Road to the Trials – Details, episodes & analysis

Unfortunately for Sara Vaughn, the 2023 Boston Marathon didn't playout anywhere close to how she imagined it going. Sara decided to step off the course around mile 15 and that is where her race ended. In this episode, Sara provides of a full analysis of what went wrong, her thought process during the race, and how she is handling the disappointment that comes with a DNF.

In our latest Boston Marathon recap, we hear from Dani Moreno. This race wasn't merely a chance to experience Boston, this was Dani's first road marathon and a full-fledged attempt to break 2:37 and grab an Olympic Trials qualifying time. That's a lot to handle but Dani was ready. As one of the best sub-ultra trail runners in the world, she spoke about the atmosphere at Boston and how it compares to UTMB and the world's best trail scenes. Dani takes us through the race as she set herself up for a time in the mid-2:30's and what happened when it started to slip away at mile 24 before she finished in 2:38:23.

In our second conversation with Nico Montañez, Nico shares an amazing amount about training and racing. First, Nico does a nearly 30 minute breakdown of his recent training heading into the United Airlines NYC Half and the upcoming Boston Marathon. In the second half of the podcast Nico discusses his 7th place performance, and 2nd U.S. finisher, at the stacked United Airlines NYC Half. It was a freezing day in which Nico ran well against some of the world's best. It was a clear sign that his fitness is trending well for Boston. Finally, we end with a little shoe talk and Nico shares which Asics shoes he uses for various runs and races.

John Raneri is a runner who has come into his own over the last two years. After a solid career at the the University of North Carolina it look him a while to tap into his enormous talent. Once he re-dedicated himself, and began working with his longtime friend James McKirdy, John established himself as one of the top runners in the country when he finished 9th at the 2019 NYC Half in a time of 62:51. In this episode we discuss that breakout performance, his disappointing 2019 Boston Marathon, and the recent Boilermaker 15k in which he finished as the 4th American.  

Recent highlights: 

- 2019 NYC Half – 9th (62:51)

- 2019 Birmingham Wine 10k – 2nd

- 2018 Columbus Half Marathon- 2nd

- 2018 NYRR Abbott to the Dash- 1st

This episode is sponsored by AfterShokz, the award-winning headphone brand, best known for its open-ear listening experience. Powered by patented, best-in-class bone conduction technology, AfterShokz headphones sit outside your ear so you can hear your music and your surroundings. AfterShokz is a must-have headphone for runners providing the ultimate level of safety and comfort without compromising sound quality. To learn more and save $50 on AfterShokz Endurance Bundles visit https://olympictrials.aftershokz.com. Use code RTTOT at checkout.

Kellyn Taylor has established herself as one of the top American marathoners since she debuted at the distance running a 2:28:40 at the Chevron Houston Marathon. Ever since she has been one of the top runners in the country a various distances. In this episode we discuss her recent training, the Peachtree road race, and her preview of the Olympic marathon trials course.

In 2019, she followed up a top-15 finish at the USATF Cross Country Championships and a win at the Pacific Pursuit 10k with an eighth-place finish at the United Airlines NYC Half. In May, she was fourth at the Volkswagen Prague Marathon in 2:26:27. At the Peachtree Road Race 10k she finished ninth in 32:37, three seconds off her road PR. 

More recent highlights:

- 4th Fastest Marathon Qualifying Time for the 2020 Trials

- Achieved the Olympic Marathon Standard

- 2018 Grandma’s Marathon – 1st and Course Record (2:24:29)

- 2016 USA Olympic Trials 10,000m – 4th

- 2016 USA Olympic Trials Marathon – 6th

This episode is sponsored by AfterShokz, the award-winning headphone brand, best known for its open-ear listening experience. Powered by patented, best-in-class bone conduction technology, AfterShokz headphones sit outside your ear so you can hear your music and your surroundings. AfterShokz is a must-have headphone for runners providing the ultimate level of safety and comfort without compromising sound quality. To learn more and save $50 on AfterShokz Endurance Bundles visit https://olympictrials.aftershokz.com. Use code RTTOT at checkout.

Lou Serafini has become a staple of the Boston running scene through his blockbuster performances and community leadership. Lou has succeeded at many distances, including breaking four minutes in the mile last year.  In addition to running  over 100 miles a week in his pursuit of excelling at the marathon, Lou works full-time as the community manager for Tracksmith.   In this episode, you talk about Lou’s running background, his experience in his first Olympic Trials, and his recent performance at Grandma’s Marathon. 

