"Seeing the best part of humanity, everyone out there cheering... Thousands of people just there to help you finish this race. To me, that was so inspiring. We’re inundated today with negative news stories and stuff that goes wrong and the bad side of humanity. This, to me, was pure good." Claire Holt is an Australian-American actress who has starred in shows including The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, and Pretty Little Liars. And last month, this busy mom of two added something new to her list of accomplishments: marathoner! In this episode, Claire talks about how she got into running, why she wanted to run the 2022 New York City Marathon, and why she decided to do it now, with two young children (ages 2 and 3, just 17 months apart!), one of which was going through a sleep regression during the bulk of Claire's training. She talks about working with a coach, about her biggest pre-race fear (hint: it's oh so relatable), and about what she did to stay calm during the race. Plus, the tough parts of the race (shout-out to mile 24), the highlights, and everything in between. SPONSORS: UCAN: Click here and use code ALI for 20% off your next UCAN order. Napa Valley Marathon & Half Marathon: Click here to register for these races — taking place March 5, 2023 — today! What you’ll get on this episode: How Claire is feeling, one month after running her first marathon (1:50) Claire’s most vivid memories from the 2022 New York City Marathon (4:30) How Claire became a runner (6:30) Why Claire wanted to run a marathon, and why now? (10:45) Why Claire ran to raise money for the Boston Children’s Hospital (14:20) What Claire’s marathon training was like (17:10) Who is in Claire’s village, and how she was feeling on race day (25:35) All about the race! (32:00) The post-race experience (45:45) How training for a marathon changed Claire’s life (51:45) Follow Claire: Instagram @claireholt Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Join the Facebook group Twitter @aliontherun1 Support on Patreon Subscribe to the newsletter Blog Strava SUPPORT the Ali on the Run Show! If you’re enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Spread the run love. And if you liked this episode, share it with your friends!