The Marathon Podcast is now proudly sponsored by Saysky Copenhagen. Use code TMP15 for 15% off at saysky.com.

Get 20% off a Strava annual subscription with code KRISTIAN

Save on FlexBeam using code WARWICKRUNS or this link: https://rechargehealthas.sjv.io/55GAPb

How does a winter Olympian become a 1:09 half marathoner in two years? Sofie Karoline Haugen skated for Norway at the 2022 Olympics, retired from speed skating in 2024, and has since run 10K in 31:57 and a 1:09 half marathon at the Copenhagen half, just a year after running 1:18 in the same city.

Kristian and Sofie have known each other for around 17 years and both come from speed skating. In this conversation, Sofie looks back on her career: the years without progress, the decision to move to Stavanger and rebuild her training, the 2019 breakthrough that took her to ninth in the world, and the Olympic Games. She explains why she walked away when she was still skating well, and how a casual 3K on the track turned into a running career.

Then the conversation turns to training. Sofie takes us through her week at 170 to 180 kilometers, including double threshold days, how she keeps her easy days easy, why consistency matters most, how she chooses shoes for different days as someone who works at the running store Löplabbet, and what she has learned about bicarbonate. She also reveals that her first marathon is coming up in November.

In this episode:

• From speed skating to a 1:09 half marathon
• The years of hard work before the breakthrough
• Moving to Stavanger and rebuilding her training
• Qualifying for the Olympics
• Why she quit skating in 2024
• Her first races as a runner
• Racing the Copenhagen half
• Shoes for different days, including the Alphafly 4
• A full week at 170 to 180 kilometers
• Building strength without getting injured
• Her first marathon

• 
  

Timestamps
00:00 Introducing Sofie
01:17 Saysky
01:51 Interview begins
02:19 From skater to 1:09 half marathoner
04:15 Sofie’s skating background
05:56 Years of hard work, and the setback
08:03 Moving to Stavanger
13:17 Ninth in the world
14:25 Qualifying for the Olympics
16:43 Why she quit skating
19:07 The moment she knew
22:36 Starting to run
23:16 A 9:29 3K
25:02 Working at Löplabbet and her coach
27:46 Racing in Copenhagen last year
31:24 A 31:57 10K
35:19 The Copenhagen Half Marathon
37:15 Running 1:09
40:30 Alphafly 4 vs Alphafly 3
43:43 Shoes for different days
49:26 Injuries and building strength
53:33 A week of training
59:18 Why consistency matters
1:09:46 Bicarbonate
1:11:56 Her first marathon
1:13:26 Wrap up

Sofie on Instagram: @sofiehaugen

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Full episodes + the Boston 2025 documentary: https://www.youtube.com/@Warwickruns
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Content note: This episode includes open discussion of drug addiction, homelessness, violence, mental health and suicidal thoughts (mainly between 05:00 and 12:00). Please take care while listening. If you or someone you know is struggling with substance use in the US, the SAMHSA National Helpline is available at 1-800-662-4357.

The Marathon Podcast is now proudly sponsored by Saysky Copenhagen. Use code TMP15 for 15% off at saysky.com.

Get 20% off a Strava annual subscription with code KRISTIAN

Save on FlexBeam using code WARWICKRUNS or this link: https://rechargehealthas.sjv.io/55GAPb

Tim Howard went from a decade of heroin addiction and years of homelessness to running marathons, finishing an Ironman and working for the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon. In this episode of The Marathon Podcast, Tim shares how a flyer for a running group, and a hug on his first morning there, changed the direction of his life.

Kristian first came across Tim in an Athletic Brewing documentary about Ironman, and their conversation goes much deeper than the race. Tim talks about what early recovery really looks like, the role of community in staying sober, and how running became a healthy outlet. He also opens up about the lows that came with injuries and surgery, and why giving back has been the thing that keeps him grounded.

You will also hear about his first marathon four months into sobriety, running with a pacer and thanking every volunteer on the course, his Ironman Lake Placid journey, and his role at Monumental, where he now helps others reach the start line of their first marathon.

