Triple Knot Haley Markos

In the summer of 2020 Tyler (Texas) Legacy High School sophomore Trude Lamb caught global attention when she successfully pushed to change the name of her high school from that of a confederate general and slave holder. Tune in as we discuss the current situation in Texas post winter storm, Trude’s journey as an activist, Trude as a runner, Trude’s future goals and dreams for herself and her community, and more!

Checkout an ESPN news article and Trude’s letter to her school here: https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/30045630/the-remarkable-story-how-teenage-runner-battled-legacy-robert-e-lee

Content preparation: we discuss relationships with food, body, and eating disorders throughout this episode.

Thank you to guests and fellow Wildwood Girls Virtual Camp counselors Miranda DiBiasio, Emily Chaston, and Marci Klimek for making this conversation happen. Thank you to Marie Markham and Robyn McGilis for creating Wildwood Running, such a wonderful platform and opportunity for runners to collaborate, learn, and grow the current and future generations of females in the sport. Check them out at wildwoodrunning.com and wildwoodrunningpdx on instagram!!

In this conversation we cover….


Background and introductions
Our “why” for running and the evolution of our “why”
Our “why” for joining camp
What knowledge we left our trail group with, what our trail group taught us
What challenged us in our preconceived beliefs, current practices, and with facilitating a group
How the topics covered at camp have showed up in our experiences
Our transition from high school to college running
The evolution of our relationship to food and our bodies
Where we want to take the work of wildwood from here
Finally, how everyone’s process to success in running and life looks different!


Links to other resources discussed in this conversation:


Strong Runner Chicks: Strong Runner Chicks: http://www.strongrunnerchicks.com/
Maria Dalzot: https://www.mariadalzotrd.com/
Melody Fairchild: https://melodyfairchild.com/
Kara Bazzi of Opal Food and Body: https://www.opalfoodandbody.com/riley-nickols-interview/
Runner’s World article on how to talk to someone about an eating disorder: https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a28380503/amelia-boone-eating-disorders-discussion/

After transferring from the University of Illinois, sophomore Emma Wilson now runs for Huntington University and is taking the collegiate running world by storm. During the craziness of the 2020 COVID-19 affected fall season, she ran a 20:18.7 6k (a PR of 1 minute), a 16:24 5k, and a NAIA national record time of 32:38.56 in her debut 10k (1 second off of the Olympic Trials standard!). Hear from Emma on how she overcame burnout and a stress fracture to make huge strides this season.

Emma’s roster: https://www.huathletics.com/roster/19/13/4880

This episode was recorded at the end of May and I just didn’t get to it out until now. The conversation around gender in sport feels particularly relevant after the recent Caster Semenya ruling which you can read or listen more about here: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/08/sports/olympics/caster-semenya-court-ruling.html and https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/case-caster-why-principle-trumped-bad-evidence-her/id1461719225?i=1000491007047and sign the petition (I was trying to find tangible ways to support Semenya) here: http://chng.it/KRQCkDJmys

In this episode, Juniper discusses:


How she got her start as a runner
Feeling like she couldn’t be “both a transgendered person in a small rural town and also an athlete”
Running as her entire identity, being “distant,” and living a dual-reality
Parental pressure
College decisions, aspirations, scholarship considerations, and trying to build the Montana dynasty
Battling an injury and having the identity of running taken away leading to mental health challenges and the ultimate need to develop an identity outside of running
Coming out to teammates and coaches
Taking a year off of competing for hormone treatment
Pressure and hype around return to competition
Media, journalists, and who she let tell her story
Backlash and opposition to progress
Proudest moments and memories at Montana, COVID-19 ending her collegiate career early
A sneak peak at June’s future pursuits in trail running and environmental philosophy

For more on Juniper’s story check out this video: https://www.spokesman.com/video/2019/sep/27/junes-run-transgender-montana-athlete-driven-succe/and this Dyestat article: https://www.runnerspace.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=44531&do=news&news_id=584586

In this episode...


Who is Nia Akins?
Switching from soccer to running
Mom’s influence and 400m success at the University of Missouri
Draw to UPenn for nursing and people
Memories from last collegiate meet
HS experiences and goals leading into college
Transitioning from west to east coast
Turning point in realizing national caliper potential
Mindset for performing best at biggest meets
Building confidence in fitness through racing
XC as an 800m/mid-distance runner
The whole new experience of having the opportunities to race at the highest levels
Experience running at USAs
Geeking out over pro runners and finding focus in that atmosphere
Surreal racing experiences
Travel experiences: Chile study abroad winter break trip and Cornell-Penn UK summer trip
Looking back at COVID-19 and college running career
Future goals
Looking towards Olympics, consistency and mindset change 
Messages to younger & future selves and younger college runners



