It’s been an eventful year for Tina and Running for Real! In this episode, Tina looks back on the highs and lows of 2023, and in the tradition of Together Runs, offers space for you to reflect on your own experiences.
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The year began with the release of our REDs resources, a series of 50+ videos on YouTube to educate runners about Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, and a private group with another 50+ videos for people who are recovering from it. They’re both free and even though you may think you don’t fit the profile of someone who could suffer from REDs, the fact is that it affects athletes of every gender and activity level.
There was another big release in the summer – Tina and Zoë Rom’s book, Becoming a Sustainable Runner, which is available from all major book sellers. Writing it was one way for Tina to bring sustainability to the forefront of runners’ consciousness, but not the only way. She worked with the sustainability teams for Chicago’s Shamrock Shuffle, the Peachtree Road Race, the Bronx 10 Mile, the Chicago Marathon, the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, the New York City Marathon, and the California International Marathon, both behind the scenes and highlighting their initiatives. At the Bronx 10 Mile and the New York City Marathon, she also drew attention to the climate crisis by running in a skirt made of upcycled waste, designed by Natalia Trevino Amaro, and by writing environmental statistics on her arms and legs – did you know that if everyone in the world lived like Americans, we would need 5.1 earths???
And those weren’t Tina’s only races in 2023 – she ran her first ultra, the Bryce Canyon 50 Miler, finishing first female, third overall, and with the fourth-fastest women’s time in the race’s history. It was a race with special meaning, as she ran it to honor the memory of her friend Patrick, who had passed away just a few weeks earlier. A few months later she guided Brian Reynolds at the Leadville 100, as he attempted to become the first double amputee to finish that demanding race. She also ran as a guide for Kayleigh Williamson, who became one of the first, and quite possibly the first, women with Down Syndrome to complete the New York City Marathon. She joined Kayleigh and Kayleigh’s mother, Sandy, on The Today Show the following week to celebrate Kayleigh’s accomplishment.
Environmental action will continue to be a major focus for Tina and Running for Real. She was elected to the Board of Directors of Running USA and was given the role of sustainability lead for the World Athletics Road Running Championships in San Diego in 2025. They’re anticipating 50,000 runners, and intend to make it the greenest running event ever. We’ve put together Sustainable Runner’s Guides to several major races, and are planning more for this year.
And alongside all of that, there were 48 new Running for Real podcast episodes, 29 Together Runs, and 28 For Real-Isodes!
It’s been an exciting year, and here at Running for Real, we can’t wait to see what 2024 will bring!
Resources:
REDs: Realize. Reflect. Recover videos
Running for Real episode about the Bryce Canyon 50 Miler
Running for Real interview with Brian Reynolds
Running for Real interview with Kayleigh and Sandy Williamson
Running for Real episode about the NYC Marathon and The Today Show
The Today Show with Kayleigh and Sandy Williamson and Tina
NBC New York story about Tina and her upcycled skirt
