Welcome to the Allie on the Run show.
I'm your host, Allie Feller, and I am coming to you from Chicago.
I am so happy to be here for all things Chicago Marathon weekend, starting with this live show presented by New Balance, with our very special guest, Eric Jenkins.
Eric is everyone's favorite funny man in running.
He is the co-host of the Off the Rails podcast with Aisha Pratt-Lear.
Love you, Aisha.
He's a former professional runner.
He competed in the 1500 meters up to the 10K, and he's a darn good time.
This show was exactly what I didn't even realize I needed.
It has been a long road to get to Chicago for me.
It's not been an easy one, and I was feeling... all kinds of ways about coming to Chicago.
So to be here, to be surrounded by so much love, this crowd was incredible.
Thank you to Fleet Feet, Fleet Feet Chicago, for having us in this gorgeous space.
And thanks to all of you for filling it.
Shout out especially to the people who were there lining up for the show at 4 p.m.
The show started at 5.30.
People were in line at 4.
You are my people.
I love you so much.
This was just a real... feel good event.
And I know it was what I needed.
Hopefully it was what some of you needed as well.
So.
Thank you, everyone, for coming.
Thank you, Eric, for making your live show debut.
What an honor to have it be on the Alley on the Run show.
And I got to say, if you were there, how about that VIP section?
This was a star-studded event and it was so cool to have so many of my favorite people, my closest friends and some very legitimate names in this industry.
We had Dina Kaster.
We had Mebka Flesky.
We had Clayton Young.
We had Kira D'Amato.
And then, of course, lots of my friends.
Like you know, Everyone's favorite Allie on the Run, friend Connor Nichol.
So it really was so, so special for me to look out into the audience and see so many familiar faces, new faces.
You're all also catching on and you now know to study these guests and be prepared for trivia.
So we have a really good time.
You know, live shows are my favorite thing that I get to do.
I love getting to see all your faces and I did a pretty good job not getting confused, too sentimental during this one.
But I will say, when I came out on that stage and they played the life of a showgirl and I can't believe I'm saying this I got a standing ovation.
I don't know who started that probably one of my friends and then everyone followed suit, but I kind of jumped right into the show without taking a minute to bask in how that felt.
But I've been doing that since the show and just know that your energy and what you bring to this community is means the world.
All right.
Longest intro ever.
Cool.
Let's get into this.
Please welcome Eric Jenkins to the alley on the run show for this edition of alley on the run show live from Chicago.
Hey everyone.
My name is Kristen McKenzie and, on behalf of everyone at New Balance, I just want to welcome you here today and thank you so so, so much for spending a little bit of your Chicago Marathon weekend with us.
Thank you.
A huge thank you, too, to the folks at Fleet Feet, Fleet Feet Chicago, Dave and Lisa Zimmer, Molly.
You guys are such fantastic partners, and we so appreciate you.
Yeah, give it up.
And now it is my distinct honor to introduce your host for the evening or the afternoon.
She is the host of the country's most popular running podcast.
She has millions of downloads and she has more than 830 episodes and she continues to crank those out, even in the toughest of times.
She is the ultimate optimist.
She is such an invaluable partner for us at New Balance and she is a dear friend.
Please give such a special welcome to your host and friend, Allie Feller.
Hi.
Sit down.
Thank you.
Okay, sit.
Thank you.
Stay off your feet because who is running the 5K tomorrow?
Who's running the Chicago Marathon on Sunday?
All right.
So we're going to keep you off your feet now.
Thank you so much for that very warm welcome.
I love you all and appreciate you all so much.
And this is my first live show since April.
Life has looked a little different since April.
And so it means so much to be on this stage in this room with all of you.
I was telling our special guest, who I will bring out in a second.
I was telling him before this.
He was saying he was a little nervous.
And I said, these are the nicest people you are ever going to meet in your entire life.
Who made a friend in line today.
I'm obsessed with all of you.
You are the best people.
Thank you so much for being a part of this community.
Thank you, of course, to new balance and to our friends at fleet feet for making this happen.
This is one of my favorite weekends of the whole year because we get to do stuff like this.
I know that you're all out there, but for the most part i sit in my office alone, talking to a computer screen all day or talking to myself, and so to get to actually see your faces is really one of the greatest rewards and greatest gifts.
So thank you for being a part of this community.
You know that I could go on with the sappiness all day, but you also know that we have a very special guest here joining us today and we're going to put his nerves at ease.
So today I am so thrilled to welcome one of my favorite people in the running industry.
He is a former professional runner.
He competed in the 1500 meters up to the 10K.
We're all going to try to convince him to run a marathon.
That's our task for today.
He retired in 2023 and he has gone on not just to become the co-host of the Off the Rails podcast, but I think yeah cheers, but I think we can all agree he has become one of the most eligible bachelors in the running community and we celebrate that.
So please join me in giving a very warm welcome to our friend, Eric Jenkins.
Welcome.
Welcome.
First live show, first time in Chicago?
Yes, my first live show, you were saying I was a bit nervous.
I'm very excited.
But yeah, first time in Chicago, absolutely stoked to be here.
Are you still nervous or you feel good now?
I'm still getting settled in.
Okay, well, have a seat.
You have a couch, so if at any point this feels like a therapy session, you can lay down.
Yeah, get comfortable.
Thanks for being here.
Thank you for having me, Ally.
So these are the most lovely people in the world.
Everyone say hi to Eric.
Hi, Eric.
Hi, guys.
Now, before we get started, who here has been to an Ally on the Run live show before with New Balance?
Awesome.
Oh, thanks for coming back.
Yay.
I love that.
Well, then you might know that we have a very fun tradition.
We love to give you free stuff.
And so right now, I love the meat thing shirt.
That's awesome.
Right now, if you reach underneath your seats, five people are going to find a card taped underneath their seats.
Five people are about to win a pair there.
It is a pair of New Balance Fuel Cell Rebel V5s one of my favorite shoes.
There you go.
That's never happened to you.
You just won something.
So if you found one of those cards underneath your seats at the end of the show, you can bring those to the table in the back and we will get you your free shoes.
