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First Marathon Story: "This Is My Tribe": Marathons, History, and The Long Run w/ Martin Dugard

Writer: Taylor Sayles
Taylor Sayles
5 days ago
2 min read

Split-screen of two smiling people on a podcast, with MARTIN DUGARD text overlaid and a bright orange book visible.

Falling in Love with Running

From a young age, Martin saw his father running to get in shape. When Frank Shorter won the 1972 Olympic marathon, at the age of 11, Martin was so moved that he went outside in his blue jeans and went for a four-mile run. From there, he was hooked.


He ran track in high school, started running 5Ks and 10Ks, then 10-milers, and then a half marathon. In the back of his mind, he knew a marathon was next.


Remembering the Marathons

Over the years, Martin has run 20 or 30 marathons. He has some memorable (both positive and negative) races, including an LA Marathon where he went out too fast and "the wheels came off" at Mile 18, and running Boston on its 100th anniversary, "sick as a dog," convinced he was only going to do the first 10K and drop out. He ended up getting half way, and the crowds gave him a second wind and he finished the race.


He did the one and only Disney Land marathon, with the race route re-measured while he was in the middle of the race, and running an extra mile.


Through it all, he kept coming back to the marathon again and again. The marathons were almost a tune-up for the intensity of his college track season. Back when the races were less crowded, it was easy to just send in your entry fee and run New York City. He would run a marathon "just to get out of the house."


For the Long Run

Martin ran his last marathon (for now) in 2008, and has coached high school cross country and track since 2005. The thing that sticks out to him most isn't the championships, but the daily process — the 154 days of challenging people and building a season.


Lessons Learned (as a coach and a runner)

  • Consistency is key.

  • Be kind to everyone.

  • Focus on the process, not the finish line.

  • Even after the really bad runs, you never finish wishing you hadn't done that run.


Want to hear Martin tell the story himself? Listen to the full episode now: "This Is My Tribe": Marathons, History, and The Long Run w/ Martin Dugard— available wherever you get your podcasts.


Listen to my most recent mini episode: Survival Guide To Running Your First Marathon



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Follow along with the show:

👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays

🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod

📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast


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