Podcast appearances and mentions of matthew futterman

The Australian Open is known as the 'Happy Slam' but not everyone is smiling ahead of the tournament. Doping controversies surrounding young stars Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek have seen growing questions on perceived inequality of policing. The stakes on court are high, they might be even higher off it. Featured: Matthew Futterman, tennis writer, The Athletic.Subscribe to the ABC Sport Newsletter

On today’s show: President-elect Trump has suggested he’ll use recess appointments to get some of his Cabinet nominees through. How would that work? NBC’s Sahil Kapur explains. Four women are challenging Idaho’s strict abortion ban in court. The Idaho Capital Sun has been following the trial. Rafael Nadal says he’ll retire from professional tennis after the Davis Cup this week. Matthew Futterman from The Athletic reflects on his legacy. Plus, Hong Kong sentences 45 pro-democracy activists, NPR has what to know about new at-home tests that can detect both the flu and COVID, and the Times of London has the story of the foiled attempt by thieves to try to mug Mo Farah, one of the fastest men on earth. Today’s episode was hosted by Shumita Basu.

Night-session attendance totals broke U.S. Open records this year. Matthew Futterman, senior writer for The Athletic, the sports unit of The New York Times, explains why the draw is so big all of a sudden and listeners call in to share why they attend the tournament. 

In hour two, Jason Brough and guest host Josh Elliott-Wolfe chat with St. Louis Blues rinkside reporter Andy Strickland (1:15) about the Blues' active offseason along with Jordan Binnington currently being Canada's best goalie, things get heated when the boys compare the intensity levels of the  World Cup of Hockey and The Olympics (19:35), plus they look ahead to the 2028 LA Olympics and all that's going into what could be one of the most special tournaments yet, as The Athletic's Matthew Futterman joins the show (26:23). This podcast is produced by Andy Cole and Greg Balloch. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

As the Olympic Opening Ceremony kicks off today, we are being joined by Matthew Futterman. The deputy sports editor for The New York Times is live in Paris awaiting for the ceremony to begin as he walks us through what to expect from this years' games.*Kousha Navidar Guest-Hosts*

Matthew Futterman, senior staff writer for The Athletic, the sports unit of The New York Times, previews the start of the summer Olympics which begin this Friday, July 26th, in Paris, France. 

Matthew Futterman (@MattFutterman) is an award-winning tennis journalist who has worked for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and now, The Athletic. He has authored two books and is working on a third, about tennis, called "The Cruelest Game".This episode is a little different. You're not going to get doubles strategy out of this one, but you will get some deep insights into the world of pro tennis, why it isn't as popular in the US, and why doubles, specifically, has struggled.Matt has covered our sport for the better part of the last two decades interviewing singles stars like Novak Djokovic, doubles specialists like Austin Krajicek, and more. We discuss ideas on how tennis might change the format of doubles to make it more appealing. He also explains why Novak Djokovic is such a fascinating player and person.Matt shares three stories of his that you should read:Austin Krajicek Nearly Gave Up on Tennis to Sell InsuranceAbuse in Tennis https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/25/sports/tennis/tennis-predatory-coaches.html https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/23/sports/tennis/usta-coach-sexual-assault.html https://theathletic.com/4928508/2023/10/05/us-tennis-sexual-abuse-pam-shriver/Coco Gauff and the Unknown of Being a Grand Slam Champion

Heading into the Olympics in February, Jessie Diggins received more media attention than ever before, landing on the cover of Sports Illustrated and having her profile featured on major news outlets like the New York Times. There was an entire category for her career highlights on the Olympic cross country ski tab on NBC's Peacock streaming platform. From all of the coverage focused on Diggins surrounding the Games, one comment in particular received attention and push back from the athlete community. The line in a February 8th story in the NY Times suggested that Diggins looked “like a sprite in her racing suit,” comparing her body to her competitors' who had “massive shoulders and thighs.” It was seen as inaccurate, inappropriate, and potentially harmful to those reading it. To discuss the topic of body comments in sports journalism and why they might be harmful in the broader scope of athlete mental health, the Nordic Nation podcast recently hosted a discussion among the panel of Rosie Brennan, Corrine Malcolm, Brian Metzler, and Nat Herz, who span the breadth of athlete and media representative. Following the conversation, FasterSkier received feedback that the topic had already been given enough attention, and it remained clear that there was not unanimous understanding of why commenting on athletes' bodies was deemed problematic. Seeking to add clarity to this side of the story, along with her own perspective as someone who has experienced an eating disorder and since become an advocate for awareness and support in that realm, Diggins reached out to FasterSkier asking to add her voice to the conversation. To be clear, neither Diggins nor FasterSkier aims to “cancel” NY Times author Matthew Futterman, nor to attack the NY Times for running the comment. The purpose of this discussion was to consider how a comment on an athlete's body might be triggering to a reader who is primed to fall into the eating disorder trap, and how writers, parents, coaches, and teachers can be mindful of the impact and importance of what they say. Diggins also reflects on the 2021/2022 race season and what was an historic string of Olympic appearances. She discusses the success of the US Ski Team as a whole, in particular, the younger generation of athletes like Novie McCabe, Sophia Laukli, Ben Ogden, JC Schoonmaker, and Gus Schumacher, who have transitioned onto the World Cup over the last two seasons and earned spots on the 2022 Olympic Team.  Thanks for listening.Additional Resources and Related Reading & Listening:WithAll Foundation and the What to Say Campaign. As discussed in the episode, Diggins and Gus Schumacher participated in a live discussion with this organization on March 31st titled “What America's Top Athletes Know About Health & Performance”, which can be viewed here.The Emily Program: A leader in eating disorder treatment and outreach, and partner of Diggins'Nordic Nation Podcast: A Discussion on the Media's Portrayal of Endurance Athletes with Rosie Brennan, Corrine Malcolm, Brian Metzler, and Nat HerzNordic Nation Podcast: Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) and the Climate in High Performance SkiingBrave Enough by Jessie Diggins (Reviewed on FS here, with more on her recovery and advocacy here.)FasterSkier also shared two OpEd pieces surrounding this topic, one from our own contributor Ben Theyerl and a second from reader Ivy Spiegel Ostrom, highlighting individual responses to the NY Times comment and underlying issues of body comments in the media, and another by Rachel Bachman Perkins on the prevalence of eating disorders and disordered eating in sport.  

