456. Talya Minsberg, New York Times Sports Editor

Published: Dec. 9, 2021, 10 a.m.

\u201cIt was so cool, and so weird, and it\u2019s still hard to describe.\u201d

For many sports journalists \u2014 especially the ones who cover running \u2014\xa0New York City Marathon week is arguably the busiest of the year. That was certainly true for New York Times sports editor Talya Minsberg, who not only covered the race and many of the stories leading up to it, but also ran the marathon herself (and earned a Boston Marathon qualifying time in the process!). On this episode, Talya reflects on that week, sharing the stories she was most excited to tell (notably, the one about Tommy Rivers Puzey's comeback), and stories from her own race. She talks about what her days look like writing, editing, and managing the NYT Running newsletter. Plus, tales from the Met Gala, the Tokyo Olympics, and the Times comment section.

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What you\u2019ll get on this episode:

  • What\u2019s making Talya happy right now? (5:00)
  • What Talya\u2019s busiest week of the year was like (6:00)
  • All about that Tommy Rivers Puzey story (14:30)
  • What Talya\u2019s reporting process is like (18:45)
  • The stories that give Talya butterflies (24:50)
  • What it was like running the virtual NYC Marathon in 2020, and how it compared to this year\u2019s in-person race (29:00)
  • What it was like being at the Tokyo Olympics this summer (31:30)
  • Talya shares her career highlight reel (40:00)
  • What Talya was like growing up, and how she got the job at the New York Times (45:00)
  • On being a comment moderator for the New York Times (53:40)
  • How Talya spends her days now (55:50)
  • Talya\u2019s take on the uneven coverage of women\u2019s vs. men\u2019s sports in the media (57:15)
  • The running stories Talya is excited about right now (1:03:30)
  • The New York Times piece Talya thinks everyone should read (1:07:30)

Check out:

Erin Azar in the New York Times

Tommy Rivers Puzey in the New York Times

"Why Are American Women Running Faster Than Ever? We Asked Them \u2014 Hundreds of Them"

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