Episode 24 is a full‑stride tour through the Chico running universe - community highs, big race breakthroughs, and the kind of mid‑life brilliance that only comes from someone who has lived enough life to know better… and run anyway.

We kick things off at Global Running Day, where Fleet Feet turned a free 5k into a full‑blown Chico reunion. The Chico Striders and Danny DiMeo handed out this year’s Run Strong Scholarships to local high‑school seniors, surrounded by sponsors like Bidwell Run Club, Chico Running Club, The Original A‑Team, and individual supporters Tracie Hannick and Christine Campbell. We grabbed interviews with Danny and a couple of the scholarship runners - and they’re sprinkled throughout the episode like perfectly timed aid‑station snacks.

As we hit record, Todd Ziegenmeyer was out representing Chico on the Tahoe 200 course - one of the wildest tests of grit in the sport.

Then we roll into race recaps. First up: Steven Hartman, who just obliterated a 50k in Oregon and brought back a perspective that’s equal parts grounded and gritty. After that, we caught up with Peter Hansen - The Form - fresh off a monster run at The Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon, where he punched up his Boston Qualifying time like it owed him money.

Before we dive into our main guest, we look ahead at what’s coming up in the community: the Colby Mountain TrailFest with Bidwell Run Club and the 4th of July 5k hosted by Chico Running Club - both fueling and supporting the Run Strong Scholarship that keeps this whole ecosystem thriving.

And then… we get to Neil. This is where the episode earns its title: Sage Advice.

Neil is 60-3, but in running years he's the guy who shows up humble, quotes a study about aerobic development, and then drops you on a hill. He’s funny, wise, analytical, and somehow both modest and quietly unstoppable. He talks about growing up in Boston with the marathon practically baked into his DNA, his Carlsbad years, and the winding path from runner to the mortgage industry to lawyer to teacher… and back to runner.

He breaks down how he re‑engineered his running form, why he’s proud of the athlete he’s turning into, and how he plans to savor every mile from here on out. He studies the sport like it’s a master class - VO₂ max, cadence, ground contact, mechanics, progression, longevity - and yes, algebra is absolutely part of his joy.

And in classic Neil fashion, he drops a few dry, perfectly placed one‑liners about dating apps and mid‑life romance - the kind that sneak up on you and make you laugh out loud.

Then we hand him the chalk for Professor Neil, where he dishes out pop‑quiz answers, running truths, and a homework assignment guaranteed to make you a better runner (or at least a smarter one).

This episode is clever, heartfelt, funny, and full of the kind of perspective you only get from someone who’s lived a lot of life - and is running straight into the next chapter with joy, curiosity, and a very dialed‑in cadence.

Sage advice. Big laughs. A whole lot of heart. Lace up. Let’s run.

This episode is a celebration of community - the people who shape our races, carry us through the hard miles, and remind us that running is never a solo act. Through stories from Boston, Eugene, Big Sur, and the Mendocino Coast, these voices share how togetherness, weather, terrain, crowds, and crew support transform a race into something shared and deeply human. From the emotional simplicity of running side‑by‑side, to the internal negotiations of the middle miles, to the coastline that becomes a companion, to the ultra-community that turns endurance into belonging, each segment reveals a different way we’re held by the people around us. What emerges is a portrait of running as a communal experience—messy, joyful, reflective, chaotic, grounding, and always shaped by the “we” more than the “I.”