Podcasts Sports Running Ali on the Run Show 436. CJ Albertson, "The Guy Who Led the Boston Marathon for 21 Miles"

436. CJ Albertson, "The Guy Who Led the Boston Marathon for 21 Miles"

Published: Oct. 25, 2021, 9 a.m.

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\\u201cIt was a win-win either way. If they go with me, they\\u2019re running my race, and that\\u2019s great. And if they don\\u2019t go with me, I have a huge lead at Boston, and that\\u2019s pretty awesome, too!\\u201d

If you watched the 2021 Boston Marathon, you got to know CJ Albertson \\u2014 or at least his face \\u2014\\xa0pretty well. That\'s because CJ, who runs professionally for Brooks Running, took the lead in the men\'s elite race right from the start, and held it for 21 miles. He ran solo that entire time, gapping the rest of the field by two minutes at one point. After 21 miles, the pack caught up to CJ \\u2014 who was also celebrating his birthday that day \\u2014\\xa0but he was able to hang in and ultimately finished 10th. Those 21 miles at the front may have put CJ on the Boston map, but he\'s hardly new to the running scene. The California native is a 2:11 marathoner and cross-country and track coach at Clovis Community College. In 2019, he completed the indoor marathon world record challenge in 2 hours 17 minutes and 59 seconds. (That\'s 26.2 miles, indoors, on a 200-meter track!) Then, in 2020, CJ set an all-surface 50K world best time of 2:42:30, which he also ran on a track. CJ loves pursuing the fun side of running, and is always up for a challenge, whether it\'s leading the Boston Marathon or topping the leaderboard of every Peloton class he takes. All that and more, on this episode of the Ali on the Run Show.

SPONSOR:\\xa0UCAN.\\xa0Click here\\xa0and use code ALI for 20% off your entire UCAN order!

What you\\u2019ll get on this episode:

  • What CJ\\u2019s Boston recovery has been like (2:30)
  • On feeling like a star (6:30)
  • What the day before the race was like (8:30)
  • On praying before the race (17:00)
  • What it was like walking to the start line (23:50)
  • CJ\\u2019s race plan, and how it played out (26:20)
  • On gapping the field \\u2014\\xa0by two minutes \\u2014 and eventually getting caught by the pack (35:15)
  • That finish line feeling (48:15)
  • CJ\\u2019s love for Peloton (50:55)
  • What\\u2019s next? (57:40)

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