On the podcast this week, I’m bringing you an amazing duo who are the co-founders and creators of From Fat to Finish Line! Jen Roe and Angela Lee, in case you haven’t already watched the movie, are an incredible example of what is possible in the running world and have created a community that is breaking stereotypes.
I loved the movie so much and I was absolutely fangirling over being able to interview them! You’re going to hear the backstory of how this film came to be and how their community led to them being able to leave their day jobs as filmmakers. They give us the lowdown on Ragnar, how their filming was conducted, and their favorite Ragnars they’ve completed since!
Tune in for a super fun chat I got to have with Jen and Angela as I pick their brains about the film and how far they’ve come since then. Inspiration doesn’t even cut it when I think about these two awesome ladies, and I know you’re going to love hearing their journeys too!
What You’ll Learn From this Episode:
- How the movie From Fat to Finish Line came to be.
- The logistics of filming and running the Ragnar.
- How their community was built and is what it is today.
- The intricacies of setting up a Ragnar team and meeting the race cut off.
- How From Fat to Finish Line helped Jen and Angela leave their day jobs.
- Jen and Angela’s favorite Ragnars they’ve done.
- Jen and Angela’s advice for anyone who wants to start running.
Listen to the Full Episode:
Featured on the Show:
If you have any questions you’d like answered on the show, email me at podcast@notyouraveragerunner.com
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- Not Your Average Runner Instagram
- From Fat to Finish Line: Website | Facebook community | Film Facebook page | Netflix
- Ragnar
- Katie Foster/Runs for Cookies
- The Buck Fifty
Full Episode Transcript:
Welcome to The Not Your Average Runner Podcast. If you’re a woman who is midlife and plus sized and you want to start running but don’t know how, or if it’s even possible, you’re in the right place. Using proven strategies and real-life experience, certified running and life coach Jill Angie shares how you can learn to run in the body you have right now.
Hey rebels, you are listening to episode number 78 of The Not Your Average Runner Podcast. I’m your host, Jill Angie, and today you are going to meet two absolute rockstars. I have Jen Roe and Angela Lee with me, who are the co-founders and creators of From Fat to Finish Line, the movie and the huge community, and really just the force of nature.
I am really excited to be speaking with both of them and I’ll be honest, I was absolutely fangirling because I loved the movie so much and I think what they are doing in the running community is just flat out amazing and life-changing. So we talked about everything under the sun. You’re going to get the whole backstory of why they made this movie, what it was like during filming, and of course what is next for this amazing team of women.
And now, without further ado, here are the From Fat to Finish Line rockstars, Jen Roe and Angela Lee.
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Jill: Okay rebels, I am here with two amazing rockstar women that y’all might know from watching a little film called From Fat to Finish Line. I’m here with Jennifer Roe and Angela Lee, and we are going to talk all about the movie, the community, we’re going to talk about what led them to create this amazing – I don’t even know what you call it now. It’s a movement at this point in time and we’re just going to dig in and get into some really fun stuff. So Jennifer, Jen, and Angela, welcome, thank you so much for joining me today.
Jen: Thank you. Thanks for having us.
Jill: It’s been too long. I’ve had this podcast for almost a year and you guys have been on my list of guests for a while and I’m like, I really need to get out there and get these girls on the show. I think where I’d like to start today is just for you guys to share a little bit about who you are and let’s go back five, six years in time and talk about how the movie started and then go from there.
Jen: Okay, well, I started running about 10 years ago and back then there was no one like you out there and there was no other people out there that I could identify with as far as being a plus size runner and starting my journey. I kind of was on my own, so I started a blog called From Fat to Finish Line. I was inspired to start running because I was going through a lot of crap in my life and needed a big change and it’s a long story, but ultimately, I saw Angela had just done a half marathon, which I thought was insane and I needed a big challenge in my life so I signed up for one.
