765. Emma Grace Hurley, 1:08:26 Half Marathoner

11/14/24 • 68 min

"I am healthily afraid of the marathon. It looks very painful!"

Emma Grace Hurley made a lot of big life changes this year. She moved from Atlanta to Indianapolis. She changed sponsors. She changed teams. And this weekend, it all paid off, as Emma Grace made her 13.1-mile debut at the Indy Monumental Half Marathon, finishing in 1:08:26, setting a course record, and winning the race by nearly two minutes. After a long season filled with second- and third-place finishes, this was Emma Grace's first big career win. In this conversation, the Asics-sponsored professional distance runner and member of Heartland Track Club talks about her approach to this year, her big dreams for next year, and what she plans to do about all of her Marathon FOMO.

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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 Emma Grace is feeling after making her half-marathon debut (2:40)
On Emma Grace’s decision to make her half debut (6:10)
Emma Grace’s goals and hopes for her first half (13:30)
What it felt like to win the Indy Monumental Half Marathon (27:10)
Emma Grace’s third-place finish at the Abbott Dash to the Finish 5K (30:30)
Why Emma Grace loves to race, and which events top her highlight reel from the year (35:15)
Emma Grace talks about all of the big life changes she’s embraced over the past year (45:30)
A day in the life of Emma Grace Hurley (53:20)
What Emma Grace was like as a kid, and how she got into running (57:00)

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"I am healthily afraid of the marathon. It looks very painful!"

SPONSORS:

goodr: Click here and use code ALI for $5 off your next order.
Sidekick: Click here to get 15% off any recovery tool.

In this episode:

How Emma Grace is feeling after making her half-marathon debut (2:40)
On Emma Grace’s decision to make her half debut (6:10)
Emma Grace’s goals and hopes for her first half (13:30)
What it felt like to win the Indy Monumental Half Marathon (27:10)
Emma Grace’s third-place finish at the Abbott Dash to the Finish 5K (30:30)
Why Emma Grace loves to race, and which events top her highlight reel from the year (35:15)
Emma Grace talks about all of the big life changes she’s embraced over the past year (45:30)
A day in the life of Emma Grace Hurley (53:20)
What Emma Grace was like as a kid, and how she got into running (57:00)

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Previous Episode

764. My 2024 TCS New York City Marathon Weekend Recap

"We go to bed too late, we wake up too early, we don’t eat enough, and we have an awesome time."

It was a New York City Marathon to remember. It was one of the best weekends of my life, and certainly the greatest weekend of my career. I hosted two live shows (one with Gabby Thomas and New Balance at Carnegie Hall, and one at Volvo Studio Manhattan with Keira D'Amato), I was on the ESPN and ABC broadcasts on race day, and I was on top of the world the entire time. This is my exhaustive recap of every step.

SPONSORS:

Vuori: Click here for 20% off your first Vuori purchase.
The Eugene Marathon: Register for the Eugene Marathon (April 27, 2025) and save $10 with code ONTHERUN.
UCAN: Click here to get a FREE UCAN Edge sample pack (you’ll just pay the cost of shipping), and use code ALI for 20% off your next UCAN order.

In this episode:

Friday: the Carnegie Hall live show with Gabby Thomas, a delicious dinner at Nobu, and a sleepover with Keira D’Amato (3:40)
Saturday: a morning run in Central Park, a Volvo live show with Keira, an afternoon of broadcast rehearsals — sort of — and an evening of arm wrestling with friends (36:00)
Sunday: the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon, and a fun night out (1:00:00)
Monday: time to go home (1:34:00)

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Next Episode

766. Christine Thorn Fischer, Stage-4 Breast Cancer Survivor & 3:09 Marathoner

"You’re so much more than just somebody who has survived cancer. And also...you’re somebody who has survived cancer! Figuring out that new identity is an interesting thing to navigate."

At 28 years old, Christine Thorn Fischer was a happy, healthy, elite-level steeplechasing, elementary school teacher. Then, she found a lump in her breast. Christine was diagnosed with stage four invasive ductal carcinoma — breast cancer — that spread to her spine and sacrum. Suddenly, instead of dreaming about her next race on the track, Christine was undergoing intense treatment including eight rounds of chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, and hormone therapy. In this conversation, Christine — who is married to professional marathoner Reed Fischer — talks about her diagnosis and the days, weeks, and months that followed. She talks about her experience with scalp cooling to preserve her hair during treatment, about the worst day of her life, and about what it was like learning that she might die within a few years.

Not only did Christine get a "no signs of disease" report from her most recent scans, she is living. Christine is officially back on the run, and just ran her first marathon — the TCS New York City Marathon — a few weeks ago, conquering the course in 3:09:52

FOLLOW CHRISTINE @c_thorn31

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Volvo Cars: Click here to get an exclusive offer on a Volvo purchase or lease. (I'm completely obsessed with the XC90!)
Lagoon: Click here to take Lagoon’s 2-minute sleep quiz to see which pillow is right for you. (Emma Bates and I are both Otters!) Use code ALI at checkout for $25 off your next Lagoon order.
UCAN: Click here to get a FREE UCAN Edge sample pack (you’ll just pay the cost of shipping), and use code ALI for 20% off your next UCAN order.

In this episode:

Christine reflects on running the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon (5:45)
On being a “cancer survivor” (11:40)
What Christine was needing when she went on a Boarding for Breast Cancer retreat (13:50)
All about Christine’s breast cancer diagnosis and the days, weeks, and months that followed (19:45)
Christine recounts the worst day of her life (34:00)
Christine’s advice on how to support someone going through a cancer diagnosis and treatment (44:50)
What Christine recalls as the hardest parts of her cancer journey (50:00)
Christine’s decision to do cold capping during chemotherapy (59:40)
On reaching the light at the end of the cancer tunnel (1:07:45)
How Christine’s perspective on fear has changed over the past two years (1:16:20)
Why Christine wanted to run the New York City Marathon after completing cancer treatment (1:17:50)