LetsRun.com's Track Talk: The Home of Running and Track and Field

Sara Hall on Her New Book, Racing Boston at 43, and Her Trip to the American Record

April 16, 2026·36 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

🏃 Join the LRC Supporters Club Get a bonus podcast every week, savings on running shoes, and a super soft T-shirt with an annual membership. Use code GOAT50 for 50% off your first year at letsrun.com/subscribe. EPISODE SUMMARY Sara Hall talks to Jonathan Gault ahead of her fifth Boston Marathon to discuss her new memoir, For the Love of the Grind (buy here on Amazon, here to support independent booksellers) Hall opens up about writing the book herself, her use of magic mushrooms before setting the American half marathon record, and the emotional toll of Ruth Chepngetich's positive doping test on her own career. She also talks about adoption, motherhood, training on the StairMaster as a secret weapon, and why she's still racing five marathons in six months at age 42. Hall's goal for Boston: crack the top 10. 🎁 🎧 Get a 2nd LetsRun podcast every week + bonus content: Join the Supporters Club — https://www.letsrun.com/subscribehttps://www.letsrun.com/subscribe**** For the Love of the Grind ( buy here on Amazon , here to support independent booksellers ) LetsRun.com Supporters Club — letsrun.com/subscribe https://www.letsrun.com/subscribe **** 00:00 Start 00:23 Introduction 01:09 Sara Hall on Writing Her Memoir 03:17 The Writing Process 05:56 Why Write the Book Now 07:56 John Ball: The Quirky Body Work Guru 10:10 Choosing Stanford on a Half Scholarship 12:46 Magic Mushrooms and the Half Marathon Record 17:32 Adoption, Motherhood, and Identity 20:21 Ruth Chepngetich and the Toll of Doping 24:10 The StairMaster as a Secret Weapon 27:15 Five Marathons in Six Months 29:19 Training at 9,000 Feet and Lessons From Ethiopia 31:09 Still Racing at 43: Longevity and the Love of the Grind 32:59 What Drives Sara Now and Boston Goals 35:36 Supporters Club and Outro Contact Us Email: podcast@letsrun.com Call or text: 1-844-LETSRUN (1-844-538-7786) ABOUT THE LETSRUN.COM PODCAST Since 2000, LetsRun.com has been the independent home of elite running. Described by the New York Times as the "influential website that serves as something of a superego for American running," the podcast is the weekly deep dive into the world of track and field and elite distance running. The show is hosted by LetsRun.com co-founders Weldon Johnson, a 2-time Team USA member, and Robert Johnson, a former Cornell coach who helped pace the marathon world record, along with award-winning senior writer Jonathan Gault. Together they move beyond PR headlines to provide insider reporting and unfiltered debate serious fans rely on.

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