Running New Mexico Podcast

Episode 57 - Kathy and Rob Hipwood

This week I had the pleasure to speak with Kathy and Rob Hipwood who have built a powerhouse of cross country and distance running in Los Alamos. Taking over in the mid 90s, they have accumulated 24 state titles, 17 runner up finishes, and 6 third place finishes.

We talk about the program before they arrived, working as assistants, and some of their role models. They talk about their teams asking to be challenged and building relationships as well as so much more.

They are a wealth of knowledge, but listening to them talk about the relationships they've built and the kids' fun run they've incorporated into their home meet really shows the love they have for this sport and, as with most coaches, it goes way beyond finishes.

I really enjoyed just learning how the program formed under them and what advice they would give to coaches rebuilding their programs next year. Rob also gave good insight into when to step back and why he made that decision.

I hope you enjoy listening to their love of the sport and passion for the kids. Let's keep the momentum going, stay strong, wear a mask, and as always, keep running, New Mexico.

Episode 56 - Dr. Ron Maestas

This week I had the pleasure to speak with New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame coach Dr. Ron Maestas. We talk about how he got into teaching and coaching, how cross country was not his first choice, and how much coach Dr. Joe Vigil helped shape his own coaching.

Dr. Maestas took a few detours to get to New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, New Mexico, but he had an impact on the runners and the community. He coached the men to 3 top 4 NAIA finishes, including a 2nd place finish in 1989.

We also talk about his racquetball career as a solo player and with his son and being a referee for baseball, softball, basketball, and wrestling. He even gives me a lesson on the legendary Ted Banks, former track and field coach at El Paso, who I did not remember.

It was a great conversation, with some wonderful stories that I hope you enjoy.

The weather is warming up and it's a great time to get outside, so be safe, share the paths, and keep running, New Mexico.

Episode 55 - Erica Larson Baron

This week I spoke with Los Alamos National Lab scientist, Marquette grad, and trail runner extraordinaire. She is a 5 time Pike's Peak Marathon winner, 5 time La Luz champion, 2 time Leadville Marathon winner, 2004 USATF Women's Mountain Running champ, and a member of the 2004 Bronze winning US Mountain Running team.

We talk about her journey from high school running to competing for Marquette. She talks about the struggles of competing at the Division I level while working on her degree. We also talk about getting into chemistry and her move to Los Alamos to work at LANL, which led to her trail running career.

She talks about what running means to her, how she fueled, and what she's been up to recently (recovering from injuries).

It was a really fun conversation and I'm happy to have been able to share her story. I hope you enjoy it as well.

As we get more traction with vaccines, remember to listen to the experts and take care of yourself. With the weather warming up, it's a perfect time to be outside. So take care of each other, listen to your body, and keep running, New Mexico

Photo by Jim Stein

Episode 54 - Julian Florez

This week I get to speak with Julian Florez, former Hobbs High School runner, Glendale Community College, Adams State, and UNM runner. This episode commemorates one year since the 2020 Marathon Olympic Trials, which Julian qualified and ran. We delve into that, the build up, and his routine. 

We talk about running in high school, different colleges, and continuing running post collegiately. He gets into disappointments and triumphs. He talks about his running family and what that means to him, as well as what running means to him. The friendships he's made through this sport that have followed him. 

We also get into his work with Heart and Sole as well as his art, which you can also find in his line at Heart and Sole. Overall it was a fun conversation that I hope you enjoy as well.

Keep working, be strong, be kind, and keep running, New Mexico.

Episode 53 - Andrea McArdle

This week I had the pleasure to speak with Andrea McArdle. An Ohio native that has been in New Mexico for several years, Andrea has made the move from the track to trails and embraced New Mexican life. She is a member of the Duke's Track Club and Topo Athletics Elite team.

We talk about her helping coach at Rio Rancho High School with Sal Gonzalez (episode 24), and helping Jesse Armijo (episode 51) through his 100 miler.

We talk about her walking onto the Cross Country team at Ohio State, struggling and coming back the next year to try again. We talk about her marathon attempts and her first 50k at Mt. Taylor, which had some interesting weather. 

She talks about what she has coming up this year and so much more. It was a fun conversation that I think you will enjoy.

