#191 Sydney Levenfeld: Assaulted on a Run, Then Ran the Race of Her Life

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Kristian welcomes back Sydney Levenfeld for a check in on everything since her last appearance, including a scary assault while out on a run in New York City, a big move back to Chicago, and a new marathon PR at the Eugene Marathon.

Sydney opens up about being attacked by a stranger while running with friends in broad daylight, how she coped with the fear in the weeks after, and the wave of support (and shared stories) she received once she spoke about it publicly. She also shares a health scare two days before the Eugene Marathon, and how she still went on to run a huge PR of 2:46, stepping onto the iconic Hayward Field track to finish.

The conversation wraps with her training block, high mileage, recovery habits, and her long-term sights on the Olympic Trials Qualifying standard.

In this episode:

- Being attacked while running in New York City

- Coping with fear and getting back out the door

- The response after going public, and using it to raise runner safety awareness

- Moving from New York back to Chicago

- Training on Central Park hills vs Chicago's flat lakefront

- A seizure two days before race day and getting cleared to race

- Race recap: Eugene Marathon and a 2:46 PR

- Training block breakdown: mileage, doubles, and workouts

- Recovery habits: sleep, hydration, and avoiding alcohol

- Thinking about the Olympic Trials Qualifying standard

Content note: this episode includes a discussion of a physical assault while running, and a brief mention of a seizure related to Sydney's epilepsy. Please take care while listening.

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome back and the boxes in the background

01:14 A dramatic start: what happened on a run in NYC

03:20 Filing a police report and processing the shock

05:18 What the weeks after felt like

07:32 Going public and the response from the running community

09:04 Organizing a self defense class

10:15 Safety advice and what she does differently now

12:43 Getting back to good news: previous PR at Chicago Marathon

14:09 Going into the Eugene build with two best friends

15:52 Working with her coach and the goal of 2:44

19:50 What changed in this training block

22:43 Winter running in New York vs the treadmill

27:30 A normal training week during the build

33:04 Upping mileage and adding doubles

36:05 Recovery: sleep, alcohol, and consistency

39:34 Travel to Eugene and a seizure two days before the race

44:16 Race morning: a completely different vibe from the majors

45:33 Running the course and feeling alone in the field

48:34 Crossing the line at Hayward Field: a 2:46 PR

52:48 Thinking about the OTQ standard

54:51 What's next: CIM in December

58:13 Staying grounded and closing thoughts

Sydney on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sydney.b.fitness/

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Full episodes + the Boston 2025 documentary: https://www.youtube.com/@Warwickruns

Follow my training journey on Instagram: @warwick.runs

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