Recent highlights:

-Sub-4:00 Miler (2018)

-2019 USATF Half Marathon Championships – 6th

-2019 Brooklyn Half – 1st (PR – 1:03:14)

-2016 Olympic Marathon Qualifier

-2015 New England Runner of the Year

This episode was sponsored by AfterShokz, the award-winning headphone brand, best known for its open-ear listening experience. Powered by patented, best-in-class bone conduction technology, AfterShokz headphones sit outside your ear so you can hear your music and your surroundings. AfterShokz is a must-have headphone for runners providing the ultimate level of safety and comfort without compromising sound quality. To learn more and save $50 on AfterShokz Endurance Bundles visit https://olympictrials.aftershokz.com. Use code RTTOT at checkout. 

For Roberta Groner, 2019 has already been a year of unparalleled success and she is striving for more. Roberta is one of only nine U.S. women who currently have the 2020 Olympic standard. She achieved this in April at the Rotterdam Marathon, finishing in a personal best time of 2:29:09. In doing so she joined Deena Kastor and Colleen De Reuck as the third American woman over the age of 40 to break 2:30. In May she was selected to the represent the U.S. in the marathon at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar on September 27. In this episode we discuss these achievements, her goal to break Kastor’s American master’s marathon record, her 10 year running hiatus after college, and her plans for the summer and fall.  

Roberta is a life-long runner who runs for the New York Athletic Club. She completed her RN and is now a nurse at Summit Medical Group in NJ. After a hiatus of 10 years, she took up running again focusing on longer distances. She is also a mother to three boys who are currently 15, 13, and 12 years old.

Recent highlights:

-2019 USATF National Masters 8K Championships - 1st place (26:48 ) PR

-2019 Rotterdam Marathon: 5th place (2:29:06) PR

-Achieved the Olympic Marathon Standard

-2018 USATF Master’s Runner of the Year for age group 40-44 

This episode was sponsored by AfterShokz, the award-winning headphone brand, best known for its open-ear listening experience. Powered by patented, best-in-class bone conduction technology, AfterShokz headphones sit outside your ear so you can hear your music and your surroundings. AfterShokz is a must-have headphone for runners providing the ultimate level of safety and comfort without compromising sound quality. To learn more and save $50 on AfterShokz Endurance Bundles visit https://olympictrials.aftershokz.com. Use code RTTOT at checkout.

Welcome to the first episode of the Road to the Olympic Trials podcast. This episode features Parker Stinson. Parker is a nine time All-American from the University of Oregon and has been a fixture in the American running scene for some time. In this episode we dive into his challenging marathon experiences, overcoming past and current injuries, his recent coaching change to longtime friend Dathan Ritzenheim, his outlook on the Olympic marathon standard, and his vision for the upcoming eight months. Parker is sponsored by Saucony and Gatorade Endurance. 

Recent highlights:

-2019 USATF 25K Championships - 1st American Record – 1:13:48

-2018 USATF Half Marathon Championships - 2nd

-Half Marathon PR – 62:02

-Marathon PR – 2:14:29 

Learn more: 

www.parkerstinson.com 

Twitter - www.twitter.com/parkerstinson 

Instagram - www.instagram.com/_parker_stinson_

This episode was sponsored by AfterShokz, the award-winning headphone brand, best known for its open-ear listening experience. Powered by patented, best-in-class bone conduction technology, AfterShokz headphones sit outside your ear so you can hear your music and your surroundings. AfterShokz is a must-have headphone for runners providing the ultimate level of safety and comfort without compromising sound quality. To learn more and save $50 on AfterShokz Endurance Bundles visit https://olympictrials.aftershokz.com. Use code RTTOT at checkout. 

The Road to the Olympics Trials podcast features eight elite runners, four men and four women, who are excited about pulling back the curtain and being open and honest about their training, racing, and goals in their lead-up to the Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta in February, 2020. The athletes who will be sharing their journey are Jared Ward, Kellyn Taylor, Roberta Groner, Parker Stinson, Lou Serafini, Sarah Bishop, John Raneri, and Dr. Stefanie Flippin.

This is a Rambling Runner Podcast. See more at:

• www.theramblingrunner.com
• www.instagram.com/rambling_runner
• www.twitter.com/rambling_runner
• www.facebook.com/theramblingrunner

In our second episode with Carmen Graves she details a recent breakout performance - top 10 at Gate River/USATF 15k Championships. As always, the field was loaded with stud endurance athletes. As Carmen said afterwards, "I think I’m officially a long distance runner now." Carmen details this important race, the strategy she used, and the training that led to this breakout performance. In the second half of the episode Carmen details her thoughts on only 3% of American distance runners being African-American the lack of those runners who have broken 3:00 hours in the marathon. This is a subject that Carmen is passionate about and it was an honor to hear her perspective. 

You can follow Carmen at www.instagram.com/carmenpelar.