Ali on the Run Show

849. Katie Couric, Journalist

Thu, 13 Nov 2025

"I just feel like when I see injustice, at this point in my life, I have to call it out."

Katie Couric has been my idol since I was in high school, and it's truly an honor to welcome her to the Ali on the Run Show! We recorded this episode in person together on the Monday after the 2025 New York City Marathon, at Katie's home on the Upper East Side. Katie is a journalist who is best known for her 15-year career on the Today Show. Today, she is the founder of Katie Couric Media, where she publishes a daily newsletter (Wake Up Call), and hosts the podcast Next Question with Katie Couric. She is the author of Going There, she's a mom of two, and she's an avid pickleball player who, despite my best efforts, will not be signing up for a marathon anytime soon!

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In this episode:

Katie's day spectating the 2025 New York City Marathon (3:20)
Katie's history with running, and how she stays active now (6:00)
What it's like being Katie Couric in New York City (12:00)
On Halloween, NYC trick-or-treating, and Taylor Swift (14:00)
Everyone has a Katie Couric story (22:15)
Katie reflects on her breast cancer diagnosis, and what her care looks like now (33:00)
On "feeling very strongly about certain things" (55:00)
Katie's take on The Morning Show (1:04:00)
Katie looks back on some of the highest and lowest points of her career (1:08:15)

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848. Amanda Vestri's 2025 TCS New York City Marathon Recap

Tue, 11 Nov 2025

"Oh I'm hooked."

Last weekend, Amanda Vestri made her much anticipated 26.2-mile debut at the TCS New York City Marathon. She ran 2:25:40, good enough for ninth place in the women's pro race and a strong showing for the marathon debutante. In this conversation, Amanda breaks it all down, including how training went, why she wanted to move to the marathon this year, what she wants to do next, and what it was like running through the five boroughs. Plus, Amanda shares her training, living, and coaching plans now that her longtime training group, ZAP Endurance, is disbanding.

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In this episode:

How Amanda is feeling post-NYC Marathon — and what's next (2:10)
All about Amanda's new coach, and what's motivating to her in the marathon (10:00)
Why the marathon, why now, and why New York? (12:45)
Amanda's snapshot moment from the New York City Marathon (18:15)
Amanda reflects on her first marathon training block and her goals for her marathon debut (19:15)
How Amanda spent race weekend (24:10)
How it felt standing on the New York City Marathon start line (31:15)
Amanda's race plan (35:40)
Amanda breaks down her race at the 2025 New York City Marathon (39:45)

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847. My 2025 TCS New York City Marathon Recap

Fri, 07 Nov 2025

"They play 'New York, New York,' and everyone goes crazy."

It was another New York City Marathon to remember. It was one of the most rewarding weekends of my life and of my career. I hosted a live show with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone at Jazz at Lincoln Center, I was on the ESPN and ABC broadcasts on race day, I interviewed Katie Couric for the Ali on the Run Show, and I was on top of the world the entire time. This is my exhaustive recap of every step.

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In this episode:

Friday: Annie's Halloween parade, the drive to NYC, a run in Central Park, a fancy sushi dinner, and a New Balance party (3:20)
Saturday: a run in the park, cheering for the Dash to the Finish 5K, the Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone live show, and broadcast rehearsals (12:50)
Sunday: the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon! (38:45)
Monday: a sleepless night, a run in the park with friends, and an interview with Katie Couric (1:00:00)
Listener Q&A (1:18:10)

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846. LIVE in New York City with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

Mon, 03 Nov 2025

"People always give me a hard time, they're like, 'You never show emotion after your race.' And I'm like, 'You run this and then you try to show emotion!'"

It's hard to describe the feeling of walking out into the stunning Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center, warmly greeted by 500 people in Team Ali sweatshirts, courtesy of New Balance, and getting to interview Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. This live show was magical, marvelous, magnificent, and so very memorable. Thank you to everyone who joined us, thank you to Sydney, and thank you to New Balance for the unwavering support.

Sydney is one of the greatest track and field athletes of all-time. She's a six-time world record holder. She holds the world record in the 400m hurdles, and the American record in the flat 400m. She's a four-time Olympic gold medalist, a five-time World Championships gold medalist, a one-time silver medalist (oh we talk about her relationship with the silver), and a five-time U.S. champion. She can also juggle, and it was an absolute joy to get to know her during this event. Enjoy!

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845. Caroline Moss Wants to Run a Marathon, Episode 3

Thu, 30 Oct 2025

"Fast, slow, good weather, bad weather — you are out there doing something that so many people are never going to do, and that's so cool."

Caroline Moss has a dream: to run the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon. As a New Yorker, it's her favorite day of the year. The catch: Caroline has never been a runner — until now. In this series, we're following author, creator, theater producer, Saved by the Bell super-fan, proud millennial, and professional shopper Caroline Moss as she embarks on a quest to start running and run the race of her dreams.

In Episode 3, Caroline updates us on hitting a major roadblock in her marathon dreams: a broken foot that took her off the run for the entire summer. She talks about dealing with an injury — a non-running-related one — just as she was hitting her running groove, and about how she spent her summer. She shares her unbridled enthusiasm for the New York City Marathon, and, unsurprisingly, takes us on detours including Lurlene McDaniel books, Baby-Sitters Club personality theories, and what it was like being at the Dawson's Creek reunion in New York City last month.

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