We will also be doing trivia throughout the show.
It's really hard trivia, but we will be giving away pairs of shoes if you get any of those questions right.
So congratulations to all of our winners.
All right.
Are you warmed up yet?
No.
I'm getting there.
You're getting there, yeah.
Okay, so we start any good episode of the Allie on the Run show with a warm-up.
So let's ask a couple easy questions, starting with what is your favorite song from the life of a showgirl?
I mean, it just came out, Allie.
I don't have enough time to digest it yet.
I've memorized all of them.
Well, you're a bit different.
You're as much of a hardcore Swifty as it gets.
I'm going to say...
Is it Ophelia?
Oh, great answer.
Great answer.
Yeah, the fate of Ophelia.
We're going to work on the choreography after this.
You were trying to put me through it in the back, and I was like, I got a lot on my plate right now.
I'm not taking in new steps at the moment.
We'll do it after.
That'll be the after party.
All right, tell us all something that you're into right now, whether it's a show, music, a movie.
What are you consuming that you're really jazzed about?
Great question.
Wow.
Thank you.
What am I really jazzed about right now?
Let's see.
A couple of shows I'm watching.
There's a show called Task on HBO.
Am I watching the Ed Gein show?
Yes, I am on Netflix.
Not necessarily a great thing to talk about, but here I am doing it.
What am I reading?
I, let's see.
I'm actually, right now in my backpack is 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
That's the book I'm reading right now.
But yeah, what am I, I'm jazzed about talking to you.
I'm love doing these race weekends.
They couldn't be more fun to do.
Where did you have your first kiss?
It just felt like a natural transition.
I'm like, this is supposed to be a puff piece.
Is that a hard-hitting question?
Let's see.
My first kiss, Portsmouth Middle School.
I believe it was a dance class.
At a dance.
At a dance.
The chaperones didn't come in and interject?
Chaperones saw me doing my thing.
They said, we can't let it.
We cannot.
This is a big moment for them.
Let's... This is his first kiss, for Christ's sake.
We're not going to ruin this.
Are you two still in touch?
No, we did fall out of touch throughout the years.
But...
Yeah, maybe this will reconnect.
Maybe that person is a listener and will hear this.
In that case, is there a message that you would want to share?
Amy Stewart, if you're out there listening to the show.
Thank you for being my first kiss and hope everything's going great in your life.
Perfect.
All right, let's talk running a little bit.
Assuming that either we convince you or you decide on your own that at some point you would like to run a marathon, who would you want to pace you for those 262 miles?
You could choose anyone.
Who would I want to pace me?
Maybe someone from that section.
I'm like, my boy Clayton Young over there.
I'd love that.
I'm like, you couldn't ask for a better pacer.
So yeah, if ever.
I don't know if I've got the budget to afford a Clayton Young pace job, but I would be an honor to run with him.
Okay, and let's say you get really good at the marathon because you will and you have the opportunity to pace anyone.
You get to choose the runner that you will pace.
Who do you want?
Who do I want to pace?
Um...
I'd love to pace, maybe when Faith Kipyagon moves up to the marathon, I'll pace her.
Yeah.
I think that could be in my wheelhouse.
Okay, great answer.
For the first like 10K, something like that.
I believe in you.
Yeah, thank you.
And so will Faith.
What is a job you would be so bad at?
What is a job I'd be so bad at?
A lot, probably.
Like rocket scientists would be a tough one, I think, just for starters.
But look, I think given enough preparation time, I can do a lot of things.
But maybe right now the job I'm worst suited for would be like pacing Faith Kippier gone in a marathon.
All right, good answer.
What is...
Wait, you're from... Oh, hey, guys.
Yeah.
Yes.
Oh, it's Amy Stewart.
Oh, hey.
What is the best thing about living in New Hampshire?
I mean something I you're close to everything right, like you're close to the ocean, the mountains, it's amazing nature um, so many fun things to do outside.
And then also we're close to boston and um, so you can, there's a bit of everything and there's there's stuff to do, no matter what you're in the mood for.
And i think that's along with all the you know my, my friends and family and all the people i am closest to living at home.
But um yeah, there's so much to do and it's just a beautiful, beautiful area.
I like that.
Your favorite thing about New Hampshire is that it's close to other stuff.
Yeah, yeah.
We can get other places easy.
Okay, who would you want to play you in a movie?
I mean, who would I want to play me?
Who would realistically play me is another thing.
Yeah, I'd settle for Ryan Gosling and things like that.
If they're like, hey, Gosling's going to play you, I'd be like, that makes sense.
But realistically, it'd probably be like Joffrey from Game of Thrones, that kind of thing.
But yeah, so I'm open to anything.
If they're making a movie on me in the first place, I'm going to be happy.
So they could bring anyone to the table at that point, and I think it'd be a huge success.
But yeah, I'll go anybody from...
A Game of Thrones character to Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling.
Great choices.
I'm so happy right now.
This is great.
This is a great way to come back to doing live shows.
I hope you're all having fun, too.
What is the most spontaneous thing you've ever done?
Most spontaneous?
Probably saying yes to this with a couple days' notice.
Okay, it was at least like two weeks.
Yeah, it felt fast, Allie.
I don't know.
I haven't done anything, like, super crazy.
Have you gone skydiving?
No, I wouldn't like to go skydiving.
No, I don't like... I'm not crazy about those kind of thrills.
The skydiving, the bungee jumping.
I don't even really want to go on, like, a... I'm not a Six Flags roller coaster guy.
It's kind of scary.
That's...
It's a bit much.
Yeah.
Okay.
So what like little thrills are you into?
Like what gets you going?
I'm like, what's my kink?
Let's go there.
Yeah.
I'm like, what gets me going?
I guess I'm like pretty boring in that.
You got to appreciate the little things in life, Allie.
I'm like just unwinding after a long day.
That's your kink.
Unwinding after a long day.
Hey, hey, hey.
Do not kink shame.
Do not kink shame.
I'm sorry.
I'm not.
I'm not.
I love that answer.
