Dr. Sarah Lesko is MANY things—a runner, parent, practitioner, and a staunch advocate for female athletes of all ages, devoting her work to getting and keeping girls in sports. We couldn't have been more excited to chat with her, getting the story of her days as a collegiate athlete, why she took more than 15 years off of running and how that actually felt, what happened when she came back to running and met Oiselle's founder Sally Bergesen, and everything in between. Sarah is now the Executive Director and Board President of the incredible nonprofit, Bras for Girls, which started within Oiselle in 2017 and branched out as its own 501(c)3 in 2021. They have donated over 60,000 sports bras just THIS YEAR to young female athletes, and have even bigger plans for 2025. Come for all of the things Sarah has done in the sport of running and for female athletes up to this point, but stay for the hot takes, and unfiltered reality checks, on what really needs to happen within the NCAA to protect female athletes and keep them in sports at all levels, for the long run. Follow Dr. Lesko on Instagram @DrLesko and @brasforgirls. Go to brasforgirls.org to get involved. To work with Lane 9 and support what we're building for women's health providers and female athletes, go to Lane9Project.org, and follow us on IG @lane9project.
Melissa (Mel) Lodge was a collegiate track and field athlete who had multiple bone stress injuries, and a few providers in her corner that knew exactly what to do to help her navigate REDs. She took her personal experiences and funneled her drive into studying the prevalence of and interventions that may actually help prevent and treat REDs in all levels of sport. She takes time out of her day as a PhD candidate to translate the research into digestible bits on her popular and informative Instagram account, @FED_Collaborative. We talked to Mel about her athlete journey, and how it's informing the work she's doing now. Tune in for some well-informed hot takes, relatable anecdotes about working with providers, and the latest in her REDs research. Love this episode and the work we're doing at Lane 9 Project? Leave us some good vibes in the reviews! Or stop by lane9project.org to learn how to work with us. Follow @Lane9Project on IG, or go to Lane9Project.org/Contact to get in touch.
Emma Kertesz won the 2024 Bayshore Marathon in 2:37, a three and a half minute PR for the seasoned marathoner and Boulder CO resident. She's from Toledo OH, and ran for the University of Toledo. While she describes her collegiate athletic experiences as "tricky", she had a few lucky experiences with a supportive assistant coach that helped her steer clear of disordered eating habits or chasing the thin ideal (especially at the time). She went on to train with the Hanson brothers, and eventually moved out to the mountains. She has a full time job in early education, and is very intentional about her training, nutrition, and periods of rest. She trains with the The Track Club in Boulder, gave a shoutout to Caila Yates of Steady State Nutrition, and keeps a low profile on social media. We talk about all of this, including what's up next for Kertesz as she trains for Houston 2025, in this episode. Read more about Emma in the "9 Miles With Emma Kertesz" post on our Substack. For more about the work Lane 9 Project is doing to improve the menstrual health of female athletes, and reduce REDS, go to lane9project.org. Follow along @lane9project on IG.
We talked to Ann Arbor-based physical therapist, Eliana Lin DPT, about her experience as a collegiate athlete, completing her doctorate in physical therapy with clinical rotations in Division 1 Track and Field programs, and her clinical practice philosophies on strength training for runners, and running while rehabbing some injuries (if it’s safe, of course!). Bonus (IMO): This episode includes a deep dive into the world of Pole Vaulting! Somehow I had never spent much, if any, time thinking about what the workouts, warmups, and track meet experience of a pole vaulter all look and feel like. But, we’ve got that for you in this episode. Eliana Lin DPT, a former pole vaulter turned distance runner and triathlete. Witnessing numerous runners sidelined by preventable injuries, Eliana is on a mission to ensure athletes stay in the race. Having experienced the frustrations of injury firsthand, she's dedicated to transforming your running experience. At Up and Running Performance, Eliana's passion is improving runners' form and strength, helping them run faster, stronger, and injury free. Whether you're new to running or a seasoned athlete aiming for new goals, Eliana is here for you every step of the way. (@Eliana.Lin.DPT on Instagram) For more from Lane 9 Project. go to Lane9Project.org and follow on Instagram @Lane9Project. We're working to keep your periods regular, plates full, and rest days aplenty, so more female athletes stay in sports!
Melanie (Mel) Sulaver RDN, aka Nutrition by Mel (@nutritionbymel), is here to talk about her sport story from soccer to running, parenting to postpartum, and everything in between. We chat about what happened during her collegiate soccer career that led her to leaving the team, and how that was an early lesson in advocating for herself and her own wellbeing. Mel is now a sports dietitian speicalizing in work with female-bodied athletes, menstrual health, and supporting birthing athletes through pregnancy and postpartum. Mel brings her signature Big Uterus Energy to this conversation, and her work. We talk about that! Work with Mel: NutritionbyMel.com The Lane 9 Project is working to reduce REDS and improve menstrual health for female-bodied athletes at all levels of sport. Find more of our work and how to work with us at Lane9Project.org. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter at Lane9Project.Substack.com. Full transcripts are available for all episodes.
