Emma Kertesz won the 2024 Bayshore Marathon in 2:37, a three and a half minute PR for the seasoned marathoner and Boulder CO resident. She's from Toledo OH, and ran for the University of Toledo. While she describes her collegiate athletic experiences as "tricky", she had a few lucky experiences with a supportive assistant coach that helped her steer clear of disordered eating habits or chasing the thin ideal (especially at the time). She went on to train with the Hanson brothers, and eventually moved out to the mountains. She has a full time job in early education, and is very intentional about her training, nutrition, and periods of rest. She trains with the The Track Club in Boulder, gave a shoutout to Caila Yates of Steady State Nutrition, and keeps a low profile on social media. 

We talk about all of this, including what's up next for Kertesz as she trains for Houston 2025, in this episode. 

Read more about Emma in the "9 Miles With Emma Kertesz" post on our Substack. 

For more about the work Lane 9 Project is doing to improve the menstrual health of female athletes, and reduce REDS, go to lane9project.org. Follow along @lane9project on IG. 

We talked to Ann Arbor-based physical therapist, Eliana Lin DPT, about her experience as a collegiate athlete, completing her doctorate in physical therapy with clinical rotations in Division 1 Track and Field programs, and her clinical practice philosophies on strength training for runners, and running while rehabbing some injuries (if it’s safe, of course!).

Bonus (IMO): This episode includes a deep dive into the world of Pole Vaulting! Somehow I had never spent much, if any, time thinking about what the workouts, warmups, and track meet experience of a pole vaulter all look and feel like. But, we’ve got that for you in this episode.

Eliana Lin DPT, a former pole vaulter turned distance runner and triathlete. Witnessing numerous runners sidelined by preventable injuries, Eliana is on a mission to ensure athletes stay in the race. Having experienced the frustrations of injury firsthand, she's dedicated to transforming your running experience. At Up and Running Performance, Eliana's passion is improving runners' form and strength, helping them run faster, stronger, and injury free. Whether you're new to running or a seasoned athlete aiming for new goals, Eliana is here for you every step of the way. (@Eliana.Lin.DPT on Instagram)

For more from Lane 9 Project. go to Lane9Project.org and follow on Instagram @Lane9Project. We're working to keep your periods regular, plates full, and rest days aplenty, so more female athletes stay in sports! 

Melanie (Mel) Sulaver RDN, aka Nutrition by Mel (@nutritionbymel), is here to talk about her sport story from soccer to running, parenting to postpartum, and everything in between. We chat about what happened during her collegiate soccer career that led her to leaving the team, and how that was an early lesson in advocating for herself and her own wellbeing. 

Mel is now a sports dietitian speicalizing in work with female-bodied athletes, menstrual health, and supporting birthing athletes through pregnancy and postpartum. Mel brings her signature Big Uterus Energy to this conversation, and her work. We talk about that!

Work with Mel: NutritionbyMel.com 

The Lane 9 Project is working to reduce REDS and improve menstrual health for female-bodied athletes at all levels of sport. Find more of our work and how to work with us at Lane9Project.org. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter at Lane9Project.Substack.com. Full transcripts are available for all episodes. 

Dietitian Serena Stewart, aka Serena Marie per her IG account, joins Lane 9 Project to talk about her experiences with adolescent body changes, how it impacted her body image, and how it led her to running. While her early experiences in sport were part of an effort to change her body, her relationship to running has evolved and changed. She recorded this episode with us at 37 weeks pregnant, on the brink of a major life transition! We know that parts of her story resonate with a lot of our Lane 9 community, and appreciate the helpful information she shared in regards to adolescent nutrition support, sports nutrition trends, and more. 

Get in touch with Serena via SerenaMarieRd.com and/or via @runnergirldietitian on IG. 

The Lane 9 Project is working to reduce REDS and improve menstrual health for female-bodied athletes at all levels of sport. Find more of our work and how to work with us at Lane9Project.org. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter at Lane9Project.Substack.com. Full transcripts are available for all episodes. 

On this episode we talk with Heidi Strickler, a dietitian who checked herself into eating disorder treatment in 2020 (at Opal) after years of struggling and running through it. Heidi planned on being a collegiate soccer player but transitioned to Track and Field, and then Cross Country, and has been a competitive and accomplished runner ever since. She talks about the many years of work she has done to untie her identity from her achievements in running, and find ways to play in the mountains, have fun, and be out there for the joy of it. 

Find Heidi at @hstrickler_sportsrd on Instagram. 

The Lane 9 Project is working to reduce REDS and improve menstrual health for female-bodied athletes at all levels of sport. Find more of our work and how to work with us at Lane9Project.org. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter at Lane9Project.Substack.com. Full transcripts are available for all episodes. 

"I did not have a period. It's not unrelated that then I had a series of five stress fractures." Nancy Boyd, former D1 collegiate runner and now DPT with a practice specializing in providing pelvic floor physical therapy, joins the Lane 9 Project for this episode. 

Nancy shares her experience with late puberty onset, i.e. primary amenorrhea, at the age of 20 competing in D1 athletics. She developed an eating disorder, and experienced a series of five stress fractures. She had surgeries, a lot of time off, and some not-greaet experiences within the healthcare system. She went on to get her doctorate in physical therapy, to help athletes and humans at all levels and abilities get back to movement in whatever ways are accessible to them. 

