Ali on the Run Show9 Sep 2025

833. Catching Up with Heather MacLean, New Balance Professional Athlete

"I'm entering a new era where I'm prioritizing myself and my happiness, and also looking for more ways to do what the goal is at the end of the day, which is to make myself the best athlete I can be in this small amount of time that I get to do this in my life."

Heather MacLean has had a big summer. In this conversation, she talks about the decision to leave Team New Balance Boston and coach Mark Coogan, and to be trained by Juli Benson. Heather spent much of the summer in Flagstaff, AZ, training alongside fellow Juli Benson-coached athletes Nikki Hiltz and Helen Schlachtenhaufen, and she explains the importance of finding like-minded training partners. Plus, Heather shares her reflections on her 2025 outdoor season, including finishing fourth in the 1500m final at U.S. Outdoor National Championships, and capping off the season in Europe with three Diamond League races (including a personal best in the 1500m in Silesia!). (Heather ended up scratching from the Fifth Avenue Mile due to illness.)

SPONSOR:

New Balance: Click here to get your hands on the just-released New Balance FuelCell SC Elite v5!

In this episode:

How Heather is feeling about turning 30 (4:55)
What's making Heather happy today? (11:00)
Before scratching, how Heather was feeling about running the Fifth Avenue Mile (14:15)
All about Heather's big life changes, including leaving Team New Balance Boston to be coached by Juli Benson (18:15)
On training with fellow 1500m runner Nikki Hiltz (29:00)
Heather's takeaways from U.S. Outdoor National Championships, where she finished fourth in the 1500m final (35:05)
Heather's reflections on the rest of her outdoor racing season, racing the Diamond League circuit in Silesia, Brussels, and Zurich (39:25)
Heather's take on The State of Race Bibs (53:55)

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!

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(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 Sep 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 Sep 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 Sep 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 Sep 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 Sep 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 Aug 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 Aug 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 Aug 1h 27min