Ali on the Run Show27 Maalis 2025

795. Jinger Gottschall, New Balance Director of Sports Research

"I am nowhere near close to being an expert, and that's part of why I wanted this job — a challenge."

Imagine you're a real-life woman in STEM. Someone who loves numbers, data, hypotheses, constants, and thoroughly researched experiments with scientifically-backed outcomes. Imagine you're also an athlete. A triathlete, specifically. So, what's the dream job? Triathlete in STEM Jinger Gottschall found it: Director of Sports Research at New Balance. In her role, Jinger oversees a team whose job it is to create, research, test, and design shoes and apparel that maximize performance and minimize injury. In this conversation — recorded in the Sports Research Lab at The TRACK at New Balance — Jinger talks about what her job entails, why she wanted this job, where work still needs to be done when testing products for men vs. women, and just how many pairs of shoes are in her closet.

SPONSOR:

Lagoon: Click here to take Lagoon's 2-minute sleep quiz to see which pillow is right for you. (I'm an Otter!) Use code ALI at checkout for 15% off your next Lagoon order.

In this episode:

What it's like working at the New Balance Sports Research Lab (2:40)
How Jinger describes her job (3:45)
What it's like when the pros come into the lab (6:30)
How Jinger has learned about all the sports New Balance covers (11:45)
How Jinger got the job she has today (14:30)
On testing competitors' shoes (24:30)
The lab, by the numbers (33:00)
Jinger's take on testing for women's products (35:45)
What a day in the life is like at New Balance (43:45)
Jinger's favorite feature in the sports research lab, her favorite shoes, and more (48:20)

Follow Ali:

SUPPORT the Ali on the Run Show! If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Spread the run love. And if you liked this episode, share it with your friends!

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(910)

907. Alana Levy, 2:34 Marathoner

"I think one of my biggest problems is I finish every race and think, 'I think I can go faster!'" If you follow the sport, you probably recognize Alana Levy. The New York City-based runner and member ...

29 Syys 1h 27min

906. Marathon Talk, Best Running Friends Edition

"Don't let anyone or anything make you feel like less of a runner." There's a chill in the air. It's officially fall. And that means it's officially fall marathon season. Whether you're gearing up for...

24 Syys 1h 20min

905. Arielle Chernin, Brookline Food Pantry Operations Manager & 3:02 Marathoner

"It's running friendship in true form. We would not otherwise be friends. We're different ages, our kids are different ages, we live completely different lifestyles. She's as organized and type A as i...

22 Syys 1h 9min

904. Cody Rigsby, Peloton Instructor

"But I'm really grateful. I had so much time to make mistakes, look stupid, look cringe, not know what I'm doing — so that when the opportunity arose, I was ready to go. I knew who I was, and I was re...

17 Syys 1h 13min

903. Caroline Moss Wants to Run a Marathon (?), Episode 4

"Sometimes you've gotta just get a little messy." Caroline Moss has long had a dream: to run the New York City Marathon. As a New Yorker, it's her favorite day of the year. The catch: Caroline has nev...

3 Syys 1h 36min

902. Tara Rincón, News 12 Long Island Senior Content Producer

"It's such a rewarding job because you're working on things that affect your actual community. Some of the big stories are down the road from my house." When Tara Rincón was in college, she needed an ...

27 Elo 1h 19min

901. No Stupid Questions: The TMI Episode, with Ashley Desanno

"Don't let bodily things make you not show up." Welcome to the fourth episode in a new series on the Ali on the Run Show called "No Stupid Questions." This is where experts come in to answer everythin...

20 Elo 1h 5min

900. My 2026 SeaWheeze Recap

"The days leading up to this race were rough, and the days after have been bright and full of sunshine." For the first time since 2019, lululemon's SeaWheeze half marathon and festival were so back! I...

18 Elo 1h 27min