DFW Running Talk

What happens when you lose your corporate job during a pandemic, just as the running events you've spent years building come to a halt?

For Angela Casavant, founder and race director of AMPT Running, that uncertainty ultimately became an opportunity to turn her passion for running into a full-time career.

Angela joins Chris Detzel on DFW Running Talk to share how a one-time charity 5K in 2017 eventually grew into a race production company organizing approximately 8–10 events a year.

Along the way, Angela shares her personal running journey—from completing her first half marathon with...

What happens when you train harder than ever, run 100 miles a week, and still miss the race you were preparing for?

In this episode of DFW Running Talk, we explore the journey from bodybuilding and basketball to competitive distance running—and the training mistakes that changed everything.

From 100-mile training weeks and 20-mile long runs in the Texas heat to injuries, marathon pacing mistakes, and learning to work with a coach, this conversation is about discovering the difference between working hard and training intelligently.

In this episode:

What happens when four running moms finally get to tell their side of the story?

Their husbands run marathons, chase personal records, log 70–100 miles a week, and spend plenty of time talking about running. But behind every early-morning workout, long run, and race-day finish line, there's another story worth hearing.

In this episode of DFW Running Talk, Chris Detzel sits down with four women who are runners, mothers, and wives of competitive marathoners. And they have plenty to say!

From running shoes constantly arriving at the door and endless Strava conversations to ta...

Barely able to walk after a car crash. Now chasing a sub-three-hour marathon. This is a story about rebuilding, finding community, and giving the next starting line everything you have.

From living in a car in Los Angeles to a 3:25 Dallas Marathon debut, this journey has taken some unexpected turns—including accidentally running a half marathon and completing a 33-mile run from Dallas to Fort Worth.

We explore the lessons from hitting the wall at mile 23, how running friends help build consistency, and what’s different heading into the Indianapolis Marathon. The conversation closes with...

Cheryl Haynes’s first run lasted five minutes. Her goal was to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. What followed was a journey through mountain summits, setbacks, a first marathon, and finding comfort in running after losing her mom.

In this episode of DFW Running Talk, Cheryl joins host Chris Detzel to share how she built endurance as a beginner in flat South Florida, prepared for Kilimanjaro and Mont Blanc, and returned to summit Aconcagua after an unsuccessful first attempt.

We explore the mental side of endurance, the lessons that came from starting small, and how a welcoming DF...

Burnout and injuries pushed her away from running. Years later, Jacquie Mannhard became the women’s Leadville 100 champion.

This is an honest conversation about rebuilding a relationship with running—and discovering that your best performances might still be ahead.

We explore the pressure of collegiate running, underfueling, returning to competition after children, and the confidence it takes to line up against elite ultrarunners. Hear how changes to fueling, cross-training, and mindset shaped her comeback and helped her win Leadville in 2023. 

Then follow her return in 2026, when a battle through mile 95 produced a sec...

A double iron-distance triathlon. 31 hours and 31 minutes. Discover the story behind the finish—and a life built around adventure.

Before becoming a Fit 4 Adventure co-owner, this Texas athlete spent years caddying on professional golf tours and finding races wherever work took her. She shares stories from a Double Anvil finish and extreme triathlons in Alaska and Iceland, plus the weekly swim, bike, and run challenge that keeps her active today. We explore Boston Marathon travel, turning a destination race into a vacation, and choosing adventures that match your fitness. Along the way, a trip planned for friends be...

A Dallas–Fort Worth runner turned two marathon blowups into a 2:36:11 breakthrough at Houston. This DFW Running Talk runner interview reveals what changed in his marathon training—and why it took more than fitness.

Kevin Barr returned to running in 2023 after nearly seven years away. His first marathon ended in a painful 3:10. He tried again, bonked again and finished in 3:02.

Kevin eventually broke three hours with a 2:57, joined Completely Sloth and began training with some of the fastest runners in DFW. At the Houston Marathon, he caught the women’s Olympic Trials qualifying pace group, negati...

Running coach Rafa Aguilar explains how he quit vaping, went from throwing up after his first 5K to running a 2:45 Houston Marathon, and earned a Boston Marathon qualifying time in less than three years.