In June 2015, the FBI in Indianapolis was notified that Larry Nassar, a doctor for Olympic caliber gymnasts, was sexually abusing his underage patients. In this episode, hear highlights from a riveting Senate hearing with testimony from Maggie Nichols, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, and Simone Biles and get all the details presented in an Inspector General report explaining why the FBI did nothing to stop Larry Nassar for over a year while he continued to abuse dozens of additional young girls. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Background Sources Documentaries Athlete A. Netflix. Hannah Shaw-Williams. June 24, 2020. “Athlete A True Story: What Netflix's Documentary Leaves Out” Screen Rant. Government Documents and Reports Office of the Inspector General. July 2021. Investigation and Review of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Handling of Allegations of Sexual Abuse by Former USA Gymnastics Physician Lawrence Gerard Nassar (21-093). United States Department of Justice. Office of the Inspector General. 2021. “DOJ OIG Releases Report of Investigation and Review of the FBI's Handling of Allegations of Sexual Abuse by Former USA Gymnastics Physician Lawrence Gerard Nassar.” U.S. Department of Justice. Senator Jerry Moran and Senator Richard Blumenthal. July 30, 2019. The Courage of Survivors: A Call to Action. Senate Olympics Investigation. Manly, Stewart & Finaldi. September 8, 2016. “Jane JD Doe Complaint: Case Number 34-2016-00200075.” Superior Court of California, Sacramento. News Coverage Grace Segers. September 15, 2021. “Gymnasts Rip the FBI for Its Failure to Stop Larry Nassar's Serial Sexual Abuses.” The New Republic. Rebecca Shabad. September 15, 2021. “FBI fires agent accused of failing to investigate Nassar sex-abuse allegations.” NBC News. Kara Berg. September 8, 2021. “How much Michigan State has paid in wake of Larry Nassar scandal.” The Lansing State Journal. Sayantani Nath. February 25, 2021. “Who owns Twistars USA gym now? John Geddert sold gym infamous for Larry Nassar's sexual abuse before suicide.” MEAWW (Media, Entertainment, Arts WorldWide). Reuters. February 25, 2021. “Nassar Whistleblower Repeats Call for USAG Decertification.” U.S. News & World Report. Dan Barry, Serge F. Kovaleski and Juliet Macur. February 3, 2018. “As F.B.I. Took a Year to Pursue the Nassar Case, Dozens Say They Were Molested.” The New York Times. Matthew Futterman, Louise Radnofsky and Rebecca Davis O'Brien. June 2, 2017. “Former U.S. Gymnastics Chief Received $1 Million Severance Package.” The Wall Street Journal. Tim Evans, Mark Alesia, and Marisa Kwiatkowski. September 12, 2016. “Former USA Gymnastics doctor accused of abuse.” The Indianapolis Star. Marisa Kwiatkowski, Mark Alesia and Tim Evans. August 4, 2016. “A blind eye to sex abuse: How USA Gymnastics failed to report cases.” The Indianapolis Star. Matt Krantz. September 13, 2013. “2008 crisis still hangs over credit-rating firms.” USA Today. Audio Sources Dereliction of Duty: Examining the Inspector General's Report on the FBI's Handling of the Larry Nassar Investigation Senate Judiciary Committee September 15, 2021 Committee concluded a hearing to examine the Inspector General's report on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's handling of the Larry Nassar investigation, after receiving testimony from Michael E. Horowitz, Inspector General, and Christopher A. Wray, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, both of the Department of Justice; Simone Biles, Houston, Texas; McKayla Maroney, Long Beach, California; Maggie Nichols, Little Canada, Minnesota; and Aly Raisman, Boston, Massachusetts. Sound Clips 47:54 Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL): By the time Nassar was convicted and sentenced in federal and Michigan State court, over 150 survivors had come forward to recount the impact of these horrific crimes. Today we believe Nasser abused more than 300 athletes before he was brought to justice. 48:20 Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL): Between 2018 and 2019, a subcommittee of the Senate Commerce Committee led by our colleagues, Senator Richard Blumenthal and Senator Jerry Moran conducted an 18 month investigation into this case. The investigation concluded that the US Olympic Committee in the USA Gymnastics knowingly concealed abuse by masseur between the summer of 2015 and September of 2016. The Senate passed two bills aimed at addressing the failures in the Nasser case with overwhelming bipartisan support that protecting young victims from Sexual Abuse Act of 2017, sponsored by Senator Feinstein, and the umpiring Olympic Paralympic amateur athletes act of 2020 by Senators Moran and Blumenthal both extended the duty of certain adults to report suspected child abuse. These are good and important steps. But the reporting requirement in both laws is not worth much if law enforcement and the FBI failed to respond and immediately and aggressively investigate the abuse cases. 51:57 Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL): We'll also hear from the Inspector General and the FBI Director, who owe these young women in this committee an explanation of what the FBI is doing to ensure that this never happens again. And I'll add that I am disappointed. We asked the Justice Department to testify about their decision not to prosecute the two FBI officials who made false statements to the Attorney General. I understand it's a long standing department policy not to comment on decisions not to prosecute, but robust oversight of the Department of Justice is a core responsibility of this committee, committed to ensuring that committee members have an opportunity to question the Department of Justice about this issue at an oversight hearing in the fall. 56:44 Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA): I suspect there's much more to that story. One issue not talked about much is that the FBI has a division in Washington DC, known as the Violent Crimes Against Children unit. This component of headquarters was notified by two of its field offices about the Nassar allegations way back in 2015, and 2016, respectively. The Children's unit employs subject matter experts so it is well position in FBI to guide those field officers on their duties in child exploitation cases. Because it's housed at headquarters, this children's unit also was uniquely positioned to play a coordinating role by supervising case transfers to the appropriate FBI field offices. And this unit was well positioned to offer qualitative supervision of field offices' work. 58:19 Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA): The Children's unit helped develop a white paper, or more accurately, a whitewash, after the Nassar case attracted national attention. Ensuring that truthful information was provided about the FBI's role in this investigation was clearly not the main priority. This is a serious problem at the heart of the FBI. Not a case of a few errant agents. 1:00:12 Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA): Finally, I want to mention that I'm working on legislation to close the legislative loophole in the sex tourism statute that the Inspector General flagged in his report. This gap in the law allowed Larry Nassar to evade federal prosecution for assaulting children while traveling abroad. 1:26:34 Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL): Our first witness Simone Biles, one of the greatest gymnast of all time. She is the first woman to capture five all round world championship titles and the most decorated gymnast, male or female, in World Championships history. 25 medals overall, she is a seven time Olympic medalist. Her extraordinary accomplishments have received widespread recognition including two Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year awards. 1:27:18 Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL): McKayla Maroney was a member of the American women's gymnastics team dubbed the Fierce Five at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She won a gold medal in team competition and an individual silver medal in the vault. She was also a member of the American team at the 2011 World Championships where she won gold medals in the team and vault competitions and the 2013 World Championships where she defended her vault title and we frequently see her on TV jumping on a roof. 1:27:48 Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL): Our next witness Maggie Nichols led the University of Oklahoma women's gymnastics team to Team national championships in 2017 and 2019, also winning six individual titles. She represented the United States at the 2015 World Championships where she won a gold medal in team competition and a bronze medal on floor exercise. She also holds several USA Gymnastics national championship medals. 1:28:15 Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL): Finally, Aly Raisman, one of the most accomplished American gymnast of all time, two time Olympian, team captain of the 2012 and 2016 women's gymnastics team captured six Olympic and four World Championship medals, including an individual silver medal in the 2016 Olympic all around and gold medals in team competition in 2012 and 2016. A leader on and off the floor. Reisman uses her platform to advocate for abuse prevention and education. 1:32:25 Simone Biles: USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee knew that I was abused by their official team doctor long before I was ever made aware of their knowledge. In May of 2015, Rhonda Faehn, the former head of USA Gymnastics women's program, was told by my friend and teammate, Maggie Nichols, that she suspected I, too was a victim. I didn't understand the magnitude of what was happening until the Indianapolis Star published its article in the fall of 2016, entitled, "former USA Gymnastics doctor accused of abuse." Yet while I was a member of the 2016 US Olympic team, neither USAG USOPC nor the FBI ever contacted me or my parents, while others had been informed and investigations were ongoing. I had been left to wonder why was not taught until after the Rio Games. This is the largest case of sexual abuse in the history of American sport. And although, there has been a fully independent investigation of the FBI his handling of the case, neither USAG nor USOPC have ever been made the subject of the same level of scrutiny. These are the entities entrusted with the protection of our sport and our athletes. And yet it feels like questions of responsibility and organizational failures remain unanswered. 1:34:30 Simone Biles: We have been failed and we deserve answers. Nassar is where he belongs, but those who enabled him deserve to be held accountable. If they are not, I am convinced that this will continue to happen to others, across Olympic sports. In reviewing the OIGs report, it really feels like the FBI turned a blind eye to us and went out of its way to help protect USAG and USOPC. A message needs to be sent. If you allow a predator to harm children, the consequences will be swift and severe. 1:37:00 McKayla Maroney: As most of you are probably aware, I was molested by the US Gymnastics National Team and Olympic Team doctor, Larry Nasser, and in actuality, he turned out to be more of a pedophile than he was a doctor. What I'm trying to bring to your attention today is something incredibly disturbing and illegal. After telling my entire story of abuse to the FBI in the Summer of 2015, not only did the FBI not report my abuse, but when they eventually documented my report, 17 months later, they made entirely false claims about what I said. After reading the Office of Inspector General's OIG report, I was shocked and deeply disappointed at this narrative they chose to fabricate, they chose to lie about what I said and protect a serial child molester, rather than protect not only me, but countless others. My story is one which Special Agent in Charge Jay Abbott and his subordinates did not want you to hear. And it's time that I tell you. In the summer of 2015, like I said, I was scheduled to speak to the FBI about my abuse with Larry Nasser over the phone. I was too sick to go meet with anyone in person. And talking about this abuse would give me PTSD for days. But I chose to speak about it to try and make a difference and protect others. I remember sitting on my bedroom floor for nearly three hours as I told them what happened to me. I hadn't even told my own mother about these facts. But I thought as uncomfortable and as hard as it was to tell my story, I was going to make a difference, and hopefully protecting others from the same abuse. I answered all of their questions honestly and clearly. And I disclosed all of my molestations I had entered by Nassar to them in extreme detail. They told me to start from the beginning. I told them about the sport of gymnastics, how you make the national team, and how I came to meet Larry Nassar when I was 13 at a Texas camp. I told him that the first thing Larry Nassar ever said to me was to change into shorts with no underwear, because that would make it easier for him to work on me. And within minutes, he had his fingers in my vagina. The FBI then immediately asked, Did he insert his fingers into your rectum? I said, No, he never did. They asked if he used gloves. I said no, he never did. They asked if this treatment ever helped me. I said no, it never did. This treatment was 100% abuse and never gave me any relief. I then told the FBI about Tokyo, the day he gave me a sleeping pill for the plane ride, to then work on me later that night. That evening, I was naked, completely alone with him on top of me molesting me for hours. I told them I thought I was going to die that night, because there was no way that he would let me go. But he did. I told them I walked the halls of a Tokyo hotel at 2am, at only 15 years old. I began crying at the memory over the phone. And there was just dead silence. I was so shocked at the agent's silence and disregard for my trauma. After that minute of silence he asked "Is that all?" Those words in itself was one of the worst moments of this entire process for me, to have my abuse be minimized and disregarded by the people who were supposed to protect me. Just to feel like my abuse was not enough. But the truth is my abuse was enough, and they wanted to cover it up. USA Gymnastics in concert with the FBI and the Olympic Committee or working together to conceal that Larry Nassar was a predator. I then proceeded to tell them about London, and how he'd signed me up last on his sheet so he could molest me for hours twice a day. I told them how he molested me right before I won my team gold medal. How he gave me presents, bought me caramel macchiatos and bread when I was hungry. I even sent them screenshots of Nassar's last text to me, which was "Michaela, I love how you see the world with rose colored glasses. I hope you continue to do so." This was very clear cookie cutter pedophilia and abuse. And this is important because I told the FBI all of this, and they chose to falsify my report and to not only minimize my abuse, but silence me yet again. I thought given the severity of the situation, they would act quickly for the sake of protecting other girls, but instead, it took them 14 months to report anything when Larry Nassar, in my opinion, should have been in jail that day. 1:42:00 McKayla Maroney: According to the OIG report, about 14 months after I disclosed my abuse to the FBI, nearly a year and a half later, the FBI agent who interviewed me in 2015 decided to write down my statement, a statement that the OIG report determined to be materially false. 1:42:33 McKayla Maroney: What is the point of reporting abuse if our own FBI agents are going to take it upon themselves to bury that report in a drawer? 1:42:55 McKayla Maroney: What's even more upsetting to me is that we now we know that these FBI agents have committed an obvious crime. They falsified my statement, and that is illegal in itself. Yet no recourse has been taken against them. The Department of Justice refused to prosecute these individuals. Why? Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco couldn't even bring herself to be here today. And it is the Department of Justice's job to hold them accountable. 1:43:25 McKayla Maroney: I am tired of waiting for people to do the right thing, because my abuse was enough and we deserve justice. These individuals clearly violated policies and were negligent in executing their duties. And in doing so, more girls were abused by Larry Nasser for over a year. To not indict these agents is a disservice to me and my teammates. It is a disservice to the system which was built to protect all of us from abuse. It was a disservice to every victim who suffered needlessly at the hands of Larry Nassar after I spoke up. Why are public servants whose job is to protect getting away with this? This is not justice. Enough is enough. Today, I ask you all to hear my voice. I ask you please do all that is in your power to ensure that these individuals are held responsible and accountable for ignoring my initial report, for lying about my initial report, and for covering up for a child molester. 1:44:30 McKayla Maroney: I would like to express my deep gratitude to the United States Senate, a very powerful institution, that from the very beginning has fought for us rather than against us. 1:46:47 Maggie Nichols After I reported my abuse to USA Gymnastics, my family and I were told by their former president, Steve Penny, to keep quiet and not say anything that could hurt the FBI investigation. We now know there was no real FBI investigation occurring. While my complaints with the FBI, Larry Nassar continued to abuse women and girls. During this time the FBI issued no search warrants and made no arrests. From the day I reported my molestation by Nassar, I was treated differently by USAG. Not only did the FBI fail to conduct a thorough investigation, but they also knew that USAG and the USOPC created a false narrative where Larry Nasser was allowed to retire with his reputation intact and returned to Michigan State University, thus allowing dozens of little girls to be molested. As the Inspector General's report details during this time period, FBI agents did not properly documented evidence failed to report proper authorities and the Special Agent in Charge was seeking to become the new director of security for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee. A job opportunity raised by Steve Penny. 1:51:20 Aly Raisman: In 2015, it was known that at least six national team athletes had been abused by Nassar. There was even one of the athletes that was abused on film. Given our abusers unfettered access to children, stopping him should have been a priority. Instead, the following occurred. The FBI failed to interview pertinent parties in a timely manner. It took over 14 months for the FBI to contact me, despite my many requests to be interviewed by them. The records establish that Steve Penney, FBI agent Jay Abbott, and their subordinates worked to conceal Nassar's crimes. Steve Penney arranged with the FBI to conduct my interview at the Olympic Training Center, where I was under the control and observation of USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee. The day of my interview, Steve Penny flew to the Olympic Training Center, and he made sure I was aware he was there. I felt pressured by the FBI to consent to Nassar's plea deal. The agent diminish the significance of my abuse and it made me feel my criminal case wasn't worth pursuing. Special Agent in Charge of investigating Nassar met Steve penny for beers to discuss job opportunities in the Olympic movement. Another FBI agent work with Steve penny to determine jurisdiction without interviewing the survivors. I've watched multiple high ranking officials at USAG, USOPC and FBI resign or retire without explanation of how they may have contributed to the problem, some of whom were publicly thanked for their service and rewarded with severance or bonus money. My reports of abuse were not only buried by USAG USOPC, but they were also mishandled by federal law enforcement officers who failed to follow their most basic duties. The FBI and others within both USAG and USOPC knew that Nasser molested children and did nothing to restrict his access. Steve Penny and any USAG employee could have walked a few steps to file a report with the Indiana Child Protective Services since they shared the same building. Instead, they quietly allowed Nassar to slip out the side door knowingly allowing him to continue his “work” at MSU Sparrow hospital, a USAG Club, and even run for school board. Nassar found more than 100 new victims to molest. It was like serving innocent children up to a pedophile on a silver platter. 1:54:33 Aly Raisman: USAG and USOPC have a long history of enabling abuse by turning a blind eye. Both organizations knew of Nassar's abuse long before it became public. Although you wouldn't know that by reading their press releases, which would have you and their corporate sponsors believe that athletes safety comes first. We have called for a fully independent factual investigation for years now, because I and these women who sit before you know firsthand, these organizations and their public statements are not to be trusted. They claim they want accountability, but then seek to restrict which staff can be interviewed, which documents can be examined and claim attorney client privilege over and over again. The so called investigations these organizations orchestrated were not designed to provide the answers we so critically need. Why are we left to guess why USAG and USOPC deliberately ignored reported abuse? Was it to protect the value of the sponsorships? The LA 28 bid? their own jobs? to avoid criminal liability, perhaps. But why must we speculate when the facts are obtainable and the stakes are so high? 1:56:04 Aly Raisman: Why would duly sworn federal law enforcement officers ignore reports of abuse by a doctor across state lines and country borders for a future job opportunity? Or whether additional incentives and pressures? Why must we speculate when the facts are obtainable and the stakes are so high 1:57:00 Aly Raisman: Without knowing who knew what when, we cannot identify all enablers or determine whether they are still in positions of power. We just can't fix a problem we don't understand 2:04:28 Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA): I Hope this isn't something so sensitive, you don't feel you can talk about it. But do you have any thoughts or inputs to share about SafeSport, the national nonprofit entity that has been tasked by Congress with handling allegations from amateur athletes? Aly Raisman: Yeah, I personally think safe sport is...I'm trying to be respectful here...I don't like safe sport. I hear from many survivors that they report their abuse and it's like playing hot potato where someone else kicks it over to somebody else, and they don't hear back for a really long time. I think a really big issue is that safe sport is funded by USA Gymnastics or the United States Olympic Committee. I'm not sure exactly what the correct terminology is. But if you're SafeSport and you are funded by the organization you're investigating, they're likely not going to do the right thing. And so I think that it needs to be completely separate. And I personally think SafeSport needs a lot of work. And I know from many survivors and you know, my mom has personally reported things to safesport, but we've followed up so many times, they say we can't help you or they either ignore us or pass it on to somebody else and the person they pass it on to says they kick it back to them. It's just a complete mess and the priority doesn't seem to be safety and well being of athletes. It seems to be protecting USA Gymnastics and doing everything to keep the PR good. 2:10:15 Aly Raisman: Because the FBI made me feel like my abuse didn't count and it wasn't a big deal. And I remember sitting there with the FBI agent and him trying to convince me that it wasn't that bad. And it's taken me years of therapy to realize that my abuse was bad that it does matter. 2:11:33 Simone Biles: Okay, one more to add -- we also want to see them, at least be federally prosecuted to the fullest extent because they need to be held accountable. 3:03:54 FBI Director Christopher Wray: I want to be crystal clear, the actions and inaction of the FBI employees detailed in this report are totally unacceptable. These individuals betrayed the core duty that they have of protecting people. They failed to protect young women and girls from abuse. The work we do certainly is often complicated and uncertain, and we're never going to be perfect, but the kinds of fundamental errors that were made in this case in 2015 and 2016 should never have happened. 3:06:37 FBI Director Christopher Wray: When I received the Inspector General's report and saw that the Supervisory Special Agent in Indianapolis had failed to carry out even the most basic parts of the job, I immediately made sure he was no longer performing the functions of a Special Agent, and I can now tell you that that individual no longer works for the FBI in any capacity. 03:07:01 FBI Director Christopher Wray: As for the former Indianapolis specialists in charge, the descriptions of his behavior also reflect violations of the FBI, his long standing code of conduct and the ethical obligations for all FBI employees, especially senior officials. Now that individual has been gone for the Bureau for about three and a half years having retired in January of 2018. Before any review launched and I will say I will say it is extremely frustrating that we are left with little disciplinary recourse when people retire before their cases can be adjudicated. 3:11:10 Inspector General Michael Horowitz: Let me briefly just summarize the results of our investigation. In July 2015, USA Gymnastics reported the sexual assault allegations against Nassar to the FBI Indianapolis field office. USA Gymnastics officials described graphic information that had been provided by Ms. Maroney, Ms. Nichols and Ms. Raisman, and informed the FBI that all three athletes were available to be interviewed. However, it wasn't until six weeks later, on September 2, that the Indianapolis office interviewed Ms. Maroney by telephone as you heard, and neither Ms. Nichols nor Ms. Raisman were ever interviewed by that office. Moreover, the Indianapolis office did not formally document its interview of Ms. Maroney at the time, or its July meeting with USA Gymnastics. The Office also didn't formally open an investigation or an assessment of the matter. Immediately following that September 2 interview, the Indianapolis office and local federal prosecutors concluded there was no venue in Indianapolis for the federal investigation. Both offices also had serious questions as to whether there was federal criminal jurisdiction, as opposed to state or local jurisdiction. Yet the Indianapolis Field Office didn't advise state or local authorities about the allegations and didn't take any actions to mitigate the risks to gymnast that Nassar was continuing to treat. Further, that office failed to transfer the case to the FBI office that actually might have had venue, despite informing USA Gymnastics that it had actually done so. 3:12:45 Inspector General Michael Horowitz: After eight months of FBI inactivity, in May 2016, USA Gymnastics officials contacted the FBI Los Angeles field office to report the same allegations that they had provided to the Indianapolis office. Following this meeting, the LA office opened a federal investigation and undertook numerous investigative steps. But, critically, it didn't contact state or local authorities and it didn't take action to mitigate the ongoing threat presented by Nassar. 3:13:13 Inspector General Michael Horowitz: It wasn't until August 2016 when Michigan State University Police, that police department, received a separate sexual assault complaint from another gymnast. And in September 2016, the next month, the MSU Police Department executed a court authorized search of Nassar's residence. Among other things, they seized devices containing over 30,000 images of child pornography. 3:13:42 Inspector General Michael Horowitz: According to civil court documents, approximately 70 or more young athletes were allegedly sexually abused by Nassar under the guise of medical treatment between July 2015, when the FBI first received these allegations, until September 2016. 3:14:00 Inspector General Michael Horowitz: We further found that when the FBI's handling of the Nassar matter came under scrutiny in 2017 and 2018, Indianapolis officials provided inaccurate information to make it appear that they had actually been diligent in their follow-up efforts, and did so in part by blaming others. In addition, it resulted in the Indianapolis Supervisory Special Agent drafting a summary of his telephonic interview of Ms. Maroney from 2015. That summary included statements, as you heard from Ms. Maroney, that didn't accurately reflect what she had told them and could have actually jeopardized the criminal investigations by including false information that could have bolstered Nasser's defense. Further, we concluded that that agent made false testimony statements to the OIG in two interviews that we conducted. 3:14:55 Inspector General Michael Horowitz: We also learned during our investigation that in the fall of 2015, the FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge, Jay Abbott, met with USA Gymnastics president, Steve Penny, at a bar and discussed a potential job opportunity with the US Olympic Committee. Thereafter, Abbott engaged with Penny about both his interest in the US Olympic Committee job and the Nassar investigation, while at the same time participating in Nassar investigation discussions at the FBI. Abbott applied for the US Olympic Committee position in 2017. But wasn't selected. We determined that Abbott's actions violated the FBI's clear conflicts of interest policy. We also found that Abbott made false statements to the OIG and my agents in two interviews that we conducted. 3:19:21 FBI Director Christopher Wray: So we have something called CAFI's, which are Child Adolescent Forensic Interviewers. These are interviewers who are specially trained in the unique sensitivities of what it takes to interview people, victims, survivors of these kinds of crimes. And one of the reforms that we've put in place is to make crystal clear in policy that interviews of individuals like Miss Raisman should be conducted with those kinds of interviewers and they should not be conducted telephonically, they should be conducted in person wherever possible. That was true before, we've made it more clear now, and we're putting training in place --mandatory training. 3:20:12 Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL): General Horowitz, did any of the FBI employees or agents involved in this case deliberately misrepresent any facts to you and your investigation? Inspector General Michael Horowitz: They did. We found both that the person who wrote the report that Ms. Maroney testified about falsely testified to us about what he did in connection with that report, as well as other matters that we asked him about and Special Agent in Charge Abbott made false statements to us about the steps he took in 2015 when these allegations came in, but also about his job seeking efforts with the US Olympic Committee. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL): Do these deliberate misrepresentations reach the level of criminal violation? Inspector General Michael Horowitz: Well, we found that they violated criminal law sufficiently that in what we do at that point is make the referral to prosecutors to assess them because that's who needs to make the decision whether or not there will be charges brought. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL): Director Wray, what happened next? FBI Director Christopher Wray: Well, as inspector general Horowitz said, those were referred to the prosecutors over at the Justice Department and they're the ones that made the decision. As I understand it from Inspector General Horowitz's report the prosecutors at the Justice Department on two separate occasions, both in 2020 and then again in 2021, declined to prosecute, but I really would defer to the Justice Department for those. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL): Are you personally aware or professionally aware of any facts or circumstances that would lead to that decision? FBI Director Christopher Wray: I am not. 3:22:49 FBI Director Christopher Wray: So there's a whole bunch of things we've done differently. First, we've accepted every single one of Inspector General Horowitz's recommendations, and then some. We've already begun implementing all of those. We are strengthening policies, we're strengthening procedures. We're taking training, we're strengthening our systems, all building in double checked triple checks, safeguards, oversight, different ways of making sure that we cannot have as occurred here, in certain instances, a single point of failure. That's one of the lessons here that is just totally unacceptable. And so part of what's built in is a bunch of, as I said, double and triple, even quadruple checks to make sure that that doesn't happen, both in terms of how the initial reports are handled with the appropriate urgency, but also in terms of communication. One of the important recommendations from Inspector General Horowitz is reporting to state local law enforcement, as well as communications between field offices, transfers between field offices. 3:31:20 FBI Director Christopher Wray: My understanding of the most senior individual involved, based on looking at the thorough and independent investigation that Inspector General Horowitz conducted, was that the most senior individual with knowledge and responsibility was the Special Agent in Charge in Indianapolis, Mr. Abbott. 3:32:23 Inspector General Michael Horowitz: FBI policies don't require the level of detail and reporting to the headquarters unit that would, for example, put the responsibility directly on them to have notified state local authorities. 3:56:55 Senator Chris Coons (D-DE): My impression from what she'd said, and what I've read is that their concern is that USA Gymnastics and the Olympic Committee have thrown a variety of roadblocks into a genuinely thorough investigation into whether there had or hadn't been previous incidents similar to Dr. Nassar, either in USA Gymnastics or within sports more broadly. It is hard to believe that this is the only time that there's been a failing of this scale. Given, Director Wray, when you just said about the 16,000 arrests, we all know that the horror of child sexual abuse is tragically far more widespread in this country and around the world than any of us would like to see. So first. Mr. Horwitz, do you think there is still a pressing need? And who would be the appropriate entity to conduct that? And what if any advice do you have for us on respecting her request to this committee? Inspector General Michael Horowitz: It's a great question, Senator Coons. And, frankly, as you indicated, the reason we can do a report like this and other reports that we've been able to do is because of the statutory authorities that we've been given by the Congress that make us independent. And by the way, picking up on something Miss Raisman said, which was very perceptive, about who is funding the oversight, as you know, back in 2008, we were given an independent budget line so that our budget is not coming from the Justice Department, but is being set by an independent appropriator. I don't know, as I sit here, frankly, what the oversight mechanisms are currently on USOC and the other entities. But actually, one of the things I did have a chance to talk with Senator Blumenthal about during the break was the importance of given what I'd heard from these gymnast's, the very issue you just mentioned, which is thinking about what is the right independent oversight mechanism of those bodies, which are not just private entities, right? These are organizations that have been sanctioned by Congress to oversee our US athletes, and they need strong oversight as well and I'm happy to work with you as well Senator, and the committee, in thinking about how to do that because we are seeing the IG (Inspector General) model replicated in many places, as you know, across the country, including many state and local entities. 4:04:55 Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN): What steps are you taking to ensure that the agents communicate allegations of sexual assault with local law enforcement? FBI Director Christopher Wray: So we've enhanced our policies and procedures on the specific issue of reporting sake and local law enforcement built in. Now they have to document it, which they didn't have to before. And that builds in, as inspector general Horowitz referred to, an ability to hold them accountable. They have to alert their supervisors. So there's a second set of eyes. So that would help. We've also enhanced our training to make clear that it's mandatory and that's regardless of whether there's some question about potential federal jurisdiction. We can continue to investigate if we there's federal jurisdiction, but we have to do, on a parallel track, report to the appropriate state and local or, in some cases, social services agencies as well. 4:06:36 FBI Director Christopher Wray: So I appreciate the question. There are two pieces of this one. The Child Adolescent Forensic Interviewers (CAFIs), which again, is a very specific discipline that requires very specific sensitivities and skill sets. And we've changed our policies to reinforce the use of those interviewers for these kinds of cases. Second is our victim services division. And one of the things that we changed even before receiving inspector general Horowitz his report on my watch is to make clear that the victim services that we provide, which is a little bit different from the forensic interviewing part of it, but it's also very important to handling these survivors with the appropriate sensitivity, that that is triggered at any stage. There is not just a full investigation, but we're in when we're in the assessment or pre-assessment phase. It has to happen there too. 4:07:42 FBI Director Christopher Wray: The scale of this kind of criminality in the country, as reflected by the 18,000 investigations that we've had over the past five years and the 16,000 arrests that we with our partners have made over the last five years, I think goes to your question about resources. And I can assure you that if the Congress were to see fit to give us more resources for those programs, they would immediately be able to be put to good use. 4:12:15 Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CN): Jay Abbott lied to you. Why do you in the course of your investigation of his Miss Congo 18 United States Code 1001. People get prosecuted for making false statements when they applied to a bank, federally insured bank for a mortgage. And here is a federal agent, the former Special Agent in Charge of the Indianeapolis office making a material false statement to you. In your investigation, you refer that for criminal prosecution, did you not? Inspector General Michael Horowitz: That's correct. 4:42:30 Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA): Could you please elaborate on the nature of the discussions between Mr. Abbott and Mr. Penny, regarding potential employment for Mr. Abbott at institutions associated with USA Gymnastics or the US Olympic Committee? Inspector General Michael Horowitz: I can. They began, as I mentioned in a discussion that they had when they met at a bar in 2015, where Mr. Penny and Mr. Abbott discussed a future job opening, Head of Security at the US Olympic Committee, that Mr. Penny expected to occur. That initial discussion led to Mr. Abbott's interest in the position. And then there are ongoing discussions between the two of them, as we outlined in the report, in emails that we've seen, where Mr. Abbott expresses his interest in the job. And equally troubling, acknowledges that it would be inappropriate for him and a conflict of interest for him to pursue the position because of the ongoing Nassar investigation. Yet, as we found in 2017, that is precisely what he did in applying for the job, which he was never ultimately interviewed for. Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA): And who initiated the discussion about employment prospects? Was that an opportunity dangled by Mr. Penny? Or was it solicited by Mr. Abbott? Inspector General Michael Horowitz: That was an opportunity mentioned first by Mr. Penny, because of his understanding that there might be a future retirement or an upcoming retirement at the US Olympic Committee. Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA): So just to be clear, Mr. Penny, the Chief Executive at USA Gymnastics, while there is an ongoing FBI inquiry into gross misconduct, criminal activity and sexual abuse by at least one USA Gymnastics employee, raises with the Special Agent in Charge at the field office that is steering this investigation, the prospect of potentially lucrative and prestigious employment at a parallel organization where Mr. Penny may have influence. Is that correct? Inspector General Michael Horowitz: That's correct. And at the same time, writing in emails for example, how he's looking for additional information about the Nassar investigation and events as they occur. 4:46:06 Inspector General Michael Horowitz: The challenge on Mr. Abbott, with regard to the criminal issue here, which is 18 USC 208, which is the federal criminal statute is a, I think I mentioned this earlier, challenging one and that's being generous with speaking about how it's written to determine whether there was a criminal violation. The challenge here was, and I'm focused on the law here as to how 208 is because Mr. Abbott was looking for a job at the US Olympic Committee, and Mr. Penny was employed by the US Gymnastics Federation Association, two different entities, that situation is not clearly covered by 208. No matter how clear it would be to a layperson the interactions between those two entities. Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio)

