Episode #44: Bob Kennedy, 2-Time Olympian in the 5000m

04/12/20 • 77 min

Bob Kennedy is one of the most talented and consistent distance runners in US history. During his career, he was a 2-time Olympian, earned American records in the 3000m, 2 mile, and 5000m races and became the first non-African runner to break 13:00 in the 5000.

As he says himself in this interview, if it wasn't for performance-enhancing drugs (PED), he would probably be an Olympic medalist. Instead, he would "settle" for 6th place in the 5000m at the Olympics in 1996 where he took the lead with 2 laps to go in front of an electric crowd in Atlanta. Is he bitter about how that race ended or does he view it as one of his finest moments?

Find out the answer to that question and so many more in this interview with Chris and guest host Adam Goucher. Bob was precocious performer from an early age winning a national high school cross country (XC) title and then becoming one of only a few men to win NCAA XC as a freshman. After a decorated career running at Indiana University he was one of only a few Americans who could compete well against international fields in the 1990s in what would become an era marked by rampant EPO use before testing for the PED began in 2000.

While competing clean, he pushed himself by training with East African athletes and treating his training and each race "like a business." Chris and Adam dig into all of it with Bob including the mindset that made him one of the best in the world against a playing field that was far from level. Plus, Adam and Bob trade behind-the-scenes stories on 3 consecutive 5000m national championships where they competed head to head in 1999, 2000, and 2001. Spoiler alert: Adam won the first two of those before being outsmarted by Bob in a race for the ages in 2001.

Finally, we end by talking about what Bob hopes for the future of the sport so that his daughter can enjoy it the way he did. Bob inspired a generation of athletes by showing other US runners that they could compete with the best in the world and do it the right way. We are honored to help share his story.

Previous Episode

Episode #43: Jessie Diggins, Gold Medalist in XC Skiing

We could all use a smile or two right now, and we believe this interview will give you just that. Jessie Diggins and her teammate Kikkan Randall won the first ever gold medal for the US in cross country skiing in the Winter Olympics in 2018. You might remember the epic finish as Jessie outsprinted a Swedish and Norwegian athlete to earn gold by half a ski before collapsing and being jumped on by Kikkan in celebration. It was a beautiful moment, but as you will learn in this interview with Kara and Chris, Jessie's story is so much bigger than one moment.

She was on skis before she could walk and showed promise early on. We talk about her journey as a clean athlete from her childhood to early success as a ski racer in high school and then her entry into international racing against the dominant Nordic countries. She discusses a day in the life of training and how the US has made such great strides internationally in the sport, even before her Olympic medal. She tells the story of her own battle with an eating disorder and how she shifted her mindset to focus on what her body can do vs. how it looks.

In addition, she gives insight into the clean sport culture in XC ski racing and how she was heartbroken just last year when an athlete she knew was busted for blood doping. Then finally, she takes us through her gold medal race moment by moment from her mindset on the start line through to every pole push down the finishing straight and how she didn't even know who jumped on her in celebration because she was seeing stars from the effort.

As we said, Jessie's positive energy will make you smile, and we couldn't be more excited and honored to have her on the podcast. Join Jessie for the virtual launch of her book Brave Enough on April 7th at 11 am EST. You can find all of the details here:

https://loft.org/olympic-training-jessie-diggins

We can't wait to read her full story. She is brave enough indeed.

Next Episode

Episode #45: Kara Interviews Shanna and Chris + Listener Questions

In this episode, we mix things up with a get-to-know-your-hosts episode followed by listener questions. Kara takes the lead to interview co-hosts Shanna Burnette and Chris McClung. She asks about how they are both coping with the quarantine life balancing full-time jobs and 3 kids each. Then, digs into their backgrounds in sport and the key life moments that made them who they are today.

You will learn about Shanna's path to becoming a state champion in Nevada and the devastating moment she learned of her father's passing while at the University of Colorado and how it would change her life forever. You will hear about Chris's background growing up in a small town in Texas, playing soccer and how a seemingly minor decision in middle school led to other major life decisions where he chose to go against the grain.

Finally, we discuss how Shanna and Chris became passionate about the fight for clean sport before this podcast ever began, and then as a group, we answer your listener questions on a handful of clean sport topics from virtual testing during this pandemic to the biological passport to our dream guests for the podcast.

We had a ton of fun recording this episode and hope you enjoy getting to know us a little better!