From Walk-On To 12th Place At The Olympics: How Delusional Belief Has Paid Off & Carried Dakotah Popehn To Unimaginable Places & How YOU Can Build That Same Confidence Too!

THE RUNNING EFFECT PODCAST

Dominic Schlueter

Running, Sports

4.8 • 686 Ratings

🗓️ 15 March 2025

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Olympic marathoner Dakotah Popehn joins the show ahead of her highly-anticipated return to the Boston Marathon this April!

Most recently, Dakotah came in 10th at the 2025 USATF Half Marathon Championships in a very stacked field. The Puma-sponsored distance runner has had a storied career so far, and does not seem primed to be slowing down any time soon.

Dakotah is well-known for her participation in the marathon at the 2024 Paris Olympics; she came in 12th with a time of 2:26.44. Her PR in the distance came in 2023 at the Chicago Marathon when she came in 12th with a time of 2:24.40–a time that places her 13th all-time for women U.S. marathoners. Dakotah also has a 1:08 half under her belt.

Dakotah's journey began at St. Francis High School in Minnesota, where she ran cross country and track, while also serving as the goaltender on the girls hockey team.

She continued her running career at Northern State University in South Dakota, where she was originally a walk-on, but ended up flourishing, coming in sixth in the 10k at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Champs.

Dakotah's unheralded rise through the ranks has continued in her professional career: she has won Grandma's Marathon in Minnesota twice and the Eugene Curnow Trail Marathon in Minnesota three times.

In today's conversation, Dakotah gives me extensive insights on confidence, delusional belief, how to push through hard days, running 130-mile weeks, her walk-on to the Olympics story, and so much more.

Guys, this may take the cake for my favorite episode this year. It was full of good energy and deep insights. Do not miss it & share it with a friend!

Tap into the Dakotah Popehn Special.

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it.

Comment the word "PODCAST" below and I'll DM you a link to listen.

If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

S H O W N O T E S

-BUY MERCH BEFORE IT'S GONE: https://shop.therunningeffect.run

-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Guys, before we hop into today's episode of the podcast, I want to tell you about a company I'm
0:05.0	partnering with called David Protein. If you're a runner or someone who just wants to stay active,
0:11.3	obviously the training you do matters, but to maximize that training, you have to maximize
0:15.7	your recovery. And studies show that 30 to 50% of people don't get enough adequate protein in their daily lives.
0:22.6	With David Protein bars, you get 28 grams of protein per bar,
0:26.6	with the added benefit of zero grams of sugar, zero gluten, and only 150 calories per bar.
0:32.6	David Protein is my go-to because it tastes like dessert, but I'm also getting closer to my protein goal for the day
0:38.2	for me I've been lifting a lot more recently so protein is massively important and David protein
0:43.6	has been my go-to give it a try if you're not fully satisfied with it shoot me a DM I will fully
0:48.5	refund your order I've left a link in the show notes up your protein up your recovery and
0:53.2	watch your running flourish as a
0:54.4	result. Let's get into today's episode. Just know that, like, I, my PR in the mile in high
1:02.6	school is slower than the PR pace of my marathon. My marathon PR pace is like 529, and my fastest
1:10.6	mile in high school was 535.
1:12.7	So, like, at 18, you cannot expect to be at your ceiling, like, at your very best.
1:18.2	And the fact that you're not, I think, is indicating that, like, you've got a really great potential ahead of you.
1:28.2	That was Dakota Popine today on the Running Effect podcast.
1:32.0	Guys, this is legitimately maybe my favorite episode of the year.
1:35.2	And for two reasons.
1:36.0	One, the energy in this conversation off the charts.
1:38.8	Dakota brings it really joyful energy and perspective.
1:42.9	And it's just a really fun conversation. My second reason is we
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Dominic Schlueter, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Dominic Schlueter and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.