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. 15h ago

    Kilian Jornet: Everest Twice in One Week, a 4-Hour Blackout, and Why He Plans to Race His Whole Life

    https://go.run-motion.com/?coupon_code=TRE30 Kilian Jornet doesn't look back. Ask the greatest mountain athlete alive which moment defined him and he says: tomorrow. Dominic traces a career that began in a Pyrenees mountain hut at 2,000 meters, where Kilian's parents took him up summits as a game of finding trees and spotting animals. He entered his first ski mountaineering race at 13 only because his mother didn't know where else to put his energy. His coaches never once mentioned winning. They talked about progression, and he never stopped. What follows is more than a highlight reel. Kilian describes the blackout on Everest: four lost hours in a night storm after his second summit in a week, waking somewhere on the north face with no idea how he got there. He explains how kids changed his relationship with risk—not because he fears dying, but because he's seen the shadow death leaves on the people who stay. And he opens up about the lowest stretch of his life, the years in his twenties after a close friend died climbing with him, when he was winning races publicly while privately taking reckless risks and drinking after competitions to manage a guilt he told no one about. He also argues that ego and humility aren't opposites, that NNormal exists to prove a brand can succeed without fueling overconsumption, and that retirement makes no sense to him—injured right now, he still intends to compete for life. On his legacy: he doesn't care whether anyone remembers his name. He cares what changes. Tap into the Kilian Jornet 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. 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 Behind the scenes of The Running Effect: https://youtube.com/@dominicschlueter?si=PM9FjPc92eFUFEZ LuminaryThreads: luminarythreads.shop $20 off your next Attuned scan: https://attuned.health/discount/TRE20?ref=TRE20 Substack: Kilian Jornet's Substack  Instagram: @kilianjornet

  2. 2d ago

    Fitter at 41 Than at 20: How Jeea Founder Trevor Wright Went From Hating Every Mile to Trail Running, Spartan Beasts, and a 50-Pound Drop

    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jeea/jeea-companion / https://jeearecovery.com Trevor Wright swore off running in seventh grade. Recorded in Columbus, this conversation traces how a kid who dreaded his weekly mile-and-a-half PE “fun run” now runs before breakfast by choice. Nudged by the marathoners and triathletes on his teaching faculty, Trevor started running in 2009, fell for late-night miles after his wife went to bed, and ran several half marathons. Then kids and a busy career crept in, and six or seven years slipped away until the scale read over 200 pounds. The turnaround came at Christmas 2023, when his brother-in-law tried to dodge a Spartan Beast race. Trevor said yes before knowing what it was, joined his first gym, dropped 50 pounds, and went on to a Trifecta and the original Beast at Killington. Sitting in church one Sunday with wrecked calves, he tried rolling them out with a pen. Nothing truly portable existed, so he built it: a 3D-printed purple prototype. Dominic and Trevor cover quitting his sales job, selling his very first unit to a Berlin-bound Ironman, and putting the first thousand Jeea Companions on a credit card ahead of the October 27 Kickstarter. He even commits on air to a 2027 marathon. His parting message is simple and generous: do hard things and bet on yourself, because the best opportunities show up in the middle of the struggle. We’ll be cheering for him. Tap into the Trevor Wright 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. 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 Behind the scenes of The Running Effect: https://youtube.com/@dominicschlueter?si=PM9FjPc92eFUFEZ LuminaryThreads: luminarythreads.shop $20 off your next Attuned scan: https://attuned.health/discount/TRE20?ref=TRE20 Instagram: @thefounder_ish

  3. 4d ago

    Stanford Runner to Tour de France Team in 12 Months: How Gavin Sherry Turned 3 Stress Fractures Into a Pro Cycling Career 

    https://launch.jeearecovery.com Gavin Sherry found his future on a borrowed bike.  A year ago, the former Conard High School star was still on Stanford’s cross country roster, his college career swallowed by a femoral stress fracture, two tibial stress fractures and recurring IT band trouble. Then the cross-training started to feel like the main event. Sherry tells Dominic about the moment he caught himself feeling a little excited about new pain on a run, because it meant more time on the bike. A rider he met on a group ride lent him a top-end S-Works, and Sherry took the Strava record up Old La Honda, one of the Bay Area’s most famous climbs. Within a year, he had signed with EF Education, with a WorldTour spot waiting in 2027. Sherry breaks down what runners don’t know about cycling: 20-hour training weeks, 100 grams of carbs an hour, 7,000-calorie days, and why you can dig a deep hole on the bike without breaking a bone. He grades his first coach, ChatGPT (B-plus, maybe A-minus), and catches up on twin brother Callum’s trail racing in Japan. He dreams of winning a Grand Tour, but his definition of success is simpler: love the life you’re living. For every runner whose body won’t cooperate, this conversation is a reminder that the engine you built doesn’t disappear. It just needs a new road. Tap into the Gavin Sherry 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. 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 Behind the scenes of The Running Effect: https://youtube.com/@dominicschlueter?si=PM9FjPc92eFUFEZ LuminaryThreads: luminarythreads.shop $20 off your next Attuned scan: https://attuned.health/discount/TRE20?ref=TRE20 Instagram: @gavin._.sherry

