862. Roisin Willis, Professional Runner & Stanford University Student

Ali on the Run Show

Ali Feller

Fitness, Health & Fitness, Sports, Running

4.9 • 4.2K Ratings

🗓️ 5 February 2026

⏱️ 66 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

"Sometimes you've just gotta be a little bit fearless."

The last time Roisin Willis was on the Ali on the Run Show, the "fastest high schooler in American history" at the time was fresh off earning a gold medal in the 800m at the USA Track and Field U20 Outdoor Championships, and was headed to Stanford University. (Listen to that episode here.) Now, the middle-distance runner is wrapping up her time at Stanford — and she's gone pro! The two-time NCAA 800m champion opted to forgo her remaining NCAA eligibility in favor of signing a professional contract with New Balance, and she just made her pro racing debut with a stellar indoor season. In this conversation, Roisin talks about racing at New Balance Indoor Grand Prix (she ran and won the 800m), at Boston University (she ran 1:57.97, becoming the first American woman to break 1:58 indoors, and breaking the American record in the event), and at the Millrose Games (she won the 600m). She also talks about her struggles with mental health during her time at Stanford, and about the tools that helped her through the hardest days. Plus, a peek at what's next. (First: midterms!)

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In this episode:

Where in the world is Roisin Willis? (3:00)
What it's like being a professional athlete as a senior in college (4:30)
On being in a sweet spot with running right now, and where Roisin wants to improve (8:50)
The athlete Roisin looks up to most in the sport — and all about the first time they met (11:30)
What's making Roisin happy today (14:55)
Roisin's key takeaways from the short but sweet 2026 indoor season (16:35)
What it was like making her professional debut at New Balance Indoor Grand Prix (18:45)
Why Roisin decide to race the 800m at BU six days later — and how she broke the American record in the indoor 800m (22:50)
How Roisin approached racing the 600m at the Millrose Games, which she also won (27:45)
Why Roisin decided to forgo her remaining NCAA eligibility in favor of going pro, and what that process has looked like (33:20)
Roisin talks about making it through the dark days, and about the tools that helped her find the sunshine again (46:00)
What's next for Roisin on the run and off? (1:01:15)

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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
0:09.0	with people who are doing exciting things on the run and beyond. From professional athletes and
0:14.5	celebrity runners to the everyday amateur and back of the pack runner, we are here to celebrate
0:19.1	everyone and anyone who enjoys a life
0:21.7	on the run. So whether you are running towards something big or away from something that's
0:26.2	been holding you back, I am here to hold your hand and help you pick up the pace.
0:30.8	My guest today is professional middle distance runner and Stanford University student Rochein
0:36.2	Willis. Rocheon is still a college student.
0:39.5	She is a senior at Stanford where she's finishing up her final semester of classes
0:43.2	and will graduate with a history degree later this year.
0:46.8	But she decided to forego her remaining NCAA eligibility at the end of 2025 in favor of going pro.
0:55.2	Rochine made quite a mark during her time in the NCAA.
0:58.7	She is a two-time NCAA champion in the 800 meters, and she won gold medals at the 22 World
1:04.6	Under 20 championships in both the 800 meters and the 4x400 meter relay.
1:09.7	Last summer, Rocheon won the 800 meters at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships,
1:15.1	earning herself a spot on Team USA for World Championships in Tokyo.
1:20.1	She is now a professional runner for New Balance,
1:23.0	and she just made her professional racing debut this indoor season,
1:29.3	and oh my gosh, what a season it was! Roshin raced three times, and she crushed it three times.
1:33.3	Her first race was at New Balance Indoor Grand Prix,
1:36.3	where she ran and won the 800 meters.
1:39.3	Then she decided to race another 800, six days later,
	...

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