A guy can't unwind at the end of a long day or anymore.
Jeez.
What is something that's making you happy today?
Being here with you.
This is my first live show and it's really fun to do new experiences like this.
It's not often that every that, you're just doing these new, really fun, really out there things, and so this is um, this is get.
This is my kink for today.
It's an honor, welcome.
Uh, all right.
How you feeling?
You feel warmed up?
You feel good.
I feel pretty loose, nerves are gone okay, great.
Yeah, how do you feel about being a running industry sex symbol?
I don't, ali.
Okay, This is something I was talking with the city esteem about when I was like guys, because this came up during like USAs or something, and then they clipped it and they pushed it really hard.
And now often, these clips come up and I'm like we have to stop pushing this.
I'm like, it looks, I'm feeling like I'm looking really thirsty out there.
I don't think it's you that looks thirsty.
I thought it was the reverse.
I'm like, guys, we've got to pump the brakes, so...
Even just saying it feels really great to be a sex symbol, I would never say that.
Someone clip that.
Yeah.
I'm like, Ali.
You were asking me if I want to take a look at the questions.
I should have said yes.
But you didn't.
I'm so happy.
And here we go.
Did you know that you have a Wikipedia page?
Have you ever looked at it?
I did know I have a Wikipedia page.
I haven't looked on it. in a while since Camille Heron got to it.
But I do, yeah, I do know I have one, yeah.
It's great.
It all seems very factual.
Okay, thank you, Camille.
Yes.
Are there... On that note...
Are there any topics you know on your podcast that you co-host with the lovely Aisha Pratlier, whose laugh could heal the world?
I truly believe that.
It's a great one.
You get into a lot.
I mean, you do two hour episodes where you cover quite a bit.
Are there any topics in running that you won't touch, that are off limits or that you just don't want that?
You don't want to get clipped as part of your narrative or your voice.
No, I think like one of the reasons why I wanted to do the pod in the first place was I wanted to have like we're having conversations a lot of the times behind closed curtains that just aren't being talked about in the general public.
And so I thought there's nothing I'm going to shy away from.
If we're talking about it amongst our friends, then we should be talking about it to the public.
And I think they want to hear our perspectives on it.
So there really isn't anything I'm going to.
If people want to, If I think it's interesting and other people think it's interesting, then I would.
I'll talk about it.
Awesome.
Good to know.
What do you think of all this?
You've not run a marathon yet.
Emphasis on yet.
What do you think of these major marathon weekends?
Was this when you were competing?
Were you kind of into the marathon scene at the time, or is that something that you've gotten more into now that you are doing stuff with Sidious, that you have the podcast?
What do you think?
I'd gone to a couple marathons when I was still competing, but definitely more since I stopped.
And obviously you appreciate it more when you're done running in the sense where it's like, I can look at it in a different light and you can appreciate the excitement and all the things that go on a bit more.
They're so fun.
It is because in the track space, the public's not racing.
You go to a USA Championships, the public's not there to line up at the, on the 5k line with you.
And here there, there's just so much excitement.
There's so much.
The cool thing about like the marathon is that you're seeing people like really accomplish a dream that they didn't think was possible before.
Like right when they crossed that line.
It's just there's so much emotion and you can, you can feel that in the buildup to it.
You can feel it in the days leading up to the race and, and especially on the race day.
But yeah, it's, And it's contagious, obviously, and it's so exciting.
And I'll definitely at some point, whether I, you know, train hard enough to pace Faith Kipyagon or whether I just want to get out there and experience the excitement myself, it is just something that is undeniable.
You did an exit interview when you were retiring a couple years ago and in there you were like no desire to train for a marathon.
Like, I'm just not, that's not something I'm interested.
That was two years ago.
Where are you at now with the marathon?
I'm like, similar, similar boat.
The marathon's just such, it really is a different sport in a lot of ways than the track.
It's, first off, so time-consuming, and... it's, it's one of these things where making it to the line healthy is a huge, huge challenge on its own.
And it's not like a track race.
You don't get multiple, you get, you know, two marathons a year or something like that.
Maybe three.
It's, um, it's just a whole different beast compared to either in 5k, 10k on the track.
Um, so the, the, the training is, um, still a bit intimidating.
Um, But I would never say never.
I would never say I'm never going to train for a marathon.
But as of now, I'm still going to be sitting on the sidelines talking through it.
Centro's doing it.
I did see Centro's doing it.
But again, Centro put in some training for it.
I could see myself doing something along the lines of a Centro marathon, where he's just kind of He's not putting everything he's got on the line out there.
I think I would like to run it slower than he's attempting to.
Yeah, he just cruised to, what, a 2.24?
Yeah, so he's not as relaxed as I'd like to go.
So even now, as I say, I go, yeah, maybe that's not in the cards for me.
But yeah, Centro, he's run a few marathons at this point.
So maybe the next Centro and Clayton will be out there giving it their all.
But yeah, amazing to see and fun to watch him really find a new passion at a totally different event.
As we're talking about other people in the running industry, it's time for our first trivia question.
Has anyone studied Eric Jenkins?
Did anyone go to the Wikipedia page?
You did?
Oh my gosh, you're amazing.
Yeah, own it.
Okay, who in this audience?
And if you know the answer, just raise your hand and I'll let Eric call on someone.
Name one of Eric's former teammates.
Name any former team.
Oh, no, I said Eric got to call.
No, no, no, she's got it.
Edward Cesarek, great answer.
There you go.
Good answer, good answer.
Great answer.
Can anyone name another former teammate?
Oh, who you got?
Oh, you called on someone else.
Oh, shoot.
I'm sorry.
It wasn't my job.
I'm like, you made the rules.
You got to abide by it.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
Matt, so we're going with professional teammates, too.
Just any teammate.
Any teammate.
Yes, Matt Centrowitz.
There you go.
You also get a pair of shoes.
Pair of shoes.
Head to the table at the end.
Oh, they're going to come find you.
Man, you are on it.
All right, Eric, you were a 1500 meter guy.
The 15, other than the marathon, the 15 is my favorite event.