  4. 6d ago

    Two US 1500m Titles and Zero Respect: Nathan Green Fires Back at the Comment Section, Calls for Lifetime Doping Bans, and Explains Why He Keeps a Diamond League Loss Framed on His Wall 

    Nathan Green came to talk, and he didn’t hold back.    The 23-year-old Adidas miler swept both U.S. 1,500m titles in 2026, and he joined Dominic to defend those wins against the couch warriors who call them too slow to count. He walks through his championship résumé and fires back at critics, including a plant-selling Instagram hater he now looks forward to hearing from.  Nathan names Hobbs Kessler as the best American 1,500m runner right now. He also makes his case for lifetime doping bans, and he and Dominic debate where the Shelby Houlihan case fits. He explains why he hates losing far more than he loves winning, which is why his bib from his fall in Silesia hangs framed on his wall. He breaks down his rivalry with Ethan Strand, down to the split math behind their 2025 NCAA finish, and shares what makes Andy Powell’s athletes such sharp tacticians.  Nathan explains the “Stray Dogs” joke behind his Seattle training group’s unofficial name, grades his first full pro season an A, and compares college and pro training: harder workouts, about 85 miles a week counting cross-training, and a 1:48 800m rep. He guesses at his 100m time, sets his sights on more Diamond League invitations, and goes back and forth with Dominic on international athletes, age rules, and NIL in the NCAA.  Blunt, funny, and fiercely competitive, Nathan is the kind of personality the sport needs more of, and we’re grateful he brought all of it to the show.  Tap into the Nathan Green 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. 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 Behind the scenes of The Running Effect: https://youtube.com/@dominicschlueter?si=PM9FjPc92eFUFEZ LuminaryThreads: luminarythreads.shop $20 off your next Attuned scan: https://attuned.health/discount/TRE20?ref=TRE20 Instagram: @nathanrgreen

  5. Oct 20

    Klaudia Kazimierska Breaks Down Her Dominant Rookie Season Under Jerry Schumacher, the Training She Keeps Secret, and a 3:54 Diamond League Win

    Klaudia Kazimierska didn't just finish 2026. She owned it.In her first season under Jerry Schumacher, the Polish middle-distance star closed with three straight wins: the Diamond League Final in Brussels in a world-leading 3:54.05 national record; the inaugural World Ultimate Championship in Budapest; and Athlos London. Klaudia walks Dominic through it all, from the imposter syndrome that hit as she crossed the line first in Brussels to the "perfect race" she finally executed in Budapest after years of chasing one.The real story starts earlier, though. At 20, Klaudia was burned out in Poland, training solo, living out of a suitcase, and no longer believing she could get faster. She trusted the intuition that first drew her to Oregon. Within a week, she'd fallen back in love with running.Klaudia also opens up about the disappointment of falling short of a medal at World Indoors in her home country, and the lessons that carried her through the outdoor season. She explains how her training shifted from college to the pro ranks, why her work with a sports psychologist gives her an edge, and why she stays off Strava. She stays coy about the workout that impressed Jerry, though she drops a few tantalizing hints. Whether you're a young athlete with big dreams or just love a great breakout story, this one's for you. Dziękuję, Klaudia. We can't wait to watch what comes next.Tap into the Klaudia Kazimierska 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.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/3ua62ffzBehind the scenes of The Running Effect: https://youtube.com/@Dominicschlueter?si=PM9FjPc92eFUFEZLuminaryThreads: luminarythreads.shop$20 off your next Attuned scan: https://attuned.health/discount/TRE20?ref=TRE20Instagram: @klaudia.kazimierska

  6. Oct 18

    Alex Ostberg: Who Actually Needs Electrolytes, Why Fitness Beats Every Other Health Marker, and What Coaching a World Champion Taught Him About Race Plans

