Mike Nishi - Chief Operating Officer, Bank of America Chicago Marathon

We were joined on the Six Minute Mile podcast by Jason Jabaut, former professional runner turned Chief Operating Officer of Fleet Feet. Our conversation starts with his introduction to running in middle school, his stellar high school career in Plattsburg, NY, and then his success as a student-athlete on the prestigious Villanova University track team. After his collegiate career, Jason moved to California to pursue his dreams as a professional runner and shortly after that met his wife, Trish. Jason combined his love for running with his sharp business acumen and joined the Fleet Feet team in Carrboro, NC. Among other things we discuss running booms in the US, the interesting Fleet Feet franchise model, and the importance of being fitted for the right shoes! We hope you enjoy and we'll see you out there.

For the first time in 18 months, some of the top race directors in America gathered this week to share best practices and to explain what fall races will look like for runners. Will there be expos? Will you have to wear a mask on the course? Will you be asked to show a vaccine card? What about wave starts and post race parties -- will they happen? We got the answers to these questions and many more from the 6 race directors we cornered at a conference produced by the organizers of the Chicago Marathon. Before we dive into that conversation, we wanted to share a few words from Mike Nishi, Chief Operating Officer of the Chicago Marathon, as he explains the goal of this conference and why so many race directors chose to fly to Chicago to trade ideas about producing the safest possible events this fall and beyond. Christine Bowen: Vice President of Programming, Partnerships and Operations for Running USA https://www.runningusa.org/  Andrea Dowdy - CEO of the Denver Colfax Marathon https://www.runcolfax.org/ Jon Hughes - Track Shack Co-owner and Race Director of the Walt Disney World Marathon https://www.trackshack.com/ Michelle Juehring - Race Director for the Quad Cities Times Bix 7 https://bix7.com/ Michelle La Sala - Founder and President of Blistering Pace Race Management https://blisteringpace.com/ Steve Lastoe - Founder and CEO NYCRUNS https://nycruns.com/ Michael Nishi - Chief Operating Officer of Chicago Event Management, General Manager of Bank of America Chicago Marathon https://www.chicagomarathon.com/ 

We were joined by Arash Javanbakht, Director of the Stress, Trauma, and Anxiety Research Clinic. In our conversation, we touch on utilizing exercise to improve mental health and overcome trauma and stress. We also discuss triggering "flight or fight" responses and ways to perform optimally in sports and other areas of life. We really enjoyed talking to Arash and walked away with a better understanding of the relationship between the brain and physical performance. Enjoy!

We were joined by Shane Benzie, or sometimes referred to as "The Indiana Jones of the Running World". Shane utilizes his decade's worth of travels and meticulous studies to help today's runners rewire the way think about their movement, or "rewire their software". In our conversation, Shane elaborates how he coaches his runners up using his three pillars; perception, video, and data. We also discuss the importance of running with buddies or the "power of the group". Amongst other topics, we hit the "tripod landing", how feet are a runner's antenna, and what humans and kangaroos have in common. This is perhaps our most informative podcast yet for those looking to improve their running performance. Enjoy!

We were joined by Amby Burfoot, a man whose life has been centered around his love for running. We talk about his early years of competitive running highlighted by his 1968 Boston Marathon victory and relationship with Six Minute Mile Podcast alumni and his former roommate, Bill Rodgers. Amby talks about the progress running has made in making the sport more inclusive and equal and also where there is still room for improvement. Amby then walks us through his transition from competitive to recreational runner and why he is a fan of the 30 miles a week regiment over a grueling 100 miler. We move on to his life as a writer and journalist with Runner's World magazine and his decades-long career there, which got its jump-start from the help of another SMM guest, Hal Higdon. As usual, we end our conversation with some rapid-fire questions regarding his taste in books, movies and running preferences. 

If you’ve ever run, or watched the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, you’ve probably wondered how everything comes together to create such an inspiring, well organized, large scale event. Mike Nishi is the Chief Operating Officer for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon and the architect behind that race day organization. He talks to us about how his passion for organization translates to race day operations. Another of Mike’s passions is sustainability. Recognized in the Running Industry, as a leader for sustainability, Mike takes us through how the Bank of American Chicago tested compostable cups. Ever wonder how all those volunteers get onboard, trained and assigned? Mike shares insight into his amazing team, and how they align their values with that of the volunteers, with the target of retention and appreciation. Last but not least, Mike shares his routine that helps him manage stress, a very intentional routine of stretching, meditation and creating boundaries between work and family.

Dick Beardsley is the ultimate story teller, as he talked to us about his running, personal life and shared some Beardsleyism’s. Dick detailed 1981 London Marathon, and how he and Inge Simonsen crossed the finish line, in first place, hand in hand. Then Dick takes us down memory lane with the 1982 Boston Marathon (Duel in the Sun), where Dick and Alberto Salazar battled it out the entire 26.2 Miles, with Salazar winning by 1.6 Seconds. Dick has overcome a lot in life and he shares with us his “glass is ALWAYS half full” attitude. He shares details of the injuries that led to his pain killer addiction, and how he recovered. Just when he thought he would never deal with anything that painful again, then he lost his son to PTSD. Dick can’t image not sharing these experiences, as he feels everyone can learn, grow and find something positive from the most tragic situations.

Author of The Story of the Human Body (https://amzn.to/39q3bvi) and most recently Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding (https://amzn.to/2Pchhda), Dr Daniel Lieberman is a paleoanthropologist and Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. He has studied the evolution of the human head, but his main focus is currently on the evolution of the human physical activity. He has lived with cultures, all over the globe, to explain the science of how and why we move today. Research specifically related to activities such as walking, running as well as changes to our body's environments can help prevent injuries and treat musculoskeletal diseases.  

Max has played basketball most of his life and has always been a good ball handler. At the same time, he is a strong miler, training with the Hartbeat Track Club (https://www.hartbeattc.org/). When you combine his two super powers, you have an opportunity for a unique World Record - Mile While Dribbling a Basketball – 4:30.38!! His brother noticed that the record was in reach and challenged him to make the record breaking attempt. With friends and family (https://bit.ly/3r7wXeo) pacing, recording, and timing him, Max broke Dylan Sorenson’s record by 3.35 seconds. Max’s running story is more about determination and overcoming adversity than it is about his word record.  Max talks to us about what inspires him to run, health challenges he has had to overcome, and motivates us to persevere in our own running.

John “The Penguin” Bingham has been called the Pied Piper of the second running boom.  His column, The Penguin Chronicles (https://bit.ly/3bJaWyh), resonated with and inspired an entire generation of runners. In the Chronicles, the Penguin never gets old and is always having a great time, embracing his “back of the pack” speed, with his goal of having fun and crossing the finish line. John has completed over 40 marathons and written several books, most notably The Courage To Start (https://amzn.to/3cumCnF)  and No Need for Speed (https://amzn.to/3bIkfyl). In this interview, John talks to us about how he transitioned from a sedentary life to one that was healthier and more active. By writing about his race experiences, with his own unique sense of humor, John has delivered a message of hope and inspiration to anyone that hopes to run, or has been running a lifetime.