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Kristian welcomes back Sydney Levenfeld for a check in on everything since her last appearance, including a scary assault while out on a run in New York City, a big move back to Chicago, and a new marathon PR at the Eugene Marathon.
Sydney opens up about being attacked by a stranger while running with friends in broad daylight, how she coped with the fear in the weeks after, and the wave of support (and shared stories) she received once she spoke about it publicly. She also shares a health scare two days before the Eugene Marathon, and how she still went on to run a huge PR of 2:46, stepping onto the iconic Hayward Field track to finish.
The conversation wraps with her training block, high mileage, recovery habits, and her long-term sights on the Olympic Trials Qualifying standard.
In this episode:
- Being attacked while running in New York City
- Coping with fear and getting back out the door
- The response after going public, and using it to raise runner safety awareness
- Moving from New York back to Chicago
- Training on Central Park hills vs Chicago's flat lakefront
- A seizure two days before race day and getting cleared to race
- Race recap: Eugene Marathon and a 2:46 PR
- Training block breakdown: mileage, doubles, and workouts
- Recovery habits: sleep, hydration, and avoiding alcohol
- Thinking about the Olympic Trials Qualifying standard
Content note: this episode includes a discussion of a physical assault while running, and a brief mention of a seizure related to Sydney's epilepsy. Please take care while listening.
Timestamps:
00:00 Welcome back and the boxes in the background
01:14 A dramatic start: what happened on a run in NYC
03:20 Filing a police report and processing the shock
05:18 What the weeks after felt like
07:32 Going public and the response from the running community
09:04 Organizing a self defense class
10:15 Safety advice and what she does differently now
12:43 Getting back to good news: previous PR at Chicago Marathon
14:09 Going into the Eugene build with two best friends
15:52 Working with her coach and the goal of 2:44
19:50 What changed in this training block
22:43 Winter running in New York vs the treadmill
27:30 A normal training week during the build
33:04 Upping mileage and adding doubles
36:05 Recovery: sleep, alcohol, and consistency
39:34 Travel to Eugene and a seizure two days before the race
44:16 Race morning: a completely different vibe from the majors
45:33 Running the course and feeling alone in the field
48:34 Crossing the line at Hayward Field: a 2:46 PR
52:48 Thinking about the OTQ standard
54:51 What's next: CIM in December
58:13 Staying grounded and closing thoughts
Sydney on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sydney.b.fitness/
Start your free Musicbed trial: https://fm.pxf.io/kristianwarwick
Full episodes + the Boston 2025 documentary: https://www.youtube.com/@Warwickruns
Follow my training journey on Instagram: @warwick.runs
Music from Musicbed: MB01XPYH8ZYENVAMB0133EV2TCQFZY