Episode SummaryMatthew Futterman, avid marathoner, journalist and author of “Running to the Edge” on his love for running, book and state of running currentlyShow Notes02:30 – Matt introduces himself 08:25 – “Running to the Edge” book and Bob Larsen11:10 – Transformation of American distance running from year 200013:55 – Lessons from Bob Larsen and his athletes20:00 – Decline and revival of American distance running – 1980s to now26:00 – Current success of American Women’s running32:45 – Is the marathon pushing out shorter distances like 5K?38:50 – Views on track runners switching to marathon earlier in their career41:05 – Super fast shoes44:30 – ‘Breaking-2’ hour barrier in the marathon46:15 – Recommendations on resourcesMatthew Futterman’s BooksRunning to the Edge – Amazon LinkPlayers: How Sports Became a Business - Amazon LinkFollow MattTwitter: @MattFuttermanRecommendations on resourcesEd Caesar’s Book: Two Hours: The Quest to Run the Impossible Marathon - Amazon LinkFrank Shorter’s Book: My Marathon: Reflections on a Gold Medal Life - Amazon LinkWebsite: https://www.letsrun.com/Morning Shakeout Podcast - https://themorningshakeout.com/Contact Details for Running and Fitness with RajWebsite: runfitraj.comJoin WhatsApp Group:https://chat.whatsapp.com/KUa5ddQDDlf22imAFJNcqhemail:runningandfitnesswithraj@gmail.comFacebook Group:Running and Fitness with RajInstagram:Instagram @runningandfitnesswithrajTwitter @RunningRaj Listen and SubscribeThank you for listening and supporting "Running and Fitness with Raj". If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, spread the word and rate & review on iTunes or wherever you are listening to your podcast. AppleSpotifyJioSaavnGoogle PodcastsStitcherCastboxTuneInPodcast AddictPodchaser

