370. Uncharted Territory: Preparing For The Race Of A Lifetime & How To Find Your Flow With Marathoner Erika Kemp
Hurdle with Emily Abbate
iHeartPodcasts
5 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 1 September 2025
⏱️ 59 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The fastest American-born Black female marathoner. What a title, one earned when Erika Kemp ran a time of 2:22:56 at the 2025 Houston Marathon, and it’s one that she wears proudly. For this week’s conversation, I’m chatting with Erika before she heads out to Tokyo for the World Athletics Championships, representing Team USA in the marathon. We talk about it all: Her debut marathon, the magic that is Houston, what her recovery routine and support squad looks like, and what it feels like to be a Brooks athlete. Plus: How she stays positive, and what she thinks about to perform her best on the roads.
IN THIS EPISODE
(13:06) When did Erika learn to trust herself within training
(13:15) What does “OYO” mean in running?
(14:11) Erika talks about how running made her feel in high school versus now
(22:54) How does Erika manage negative thoughts and what’s her advice to others navigating difficult self-talk
(25:16) What does Erika’s support system look like
(36:38) East does success look and feel like for Erika in Tokyo?
(38:00) How does the Tokyo World Championships course work out to Erika’s advantage
(38:40) What was the hardest part of Erika’s running career thus far
(40:04) Erika talks about the difficulties she has working with an old coach shortly after Covid
(41:30) What does Erika do for herself when everything feels out of her control
(42:28) How to manage stress and what does ’superstitious’ look like for Erika
(44:34) Erika talks about joining Joan Benoit Samuelson as an Olympic gold hopeful
(45:40) Erika talks about not loving to do hands-on body work, and what recovery looks like for her otherwise
(48:20) Erika shares her “I am statements”
(51:32) What about Erika the person makes her proud, beyond being an athlete
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I will not rest and I will not retire or like feel good until I know how far I could go. |
| 0:06.9 | That is, you know, the wood like stoking my fire is just like we're not done yet. |
| 0:11.4 | I don't feel like we're anywhere close to done yet. Hey, hey, Emily here. You are listening to Episode 370 of Hurtle, a wellness focus podcast where I talk to inspirational people about everything from |
| 0:38.1 | their highest highs and toughest moments to essential tips on how to live, a healthier, happier, |
| 0:43.8 | more motivated life. We all go through our fair share of hurdles. My goal through these discussions |
| 0:49.5 | is to empower you to better navigate yours and move with intention so that you can stride towards your |
| 0:55.2 | own big potential and of course have some fun along the way. For today's episode, I am chatting |
| 1:03.3 | with Erica Kemp. She is a professional runner with Brooke. She's also the fastest American-born black female marathoner. What a title. |
| 1:16.5 | I had the opportunity to catch up with Erica recently before she heads over to Tokyo to represent |
| 1:22.3 | the United States in the marathon at the World Athletics Championships. |
| 1:29.2 | For those of you that may not be familiar, these are the world champs for track and |
| 1:32.9 | field. It is the pinnacle event, the event that everybody wants to tow at the starting |
| 1:38.2 | line at and Erica is one of three women that's going to be representing Team USA. |
| 1:45.0 | Now, fun fact about all three of these women is that they are all Brooks athletes, |
| 1:50.0 | which is kind of fun. |
| 1:52.0 | And actually, if you follow Hurdle over on social, and I hope that you do over at Hurdle podcast, |
| 1:57.0 | we're going to be thrown out some information about this starting lineup over the next week, |
| 2:02.9 | helping you to meet the women that are showing up and showing out for Team USA at the World |
| 2:09.1 | Champs. But back to Erica. Today, as always, we get into Erica's backstory. We talk about |
| 2:15.2 | when she found her love for the sport of running and how it has evolved with time. |
| 2:20.5 | We talk about the challenges of being a professional runner, including finding the right coach and making time for recovery amidst all of the miles. |
| 2:31.2 | Erica also opens up about her relationship and what it's like to finally be in the same |
... |
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