Dietitian Serena Stewart, aka Serena Marie per her IG account, joins Lane 9 Project to talk about her experiences with adolescent body changes, how it impacted her body image, and how it led her to running. While her early experiences in sport were part of an effort to change her body, her relationship to running has evolved and changed. She recorded this episode with us at 37 weeks pregnant, on the brink of a major life transition! We know that parts of her story resonate with a lot of our Lane 9 community, and appreciate the helpful information she shared in regards to adolescent nutrition support, sports nutrition trends, and more. Get in touch with Serena via SerenaMarieRd.com and/or via @runnergirldietitian on IG. The Lane 9 Project is working to reduce REDS and improve menstrual health for female-bodied athletes at all levels of sport. Find more of our work and how to work with us at Lane9Project.org. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter at Lane9Project.Substack.com. Full transcripts are available for all episodes.
On this episode we talk with Heidi Strickler, a dietitian who checked herself into eating disorder treatment in 2020 (at Opal) after years of struggling and running through it. Heidi planned on being a collegiate soccer player but transitioned to Track and Field, and then Cross Country, and has been a competitive and accomplished runner ever since. She talks about the many years of work she has done to untie her identity from her achievements in running, and find ways to play in the mountains, have fun, and be out there for the joy of it. Find Heidi at @hstrickler_sportsrd on Instagram. The Lane 9 Project is working to reduce REDS and improve menstrual health for female-bodied athletes at all levels of sport. Find more of our work and how to work with us at Lane9Project.org. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter at Lane9Project.Substack.com. Full transcripts are available for all episodes.
"I did not have a period. It's not unrelated that then I had a series of five stress fractures." Nancy Boyd, former D1 collegiate runner and now DPT with a practice specializing in providing pelvic floor physical therapy, joins the Lane 9 Project for this episode. Nancy shares her experience with late puberty onset, i.e. primary amenorrhea, at the age of 20 competing in D1 athletics. She developed an eating disorder, and experienced a series of five stress fractures. She had surgeries, a lot of time off, and some not-greaet experiences within the healthcare system. She went on to get her doctorate in physical therapy, to help athletes and humans at all levels and abilities get back to movement in whatever ways are accessible to them. We talk about: Nancy's story: late puberty, stress fractures, an eating disorder, and finding new ways to enjoy running as a parent and person The impact of low estrogen levels on various parts and systems within the body Everything you need to know about pelvic floor physical therapy, whether you're pregnant, postpartum, peri/postmenopause, and/or experiencing REDS or an Eating Disorder How to access the care you might need talking to younger (high school) athletes in impactful ways For more about how to work with the Lane 9 Project in reducing REDS and improving the period health of female-bodied athletes, go to Lane9project.org. Nancy's practice in Michigan, Ancouer Wellness: ancoeurwellness.com @ancoeurwellness on Instagram
"What I'll see in PT {with REDS} is delayed healing...." Dr. Leada Malek, whom you may know as @drmalekpt on Instagram and TikTok, joins Lane 9 co-founder Heather Caplan to chat about what it really takes for athletes to get and stay "healthy" for the long term. We talk about her athletic story, how she starts every assessment with active clients, the most common injuries and inquiries from runners, why strength training is a key component of running fitness, and what to actually do about stretching. Her book, "The Science of Stretch" is available wherever books are sold. And if you haven't yet, check out her Instagram and other social channels for accessible, and very helpful, short physical therapy-focused videos and content! Lane 9 Project is working to reduce eating disorders and REDS in female-bodied athletes at all levels. Check out our upcoming events and resources via Lane9project.org and subscribe to our weekly newsletter at lane9project.substack.com. Follow along on Instagram @lane9project
"As someone who already felt like I was such a big fish out of water... I was like, well, that's what other people are doing to get faster. Maybe, maybe that's what I should do." Morgan Voight, a registered dietitian based in Salt Lake City, Utah, who's focused on the intersection between movement and eating disorders, with specific research focused on the prevalence of eating disorders among the LGBTQ plus population, joins us for a Lane 9 Project conversation. We chat about Morgan's early experiences as a middle and high school track athlete, and then joining the Quinnipiac Cross Country and Track and Field teams as a D1 competitive runner. Between her junior and senior year, she had to take time off to begin the process of treating her disordered eating, but she was able to get back to competition before graduating. Morgan talks to us about her relatoinship with running now, what may have been helpful to her as a younger athlete, and why she's not ashamed to be using loads of Body Glide! Reach out to Morgan via the Kayla Jessup Nutrition team in Salt Lake City, and follow her on Instagram @morganvoight. The Lane 9 Links: @lane9project on Instagram Lane9project.substack.com Weekly newsletter Lane9Project.org to get in touch, and access our resources!