Rafa shares the marathon training, strength work, fueling plan, running community and negative-split pacing strategy behind his transformation—including how he saved his hardest effort for the final 10K and closed Houston with sub-six-minute miles.

Follow Rafa at @rafarunz and discover more Dallas–Fort Worth running stories at https://dfwrunningtalk.com.

David Slear shares the training, mileage, and racing decisions behind his 64-minute transformation.

David traces his journey from Princeton lightweight rowing through triathlon and into competitive marathon running. We discuss the fueling mistake that destroyed his first Dallas Marathon, how the DFW running community gave him confidence to chase faster times, and what changed when he began running more than 100 miles per week.

David also explains why he uses two-a-day runs, how he balances training with work and family, and why he races by effort instead of locking onto a specific pace. Whether you’re ch...

The former TCU runner, CFO, and father of two explains how he progressed from a 3:28 marathon debut to a Boston qualifier—and ultimately one of the strongest races of his life. We get into the marathon training volume that changed everything, why 55–60 miles per week wasn’t enough for his goals, how the DFW Sloths pushed him toward 70–90-mile weeks, and the race-day pacing decision that saved his CIM.

Jeff also shares what runners chasing a sub-3-hour marathon, Boston qualifier, BQ, or major marathon PR can learn from his long plateau: improvement comes from patience, community, fueling...

Kai Michelle, founder of Sweaty and Steady Curvy Girl Run Club, joins DFW Running Talk to discuss beginner running, body confidence, marathon training, and building an inclusive women’s running community in Dallas.

Kai shares how she went from completing casual 5Ks to training for the BMW Dallas Half Marathon, documenting her journey through the Curvy Girl Running Chronicles, and inspiring women who never considered themselves runners. That momentum eventually became Sweaty and Steady—a Dallas run club created for curvy women, slower runners, run-walkers, and anyone who has ever felt left behind.

In this conv...

Kaitlin Moore once believed running a mile was too far. Years later, the former Division I soccer player, working mom of three, and Dallas-area runner crossed the Houston Marathon finish line in 2:57.

Kaitlin joins Chris Detzel on DFW Running Talk to share how she went from casually running to completing her first marathon in 3:27, qualifying for Boston, running 3:08 in Houston, 3:01 in Chicago, and eventually breaking the three-hour marathon barrier. She also discusses her 1:21 half-marathon, 5:24 mile, and the training changes that helped her become one of the fastest masters runners in the DFW running community. 

H...

Pete Johnson ran 1:05:11 in his first half marathon, averaging roughly five-minute-mile pace at the Houston Half Marathon. Now, the former University of Tulsa and Central Arkansas runner is preparing for his marathon debut at the California International Marathon, where he hopes to begin chasing the 2:16 Olympic Trials qualifying standard.

In this episode of DFW Running Talk, Pete joins host Chris Detzel to share his complete running journey—from discovering cross country at Plano West to competing in NCAA track, cross country and the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Pete explains how an honest conversation with a college coach ch...

Chris Detzel sits down with Chris Shelton of the McKinney Running Club for a story that starts with a competitive streak and turns into a full-blown love for running and community.

Chris shares how it began in 2018 when his boss signed him up for the RAR 5K, why his very first training run (1.32 miles at a 16:23 pace) proves everyone starts somewhere, and how joining the McKinney Running Club in 2021 changed everything — from a bloody-shirt lesson on his second group run to jumping straight from a 10K to the Houston Marathon.

We also get into running wi...

How did former SMU football player Troy Castle go from a painful five-hour first marathon to a 2:34 finish at the Berlin Marathon? On DFW Running Talk, host Chris Detzel sits down with the Dallas runner and two-time Irving Marathon winner to explore the marathon training, Ironman endurance base, Boston-qualifying breakthrough, Texas heat preparation, threshold workouts, and relentless consistency behind his transformation. Troy also explains how he balances serious running with three young children, why the Dallas running community changed his training, and what runners can learn from his pursuit of a sub-2:30 marathon. 

