Coming in May. Subscribe now. Human Race is a new podcast from Runner's World. Hosted by Rachel Swaby, Human Race focuses on long-form storytelling. It will bring the depth and reporting you’ve come to expect from ambitious features in the magazine—but with the intimate and immersive aspects only audio can provide.

Human Race Trailer

A story about a man who lost his heart. And what he gained in its place.

On this episode, we meet Randy Shepherd, one very unlikely runner. Randy is 42 now, and never enjoyed running very much. He was more of a team sports guy. But beyond that, he had a rock-solid excuse for staying on the couch. Back when he was in his 30s, Shepherd’s already compromised heart rapidly began to fail. There was no time to match him with a transplant donor. Certain that Shepherd could die at any moment, surgeons removed his heart and replaced it with a machine called a total artificial heart. Right out of the surgery, he faced difficult questions. What happens when you lose such an essential part of yourself? What can you physically do (and not do) when a machine powers your body? His choice ultimately transformed his life. 

Episode Credits:

Host: Rachel Swaby
Producers: Rachel Swaby, Audrey Quinn, Christine Fennessy
Editing help: Brian Dalek, Chris Kraft, Sylvia Ryerson
Theme music: Danny Cocke
Human Race editor in chief: David Willey


Episode 1: Tin Man

This week on Human Race, we’re sharing a sprint—or a short story. We’ll be alternating long stories, like the Tin Man story last week, with shorter stories, like the one you’re getting this week.

Our first sprint is a story we’re featuring from the Runner’s World Show, our really wonderful sister podcast. It will be rare that we’ll air the same story on both shows, but this one is really special.

Chris Kraft, site director for RunnersWorld.com, gets text alerts that reveal when the International Space Station (ISS) will be flying over his house. He even schedules his (very, very early) morning runs so that he can catch a glimpse of these flyovers. Chris’s passion is so appealing that we asked him to record himself out on the run. 

In the story, we also meet a fellow sky gazer and astronaut Sunita Williams. Suni has been up to the International Space Station twice. On one of those trips, she ran the Boston Marathon virtually, while in orbit. 
This is their story of wonder, passion, and running.

Episode Credits:
Host: Rachel Swaby
Producers: Sylvia Ryerson, Christine Fennessy, Brian Dalek, Chris 
Kraft, Rachel Swaby
Theme music: Danny Cocke
Human Race editor-in-chief: David Willey


Episode 2: Wonder

Sylvia Weiner is a prolific runner. She’s 85 years old, and she estimates that over the course of her running career she’s completed somewhere near 2,000 races—and she’s got an extensive collection of race medals and trophies to prove it. In 1975, Sylvia even claimed a very special spot in Boston Marathon history. 

But her most significant legacy has nothing to do with race accolades. When Sylvia runs, she shows others what’s possible. Her long-term dedication to the sport is impressive. “I stick to running for dear life,” she says. That’s because running is more than a passion; it’s a way of dealing with her traumatic past. 

On this week’s episode, Sylvia shares her incredible story. Let’s just say, there’s a reason Sylvia’s longtime running buddy greets her with an enthusiastic, “Sylvia! She’s our hero!”

Episode Credits:

Host: Rachel Swaby
Producers: Rachel Swaby, Audrey Quinn, Christine Fennessy
Editing help: Brian Dalek
Special thanks: Gordon Asmundson from the University of Regina for sharing his research and Debbie Weiner for her help with this story.
Theme music: Danny Cocke 
Human Race editor in chief: David Willey


Episode 3: Sylvia

A series of unfortunate (and hilarious) events just minutes before the start of one of the world’s most prestigious races. 

This week’s episode is a sprint—a short story. And you might want to hold your nose because it’s a pretty surprising, very unsettling story about a port-o-potty from Boston Marathon race director Dave McGillivray. Or, to up the stakes, a story about that time McGillivray nearly missed the start of the race he directs. 

Episode Credits:
Host: Rachel Swaby
Producers: Rachel Swaby, Audrey Quinn, Christine Fennessy
Theme music: Danny Cocke
Human Race editor-in-chief: David Willey


Episode 4: Trapped

For over 20 years, the so-called World’s Longest Urinal was a New York City Marathon institution. At the height of its glory, it was an astonishing 350-feet long. 

The story of this urinal is one of DIY problem solving, triumph, and liquid tragedy. And behind this open air trough: An unknown legend named Vic Navarra. Vic was a fixture at the New York City Marathon for over a quarter of a century. He was a New York City firefighter who conducted the race start from the top of a fire truck's 85-foot ladder. When tens of thousands of runners poured onto multiple levels of the Verrazano bridge at the start of the marathon, Vic was the one conducting them. As the race start coordinator, he was the steward of this storied urinal, too. Together, their history gives us a glimpse into how the New York City Marathon scaled up to be the world class race that it is today. 

Episode Credits:

Host: Rachel Swaby
Producers: Rachel Swaby, Mervyn Degaños
Editor: Audrey Quinn 
Editing help: Christine Fennessy, Sylvia Ryerson
Fact checking: Jan McLeod
Theme music: Danny Cocke
Human Race editor in chief: David Willey


Episode 5: Unknown Legend

This week’s episode is a sprint—a short story—about how a chance meeting kicked off one woman’s incredible running career. But between that first surprise encounter and this runner’s eventual success, so many surprising things happen. There’s hate mail and poetry and a run in with a famous runner and a national movement. If there is a typical athlete coming into her own story, this is not it. This is the story of Katy Schilly.

Episode Credits:
Host: Rachel Swaby
Producers: Danielle Thomsen, Rachel Swaby 
Production help: Mervyn Degaños
Theme music: Danny Cocke
Human Race editor-in-chief: David Willey


Episode 6: The Ballad of Katy Schilly

Human Race is taking a two week hiatus. We'll be back on July 5th with a new episode.

Quick update

Human Race is a podcast from Runner's World. Hosted by Rachel Swaby, Human Race focuses on long-form storytelling. It brings the depth and reporting you’ve come to expect from ambitious features in the magazine—but with the intimate and immersive aspects only audio can provide. Each week, we share a story about runners and the world of running.