Laura Thornton talks with Ruth and Christian, a husband and wife team preparing to walk the New York City Marathon together in support of Think Pink Rocks. Their story moves between marathon training, cancer recovery, marriage, caregiving, and the small routines that have helped them keep going.This conversation matters because it shows what endurance can look like when life has already asked a lot of you. Ruth and Christian share how they trained through illness, leaned on each other, and reframed the marathon as a celebration instead of a test of ego.

Key topics

• In this episode, Laura introduces Ruth and Christian and sets up their story as one about breast cancer, healing, purpose, and running 26.2 miles through New York City.
• Ruth describes Christian as the person you want around when things go wrong, someone who brings levity, strength, and humor in hard moments.
• Christian describes Ruth as a sensitive, service-minded person who gives back to everyone around her.
• They talk about their current marathon taper, the shift from peak training into rest, and the nerves that come with reducing mileage.
• They share how training has become a family event, with their three kids, Ruth’s mom, and Ruth’s sister all traveling to New York to cheer them on.
• Ruth and Christian explain that they do long walks together, share AirPods, and build playlists from similar 90s dance and hip-hop tastes.
• Fitness became a lifeline during COVID, starting with daily walks, Peloton, and a focus on mental health that eventually led them toward marathon dreams.
• Christian shares how the New York City Marathon became a vision-board goal, complete with old 2018 marathon sweatshirts bought as a tangible reminder.
• Ruth opens up about being diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2024 and how the experience forced her to trust her body again.
• She explains how a therapist prompted her to build a post-cancer vision board, which included Hawaii, sunrise yoga, family time, and the New York City Marathon.
• They discuss choosing to walk the marathon because of Ruth’s hormone therapy side effects and Achilles tendinitis, and why walking is still a valid strategy.
• Ruth talks about the emotional challenge of sharing her cancer story publicly and how it creates purpose by helping others who are coming up the road behind her.
• Christian reflects on caregiving, saying the hardest part was the lack of control and watching someone he loves so much move through pain and treatment.
• Ruth shares the phrase “gifts in the garbage,” later reframed as “glimmers,” as an anchor that helped her notice small moments of joy during treatment.
• They talk about chunking hard things into smaller pieces, whether that’s chemo rounds or marathon miles, as a way to stay grounded.
• The conversation closes with encouragement for anyone facing hard things, especially around the idea that walking, slowing down, or adjusting plans is still worth celebrating.

• why Sydney humbled even experienced marathoners
• how Tokyo’s cutoffs turn a race into a mental chess match
• why the back of the pack deserves as much respect as the front
• how running became Kyle’s way through divorce, grief, and health struggles
• what it really means to build a community where every pace has a place

Kyle also shares the story behind Back of the Pack Podcast and Chasing Rabbits Run Club, where his mission is simple: make the mistakes so you don’t have to, welcome every newcomer, and remind runners that finishing is finishing, whether you run, walk, or do both. Laura brings her own candid race stories, from Sydney and New York to Boulder’s legendary 10K, plus the shared frustration of trolls who think pace determines worth.This one is for anyone who has ever felt too slow, too late, too out of place, or too intimidated to call themselves a runner. If you need permission to start, to keep going, or to be proud of the finish line you earned, press play.

• Her six-star World Marathon Majors journey, including Chicago, Toronto, and Tokyo
• Why she listens to thrillers on runs and saves music for goal races
• The support system behind her training, from her husband to her parents and kids
• Her favorite mantras for hard miles, including “just keep moving forward”
• The unforgettable summer trail race that turned into a showdown with a water moccasin

Hillary also shares how she stays grounded when people tell her her voice makes them feel seen, and why she believes finish lines matter even when the race doesn’t go to plan. Whether you’re chasing a PR, coming back from a rough race, or just trying to feel a little more at home in running, this conversation is a reminder that you do not have to be elite to be serious.Essential listening for runners who love honesty, humor, and the kind of encouragement that actually helps on the hardest miles.

Takeaways

• Ready is a decision, not a feeling
• Discipline is the secret ingredient for achieving goals Healing and reflection: Laura's journey to Sydney is intertwined with her healing process and reflection on her father's passing.
• Encouragement and support: The voices and encouragement of others play a significant role in Laura's preparation and mindset for the race.

Chapters

• 00:00 Preparing for Sydney
• 03:08 Training and Fears
• 06:36 Excitement and Reflection
• 38:10 The Impact of Loss
• 39:23 Healing and Reflection
• 43:40 Evolution of Mindset
• 46:17 The Power of Encouragement
• 49:25 Defining Victory
• 57:51 Presence and Awareness
• 01:03:44 Messages of Hope and Encouragement

In Episode 3 of Hear Every Mile, Laura Thornton sits down with LiAnn Anderson—mom of four, marathon runner, and a woman whose miles have carried her through divorce, grief, a traumatic birth, serious health challenges, and a life-changing car accident.

For LiAnn, running became more than exercise. It became a lifeline.

Now, as she prepares to take on the Sydney Marathon, LiAnn shares the people, words, memories, and even songs she carries with her when the miles get hard.

They talk about being separated from her newborn son for nearly a month, why her children are at the heart of her running, carrying her late father Jim’s dog tags across finish lines, meeting her husband Mike on Strava, and the daughter who paces her, sings at stoplights, and gives her someone to chase.

And because every runner has their rituals, there’s also chocolate milk, pickles, Pop-Tarts, steak—and the song that has become part of LiAnn’s story: “Unstoppable.”

Through everything, one message has stayed with her. It’s written on her Road ID, and it’s how she tries to live:

Keep going.

This is a conversation about far more than finishing marathons. It’s about the voices we carry, the people who help us forward, and what it means to discover that you can keep moving even after life changes the course.

Rally is powering the ability to Hear Every Mile.

🎙️ Hear Every Mile tells the stories behind the miles—the voices, words, and human connections we hear when things get hard.

Subscribe, follow, and share this episode with someone whose voice has helped you keep going.

#HearEveryMile #RunningPodcast #MarathonRunning #SydneyMarathon #RunningCommunity

From training students to run their first marathon to crossing finish lines together through a global pandemic, Stephanie's story is a reminder that the most lasting impact we have on people rarely comes from our biggest accomplishments. It comes from the ordinary choices we make every day to keep going, keep encouraging, and believe in someone before they believe in themselves.

Plus: Dick Beardsley's mantra that Stephanie carries into every race, what it's like to run Disney in full costume, and why the marathon is not the hardest thing you've ever done.

What keeps you going when every part of you wants to stop? For Kathleen, the answer is equal parts stubbornness, grief, and love.

In this first episode of Hear Every Mile, host Laura Thornton sits down with Kathleen — a New York City-based IT professional who works on Broadway by day and logs predawn miles before the rest of the city wakes up. She's run five marathons, completed a 50K ultra, and is weeks away from toeing the line at the Sydney Marathon. But her running story isn't really about pace or mileage. It's about loss, healing, and the quiet decision to keep moving forward.

Kathleen opens up about losing both parents in the span of a year, how grief became a reason to lace up instead of shut down, and why Sydney is a race she was always meant to run. She also shares the moment at mile 20 of her first marathon — soaked, freezing, and begging a medic to pull her — when she found out just how stubborn she really is.

In this episode:

• Running as therapy, escapism, and something in between
• Training with smoke-filled skies, a career-defining deadline, and a taper tantrum on the horizon
• The mindset shift from "mental toughness" to "mental strength"
• Her race-day song, her pre-run fuel (Red Bull + s'mores Pop-Tart), and the local news habit that has Laura speechless

Hear Every Mile is presented by Rally — powering the ability to hear every mile.