888. Re-Run: Ellie Kemper, Actress & Marathoner

"I'm terrified in a whole new way now." We got PET scan results — along with a whole lot of unexpected emotions.  SPONSORS:  Lagoon. My favorite pillows and pillowcases! Click here to take Lagoon's 2-minute sleep quiz to see which pillow is right for you, and use code ALI at checkout for 15% off your next Lagoon order. Shokz! My favorite headphones! Use code ALI for $10 off your next Shokz purchase. (I love the Open Run Pro 2.) Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Subscribe to the newsletter Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon 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!

"If you're writing my obituary, whoever's in charge, please include this! Because I feel very proud of it!" For this Throwback Thursday episode, we're headed to January 2023 with actress and marathoner Ellie Kemper. It's my all-time favorite episode! In this conversation, Ellie (best known for her role as Erin on The Office) recaps her 26.2-mile debut at the 2022 TCS New York City Marathon.  SPONSOR: New Balance. Click here to get your hands on the beautiful, just-released, hot pink Ellipse Breathe sneakers. What a dream! Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Subscribe to the newsletter Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon 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!

"We put ourselves on the line to help other people accomplish their dreams, and that was pretty freaking awesome." It's another Throwback Thursday, and this time we're going back to December 2019 for one of my all-time favorite episodes. At the 2019 California International Marathon (CIM), 72 women ran faster than 2 hours 45 minutes, officially qualifying to run the 2020 Olympic Trials in the marathon. Leading several dozen of those women were Menso de Jong, Chris Stehula, and Ken Rakestraw — the official sub-2:45 pace group leaders. None of them had ever run a 2:45 marathon before. This is their story. (This is such a lovely, wholesome conversation with three men who took their roles at CIM that year incredibly seriously, and who had the utmost respect for the women in the field chasing their biggest goals. The women who ran with Menso, Chris, and Ken spoke so highly of them after the race, and I was delighted to get to interview all three of them together.) SPONSORS:  Lagoon. Click here to take Lagoon's 2-minute sleep quiz to see which pillow is right for you, and use code ALI at checkout for 15% off your next Lagoon order. New Balance: For a limited time only, click here and use code TEAMALI for up to 25% off your next New Balance order! (Offer valid through May 31, 2026.) Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Subscribe to the newsletter Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon 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!

"I trained and I ran it and it changed my life. Something happened out on that course, and I was transformed forever." It's Throwback Thursday, and we're going all the way back to June 2018 (I was 20 weeks pregnant with Annie!) for the first-ever Ali on the Run Show LIVE. It was a sold-out event at the Westin Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego, with special guests Meb Keflezighi, Andrea Barber, Chris Heuisler, and Des Linden. Enjoy this trip down memory lane! SPONSOR:  Vuori: Click here for 20% off your first Vuori purchase. Oofos: The best in the recovery footwear game. Click here to check out Oofos's new CLUB+ line! Your feet are going to be so happy! Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon Subscribe to the newsletter 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!

"I love winning." Welcome to the third episode in a new series on the Ali on the Run Show called "No Stupid Questions." This is where experts come in to answer everything you've always wanted to ask about running. We're covering a wide range of topics including personal running and coaching, the business of running, and "no such thing as TMI." Eric Jenkins and Aisha Praught Leer kicked off the series answering questions about professional running (and so much more), and then Jinger Gottschall, New Balance Director of Sports Research, answered questions about shoes and sports bras.  Today, we're tackling personal running and coaching questions with two-time Olympian in the 5000m and coach with Next Best Run, Kim Conley. Kim has coached athletes to personal bests in the mile up to the marathon, she has helped runners complete their first races ever, and she has supported them as they've qualified for the Boston Marathon and beyond.  FOLLOW KIM @kfconley SPONSOR: Lagoon. Click here to take Lagoon's 2-minute sleep quiz to see which pillow is right for you, and use code ALI at checkout for 15% off your next Lagoon order. IN THIS EPISODE: Kim's advice for finding a running coach and the benefits of working with one (12:25) Kim answers questions about getting faster and stronger (15:00) Breaking down running terminology (34:40) Fueling Q&A (47:10) Running through stages of life (52:25) The mental game (57:00) Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Subscribe to the newsletter Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon 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!

"Life has not been easy. Life, for the better part of the past few years, has been very hard and messy and stressful and exhausting. And I will give myself the tiniest bit of credit for surviving it. And for finding a way to be happy." The month of May brings up all kinds of stuff for me. A birthday, Mother's Day, all of the school and extracurricular activities for Annie — and the anniversaries. In May 2023, my life was upended when I was diagnosed with stage 1 invasive ductal carcinoma: breast cancer. Exactly two years later, I was diagnosed with stage IV metastatic breast cancer that had spread to my bones. So yeah, May hits highs, lows, and grey spaces. Fortunately, there's nothing tragic to report in this episode! No status update, no big diagnosis reveal. Just some musings on my April vacation week with Annie, my Ali on the RunWAY debut, and how I'm feeling heading into 41. Plus, my thoughts on legacies and the mark we leave on the world while we're here. (Thank you for being here. I'm still here!) SPONSOR: Shokz! The official headphone of the Boston Marathon! Use code ALI for $10 off your next Shokz purchase. (I love the Open Run Pro 2.) Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Subscribe to the newsletter Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon 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!

