Run Long After 60

Mark Vega
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  • HEALTH & FITNESS

Run Long After 60 is a podcast about durability, curiosity, and continuing to do hard things as the years stack up. Hosted by Mark Vega, the show features long-form conversations with runners, endurance athletes, coaches, creatives, and professionals who are still showing up — often well past the age when society expects people to slow down. This is not a podcast about speed, podiums, or shortcuts. It’s about adaptation. Perspective. And learning how to keep moving forward — physically, mentally, and creatively — over the long arc of a life. Episodes are often recorded in motion, including running intros captured mid-workout, because this show isn’t about talking around endurance. It’s about living it. Conversations explore training, aging, setbacks, reinvention, discipline, failure, resilience, and the quiet decisions that allow people to keep going long after others have stopped. Run Long After 60 is for anyone who believes that endurance doesn’t expire — it evolves. 🎙 New episodes weekly 📍 Hosted by Mark Vega

  1. 5 DAYS AGO

    Episode 31 – Chris & Michael Nicolaides | Brothers With a 10-Year Run Streak

    Run Streaker Series – Episode 2 In this episode of Run Long After 60, I sit down with two brothers — Chris Nicolaides (66) and Michael Nicolaides (63) — who have each run at least one mile every single day for over ten years. Chris started his streak on Thanksgiving Day 2015. Michael started his 33 days later. Neither one has stopped. But the streak numbers alone don't tell the story. These brothers have run 97 miles together at Umstead 100, stayed in Damascus, Virginia, to help rebuild after Hurricane Helene instead of racing, and once ran the Appalachian Trail together during Covid just to see each other. Running every single day is not just what they do. It's who they are. This episode is the second installment of the Run Streaker Series. The series began with Episode 24, when Kevin Brunson — an 18-year run streaker who appeared on Episode 12 of the podcast — reached out to Tim Hardy, another 18-year streaker, and brought him on the show. Kevin and Tim had followed each other's running for years but had never actually spoken. Their first real conversation happened on that episode. At the end of that conversation, I challenged Kevin and Tim to find the next guests for the series. Tim Hardy knew exactly who to call. He had met Chris and Michael years earlier at a marathon dinner — and unknowingly planted the seed that led them both to start streaking. Tim is happy to take full credit. And full responsibility. Both Kevin and Tim join this episode as co-hosts, anchoring the Run Streaker Series alongside the brothers. We talk about: The New Year's Eve dare around a fire in Richmond that started everythingRunning before a hernia surgery — and again the night afterThe midnight split: how to get two streak days out of one late-night runRunning Heathrow Terminal 5 back and forth, four times, to hit two miles97 miles side by side at Umstead 100 — and what happened at mile 97Hurricane Helene, a canceled race, and staying to help rebuild a communityRaven — the Miami Beach runner who has gone every single day since January 1st, 1975What all four would tell someone thinking about starting a streak The Nicolaides brothers exist in rarefied air inside the running world. They are believed to be one of the only brother pairs on earth holding an active run streak of this length. And when you hear the four of them in the same conversation — two brothers at ten years, two friends at eighteen — you understand immediately what that kind of commitment means, and what it gives back. This is Run Streaker Series Episode 2. If you know a run streaker — or a sibling pair still going — I'd love to hear from you. Kevin Brunson and Tim Hardy return as anchors of the Run Streaker Series and will help bring future guests into these conversations. If you know a run streaker whose story should be told, send them this episode. Run Long After 60 is produced as a video-first podcast. If you'd like to watch the full conversation, you can find the video version — including chapter markers — on the Run Long After 60 YouTube channel. 🎧 Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, or Amazon to follow the journey. 📍 Hosted by Mark Vega

