372. Don't Call It A Comeback: Keira D’Amato On Becoming An Author & Stepping Into Her Power On The Run & In Life
Hurdle with Emily Abbate
iHeartPodcasts
5 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 10 September 2025
⏱️ 55 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
SPECIAL EPISODE! Guys! Keira’s book, Don't Call It A Comeback, is officially on the shelves! Had a moment to catch up with friend of the show and former American record holder in both the half- and full marathon on how she got here: What the book-writing process was like, how she felt working with Evelyn Spence, and the feelings that came up reflecting on her impressive career thus-far. Plus: All things motherhood and the guilt that came with prioritizing herself with young kids, what it was like when “no one from the running world” expected her to reach this type of of success, and what she's looking forward to this fall marathon season and beyond.
BUY THE BOOK!
Don't Call It a Comeback: What Happened When I Stopped Chasing PRs, and Started Chasing Happiness
IN THIS EPISODE(9:49) How Keira felt about the writing process of Don’t Call It A Comeback
(13:38) Keira talks about how it felt having to think back on difficult moments of her pro career
(15:40) Keira talks about breaking her foot in two places in Chicago 2024, and how that was a signal that she needed to take a step back
(17:40) How Keira feels living in Utah
(22:25) When Keira has felt most guilty over the last 10 years, using the “happy, healthy, loved” dipstick to gauge if running could be a sustainable path for her as a mother
(25:40) What Keira has been able to teach her kids through sport
(27:31) Keira talks about Boston 2025 and the challenges of that race
(33:50) How Keira figured out her red line, what it really felt like to push herself to the max
(36:25) What does winning look like to Keira?
(45:32) What does being the best mom possible look like to Keira?
JOIN: The Daily Hurdle IG Channel
ASK ME A QUESTION: Email [email protected] to ask me a question!
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hold on for the ride. |
| 0:01.4 | It's going to get a little bumpy, but you have what it takes to move through it. |
| 0:05.4 | Everything you need is inside of you. |
| 0:22.0 | What's going on, everyone? |
| 0:28.3 | Emily Abadi here popping into your feed on a Wednesday with an extra special episode of hurdle. |
| 0:34.1 | For today's conversation, I am bringing you my chat with the woman of the week. |
| 0:35.5 | I'm talking about Kira Damado. |
| 0:39.9 | She's a pro runner and now a new author. Her book, Don't Call It a Comeback. What happened when I stopped chasing PRs and started chasing happiness |
| 0:45.6 | hits bookshelves this week. And for today's episode, we are chatting all about it. She talks to me |
| 0:53.0 | about what it was like to work on this book |
| 0:55.3 | with her co-author, Evelyn Spence, and how it felt revisiting so many of the highs and the lows |
| 1:03.0 | from her professional running career. A lot of this book is focused on what is often called |
| 1:09.3 | Kira's comeback. Her success as a pro since having her children, |
| 1:13.0 | getting back to running when she was in her early 30s, |
| 1:16.1 | in her words, |
| 1:16.9 | out of shape and battling postpartum depression. |
| 1:19.9 | She tells me how she felt about prioritizing herself early on with young kids. |
| 1:24.8 | A spoiler, it was really difficult, |
| 1:26.7 | and how she navigated the guilt that |
| 1:29.1 | came hand in hand with that. Fast forward, six years after getting back on the roads, |
| 1:34.8 | Kira broke the American woman's record in the marathon at age 37 and while the rest is history. |
| 1:41.8 | Today, Kira tells me that she's just getting started, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from iHeartPodcasts, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of iHeartPodcasts and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.