We talk about: 

• Nancy's story: late puberty, stress fractures, an eating disorder, and finding new ways to enjoy running as a parent and person
• The impact of low estrogen levels on various parts and systems within the body
• Everything you need to know about pelvic floor physical therapy, whether you're pregnant, postpartum, peri/postmenopause, and/or experiencing REDS or an Eating Disorder
• How to access the care you might need 
• talking to younger (high school) athletes in impactful ways

For more about how to work with the Lane 9 Project in reducing REDS and improving the period health of female-bodied athletes, go to Lane9project.org. 

Nancy's practice in Michigan, Ancouer Wellness: ancoeurwellness.com

@ancoeurwellness on Instagram

"What I'll see in PT {with REDS} is delayed healing...." Dr. Leada Malek, whom you may know as @drmalekpt on Instagram and TikTok, joins Lane 9 co-founder Heather Caplan to chat about what it really takes for athletes to get and stay "healthy" for the long term. 

We talk about her athletic story, how she starts every assessment with active clients, the most common injuries and inquiries from runners, why strength training is a key component of running fitness, and what to actually do about stretching. 

Her book, "The Science of Stretch" is available wherever books are sold. And if you haven't yet, check out her Instagram and other social channels for accessible, and very helpful, short physical therapy-focused videos and content! 

Lane 9 Project is working to reduce eating disorders and REDS in female-bodied athletes at all levels.

Check out our upcoming events and resources via Lane9project.org and subscribe to our weekly newsletter at lane9project.substack.com.

Follow along on Instagram @lane9project

"As someone who already felt like I was such a big fish out of water... I was like, well, that's what other people are doing to get faster. Maybe, maybe that's what I should do."

Morgan Voight, a registered dietitian based in Salt Lake City, Utah, who's focused on the intersection between movement and eating disorders, with specific research focused on the prevalence of eating disorders among the LGBTQ plus population, joins us for a Lane 9 Project conversation. 

We chat about Morgan's early experiences as a middle and high school track athlete, and then joining the Quinnipiac Cross Country and Track and Field teams as a D1 competitive runner. Between her junior and senior year, she had to take time off to begin the process of treating her disordered eating, but she was able to get back to competition before graduating. 

Morgan talks to us about her relatoinship with running now, what may have been helpful to her as a younger athlete, and why she's not ashamed to be using loads of Body Glide! 

Reach out to Morgan via the Kayla Jessup Nutrition team in Salt Lake City, and follow her on Instagram @morganvoight. 

The Lane 9 Links: 

@lane9project on Instagram

Lane9project.substack.com Weekly newsletter

Lane9Project.org to get in touch, and access our resources!

In this Lane 9 Project v2, we need your help. Listen to learn more about big things coming up—like our first event in Ann Arbor, where we're hosting the Global Trail Running Film Festival at Cahoots, on Thursday Aug 1, and a workshop for high school athletes in the works—and to get the scoop on what this relaunch of Lane 9 involves for us, your co-founders. We appreciate you tuning in, and continguing to support this work in whatever ways work for you!

The links: 

trailfilmfest.com/tour (Ann Arbor, August 1!) 

Lane9project.org for our content like athlete stories, our contact form, and other ways to get involved (i.e. work with us to bring Lane 9 workshops to your team!) 

@lane9Project on IG

Our Substack: Lane9project.substack.com, where from July 1 to Aug 1 you can help us with our ReLaunch Lane 9 campaign. 

"Running served as a place where I could feel like I was holding on to my mom, and that is like what I needed more than anything when I was grieving."

Emily Halnon's debut book, "To the Gorge: Running, Grief, Resilience, and 460 Miles Across the PCT", is a story that weaves together the deep and transformative grief of both losing her mom to cancer in 2020, and running the fastest known time (FKT) on Oregon's 460 miles section of the Pacific Crest Trail. Emily is an avid and prolific ultra-runner and writer. And she writes often about her experience with running as a love language, thanks in no small part to her brave, wholehearted, joyful mom. 

We talk about finding balance and sustainable routines when training for ultra-marathons, about cultivating community and connection through running, and navigating Big Hard life things while keeping joy for the things and people you love. 

For more from and about Emily, visit EmilyHalnon.com. Buy her book from you local independent book store! Follow her on IG @emilysweats. 

The Lane 9 Project: 

We're working to reduce eating disorders and hypothalamic amenorrhea at all levels of running. If you want to work with us, and bring Lane 9 to your team and/or coaching staff, contact us via Lane9Project.org 

Follow on Instagram @Lane9Project. And subscribe to lane9project.substack.com 

"When you can perform through this kind of lifestyle,  it makes you not think that there's a problem. And I think that's where, we have to be careful."

Andie Cozzarelli, semi-professional runner and running coach/owner of Run for a Cozz coaching, is back on the Lane 9 podcast! Listen for updates about what Andie has been up to running, training, and coaching-wise since our last episode together in 2018/2019. 

Follow Andie on IG @run4acozz 

The other links: 

• @lane9project on Instagram
• lane9project.org to get in touch with!
• and lane9project.substack.com to subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter

Want to hire Lane 9 Project for your run coaching needs, or to provide a workshop to your athletes or staff? Reach out. We'd love to chat!