to you by Tailwind Nutrition. Please Visit tailwindnutrition.com and use code TOLLE20 for 20% off your order.

Fresh off the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile, Carrie and her friend Ali Feller of the Ali on the Run Podcast take over a special edition of the Set the Pace podcast! Together, they recap all the action from the iconic New York City race, then sit down with this year’s champions, Marco Langon and Jemma Reekie. Marco and Jemma share their running journeys, break down their winning performances, talk about what it took to come out on top, and look ahead to what’s next. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at race day, straight from the athletes who won it!This episode is brought to you by Tailwind Nutrition. Please Visit tailwindnutrition.com and use code TOLLE20 for 20% off your order.

Dimity McDowell has done it all. She's been a sports journalist, co-authored three books including her newest release "The 27th Mile", and co-founded Another Mother Runner, an inclusive community that has inspired and supported countless female runners. She's also a personal trainer and coach who has taken on major endurance events, including IRONMAN Coeur d'Alene and the Pikes Peak Ascent. But perhaps Dimity's greatest passion is helping women stay strong and keep moving forward on the roads, trails, and through life. In this live episode, recorded at Summit Brewing in Minnesota, nothing is off limits as Dimity and Carrie dive into her incredible journey. Dimity explains her relationship with running, facing adversity when a doctor told her to stop running, and the difficult process of eventually accepting that advice. She also opens up about why runners can become so attached to the sport, why stepping away can be incredibly difficult, and what happens when your identity has been closely tied to running for so long. Together, Carrie and Dimity explore the power of community, coping with life's biggest challenges, and finding new passions and purpose when life doesn't go according to plan.This episode is brought to you by Tailwind Nutrition. Please Visit tailwindnutrition.com and use code TOLLE20 for 20% off your order.

You've probably seen the viral video of a father pushing his daughter to a world-record mile. That father is Stephen Biebelhausen, and this week, he's joining C Tolle Run! Last month at the Guardian Mile in Cleveland, Ohio, Stephen pushed his adorable daughter, Blake, in the mile race with the goal of setting a course record. What happened next was even bigger! He not only smashed the course record but set a new world record by an incredible nine seconds! But there's so much more to Stephen than one unforgettable race. In this episode, he shares his own running background and current goals, along with how he balances training and racing with life as an emergency room doctor and father. He also talks about how his work in the ER has prepared him for the challenging moments that can arise during races. Of course, we also talk about his favorite part of running with Blake, what's next for this record-setting duo, and so much more. This is a fun and inspiring conversation about running, fatherhood, big goals, and sharing the joy of the sport with the people you love.This episode is brought to you by Tailwind Nutrition. Please Visit tailwindnutrition.com and use code TOLLE20 for 20% off your order.

You've probably seen the viral video of a father pushing his daughter to a world-record mile. That father is Stephen Biebelhausen, and this week, he's joining C Tolle Run! Last month at the Guardian Mile in Cleveland, Ohio, Stephen pushed his adorable daughter, Blake, in the mile race with the goal of setting a course record. What happened next was even bigger! He not only smashed the course record but set a new world record by an incredible nine seconds! But there's so much more to Stephen than one unforgettable race. In this episode, he shares his own running background and current goals, along with how he balances training and racing with life as an emergency room doctor and father. He also talks about how his work in the ER has prepared him for the challenging moments that can arise during races. Of course, we also talk about his favorite part of running with Blake, what's next for this record-setting duo, and so much more. This is a fun and inspiring conversation about running, fatherhood, big goals, and sharing the joy of the sport with the people you love.This episode is brought to you by Tailwind Nutrition. Please Visit tailwindnutrition.com and use code TOLLE20 for 20% off your order.

Craig Engels is no stranger to the C Tolle Run podcast, and if you've listened before, you already know he's never short on stories. Last time Craig joined Carrie, they talked about his accomplishments in the 800m and 1500m. This time, fresh off USATF Nationals in New York City, Craig shares what happened when he decided to explore the city a little more than planned. And if that wasn't enough excitement, he packed up his dog, Roo, and embarked on a bike adventure across North Carolina. But there's much more to Craig than his epic adventures. Now training and living in Flagstaff, Arizona, he's setting his sights on the 2028 Olympic Trials with big goals and plenty of motivation. Craig opens up about what has kept him in the sport, how he handles the tough moments, what he does to escape when life gets overwhelming, and perhaps most importantly, his secret to always finding a reason to smile. Craig is as entertaining and effervescent as ever, and this conversation is guaranteed to leave you smiling.This episode is brought to you by Tailwind Nutrition. Please Visit tailwindnutrition.com and use code TOLLE20 for 20% off your order.

Sydney Vaught is one of the newest names on the professional running scene, but after winning the 2026 USATF 10,000m Championship, she's quickly becoming an athlete you’ll want to know. Before turning pro, Sydney was a standout at the University of Arkansas, where she became an All-American, SEC Champion, and one of the top distance runners in the NCAA. But her journey to the professional ranks wasn't always a straight line. In this episode, Sydney shares what it was like growing up in a small Wyoming town, how she connected with her college coach Mike Burns (who continues to coach her today) and the moments when she questioned whether running was really the path she wanted to pursue. She also opens up about making the leap to running professionally for Nike immediately after college and what that transition has been like. Sydney takes us inside her first national championship race, reliving the emotions of the moment she crossed the finish line as a USATF champion. She talks about what's next in her career, life away from the track, and a few of her favorite things!This episode is brought to you by Tailwind Nutrition. Please Visit tailwindnutrition.com and use code TOLLE20 for 20% off your order.

Sydney Vaught is one of the newest names on the professional running scene, but after winning the 2026 USATF 10,000m Championship, she's quickly becoming an athlete you’ll want to know. Before turning pro, Sydney was a standout at the University of Arkansas, where she became an All-American, SEC Champion, and one of the top distance runners in the NCAA. But her journey to the professional ranks wasn't always a straight line. In this episode, Sydney shares what it was like growing up in a small Wyoming town, how she connected with her college coach Marc Burns (who continues to coach her today) and the moments when she questioned whether running was really the path she wanted to pursue. She also opens up about making the leap to running professionally for Nike immediately after college and what that transition has been like. Sydney takes us inside her first national championship race, reliving the emotions of the moment she crossed the finish line as a USATF champion. She talks about what's next in her career, life away from the track, and a few of her favorite things!

Jessica Kain is a professional 1500-meter runner, fitness model, and coach from Santa Cruz, California, who is quickly making a name for herself in the running world. After competing for San Diego State, Jessica has continued chasing big goals on the track while balancing modeling, coaching, and sharing her journey on social media. This season, everything started to click. Jessica entered her first USATF Outdoor Championships seeded 21st in the 1500m and finished sixth, while dropping her personal best to 4:06.21 (more than six seconds faster than her college PR). But Jessica's breakthrough didn't come overnight. She once considered walking away from professional running before deciding to give herself one more chance and go all in. Now, she's headed to Europe for her next stretch of racing. Carrie catches up with Jessica to talk about her breakthrough season, balancing life and running, growing up in an athletic family, and why she believes the 2028 LA Olympics could be within reach.