"It was really hard for me to distinguish who was a friend and who was actually going to win the Boston Marathon, and I just hugged them all the exact same." She's back — and this time, she's a Boston Marathoner! Cousin Jackie — my cousin and bestie, Jacqueline Adair, ran this year's Boston Marathon, and not only did she run a personal best in Boston, she also raised more than $20,000 for cancer research as part of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team. In this episode, recorded the morning after the marathon, Jackie talks about her training, her fundraising, and why running this race was important to her. She talks about our weekend together in Boston, about what it was like out on the course, and about everyone she hugged along the way. Plus, some big life updates: Jackie, who currently lives in D.C. and works for the federal government, is moving to London with her family this summer! (Sad for me! Exciting for them!) SPONSOR: New Balance. Click here to check out the brand new Ellipse, New Balance's just-released everyday trainer. (It's gorgeous!) Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Subscribe to the newsletter Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon 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!

"It felt so good to be reminded of all the reasons I love to do this." There's nowhere I'd rather be on the third Monday in April than at the Boston Marathon finish line! This year, I was honored to be asked back to perform a variety of roles in Boston. I hosted a panel at the Expo along with two live shows. I was one of the race announcers at the finish line on Marathon Monday, and I was the finish line reporter for the world feed broadcast. It was a big, busy, fun, rewarding weekend that included quality time with my favorite people, a million finish line hugs, a quick meet-and-greet with a former President, a few too many late nights, and so much more. Best Boston ever? Best Boston ever. (Please know that I am genuinely horrified by how long this solo recap ended up being! Someone take the microphone away from me!) SPONSOR:  Vuori: Click here for 20% off your first Vuori purchase. IN THIS EPISODE Why this year's Boston Marathon weekend was extra meaningful for me, and what it took to get there (1:45) Thursday: the drive to Boston, the Official Program reveal, and the best burger of my life (9:10) Friday: the press conference, the Expo panel, the WBUR live show with Claire Holt, and the New Balance party (14:10) Saturday: cheering for the 5K, the New Balance live show, and making my "indoor debut" at the New Balance Marathon Relay (48:05) Sunday: a Charles River run, broadcast meetings, and a night out with the Citius crew (1:18:25) Marathon Monday: a picture-perfect day at the finish line (1:30:10) Tuesday: time to go home (2:15:10) Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon Subscribe to the newsletter 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!

"I'm so proud of all of us. I'm so proud of anyone who decides to even run a mile." Of the 30,000 runners who completed this year's Boston Marathon, only one is a former resident of the White House. Chelsea Clinton — a mom of three, podcast host, activist, author, avid runner, and former First Daughter — is now and forever a Boston Marathoner. In this episode (her second appearance on the Ali on the Run Show!), recorded just 48 hours after the race, she talks about running Boston with her best friend, Jen, and about what it took to run a personal best time of 3:40:52. SPONSOR: Lagoon. Click here to take Lagoon's 2-minute sleep quiz to see which pillow is right for you, and use code ALI at checkout for 15% off your next Lagoon order. IN THIS EPISODE: How Chelsea is feeling 48 hours post-race (1:30) How Chelsea met Jen, her longtime friend and running buddy (4:30) How Chelsea's recovery is going, and reflections on marathon training this time around (6:15) When — and why — Chelsea decided she wanted to run this year's Boston Marathon (8:35) How Chelsea has explained to her children who their grandparents are (12:10) On the security team that ran with Chelsea (17:35) How Chelsea fits training into her busy schedule (20:30) Chelsea's impressions of Boston Marathon weekend upon arrival (24:00) Why Chelsea ran under the alias "Margaret Smith," and the meaning behind that choice (26:30) How Chelsea was feeling on race morning (30:25) The moment Chelsea and Des saw each other at the start (34:30) What the former President and First Lady thought of the Boston Marathon finish line (40:30) Chelsea's running must-haves (42:25) Chelsea's Boston Marathon race day recap (45:45) All about the finish line (57:10) Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Subscribe to the newsletter Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon 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!

"Go out there and send it within reason." Every year, I host a panel at the Boston Marathon Expo featuring some of the top American women in the professional field. This year, that meant getting to chat with Puma and Minnesota Distance Elite's Annie Frisbie and Brooks athlete Amanda Vestri on the Friday before the 2026 Boston Marathon. Annie went on to lead much of the race, ultimately finishing eighth overall and as the second American woman in 2:22:00 (and 81-second personal best). Amanda, in only her second marathon, finished 15th overall and as the eighth American woman in 2:24:49 — a 51-second improvement from her marathon debut in New York City this fall.  Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Subscribe to the newsletter Join the Facebook group Support on Patreon 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!