The Marathon Show

The setting is Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon which starts in Minneapolis and ends at the Capitol building in St. Paul.  Joe takes you to the expo, then all 26.2 miles as he runs and broadcasts from this first class race.  At the expo we'll meet a runner who has never run more than 10 miles, a woman who was at the finish line when bomb #1 went off in Boston and a race director from another race who used a clever trick to get runners to come to his booth.  During the race you'll hear from a single woman looking for a guy, a neighbor who won't let Joe use her bathroom, a runner who only track calories lost, not miles run, Joe gets into it with a woman with an offensive sign, you'll meet a runner coming back after a stroke, hear from a woman overcome by emotion at mile 22 and a special treat in the post race, plus much, much more.

The sport of marathon running has grown and people of all abilities and goals enter races at an increased rate.  Finish times are higher now than in the past.  Is that a good thing or a bad thing?  Wall Street Journal reporter, Kevin Helliker, wrote an article on the topic.  In the article he talks about his own top 15% finish in a triathlon, then interviews people in the sport who claim younger athletes aren't trying hard enough.  Kevin is on the show to talk about the article, his views and his experiences.

We're at a race with extraordinary participants.  It's the 2013 Susan Komen Race for the Cure in Newport Beach, CA.  There are 25,000 people here and each can tell stories of courage, survival, hope and rememberance.  Joe mixes with the crowd and brings the fight against breast cancer to life by speaking with survivors, patients and loved ones who honor those we have lost. It's a powerful show.  

The city of brotherly love is the setting for the 2013 Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia half marathon.  It was a fantastic event in a remarkable U.S. city.  We'll go to the expo and out to the race course for all the sights and sounds.  You'll hear stories of inspiration, you'll meet people you know and you'll get excited about the 2014 Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon.  We'll also talk to two sailors in the U.S. Navy about their unique job on the U.S.S. Bush, visit the University of Pennsylvania Crew boathouse, meet up with some old friends and hear the theme music from "Rocky."  Enjoy.

Yolanda Holder is known around the world.  She hold the Guinness Record for most marathons in a year by a woman.  Today she's on to talk about her 521 mile epic marathon over 16 days to raise money and awareness for diabetes.  She'll talk about getting sponsors, preparing and planning and her epic journey.  We'll talk about tricks to keep cool when it's hot, 93 marathons she doesn't even count in her life total, how many pair of shoes she brought and much, much more.  It's a great story.  Enjoy.

The Happiest Place on Earth become the happiest place "to run" on Earth.  It's the Disneyland Half marathon and it's the kick-off to marathon season.  We'll visit with Jeff Galloway and Joey Fatone at a special event.  On race day you'll hear from a couple who got engaged during a surpise event on the stage, Joe gets passed by women who is 31 weeks pregnant, we'll do some singing and dancing, talk about the funniest race sign at any race, interview our friends and much, much more.

Three members of the audience are on the show to share their stories and their experiences.  How have you been keeping in shape this summer?  Will you run faster this Fall?  What celebrity marathon runner would you most like to be interviewed and why?  What is your journey into running?  Very few of us were born as runners and the guests will not disappoint you.  Their stories are remarkable.

We go inside Runner's World magazine with editor at-large Mark Remy.  You'll hear about their target market, why they choose certain people for the cover photo, Mark's perspective on the growth of the sport and Runner's World running festival.  All that plus we look ahead to NYC and Boston while also covering many more topics.  It's an interesting interview about one of our favorite magazine's and topics we have a connection with.

You've probably seen them at races and if you did you probably got encouragement, smiles and inspiration.  Black Girls Run is only a few years old, but they've made a huge impact in the lives of women helping them to get moving, making healthy choices and having a lot of fun in the sport we all love.  Meet the founders, Ashley Hicks and Toni Carey and hear them talk about the things they do to make running fun.  You'll be impressed and entertained.  Enjoy.

Bart Yasso of Runners World Magazine is on to share stories about running and to talk about his book, "The Runners World Big Book of Marathon and Half Marathon Training."  Bart answers questions from the audience and talks about cross training, preparation for hilly marathons, common injuries, the Boston and NYC marathon, the Rolling Stone cover and much, much more.  Enjoy.

Rudy Novotny is the "Voice of America's Marathons."  He is the race announcer for large and small races everywhere and today he's on the show for a wide ranging discussion.  We'll talk about Boston, Big Sur, shoes, the production of runDisney events, famous people he's met this year and much, much more.  Enjoy!

It's a housekeeping show.  Answers to questions sent in via email, a few observations and some helpful hints.  Joe has an idea to make long runs fun, we'll cover treadmill running, an update on the 2014 Virtual Marathon, new running clothing, tesing out new shoes and some views on half marathons, plus much more.  

The 2013 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle marathon and half marathon was held on a beautiful day.  The course was perfect and the scenary was majestic.  Come on out and go all 26.2 miles with Joe.  We'll stop by the expo then go out on the race course.  Along the way we'll stop at Joe's Bar, meet a friend who said she was "just" running the half, get some James Bond trivia, talk about the pros and cons of running through tunnels, hear from a first timer who says this is all too easy and we'll meet a new friend who experienced her first, life changing finish line. 

The Spirit of the Marathon II debuted this week.  The audience writes in to talk about what they loved, who they loved and what inspired them about the movie.  You'll hear a wide range of comments and observations about the movie and you'll hear plenty of feedback that you are sure to be able to relate to.

Gwendolen Twist is the producer of Spirit of the Marathon II and our friend Julie Weiss is one of the 7 runners featured in this movie that premiers next week. Gwen and Julie are on the show to talk about this amazing movie. Among many other things you'll hear how our sport transcends life, filming challenges at the Rome Marathon, get insights into some remarkable life stories and what the non-running entertainment industry thinks about our sport. There is much more and you're sure to enjoy this preview