Road to the Trials

Road to the Trials brings on marathon workhorse Joe Whelan, also known on this episode as “The Marathon Wolverine.” Joe digs into what it looks like to be incredibly durable in the marathon, as Joe has already raced Berlin, Boston, Grandma’s, Austin, and Indianapolis Monumental in 2025, with California International Marathon circled as his true A-race.Joe shares how he thinks about stacking...

In this special Road to the Trials episode, Peter Bromka and Matt Chittim team up with Brendan Gregg, the Course Director of the California International Marathon and a former CIM champion, for the ultimate 2025 race preview.Brendan brings insider knowledge from both sides of the barriers: years of experience designing and refining the course, and firsthand insight as an elite athlete who has...

Kristin Dailey joins hosts Lindsey Hein and Peter Bromka to share her late-blooming rise in the marathon. After years of running for fitness, a stranger encouraged her to try 26.2. She ran her first marathon at the age of 40 in 3:07, then teamed up with Mary Johnson’s Lift Run Perform team to break three hours in Indianapolis. Now training with DW Running in the Chicago area, Kristin has elevated...

Peter Bromka sits down with Makenna Myler, one of the most exciting ascending marathoners in the U.S. right now. Makenna finished 7th at the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials, proving she can show up on championship day, and she joins the show fresh off her run in Chicago — a performance she calls “a little disappointing,” but only because her trajectory has her aiming higher than ever.Peter and...

Peter Bromka and Lindsey Hein sit down with Alana Levy, who ran 2:36:53 at the Chicago Marathon and punched her ticket to the 2028 Olympic Trials. Alana’s progression over the past few years has been remarkable: she broke three hours, then 2:50, and now has taken another eight minutes off her time to reach a new level. She reflects on attending the 2024 Trials not with disappointment but with...

Lindsey Hein and Matt Chittim chat with Maria Lindberg, the first masters finisher at the 2025 Chicago Marathon, where she ran 2:34 at age 42. A former high school and college All-American, Maria has now completed 21 marathons and is running some of her fastest times ever. She explains how shifting to “intuitive” training without a coach and stacking consistent high-mileage weeks helped her drop...

Ryan Ford joins Road to the Trials to talk about his breakout year and his transition to the ON Athletics Club (OAC) in Boulder. After a standout performance at the 2024 Boston Marathon—running 2:08:00 and firmly establishing himself as one of America’s top marathoners—Ryan has quickly become a name to know in U.S. distance running. He is now coming off of a 2:09:37 at the recent Chicago...

Will Norris joins Road to the Trials after winning the Twin Cities Marathon and punching his ticket to his third U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. In this conversation with hosts Peter Bromka and Lindsey Hein, Will shares what it felt like to finally win a race he’s chased for years, what he’s learned through the ups and downs of marathon training, and how he’s evolved into a consistent, successful...

Gabi Rooker joins Lindsey Hein and Matt Chittim fresh off her ninth-place finish at the 2025 Chicago Marathon, where she was the third American woman and ran a 2:26 marathon to secure her qualifying time for the 2028 U.S. Olympic Trials.Gabi’s rise in the sport has been nothing short of incredible. She ran her first marathon in 2021, clocking 2:54, and just three years later, she’s competing...

Jane Bareikis joins Road to the Trials fresh off her win at the Twin Cities Marathon, becoming the first female qualifier of this Olympic Trials window. A 2:29 marathoner (Berlin 2023), Jane is a mother and coached by her husband. She grew up in Kenya and didn’t start running until 2017, after having her son. Jane competed in her first U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in 2024 (Orlando), where she...