And I know that the Sidious crew is all hopped up on the 15 as well.
The men's 15 very different than the women's these days.
The men, they do their like trash talking, whatever.
And the women are like, let's go absolutely destroy this race and then hug each other at the finish.
What's your vibe?
Which side do you skew more toward both when you were racing professionally?
And what about, what are you into now?
Well, I think there's a time and a place for both, right?
I do love the, the buildup of the trash talking and um, the bit of kind of bad blood on.
I mean, and when you say bad blood, it's we're really only just talking about Josh, and I'm like, of course yes, of course we're just talking about Taylor Swift.
Um, but I do enjoy the, the, the, you know, beef, so to speak in the, the, that type of environment.
I think it's, it's, it's, It does a good job building up and hyping up these races.
But then it is so fun to watch the true friendship between the women's 1500-meter field.
It's the fact that they can be all on the bus ride.
It's like they'll be taking selfies on the bus ride back from the final, still in their uniforms, having a blast.
And you go like, that is really – it is great to see.
So I think –
Um, there's a, there's a place for both in the sport.
Did you ever partake in any of the trash talking during your time competing?
And what was the trash talkiest thing you ever said?
Um, trash talkiest.
Uh, I know I, I wasn't really a big, um, a big trash talker.
Uh, I don't think that's not really necessarily like my style.
Um, and with especially trash talk, you gotta be authentic.
Cause if, If you're not, then it doesn't come off right.
So no, I don't even think there was.
I don't have like a specific trash talkiest moment that sticks out in my head.
Thank you for saying trash talkiest.
I like it.
I think there's potential with that word.
So yeah, I don't necessarily, there wasn't, I'm trying to think of like something I could have done.
And like I never was ever like going to say anything.
Maybe I threw shade on, like if I was going to do something, it would probably have been maybe like some Instagram trash talking.
Like what?
I don't know.
Like I got it.
I'm like, who am I trash talking against?
I just think if there was something I would have done in my time running, it could have been some shade on Instagram.
Let's go to 2016, if we can.
You are running professionally.
You compete at the U.S.
Olympic track and field trials in the 5K.
You famously finish fourth.
No one wants to finish fourth at the trials.
What was that like for you?
What were the takeaways from that race?
How did fourth feel for you?
It's funny.
I think there are people that were after I finished fourth.
It was almost like walking on eggshells around me where they're like oh my, like that's so, it's so brutal.
And how have you been handling it?
And I'm like, I mean, I mean, it's better than finishing like fifth.
Finishing sixth.
I mean, it's one of these things you have to take a step back, because you get to that level and you get so hyper-focused on these big, big goals that you kind of forget to look at how far you've come along the way and to think you know, when I got into running that I would be, you know, just barely losing out on an Olympic spot.
Of course it hurts and of course you think about that race a lot and you would do things differently if you were to rerun it.
But at the end of the day, it's one of these things.
It's not that difficult of a memory for me.
It really was.
It's just another race.
And one of the hard things I go through career-wise is just barely missing out on an Olympic team.
It's really not that bad in the big picture.
What was the highest high of your professional career?
What's amazing about running is...
Everything's your perspective.
I think some of my biggest moments winning NCAA titles was such a big moment for me.
But it still felt in a way the same as winning your state championship in high school cross country.
So it's just about where you're at at the moment and what your goals are.
So it's all perspective.
But Winning NCAAs at Oregon was huge.
That's a moment I'll always love.
Making the world team in 2017, that helped me get over 2016 a bit.
It'll do it.
So those are some moments I look back on with a lot of fond memories.
Eric had a couple very big and exciting wins during his professional career.
Can anyone name one?
I didn't even finish the question.
You're all amazing.
You can choose.
The question is going to be, name one of the races that Eric won.
Oh, yeah, okay.
Okay, you're in charge.
How about this?
You can choose the next one.
Okay.
It's a lot of pressure to choose.
No, go ahead.
The Fifth Avenue Mile.
And who did you beat?
Well, the whole field.
The devil, Matt Centrowitz.
Yeah, you did.
So watch out, Matt Centrowitz Marathoner.
He's coming.
Okay, can anyone name another race that he won?
The Wanamaker Mile.
There you go.
Good job.
See, you have super fans.
Yeah, this is a thing.
And they study.
Okay, so you retired in 2023.
How did you know it was time?
I felt like my heart and my head just wasn't in the same spot that it was a few years before.
Obviously there were signs where my body just wasn't recovering in the same way that it did earlier in my career.
But at the same time I just felt like I wasn't as fired up, for usually the season's done and you go on your off season break.
And I would be, I'd take a few days off and be just chomping at the bit to come back.
And so excited to think just thinking about the year ahead changes I wanted to make in training or how I could improve on things I could do to improve as an athlete.
And then the last couple of years, it was, it just didn't feel like that.
And so it was a combination of, of, Some injuries over the years had taken a bit of a toll on me.
And then at the same time, I just felt like my my my head wasn't really in it.
I kind of knew it was time to step away.
Any regrets?
No, there's no no no regrets.
And so a few months after, you'd be like, man, is this the right thing to do?
But looking back on it where I'm at now, there's no regrets.
And incredibly grateful for the career I did have running.
So what does running look like for you these days?
Let's see.
Anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes.
Um easy, maybe some, some sprints tossed into the mix.
Um, depending on how I'm feeling, um anywhere from three to four days a week.
And that's, that's, and that's it.
And what is your relationship with running?
Are you enjoying those runs?
Yeah, I think it's, I think it'd be tough to, um, running has given me, you know, everything.
It's, um, some of my closest friends are through running.
Um, I'm sitting here talking to you guys because of running.
It's really opened up doors I didn't think would be I'd be able to walk through in my life.
So running is, and I know there's a lot of people that retire and it's almost like they're mad at the sport.
You can.
It's like they've given every single thing they possibly could have to running and they feel like running didn't.
You know, running didn't love them in the way that they love running.
And so you can see some people have a tough relationship with it, but I it's.
It's one of those things that it's hard to replicate.
