Fast People

Nikki Hiltz: Being Calm in the Chaos | Episode 31

Hot off winning their seventh-consecutive U.S. 1500m title between indoors and outdoors, Nikki Hiltz talks to Sarah Lorge Butler before heading to Poland to compete at the World Athletics Indoor Championships. Nikki Hiltz on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikkihiltz/ [https://www.instagram.com/nikkihiltz/] Sarah Lorge Butler on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/slorgebutler.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/slorgebutler.bsky.social] Fast Women on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastwomen/ [https://www.instagram.com/fastwomen/] Fast Women on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fastwomen.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/fastwomen.bsky.social] Subscribe to the Fast Women newsletter: https://fastwomen.substack.com/ [https://fastwomen.substack.com/]

Emma Grace Hurley on Being Misdirected at the USATF Half Marathon Championships | Episode 30

Professional runner Emma Grace Hurley talks to Sarah Lorge Butler three days after she, Jess McClain, Ednah Kurgat, and Carrie Ellwood were led off course by at the USATF Half Marathon Championships in Atlanta. McClain was leading the race when they were led off course, and Hurley and Kurgat were running in second and third. By the time they rejoined the race, they were well back in the field.  Two days after the race, the Atlanta Track Club published a timeline of events [https://www.atlantatrackclub.org/news/atlanta-track-club-review-of-the-2026-usatf-half-marathon-championships] that they believe explains the mishap. They said that shortly before the lead women were misdirected, a police officer who was working the race, was struck by a vehicle while riding a motorcycle, which left the intersection in question unattended. (News reports indicate the officer has been released from the hospital.) The ATC also announced that they would pay first-place prize money to McClain, and Hurley and Kurgat would split the second and third place prize money, because they were running together when they were led off course. The trio was on their way to qualifying to represent the U.S. the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen in September. USA Track & Field has yet to make any announcements about how they will address the missed opportunity there. In addition to discussing her experience in Sunday's race, Hurley also discussed how she went from thinking she was done with running after college to becoming a professional runner. And she talked about her plans to try her first marathon later this year. Sarah Lorge Butler on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/slorgebutler.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/slorgebutler.bsky.social] Fast Women on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastwomen/ [https://www.instagram.com/fastwomen/] Fast Women on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fastwomen.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/fastwomen.bsky.social] Subscribe to the Fast Women newsletter: https://fastwomen.substack.com/ [https://fastwomen.substack.com/]

Gabi Rooker on Letting Go of Comparison in Her Boston Marathon Build | Episode 29

Sarah Lorge Butler talks to Nike marathoner and physician assistant Gabi Rooker, a Minneapolis-based 2:24 marathoner who is preparing for the 2026 Boston Marathon. They discuss living and running in Minneapolis amid ICE's invasion of the city, and how that has affected the community and her patients. And Gabi discusses her December surgery to remove a grapefruit-sized uterine fibroid and her longer-than-expected recovery. Gabi talks about her ongoing fertility journey, and how that intersects with being a 38-year-old professional runner, who only got serious about the sport in her mid 30s. She also discusses her experience at last year's Boston Marathon, where a race-morning panic attack derailed her goals, and how she's viewing this year's race as a celebration of how far she's come.  Sarah Lorge Butler on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/slorgebutler.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/slorgebutler.bsky.social] Fast Women on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastwomen/ [https://www.instagram.com/fastwomen/] Fast Women on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fastwomen.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/fastwomen.bsky.social] Subscribe to the Fast Women newsletter: https://fastwomen.substack.com/ [https://fastwomen.substack.com/]