Hey friends! I’m so excited to bring you this conversation with Erika Kemp on the podcast this week. Erika is a two-time U.S. Champion (15K and 20K), a marathoner who ran a 2:22 in Houston earlier this year, and—most recently—a first-time World Championships team member. She’s also the newest co-host on the Relay podcast team, which I’m thrilled about!

Erika has been on the show twice before—once in 2021 when she was chasing the Olympic standard with the BAA, and again in 2023 when she was building toward her Boston Marathon debut. In that race, she made history, running the fastest marathon ever by an American-born Black woman.

In this episode, we talk about the evolution of her marathon career—how she shaved over 10 minutes off her Boston time in less than a year—and what that Houston race actually felt like behind the scenes. Erika shares how she’s approached training and racing under her coach Kurt Benninger (Molly Huddle’s husband!), her experience making her first World Champs team, and what it means to her to be a mentor and voice for representation in distance running.

We also dive into what it’s been like joining the Relay crew and what you can expect from her as a co-host moving forward. I’m so pumped to have her on board and to share this deeper look at her story.

Thanks for listening and supporting the show! If you’re not already following Relay, be sure to check it out—new episodes drop every Tuesday.

Enjoy my conversation with Erika Kemp!

What we talked about:

5:30- Her partnership with Brooks and being coached by Kurt (Molly Huddle’s husband)

16:40- Confidence gained from her PR in Houston

29:30- Her experience at the Olympic Marathon Trials

36:00- Making her first World Championship team

47:00- Joining the Relay Podcast and thoughts on current running news

58:00- End of podcast questions

Show notes:

The Circle

The Ever

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