Miranda Hyvl started running 14 years ago with a couch-to-5K program as a busy mom just trying to get in shape. Today she's run 23 marathons, finished Boston seven times, checked off five of the six World Marathon Majors, and become an RRCA-certified coach — all while raising five kids in a blended family.

But Miranda's biggest impact might be off the racecourse. When Rockwall's running community found itself scattered across grocery store parking lots with no home base, she and her husband built one: The Run House, a membership-based recovery lounge and running club that's become the heartbeat of...

Neil Robinson started running seriously in his 40s, ran a 4:53 first marathon he swore would be his last, and then — at 52 — ran a 3:16:24 Boston Qualifier. This is the story of the slow build: years of run-walking, the nutrition and training lessons from the White Rock Running Co-op crowd, Pfitzinger plans, 1,960-mile years, and the mindset shift of learning to push through discomfort. A conversation about getting faster as you get older, the heart-health stakes that started it all, and why the running community is the real reason to keep showing up. 

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Eleven days before the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in North Texas, runners and soccer fans are converging on The Sound at Cypress Waters for the Countdown to the Cup 5K — and in this episode, I get the full story from the two people making it happen.

Cindy Solomon of the North Texas FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee and Eric Lindberg of On Your Left Marketing & Events join me to break down the race: the cup-shaped finisher medal, the brand-new USATF-certified course with a downhill finish, age group awards featuring the official Dallas World Cup ball, the Fl...

Drew Martig started running at 27 — talked into a 5K by his CMO at Checkpoint Software. Less than a decade later, he ran 2:28 at the Berlin Marathon while self-coaching from his home in Flagstaff, Arizona.

In this conversation, Chris Detzel and Drew (Tanium teammates and fellow distance runners) get into the nuts and bolts of building real marathon fitness on limited time. Drew opens up about leaving structured coaching to design his own plans, why he caps mileage around 70-90 per week, and how altitude in Flagstaff changes everything — including measurable shifts in red blood cell count and ferr...

Nick Polito is a DFW running institution — 60 marathons, 30+ ultras, a 2:58 Boston PR, a Western States 100 buckle, and 19 straight years of high-mileage training. He founded Dallas Running Project, helped shape White Rock Running Club, and has paced 40-50 races for runners chasing their own goals.

He's also the rare runner willing to tell on himself: in this episode, Nick shares the full story of banditing Boston, getting caught, and the suspension that followed — a cautionary tale he now uses to warn other runners.

Chris Detzel and Nick cover everything from the early DRC days, the legendary "3:20 or B...

Scott Manis didn't start running until his early 40s, and he started in a swimsuit. Twenty years later, he's logged 45 marathons, five Boston appearances, a full Ironman, and become one of the most well-known and well-loved figures in the Dallas running scene through the White Rock Running Co-op.

In this conversation, Chris and Scott trace the whole journey — from a lonely job transfer to West Palm Beach that accidentally ignited a running obsession, to a 4:33 first marathon that stung enough to spawn a second attempt just 12 weeks later (and nearly an hour faster). Scott talks honestly about wh...

Sergio Mena grew up running cross country in Spain, earned a full D1 scholarship to the University of Kentucky, got his MBA in Texas, and is now one of the most dominant half marathon runners in the DFW area — all while working full-time as an accounting manager.

In this episode, Chris sits down with Sergio to talk about his journey from Spain to Kentucky to Texas, his years-long quest to win the BMW Dallas Half Marathon (which he finally achieved in December 2025), and how he followed it up with a win at the Cowtown Half Marathon. Sergio al...

Dallas runner Jodi Jordan is back at Boston for her third time — and she's never felt more ready. In this conversation recorded live at the Hilton Boston Park Plaza the day before the 2025 Boston Marathon, Jodi shares how she went from partying on weeknights to qualifying for Boston with a 3:23 at St. George in 2015, the health scare that almost kept her from her second Boston, and how she's evolved into one of DFW's most consistent marathoners with a 2:57 Cowtown PR. She talks training with Coach Matt Campbell at Train Pegasus, balancing running with swimming and cycling, and why she be...