This week, we reviewed our book of the quarter, "Running to the Edge" by Matthew Futterman. "Running to the Edge" is the story of Bob Larsen, who coached a ragtag group of runners to a U.S. cross-country championship in the 1970s, coached the UCLA track and cross-country teams through the 1980s and 1990s, and coached Meb Keflezighi for Meb's entire career. Despite our appreciation for Larsen and our enjoying Futterman's storytelling, we had mixed feelings about the book.

In the first segment, Dr. Jeffrey Ratliff talks with Dr. Elizabeth Matthews about her paper on super-refractory status epilepticus. In the second part of the podcast, Dr. Jason Crowell speaks with Matthew Futterman about hit New York Times article on neurologic sequela in sledding athletes. Read the NYT article here: https://nyti.ms/3mNBlhE.  Disclosures can be found at Neurology.org. CME Opportunity: Listen to this week’s Neurology Podcast and earn 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 CME Credits™ by completing the online Podcast quiz.

“By being last, I obviously didn’t want to be last. I wanted to just beat one kid in swimming, running or whatever it was. I just wanted to get a little bit faster. Having that mindset of ‘getting a little bit faster’ is really what took me all around the world on a competitive world stage. Just wanting to be a little bit better each day and each time I compete...It was a slow progression of keep moving forward and really not letting the naysayers get to you. When you’re doing something unique and different, there will always be people who say that will not be possible or something negative about it.” Rudy Garcia-Tolson is a four-time U.S. Paralympian in swimming and track. He has got a truly inspiring story that starts with being born with popliteal pterygium syndrome that resulted in a club foot, webbed fingers on both hands, a cleft lip and the inability to straighten his legs. At 5 years old and after many operations, he made the decision to amputate both of his legs and move forward with his life on prosthetics. This allowed him to get his start in sports and primarily swimming where he’d usually be the last one to finish races. He never gave up and set incremental goals along the way, which eventually landed him representing the U.S. at the 2004 Summer Games in Athens. When it comes to running, he has set American records in his age group and classification in distances from the 400 meters to the half marathon. He has also completed an Ironman. In addition to all of that, he’s done a lot of work with New York Road Runners in guiding kids with disabilities to get their own start in sports and running. You’d think that four Paralympics would be enough for someone but the pandemic has bought him an extra year to try and make a run for a 5th. He was recently profiled in The New York Times about this because there was a point where he had to improvise and just run 10 miles in Brooklyn without much else to do for training. We hope you all learn more about everything Rudy has had to overcome and persevere. Read Rudy's story in the Times by Matthew Futterman: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/15/sports/olympics/rudy-garcia-tolson-paralympics.html Follow Rudy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rudygarciatolson/

Jon and Bryan discuss Bob Larsen's path to becoming one of the most influential coaches in distance running, including:- His initial thoughts about Robert Lusitana's film "City Slickers Can't Stay With Me" and his reluctance to make it- His life growing up on a farm in Minnesota with no electricity or running water some 15 miles from the nearest town- The challenge of raising children when their life experiences are so different, and Bob's experience seeing his children and his runners adopt the values he tried to instill- Why you need to be able to see a person's life through their eyes if you hope to get the best out of them- His advice to his runners: if you're going to get the best out of yourself, you need to get the best out the people around you. Including your coach.- How he used moderate improvements and successes in his athletes' performance to get them to pursue success in other areas- The conflict of investing so much time in your athletes and the job of coaching--from Sunday morning runs to trips to Europe or training camps--and the challenge of balancing that with family responsibilities- His decision to de-emphasize the distance events when he became the head coach at UCLA, when many coaches gave their scholarships to distance runners in hopes of competing for Track and Cross Country titles- Why high school is the best level to be a coach, and why Bob misses it- How he handled athletes leaving his program and moving on- Why the decrease in scholarships at the NCAA level and the move to low volume training methods in the 90s caused the club scene--and American distance running--to decline- What a threshold (or tempo) run is, how it should be executed, and what the minimum length of a threshold run should be for most high school athletes- The conversation that shifted Bryan's approach to training and unlocked more of his ability- How he evaluated his success for each season by whether the year ended with a "wow factor"- How he came to believe altitude training was key, and why they chose Mammoth Lakes, CA, for their training location- His ability to be at the forefront of three critical trends--threshold training, altitude training, and group training--and why he was able to build his training program around them when so many other coaches didn't- How threshold training played a key role in Jon's breakout season, and the incredibly fast threshold run he did training for the World Cross Country Championships- Karen Hecox's surprise NCAA 3000m Championship off of a summer of training with her future husband- Why Meb didn't expand his training group in Mammoth and how he eventually prioritized the control over the workout over the benefits of having others there to push him- And finally, the secret of threshold training: it's the way runners love to run. If you liked this episode, you might also like our interviews with Merhawi Keflezighi (Meb's brother) and Ben Auerbach.Recorded July 1, 2020.References:City Slickers Can't Stay With Me - Amazon Prime VideoRunning to the Edge by Matthew Futterman - AmazonMake the Leap by Bryan Green - On sale end of summer/early fallGuest:Bob LarsenHosts:Bryan Green, @sendaibry, Go Be More BlogJon Rankin, @chasejonrankin, Go Be MoreLinks:Go Be More websiteGo Be More YouTube ChannelFeedbackSubscribe on your favorite player:Simplecast 

