Deena Kastor Reflects on the Life and Legacy of Coach Joe Vigil—and the Lessons That Still Shape Her Stride, Spirit, and Story

THE RUNNING EFFECT PODCAST

Dominic Schlueter

Running, Sports

4.8 • 686 Ratings

🗓️ 1 August 2025

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

There are legends in running, and then there are people who make legends possible.

Returning to the show is Deena Kastor: Olympic medalist, former American record-holder in the marathon, and one of the most decorated distance runners in U.S. history.

But beyond the stats and finish lines, Deena’s journey has always been rooted in resilience, reinvention, and deep mentorship.

Today, she’s here to reflect on the recent passing of her coach and lifelong mentor, Dr. Joe Vigil—a towering figure in American distance running who helped shape not just her stride, but her spirit.

Deena has already shared powerful words about that emotional goodbye, the lessons he passed on, and how his voice still echoes through every run she takes. Now, we get to go even deeper into that story: one built on trust, transformation, and legacy.

We’ll also celebrate the iconic moments that defined her career: from that unforgettable bronze medal in Athens, to her blazing 2:19:36 American marathon record, and countless victories across the track, roads, and cross-country course.

This conversation is a tribute to greatness: in performance, in mentorship, and in what it means to carry someone’s legacy forward.

In today's conversation, Deena pays tribute to her coach in his passing, the lessons she's learned from him, untold stories from Coach Vigil's life, the legecy he left, and so much more.

This one was touching and inspiring all at once. Be blessed by hearing about the life of a man whose life transformed the sport you love so dearly.

Tap into the Deena Kastor Special.

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	But I think when you see the stories of like people who didn't have much and coach brought them under his wing and really nurtured them and showed them that they mattered, it was so important to them.
0:13.3	And these people went on believing in themselves and becoming doctors and lawyers and coaches themselves.
0:19.0	And really just the beauty of treating everybody like they're
0:24.7	like they matter and they have something to give was a refrain in a lot of the messages
0:30.1	coming in this past week.
0:52.2	Obviously, Coach Vahill had a numerable, remarkable impact on Dina,
0:57.0	as well as many other athletes he coached throughout the years, programs, people, teams,
1:02.6	the sport as a whole and collectively. And so I thought it would be a great idea to invite Dina
1:07.5	onto the podcast, perhaps probably not debatably, his most impressive and
1:12.6	accomplished athlete throughout his time as a coach to come on the podcast and share stories
1:17.3	and memories and legacy and the impact of Coach Joe V. Hill. I really enjoy this one. It was
1:22.5	touching to hear about the life of someone who has deeply impacted the sport I love. And I hope you guys enjoy this one as much as I did. If you do, share it with a friend, a family member, a teammate, someone who you think would find value and benefit from it. Give us a five-star review. It takes between three and five seconds to do. And make sure you are following or subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen. So you never miss another episode. Please do that. It doesn't hurt to do.
1:45.3	And if you don't enjoy our other podcasts, you can always unsubscribe.
1:48.6	But I would appreciate you following.
1:50.1	So you don't miss the next episode that comes out.
1:52.2	That's how we grow the podcast, which is ultimately my goal to have the biggest and most impact I can possibly have.
1:58.5	Without further ado, enjoy this thoughtful, deep discussion around the life of Coach Joe
2:03.1	Vee Hill with the one and only, Dina Kaster.
2:16.1	Ladies and gentlemen, she's back, Dina Kaster. I was thinking as we started this one, I was like,
2:21.2	when did I have her last on? Because I was like, it could have been a year ago or it could have been a few
2:25.2	months ago. I think it was February. And that was one of my favorite conversations I've had ever on
2:30.3	the podcast. So welcome back to the podcast today. Thank you, Dominic. It's a pleasure.
	...

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