Emily Venters Nearly Quit Running in 2024. Now She’s a USATF 10K Champion Running 1:07 Half Marathons and Chasing American Records

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Two years ago, Emily Venters almost quit. Now she’s the hottest name on American roads.

Emily returns to TRE for her second conversation, two years after a July 2024 episode about the dark side of professional running. Since then she has won three U.S. road titles in 2026, run a wire-to-wire championship record of 31:09 at the USATF 10K, and set a half marathon PB of 1:07:37 in Valencia to finish as the top American woman.

The two talk about keeping running from becoming her whole identity, even in a career-best year, and how being diagnosed with leukemia at age three may have put the fight in her early. Emily explains why she won’t post her training online and why coach David Roche, who started working with her in May, has been “a godsend” for her nerves and overthinking. She also tells the full story of her 2025 Chicago Marathon debut: the dizzy spells, and why she finished anyway after dropping out of races in the past. That decision changed how she races.

Then she says her goal out loud: the American half marathon record. She wants to see 1:05 on the clock and to help close the gap between American women and the best in the world.

This is an honest conversation with a runner who learned not to fear failure. Stay to the end to hear what she’d tell the version of herself who almost quit, and about the pizza she celebrates with.

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