The Runners of NYC Podcast heads to Queens for the first time, setting up live in Flushing Meadows Park in front of the Unisphere. Same concept as always: post up, see who stops, let the conversations go where they go. This time we came with a planned guest — Omar Medjid, co-founder of World's Fair Running Crew — plus whoever was willing to pull out their earbuds mid-run.

The stories this episode covered a lot of ground:

– Omar breaks down why Flushing Meadows is the center of the Queens running universe — the 1964 World's Fair that gave his crew its name, Wednesday night runs at David Dinkins Circle, the Meadows Mile unsanctioned race, and why Queens runners do it for the love of it rather than the visibility

– Jonathan, a stranger from Forest Hills, stopped mid-run one month into running to tell us about losing 60 pounds after weight loss surgery, making a promise to his wife to stay consistent, and running his first 10K in this very park without stopping.

– Hannah, an 11-year-old from Colombia, runs 20 miles a week as cross-training for competitive inline roller skating, with her mom cheering from a bicycle alongside her

– Andrew Chen, a World's Fair regular and co-owner of denim brand 3sixteen, explains how he never entered this park in 20 years of living in Forest Hills — and how running eventually led him to create an unsanctioned mile race on open streets in jorts with a strict no-stretch-denim policy

– Jeremy Mejia signed up for the 2020 NYC Marathon on impulse, got cancelled on, deferred, and kept going — eventually running a 3:32 in Berlin on a day he felt terrible and crying when he saw the clock.

Be sure to subscribe to Runners of NYC on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your shows.

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🗣️ Follow your hosts: @chris_j_chavez on Instagram | @regularpatryk on Instagram

The Runners of NYC Podcast sets up shop at Engineer's Gate — one of the busiest corners in New York running.Same concept as always: We post up, see who's willing to stop, and let the conversations go wherever they go.And the stories this time covered a lot of ground:– We start with a couple of high schoolers thinking through what it means to be in their last year of running for their school– A guy who only found running because of soccer, and then found out he was better at the running part– There's a runner who tells us the story behind the day he shot the cover of Runner's World– A former college runner on the strange in-between that comes after eligibility runs out — no team, no schedule, nobody keeping score, and figuring out what running is for now– A woman who's finding her way back to the marathon after time away from it– A guy who came to running through a breakup and stayed with it because of how it makes him feel every day since– And we close with two Xavier guys on what that program gave them and what changed the second they got to collegeBe sure to subscribe to Runners of NYC on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your shows.▶️ APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/runners-of-nyc-podcast/id1438435120▶️ SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/4DD2jtIBEcyVohfiimggvM🗣️ Follow your hosts: @chris_j_chavez on Instagram | @regularpatryk on Instagram

The Runners of NYC Podcast is back outside, and this time we set up shop in Central Park by the Daniel Webster statue.Same concept as always: We post up, see who's willing to stop, and let the conversations go wherever they go.And the stories this time covered a lot of ground:– We meet two guys who came to running through Hyrox — A high schooler whose love for the sport has been quietly building all year as cross country season approaches– We talk to a sub-elite local who explains how she got her foot in the door on the road racing circuit by simply emailing race directors and asking for a shot– There's a guy whose story of addiction recovery is inseparable from his story as a runner– A woman visiting from Tennessee who's got the OTQ on her mind and makes a strong case for why the running scene back home deserves more attention than it gets– And we close with a guy who's logged miles in neighborhoods all over the cityBe sure to subscribe to Runners of NYC on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your shows.▶️ APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/runners-of-nyc-podcast/id1438435120▶️ SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/4DD2jtIBEcyVohfiimggvM🗣️ Follow your hosts: @chris_j_chavez on Instagram | @regularpatryk on Instagram