    1hr 42min

  2. 26 APR

    Episode 30 — Henry Howard | My Coach, My DNFs, and What Comes Next

    This one is personal.   For the first half of this episode, I'm sitting down with my running coach, Henry Howard — deputy media director of the American Legion, RRCA-certified coach, the creator of RunSpirited, and a five-time 100-mile finisher. Henry has believed in me for years, sometimes when the data probably said he shouldn't. We talk about how he balances running a major media operation at the American Legion with competing in and coaching ultras, the Burning River 100 that taught him the most about the distance, and what most amateur runners misunderstand about having a coach. He also reveals what he thinks is waiting for him on the other side of 60 — including some breaking news about a recent pickleball injury.   For the second half, the mic turns around. I'm coming off my first 100-mile start line at the Leona Divide — a DNF at mile 28, nine hours in, swept from the course. It was my third DNF in five months (Red Rock Canyon 100K in November, Sean O'Brien 100K in January, Leona Divide 100 Mile in April). That record deserves honest analysis, and Henry is the right person to give it.   We talk about who actually picked these races (I did — not Henry), whether the stroke history I carry from two ischemic strokes in my early fifties ever changed how Henry coached me, and the framework I've been building called Data Not Failure — the idea that every DNF contains information a finish doesn't, and that information is the foundation of whatever comes next.   We walk through all three DNFs, look at the pattern honestly, and face the question of whether Bigfoot 200 in August is the right next race. Henry doesn't give me a simple yes or no — which is exactly the right answer.   This episode closes with Henry's message for every runner over 60 who wonders whether the window might be closing. It's the right note to end on.   FIND HENRY HOWARD: Website and Monday Motivation Newsletter: runspirited.com Coaching inquiries: runspirited.com Instagram: @henryhoward   Run Long After 60 is a podcast built on the conviction that age is not a barrier to doing hard things. Subscribe wherever you listen.

    1hr 40min

  3. 19 APR

    Episode 29 - Taylor Nichols | Bianchi in Aspen. Built Safer Streets in West Hollywood. Still Riding.

    In this episode of Run Long After 60, I sit down with Taylor Nichols — a West Hollywood, Los Angeles actor and bicycle advocate who has been fighting for safer streets for over 15 years, and who hasn't stopped riding since he bought a Bianchi off a drug dealer in Aspen, Colorado in the mid-80s.   Taylor rode bikes as a kid in Michigan, put the bike away at 16 when he got his license, and didn't get back on one until he moved to Aspen for a theater job. He rode up to the Maroon Bells at 11,000 feet, got stoned at the top, flew 17 miles downhill, and said: I'm a cyclist for life.   The advocacy came later — when his kids were old enough to bike to school but the streets of West Hollywood were too wide, too fast, and too car-dominated to feel safe. So Taylor got appointed to the West Hollywood Bicycle Task Force, spent six months going deep into urban planning and street design, and helped transform Santa Monica Boulevard into something the whole community could use. That work eventually led him to Bike Talk — a weekly radio show on KPFK 90.7 FM now airing in 16 markets — where he co-hosts conversations with the politicians, authors, and urban planners reshaping how American cities work.   This is a different kind of episode for Run Long After 60. We talk about:   • The Bianchi, the Maroon Bells, and 40 years of never stopping • The West Hollywood Bicycle Task Force and what it actually changed • 45,000 Americans killed in traffic violence every year — and why it's not an accident • "Car crash" not "car accident" — and the book behind that shift • Bike Talk: from underground Kill Radio to 16 markets on KPFK • E-bikes: why research shows older riders get more exercise on them, not less • How protected bike lanes make roads safer for runners and drivers too • What it actually takes to get someone over 60 back on two wheels   Taylor closes with a line that's going to stay with me. It's not his — he credits a writer named Tom Flood — but it's the whole argument in ten words: "Bicycles offer the freedom that auto ads promise."   He's right. And after this conversation, I believe it.   Run Long After 60 is a video-first podcast focused on running after 60, ultrarunning, longevity, and staying active later in life. If you'd like to watch the full conversation, you can find the video version on the Run Long After 60 YouTube channel.   🎧 Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, or Amazon Music to follow the journey.   📍 Hosted by Mark Vega

    1hr 9min

  4. 13 APR

    Episode 28 - Jenny Hitchings | Life PR at 59, World Record at 60, Still Not Done at 62