Matthew Futterman is the Deputy Sports Editor of The New York Times, a 24x Marathoner and author of the incredible, page turning book, Running to The Edge: A Band of Misfits and The Guru Who Unlocked The Secrets of Speed. It is the inspiring story of the visionary running coach Bob Larsen, one of America's greatest running coaches, his foray into the nuances of distance running and uncovering the secrets of speed, meshed with the captivating stories behind Larsen's runners, The Jamul Toads and American Olympians Meb Keflezighi and Deena Castor. Running to the Edge offers a look into the science, techniques, history of running. Inspired by his passion and connection to running, Matthew weaves his personal narrative into the book as he shares the story of compelling story of Bob Larsen and his winning, game-changing athletes. On today's episode, Matthew and Marni sync up about runninng, his foray into journalism, and the inspiration behind his book. We talk about some of the lessons and insight he gained while writing the book from altitude training to speed and distance tips, the 60's and 70's fringe running culture and the original running boom and 1976 National Cross Country Championships, the event that changed American running forever. CONNECT @Matthew Futterman on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @MarniOnTheMove Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn Special thanks to Long Slow Distance series partners Mad Ritual, On, Roka, SaltStick, Nuun Hydration, and Navitas Organics. Shop our Offers, Deals, and Favorite Products + Brands from our new series Long Slow Distance on our website. Sign up for our Newsletter, The Download for Marni on the Move updates, exclusive offers, invites to events, and exciting news! FOLLOW SERIES PARTNERS @MadRitual @Onrunning @roka @SaltStick @NuunHydration @NavitasOrganics --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/marni-salup/support

Long Slow Distance is a new seasonal Marni on the Move podcast series purely focused on endurance sports. On each episode, I will speak with athletes, coaches, and industry experts offering a deep dive into training and racing, with insight and advice, compelling stories, event preps and debriefs and of course the mind altering concept of Long Slow Distance. The series is inspired by my training for the 2019 TCS NYC Marathon, born from a decade of training for running and triathlon events, paralleled with my love/hate relationship with doing long slow distance and the desire to be fast. I will be conversing with runners, triathletes, swimmers, cyclists, climbers, nutritionists, physical therapists and more. If you listen to Marni on the Move on the regular, you know I often get into to the weeds with Marni on the Move endurance athlete guests about their training and racing. Now I am hosting this dedicated seasonal series on all things, endurance sports. We have an exciting line up of guests for season one: Matthew Futterman, The New York Times Deputy Sports Editor, 24x Marathoner, and author of Running to the Edge. Andrew Kalley, one of NYC's top triathlon, running, strength and conditioning coaches and award winning, podium placing triathlete and runner Susannah Scaroni, 2x US Paralympian, American Marathon World Record holder 1:30:41, Team Tokyo 2020, and competitor in TCS NYC Marathon 2019 Tyler McCandless, a top American distance runner, Machine Learning Scientist and Ph.D. in Meteorology, competitor in the TCS NYC Marathon 2019, and Kauai Marathon Ambassador. The Wassner Twins, Rebeccah and Laurel Wassner, championship winning, Professional Triathletes. Long Slow Distance is fueled by a few of my favorite brands, the ones I use every day for training, racing and life including Mad Ritual, On, Roka, Nunn Hydration, SaltStick, and Navitas Organics. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/marni-salup/support

This time of the year there’s a lot of attention put on goals, resolutions, getting motivated, and having the best year ever. I think there’s every more hype about it this year because we’re starting a new decade. The title of this episode is based on a book I read recently called How to Have a Good Day-Harness the Power of Behavioral Science To Transform Your Working Life by Caroline Webb. I have to admit that when I’m reading a book I often apply the principles to long distance running. Because we all know that training for a marathon holds a lot of parallels to life. Caroline Webb says, “One of the traps that people fall into is not just trying to do everything in one day, but also feeling that being an ambitious person means pushing yourself super, super hard. What we know about human motivation is that you do want to set purposeful, inspiring goals, but we make more progress by setting tiny interim goals that allow us to feel like we’re making progress, step by step, day by day.”How to Have a Good Decade In order to have a great decade behavioral science gives us some clues as to what will help us accomplish this.1. Be intentional Don’t let the day simply happen to you (or year for that matter). Set intentions and priorities for the day because it is these priorities and assumptions that set the tone for the day. Your mind is always busy sorting through endless amounts of information (it’s even processing when we sleep). Caroline Webb says,“The things that get through the filters are strongly influenced by the priorities and assumptions that we take into the day.” The three ways to be intentional are aim, attitude, and attention Aim Plan out the most important things in your day. Make a list of your priorities. This will be things that really matter most to make this day successful. Even though I’ve been in the regular habit of exercise for years I still schedule time each day for my workouts. That way it’s top of mind and I’m intentionally making time to do it. Schedule a block of time to achieve your 1-2 most important priorities. In order to get more done and stay focused it’s important to reduce multi-tasking and interruptions. Science tells us that we really can’t multi-task effectively. This will mean that you turn off notifications on your phone during productive periods, be more intentional about when you check email, and help others respect your priorities. According to behavioral science your intentions for the day should be: Positive– Think about what you’ll do instead of what not to do. For example, I will eat 100 grams of protein vs. I won’t snack between meals. Or I will strength train on Tuesday and Thursday this week vs. I won’t skip strength training. Personally meaningful– If you’re going to work hard toward a goal it’s important that it be meaningful to you. You must find your personal why. It’s great if your best friend is fired up about doing a 50k but unless that goal fires you up then you’ll probably hate the process of training. Feasible– Keep in mind that you have limited time and energy each day so don’t over-schedule yourself. For example, don’t schedule your long run on a day when you’ll be attending kid’s sporting events from dawn to dusk. It’s just not feasible if you plan on watching their games. Another example is not to schedule your long run immediately after coming off a string of night shifts when your energy levels will typically be low. Situation specific– Approach goals are better than avoidance goals (not doing something) which depresses performance. A positive approach goal for training for a marathon would be to feel strong and healthy. An avoidance goal would be to not feel fat and lazy. An approach goal could also be to prioritize cross training to stay healthy and injury free. An avoidance goal would be to stop dealing with plantar fasciitis. Attitude Practice gratitude. Much of how we experience life comes down to our attitude. To work on having a successful attitude use mental contrasting to increase the odds of having a successful day. Mental contrasting is all about looking at realities and obstacles and then making a plan to achieve your goals. It’s not that we never admit that there are unpleasant things in our life or obstacles that we face. But it is about coming up with a plan to overcome these obstacles and be successful anyway. Former POW James Stockdale said this, “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end…with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality.” Don’t be afraid to be realistic about where you’re currently at but at the same time be sure to project hope for the future. Caroline Webb says, “People are far more likely to achieve their goals if they think hard about both the outcome they want and the obstacles they’re facing, and plan for both.” For example, if you find that you’re rarely able to get up and run in the morning (you use the snooze button without even realizing it), set your alarm away from your bed so that you have to get up to turn it off. If you’re truly not a morning person you may want to consider working out over your lunch break or in the evening. There’s no one-size-fits-all routine that works for everyone. But if you’re really intentional you’ll find a solution that works for you. Attention We need to prime our brain with the images or words that we want to focus on. I mentioned earlier that the brain is always sorting through so much information. It’s vital that we be intentional about where we want our attention to go. For example, if you’re thinking about buying a certain type of shoes it’s on your mind and you’ll start seeing them everywhere. If you’re a runner then you’ll start noticing all the people who are out running or be looking for new running routes. Prime your brain with images of your goals and intentions for the day and you’ll find opportunities to advance the goals and come up with creative solutions. Ways to prime your brain to achieve your goals are to put sticky notes with your written goals where you’ll see them (bathroom mirror, refrigerator, computer, etc). You may choose to display your running medals, wear your race shirts, or have exercise equipment around the house to cue your brain.2. Find a personal why It’s clear that intrinsic motivation leads to higher performance as opposed to extrinsic motivation. If you’re doing it for yourself then you’re more likely to succeed. Some motivations to run your first marathon are more meaningful than others. If you’re training for a race because someone else is excited about it or pressuring you or you’re trying to impress other people it will be tough to keep going when things get hard. Other more helpful whys include focusing on who you want to become and how you’re going to start living into that identity. If you start seeing yourself as a runner and as a marathoner then your daily actions will reflect that identity and it will change the choices that you make. A marathoner runs regularly. They take care of their bodies in ways that will keep them strong and healthy. They’re smart about their training in order to avoid injury.3. Think big but start small I 100% love it when people have big goals. But sometimes people never get past the big goals to see the smaller actions that they need to be taking. Daily goals should be focused and achievable. The book Atomic Habits by James Clear addresses this topic so well. An atomic habit is a small routine or practice that’s easy to do and something that creates compound growth. We often get stuck in bad habits not because we don’t want to change but because we often don’t have the right system in place to achieve change. Maybe your goal is to stop snacking after dinner. But if you eat sporadically through the day, don’t prioritize eating protein with dinner, and keep snacks in sight you’ll probably find yourself on a feeding frenzy late in the evening. Or maybe your goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon (or BQ in runner lingo). It can be a big goal that takes time to achieve. Progress toward this goal is achieved through the training you do day in and day out. You build strength and speed over time. We often underestimate how much little changes can result in big growth over time. James Clear talks about the 4 Laws of Behavior Change in his book. They are: make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, and make it satisfying. He says, “Success is the product of daily habits—not once-in-a-lifetime transformations….Breakthrough moments are often the result of many previous actions, which build up the potential required to unleash a major change.” We can often look at someone’s breakthrough moment and feel a little envious. We think, “why isn’t that happening for me?” But what we don’t often see is all the tiny steps and all the hard work and effort that led to that breakthrough. Breakthroughs don’t usually happen by accident and sometimes we can’t predict when they’ll happen for us. For example, I ran 25 marathons before I qualified for Boston for the first time.4. Identify Keystone Habits Keystone habits are changes or habits that unintentionally carry over into other areas of life. Charles Duhigg talked about keystone habits in his book The Power of Habit. Keystone habits are things that positively or negatively affect other areas of your life. They include positive habits like sleep, exercise, mindfulness, and healthy eating, etc. When you look at keystone habits it’s important to identify the things that bring you energy and also try to identify the energy vampires in your life. Here are some examples of each: Energy givers– sleep, alone time, meditation, exercise, reading, eating balanced meals, time in nature, massages, etc… Energy vampires– Here are some of my energy vampires: getting less than 7 hours of sleep, too much screen time (watching TV, spending excess time on social media), not setting priorities for the day, too much sugar, going long periods between meals, not exercising, not drinking enough water, caffeine, and alcohol. This will vary from person to person depending on whether you’re an introvert or extrovert and a morning or night person. Many people find that certain music can bring an energy boost so it can be helpful to keep a playlist of songs that you can turn to when you need a power up. You may also notice that certain people in your life are energy givers while some are energy vampires.5. Harness the power of environment. We want to recognize that it can be tough to make changes and stick to goals on your own. That’s why tapping into the power of environment can fast track you to achieving goals. James Clear says, “We tend to imitate the habits of three social groups: the close (family and friends), the many (the tribe), and the powerful (those with status and prestige.)” This is why I’m careful about who I follow on social media. You may find that certain people give you a kick in the pants and are motivating while others just make you unhappy with your life. You have limited time so make sure that your environment is working for you. James Clear goes on to say, “One of the most effective things you can do to build better habits is to join a culture where (1) your desired behavior is the normal behavior and (2) you already have something in common with the group.” That’s one of the reasons why we created MTA and more specifically the Academy. We know how important it is to be surrounded by supportive and encouraging people who are achieving the things you are (or want to achieve). If you find that the majority of people in your life respond to your running goals with “that’s crazy (and not the good kind of crazy)” then it may be time to add in some people who think you’re a badass. One of the things I love about long distance running is that all you have control over is the work you put in and your attitude. You can go out each day with the mindset to “always do your best” (that doesn’t mean go hard every day and run yourself into the ground). Anyone who’s run for any length of time knows that you can show up to a workout or race and have the best day of your life or the worst day of your life or maybe something in between. You really can’t control all the variables. All you can control is your preparation and attitude. Let’s make this new decade one where we approach it with the right preparation and attitude.Books I Enjoyed in 2019 My 2019 reading round-up: 268 Total Books 133 Fiction 135 Non-fiction 31 (Number During Top Month of January) Here are the 16 Running Related Books I Read: Hanson’s Marathon Method by Luke Humphrey Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins A Beautiful Work in Progress by Mirna Valerio Run the Mile You’re In by Ryan Hall (podcast interview) 26 Marathons by Meb Keflezighi (podcast interview) To be a Runner by Martin Dugard (podcast interview) The Long Run by Matt Long You (Only Faster) by Greg McMillan The Running Man by Orville Rogers Run or Die by Kilian Jornet Running- A Love Story by Jen A. Miller 14 Minutes by Alberto Salazar Running Outside Your Comfort Zone by Susan Lacke (podcast interview) Running to the Edge by Matthew Futterman (podcast interview) Rebound: Train Your Mind to Bounce Back Stronger From Sports Injuries by Cindy Kuzma and Carrie Jackson Cheadle Kicksology by Brian Metzler (podcast interview) Here are my 28 Favorite Non-Fiction Books of 2019 How to Have a Good Day by Caroline Webb How to be Here by Rob Bell Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown Let Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer Atomic Habits by James Clear Tribe by Sebastian Junger Judgment Detox by Gabrielle Bernstein Inheritance by Dani Shapiro Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston American Wolf by Nate Blakeslee Maid by Stephanie Land Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert Half the Sky by Nicolas Kristof and Sheryl Wu Dunn Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics by Dan Harris Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin Cozy Minimalistic Home by Myquillyn Smith Make Your Bed and Sea Stories by Admiral William H Mcraven Running the Books by Avi Steinberg The Vietnam War by Geoffrey C Ward Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss Thank You for Your Service by David Finkel Strays by Britt Collins Endurance by Scott Kelly The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo Here are my 13 Favorite Fiction Picks Fools and Mortals by Bernard Cornwell The Circle by Dave Eggers The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo Dark Matter & Recursion by Blake Crouch Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas The Bonesetters Daughter by Amy Tan The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck Revenger & Shadow Captain by Alastair Reynolds The Revenant by Michael Punke Great Expectations by Charles Dickens The post How to Have a Good Decade appeared first on Marathon Training Academy.

