Mike Vollmer and I connected thanks to the 500 Festival, who introduced us knowing I'd want to hear from someone who has run every single Indy Mini since the very first one in 1977.

During this episode, sponsored by Cure, we talk about:

• How a politician's desire for name recognition in his own district accidentally launched a 49-year streak
• What the first Indy Mini looked like — 762 runners, an 11am start, 85 degrees and full sun, and a $5 entry fee
• Running his first mini in indoor track shoes with rubber heel cups
• Standing next to Frank Shorter at the start line (the man who launched the running boom of the '70s!)
• How the course has changed dramatically since 1977 — the scenic rolling hills along the White River, Coffin Hill, and why the track used to destroy ankles
• His role in bringing St. Francis Hospital on as a sponsor — and how that sponsorship gave us the beloved finish line chocolate chip cookies 🍪

• Jump the Gun — the midnight party at St. Francis in Beech Grove where runners could guarantee their entry starting at 12:00am on February 1st

• His marathon PR of 3:35:45 at age 39 — and how he averaged 30 miles/week for over 20 years
• Running 14 marathons, including his first the day he turned 30 in Chicago, and his last at 42 in St. Louis
• Heart valve replacement surgery in 2020, prostate cancer surgery in 2015, and still showing up to the start line
• Last year's near-disaster: only 4 miles of training after a torn posterior muscle, finishing 15th from last in 4.5 hours, with a fellow Alumni Club member pulling him along

• His 25 years serving on the Mini's executive committee — overseeing everything from start line logistics to sponsor coordination
• The Circle City Cloggers at mile 4.5 on 10th and Holt
• Why he married a physical therapist (very convenient) and how she's gotten him to the start line more than once
• His racing mantra courtesy of Kathleen Duffy: "Pick up my feet, Lord, I'll put 'em down... Hallelujah, I'm homeward bound"

• Whether he'll stop at 50 or keep going (his answer might surprise you)

Previous Guests Mentioned

• Lindsey Hein - Episode 100
• Rachel Sinders - Episode 8

Sponsor Details

• Cure - Use code ALLYB for 20% off

Other Links

• Tickets to the live podcast event with Lindsey Hein & Emma Grace Hurley — Friday, May 1st at Bottleworks Hotel
• Follow me on Instagram @allytbrett_runs
• Subscribe to Finish Lines & Milestones weekly newsletter

This is a SandyBoy Productions podcast.

APRIL CATCHING UP WITH COACH

The first Wednesday of every month(ish) this year I'm going to bring you a conversation between me and my running coach,⁠⁠⁠ Rachel Sinders,⁠⁠⁠ of ⁠⁠⁠Rachel Michelle Running.⁠⁠⁠

We'll talk about my training and running journey while celebrating other members of Team RMR. You don't have to work with Rachel to enjoy these conversations, but if you're looking for a running coach - look no further!

Thank you, Rachel, for supporting me and my podcast.

Other Links

• Indy Mini Live Podcast Tickets

• Follow me on Instagram ⁠@allytbrett_runs⁠

• ⁠Subscribe to Finish Lines & Milestones weekly newsletter⁠

Keegan Kok and I met through the internet first, and then got to meet in person at the CNO Indianapolis Monumental Marathon last November.

During this episode, sponsored by Amazfit, we talk about:

• How he grew up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, moved to Hong Kong at 16, and ended up in Boston for college — where he stumbled into fencing tryouts (literally the only ones he didn't sleep through) and ended up team captain
• Starting running at 41 after losing 50 pounds through YouTube workouts and smaller portions — only to break his fibula on a ninja warrior structure at the park on Father's Day 🤦
• Running his first 5K on New Year's Eve and somehow getting a Chicago Marathon bib just eight months later while training for a 10K
• Running Chicago four years in a row (plus Bayshore) and the deliberate decision to skip it this year and cheer from the sidelines instead
• His third Chicago Marathon, where two friends paced him the whole way — one hyping the crowd, one filming on a GoPro — and why that race changed how he thinks about running with others
• Nutrition lessons learned the hard way: cramping at mile 14 after skipping sodium on a cold race day despite a hot training summer
• Winning the Shamrock Shuffle Mile — with a lead car and actual tape to break — after just showing up to see what would happen
• How he fell into the Brooks Running Collective, went to ambassador camp in Santa Monica, and found his people (and then aged out after three years)
• Co-founding a Tuesday morning track club in Chicago with friends Kim and Conrad — because none of them had a track background but they all wanted to do speed work, so they just figured it out together
• Being a certified run coach (through UESCA) with three athletes, all currently training for spring halfs — intentionally capping at five so he can actually show up for each of them
• Coaching his daughter's 4th–8th grade cross country and track team at her Catholic school, where the main goal is making sure kids still like running when it's over

• The 606 trail in Logan Square, CARA's lakefront hydration tents, and why the Chicago running community makes you feel like you belong
• His family being scattered across the globe — parents back in Malaysia, brother in Hong Kong, sister now in Barcelona — and the very obvious reason to sign up for the Barcelona Marathon
• Meeting his wife at a pub crawl in Wrigleyville and going on a very long first date a month later
• Chasing a 1:40–1:42 at the Indy Mini with his friend and fellow Shokz ambassador Caroline — about 10 minutes faster than his current PR — because she believes he can do it, so now he has to

Previous Guests Mentioned

• Rob Perez - Episode 150
• Hillary Burgess - Episode 138

Sponsor Details

• Amazfit - Use ALLYB for 10% off

Other Links

• Indy Mini Live Podcast Event Tickets
• Follow me on Instagram @allytbrett_runs
• Subscribe to Finish Lines & Milestones weekly newsletter

This is a SandyBoy Productions podcast.