Finish Line Moments on KSVY

KSVY Radio
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Fitness
  • Updated Weekly

Finish Line Moments with Gretchen, live from KSVY in Sonoma Valley. Your weekly front-row seat to moments that matter, the risks taken, the challenges faced, and the times to go for it. Gretchen is a seasoned runner of more than 200 races, and advocates for athletes and the endurance community. Finish Line Moments brings you conversations with athletes, race insiders with behind the scenes insights, recaps and moments that motivate whether you run or cheer from the sidelines. Reminding us that heart, humor and grit lead to our Finish Line Moments

  1. Sep 28

    Finish Line Moments: Shawn Sullivan, A Voice for Good

    The word I walked away from this conversation with was “real.” Shawn K. Sullivan has spent much of his life behind a microphone, helping athletes and audiences feel seen. In this refreshingly honest conversation, we turn that microphone around. Shawn shares how running began as punishment during basketball practice, what he learned when his college career didn’t unfold as expected and why being the teammate others needed ultimately mattered more than the times he ran. We follow the kid who imitated legendary Chicago Bulls announcer Ray Clay on his sister’s karaoke machine into a career calling more than 2,000 live events—and into founding The Voice for Good. He also speaks candidly about depression, receiving help and choosing to use his own experience in service of others. Now the Executive Director of Running USA, Shawn reflects on leading the organization that connects and strengthens the people working behind the scenes of the running world and shares the five things he does each day to make it a “good day.” This is a celebration of running, but it is also something deeper: a real conversation about mentors, mental health, leadership, service and the person behind the position. By the end, it’s easy to understand why Running USA is lucky to have Shawn at the helm.

  2. Sep 28

    Finish Line Moments: Before the First Mile - One Flag Forward

    Five days. 250 running miles. One American flag - carried from New York City to Washington, D.C. Just days before One Flag Forward began, Finish Line Moments brought together voices at the heart of an audacious undertaking from wear blue: run to remember and Team RWB, created to honor 25 years since September 11 and the spirit of unity, service and sacrifice that followed. Lisa Hallett of wear blue and Michael “Sully” Sullivan of Team RWB take us inside the vision for One Flag Forward and what it feels like knowing they’re about to attempt the entire 250-mile journey themselves. PenFed President and CEO James Schenck shares his personal connection to service, remembrance and why he believes in what this mission can create. And Army veteran Andy Moore brings it home as an individual runner: generations of military service, the comrades he carries with him through running and what it will mean to put his hands on the American flag and help carry it forward on Day One. At the time of these conversations, none of them knew exactly what the next five days would hold. Before the miles. Before the stories they would bring home. Before one flag moved forward. This is One Flag Forward...before the first mile.

  3. Sep 16

    Finish Line Moments: Larger Than Life with Roosevelt Cook

    Roosevelt Cook is a champion whose impact reaches far beyond the results sheet. Roosevelt shares how running gave him an outlet, a second family and a path forward. He reflects on the coaches and mentors who changed his life, especially Coach Dave Cook, the man he calls Dad, and on the running community that continues to surround him with love. We also revisit the unforgettable moment Roosevelt discovered his larger-than-life mural at the Carlsbad 5000, and what it meant to be honored by a race that has been such an important part of his story. From accomplished Masters runner and longtime teacher to the joyful force who finishes fast, then turns around to cheer everyone else home, Roosevelt embodies what it means to give back to the sport that has given him so much.

  4. Sep 3

    Finish Line Moments: 50 Marathons, 50 States, 49 Days - Tomasz Sobania

    At 18, Tomasz Sobania decided to mark the beginning of adulthood by seeing just how far he could run. Ten years later, he’s still finding out what might be possible. The Polish endurance runner joins Finish Line Moments from Poland - at 1 a.m. his time - for a conversation about a decade of extraordinary adventures, nearly 10,000 miles, and a life spent dreaming bigger.Tomasz has run across Poland, from Poland to Rome, Barcelona and Athens and back, across the United States from New York to San Diego, and most recently, a marathon in every U.S. state in just 49 days. Tomasz shares the remarkable journey that led him to meet Pope Francis, how his initially worried parents became part of his adventures, and what it meant to take on the 50-state challenge 20 years after one of his heroes, Dean Karnazes, completed his legendary 50 in 50. He talks about meeting Dean at 19, seeing him again years later while running the same challenge, the people and moments he encountered across 50 states and what it means to have spent his 20s building a life very different from most. What could possibly be next? At the heart of every adventure is Tomasz's simple belief: you can do more than you think. This episode is about the miles but even more, it's about the people, moments and dreams we discover along the way.

  5. Aug 26

    Finish Line Moments: More Than the Miles - Santa Rosa Marathon

    In this special race recap episode of Finish Line Moments, we head back to Santa Rosa Marathon weekend through three runners who experienced it from completely different places. Barbara Devine traveled from Tucson for Wine Country Running Camp with Sara Hall, Ryan Hall and Sara Slattery before taking on the Santa Rosa Half Marathon. A runner through and through - her pets are even named Meb, Kara, Hoka and Tempo - Barbara shares how the camp, the people and the experience surrounding the race elevated what happened once she reached the start line. Then we meet Santa Rosa Marathon champion Nick Tsotu, whose victory carried a meaning no finish time could capture. After several difficult years dealing with injuries, Nick returned to win a race he'd also won in 2022. He was 2½ minutes faster then - but this time, he says, he appreciated the experience so much more. It's a powerful conversation about adversity, gratitude and learning to recognize the good days when they come. And longtime Santa Rosa runner and volunteer Tsun Tsai reminds us just how much of the running community is built by people who simply keep showing up. After running the 5K with his nine-year-old son, Tsun went straight to volunteering at the expo, then got up the next morning to run the half marathon. His joy in running, volunteering and supporting others is infectious. From the front of the marathon to the heart of the running community, this episode is a celebration of what made Santa Rosa Marathon weekend feel so special: people showing up for themselves - and for each other.

