798. Gabi Rooker, Ready to Run the 2025 Boston Marathon
Ali on the Run Show
Ali Feller
4.9 • 3.7K Ratings
🗓️ 10 April 2025
⏱️ 69 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
"I want to go out there and just absolutely smash it out of the park."
Next week, the pros and everyday runners alike will descend on Boston, MA, to run the 129th Boston Marathon. For most of these runners, getting to run Boston is a longtime goal or dream. One they worked hard at for years. And that's true even for professional runner Gabi Rooker.
In this conversation, the former gymnast turned Nike-sponsored athlete and internal medicine physician assistant (what can't she do?!) talks about the road to her Boston Marathon debut. Gabi will race her first Boston this year, and it's been a journey to get to the start line. Gabi talks about how she recovered — physically and emotionally — from the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials, and reflects on that five-second personal best (2:24:29) at the 2024 Chicago Marathon. Plus, what she'll be wearing on race day, what it's like being coached by her husband, Alex, and how she's feeling after logging 122-mile weeks throughout the Minnesota winter.
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In this episode:
- How Gabi would sum up her Boston Marathon training cycle (3:00)
- How Gabi balanced working as a physician assistant during her Boston training (4:15)
- Gabi’s career dreams, how she pictures her future in both running and in her medical career, and her approach to balance (9:55)
- With less than two weeks to Boston: Has Gabi checked the weather? (12:00)
- Gabi’s history with the Boston Marathon, and why she’s running this year’s race (17:00)
- Gabi’s experience working with sport psychology coach Emily Saul (26:30)
- What Gabi’s Boston Marathon weekend entails (34:10)
- Gabi reflects on the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials (37:35)
- On healing the heart and body after the Trials (43:30)
- Gabi reflects on the 2024 Chicago Marathon, where she ran a five-second personal best, and Gabi’s approach to fitting racing into her schedule (45:00)
- On being “the people’s hero” (50:00)
- What Gabi will be wearing in Boston (52:50)
- What Gabi’s like on race morning (57:00)
- What’s top of mind for Gabi right now? (1:03:00)
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Allie on the Run show. I'm your host, Allie Fellar, and this is where I talk with people who are doing exciting things on the run and beyond. |
| 0:13.1 | From professional athletes and celebrity runners to the everyday, amateur, and back of the pack runner, we are here to celebrate everyone and anyone who enjoys a life on the run. |
| 0:24.0 | Whether you are running towards something big or away from something that has been holding you back, |
| 0:28.7 | I am here to help you pick up the pace. |
| 0:31.3 | Next week, the pros and everyday runners alike will descend on Boston, Massachusetts to run this year's Boston |
| 0:38.7 | Marathon. For most of them, getting to run Boston is a long time goal or dream, when they |
| 0:44.7 | worked really hard at for a really long time. And that's true even for today's guest, professional |
| 0:51.0 | runner, Gabby Rooker. Gabby was last on the Alley on the Run Show in January 2024, just before she raised the Olympic |
| 0:58.3 | marathon trials. |
| 0:59.7 | The former gymnast had just run a breakout race at the Chicago Marathon in the fall, and now |
| 1:04.7 | everyone was talking about Minnesota's Gabby Rooker. |
| 1:08.6 | She signed with Nike, and in many ways, Gabby was one of us. She's a physician assistant. She's co- Rooker. She signed with Nike and in many ways Gabby was one of us. |
| 1:13.0 | She's a physician assistant. She's coached by her partner, Alex. She's up early to run. |
| 1:17.9 | She works all day in a hospital. Then she runs again. Then she works some more. Gabby's doing a lot. |
| 1:25.0 | In this episode, she reflects on that time in her life. From the highest highs after Chicago 2023, she's a lot. In this episode, she reflects on that time in her life, from the highest highs after |
| 1:29.9 | Chicago, 2023, to some low lows after not having the performance she'd hoped for at the |
| 1:35.6 | trials. Gabby talks about the persistent injuries that followed and about how she's feeling now, |
| 1:41.5 | less than two weeks out, from her first Boston marathon. |
| 1:45.2 | Gabby maxed out at 122 miles per week in this build, |
| 1:49.9 | and now she feels ready to tackle the 26.2 miles |
| 1:53.6 | from Huffington to Boston. |
| 1:55.4 | And hey, she may be a 224-29 marathoner now, |
... |
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