This episode is an interview with professional runner for ASICS and 2:22 marathoner, Emma Bates. Emma grew up in Minnesota where she discovered a love for distance running that led her to receiving a full ride scholarship to run at Boise State University. While at Boise, Emma was a 12x All-American and a NCAA champion in the 10k. After college, she went on to run professionally for B.A.A., but decided that environment wasn't a good fit for her. She moved off the grid into the wilderness of Idaho, working full time and training alone while living in the mountains without running water. She ultimately decided she missed the team atmosphere and moved to Boulder, CO to join Team Boss and pursue a career on the roads. Emma was the runner up finisher at the 2021 Chicago Marathon, has been a 5x top 10 finisher at a World Major Marathon, and has been a 3x Team USA member including a 7th place finish at the 2022 World Championships in the marathon.

We talk about:

How growing up in a small town in the midwest allowed her to find running, and how being involved in the sport inspired her whole family to create healthier habits
What it was like transitioning to college and navigating the dining hall, while also being diagnosed with celiac disease and having to eliminate gluten
How internal and external pressure got to her as a senior, leading to a disappointing NCAA finish, and what she learned from that experience
Her transition to running professionally in an environment that encouraged some not so great eating habits, and why she ultimately decided she needed a change
What is was like moving to a house in the mountains without running water, and how that experience helped her reconnect with herself and with running
Why she ended up moving to Boulder to join Team Boss and focusing on the roads, and what inspires her to compete