  6. Aug 19

    Finish Line Moments: Every Start Line, Every Finish Line | Urszula “Ula” Musik

    50 marathons. Seven continents. Seven World Marathon Majors. And Urszula “Ula” Musik still gets nervous at every start line - and cries at every finish. Ula only began running in 2017, completing her first marathon a year later. In 2025, she became the first Polish woman to complete both seven marathons on seven continents and all seven World Marathon Majors in the same year. Ula shares what it was really like to run a marathon in Antarctica, what it takes to keep showing up for enormous goals from logistics to recovery, and why every race she runs is dedicated to someone in her community, family or circle of friends. We talk about her deep pride in her Polish heritage, her leadership as President of Polska Running Team, her work as a registered nurse and the community that has become inseparable from her running. And through it all, there is something wonderfully human about Ula's relationship with the sport: after 50 marathons, she hasn't become immune to the experience. The start line still makes her nervous. The people she carries with her still matter. And the finish line still brings her to tears.

  7. Aug 12

    Finish Line Moments: Run Forever, Live Fully with Amby Burfoot

    Few people have experienced and helped shape the modern history of running quite like Amby Burfoot.The 1968 Boston Marathon champion went on to spend more than three decades at Runner’s World, including 20 years as executive editor, becoming one of the sport’s most influential writers, storytellers and advocates. Through his own running and the stories he chose to tell, Amby helped open doors and expand the idea of who gets to be a runner.And just days before his 80th birthday, he’s still running and still looking forward.In this lively, wide-ranging conversation, Amby takes us from being the last kid picked for his JV basketball team to discovering running under the extraordinary mentorship of Boston champion John J. Kelley; from winning Boston while still at Wesleyan (with roommate Bill Rodgers) to finding his dream career at Runner’s World; and into the stories of pioneering women including Bobbi Gibb and Joan Benoit Samuelson, whose contributions to the sport he has worked to preserve and celebrate.Then we turn toward the miles Amby is running now and why they may tell us as much about him as the ones he ran at 21.Amby shares what he’s learning from a community of runners still chasing marathons in their 70s and 80s, his upcoming attempt to complete a marathon in eight consecutive decades of life and a remarkable 64-year Thanksgiving Day running tradition.His message is wonderfully simple: movement is medicine. Movement is health. The goal isn’t merely to add more years to our lives, but to put as much life as possible into the years we have.This is running history, yes. But more than that, it’s a joyful conversation about finding something you love, sharing it with others and staying with it for a lifetime.

  8. Aug 5

    Finish Line Moments: Meb Keflezighi | Run to Win

    One of the greatest distance runners in American history joins Finish Line Moments and somehow, the conversation feels less about running than it does about living well.In this episode, four-time Olympian, Olympic silver medalist, Boston Marathon champion, New York City Marathon champion, and Runner's World's "Most Influential Person in Running," Meb Keflezighi, shares the remarkable journey that began with his family's immigration from Eritrea and ultimately led to the biggest stages in our sport.Together, we explore the people who shaped him, the lessons hidden inside 26 professional marathons, and the philosophy that has guided his entire life: Run to Win - not by finishing first, but by getting the very best out of yourself.Along the way, Meb opens up about discovering running in middle school, the importance of academics and preparation, Coach Bob Larsen's influence, coming back from setbacks, why every marathon challenged him mentally and how learning to adapt became one of his greatest strengths. One insight that especially stood out: experience means very little until you reach the finish line.What struck me most wasn't just Meb's incredible résumé, it was his generosity. His willingness to reflect, laugh, tell stories and share lessons that apply just as much to life as they do to running made this one of my favorite conversations to date.And the best news? We only scratched the surface.We never even made it to Rio, his final races and some of the earlier lessons (hello breathe right strip), or many of the stories about family, fatherhood and life after elite competition. Thankfully, Meb has already agreed to come back, so consider this the beginning of a conversation rather than the end.Whether you're training for your first 5K, your next professional marathon or simply navigating your own next challenge, this episode is filled with reminders about perseverance, preparation, gratitude and showing up as the very best version of yourself.Because in Meb's words, that's what it truly means to Run to Win.

See All (73)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Finish Line Moments with Gretchen, live from KSVY in Sonoma Valley. Your weekly front-row seat to moments that matter, the risks taken, the challenges faced, and the times to go for it. Gretchen is a seasoned runner of more than 200 races, and advocates for athletes and the endurance community. Finish Line Moments brings you conversations with athletes, race insiders with behind the scenes insights, recaps and moments that motivate whether you run or cheer from the sidelines. Reminding us that heart, humor and grit lead to our Finish Line Moments

Information

You Might Also Like