On September 9, 2019, three writers appeared at Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge to share some of the most interesting stories in sports business. Speaking in this episode: Matthew Futterman, deputy sports editor of The New York Times and author of Players: How Sports Became a Business, discussed his new book, Running to the Edge: A Band of Misfits and the Guru Who Unlocked the Secrets of Speed.

Matthew Futterman is the Deputy Sports Editor of The New York Times, a 24x Marathoner and author of the incredible, page turning book, Running to The Edge: A Band of Misfits and The Guru Who Unlocked The Secrets of Speed.   It is the inspiring story of the visionary running coach Bob Larsen, one of America’s greatest running coaches, his foray into the nuances of distance running and uncovering the secrets of speed, meshed with the captivating stories behind Larsen’s runners, The Jamul Toads and American Olympians Meb Keflezighi and Deena Castor.  Running to the Edge offers a look into the science, techniques, history of running. Inspired by his passion and connection to running, Matthew weaves his personal narrative into the book as he shares the story of compelling story of Bob Larsen and his winning, game-changing athletes. On today’s episode, Matthew and Marni sync up about runninng, his foray into journalism, and the inspiration behind his book. We talk about some of the lessons and insight he gained while writing the book from altitude training to speed and distance tips, the 60’s and 70’s fringe running culture and the original running boom and 1976 National Cross Country Championships, the event that changed American running forever. CONNECT  @Matthew Futterman on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @MarniOnTheMove Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn Special thanks to Long Slow Distance series partners Mad Ritual, On, Roka, SaltStick, Nuun Hydration, and Navitas Organics. Shop our Offers, Deals, and Favorite Products + Brands from our new series Long Slow Distance on our website. Sign up for our Newsletter, The Download for Marni on the Move updates, exclusive offers, invites to events, and exciting news! FOLLOW SERIES PARTNERS @MadRitual @Onrunning @roka @SaltStick @NuunHydration @NavitasOrganics

Long Slow Distance is a new seasonal Marni on the Move podcast series purely focused on endurance sports. On each episode, I will speak with athletes, coaches, and industry experts offering a deep dive into training and racing, with insight and advice, compelling stories, event preps and debriefs and of course the mind altering concept of Long Slow Distance.  The series is inspired by my training for the 2019 TCS NYC Marathon, born from a decade of training for running and triathlon events, paralleled with my love/hate relationship with doing long slow distance and the desire to be fast.  I will be conversing with runners, triathletes, swimmers, cyclists, climbers, nutritionists, physical therapists and more.   If you listen to Marni on the Move on the regular, you know I often get into to the weeds with Marni on the Move endurance athlete guests about their training and racing. Now I am hosting this dedicated seasonal series on all things, endurance sports.   We have an exciting line up of guests for season one: Matthew Futterman, The New York Times Deputy Sports Editor, 24x Marathoner, and author of Running to the Edge. Andrew Kalley, one of NYC’s top triathlon, running, strength and conditioning coaches and award winning, podium placing triathlete and runner Susannah Scaroni, 2x US Paralympian, American Marathon World Record holder 1:30:41, Team Tokyo 2020, and competitor in TCS NYC Marathon 2019 Tyler McCandless, a top American distance runner, Machine Learning Scientist and Ph.D. in Meteorology, competitor in the TCS NYC Marathon 2019, and Kauai Marathon Ambassador. The Wassner Twins, Rebeccah and Laurel Wassner, championship winning, Professional Triathletes. The first five episodes are going up October 20-27, so get ready. And the last two episodes, big surprise! Long Slow Distance is fueled by a few of my favorite brands, the ones I use every day for training, racing and life including Mad Ritual, On, Roka, Nunn Hydration, SaltStick, and Navitas Organics. PARTNERS Mad Ritual Mad Ritual has changed my recovery game in a big way!  Get ready to recover like a rebel with these awesome high quality CBD infused products!  Their CBD Balm is off the charts amazing! And I’m not the only one that thinks so, Mad Ritual has 100+ five star reviews. The balms have five simple organic ingredients coconut oil, shea butter, olive oil, plant wax, CBD and different blends of essential oils. I prefer the eucalyptus and peppermint. They also offer a terrific CBD infused totally recovery supplement. Not just for athletes, the products are formulated to ease all of the aches and pains that come along with being an active human.  So, if you’re sore from life, Mad Ritual gets it. Founded by women, athletes, and active entrepreneurs, they are committed to helping active folks bring more balance to their lives. On On running shoes offer runners the perfect mix of design and function, Running in On is a game changing experience thanks to their proprietary Cloudtec ® Technology, you really do feel like you are running on clouds, whatever your shoe preference is.  I have several pairs as I am logging lots of miles for the TCS NYC Marathon and switch out my sneakers often depending on the distance.   Side note, I have a few pairs that I use for fashion and every day.  Founder David Allemann was a guest on the podcast, tune in and find out more.  Shop theor website at https://www.on-running.com. Roka I’ve been wearing Roka wetsuits for triathlon for the past five years and they have been a terrific for my swimming speed and comfortability.  When I learned they were expanding beyond wetsuits and goggles and introducing eyewear, I immediately got a pair of their sunglasses, which I have been wearing for the past four months. No matter how hard I try, I can’t shake them off my head, which is great since I am always on the move.  All Roka products are high tech, performance focused,

Running to the Edge: A Band of Misfits and the Guru Who Unlocked the Secrets of Speed is a new book by New York Times Deputy Editor Matthew Futterman Matt, a avid runner, tells the story of the evolution of running from the 1950s, when it was just as odd to see a naked person walking down the street as it is to see someone running, until today.  He describes this evolution of speed and endurance through the story of Bob Larsen, a hall of fame track field coach.  He explains what we have learned about running science through the experience that Coach Larsen had coaching the small-town Jamul Toads to a national championship and coaching the great Meb Keflzighi's amazing career. Instagram 

In this episode we bring you an interview with Bob Larsen -pioneering running coach, retired Head of Track and Field at UCLA, Meb Keflezighi’s coach, and co-founder of the Mammoth Track Club. Plus Angie will tell you about a GPS watch with a super long battery life. Interview with Coach Bob Larsen In our last episode author Matthew Futterman told us about the “guru who unlocked the secrets of speed”. Well, we are thrilled to have an opportunity to speak with that the guru himself! Coach Larsen was born in 1939, he’s 80 years old at the time of this recording and still runs everyday! He coached at Grossmont College and Monte Vista College where his teams won conference titles and national championships. He then became the Head Track and Field Coach at UCLA where he led athletes to a total of 20 NCAA titles. After he retired from UCLA he and coach Joe Vigil founded the Mammoth Track Club in order to made US marathoners competitive again on at the international level. On the team was Meb Keflezighi -the only man who has won the New York City Marathon, The Boston Marathon, and an Olympic medal, and Deana Kastor -holds the fastest marathon time (2:19:36) for a female athlete in the U.S. and winner of the Chicago Marathon, the London Marathon, and a bronze medal in the 2004 Olympic games. In 2019 he was given the Legend Coach Award by USATF -the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. See the movie City Slickers Can’t Stay With Me: The Coach Bob Larsen Story. You can currently get it on Amazon Prime and iTunes. Also check out the book Running the Edge -A Band of Misfits and the Guru Who Unlocked the Secrets of Speed by Matthew Futterman. You can hear our interview with the author here. Also Mentioned in This Episode The Chirp Wheel+ is a back-pain relief device that targets muscles around your spine. Use code MTA for 15% off. The Runner’s Toolbox -8 inexpensive items to keep at home to prevent and self-treat running injuries. The post Interview with Coach Bob Larsen appeared first on Marathon Training Academy.

