THE RUNNING EFFECT PODCAST

Dominic Schlueter

The Running Effect tells the best stories in running—and turns them into insight, inspiration, and tools to help competitive runners become greater. Every week, host Dominic Schlueter sits down with the fastest, smartest, and most inspiring people in the sport—from Olympic medalists to breakthrough athletes—to unpack the stories, lessons, and mindset behind elite performance. Whether you’re chasing a personal best or looking to understand how greatness is built, The Running Effect will make you a deeper fan of the sport—and a better runner.

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    Inside Jane Hedengren's Historic Freshman Year: 2 NCAA Titles, NCAA 5K Record (14:44), NCAA 10K Record (30:46) — And BYU's "Productive, Not Harder" Training Philosophy That Creates Champions

    Most people spend years chasing a record. Jane Hedengren did it on her first try. On April 3rd at the Stanford Invitational, BYU freshman Jane Hedengren stepped onto the track for her first-ever collegiate outdoor race and ran 30:46.80, the fastest collegiate 10,000m in NCAA history. She broke Parker Valby's record by nearly four seconds.  That's who TRE is sitting down with this week.      But this episode isn't really about the record. It's about what it takes to perform at that level before you've had time to be afraid of it. Jane is 19 years old, the daughter of an All-American runner, competing for BYU under head coach Diljeet Taylor—and she is doing things in her freshman year that most distance runners never do in a career. Two NCAA indoor titles. The indoor 5,000m record. And now this. The numbers are already legendary.  What this conversation goes after is everything behind them: the race tactics, the mindset between back-to-back NCAA gold medals, the training system that built her, and the question that’s been nagging many in the industry: does she let herself think about the 2028 Olympics? TRE does. And you will too by the end of this one. conversation that is long overdue. Tap into the Jane Hedengren Special. If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it.  If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend! S H O W  N O T E S   -The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs -Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run   -THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ -My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz

    59 min
  2. 3 DAYS AGO

    Quentin Nauman: 3:58 Miler, 10x State Champion, Legendary Kick— How Iowa's Most Dangerous Senior Is Coming for Alan Webb's HS Mile Record Of 3:53

    Quentin Nauman is already a legend in Iowa. This spring season is the encore The greatest prep distance runner in Iowa history enters his final outdoor season with 10 state titles, two national championships, and one goal left unfinished.   Two weeks ago at Nike Indoor Nationals, Nauman anchored Iowa's DMR team to a national title in 9:46.23, edging Texas by under a second in a dramatic final 200 meters. For an athlete defined by solo dominance, it was a glimpse of something new.  Now he's back for his last run at the Drake Relays triple sweep (800m, 1600m, 3200m), and a legitimate shot at the national high school mile record before heading to Oregon in the fall. This is a return visit for Quentin, and the story has gotten bigger. This episode is part of The Running Effect's ongoing Festival of Miles series. One more outdoor season. One more shot at the record. One last chance to cement a legacy that's already unlike anything Iowa has ever seen.  In this episode, Quentin opens up on the NIN team win, the Oregon decision, coach Elaina Biechler, and what it actually feels like to be chasing something when you've already won everything. Tap into the Quentin Nauman Special. If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. Comment the word“PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen. If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend! Comment the word “PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen.  If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend! S H O W  N O T E S   -The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs -Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run   -THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ -My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz

    42 min
  3. 5 DAYS AGO

    What It Took for David Perry — 28:42 Collegiate 10K Runner, Former Portland Pilot — to Build the Jewelry Brand Designing Diamond Track Spikes for Nike and Olympians

