Episode 12 - Bart Yasso, the 'Mayor of Running,' on His Life on the Run

The Strength Running Podcast

Jason Fitzgerald

Health & Fitness, 10k, Beginnerrunning, Marathontraining, Fitness, Injuryprevention, Marathon, Halfmarathon, Running, Sports

4.8 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 25 January 2017

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Bart Yasso is a legend in the running community. And as the “Mayor of Running” and Chief Running Officer at Runner’s World, he’s one of the most recognizable faces in the sport.

If you don’t yet know Bart, here’s a short list of what he’s been up to over the last 30 years:

Competed in more than 1,000 races during his 30+ career at Runner’s World
Successfully finished the 56-mile Comrades Marathon, the Mt. Kilimanjaro Marathon, and the Badwater Ultramarathon
Has run races on all 7 continents (yes, even Antarctica)
Inducted into the Running USA Hall of Champions
Inventor of the “Yasso 800’s” marathon predictor workout
Winner of the 1987 U.S. National Biathlon Long Course Championship
1998 winner of the Smoky Mountain Marathon
2:39 marathon PR (like me!)
Has cycled twice across the country by himself with no support

He’s also the author of My Life on the Run: The Wit, Wisdom, and Insights of a Road Racing Icon.

In 2014, I had the pleasure of meeting Bart at the Runner’s World Half Marathon and Festival (recap here) where he shared the running stories that have shaped his life.

In particular, how the Comrades Marathon brought South Africa, a country weighed down by the horror of Apartheid, closer together.

And how his favorite running memory is drinking coffee by the Trevi Fountain with his mom during the Rome Marathon.

More importantly, Bart spoke about the people that make the sport of running so incredible. Meeting other runners is what keeps him going – and he meets a lot of people flying to 45 races every year!

Transcript

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0:00.0	Ready, set, go!
0:05.0	This is episode number 12 with the Chief Running Officer of Runner's World magazine,
0:09.5	inventor of the Yasso 800 workout, the mayor of running, Mr. Bart Yasso. Hey all, Jason here and I've got a great one for you today.
0:24.0	Joining me is not. Hey all, Jason here and I've got a great one for you today.
0:34.0	Joining me is none other than Bart Yasso, one of the most recognized faces in the sport of running.
0:40.0	He's run thousands of races on all seven continents.
0:44.3	Yes, even Antarctica, from the Mount Kilimanjaro marathon to the 56-mile comrades marathon
0:51.1	in South Africa. He travels up to 45 times a year as the official starter
0:55.8	to races all over the country and the world as the chief running officer of
1:00.3	Runner's World magazine. And through that job he's united and inspired an
1:05.1	entire generation of runners to lace up their shoes and hit the road. Bart Yasso is
1:10.2	an ambassador to the sport of running. His unwavering enthusiasm and motivation
1:15.3	has drawn thousands to hear him speak and run races where he's announcing.
1:19.2	That enthusiasm is infectious and today I could not be more honored to bring you my conversation
1:24.7	with Bart Yasso. All right Bart thanks so much for being here. Yeah thank you.
1:29.9	So where do we even start? I'm really excited about this because I consider you one of the more interesting people in the world of running.
1:38.0	You've raced all around the world in some of the most beautiful and remote places, you know, Antarctica to Bermuda, you've completed
1:46.3	the Mount Kilimanjaro marathon.
1:49.7	So where do we go from there?
1:50.9	Let's start at the beginning. Why did you start running in the first place
1:54.6	part? Sure, Jason. Well, thankfully I did start running. It was about 40 years ago and I needed a lifestyle
2:02.4	change. I was going down the wrong path of alcohol and not living a healthy lifestyle.
	...

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