Michael Ryan didn't come to running through a 5K — he came through a half Ironman in Panama, a full in Arizona, and a 3:24 debut at Kiawa three weeks after finishing the iron distance. Now he's standing on the eve of his first Boston Marathon, fired up, a little uncertain, and ready to feel every mile of it. Chris and Michael chat about his sub-2:50 breakthrough at Pegasus, the coaching relationship with Fawn that changed his trajectory, and what it means to race the Super Bowl of marathoning for the first time. Recorded live at the Hilton Boston Park Plaza, th...

Nathan Rankin grew up watching his dad Greg run Boston — so many times it stopped feeling special. Then he qualified himself, debuted with a 2:38 at Eugene, came to Boston chasing a PR, and blew up at mile 16. Now he's back. This time staying in the city, riding the yellow bus, soaking in everything he skipped last year — and locked in on one number: 2:46:40. That's his dad's Boston PR, and Nathan wants it.

We caught up with Nathan the day before the 2026 Boston Marathon at the Hilton Boston Park Plaza. He talks about growing up in Plano, wrestling and...

Chris sits down with Megan Brown at the Hilton Boston Park Plaza the day before the 2026 Boston Marathon. Megan shares what it's been like to run Boston five times, including once while three months pregnant and again just five months postpartum — and why she's never stopped chasing the streak. Now eyeing a sub-3 breakthrough with a training partner to push her, Megan talks about how motherhood reshaped her relationship with running, the mental wall between her 3:05 PR and the barrier she's been knocking on, and why she believes Boston is the Super Bowl of marathons. If you're chasing a BQ...

Recorded live at the Park Plaza Hotel in Boston, Kevin Hebert joins Chris Detzel to talk about what it feels like to finally be here — at the Super Bowl of marathons. From his CIM debut to a tougher training block with double workout weeks, Kevin opens up about running with his wife Brooke and 10-year-old son Gus, the electric Boston energy, and chasing a sub-3:00 on one of the hardest courses in the world. 

Nick Pencil moved to Dallas knowing nobody, found Train Pegasus, and ran a 2:44 in his very first marathon. Now he's toeing the line at the 2026 Boston Marathon after battling an IT band injury that sidelined him for six weeks just months before race day. Chris catches up with Nick live from the Hilton Boston Park Plaza the day before the race. They talk about going from fourth-grade track meets to high school cross country to marathon running, how a running community became his social lifeline in a new city, and why his simple mindset — "there's always another race" — is what...

Jana Kizakova ran her first marathon in 2017 on a New Year's resolution dare — finished in 3:44 and swore she'd never do it again. She meant it. Five years went by with zero marathons. Then a quiet moment on a seawall in Vancouver changed everything.

Inspired by the memory of a former manager named Alex who ran alongside her on her worst training days, Jana set a single condition: if she was going to run again, she had to qualify for Boston. What followed was nine marathons, a pair of shoes that literally fell apart mid-race, a heartbreaking near-miss on...

Recorded live at the Hilton Park Plaza in Boston, Chris sits down with Train Pegasus coach and Dallas running legend Alfonzo "Fonz" Gonzales on the eve of his 10th Boston Marathon. Fonz breaks down why he keeps coming back year after year (hint: it's not for himself), shares his race-day strategy for 2026 — a disciplined progression run targeting around 2:45 while using Boston as a tune-up for the Sendai Half Marathon — and drops timeless advice on how to survive the Newton Hills and attack after Heartbreak. If you've ever gone out too hot at Boston, this one's for you. 

Eli Rodriguez went from tearing his rotator cuff as a bodybuilder to qualifying for Boston — twice — in just a few years of running. In this live episode recorded at the Hilton Boston Park Plaza the day before the 2026 Boston Marathon, Eli shares how he went sub-3 in only his second marathon, what he learned from his first Boston, and why he's chasing a 2:49 this year. Plus, his take on how run clubs like Trained Pegasus changed everything. 

What does it take to go from nearly 200 pounds and no fitness routine to crossing the finish line of the world's most iconic marathon? For Kathy Smith, it took 16 years of walking, jogging, stress fractures, 100+ half marathons, two volunteer stints at the Boston finish line — and finally, a lottery win through her employer, Bank of America.