We are still working through all of this, so wear a mask, be kind, and keep running, New Mexico

Episode 52 - Michael Romero

This week I spoke with the inspiration for the podcast, my dad, Michael Romero. Growing up, I watched my dad compete and push himself. He shared that with me, often with me only half listening, but the stories of the people he competed against and looked up to stuck with me. I always came back to these stories when listening to other running podcasters interview all of these amazing people, but few if any that had ties to New Mexico.

During his competitive years, my dad ran several marathons, including the 100th running of the Boston Marathon. He would push himself to try other runs, like Rim to Rim at the Grand Canyon. We talk about some of those runs, but also his early running years, the people he met through running, his knee injury that took him into biking, and back to running.

We also touch on his break from running after losing his parents and why it was hard to get out during that time. We touched on a few things that honestly, I've never discussed with him before. It was an insightful conversation and I learned things that I would otherwise not have known. So I hope you enjoy the conversation and thank you for tuning in a year of episodes and stories.

Things appear to be looking up, but let's stay vigilant, be kind, and as always, keep running, New Mexico.

Episode 51 - Jesse Armijo

This week I had the pleasure to speak with Jesse Armijo. I last had Jesse on talking about the origin of the Duke's Track Club. You can look back on that episode on iTunes or Spotify.

We talk about his recent 100 mile race at the Coldwater Rumble, the training that went into and moving up from the marathon. He talks about getting the ultra bug and whether or not there will be more ultras in his future.

We talk a lot about the race, the lead up, nutrition, mistakes, lessons, and the lows. But through it all, he stuck it out and finished. If you are interested in taking on this distance, this is a listen for you. If you aren't interested, there's still a lot of good information and a fun conversation. So I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

The Duke's are also launching a youth running group. Make sure to check it out.

Take the opportunity to enjoy your day, stay safe, and as always, keep running, New Mexico

Episode 50 - Hans Segerfeldt

This week I had the pleasure to speak to another runner who only spent a short time at UNM, but took something away from it. My guest is Hans Segerfeldt. He is a Swedish runner, who was able to run for the national team as a junior and senior. He also held the U15 world record in the 5k and 10k.

To hear Hans tell it though, it was just something he did. His outlook on running and life is great. And as he puts it, he was the U15 record holder because a lot of African athletes did not get the exposure they deserved.

Hans has some great stories about training, making friends while running, and moving on. He does everything all in, and when that is done, he's ready to move on. I am so glad he allowed me to let him get a little nostalgic. His perspective on the 1984 Olympics really underscores his feelings. I hope you take a listen.

Remember to take this time to reflect on your own running, be kind to those around you, and as usual, keep running, New Mexico.

Episode 49 - Clancy Devery

This week I had the honor to speak with Clancy Devery. His short career at UNM led to some life long friends, including my dad. He is a runner I've known for my whole life and have heard so many stories about, so it was great to finally hear them from his mouth.

He talks about his first race as a kid, getting into running in middle school, and eventually becoming the high school record holder in the marathon with a 2:23:05.

We get into some of his time at UNM, leaving and training again in Oregon. He crossed paths with many of the elite runners of his time and talks about the workouts that helped him improve. He also talks about his career ending knee injury and having to reinvent himself after. It was great to hear his story and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

We have a long way to go, but things are looking hopeful. Stay safe, be kind, and as always, keep running, New Mexico.

Episode 48 - Dinée Dorame

This week I had the pleasure to speak with Dinée Dorame. She is a Navajo runner and podcaster based in Albuquerque, with her new podcast, Grounded Podcast releasing at the end of the month. I am so excited to share her story and greet another local podcaster sharing stories and offering a unique perspective.

Dinée was chosen as one of the Tracksmith fellowship recipients and we talk about that process, applying, and the idea behind the podcast. We discuss the process around podcasting, editing, and listening to other podcasts.

She shares her story as a high runner and basketball player for Albuquerque High and what is was like having her dad, Doug Dorame, as a coach. She is also the Associate Director of College Horizons, which is a program she also was a part of when she was in high school. We discussed so much more in our conversation and really had a lot of fun.

You can follow her @dinee_pink22 and @groundedpod on Instagram, or @dinee_pink22 and @groundedpod on Twitter. And checkout the website groundedpod.com.

I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did and be on the lookout for her first interviews coming out soon.

There is hope, but now is not the time to get lazy. Be kind, wear a mask, and keep running, New Mexico.