This week we chat with Ali Feller, podcaster extraordinaire as host of the "Ali On The Run" podcast show.

Ali doesn't just talk with elite marathon and track stars. She also, somehow, hunts down running guests like Chelsea Clinton and Ellie Kemper of "The Office" TV show.

Did Harry Styles just run the Berlin Marathon in under 3 hours? Yes, and Ali has already published a pod with the Canadian woman who paced him for the first 10 miles. (And she hints that she could actually get through to Styles himself soon.)

What's your favorite food? Your favorite movie? The most fun you've had in the last week? These and other spontaneous questions make up a big part of each Ali-Feller interview.

No one's exactly sure of where the conversation is headed, which is a damn good reason to keep listening.

But life is not ha-ha all the time, particularly not Feller's. Her own battles with Crohn's Disease and breast cancer have presented plenty of challenges, but somehow she keeps putting one foot in front of the other.

In fact, she's making numerous appearances this fall at the Chicago and NYC Marathons, while continuing to churn out several new podcasts per week.

We asked where she gets her endurance. Answer: She considers herself "delusionally optimistic" about life, motherhood, running, and her podcast career.

We and all her friends and listeners are rooting hard for her.

You can learn more about Ali Feller on her website or Instagram page. And you can make a donation to help cover her medical expenses at this GoFundMe page.

WHERE TO FIND "RUNNING: STATE OF THE SPORT"

Use your smartphone to download our podcast from Apple, Spotify, Pandora, or YouTube Podcasts. Once you've selected your favorite app, search for "running state of the sport."

With your computer, tablet, or smartphone, you can also listen direct to “Running: State of the Sport” at the below internet links.

Apple
Spotify
Audible
Pandora
I Heart Radio
YouTube

"Running: State of the Sport" is brought to you by MarathonHandbook.com and RunLongRunHealthy.com. Marathon Handbook is the world’s leading marathon website, with a special focus on trustworthy running information and free, runner-tested training plans for all ability levels.

"Run Long, Run Healthy" is a weekly newsletter focused on the newest, most scientific, and most useful training advice for runners. It was launched by Amby in 2021, and is now edited by Brady Holmer, exercise physiologist and 2:24 marathon runner.

Our latest podcast features an interview with 94-year old Dr. Ken Cooper, the father of Aerobics. In our view, he has done as much, or more, than any other individual to promote the benefits of running and other consistent exercise.

A star high-school miler in Oklahoma, Cooper ran two Boston Marathons (1962 and 1963) while a student at the Harvard School of Public Health. He improved from 3:54 in his first effort to 3:24 the following year.

Prior to breaking his leg decades ago in a skiing accident, Cooper logged 38,000 miles of running. Since the accident, he has continued a vigorous fitness program that now consists of roughly 50 percent recumbent bicycling and 50 percent strength training.

Beyond his personal example, Cooper spearheaded hundreds of studies at his Cooper Clinic. This research has demonstrated the dramatic mental and physical benefits of regular exercise, which leads not just to longer life but also to a slower onset of cognitive decline.

The author of 20 books, Cooper this summer released Grow Healthier As You Grow Older, available from Amazon and other booksellers.

WHERE TO FIND "RUNNING: STATE OF THE SPORT"

Use your smartphone to download our podcast from Apple, Spotify, Pandora, or YouTube Podcasts. Once you've selected your favorite app, search for "running state of the sport."

With your computer, tablet, or smartphone, you can also listen direct to “Running: State of the Sport” at the below internet links.

Apple
Spotify
Audible
Pandora
I Heart Radio
YouTube

"Running: State of the Sport" is brought to you by MarathonHandbook.com and RunLongRunHealthy.com. Marathon Handbook is the world’s leading marathon website, with a special focus on trustworthy running information and free, runner-tested training plans for all ability levels.

"Run Long, Run Healthy" is a weekly newsletter focused on the newest, most scientific, and most useful training advice for runners. It was launched by Amby in 2021, and is now edited by Brady Holmer, exercise physiologist and 2:24 marathon runner.

George and I discuss the biggest wins and most unexpected surprises of the first half of the Tokyo World Championships, then turn our attention to Jeannie Rice. By several measures, she is the world's best marathon runner.

Rice is the first person known to have won her age group in all 7 World Marathon Majors. In six of those, she beat the first male in the age group.

Her scores in the respected Age-Sex Graded Calculator, also put her atop almost all marathon performers.

In this podcast, Rice describes how her astounding age-group success came 30 years after she began with the goal of losing five pounds. Her singular skill: She hasn't slowed down during those 3 decades.

How? Rice laughs and says she doesn't know. Then she talks about how she has maintained a training regimen of 50 miles/week for 40 years ... plus a little more when building up to her several-times-a-year marathons.

If nothing else, Rice stands as a prime example of consistent, dedicated training--week in, and week out.

At her first World Masters Track Championships in Sweden in 2024, Rice won six gold meals, from 800 meters on the track to the half-marathon on the roads.

Next year's World Masters meet in South Korea, where she was born, will serve as strong motivation for 2026.

And then? Rice is already looking forward to turning 80 in 2028, so she can take aim on another set of age-group running records.

For more about Rice, visit JeannieRiceRuns.com.

WHERE TO FIND "RUNNING: STATE OF THE SPORT"

Use your smartphone to download our podcast from Apple, Spotify, Pandora, or YouTube Podcasts. Once you've selected your favorite app, search for "running state of the sport."

With your computer, tablet, or smartphone, you can also listen direct to “Running: State of the Sport” at the below internet links.

Apple
Spotify
Audible
Pandora
I Heart Radio
YouTube

"Running: State of the Sport" is brought to you by MarathonHandbook.com and RunLongRunHealthy.com. Marathon Handbook is the world’s leading marathon website, with a special focus on trustworthy running information and free, runner-tested training plans for all ability levels.

"Run Long, Run Healthy" is a weekly newsletter focused on the newest, most scientific, and most useful training advice for runners. It was launched by Amby in 2021, and is now edited by Brady Holmer, exercise physiologist and 2:24 marathon runner.