Recorded live at the Hilton Boston Park Plaza during 2026 Boston Marathon weekend, this conversation with Chris Detzel is raw, emotional, and deeply motivating. Kathy talks about what it meant to help wheelchair athletes at the finish line, why she never chased a...

The "Boston Bound: DFW's Road to Hopkinton" series ends here — with Alan Schonborn, one of the most beloved figures in DFW running. At 67, Alan is heading to his 11th Boston Marathon. He literally lives around the corner from the finish line. He guides blind runners with Achilles International.

And it all started with a mastiff who wouldn't let him quit. Alan opens up about finding community through Dallas Running Club and White Rock Running Co-op, getting his Boston Qualifier with the help of a stranger who took his watch mid-race, and what it truly means to run Bo...

Bobby Mack of Aubrey, TX didn't lace up his first pair of running shoes until he was nearly 40. Now he's a two-time Boston finisher, Abbott Six Star chaser, and Berlin PR holder (3:11) — and on April 20, 2026, he's heading back to Hopkinton with one goal: a clean, healthy sub-3:20. In this episode of our Boston Bound: DFW's Road to Hopkinton series, Bobby opens up about qualifying for Boston with a razor-thin margin, getting cut not once but twice, running two marathons in four weeks, catching COVID in peak week, and how running with the Endorphins group at White Rock Lake reignited hi...

Dr. Mark Denny has run Boston 11 times. He's completed 100+ marathons across all 7 continents. And he was on a bus to the starting line the morning the 2013 bombs went off. In this episode, the 67-year-old DFW runner opens up about the moment an 81-year-old doctor — on his 41st Boston — leaned in nose-to-nose and quietly dismantled everything Mark thought running was about. Heading back to Hopkinton for the 2026 Boston Marathon on April 20th, Mark reflects on a running life built on friendship, discipline, and learning to enjoy the journey over the finish time.

Part of our "Boston Bound: DFW's Road...

Angela Awald didn't start running until her thirties — already a mom of six. After a miscarriage, postpartum depression, and seasonal depression, she turned to running to trust her body again. She pushed a double jogging stroller through her early miles, worked through an IT band injury, and still ran a 3:45:21 at the Philadelphia Marathon to qualify for Boston. Then she ran 3:39 at Buffalo. Then 3:37 at Wineglass. Now she's heading to her first Boston Marathon as a mom of seven.

In this episode, Angela talks about balancing marathon training with a big family, hiring a coach for the fi...

Will Christensen went from running his first marathon at the BMW Dallas Marathon in 3:55 to qualifying for Boston with a 2:47 at a tiny under-100-person race in Grand Island, Nebraska — and now he's heading to Hopkinton with an A goal of 2:40.

In this episode, the Army veteran and Dallas-based runner shares his full journey: a near-miss BQ at Big Sur (2:57 when he needed 2:55), finding the Nebraska State Marathon as his secret weapon, peaking at 100 miles per week with Addison Circle Running Club, and why he's running Boston with no music — just pure vibes, the Wellesley Scream Tunnel, and...

Carrie Varner didn't even know what a BQ was when she ran one by accident in Las Vegas. A phone call from a friend that night changed everything — and sent her on a journey that now spans 13 consecutive Boston Marathons, with number 14 just weeks away.

But her story isn't just about streaks and finish lines. Carrie's first Boston was 2013 — the bombing year. She crossed the finish line six minutes before the explosions. In this episode, she opens up about what it felt like to be there that day, why it made her more determined than ever to come...

Joel Mays didn't know what a marathon was when he watched runners shut down Boston streets as a college student in Rhode Island. Now he's one of 10 runners selected nationally by iFit to run the 2026 Boston Marathon on April 21st — and every mile he runs is dedicated to his daughter, who he lost to heart complications as a newborn.In this episode, Joel opens up about the moment he held his daugther until she was gone, why he writes her name on his race shoes, and the question he asks himself at mile 21 when things get hard. He also breaks do...