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Kristian sits down with Stephanie Bruce, a professional runner of over 15 years and now the head of Project Stamata, supported by Tracksmith, for a conversation Kristian calls pure gold for runners at every level.

Stephanie shares her path from a reluctant, unmotivated high school runner to a national champion and longtime pro at HOKA NAZ Elite, and opens up about the sudden loss of her father during her senior year of high school, a moment that changed how she approached the sport. She talks candidly about building a life around running as a mom of three and serial entrepreneur, from co-founding Picky Bars to now leading Project Stamata, a program supporting women chasing the 2028 Olympic Trials. The conversation turns into a genuinely useful masterclass on marathon training, including the one thing Stephanie says matters more than any workout: fueling.

In this episode:

- A special Boston Marathon cutoff time announcement

- From an unmotivated high schooler to a national champion

- Losing her father suddenly during her senior year of high school

- Building a life in running as a mom of three and serial entrepreneur

- Co-founding Picky Bars and years as a pro with HOKA NAZ Elite

- Leading Tracksmith's Project Stamata for future Olympic Trials qualifiers

- Finding the balance between hardcore dedication and living a full life

- Why fueling, not training, is the biggest thing that makes or breaks a marathon cycle

- The most common under fueling mistake she sees in athletes

- What's next: a national team spot and racing New York in the pro field

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome and introducing Stephanie Bruce

02:10 Announcing the podcast's sponsorship with Saysky Copenhagen

02:17 A special Boston Marathon cutoff time announcement

06:52 Welcome to Stephanie and the idea behind this series

09:05 How she landed the role leading Project Stamata

11:19 Stephanie's introduction: 15 years as a pro, mom of three

14:00 An unmotivated high school runner living on Chick-fil-A

14:10 Her father's cancer diagnosis and declining health

14:53 The sudden loss of her father during her senior year

29:07 Finding the right level of dedication for each phase of life

31:07 Diving deeper into her professional running career

36:34 What it means to have Olympian next to your name or not

51:11 The most important thing in marathon training

51:54 Why fueling makes or breaks a training cycle

52:44 The most common under fueling mistake she sees

2:13:10 What's next: a national team and racing New York

2:14:20 Closing thoughts and thank you to Stephanie

Stephanie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephrothstein

Start your free Musicbed trial: https://fm.pxf.io/kristianwarwick

Full episodes + the Boston 2025 documentary: https://www.youtube.com/@Warwickruns

Follow my training journey on Instagram: @warwick.runs

Music from Musicbed: MB01XPYH8ZYENVAMB0133EV2TCQFZY