I'll Have Another with Lindsey Hein Podcast · SandyBoy Productions

Episode 673: Kellyn Taylor on Winning the Austin Marathon, Taking Second at LA, and Starting the Fire Academy

·38 min·3 clips

This episode features elite marathoner Kellyn Taylor in conversation with host Lindsey Hein. Taylor recently won the Austin Marathon and placed second at the LA Marathon while embarking on a major career shift into firefighting. She discusses using the Austin Marathon as a controlled training run for LA, deliberately pacing herself to a 2:33 finish and a two-minute course record. Taylor describes the LA Marathon as the hardest course she's ever run, with relentless hills that made her 2:27 finish feel particularly grueling. She explains her recent transition into a "who gives a crap" racing season, focusing on enjoyment without sponsor pressure after a difficult competitive year. Taylor details her acceptance into an 11-week fire academy, a long-held dream, which involves training from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. She completed a strenuous practical fitness test the day before racing at The Marathon Project event. Taylor contrasts the exhausting, sustained physical demands of fire training with the familiar fatigue of marathon running. She also shares how she manages training as a mother of four, recently pulling her younger children from daycare and relying on her husband's flexible schedule for workout times. The conversation touches on her coaching under Ben Bruce, training occasionally with Steph Bruce, and her perspective on professional athletes having children mid-career. A memorable insight is Taylor's view that firefighting training is physically harder than marathon running due to its unrelenting, strength-based demands. She reveals the intense, multi-stage hiring process involving a panel interview with high-ranking officers. Taylor reflects on the mental shift and physical improvement that came from removing self-imposed pressure after a sponsor-less season. The tone is conversational and reflective, blending athletic analysis with personal life updates. This episode will appeal to runners interested in the mindset of a professional athlete balancing sport, family, and a demanding new career. Listeners seeking a purely race-focused interview without personal narrative might find less to hold their interest.

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