What’s So Freaking Great About the Marathon, Anyway?!

Miles with Moms

In this episode of the Miles with Moms podcast, your hosts (Whitney, Olivia, and Shanna—Tricia was unable to make it) delve into the complex relationship runners have with marathons. What’s so great about the marathon distance anyway? Why do we choose to suffer? Why not pick something shorter?

We explore the allure of marathon running, the mental challenges faced during races, and the personal journeys that motivate us to keep coming back to the sport and this distance, in particular—because for all its faults, the marathon can certainly give us a lot of gifts, too

Our conversation highlights the balance between personal goals and the joy of running. We discuss the balance between pursuing personal goals and maintaining enjoyment in running, as well as the impact of social media on runners' perceptions of success. We emphasize the need for self-acceptance and the value of cheering for others in the running community—including sharing our biggest race regrets.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Marathon Love-Hate Relationship

05:23 The Allure of the Marathon

12:47 Mental Challenges of Marathon Running

20:45 The Role of Experience and Training

26:35 Rediscovering the Joy of Running

32:15 The Importance of Community in Running

42:00 Finding Balance Between Goals and Enjoyment

48:00 The Impact of Social Media on Running Goals

About your hosts:

• Whitney Heins is a mom of 2 kids, a VDOT-certified running coach for moms who run, and founder of the resource, themotherrunners.com. Coming out of a 5-year injury cycle which included a 2:54 marathon and 1:20 half marathon, she is training to run faster as a master’s athlete. IG: @themotherrunners.
• Shanna Birchett is a mom of 6 kids under 8, including twins. She returned to running in 2021 after an 11-year break, running most recently a 2:44 marathon in the summer of 2024. She is the co-founder of Endure 365 running, endure365.com, which offers heart rate-based training plans. IG: @motherhood_running.
• Tricia DeNardis is a mom to 3 young kids and a physical therapist specializing in the pelvic floor, pregnancy and postpartum rehabilitation. After running 10 marathons, Tricia completed her first 50k in the fall of 2024, and is now hooked! IG: @burpeesandburpcloths.
• Olivia Garcia is a mom of 2 young kids, who used to work as a paramedic. She fell in love with running in 2019, despite surviving a marathon that didn’t go according to plan. She’s since cut more than an hour off her marathon time and gunning to break 3 hours. IG: ...