    Colorado-born elite runner turned entrepreneur David Perry is here—a guy who went from captain of Adidas Runners NYC to founder of one of the most talked-about jewelry brands in the athletic world.  David gained notoriety in the NYC running community before founding his own luxury jewelry brand, David Perry Jewelry. He was an All-America runner at the University of Portland, where he competed in Cross Country and Track & Field. As a middle-to-long-distance specialist, he has times like 3:45.61 in the 1500m and 23:18 in the 8,000m under his belt. Post-collegiately, he became a captain for Adidas Runners NYC, while staying heavily involved in the city's running culture. Although he set out in 2018 to make the U.S. Olympic Marathon trials and failed to do so in 2020, his ambition is nothing to frown at; he also signed Olympic gold medalist Grant Holloway as the brand's first-ever ambassador in 2024. From the trails of Colorado, to the roads of New York City, to the Olympic stage in Paris, David Perry's journey is proof that your biggest ambitions don't always look the way you planned them. He set out to make the Olympic Marathon Trials. Instead, he built a brand that made it to the Olympics anyway. Tap into the David Perry Special.  If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. Comment the word“PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen. If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend! Comment the word “PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen.  If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend! S H O W  N O T E S  -The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs -Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run   -THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ -My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz

    49 min
  4. 10 APR

    The Chosen One: How Cooper Lutkenhaus Became the Youngest World Champion in Track History at 17 — Inside His Training, Mindset & Why He Believes He Can Be the Greatest Of All Time

    He won a world title on spring break. Monday morning, he was back in class. Cooper Lutkenhaus is 17 years old and the youngest world champion in the history of track and field. Weeks after Toruń, he sits down with The Running Effect to answer the question nobody else has asked: what does life actually look like on the other side of history? The Nike contract signed at 16. The high school coach he still trusts with everything. The Tokyo wound that quietly powered an unbeaten indoor season from the inside out. Stockholm is on the calendar. June 7, Diamond League, the best half-milers alive. This episode is the discussion before that. His winning time in Poland was 1:44.24—third fastest in World Indoor Championships history. His outdoor PR is 1:42.27, the World U18 record and the U.S. high school record, set at the USATF Outdoor Championships in July 2025. He was 17 years and 93 days old when the gold went around his neck, and no individual world champion (indoors or outdoors, in any event) has ever been younger. He ran seven races this indoor season. He won all seven. The budding legend of Cooper continues here with TRE. Tap into the Cooper Lutkenhaus Special. If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. Comment the word“PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen. If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend! Comment the word “PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen.  If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend! S H O W  N O T E S   -The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs -Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run   -THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ -My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz

    44 min
  5. 8 APR

    How Mark Dowdle Is Preparing to Run 500 Miles and Five Days Straight — and Why Competing Against Others Is the Wrong Goal

    Mark Dowdle didn't grow up a runner.  He was a two-sport college athlete who heard David Goggins on a podcast during a bus ride home from a losing lacrosse trip, and decided to become a different person. Six years later, he's on Team USA.  He's won backyard ultras covering 283 miles in 68 straight hours. He ran 135 miles through Northern Minnesota in sub-zero January temps and took first place. He spent an entire year running the day of the month in miles (every single day),  logging 6,400 miles before most people finished their morning coffee.  He quit his job to go all in. And this October, he will represent the United States at the Big Dog's Backyard Ultra World Championship in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. This is the kind of athlete that makes you question every excuse you've ever made. Mark doesn't talk about motivation. He talks about systems. About decisions. About the thousand small choices inside a single race that determine who you actually are when no one is watching and everything hurts. This conversation will mess with you—in the best way. Press play. Tap into the Mark Dowdle Special.  If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it.  Comment the word “PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen. If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend! Comment the word “PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen.  If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend! S H O W  N O T E S  -The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs -Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run   -THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ -My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz

    1hr 2min
  6. 6 APR

    How Braelyn Combe Went From Missing NXN to Winning a National Mile Title — The 29-Second 200m Kick, Strength Training, and Why She Thinks Sub-4:25 Is Coming This June