Growth happens when you step outside your comfort zone! A comfort zone is something you carry with you as you move through life. This comfort zone is very much like an invisible bubble of sorts that surrounds your psyche. And as you go about your day and encounter different circumstances, this bubble constantly expands and constricts depending on your situation.  Having peak performance in life and in fitness starts by seeking that edge, that threshold, and staying there.  If you can’t confront something that’s outside of your comfort zone, then you won’t venture forward. And you can’t expand. In other words, you keep yourself limited.  When it comes to this philosophy, Coach Bob Larsen was the master. When the running craze was in its infancy in the ‘70s, Coach Larsen took an unconventional group of young, rag-tag track and cross-country runners and launched them onto the national stage. During the course of his career, Coach Larsen developed sought-after training techniques that made him one of the greatest coaches of all time.  Our guest is Matthew Futterman, author of Running to the Edge, which presents a riveting account of visionary coach Bob Larsen, who changed the sport of running in America. The book is about the coach, the runners, and the training techniques. But even if you're not a runner, don’t miss this episode. There's a big takeaway for everyone, no matter what you do or who you are. This is a story about taking risks, stepping outside your comfort zone, changing your destiny, and knowing that if you work hard, you can do better tomorrow than you did yesterday. Matthew is a New York Times Deputy Sports Editor, and has previously worked for The Wall Street Journal, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Star-Ledger of New Jersey, where he was a part of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News. And, Matthew is also an avid runner. For show notes, visit www.kathysmith.com/podcast.

In this podcast episode we speak with Matthew Futterman, sports editor at the New York Times, about his new book Running to the Edge -A Band of Misfits and the Guru Who Unlocked the Secrets of Speed. This interview provides an interesting overview of the last four decades of distance running, a reminder of how far we’ve come, and plenty of motivation to run to your edge! In the quick tip segment, Angie shares a mantra for getting through the last 10k of a marathon. Interview with Matthew Futterman The author with Coach Bob Larson (photo credit: Matthew Futterman) Matthew Futterman is Deputy Sports Editor at The New York Times. He has also worked for The Wall Street Journal, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. He is an active marathoner himself and lives in New York with his family. His new book is called Running to the EdgeIn this interview you will hear us mention: Coach Bob Larson -Pioneering running coach, Retired Head Track and Field Coach at UCLA, Meb Keflezighi’s coach, and co-founder of the Mammoth Track Club. The Jamul Toads -a small underdog running team from San Diego, coached by Bob Larson, that won the AAU National Cross Country Championship in 1976. Steve Prefontaine -an iconic American middle and long-distance runner who competed in the 1972 Olympics and ran for the Oregon Track Club. He was tragically killed in a car accident at the age of 24. Alberto Salazar -won the NYC Marathon three times in a row from 1980-82. He also won the Boston Marathon in 1982. Arthor Lydiard -New Zealand running coach who helped popularized the sport. A proponent of high training volume. Coach Joe Vigil (pronounced Vee-hill) -Deana Kastor’s coach, expert on training at elevation, and helped found Mammoth Track Club. Meb Keflezighi -the only man who has won the New York City Marathon, The Boston Marathon, and an Olympic medal. Deana Kastor -holds the fastest marathon time (2:19:36) for a female athlete in the U.S. and winner of the Chicago Marathon, the London Marathon, and a bronze medal in the 2004 Olympic games. Eliud Kipchoge -fastest marathoner of all time, currently ranked #1 in the world. Also Mentioned in This Episode The Jacob Wells 3 Bridges Marathon on Dec. 28th in Little Rock, Arkansas. Use the code MTA for $10 off your registration. Running for Real Podcast with Tina Muir. If you like our podcast definitely check out our friend Tina Muir. The Drury Hotel Company -where the extras are not extra. Use our link for 15% off your room. The post Running to the Edge appeared first on Marathon Training Academy.

With the 2019 World Track & Field Championships approaching, Mike Tirico chats with New York Times deputy sports editor Matthew Futterman about the state of the sport, the psyche of running marathons, and his new book "Running to the Edge" - a story about Bob Larsen, America's greatest running coach.

Matthew Futterman is a captivating storyteller. He’s also a pretty fast runner who has finished 23 marathons. Combine these two talents and you get a man who’s passionate about running and always looking for a good story to tell. Enter Coach Bob Larsen and the Southern California runners whom he molded into national long-distance running champions. After learning about Larsen and his Jamul Toads team, Matthew knew he had found a good story. As he transformed it into a book, however, he began to realize that what he had at his fingertips was really the story of the rise, fall, and renaissance of American distance running. "Running to the Edge: A Band of Misfits and the Guru who Unlocked the Secrets of Speed" is an inspiring account of Larsen’s immeasurable influence on modern distance running, the training techniques he crafted, and his role in guiding Olympic medalists such as Meb Keflezighi and Deena Kastor. This is a delightful conversation with Matthew about his new book, his own running journey, why we run in the first place, and the painstaking and similar processes of writing and marathon training. Part “history of running,” part memoir, this episode is entertaining and enlightening, and it will forever change how we view the beloved tempo run._ Matthew Futterman is Deputy Sports Editor of The New York Times. He has previously worked for The Wall Street Journal, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Star-Ledger of New Jersey, where his team won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News in 2005.

Matthew Futterman, author of the best running book of the summer, Running to the Edge, joins us for this episode! At the 1972 Munich Olympic Games Frank Shorter won Marathon gold, sparking the American distance running boom. He followed with silver at Montreal in '76--the same year Bob Larsen's group of rag tag San Diegans known as the Jamul Toads surprised the country by winning the US Cross Country Championships. American dominance ensued at Boston and New York as Bill Rodgers, Alberto Salazar, and Greg Meyer carried the torch into the 80s. But then, nearly as quickly as Shorter lapped the track in Munich, our preeminence waned. At the 2000 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials only one American male even qualified for the Sydney Games and none of the competitors hit the Olympic A Standard. By 2004 we had Olympic medalists in both the men's and women's races at Athens. And in recent years Americans have won major races at Boston, Chicago, and New York for the first time in decades. So who is responsible for the resurgence? Perhaps no one more than Coach Bob Larsen. In his new book, Running to the Edge: A Band of Misfits and the Guru Who Unlocked the Secrets of Speed, New York Times Deputy Sports Editor Matthew Futterman chronicles Coach Larsen's journey and the parallel rise, fall, and resurrection of American distance running.

When was the last time you consciously decided to face one of your fears head-on? Can you think of when you last conquered a hard task that you dreaded? How did it make you feel?  Often the majority of suffering comes from the time prior to completing a hard task. The period of time when you dread what you have to do, or how it will look if you fail, or how much work it will take to succeed. The actual doing, the active moments when you face that fear or task, truly the only moments when you feel alive, those moments are hardly painful at all. Whatever we spend our time doing, we get better at. Like our muscles, our ability to face fears, to try new tasks, or to learn new things atrophy or hypertrophy. When we push ourselves to the limit, that limit expands, making it easier to get to our personal best again and possible to beat our new personal best.  Sounds simple, right? Well, maybe not. In practice, doing the hard thing is just that, hard. Difficult tasks and fears don’t seem like they can ever be easy or pleasurable. By very definition they can’t be. But, facing them can be learned. In fact, doing the thing that you are afraid to do is the number one piece of advice that we learned from one of the best running coaches alive. Matthew Futterman had the opportunity of a lifetime when he began writing his new book “Running to the Edge.” He interviewed Bob Larsen who has coached elite runners since the late 50’s. His book follows Larsen as he coached National Champions and Olympic Medalists. Today he shared some of the things he learned along the way. Know When to Push Yourself  The popularity of running in the U.S. and its ability to produce world class runners has had a few high and low points in the last 50 years. Media has portrayed running as a secret to heart health and long life as well as a sure-fire way to end up with knee replacements and heart attacks. Some highly watched athletes have trained themselves into the ground, mentally and physically, and the science of running has had complete 180-degree turns even within the last decade. The study and experimentation of running long distances as fast as you can has been a work in progress. But today we know more than ever and can give simple guidelines as to when to rest and when to push. The simple way to know when to push yourself and when to rest is just by how you feel. A rule of thumb is to rest when you feel exhausted or injured and push yourself when you feel strong. This is something that you can learn over time but is crucial to know if you want to stay healthy and get faster. Know What You Don’t Know A trait that Bob Larsen had that helped him excel as a coach was being willing to ask questions when he didn’t know the answers. A certain meekness and humility may not be the most popular road to success, but it is definitely the fastest. And isn’t that what we runners are all about? There are things you don’t know, and then there are things that you don’t know you don’t know. In both cases the answers to these unknown questions can open doors you didn’t know existed. If you are more focused on the task of doing your best, and less concerned with how you appear as you get there, you will be more willing to ask questions and accept help from those around you. Finding New Limits with Friends Most of the best runners in the world have trained with teammates consistently. When Coach Larsen learned that the fastest long-distance runners at the time were running in groups and training at high altitudes, he teamed up with another coach and recruited top U.S. runners to train in Mammoth Lakes, California.  At Mammoth, newly formed teammates learned from each other and from new coaches. They trained where they could get the best workouts and found friendly competition a highly effective training tool. This retreat produced some of the best runners the United States had seen and reunited Americans with their love for running. When we train with others we learn, enjoy comradery, and become motivated to run a little (or a lot) faster. While it may not be your cup of tea to run with others every day, doing so once a week or a couple times a month is sure to lengthen your stride (pun intended). If running with friends (or making a new friend) is one of your fears, make it a goal to face it. Look for opportunities to do the hard thing, ask for help, and work hard when you feel strong. These tips from professional journalists and coaches will expand your limits.     Resources: Matthew’s Website Matthew on Twitter Jason Gay on Twitter City Slickers Can’t Stay with Me (book) Running to the Edge: A Band of Misfits and the Guru Who Unlocked the Secrets of Speed   Thank you to Bodyhealth, Turbo Me, MetPro for being the wonderful sponsors of this episode of The Running For Real Podcast.   If you are struggling to recover quick enough from your training, my little secret is to use BodyHealth Perfect Amino to get you there. Whether it is from being pregnant, postpartum, after a surgery, or any hard time your body may be going through. It contains all the essential amino acids, and is very easy for your body to use and begin the repair process. Click the link and use code TINAMUIR10 for 10% off.   Turbo Track.me is an amazing streaming platform with a wide variety of classes, where you can actually interact with the instructors as well. The classes include meditation, strength training, and stretching classes. It tracks heart rate, resting heart rate, distance, calories, intensity, recovery, and heart rate zones. They are offering a  FREE 90 DAY TRIAL with code TINA, and if you go beyond the 90 days you will receive a free forearm heart rate device.   I am very pleased to have MetPro as a sponsor for the Running 4 Real podcast. Yes when this company reached out to me I wasn't too excited about, but with just one phone call conversation with them and they won me over! They are not wanting to guess what to do with your metabolism, the experts at MetPro are there for you to help you reach any of goals or the struggles you may be going through. Click here to receive a FREE metabolic scan of your body as well as a 30 minute consultation with one of the MetPro experts.   Thanks for Listening! I hope you enjoyed today's episode. To share your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below. Join the Running for Real Facebook Group and share your thoughts on the episode (or future guests you would like to hear from) Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. To help out the show: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews will really help me climb up the iTunes rankings and I promise, I read every single one. Not sure how to leave a review or subscribe, you can find out here. Thank you to Matt, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the show.

