Finish Lines and Milestones
Episode 175: Lauren (Kort) Starek - An American and a Canadian
Lauren (Kort) Starek and I met through my husband, Zach, at F45 in Carmel — and this year we finally got to run a race together, running the Indy Mini with Ainsley's Angels. During this episode, sponsored by Huug , we talk about: [1:00] How Lauren and I met through Zach at F45 [3:00] Running her 5th New York City Marathon, including the 2012 Superstorm Sandy cancellation and the view from the top vs. the bottom of the Verrazzano Bridge [9:00] Growing up in Colorado Springs, her parents' Pikes Peak Ascent/Marathon tradition, and finding her competitive stride on the high school swim team after hating running as a kid [15:00] The extra-credit campus 5K that got her hooked, and signing up for her first half marathon on "maybe I could just do a marathon in six weeks" logic [19:00] Studying nutrition at the University of Dayton, and how dramatically sports fueling has changed since 2007–2008 (25 grams of carbs an hour was the goal back then) [25:00] Being the first of her siblings to run a marathon — and her brother's all-treadmill training plan for his first [27:00] Her second marathon, Chicago 2008, run as a Boston qualifier — working with a coach and her dad meeting her at mile 25 [35:00] Running Boston anyway after getting injured 10 days out, with her mom meeting her at mile 15 [39:00] Her parents' continued athletic life — her mom's move into cycling and triathlon, her dad's Pacific Crest Trail hikes [40:00] Learning to love open water swimming in San Diego — the Alcatraz swim, the current-assisted 10K Bridge to Bridge swim, and her surprisingly casual relationship with sharks [51:00] How she met her husband, Greg, on a dating app and three years of long distance while both worked remote during the pandemic [56:00] Greg's career jump from the 49ers to the Colts, and deciding to move to Indianapolis on days' notice [1:04:00] Her two-year wait for Canadian dual citizenship, and finding out it finally came through via an email she opened at Costco [1:07:00] Taking seven or eight years off from marathons after getting a puppy, then coming back to New York with a coach and a hard-won understanding of her own training limits [1:09:00] Running the Indy Mini as part of an Ainsley's Angels team and meeting Angel rider Laney and her family, who traveled from Louisiana [1:16:00] An honest conversation about mental health — losing her uncle and her cousin to suicide [1:20:00] Deciding to have a full wedding and her wedding-morning run wearing her mom's veil [1:23:00] Getting married the same weekend as Taylor Swift — down to the same signature drink [1:26:00] Adjusting to her new last name, and keeping "Kort" on as her new middle name [1:28:00] Her go-to mantra, "no stress pace," and her next finish line: the 2026 New York City Marathon [1:30:00] The reveal at the very end that she's also quietly run a trail 50K Previous Guests Mentioned Carolyn Coffin - Episode 171 Larra Overton - Episode 61 Anthony Privitelli - Episode 174 Lindsey Hein - Episode 100 Tammy Mills - Episode 165 Hallie Patel - Episode 141 Sponsor Details Huug - Use ALLYB for 15% off (combinable with Buy 3 Get 1 Free) Other Links Get your ticket to our Monumental Weekend celebration event with Athletic Annex and Brooks Running — use code FLAMS for $10 off Free shakeout run — Friday morning at the Bottleworks Hotel, open to anyone local or in town for Monumental Follow me on Instagram @allytbrett_runs Subscribe to Finish Lines & Milestones weekly newsletter This is a SandyBoy Productions podcast.