In this Lane 9 Project v2, we need your help. Listen to learn more about big things coming up—like our first event in Ann Arbor, where we're hosting the Global Trail Running Film Festival at Cahoots, on Thursday Aug 1, and a workshop for high school athletes in the works—and to get the scoop on what this relaunch of Lane 9 involves for us, your co-founders. We appreciate you tuning in, and continguing to support this work in whatever ways work for you! The links: trailfilmfest.com/tour (Ann Arbor, August 1!) Lane9project.org for our content like athlete stories, our contact form, and other ways to get involved (i.e. work with us to bring Lane 9 workshops to your team!) @lane9Project on IG Our Substack: Lane9project.substack.com, where from July 1 to Aug 1 you can help us with our ReLaunch Lane 9 campaign.
"Running served as a place where I could feel like I was holding on to my mom, and that is like what I needed more than anything when I was grieving." Emily Halnon's debut book, "To the Gorge: Running, Grief, Resilience, and 460 Miles Across the PCT", is a story that weaves together the deep and transformative grief of both losing her mom to cancer in 2020, and running the fastest known time (FKT) on Oregon's 460 miles section of the Pacific Crest Trail. Emily is an avid and prolific ultra-runner and writer. And she writes often about her experience with running as a love language, thanks in no small part to her brave, wholehearted, joyful mom. We talk about finding balance and sustainable routines when training for ultra-marathons, about cultivating community and connection through running, and navigating Big Hard life things while keeping joy for the things and people you love. For more from and about Emily, visit EmilyHalnon.com. Buy her book from you local independent book store! Follow her on IG @emilysweats. The Lane 9 Project: We're working to reduce eating disorders and hypothalamic amenorrhea at all levels of running. If you want to work with us, and bring Lane 9 to your team and/or coaching staff, contact us via Lane9Project.org Follow on Instagram @Lane9Project. And subscribe to lane9project.substack.com
"When you can perform through this kind of lifestyle, it makes you not think that there's a problem. And I think that's where, we have to be careful." Andie Cozzarelli, semi-professional runner and running coach/owner of Run for a Cozz coaching, is back on the Lane 9 podcast! Listen for updates about what Andie has been up to running, training, and coaching-wise since our last episode together in 2018/2019. Follow Andie on IG @run4acozz The other links: @lane9project on Instagram lane9project.org to get in touch with! and lane9project.substack.com to subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter Want to hire Lane 9 Project for your run coaching needs, or to provide a workshop to your athletes or staff? Reach out. We'd love to chat!
"I listened to the {Ali on the Run interview with Sarah Sellers after 2018 Boston Marathon}. I remember I was on a run, I was crying, and I was like...'I want to do that!" Ashley Munro RDN is a dietitian based in Tuscon AZ. By day, she's an Instructor and Performance Dietitian the University of Arizona—where she recently developed the curriculum and programming for the first ever Weight Inclusive Certificate program for healthcare providers and healthcare students. But at 4:30 or 5am, she's a runner! (If you live in AZ, you know.) Ashley recently ran the Eugene Marathon (2024), her fourth in just a couple of years. We connected to talk about all things running, as runners will do. We love sharing stories of runners who come to the sport in a variety of ways, and from a variety of sports (like dance and cheerleading, in this case!). And we love hearing how they find their way in training for big goals while building community, relationships, and time for themselves. Ashley's running story touches on all of the above! To learn more about Lane 9 Project, visit us and/or get in touch via lane9project.org. Subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter lane9project.substack.com. And inquire about our Run and Nutrition coaching services, workshops for athletes and coaches, and upcoming events. @lane9project on Instagram
"Looking back, I can now see that {taking a break from collegiate running} was actually me listening to my body. And I actually feel I did the brave thing, taking that time off.” Kate Ringwood is an eating disorder (ED) therapist, working with clients in treatment and recovery to improve and/or mold their relationship to movement and sports. She's been a runner since she was 10, and competed at the collegiate level while navigating her own ED and healing process. Kate took a year off of running and training with her team, and talks about the importance of that year for her overall wellbeing, her relationship to running and competing, and her longevity in the sport. We also talk about what the Higher Levels of care, aka HLOC, mean in the ED treatment world, and what her work as looked like at various levels. You'll find Kate at serendipitycounseling.com. The other links: @lane9project on Instagram lane9project.org to get in touch with! and lane9project.substack.com to subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter Want to hire Lane 9 Project for your run coaching needs, or to provide a workshop to your athletes or staff? Reach out. We'd love to chat!