When Paul was in New York, he ran round Central Park with Matthew Futterman, the author of Running to the Edge: A Band of Misfits and the Guru Who Unlocked the Secrets of Speed, his account of the exploits and adventures of visionary running coach Bob Larsen.Beautiful, bespoke, New Balance / Running Commentary shirts available HERE: https://newbalanceteam.co.uk/clubs-teams-and-unis/running-commentary Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/runningcommentary. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

"What I hope is that it's the book that can make you faster, make you love running even more and make you feel like you want to go out for a run – which people have told me and that's really cool that's the feeling they get." Matthew Futterman, the New York Times' deputy sports editor, joins the podcast to discuss his new book "Running to the Edge: A Band of Misfits and the Guru Who Unlocked the Secrets of Speed." The book paints an excellent portrait of Bob Larsen’s untraditional training methods and plans to really make U.S. distance running relevant again in the early 2000s with Meb Keflezighi and Deena Kastor. Beyond just being a running book, there are many life lessons in a great underdog story. Check out Running to the Edge here for a great summer read: amzn.to/310a1Bh ❤️ Support for this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from The Rambling Runner's Road to the Olympic Trials. Get ready for Matt Chittim to peel back the curtain on the training from the likes of Jared Ward, Kellyn Taylor, Parker Stinson, Sarah Bishop and more. Six episodes out now! How to subscribe and listen: citiusmag.com/road-to-the-olympic-trials-podcast/ Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2XMFoBf Spotify: spoti.fi/2RRCndK

“Where you’re born, how you’re born and how you grew up are not your destiny. You can change your destiny. If you do the work, you can be better tomorrow than you were yesterday.” Matthew FuttermanWhat is the secret to running impossibly fast? Or distances longer than previously imagined?Beginning in the 1960's, an unknown farm boy turned coach named Bob Larsen launched a decades-long quest to find the ‘secret sauce' of speed and endurance that would eventually revolutionize the sport and catapult American running onto the national stage.This is the story of how Larsen took turned a rag-tag group of also-ran junior college athletes called the Jamul Toads into cult-favorite national champions. Later, he would apply his secret training regimen to athletes like Meb Keflezighi and Deena Kastor to create victories at the New York and Boston Marathons as well as the Olympics.To unpack this incredible yarn, today I sit down with New York Times Deputy Sports Editor Matthew Futterman.A graduate of Union College and Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, Matthew has previously worked for The Wall Street Journal, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Star-Ledger of New Jersey, where he was a part of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News in 2005.An avid marathoner, Matthew became obsessed with the history of American distance running and the training innovations that create champions. The result of this quest is his new book, Running to the Edge: A Band of Misfits and the Guru Who Unlocked the Secrets of Speed. Part Bob Larsen biography and part autobiography, it's a fascinating account of how one maverick coach discovered and developed the unorthodox paradigm that would launch American runners to unprecedented breakthroughs and ultimately inform the protocols of some of today’s most fleet of foot.From Bob Bowerman and Steve Prefontaine to the quest to break the 2-hour marathon, today's exploration focuses on the science behind running performance. The ongoing quest to find the secret sauce of speed and endurance. And the evolving crusade to run faster and farther than ever before.It’s about what can be learned from Bob Larsen's example, and the methods he pioneered that led to his stature as one of the greatest running coaches of all time.And it’s about our shared love for the sport of running.Even if running isn't your thing, I think you will find this conversation compelling. The stories are legend. And the life lessons applicable across disciplines.The visually inclined can watch our entire conversation on YouTube here: bit.ly/matthewfutterman455 (please subscribe!) and the podcast is of course available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.I sincerely hope you enjoy the exchange!Peace + Plants,Listen, Watch & SubscribeApple Podcasts | YouTube | Spotify | See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jeremy is joined by Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan of the World Cup-winning USWNT, soccer team owner Rocco Commisso and NYT's editor Matthew Futterman.

The author of a recently published book discusses distance running in America and some of the most important figures of the sport's popularity in this country.

Guests Matthew Boling (high school sprint star- 38:06) and author Matthew Futterman (NY Times sports editor), author of the very enjoyable Running to the Edge, join us (62:21) in out extra long July 4th podcast. First we talk everything: 2019 Prefontaine Classic. Who were the standout performers? Who should hit the panic button? Who will make the US team at 1500 (26:29). A little Christian Coleman talk + Marquise Goodwin winning $1 Million at the 40 yards of Gold race (31:47) before Boling interview (38:06). We preview the 50th Peachtree Road Race  (47:20) and the ridiculous fields going after the $50,000 course records. Japanese 1500 record  (53:06) and Alan Webb (56:21) talk.  Then after Futterman and talk about his book on Bob Larsen (62:21) and the last 40 years of American distance running, we reward our ultra marathoners winding up their long runs with some Western States (115:15) talk. For a book review by Dr. Michael Joyner on Running to the Edge and why Americans aren't running that fast in marathon click here. Email us at podcast@letsrun.com or call 844-LETSRUN option 7 to leave a message.

This week’s conversation is with Matthew Futterman, the deputy sports editor of The New York Times.He has previously worked for The Wall Street Journal, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Star-Ledger of New Jersey, where he was a part of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News in 2005.Matthew grew up in Larchmont, New York, and eventually found his way to Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.One of his deep passions in life is running for long distances.While we do discuss running, this conversation is more about how he uses his inner life to help others do the same, whether that's through his journalism at the New York Times or through his new book, Running to the Edge.At its core, the book is more about insights and strategies toward improvement as a human, than it is about running tactics.I've had the privilege of being interviewed by Matt, when he was at the Wall Street Journal and since then, I've followed his work.He was one of the rare folks who've been able to capture the spirit of what I want to communicate about how people can flourish in life.--------------Please support our partners!We're able to keep growing and creating content for YOU because of their support. We believe in their mission and would appreciate you supporting them in return!!Click here for all links and codes to take advantage of deals from our partners.

Our first Jewish guest this week is Matthew Futterman, deputy sports editor at the New York Times and author of the new book, Running to the Edge. A 23-time marathoner, Matt breaks down the major transformations in both professional and recreational running over the past few decades, and describes the more meditative aspects of the sport, explaining how running is, for him, a form of prayer. Our second Jewish guest is Tony and Academy Award-winning actor Joel Grey, whose credits include Cabaret, Wicked, and Chicago. His latest role is directing the Yiddish production of Fiddler on the Roof at Stage 42. He tells us about growing up around Yiddish (his father was musician and comedian Mickey Katz, who wrote Yiddish parodies of popular songs), having a daughter in the business (Jennifer Grey starred as Baby in Dirty Dancing), and about his love of photography (he just published his fifth book of photography, "The Flower Whisperer"). We'd love to hear what you thought of this week's show. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. We’re heading to Chicago! See us live Wednesday, June 26 at 7 p.m. at the Logan Square Auditorium with Iditarod finisher Blair Braverman and Nerdette podcast host Greta Johnsen. Presented with Hadassah Chicago-North Shore. Get your tickets here. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We want your feedback on our Better Running Shoe site. Please go to http://www.letsrun.com/shoes and give us feedback and submit a review.Genzebe Dibaba is back atop the 1500 ranks on the three year anniversary of the Jama Aden raid, what does that mean for Jenny Simpson’s medal chances after her run in Rabat (13:54)? We talk adidas Boost Boston Games (25:43), Lynna Irby and Sammy Watson going pro (31:57), and the email of the week is on Katelyn Tuohy and young high school girl phenoms (39:46). Thread of the week is on Allie Ostrander and female body weight discussion (50:02) which leads to US women’s soccer talk, intersex talk, and transgender talk (56:34). Then we turn to who would you rather be Josh Kerr, Grant Fisher or Drew Hunter (68:38)? We end with book talk on Matthew Futterman’s Running to the Edge book on Bob Larsen (79:53), and Rojo stream of consciousness. Want to be on podcast? Email us at podcast@letsrun.com or call 844-LETSRUN option 7 to leave a message.

This is an interview with New York Times deputy sports editor Matthew Futterman, whose most recent book is titled "Running to the Edge: A Band of Misfits and the Guru who Unlocked the Secrets of Speed." The book follows the exploits of legendary track and field coach Bob Larsen.

Today's Guest is Matt Rogan, Matt is chairman and co-founder of Two Circles. Exclusively working with sports rights-holders, Two Circles is part strategy consultancy, part digital agency, and part data and analytics house. Since co-founding the business in 2011, Two Circles has grown rapidly to a team of 150 people across the UK, North America and Europe. Following the sale of the majority stake in the business to WPP in 2015, Matt took up the role as Chairman. Supporting and challenging the Two Circles management team to deliver bigger and better results across all areas of the business. In addition to his role at Two Circles Matt is a published author and has been featured in the likes of the Harvard Business Review and the Journal of Sports Management. We go in to detail on a whole range of topics in this interview including: What led Matt and his co-founders to start Two Circles and the structures they put in place to set it up for success. Leading a ‘millennial' team and the lessons for anyone looking to grow a young, dynamic organisation. The importance of process and systems in building a business, even at the start up phase, and how this helped Matt and the team grow rapidly avoiding many of the issues that new businesses face. How Matt and his co-founders achieved work life balance while leading a rapidly growing business. What to do if you're a graduate looking to follow a career in sport. And much much more! I really enjoyed this conversation with Matt and took so much away from what he had to say. If you're looking for clear, practical advice on how to grow your own consulting business or practice area then you're going to love this interview. You can find out more about Two Circles at – http://insidetwocircles.com/ You can find out more about Matt on Linked In – https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattrogan/ And Twitter – https://twitter.com/mattrogansport?lang=en Or drop him an email at Matt.Rogan@insidetwocircles.com Specific Things We Discuss In the Show: Lane 4 - https://www.lane4performance.com/ Adrian moorhouse - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_Moorhouse Dom moorhouse - http://dommoorhouse.com/ Greg Searle - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Searle Mastering Soft Skills by Julian Vyner - http://amzn.eu/d/fsSA1L0 Players by Matthew Futterman - http://amzn.eu/d/fDflklv Managing the professional services firm by David Maister - http://amzn.eu/d/jc9ee62

Fifty years ago, many of the best players in the National Football League took jobs in the off-season to augment the salaries they earned playing football. Matthew Futterman of the Wall Street Journal and author of Players talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about how much football and so many aspects of sports--from tennis to golf to apparel to broadcasting to Olympics--has become incredibly more lucrative. Futterman shares the insights from his book and how all that money has changed sports, the athletes who compete, and the fans who watch.

This week, El Al helps herd biblical sheep to Israel. Our Jewish guest is Matthew Futterman, senior special writer for sports at The Wall Street Journal and the author of Players: The Story of Sports and Money, and the Visionaries Who Fought to Create a Revolution. He tells us how NFL quarterbacks used to sell real estate in the off-season to support themselves, plus what he’s looking forward to at this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio and why water polo is an underrated Olympic sport. Our Gentile of the Week is longtime book editor Ann Patty, whose memoir, Living with a Dead Language: My Romance with Latin, is about how she decided to learn Latin after leaving the publishing industry. She tells us about the Vassar students she met in her introductory Latin class, and the week-long Latin camp she’s attending this summer. We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 26th - Blackhawks, Octoroons, Dinosaurs, Silicon Valley, Magic Leap, Michael Blackson, Georgia Reign, Living With Funny, OXYGEN, Matthew Futterman, Drew Curtis

Apr 26th - Blackhawks, Octoroons, Dinosaurs, Silicon Valley, Magic Leap, Michael Blackson, Georgia Reign, Living With Funny, OXYGEN, Matthew Futterman, Drew Curtis

Join David Weinstein and guests Dirk Lammers, award-winning Associated Press journalist, baseball blogger and author of No Hit Wonders; and Matthew Futterman of the Wall Street Journal.  Plus the Hit List Purchase Dirk Lammers' book, Baseball's No-Hit Wonders: More Than a Century of Pitching's Greatest Feats Read Matthew Futterman's article here: NFL, Union Closer to Deal Stripping Roger Goodell of Discipline Power