    Salt might be the most overhyped thing in your running bag. Alex Ostberg is back from Chicago, where Charles Hicks became the No. 3 American all time on a record-eligible course, for his monthly breakdown of the last four editions of The Rundown. He and Dominic start with electrolytes, a piece prompted by Riley Witt’s hot take. They cover why sweating actually raises blood sodium, the four dials that decide whether you need a sodium plan, and why slower marathoners face more hyponatremia risk than the elites. Next, they ask how much of your training actually serves your health. The biggest drop in all-cause mortality comes from the first few minutes of exercise, and Cleveland Clinic data shows that low fitness carries more risk than diabetes or high blood pressure. Then comes paranoia, starting with Seb Coe’s Christmas Day double and Steve Ovett’s legendary reply. From there they get into hubris, the undisciplined pursuit of more, and why winners should keep auditing for weaknesses. Finally, Alex reflects on coaching Klaudia Kazimierska to the top of the 1500m world and makes the case against detailed race plans. His advice is to kill the perfect-day fallacy, contain the damage when things go wrong, and run the race in front of you. Dominic closes with a curveball, asking for the worst pre-race advice a coach can give, and Alex’s answer is one every coach should hear. The Rundown just passed 5,000 subscribers, so come join the community, and thank you for spending part of your week with us. Tap into the Rundown Recap 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.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/3ua62ffzBehind the scenes of The Running Effect: https://youtube.com/@Dominicschlueter?si=PM9FjPc92eFUFEZLuminaryThreads: luminarythreads.shop$20 off your next Attuned scan: https://attuned.health/discount/TRE20?ref=TRE20

  7. Oct 16

    Alex Gibby on Taking Harvard From 1 Point at the Ivy League Championships to Two NCAA Champions and What Separates Good Runners From Great Ones

    Nobody builds a distance program at Harvard. Alex Gibby did it twice over  Alex arrived at Harvard in 2017 and inherited a program that had almost never made nationals, and didn't have a single athlete setting a PR after early February. Ten years later, the Crimson men have qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships six straight seasons, and Gibby has coached Graham Blanks to back-to-back NCAA cross country titles and Maia Ramsden to NCAA titles in the mile and the 1500m. In this conversation with Dominic, Gibby gets into how it actually happened. He explains why Graham's Achilles problems traced back to his toe strength, how he treats soft tissue injuries in athletes who sit at ninety-degree angles for nine hours a day, and why he bought six treadmills after last winter. He breaks down the recruiting profile he's built at a school where he only gets eight semesters: why he watches how a recruit's parents behave in the room, why "Type A+" kids get buried at Harvard, and why family of origin shapes how an athlete communicates with a coach. He also tells the story behind the infamous LetsRun thread—the squat racks, Graham's fake YouTube channel, and a men's team he calls world-class trolls. Plus, the disastrous first six months at William & Mary that changed his coaching for good, why distance running keeps losing the investment war inside power conferences, and the exact moments he knew Blanks and Ramsden were going to be special. Serious about the work. Never about themselves. Tap into the Alex Gibby 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. 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 Behind the scenes of The Running Effect: https://youtube.com/@dominicschlueter?si=PM9FjPc92eFUFEZ LuminaryThreads: luminarythreads.shop $20 off your next Attuned scan: https://attuned.health/discount/TRE20?ref=TRE20

  8. Oct 14

    Natasza Dudek, America's No. 1 High School Girl, on Sweeping NXN and Brooks XC, 35-Mile Weeks, and Growing Up With a National Champion Sister

    Natasza Dudek only wanted a PR. She got history instead.  Now a junior at Ann Arbor Pioneer and the reigning Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Player of the Year, Natasza joins Dominic midway through her 2026 season to look back on the year her name went national. She remembers watching her oldest sister Zofia’s finishing kick win the 2019 Foot Locker title on a computer screen. She also explains what she learned as the youngest of three running sisters, and how weeks of workouts in the school hallways and a “feels like one degree” Brooks photo shoot tested her Michigan toughness. Her training is refreshingly simple. She does two workouts a week, one of them up whatever “Mount Everest” her coaches can find around Ann Arbor, and she guesses she peaks at 35 to 40 miles a week. She also goes back to the last downhill at Brooks, where Blair Bartlett caught her and she told herself to stop giving up and sprint. And she talks about racing this fall as the girl everyone is chasing. She wraps up with advice for kids hoping to make a national meet, her loaded Chipotle bowl, and the cabbage-wrapped Polish comfort dish she wishes more Americans knew.  It’s a joy to spend time with a champion who still runs for her team, her sisters, and the fun of it. We can’t wait to cheer her on in San Diego this December. Tap into the Natasza Dudek 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. 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 Behind the scenes of The Running Effect: https://youtube.com/@dominicschlueter?si=PM9FjPc92eFUFEZ LuminaryThreads: luminarythreads.shop $20 off your next Attuned scan: https://attuned.health/discount/TRE20?ref=TRE20 Fleet Feet x Brooks XC Championships FleetFeet.com @tashi_avo2 on Instagram

4.8
out of 5
839 Ratings

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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