How Kimberley May Went From Almost Quitting Running to Signing With New Balance & Turning Pro — The Mindset Shift That Made the Difference
THE RUNNING EFFECT PODCAST
Dominic Schlueter
4.9 • 821 Ratings
🗓️ 18 March 2026
⏱️ 38 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The last time Kimberley May joined the show, she was a 4:27 miler pulling back the curtain on what it takes to compete at the highest level of collegiate running.
Since then, her career has accelerated into something much bigger.
In early 2025, May ran 8:44.73 for the indoor 3,000m, breaking the Providence College record and posting one of the fastest times in NCAA history.
Over the past year, she has also risen to become the second-fastest New Zealand woman ever in both the 1,500m and the mile, cementing herself among the most accomplished middle-distance athletes her country has produced.
Her personal bests tell the story of remarkable range and progression: 2:03.46 (800m), 4:04.40 (1500m), 4:27.36 (mile), 8:44.73 (3,000m), and 15:26.50 (5,000m). That 4:04.40 in the 1500m ranks No. 2 all-time in New Zealand history, while her 4:27 indoor mile also sits second-fastest ever by a New Zealand woman.
Now, after a historic run at Providence, May is entering the next stage of her career: signing professionally with New Balance and stepping onto the global stage of middle-distance running. From NCAA standout to international contender, the trajectory of Kimberley May is only just beginning.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Here's a stat that should bother every runner listening. |
| 0:02.6 | By some estimates, more than half of runners get injured every single year. Not just beginners, dedicated serious runners who follow a training plan and still end up sidelined. This has been me many times in my life. And the problem is not effort. It's that running injuries don't follow simple rules. They build up quietly across weeks of training before you ever feel them coming. |
| 0:22.2 | Run-wise was built to change that. |
| 0:26.7 | It's a platform powered by machine learning that analyzes how far, how fast, and how consistently you've been running and gives you a daily injury risk score before problems start. |
| 0:31.5 | Think of it like a weather forecast for your training. |
| 0:33.8 | You don't cancel the run because there's a 40% chance of rain, but you make smarter decisions because you know what's coming and you bring something like a rain jacket or change your outfit. |
| 0:42.4 | It connects directly to your Strava account. Setup takes minutes. It was super easy and seamless for me to try out. |
| 0:47.5 | And you guys can try the pro plan for 20% off today with code TRE20. That is TRE 20 at run wise.com. Don't just run. Run wise. Use the 20% off code. |
| 0:59.3 | See this app. I've loved using it. I think it's a really insightful app. And as I just said, |
| 1:03.5 | a minute ago, set up takes next to no time. And it's minutes before you realize the power of using |
| 1:08.5 | AI to help your running. |
| 1:20.2 | You're about to hear from one of the fastest up-and-coming professional runners in the space. |
| 1:24.0 | Kimberly May, who was going into her rookie season with the New Balance Boston Group. |
| 1:27.3 | I'll keep this intro short, but one of my favorite moments from this conversation was when Kimberly, now a professional runner, talked about how she almost completely, entirely |
| 1:32.5 | quit the sport as a sophomore in college. And what she did to bounce back from that and ultimately |
| 1:37.5 | get herself to a spot and have the progress necessary to do big things at NTAAA meets and get the |
| 1:43.1 | attention from someone like New Balance |
| 1:44.5 | and ultimately go pro with them and have a wide-eyed perspective on the sport and all that she |
| 1:49.8 | can achieve in the coming years. I hope you enjoy this one. If you do, make sure you subscribe |
| 1:53.6 | wherever you're listening so you never miss another episode. Without further ado, enjoy this |
| 1:57.3 | conversation with the one and only rookie Kimberly may Kimberly may legend and |
| 2:07.4 | then AAA now a professional runner for new balance what is the biggest difference in your mind |
... |
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