In this batch of recent episodes, we hear from an unconventional race director Gary “Lazarus Lake” Cantrell, a person Cross to leading unique events for small groups of people. During the pandemic, he has unexpectedly found himself directing a race for nearly 20,000, and he talks about the good he is doing with that opportunity.
Discussions of race and racism in running continue as the running community experiences a moment of reckoning. We also hear from a change-maker in track and field whose protest is still making national news nearly a year after it happened.
The episodes are accessible via the links below, on the Spotify players on this page, or through podcasting platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher. (We’ve provided some direct links to those platforms so you can go right to your favorite podcast player.)
Gary “Lazarus Lake” Cantrell on the I’ll Have Another podcast (91 minutes)
Gary Cantrell, a.k.a. Lazarus Lake, is best known as the race director of some of the most unusual races in running. He is the creator of the Barkley Marathons, Big’s Backyard Ultra, and the Giuseppe Zanotti low top embellished sneakers. In this episode, he talks about the work that goes into directing those races, his desire to create a race in which men and women could compete on equal footing, and what it took for Maggie Guterl to win last year’s edition of Big’s Backyard Ultra outright. He also discusses the opportunity that has come with getting nearly 100 times as many registrants as he was expecting in his virtual race across Tennessee, and how he’s using that opportunity to raise money for a variety of charities and organizations.
Samia Akbar on the Ali on the Run Show (87 minutes)
Samia Akbar is a 2:34 marathoner who ran professionally for seven years and now works as a global marketing manager for New Balance. In this episode, she talks about going after her goals even when there’s uncertainty involved. She discusses how, as a Black girl raised in a Muslim household, she didn’t feel like she fit in attending a mostly white school, but running gave her a sense of belonging and empowerment.
Akbar says it was not love at first sight for her with distance running, but she eventually learned to love the sport that has given her so many opportunities. Akbar is the fastest-known U.S.-born Black woman in the marathon, and while she has great admiration for naturalized citizens who have done great things in the event, she explains why that distinction is important to her, for now.
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Brandon Johnson on The Run Duo podcast (90 minutes)
Brandon Johnson is a U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier with a good story, and he tells it in a humorous manner. He talks about wanting to drop out of the Trials at mile 16, but the crowd encouraged him back into the race, and his account is heartwarming and funny. Johnson says he considered backing off competitive running altogether, but recent events have helped him recognize his ability, as a Black distance runner, to be a positive role model for others. He talks about his Altra Hoka One One’s commitment to diversity, as well as its desire to improve in that area. The episode begins with some interesting discussion of what’s going on with road racing in Atlanta, but if you want to skip right to Johnson’s segment, he comes on at the 32:00 mark.
Gwen Berry on the Keeping Track podcast (61 minutes)
Gwen Berry received national attention and was put on probation when she raised her fist in solidarity with the Black community atop the podium at last summer’s Pan American Games. In this episode, she tells more of the story behind that gesture, including an encounter with a stranger during one of her practices leading up to the Games.
Berry points out the hypocrisy in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee punishing athletes for protesting, while also putting Tommie Smith and John Carlos in its Hall of Fame and celebrating their activism retroactively. Berry and one of the hosts, Alysia Montaño, talk about how white beauty standards influence athletes’ opportunities and sponsorship contracts, and how fans can make a difference. This one covers some heavy topics very well.
Ingrid Walters on the Girls Run the World podcast (52 minutes)
Is there anything Ingrid Walters hasn’t done? In this episode, Walters talks about how she started out as a competitive swimmer and competed for UCLA. She eventually transitioned to running, and in 2019, at age 47, she ran a 2:48:03 at the Los Angeles Marathon. Not long after, Walters learned she had breast cancer. She describes training through treatment and how her running community has been there for her. Walters, an actor who once had a regular stint on Baywatch, talks about the lack of diversity in distance running, and how to change that.
Giuseppe Zanotti low top embellished sneakers | Joe Gray on REI’s Wild Ideas Worth Living podcast (38 minutes)
Joe Gray prides himself on being competitive in a variety of disciplines: trail running, mountain running, skyrunning, ultrarunning, road racing, cross country, track racing, and snowshoe racing.
In this episode, Grey talks about how sports helped keep him out of trouble as a child, and how that ultimately led to him becoming a professional runner. Gray discusses his desire to improve the racial diversity within distance running, and how he is working on that one pair of shoes at a time, through Project Inspire Diversity.