In this episode:

• Tim’s story, from addiction to recovery
• Early sobriety and what the first two years feel like
• Finding Back on My Feet and a community that accepted him
• How to acknowledge people experiencing homelessness
• Trading one obsession for a healthier one
• Overtraining, ankle surgery and a dark period
• His first marathon and why he thanks every volunteer
• Ironman Lake Placid
• Giving back through the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon

Timestamps
00:00 Introducing Tim
01:18 Kristian’s quick update
01:49 Saysky
02:20 Interview begins
02:31 The Athletic Brewing documentary
04:06 Tim today
05:21 Life before running
07:07 Hitting bottom and getting sober
08:52 Detox and the first weeks
11:55 The first two years of recovery
13:08 Identity in and out of addiction
15:48 Back on My Feet
18:18 The hug that changed everything
20:23 How to show up for people experiencing homelessness
24:09 Finding community
25:16 Accountability and starting over
30:13 Trading heroin for running
32:03 Injury, surgery and a dark period
33:22 Finding a new way to belong
35:08 Tim’s first marathon
41:55 Becoming the community guy
43:37 Thanking the volunteers
47:15 What goes into a major marathon
48:16 Photography and the road to Ironman
51:37 Anxiety and staying on course
54:48 Why Tim never goes back
56:54 Ironman training
1:00:18 The documentary and the team
1:04:17 Finishing Lake Placid
1:07:46 Working for Monumental
1:10:03 Wrap up

Tim on Instagram: @timmy_hotdog_howard

Start your free Musicbed trial: https://fm.pxf.io/kristianwarwick

Full episodes + the Boston 2025 documentary: https://www.youtube.com/@Warwickruns
Follow my training journey on Instagram: @warwick.runs
Music from Musicbed: MB01XPYH8ZYENVAMB0133EV2TCQFZY

The Marathon Podcast is now proudly sponsored by Saysky Copenhagen. Use code TMP15 for 15% off at saysky.com.

Get 20% off a Strava annual subscription with code KRISTIAN

Save on FlexBeam using code WARWICKRUNS or this link: https://rechargehealthas.sjv.io/55GAPb

How do you train for a 2:42 marathon while flying as an international airline pilot? In this episode of The Marathon Podcast, part of our series with Tracksmith’s Stamata team, Kristian talks with Alex Orr, a United Airlines pilot who flies the Boeing 777 and runs for Georgetown Running Club in Washington, D.C.

Alex is a 2:42 marathoner (set in Berlin) and a 1:15 half marathoner, and she is chasing an Olympic Trials qualifier. She explains how she plans every week around her flight schedule, why she protects her hard workouts at home, how she handles jet lag and cancelled flights, and what a normal training week looks like when she is gone for days at a time. We also talk about cockpit naps, recovery on layovers, and how she tells the difference between a tough day and a day to back off.

Alex shares the story of how she found her way back to running after stepping away from the sport, what she learned from two marathons that did not go to plan, and how being part of Stamata, led by Steph Bruce and supported by Tracksmith, has shaped her journey.

In this episode:

• How a 777 pilot fits in a marathon build
• Planning workouts around flights, jet lag and delays
• Joining Tracksmith’s Stamata team
• Stepping away from running and finding her way back
• From a 2:46 in Chicago to a 2:42 in Berlin
• Learning from Indianapolis and Eugene, two marathons that did not go to plan
• A 1:15 half marathon
• A full training week, including VO2 sessions and long runs
• Recovery, sleep and naps in the cockpit
• Her next goal at CIM

Timestamps
00:00 Introducing Alex
01:07 Kristian’s training update
02:31 Welcome, and fitting running around flights
07:13 Who Alex is and how she got into running
08:05 Living the dream as a pilot and runner
08:57 Joining Tracksmith’s Stamata team
11:15 Flight schedules, bidding and training camps
13:13 Getting time off for races
14:52 Early years of running
18:15 Her coaches
19:49 Life after college
20:23 Losing her father
22:52 Coming back with GRC
24:29 The breakthrough in Chicago and 2:42 in Berlin
25:15 Grief and running
27:39 What running means to her
30:01 What drives her
31:51 Chasing the OTQ
32:42 Indianapolis and Eugene, and what went wrong
37:47 The 1:15 half marathon
39:11 Lessons from the marathon
41:42 A typical training week
46:39 Marathon pace work and long runs
50:04 Recovery, sleep and cockpit naps
52:08 International trips and training around them
56:14 Recovery data on work days
59:22 Running in layover cities
1:03:41 Next up: CIM
1:05:56 Outro

Alex on Instagram: @alexrunstheskies

Start your free Musicbed trial: https://fm.pxf.io/kristianwarwick

Full episodes + the Boston 2025 documentary: https://www.youtube.com/@Warwickruns
Follow my training journey on Instagram: @warwick.runs
Music from Musicbed: MB01XPYH8ZYENVAMB0133EV2TCQFZY