    She missed NXN in the fall. By March, she was winning national titles. Braelyn Combe is a senior at Santiago High School in Corona, California, and the latest athlete to join TRE's Festival of Miles series. Right now she's the most dangerous prep distance runner in the country. Not because she's the fastest out of the gate, because she knows exactly when to move. At the 2026 Nike Indoor Nationals, Combe ran the first 800 meters of the championship mile slowly, deliberately, and patiently. Then she ran the back half in 2:12.7, closing out Ellery Lincoln and crossing in 4:38.18, the third-fastest mile in NIN history, behind only Jane Hedengren and Katie Rainsberger. She was a nationally ranked runner who never made Nike Cross Nationals, but she used it as fuel. In February, she broke the 10-minute barrier in the 3,200m. In March, she doubled at The TEN—one of the top professional distance meets in the world—winning the 800m in 2:04.52 and the 1,600m in 4:40.01 in a single night. In the fall, she heads to Arkansas. She's just getting started. Tap into the Braelyn Combe Special. If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. Comment the word "PODCAST" below and I'll DM you a link to listen. If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend! S H O W N O T E S The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rsOur Website: https://therunningeffect.runTHE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQMy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=enTake our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz

    47 min
  7. 4 APR

    How Frankie Ruiz Went From Team Alternate to 17-Time State Champion Coach — The Culture, the 1Team Philosophy, and What Most Coaches Get Backwards + Insights From Coaching Marcelo Mantecon

    Miami doesn't have a running culture by accident. Frankie Ruiz built it. From 17 Florida high school cross country state championships (9 in a row); to a junior who just finished 4th at Nike Cross Nationals; to a marathon that generates $300 million a year for Miami-Dade County; and a government appointment to make an entire city healthier—he does all of this simultaneously.  And he's been doing it for over two decades. Frankie is the co-founder of the Life Time Miami Marathon and serves as Chief Running Officer at Life Time, overseeing one of the largest endurance event platforms in the country. He's the City of Miami's Chief Wellness Officer, where he'sreframing parks and public trails not as amenities, but as preventative healthcare infrastructure.  And every week, he runs with hundreds of people at the Baptist Health Brickell Run Club, which he founded in 2009 and which has grown into one of the largest free weekly run clubs in the world. On the coaching side, his Belen Jesuit cross country program just broke its own Florida record with a 17th state title.  If you've ever wondered what it looks like when a city decides to take running seriously—this is the blueprint. Tap into the Frankie Ruiz Special.  If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. Comment the word“PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen. If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend! Comment the word “PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen.  If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend! S H O W  N O T E S  -The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs -Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run   -THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ -My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz

    58 min
  8. 3 APR

    How WORLD CHAMPION Josh Kerr Plans to Break a 30-Year World Record With a 3:42 Mile — Project 222, Custom Spikes, and the Mindset Behind History's Boldest Attempt

    He said it was his to lose. Then he went out and made sure of it. Josh Kerr is back on The Running Effect, and this time he's not limping off a global stage. He's walking out of Toruń with gold, and already calling his next shot. At the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships, Kerr reclaimed the 3000m title he first won two years ago in Glasgow. He ran a 7:35.56, the second-fastest winning time in World Indoor Championships history.  February brought his return: a 2-mile against Cole Hocker at Millrose, a second-place finish that felt more like reconnaissance than defeat. He knew what was coming. Before Toruń, he called the title his to lose. On March 21, he backed it up, settling patiently, surging at the bell, making himself the target, and winning by 0.14 seconds. Now the next target is on the clock. Project 222. On July 18 at the London Diamond League, Kerr will attempt to break Hicham El Guerrouj's mile world record of 3:43.13, a mark that has stood since 1999. The goal: 222 seconds flat. A 3:42 mile. His current PB of 3:45.34 is the British record and sixth all-time. Two seconds separates him from history.  Tap into the Josh Kerr Special. If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. Comment the word“PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen. If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend! Comment the word “PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen.  If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend! S H O W  N O T E S  -The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs -Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run   -THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ -My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz

    42 min

About

The Running Effect tells the best stories in running—and turns them into insight, inspiration, and tools to help competitive runners become greater. Every week, host Dominic Schlueter sits down with the fastest, smartest, and most inspiring people in the sport—from Olympic medalists to breakthrough athletes—to unpack the stories, lessons, and mindset behind elite performance. Whether you’re chasing a personal best or looking to understand how greatness is built, The Running Effect will make you a deeper fan of the sport—and a better runner.

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