Obviously, you won't be able to replicate the feeling of winning a huge race.
But you can replicate the feeling of going out for a run and feeling like your body's right there.
Everything's clicking.
Everything feels good.
And so that's something I hope that I'll do for as long as I possibly can.
So right now, relationship with running is great.
What is it like winning a huge race?
Oh, man, it's it's it feels amazing.
It's it's it really is a type of high that is it's tough to to replicate or really explain.
But it's it's it's such a satisfying feeling to put in the amount of work that all these athletes do.
And then there's so much that there can be a lot of doubt.
Right.
Like before the rate gun goes off, all these big goals and you kind of wonder if you're actually the guy to do them and if maybe you bit off more than you can chew and you get all these voices in your head and to be able to go out there at that level and get a win.
It's just so many miles and miles of work and years of training that culminate in one specific moment and it makes everything worth it.
So it's tough to replicate.
So there's no feeling quite like it.
What are you excited about in running right now?
It's amazing to watch just the talent that of course globally, but also to see the level that America is at.
Of course, in the sprints, but also up in the distance on the men's and the women's side.
I mean, they're the best in the world right now.
And to see that to see that they're as good as they are and they're getting better.
Just it's a really cool, cool place to be in.
And it's, I feel, really lucky that I'm able to still be involved in it and to and to have some sort of voice in the sport.
It's.
It's really fun to watch and it's fun to see the the jumps that America has taken as a whole in the terms of distance running.
Since you said nothing is off-limits, can I make you play favorites?
Great.
I mean, I said nothing is off-limits, so I guess I have no choice.
Okay, favorite sprinter.
Favorite sprinter.
I really like and am always rooting for Sha'Carri.
So I like Sha'Carri.
I think the—
The personal battles she's faced make me like her even more.
So I always find that I root for Sha'Carri.
Obviously, Melissa Jefferson Wooden is the best right now, and it's hard not to be a fan of her personality.
And everybody likes you when you're winning.
So I think it's hard not to root for her.
Every time I see Sydney McLaughlin-Leveroni race, it's nothing but... again it's nothing but like records and the fastest times in history I so I she's incredibly exciting to watch race um I'm you said just pick a favorite yeah I was about to interject with the rules yeah I feel like I'm on like a sidious race breakdown and I'm just like going through all the events now but yeah you're just playing favorites those are some of uh those are my favorites as far as sprinting goes all right favorite 800 meter runner um just one I'll go uh Donovan Brazier Favorite 1,500-meter runner?
Favorite?
I love my boy Craig Engels.
I love Cole Hawker.
So, yeah, I would say those are my favorites.
All right, let's go.
Should I group the 5K, 10K together?
It's your show.
You can do whatever you want, girl.
All right, favorite 5K, 10K runner?
It's...
It's tough.
I like Nico Young.
I'm like, here I go.
I'm just listening.
I don't want to do it.
I'm like, this topic's off limits, Allie.
I'll let you.
You can pick more than one.
To watch the level that those guys are at like between Grant Fisher, Nico Young.
Graham Blanks has worked his way in there.
Those guys, I see them being...
The three best in America for some time to come.
It's fun to watch them race each other.
They're all at such a high level.
I really can't pick between those guys.
All right, now do the women.
Now do the women.
Let's see, for 800s?
Did you pick all men for all the distances?
Yeah, you did.
Let's go back to the 800.
We're doing it again.
We're running it back.
Well, I picked all women for the sprinters.
Yeah, which I liked.
I didn't know we were going to talk about men's sports today.
I love to see Ajay Wilson and Raven Rogers in the 800.
I always have loved watching them race.
Sage is also to be the lone American in that final amazing to watch after so many years of not quite being at the level that she thought she was going to be at.
Obviously, you've got to root for that.
Nikki, Nikki Hiltz.
We're going to the 15 now.
Now we're moving.
Okay, we're doing it.
Look, I can't list.
If you'd let me, I'd list off every 800-meter athlete too, but no, I'm just going to move right on up.
Nikki in the 15 is... an amazing athlete.
They've always been super competitive, fun to watch.
I, um, I was teammates with them at Oregon.
So there's a bit of personal history there.
Um, 5k, um, let's see.
I like, um, at least I think I like to watch at least cranny run.
I think it's, it's cool to see athletes who have had tough tough years.
Like you, you watched her at grand slam and was just kind of getting kind of getting her butt kicked out there on on this level.
And then to to watch her kind of stay in the fight.
Bounce back, make these teams um for the world championships.
I love, I love seeing that.
So, um, I like that.
I like, um, Ellie St.
Um, Ellie St.
Ellie Puryear.
Um, she's, uh, Incredible, incredible athlete, always fun to watch.
And then in the 10K, who else?
Alicia Monson, when she was on the scene running really hard, I thought she was fun to watch.
Carissa Schweizer is great.
So, yeah, those are, I think, kind of my favorites right now.
Okay, I'm going to ask you to pick your favorite male and female marathoners, but just don't look over there.
Yeah.
Well look, I know Clayton really well, raced against him a lot and have been lucky enough to interview him after his amazing race in Orlando at the trials.
So even if he wasn't here, I would say him.
It's really fun to watch the dynamic between him and Conor, how talented they are, and the teammate aspect.
It's really fun to watch and, just like everybody here, it's going to be really exciting to watch whatever Connor does this weekend.
I think we're all expecting big things.
He's an athlete that every time he gets out there on the line, he runs as hard as he possibly can.
He's very consistent in how solid his performances are, So yeah.
Um, Connor Clayton, Matt Centrowitz, um, some of my favorites.
Um, yeah.
And for the women, um, I'm thinking about, um, I like, uh, I like Natasha Rogers.
I know she's racing in it.
Um, tomorrow I like to see these, these Sunday, Sunday, tomorrow.
Yeah.
Sorry.
Um, Sorry.
Shout out to the 5k runners though.
Shout out to the 5k.
Um, if Natasha Rogers in it, she's going to be a problem.
Um, I really liked the stories of of the people who kind of come from the track and and can manage to find find their way on the roads.
Cause it's tough.