Some of Nia’s accomplishments


2020 University of Pennsylvania Nursing and nutritional science major
Ran second fastest 800m time in NCAA history (2:00.71) at the 2020 BU Valentine Invite
2019 NCAA D1 Indoor and Outdoor Nationals Runner-up in 800m
Seventh-place finisher at USATF Outdoor Championships
8 UPenn School records
Roster: https://pennathletics.com/sports/womens-track-and-field/roster/nia-akins/15790



More Nia Media to check out:


Runner’s World article by Nia: “I’m an All-American Runner and Ivy League Grad. I Still Can’t Escape Racism.” https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a32825698/nia-akins-ncaa-runner-racial-discrimination/
Women’s Running: NCAA Star Nia Akins Plots Her Professional Future—in Seattle: https://www.womensrunning.com/culture/news/nia-akins-signs-with-brooks-beasts/
Dyestat QUARANTINE CONVERSATIONS - EP86 - NIA AKINS: https://www.dyestat.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=44531&do=videos&video_id=298775
LetsRun Podcast: 800m Star and New Brooks Beast Nia Akins + Christian Coleman Gets Strike Three? https://www.letsrun.com/news/2020/06/coleman-nia-akins/



***Donate to the National Queer and Trans Therapist of Color Network’s (NQTTCN) Mental Health Fund: https://linktr.ee/nqttcn ***


Awesome podcast episode about NQTTCN: https://lacura.podbean.com/?fbclid=IwAR2FOvBPqZJ-CMJQYOjRsyg7Z9mU38Mxwvi4OZZ9ONqZVgZGPbPXr4w-aBQ
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/nqttcn/?hl=en
For June 2020, contact me w/ confirmation of your donation (feel free to cover any personal info, donation amount, etc) and I pledge to contribute $5 for every new donation that a listener of this podcast makes to NQTTCN for up tp $100 of my own money total. Thank you :)
Insta: @markoshaley
Email: haleyb.markos@gmail.com



Justice for the Black and Trans communities: 


Petitions: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/#petitions
https://www.change.org/p/black-lives-matter-actvists-justice-for-nina-pop
Justice in June educational resource: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H-Vxs6jEUByXylMS2BjGH1kQ7mEuZnHpPSs1Bpaqmw0/edit
Violence Against the Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Community in 2020: https://www.hrc.org/resources/violence-against-the-trans-and-gender-non-conforming-community-in-2020?fbclid=IwAR2AAZmmFTAlSGlAUVJndMrLdeqqJ498Nnj93UwKgwQLv9z1VBCwo6iFKO4

In this episode…


Who are the Drop Twins?
How they got into running
Seeking out some greater opportunities in HS, team focus on spirit & fun
Falling in love with the University of Georgia
College transition: Jess’ jump to XC & helping Sam become more competitive
Sisterhood
Eating disorders, therapy, relationship with food
Food instagram @running_foodies
Anxiety, depression, & injury
Georgia’s 2017 XC season & sunday long run grinds
International racing experiences
Volunteering for the Special Olympics
Goals and remaining eligibility head into into 5th yr 
Covid-19
Academic pursuits and aspirations
Messages to younger and future selves



Rosters:


Jesica Drop https://georgiadogs.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/jessica-drop/4467
Samantha Drop https://georgiadogs.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/samantha-drop/4468
Dyestat article: https://www.dyestat.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=44531&do=news&news_id=593115-Jessica-and-Samantha-Drop-Share-Their-Favorite-Dishes-After-Learning-To-Embrace-Food



A Mental Health Guide for Athletes and Their Support Networks: https://www.rrca.org/education/mental-health-tips-for-runners



***Donate to the National Queer and Trans Therapist of Color Network’s (NQTTCN) Mental Health Fund: https://linktr.ee/nqttcn ***


Awesome podcast episode about NQTTCN: https://lacura.podbean.com/?fbclid=IwAR2FOvBPqZJ-CMJQYOjRsyg7Z9mU38Mxwvi4OZZ9ONqZVgZGPbPXr4w-aBQ
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/nqttcn/?hl=en
For June 2020, contact me w/ confirmation of your donation (feel free to cover any personal info, donation amount, etc) and I pledge to contribute $5 for every new donation that a listener of this podcast makes to NQTTCN for up tp $100 of my own money total. Thank you :)
Insta: @markoshaley
Email: haleyb.markos@gmail.com



Petitions: 


https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/#petitions
https://www.change.org/p/black-lives-matter-actvists-justice-for-nina-pop



Justice in June educational resource: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H-Vxs6jEUByXylMS2BjGH1kQ7mEuZnHpPSs1Bpaqmw0/edit

Violence Against the Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Community in 2020: https://www.hrc.org/resources/violence-against-the-trans-and-gender-non-conforming-community-in-2020?fbclid=IwAR2AAZmmFTAlSGlAUVJndMrLdeqqJ498Nnj93UwKgwQLv9z1VBCwo6iFKO4