Ali on the Run Show

838. Meghan Howard, On Running the Berlin Marathon with Harry Styles

Fri, 03 Oct 2025

"I will forever tell this story until the day that I die!"

Meghan Howard is an 11-time marathoner and educator who lives outside Toronto. She started running in 2019 and had a speedy — literally — rise to running success. Last year, she broke three hours in the marathon for the first time at the Chicago Marathon. Most recently, Meghan ran the Berlin Marathon — alongside Harry Styles! In this conversation, Meghan talks about how she and Harry met at the start, and how they ended up running the first 17K of the race together.

FOLLOW MEGHAN @meghanahoward

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Lagoon: Click here to take Lagoon’s 2-minute sleep quiz to see which pillow is right for you. (I'm an Otter!) Use code ALI at checkout for 15% off your next Lagoon order.

In this episode:

How Meghan is feeling post-Berlin (2:00)
What’s making Meghan happy today, and all about her work as an educator (4:40)
What Meghan was like as a kid, and how she found running (12:50)
How Meghan found her confidence through running (24:00)
How Meghan deals with “failures” on the run (27:15)
Meghan reflects on her training for the 2025 Berlin Marathon (35:20)
On running through grief, and how Meghan leaned into her training after the loss of her father (38:20)
How Meghan reflects on her race at the Berlin Marathon (43:00)
On running the Berlin Marathon WITH HARRY STYLES! (53:45)

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837. Georgia Hunter Bell, Olympic Bronze Medalist & World Championship Silver Medalist

Wed, 01 Oct 2025

"This is just the time to be brave and see what happens."

Georgia Hunter Bell just won a silver medal for Team Great Britain in the 800m at World Championships in Tokyo. Last year, she won bronze in the 1500m at the Olympics in Paris. Before that? Georgia was working fulltime in cybersecurity sales, convinced that her running days were behind her. In this conversation, Georgia talks about her time off from racing, her return to the sport, and her road to becoming an Olympic and World Championship medalist. Georgia will wrap up her season next week, competing in the 800m at Athlos in New York City.

FOLLOW GEORGIA @georgiabelltheduathlete

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goodr: Click here and use code ALI for $5 off your next order.
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In this episode:

How Georgia is feeling post-World Championships, pre-Athlos (2:30)
What’s making Georgia happy today, and all about her run today (4:45)
Georgia reflects on her race at World Championships, where she won a silver medal, and explains why she ran the 800m instead of the 1500m (10:20)
On being a “guaranteed medalist” (18:20)
Georgia’s key takeaways from World Championships (26:40)
All about Georgia’s relationship with teammate, training partner, and friend Keely Hodgkinson — and what it’s like competing against each other (31:55)
Why Georgia took a break from running after college — and why she eventually returned to the sport (38:30)
What it took to get a spot on Team GB for the 2024 Olympics in Paris (45:00)
How it feels not to be an underdog anymore (55:00)
Georgia’s advice to runners in a hard season (58:00)

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836. Everything You Need to Know About the 2025 Chicago Marathon

Thu, 25 Sep 2025

"Remember the entire journey, because it’s very special."

It’s almost time for the 47th running of the Chicago Marathon! The 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon will take place on Sunday, October 12, and this episode is packed with all the information you need before you head to the start line. (And yes, you really should plan to get there two hours early. We’ll explain why!) The elite fields are stacked, and they’ll be followed by tens of thousands of runners en route to 26.2-mile glory. Get ready. Get psyched. And get that Goose Island at the finish!

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New Balance: Searching for your dream Race Day Shoe? Check out the New Balance FuelCell SC Elite v5 — my favorite!

In this episode:

Chicago Marathon executive race director Carey Pinkowski talks about what to expect at this year’s race (2:15)
All things pre-race: How to get in for next year's Chicago Marathon, how Chicago is committed to sustainability, and whether or not you can still change your starting corral assignment (21:35)
Who to watch in this year's professional fields (32:10)
What to know about getting to the start and navigating the athlete village (34:00)
Chris "Coach Worm" Wehrman and Robyn LaLonde talk Chicago Marathon course strategy (44:40)
All about the finish line experience and tips for spectating (1:12:20)

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835. The Support Squad Series: Round 5 with Cousin Jackie

Tue, 16 Sep 2025

"I haven’t spent a lot of time breaking down and crying. Every time I’ve started to have a breakdown, I look at myself in the mirror and say, 'Stop, go about your day.' I know at some point I need to let those tears out, but I don’t really have time, so I’m stuffing it all down."

I'm fresh off my fifth round of chemotherapy, and am back on the couch recording with friends. This time for chemo (and scan day!), I was again joined by Cousin Jackie, and this is our recap from the day at the infusion center and the few days we spent together.

SPONSOR:

Lagoon: Click here to take Lagoon’s 2-minute sleep quiz to see which pillow is right for you. (I'm an Otter!) Use code ALI at checkout for 15% off your next Lagoon order.
Oofos: The best in recovery footwear! Check out Oofos's 2025 Project Pink collection, where 10% of every purchase is donated to cancer research.

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834. Josette Andrews, 5000m Runner for Team USA at the 2025 Outdoor World Championships

Thu, 11 Sep 2025

"Every starting line is a chance for a breakthrough."

Josette Andrews is heading to Tokyo! This summer, the On-sponsored athlete went into the 5000m race at U.S. Outdoor National Championships as the top-seeded athlete — and it was the calmest she's ever been in a championship race. In this conversation, Josette talks about racing with a target on her back at USAs, and about making her first outdoor world championship team (she finished third in the 5000m Final at USAs, behind Shelby Houlihan and Elise Cranny). Josette, whose personal best is 14:25 from Rome earlier this summer, will represent Team USA in the women's 5000m race on September 18. Josette and her husband, Olympian Robby Andrews, live in Boulder, CO, where Josette trains with the On Athletics Club.

FOLLOW JOSETTE @josettenorris

SPONSORS:

New Balance: Click here to get your hands on the just-released Rebel v5!
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In this episode:

Where in the world is Josette Andrews? (2:30)
On Josette’s decision to race on the Diamond League circuit between USAs and World Championships (4:30)
How pro athletes get experience with tactical races (12:00)
What’s making Josette happy today? (14:15)
What it’s like being a top seed at U.S. Outdoor National Championships (20:00)
Making the team vs. being on the team, and how Josette hurt her foot before USAs (24:30)
On being asked about Shelby Houlihan’s return (31:50)
Why Josette feels so calm this summer (34:15)
Josette’s key takeaways from the 2025 outdoor season (39:00)
How Josette ran an 18-second personal best in the 5000m this year, and how she reflects on this “dream season” (46:45)
Josette's message to everyone going through a tough time right now (51:00)

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