It's, it is tough.
I mean, it scared me completely away from it.
Um, so I think, uh, Natasha Rogers is a fantastic athlete.
Um, Betsy Saina.
She was in Eugene when I was in Eugene training.
Amazing person, like super, super kind.
So I always find myself rooting for her too.
But yeah.
Great answers.
Eric has mentioned Oregon a few times.
We know that at one point in his collegiate career he was a duck, but that is not the only university he attended.
What is the other one?
Wow, a lot of people know this one.
You got to choose.
No, I think it's up to you.
Okay, Laura, you don't get to answer this one.
All right, you had your hand up again before the question was even asked.
What do you got?
Northeastern is correct.
One more pair of shoes down in front.
More shoes.
And this brings us to the game portion of our show.
Are you ready to close this out with a few games?
Let's play some games.
The first one is a little-known game that was my favorite in college.
No, not spin the bottle.
Never Have I Ever.
Never Have I Ever, a classic.
A classic, a classic with a little running theme on it.
There's nothing that you have to do.
You just have to tell us if you've done it or not and if there's a story to go with it.
Never Have I Ever had a bathroom emergency on the run.
Say more.
Of course I've had a bad, I mean, every runner's had a bathroom emergency.
Like, if you haven't had a bathroom emergency, I haven't been putting in the miles.
Luckily I mean luckily enough I do a lot of runs in the woods, so it's nothing but one large bathroom out.
And that is the greatest thing about living in New Hampshire.
Yeah.
Like you said, you're close to a lot of stuff.
You're close to a lot of bathrooms in New Hampshire and running through the trails.
So, yeah, of course, I can't lie and say I've never had a close call.
Thank you for being vulnerable with us.
No problem.
Never have I ever blocked someone on social media.
Yes.
Who?
Well.
It's not even like anything.
Sometimes you just get in a mood where something just annoys the hell out of you.
And you're like, I don't want to see that again.
So yeah, I would say my blocked list is very small.
But I would be, again, lying if I say I would have never blocked somebody.
I mean, what does someone have to do to get blocked by Eric Jenkins?
It's just, if I'm in a mood...
And you're coming at me crazy in the comments.
I might block your ass.
Wow.
Wow.
He went there.
Yeah.
We'll bleep that.
Never have I ever gotten blocked.
Do you know if anyone's ever blocked you?
No.
No one's ever come up and been like, hey.
But, like, if you ever go to an account that suddenly doesn't exist, that means you were blocked.
That user does exist, just not for you.
I'm like, oh, fuck.
No, don't do it.
I'm like, yeah, okay, it's not off the rails.
I'm sure, I think it's crazy for me to assume I have never been blocked.
I think it's probably healthy to think, yeah, at some point, I've been blocked, maybe.
To my knowledge, I don't believe I've been blocked.
But if you've blocked me, unblock me, reach out, tell me what I did.
I'd love to know, but yeah, I guess I've probably been blocked.
Yeah, Amy Stewart probably blocked me.
If this brings you and Amy together, this is going to be a love story for the ages.
If Amy Stewart reaches out to me after this show, that will be a hell of a message.
She'll be like, listen, I had you blocked for a while, but...
I'm reaching back out today.
She's like.
I listened to the Ally on the Run live show and it was a lot about me, which is shocking.
Poor Amy.
But it's not wild to think that someone she knows is a runner and is going to hear this.
So keep us posted.
I will.
Trust me.
If Amy reaches out, you'll be the first to know.
Yay.
Never have I ever gotten a tattoo.
No, I'm tattoo-less.
Okay, never have I ever stayed on my parents' phone plan until current.
Wow, we're digging deep.
Oh, I'm still on my parents' phone plan.
So am I. I'm 40.
That's a block.
If they block me from that, I wouldn't be able to bounce back from that one.
No, that's like a love language for parents.
I think it makes them feel good to keep you on the phone.
Yeah, totally.
Yeah, like my mom loves it.
No, like every month I say, you're welcome.
Yeah.
I'm like, I could get my own phone plan, but I'm like, this is for you.
Exactly.
It keeps the family together.
It's sweet.
I know how much this means to you, so I'll let it happen.
Exactly.
It's just a better deal.
Never have I ever lied on my resume or even like embellished a little.
Well like, luckily right now, my resume like Mac and Chris at Sidious, like I didn't, I was just lying about races I won to them to send in.
No, I haven't lied on a resume, no.
Has anyone?
Yeah, right?
Like, I'm conversational in Spanish.
I was a Spanish minor 18 years ago.
Never have I ever stolen something.
Yeah, we all go through a little phase.
We all steal a little bit.
Let's talk about it.
Yeah.
Look, we all go through, in New Hampshire, a little bit of a klepto phase.
We don't all.
Mine was in New York.
No, I wasn't like the movie The Town, but I would, you know, when I'm 12, 13 years old, be...
You know, take some candy or whatever my heart desires at the time.
But, yeah, little things just to, you know, just to feel the rush.
Yeah, right.
It is a real thing.
Like, I don't know, but I've heard.
I've heard.
Yeah, no, it seems like you do get it.
It was the SoulCycle shoes and I came clean about that on Instagram recently that I went through a phase when I lived in New York City where I was paying 32 a pop for SoulCycle classes, making not enough money to support that hobby.
And you thought, I deserve the shoes for free.
That's exactly what I thought.
I would just keep them for a couple weeks at a time and then I would take another pair that was less sweaty, and at one point I had six pair in my apartment and I didn't have room for six pair of SoulCycle shoes.
Okay, well this story is growing.
You made it seem like you took one pair of shoes, and now it's like your closet's just overflowing with SoulCycle shoes.
Well, I returned five of them.
And what did they say when you returned five pairs?
No, I didn't tell them.
I just put them in the hamper of dirty shoes.
I just, like, brought my tote bag in, which I bought from SoulCycle.
And you're just dumping in shoes.
Yeah, like, one at a time, and was like, hopefully they don't see me.
But, like, I think everyone was doing it.
Well, yeah, there was a bin full of shoes after you came through.