    In this episode of Run Long After 60, I sit down with Jenny Hitchings — a 62-year-old elite masters runner and coach from Sacramento, California, who didn't discover she was competitive until her late 30s. What followed is one of the most remarkable arcs in masters running history. She didn't stumble into records — she hunted them. Systematically. Breaking times that had stood untouched for over 20 years, many held by Olympic champions and Hall of Famers. Eight American records in her 50s. A world record at New York City. Then a lifetime PR of 2:45:27 at the 2023 London Marathon — two months before turning 60. Six months after that, she aged into the 60-64 category and immediately set that world record too at Chicago. And she is still nervous before every race. That tension — between historic achievement and deeply personal vulnerability — is what drives this conversation. We talk about: Being the only runner in her family, and a late bloomer by any measureHow getting a coach at 40 changed everythingWhat it felt like to miss the Olympic Trials by 10 seconds in 2012A phase of trail running she loved, podiumed in, and then quietly left behindWhy race anxiety hits five days out — not race morning — every single timeThe self-induced pressure of chasing records you yourself setTokyo 2024, half a cup of water in a marathon, and a hard lesson in fuelingCoaching 16 remote athletes and a youth running club on Thursday afternoonsAchilles surgery on January 2nd — and what recovery actually looks like 12 weeks inWhy she wants to bow out gracefully, organically, and entirely on her own terms Jenny's story is about what happens when elite performance meets the very human experience of aging — and what it costs to stay competitive when your body starts negotiating. She holds the records. She feels the pressure. She still gets nervous. And she's not done yet. Run Long After 60 is a video-first podcast focused on running after 60, ultrarunning, longevity, and staying active later in life. If you'd like to watch the full conversation, you can find the video version on the Run Long After 60 YouTube channel. 🎧 Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, or Amazon Music to follow the journey. 📍 Hosted by Mark Vega

    1hr 24min

  5. 5 APR

    Episode 27 - Ray Mena | 5,000 Miles, 147 Races, 70, Beginning Again

    In this episode of Run Long After 60, I sit down with Ray Mena — a 70-year-old athlete from Long Beach, California, who started running at 45 and never stopped pushing. Ray's story is one of the most layered I've heard. He didn't move through phases — marathons, then triathlon, then trail. He stacked them. Simultaneously. For years. Sub-3 marathons. Ironman. Leadville 100. Wasatch 100. Zion 100. Nearly 5,000 miles and 147 races across roads, trails, and open water. And then the body started talking back. A ski injury in his 20s had quietly taken his ACL. For decades it didn't matter — his strength covered for it. But 25 years of running eventually found the weakness. Three arthroscopic surgeries later, with nothing left to clean up, he made the decision he'd been putting off. At 70 years old, Ray had a full knee replacement. He joined me just 53 days post-surgery — walking, rebuilding, and already thinking about what comes next. We talk about: • Starting running at 45 as a bodybuilder who hated cardio • Running marathons, Ironman, and trail ultras all at the same time • What it took to finish Leadville 100 with no crew, no pacer, and 11 minutes to spare • Hallucinating faces at mile 40 of Wasatch 100 • How the body narrows your options — and why that's not the end • Three arthroscopic surgeries, bone-on-bone running, and the knee replacement decision • What recovery actually looks like 53 days in • Why trail running became his church • What 25 years of movement means to him now Ray's story is about what happens when competitive fire meets a body that's asking for something different — and how you find your footing again when everything has to be rebuilt from scratch. He's not starting over as a beginner. He's starting over with 25 years of experience behind him. That's a very different thing. Run Long After 60 is a video-first podcast focused on running after 60, ultrarunning, longevity, and staying active later in life. If you'd like to watch the full conversation, you can find the video version on the Run Long After 60 YouTube channel. 🎧 Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, or Amazon Music to follow the journey. 📍 Hosted by Mark Vega

    1hr 38min

  6. 29 MAR

    Episode 26 – Gail Leedy | She Found the Trails… and Never Looked Back

    In this episode of Run Long After 60, I speak with ultrarunner Gail Leedy — a 72-year-old trail runner who has spent decades in endurance sports, completing more than 100 races and continuing to show up year after year. But Gail’s running life is built around something even more fundamental than ultramarathons: consistency over time. She didn’t grow up with access to running or organized sports. Like many women of her generation, those opportunities simply weren’t there. Instead, Gail found running later in life — and eventually found the trails after moving to Wyoming. That shift changed everything. She never went back. This conversation came together through the running community. After speaking with search and rescue expert and ultrarunner Cliff Matthews, the idea of connecting with Gail came up. Cliff reached out, and that introduction led to this episode. We talk about: • Starting running later in life and building long-term consistency • Transitioning from road marathons to trail ultramarathons • How running changes with age — physically and mentally • Why 50K races have become her preferred distance • Staying active and connected in the running community after 70 • Balancing performance, longevity, and enjoyment in endurance sports • A search and rescue accident that led to her current broken foot injury Gail’s story highlights something unique about aging athletes and long-distance runners. It’s not about speed or results — it’s about resilience, identity, and the ability to keep moving forward over time. It’s also about perspective — and recognizing how lucky you are to still be able to do it. There’s a quiet strength in that kind of consistency. And Gail embodies it. Run Long After 60 is a video-first podcast focused on running after 60, ultrarunning, longevity, and staying active later in life. If you'd like to watch the full conversation, including moments that don’t always translate to audio, you can find the video version on the Run Long After 60 YouTube channel. 🎧 Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, or Amazon Music to follow the journey. 📍 Hosted by Mark Vega

