"You have this insane community in New York where if I wake up on a Saturday morning, there are a number of people I can text and be like, 'Hey, do you want to meet for 6, 10 or 15 miles real quick?' New York is condensed in a way where you know people are going to Central Park, Prospect Park, the West Side High Way or doing some sort of bridge run situation. I think that aspect of it has been very crucial to me. I sincerely don't know if I would still be as invested in running and racing if I didn't have that accessibility to training partners."

Caitlin Phillips is a two-time U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier and has run 2:37.48. She lives in Brooklyn and works in Manhattan as an art producer executive director and has been running in the city since 2007. In this episode, we delve into her diverse insight into the New York City from her time competing for the New York Athletic Club and Black Roses NYC. This episode was especially fun to record because despite her success on the roads, there is not much information on the web when you ask yourself, 'Who is Caitlin Phillips?'

Her first marathon was a DNF so what brought her back to the distance and how has she "unlocked" it to the point where she now dreams of running the A-standard for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials?

Caitlin shares her background from running high school cross country in Ohio, competing for Kentucky and winning an SEC championship and ultimately then landing in New York.

You'll also learn about her races at the grueling 2018 Boston Marathon, a fast Berlin Marathon, what goes into a 100-mile week in New York, how and why she became a runner, and what keeps her running.

You can follow Caitlin on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/caitlinphillips
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This is Runners of NYC. A new bi-weekly podcast from CITIUS MAG. Hosts Jeanne Mack and Chris Chavez look to bring you many of the untold stories behind luminaries and legends that make up New York City’s running culture.

Follow the show on Instagram and Twitter: @RunnersOfNYC.

Email any comments, feedback or possible sponsorship ideas to runnersofnyc@gmail.com

Our producer is Jon Phillips. Music for the show is by Future Generations. Portrait of Caitlin Phillips taken by Jason Suarez. Podcast artwork by Kyle Klosinski.