- An interview with Mirna Valerio, who at 245 pounds doesn’t necessarily conform to the conventional idea of what a runner should look like. But the body she has is capable of carrying her over epic distances. (2:05)
- Best Brooks Running Shoes Nike’s Breaking2 project—the quest to help three of the world’s best athletes run a sub 2-hour marathon. (46:17)
- In the Kick, some extra proof that running isn’t bad for your long-term health, the story behind a runner’s Matthew Centrowitz tattoo, and a race 650 feet below the earth’s surface. (1:10:42)
Registration is now open now for our first Runner’s World Getaway of 2017. The Getaway will be May 18-21 at the Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa in Beaver Creek, Colorado. For more information or to register, go runnersworld.com/getaway.
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Mirna Valerio
Audiobooks to Help Make Up for Loss of Daylight?
Those were the questions that began writer John Brant’s New Podcasts for Weekend Runs. And the short answer, according to the research, is yes.
For example, long-term studies by the Cooper Clinic in Dallas have found that the death rate for adults who are thin—but unfit—was at least twice that of fit obese individuals. Those researchers also found that regardless of body weight, fitness provides protection against early death.
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Marathon Training Plans We wrap things up with a few notable stories from the week, is scheduled to be published by Grand Harbor Press in September 2017. By day, Mirna is the director of equity and inclusion at the Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School, where she also teaches Spanish and coaches the cross-country team.
And she is still a fervent runner. Her races in 2016 included a couple 25Ks, a few marathons, a 50K, and four Tough Mudders.
Editor-in-Chief David Willey caught up with Mirna to see just how much her life and perspective has changed since we first wrote about her two years ago.
Breaking2 Update
CA Notice at Collection Nike / Mark McCambridge. Three top distance runners—Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya, Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia, and Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea—had officially begun their Nike-backed build-up toward a 1:59:59 marathon attempt sometime this spring.
CA Notice at Collection Episode 33 August 2015 feature story about Mirna Valerio.
For the Breaking2 team, the clock is now ticking, and whatever progress they and their runners hope to make toward that barrier needs to be well underway.
To gauge that progress, a team of Nike scientists and designers took a two-week trip to Kenya, Ethiopia, and Spain, where they met with each of the runners and their coaches and support teams in their home training environments.
During each leg of the trip, reporter Alex Hutchinson was able to check in with Brett Kirby, the lead physiologist at the Nike Sports Research Lab; Andy Jones, a researcher at the University of Exeter; and Philip Skiba, a sports medicine doctor, physiologist, and coach based in Chicago.
We contacted Alex via Skype to ask him how things are going in this moonshot quest for Nike.
Further reading:
The Kick
How to Keep Legs Fresh:
- An update on
- How to Keep Legs Fresh
- The Story Behind This Runner’s Centrowitz Tattoo Is Even Better Than You Think
Episode Credits:
The Runner’s World Show is hosted by Editor-in-Chief David Willey.
The podcast is produced by Sylvia Ryerson, Christine Fennessy, and Brian Dalek.
Interviews on the podcast have been edited for length and clarity. Got a story idea for the show? Send it to rwaudio@rodale.com.
Brian has spent more than a decade focused on creating compelling news, health, and fitness content—with a particular interest on enthusiast activities like running and cycling. He’s coordinated coverage of major events like the Paris Olympics, Boston Marathon, New York City Marathon, and Tour de France, with an eye toward both the professional race and the engaging stories readers love.