    1hr 32min

  7. 22 MAR

    Episode 25 – Lion Caldwell | Running 100 Miles Across 5 Decades

    Lion Caldwell has been running ultramarathons since the early days of the sport — and at 74, he’s still chasing 100 miles. His career stretches back to the late 1970s. No GPS. No super shoes. Just effort, instinct, and a willingness to go further. In this episode of Run Long After 60, Lion shares stories from a lifetime in endurance sport, including: The 1979 New York 100-milerWinning London to Brighton and earning the Ted Corbitt TrophyRacing Western StatesWinning the first Across the YearsContinuing to run 100 miles into his 70sBut more than anything, this is a conversation about longevity. About doing something for so long that it becomes part of who you are. Lion also shares: How ultrarunning has evolved over the decadesWhy he now uses 48-hour timed races to complete 100 milesWhat it takes to keep showing up year after yearThis conversation only scratches the surface of a lifetime in the sport. If you see Lion out there — on the road or at a race — let him know you’re a fan. Follow Run Long After 60 on YouTube and Instagram for more conversations with endurance athletes over 60.

    1hr 42min

  8. 15 MAR

    Episode 24 – Tim Hardy | 18-Year Run Streaker and 130+ Ultramarathons

    Run Streaker Series – Episode 1 In this episode of Run Long After 60, I speak with ultrarunner Tim Hardy — a runner who has maintained an 18-year run streak while also completing more than 130 ultramarathons, including races like Badwater and The Last Annual Vol State 500K. But Tim’s running life is built around something even more fundamental than ultramarathons: running at least one mile every single day. This conversation also launches the Run Streaker Series on the podcast. After recording Episode 12 with Kevin Brunson, another 18-year run streaker, I started thinking about how rare and fascinating these athletes are. There are very few run streakers in the world, and even though many of them know of each other, they don’t always have the chance to sit down and talk. So I asked Kevin if he would help track down another run streaker and join me for the conversation. He reached out to Tim Hardy. Even though Kevin had followed Tim’s running for years, the two of them had never actually spoken before. Their first real conversation happened right here on this episode. We talk about: • Maintaining a run streak for nearly two decades • How ultramarathons fit into the discipline of daily running • The unwritten rules of run streaking • “Streak saver” runs and protecting the streak • Tim’s experiences in races like Badwater and Vol State • Why long-term consistency matters more than any 1 race • The quiet community that exists among run streakers Tim’s story highlights something unique about endurance athletes who run every day for years at a time. They exist in a kind of rarefied air inside the running world — and when they recognize each other, there’s an immediate understanding of what that commitment means. This episode is the first installment of the Run Streaker Series. If you know a run streaker — or if you are one — I’d love to hear from you. Kevin Brunson joins the episode as the first returning guest on the show and will help anchor future conversations in the Run Streaker Series. If you know a run streaker whose story should be told, send them this episode. Run Long After 60 is produced as a video-first podcast. If you'd like to watch the full conversation, including moments that don’t always translate to audio, you can find the video version on the Run Long After 60 YouTube channel. 🎧 Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, or Amazon to follow the journey. 📍 Hosted by Mark Vega

    2h 18m
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About

Run Long After 60 is a podcast about durability, curiosity, and continuing to do hard things as the years stack up. Hosted by Mark Vega, the show features long-form conversations with runners, endurance athletes, coaches, creatives, and professionals who are still showing up — often well past the age when society expects people to slow down. This is not a podcast about speed, podiums, or shortcuts. It’s about adaptation. Perspective. And learning how to keep moving forward — physically, mentally, and creatively — over the long arc of a life. Episodes are often recorded in motion, including running intros captured mid-workout, because this show isn’t about talking around endurance. It’s about living it. Conversations explore training, aging, setbacks, reinvention, discipline, failure, resilience, and the quiet decisions that allow people to keep going long after others have stopped. Run Long After 60 is for anyone who believes that endurance doesn’t expire — it evolves. 🎙 New episodes weekly 📍 Hosted by Mark Vega

Information

  • Creator
    Mark Vega
  • Years Active
    2k
  • Episodes
    31
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Mark Vega
  • Provider

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