And they were disgusting.
Kelly Ripa was not bringing her own SoulCycle shoes.
You were with Kelly.
Wow, what an elite class you were in.
Oh, yeah, SoulCycle on the Upper East Side back in 2013.
And you had the audacity to steal with Kelly Ripa in your class?
I didn't care.
I had no fear at the time.
Actually, you know Kelly would get down with that.
Yeah, I bet she's got a, yeah, I could see that.
Never have I ever Amy might come up again here kissed someone that I've known for less than 24 hours.
Yeah, yes, I have, yeah.
Yeah, get it.
Yeah, of course.
You got to live a little bit.
Yeah.
You got to steal those SoulCycle shoes.
You got to kiss somebody you've known for less than 24 hours.
It's fun.
It is fun.
Though the SoulCycle thing, I would say, like, you don't need to.
If you're taking a $32 class, you can pay the $3 for shoes.
It was only a $3 rental.
But I felt.
After your seventh pair of shoes, you're like.
I shouldn't, I didn't need to do all this.
Yeah.
I'm not proud.
I wish I could take back, having told everyone that never have I ever lied about having seen a movie or a show.
Um, I've, Oh, I've definitely done that.
Yeah.
Sometimes it's just like like I don't want to deal with this.
The conversation of like you got to see it.
I'm like, yeah, I saw it.
Yeah.
I saw it.
I saw it.
It's like, that'll put, that'll kill it.
It's like, great.
Well, And then it's so much better.
Actually, I do that all the time.
Awesome.
Note to self, don't ask Eric about movies or TV shows.
I've never seen The Town, but I bet that that was a hilarious reference that you made.
I laughed like I got the joke.
Yeah.
So we've all done it.
Yeah.
I'm like, she didn't really get it.
I wasn't convincing?
Shoot.
Yeah.
Okay, you did great at Never Have I Ever.
Thank you.
Good job.
We have one more game to close this out.
This is called For the Sake of Today.
Again, if you've been to an Ali show or an Ali and Kira show, you know that this is a twist on my favorite game, Scattergories.
Have you ever played Scattergories?
I believe I have, but why don't you give me a refresher on the rules?
I would love to.
Do you know how much I love explaining rules to people?
Okay, so in Scattergories, you're given all of these categories.
Right.
Okay.
It's coming back.
It's coming back.
And this is called Eric Gories, which doesn't really roll off the tongue, but I didn't have time to workshop it.
So in this game, you will be given a category and you'll be given a letter and you need to use that letter as your answer, your starting answer for everything.
So if your category is something you see at this show and your letter is E, you would say Eric Jenkins.
Got it.
Or energy or energy.
Okay.
I'm out of words.
Okay.
So do you understand the rules?
I believe I do.
Yeah.
Okay.
So then we always go to the audience.
We need someone to pick a letter, and I am going to go to my friend, Dorian Kale, because it's her birthday.
So Dorian, you get the very important task of choosing Eric's letter.
You're not allowed to choose the ones that are not in the official categories.
Die, which is like X or Q, Just pick something nice.
D for Dorian.
Okay, Eric, are you ready for Eric Gores?
I'm ready for Eric Gores.
Okay, your letter is D. How you're feeling right now?
Determined.
Off to a strong start.
And you can't repeat.
How it feels to win a race?
Dreamy.
I bet.
How it feels to lose a race?
Devastating.
Did someone just go all?
That was Akira.
Name any professional runner that you haven't already mentioned in the show today.
So you can't say Donovan Brazier.
There's one in the audience.
Dina Cash.
We will help you if you need help.
Yeah, I was like, this should be one I could get.
I'm like, I got nothing.
A food runner's love.
A food runner's love, D. Dates.
Oh, yeah, that's cute.
Something you shouldn't eat before a run.
Probably dates.
Oh, and it'd be double word score.
Oh, okay.
Yeah, deep dish pizza.
Nice.
Good assist.
Thank you.
Are you going to have some deep dish while you're in town?
I mean, I feel like I have to.
It's my first time in Chicago.
I hear a lot about Lou Malnati's.
I would love to.
I feel like I got to.
Some point journey out and get a deep dish.
Do it before a run and then report back on that too.
Yeah.
Just a deep dish date pizza.
Followed by another D word.
Yeah.
Sorry.
Something you might see during a marathon.
Dancing.
Oh, I hope so.
Something runners wear.
I'm like, somebody help me.
I don't know.
Ooh, good answer, good answer.
Thank you so much.
Did you know that on Family Feud, even if it's a really bad answer, they have to say good answer, good answer.
Yeah, Chris Heisler, friend of the show, his family was on Family Feud.
Or what, Steve Harvey will?
Kick you off.
Wow.
Like automatic loss.
Yeah, you have to say good answer even if your family member is an idiot.
You have to act like they're not.
Okay, where are we?
Something great that might happen on the run.
I'm like, this is a tough game.
I know, right?
Something great that could happen on the run, D.
You could see a dog, a downhill.
Downhill.
I like downhill.
Obviously, dogs are great, too.
Both very good answers.
Thank you to the crowd.
I would be struggling if you guys weren't here.
I'd be like, this is the toughest game I've ever played.
Someone you'd love to run with.
I can't say Dina Castor.
I can't say Donovan Brazier.
I'll say... a guy named david from my dad your dad your father david his name is david i'll say david do you have a specific david honestly i was just saying day i was just gonna lie and say a guy named david um and i'm like nobody's there's no fact check here i can get away with this one and how do you know but um david your dad i would it'd be an honor to run with him Yeah, he doesn't run at all, and his shoes all have holes in them, so it won't go great for him.
It sounds like a perfect training partner.
Okay.
Someone you'd love to be stuck in an elevator with.
I'm like, more D names.
Well, this doesn't have to be a runner.
This can be... Oh, trust me.
I'm thinking about lies.
I can tell you right now.
What even is it?
D names.
Dwayne Dolly, pardon Dwayne Johnson.
Dwayne the Rock Johnson would be a great reason to be stuck in the elevator.