"As a woman, in the middle of my life, I realized that there was a lot I didn’t know about my own body, and really not understanding how that impacted my overall health and larger systems in my body." Christine Yu is known most recently for writing and publishing the book "Up to Speed", which explores the myriad issues that have plagued womens' sports for decades, and highlights the "Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes". She's been writing in the women's health and fitness space for years as a journalist, and turned that work into a book that will change the game for coaches and any support staff in sports at all levels. In this episode we talk about Christine's unique experience in youth sports without the pressure of specialization, how she got into surfing as an adult which ultimately led to her career pivot from public policy to journalism, and the actual groundbreaking science of women athletes. The links: Christine's Substack @cyu888 on Instagram her BOOK, "Up to Speed" ! Get in touch with us via Lane9project.org. And follow on Instagram @lane9project.
"Maybe the issue is we don’t care about the long term effects…until it’s too late." Amelia Boone is five years out from her second time in high level Eating Disorder (ED) treatment, training for her next 100-miler, and enjoying the year of "Maybe". She recently wrote about being past her "prime" as an athlete, and has also shared personal updates such as choosing to freeze her eggs, the long process of building back up to running after her recent stress fracture, and ending her time as a sponsored athlete. Amelia is known for so many accomplishments in the endurance running world—an obstacle course racing champion, and ED awareness advocate, a talented ultra-marathon runner, etc. In this conversation, we tough on what that all looks like now, in 2024, and how's she processing it. Everything from the long-term health effects of eating disorders and hypothalamic amenorrhea to what "recovery" means to her, at least for now. The links: @arboone11 on Instagram, X, and Threads ameliaboone.substack.com lane9project.org lane9project.substackcom @lane9project on Instagram and Threads
If you know what we meant by "holding up your left hand" to check some geography during this episode, you get ten points! Tag us @lane9Project on IG and we'll award them accordingly. This is a check in episode! Co-founder Heather Caplan, about to earn a double RD after her name (you'll see), checks in to see what you're doing to add some FUN to your runs, and shares how she's been doing that recently. (See: Music, running groups, community, and more! HBU?) She also offers a period check in, because the more we talk about these things, maybe (maybe!) the less in-our-feels we might, feel, about them. And last but not least, a note about the race(s) she has coming up this month, like the Bayshore Half Marathon in Traverse City. Will we see local and global running celebrity Des Linden back on the course?! The links: CHECK IN with your updates to these questions or whatever else is on your mind: Lane9project.substack.com Follow along on Instagram: @lane9project Get in touch: Lane9project.org
“I was modeling all these super lean athletes that we see in the media and that are celebrated for their somatotype, even though, you know, they may have achieved that by very unhealthy means.” Pippa Woolven is the founder of Project RED-S and a former elite and champion steeplechase runner in both the UK and US. In the last few years Pippa has become a first-time parent, and managed Project RED-S, while navigating and exploring this era of her relationship to running and competing. Her work and story have been featured in national publications such as CNN and Runner's World, raising awareness of the prevalence of RED-S, and its impact on athletes' overall health. The links: red-s.com @project_reds_ on IG lane9project.org @lane9project on IG Newsletter: lane9project.substack.com If you want to connect with us, share your story, and/or join us for a conversation, reach out via Lane9Project.org .
"It took me a lot of tries to get it right," shares professional ultra-marathoner Dr. Stefanie Flippin, of her journey with the 100-mile distance. Stef is not only a professional ultra-marathoner, sponsored by lululemon and GU energy labs, she's also a podiatrist (currently on sabbatical from private practice but still consulting on medical cases), and a running coach with the Lift Run Perform team. In this conversation with Lane 9 Project co-founder, Heather Caplan RDN, Stef shares insight into how she's managed to run not one but many 100-mile races, winning the 2021 Ultramarathon National Championship (100-Mile distance), and becoming a professional athlete while also maintaining her work as a physician. Additionally, Stef shares details about the recent lululemon FURTHER event, wherein they brought 10 women of various backgrounds and athletic experiences to run a 6-day ultramarathon, while also conducting biomedical, biophysical, and psychosocial research on the athlete's experience. The links: Stef Flippin and Carolyn Su, co-hosts of Making Strides podcast, hosting shakeout runs and a live podcast event in Boston. Event details here! @stefanieannflippin on Instagram StefanieFlippin.com Lane9Project.org. Contact us if you have any questions about the show, guest/topic requests, and/or want to work with Lane 9! Subscribe to the bi-weekly Newsletter at Lane9project.substack.com. Follow @Lane9Project on Instagram.