520. Saila Consalvi, 13-Time Marathoner with Lung Cancer

Ali on the Run Show

Ali Feller

Run, Health & Fitness, Women, Inspiration, Runner, Entrepreneur, Sports, Fitness, Health, Running

4.9 • 3.7K Ratings

🗓️ 19 May 2022

⏱️ 77 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

"From the start, it was like, I’m gonna deal with this, but I’m not going to let this take over. I’m not going to let it take my life away. I’m not going to let it take my happiness away. So I do it, and I deal with it, and some days are really tough, but I still want to live my life."

In January, 13-time marathoner Saila Consalvi was told she'd be lucky if she could watch this year's Boston Marathon, let alone run it. And yet, four months later, she defied expectation: She completed the 2022 Boston Marathon. In this conversation, Saila talks about what it took to complete her third Boston Marathon, and about her road to the start line, which hasn't been easy. In 2017, Saila was 35 years old and had just completed her ninth marathon and her first Ironman. She was in the best shape of her life. But soon, things just felt...off. Then, she was diagnosed with Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer. Today, Saila — who is from Finland — lives in Denver, CO, with her husband and their four-month-old son, Enzo.

SPONSOR: UCAN — Go to ucan.co/ali and use code ALI for 20% off your next UCAN order.

What you’ll get on this episode:

Why Saila ran Boston with “Sally” on her shirt (3:40)
Saila’s story about running Boston with Peloton instructor Jess Sims (6:00)
Saila’s Boston Marathon recap (8:00)
Saila’s advice for runners who are raising money for charity (14:20)
How Saila got into running (16:35)
Saila’s lung cancer diagnosis (24:00)
On fear, and adjusting to life with cancer (37:30)
How Saila remains optimistic in the face of so much bad news (52:00)
How Saila found the strength to get to the Boston Marathon start line (56:50)

For more, check out:

Jess Sims on Episode 516 of the Ali on the Run Show

"My Beauty Uniform: Saila Hanninen," via Cup of Jo

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode of The Alley on the Run Show is brought to you by YouCan.
0:04.2	Go to youcan.co-slash-alley and use code Alley for 20% off your next YouCan order.
0:15.7	Welcome to The Alley on the Run Show. I'm your host Alley Feller and every week I talk with people
0:21.6	who are doing exciting things on the run and beyond. We all share that love for running and
0:27.6	that's what brings us all together. But you know there is more to life than what happens on
0:32.7	the run itself. And this show is about the in-betweens. We're talking about the moments and decisions
0:38.5	that have shaped who we are today and the wise. Why do we do what we do? And how does getting sweaty
0:45.2	factor in? My guess this week is Silah Hannan and Consolvi. Silah has an amazing story. You heard
0:53.9	a teeny tiny bit of it two weeks ago when Peloton instructor Jess Sims was here sharing her Boston
1:00.4	Marathon story. You may remember Jess saying she rode the bus to the start line with Silah.
1:06.4	Silah just ran Boston as her 13th marathon. She's a sales director for Ways. She's a new mom to her
1:13.7	son Enzo and she is now a three time Boston Marathoner. She's also living with lung cancer.
1:20.8	In 2017 Silah was living her very best life. She was 35 years old. She had just completed her
1:28.8	ninth marathon and her first Iron Man. Best shape of her life. And then things started to feel
1:35.6	off for her. In a whirlwind of appointments she was diagnosed with stage 4 non-small cell lung
1:43.3	cancer. It is a privilege to get to help her share her story today. So please join me in welcoming
1:50.4	Silah Consolvi to the Alley on the Run Show.
2:01.2	Silah I am so excited. I know I told you this offline. This feels like such a selfish endeavor
2:07.7	for me. I am so excited to get to talk to you and hear more about your story. You're amazing.
2:13.6	Welcome to the Alley on the Run Show. Thank you so much. Thank you for having me.
2:18.4	All right. We start every episode of the show like any good run or race and that is with our
2:23.5	warm-up. So in our warm-up round I would like you to tell everyone who you are, where you call home
	...

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