So, yeah, I think Dolly and Dwayne would be fun.
Screw it, toss in Dwayne Wade.
Let the good times roll.
So those sound fun.
Sounds like a great elevator ride.
Dina, get in on that.
I'm like, you're welcome.
More the merrier.
All right, how about a word to describe this live show?
I already said dreamy.
Dynamite.
Yeah, this is my first live show, and I couldn't have asked for anything more.
Dynamite, absolutely.
Thank you guys for coming.
We're not done.
This has been incredible fun.
I'm like, I like signing off.
No, Dynamite, so much fun.
There is only one more though, and this is where you give everyone a reason to go for a run.
Starting with the letter D, I would say delivering on promises you've made to yourself.
Whoa!
Don't drop the mic, but you could.
That was smooth.
Thank you.
All right.
What is your word to all of these runners, whether they are running the 5k, the marathon or just going for a run and happen to be in town, but mostly for the people who are racing this weekend?
What's your message to all of them?
Um, not with a D. Thank God.
I'm like, this is the game is over.
You did great at Eric worries.
Um, I, I think it's the moment it's, it's going to be gone, right?
Like before you know it.
Um, You think about the buildup to this and you think about this moment for so much, so much time, so much energy has been put into it that you oftentimes never really appreciate it.
And then it's only until the race is done, when you're on the travel back to wherever you came from, that you kind of reflect on the journey it took to get here and the race itself.
So enjoy the mile you're in.
No matter how good it feels, how bad it feels, it's a blessing to be out there, healthy enough to be doing this at all.
So don't take it for granted.
You never know how many more races you'll run.
And so just appreciate this for what it is.
It's tempting right now to say okay, after you all run the marathon on Sunday, send Eric a DM about how much fun you had and how he should do a marathon.
But I'm afraid he's going to block all of you.
So maybe just tag him in your post.
I would never, guys.
I wouldn't block you.
No, look at these faces.
These are the nicest faces in the entire running community.
Truly.
They are the most special people in the world.
We love you all so much.
Thank you for coming.
Eric, you did it.
You made it through your first live show.
I made it.
Give it up for Eric Jenkins.
It's a blast.
I don't know what I was nervous about.
I don't know what you were nervous about either.
It's the hardest part.
If you can survive Eric Gores, you can do anything.
I can truly do anything.
I actually believe that.
If you can name four people whose names start with the letter D, what can't you do?
On the ride back I can be like I can't believe I didn't think of anybody whose names start with a D.
Well, that is part of the joy of that game is, you can't even think of a single word that starts with that letter until you leave.
I'm like, I didn't even know D's a letter until now.
Good choice, Dorian.
No, that was a great choice.
D is a lovely letter.
Happy birthday.
Love you so much.
Thank you for celebrating with all of us here.
Is it anyone else's birthday?
It's your birthday too?
What is your name?
Does it start with D?
Sam?
Happy birthday, Sam.
Happy birthday to both of you.
What a lovely way to spend your day.
I hope.
I hope it was a lovely way to spend your day.
Give her shoes.
Oh my gosh.
I'm not in charge.
Make up a trivia question so she can win.
The show's done.
I had done my part.
Just give her a pair of shoes.
Go to the table in the back and see what happens, you know?
Happy birthday.
It can't hurt to try.
Suddenly it's everyone's birthday.
No, Summer, she seems legit.
Summer just gave the thumbs up, which brings me... Yes!
Yeah!
Wait, who yelled give her shoes?
Yeah, good job.
Influencer, well done.
He's like, now I want shoes too.
But truly, thank you, New Balance, to the amazing team, to Kristen and James and Summer.
I can't start this game because I will name everyone that works there.
I love you so much.
You are the best partner that I could ever imagine.
And you make all of my dreams come true and then some.
See, this is how you know they're legit.
I'm going to cry talking about a shoe brand.
But they're so much more than that.
They are people and they are the best people to work with.
And everything I've ever wanted to do, they've brought that to life and then some.
And they've been by my side through a lot.
So everyone should support New Balance.
Thank you also to the amazing team at Fleet Feet.
Thank you for having us again this year.
It's always nice to be invited back.
That's always a good thing.
So thank you to Molly, to everyone here at Fleet Feet for having us.
We love you so much.
Thank you, Eric.
Thank you all for being here.
You know this is the part.
If you've been to an Allie show, you know.
This is where I just start rambling, because I don't want it to end.
I'll be so brief with this part.
I haven't done a live show in a while and I was feeling all kinds of ways about coming to Chicago and then you all showed up and Taylor Swift was playing and the new album.
I mean, come on, whatever you feel about the new album, the new album is filled with bops and it is fun, and you have made all of my showgirl dreams come true tonight.
So thank you for the warmest welcome that I ever could have imagined and thank you for making me Forget about all the things I was feeling until I stepped out here today.
I love you.
I appreciate you.
Thank you so much for being a part of this community, as always.
You have got this.
You are doing great.
And thank you for joining us tonight on the run.
Before you leave, Johnny Pace, can we jump down and we'll take a group photo before you go?
And then we will send you on your way.
Stay off your feet.
Enjoy the weekend.
Take good care of yourselves.
We love you so much.
Thank you so much for being here with us tonight.
Thank you so much for tuning in to this episode of the Allie on the Run show with my guest, Eric Jenkins.
Thank you again to everyone who came out for the show.
Thank you to Fleet Feet for having us.
And thank you, of course, to New Balance.
I know I talked quite a bit about my love for New Balance during the show, and I'm always happy to do that, because they truly are the best brand, made up of the best people.
So the next time that you find yourself needing some shoes, some apparel, some accessories, a hat, a backpack, consider New Balance.
You really are supporting a company made up of some of the greatest people I have ever met and had the privilege to work with.
So New Balance, thank you for all that you do for me and for the Allie on the Run show community.
As always, newbalance.com slash running is going to get you all that good stuff.
Thank you all for being here for this.
Thank you for being here for me.
Thank you for making me feel like a showgirl.
I love you.
You've got this.
You're doing great.
And thank you for joining me on the run.
Thank you.
