Fiona O'keeffe

American Olympic distance runner Fiona O'Keeffe joins the show today as she gears up for an electrifying spring of racing.

Fiona, best known for winning the 2024 United States Olympic Marathon Trials in her 26.2 debut, is an accomplished 5k and 10k runner with accolades dating back to her high school days.

Fiona competed at Davis High School in California, where she won the 2014 Gatorade California Cross Country Runner of the Year award, the first to do so from her school. 

During her time at Davis High she was a three-time California State Division 1 champion; she won the 2016 California track title in the 3,200m, and was a member of a team runner-up finish at NXN in cross country. 

She then took her talents to Stanford, where she was a seven-time All-American as a Cardinal for the class of 2020. Fiona won the 2019 Pac-12 individual cross country title, in addition to being a member of two team podium finishes at the NCAA cross country championships.

Fiona's lifetime PRs include 15:01 in the indoor 5k; 30:52 in the 10k; 67:42 in the half marathon; and 2:22:10 in the full marathon–which was her first place finish at the 2024 US Olympic Trials marathon. She also notched first place in the 2022 US 10 mile championship. 

After turning pro in 2021, Fiona signed with Puma. She is currently coached by Amy and Alistair Cragg. 

In today's conversation, Fiona takes me through her past year of successful running, winning her US Olympic Marathon Trials title last February, how she handles setbacks and pressure/expectations, her goals for 2025, and much more. 

Tap into the Fiona O'Keeffe Special.  

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The mood was spicy for this one, fueled by Olipop and post-Olympics sleep deprivation and jetlag! The result is yet another banger episode from Des and Kara.

This one starts with some fun behind-the-scenes intel on the Olympic Village and why athletes might choose to stay outside of it. 

Then, they very thoroughly address THE elephant in the room, giving their perspectives on the criticism Fiona O'Keeffe has received for not dropping from the marathon. You might have your opinion on this, but I promise you that Des and Kara will teach you a side of this story that you didn't know. It is a lot more complicated than the social media "pundits" might think.

After that, they turn to recaps of the M800, W1500, M5000, and both marathons to wrap up their coverage of the Paris Olympics, including some humble pie served very warm.

We are sad it's over, but so very happy that it happened. What an epic end to these Games!

Thank you to our sponsors for this episode - presenting sponsor Brooks Running and Olipop. As usual, to support the podcast and get your Olipop fix, use code NOBODYASKEDUS for 15% off at drinkolipop.com.

Fiona O’Keeffe raced into the record books in the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials this year. In her debut at the distance, she smashed the previous record, set by Shalane Flanagan in 2012, by over three minutes. She also became the youngest woman to claim victory. She’s focusing on her performance, but she’s also embracing the opportunity to champion environmental advocacy, leveraging her running platform to inspire change.

For complete show notes and links, visit our website at runningforreal.com/episode393.

 

Thank you toTracksmith, Precision Fuel & Hydration, and AG1 for sponsoring this episode. 

 

Tracksmith is an independent running brand inspired by a deep love of the sport. They’re so committed to their mission of getting runners to do their best that they are offering a $100 gift card to any runner who runs a PR before April 30th. You can find all of the details under the “It’s PR Season” section here. 

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A captivating chat with Fiona O'Keefe, a former coach at Runners Connect, about her remarkable journey to winning the US Olympic Trials marathon and earning a spot on the Paris Olympic team. 

Her insights and experiences shed light on the dedication and balance required for elite-level training and competition.

🏃‍♀️ Key Takeaways from the Conversation:

- Balance and Recovery: The importance of balance, rest, and recovery in marathon training, from managing caffeine and alcohol intake to prioritizing 9 hours of sleep.

- Mental Engagement: Seeking outlets for mental disengagement and relaxation, while also staying engaged in activities beyond running, is crucial for maintaining focus and drive.

- Embracing Success and Growth: Fiona's journey underscores the value of recognizing personal progress, embracing strengths, and continually pursuing improvement, serving as an inspiration to both elite and amateur runners.

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This week’s show brought to you by:

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"Starting to talk with Alistair (Cragg), I was really excited about his ambition and excitement for the (PUMA Elite) team. He wanted to create a situation where we would be contending for World teams, Olympic teams and eventually contending on those bigger stages as well. At first, hearing those goals sounded a little bit scary. Exciting, but scary. So it's really cool to start seeing some of it actually come together."

My guest for today’s episode is Fiona O’Keeffe – the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials champion. She ran the fastest marathon debut in American history with a 2:22:10 performance to win and also break the previous Marathon Trials record held by Shalane Flanagan from 2012. She will be joined at the Paris Olympics by American record holder Emily Sisson and Dakotah Lindwurm.

O’Keeffe was so impressive in the Orlando heat and pressed from the front to pull away from her competitors about 19 miles into the race. She ran all of the last few miles under 5:30 but threw down a 5:09 at Mile 25. She ended up winning by more than 30 seconds.

In this episode, we chat about how she mastered her marathon debut, when she knew the 26.2-mile distance was calling, her excitement over the state of U.S. women’s marathoning and we had to ask about the blood on her bib, which was caused by chafing from a gel that was stashed in her top.

A star is born in U.S. marathoning.

Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guest: Fiona O'Keeffe | ⁠⁠⁠⁠@fiona_okeeffe on Instagram⁠⁠⁠

Time Stamps:

3:46: Aspirations to qualify for the Olympics. 

4:45: When she decided to go all-in on the marathon.

5:40: When she shifted to marathon training. 

7:08: What her training structure looked like heading into the Trials. 

8:21: How she managed heat training. 

10:31: How she stayed composed.

12:15: What was going through her mind during the race. 

14:06: Her thoughts in the later stages of the race. 

16:49: Fueling during the race.

18:15: Breaking down the gel chafing situation. 

20:25: Her social media following. 

22:28: How she balanced school work with training as a student at Stanford. 

25:18: Why she decided to join Puma Elite. 

27:13: How she celebrated.

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Carrie chats with the 2024 US Olympic Marathon Trials Champion Fiona O’Keeffe! They talk all about Fiona’s race, her memories of the day, going to the pro bowl, how she got into the sport, goals going forward, alligators, her training leading up to the race, and so much more!

Natosha Rogers and Fiona O'Keeffe share details about their training camp in Kenya, why they joined Puma elite, Natosha's move from Colorado to North Carolina, Alistair Cragg's training philosophy, culture of the team, just missing the 30:40 10km A standard with their 30:48 and 30:55 10k times at The TEN, when to expect the marathon debuts, why they dislike Strava, and a whole lot more.

This was Natosha's second time on the pod. Check out Beer Mile Podcast Episode 31 for Natosha's first appearance.

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Topics

• 0:00 Introduction presented by Beer Mile World Classic and Manscaped
• 10:20 Introducing Natosha Rogers and Fiona O’Keeffe
• 11:46 Training camp in Kenya
• 21:08 Returning from Kenya, running PBs in the 5km in Boston and 10km at The TEN
• 25:34 Why Fiona and Natosha joined Puma Elite
• 29:50 Natosha moving from Colorado to North Carolina
• 31:30 Will they focus on marathon or 10km going forward?
• 35:23 Coaching philosophy at Puma Elite under Alistair Cragg
• 36:50 Racing the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials
• 37:33 Fall marathon? Or just half marathons?
• 39:38 Fiona is the debut master 
• 40:09 Natosha never wears a watch
• 44:27 Hating on Strava
• 50:32 Fiona’s first impressions of Natosha
• 52:11 Roommates and lifestyle/culture of the Puma Elite team
• 1:00:25 Natosha’s advice to her younger self
• 1:02:25 Dream sponsors
• 1:03:50 What Fiona has learned from Natosha and taught her
• 1:05:15 Where Natosha and Fiona are racing next
• 1:07:55 Natosha doing the beer mile

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We’re off for the holidays but we didn’t want to leave your podcast feed empty this week so here’s a recent conversation that Kyle Merber and I had with PUMA Elite’s Patrick Tiernan and Fiona O’Keeffe while at The Running Event in Austin, Texas. They’re fantastic leaders on the up and coming team based in North Carolina that is coached by Alistair and Amy Cragg. Tiernan sat down with us just two months after running 2:11:02 in his marathon debut at the Chicago Marathon. Fiona has put together a strong year that was highlighted by a 67:42 half marathon in Houston and her first national title at the U.S. 10-Mile Championships in October. She was also the top PUMA woman in their win at Sound Running’s Cross Champs, which was the day after we recorded this.

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Last January in Houston, Fiona O’Keefe crossed the finish line in 1:07:42, making her half marathon debut the fastest ever by an American woman. At age 23, this young runner has an incredibly bright future.

Fiona specializes in the 10k and the 5k right now and--fun fact--she accidentally broke her 10k PR in the middle of her record breaking half.

Coach Claire asks Fiona about her incredible day in Houston, what her favorite workouts are to prepare, and how she handles good and bad days mentally.  

And then we talk about the REAL reason we wanted to have her on the Run to the Top today. We are thrilled to announce that Fiona is joining our team of expert coaches here at Runners Connect.  

Learn about her coaching style and what she plans to bring to the table to help each and every RunnersConnect athlete discover their very best!

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This week’s show brought to you by:

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The best part is that you can do it all from home and it isn’t expensive. Plus, for a limited-time you can get 25% off any InsideTracker plan or service when you use the code RTTTPRO25 . 

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In episode forty-five of The Running Effect (with Dominic Schlueter), I speak with Fiona O'Keeffe.

Recently Fiona ran 1:07:42 in the half marathon which made her the fifth fastest American at that distance ever! This was also the fastest half marathon debut by an American women ever (on a record eligible course). 

In this episode, we do a deep dive into this race and all the preparation that went into it. We get insight into her mindset and how she prepared herself mentally. We also get to hear all about her new group and her experience training with this new team!  

 

S H O W N O T E S 

-The first episode with Fiona (a great look into her backstory): https://open.spotify.com/episode/34ywAs4aicP4sPleBJvldN?si=7UHGm7BGQ8qv_qFziF4v-w&utm_source=copy-link

-A great article on Fiona's race: http://www.fast-women.org/2022/01/24/after-one-year-as-a-pro-a-breakthrough-for-fiona-okeeffe/

-Fiona's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fiona_okeeffe/?hl=en