Now, truth be told, if I knew anything about running I would have signed up for a 5K but I did not know that anything else existed because that’s how much I knew about running. But it was just what I needed and I started this blog called From Fat to Finish Line, which I thought was going to be kind of a funny brief blog about my trying to run and giving up within a week or two because that’s kind of the way my life always kind of played out. I had big goals, big dreams, and then I – just negative self-limiting talk would come in and I’d quit.
But somehow, some way this time I just kept going. I found a support group, people started following my blog and I got some good advice and I started running. Angela Lee, who lives in Los Angeles and I lived in California, she flew out to New Jersey and ran my first half marathon alongside me and we finished the New Jersey half marathon and that’s my kind of anniversary race.
So anyway, so fast forward to the movie. So I had been blogging for a while and there was another blogger out there. Over my blogging course I started to find other people like us, that identify with being the overweight runner and not the natural born athlete that when you think of runners came to my mind at least back in the day. And I started to follow a blogger named Katie Foster, and she runs a successful blog called Runs for Cookies, and she followed me as well and we kind of followed each other back and forth.
And one day out of the blue Katie reached out to me and said, I’m putting together this Ragnar team of 12 people, all who had lost some weight through running and now we want to celebrate our weight loss by running a Ragnar as a team. So I thought, that sounds really cool, it’s very exciting. So I started – the old me would have said, oh my god, there’s a thousand reasons why I can’t do this, and the new me was like, fine, I’m saying yes to a bunch of random strangers on the internet that we’re all going to jump into a white van together and run a race, cool, I’m in.
So, as I got to know the people on the team, it occurred to me that there was some really good stories to tell and I thought this could be very inspirational. So Angela and I, at that time, had just finished a different documentary we did. We are by trade filmmakers. We’ve worked together for years, since 1994 in the television industry. So we’d always been TV and filmmakers. And we had vowed to never make another documentary film at this time because they are labors of love, you don’t make a lot of money, it’s a hustle. And we were like no, we’re just doing projects for money. We’re making money this time.
But this was such a great – so many great stories and in my gut, I was just like, this is a story that needs to be told, and I pitched it to Angela and she was like, yeah, that sounds great, let’s do it. And hopped on the Ragnar train and never looked back.
Jill: Oh my gosh.
Jen: So basically, we got together to run the race. So then we of course – Angela and I had to go back to the team and then say, hey, would you guys mind us documenting this film? Because when they invited me on the team, they just knew me as a blogger and another runner. They didn’t realize I had film background. So some of the people took a little bit of promising that we’re not going to make anybody look bad. A lot of us, as you probably know as a life coach, we have vulnerabilities, we don’t want to be on camera. There’s all of these things that came up, but ultimately Angela and I both were able to talk the team into letting us document the journey.
Jill: Oh my gosh. So wait, so I’m picturing you running with the camera? How did you manage to film all of that and run the Ragnar and everything?
Jen: Well, Angela was the director so she did all the heavy lifting as far as during the actual Ragnar of worrying about where the cameras were and the crew was. And when I got to Ragnar, I was a runner. Now, the problem with that was up until Ragnar I had become a little complacent in my running because I was getting a little cocky in my running at this point and I was like, I’ve run a bunch of half marathons, I don’t have to really worry about training too bad for this. It’s 10 miles, middle of the night, I could do 13 miles so that should be fine. And I was so worried and focused on producing that when I got to Ragnar I was like, oh crap, I have to actually really run. But luckily for me, Angela really did, like I say, Angela for the actual race itself did all the heavy lifting. I just showed up as a runner.
Angela: We had five camera people, three out on the road. They each had a driver, so sometimes the cameraperson would be in the car driving, and the driver would be driving alongside the runner. Sometimes they’d get out and they’d run alongside the runner, and then there was two of us because I was also a cameraperson and there’s two of us in the vans. So whichever active van was going, there was two camera people in the van and then three out on the road with the runners. So that’s how we captured everything.
Jill: Oh my gosh. And you did such an amazing job because it was like, you didn’t have the sense that there was a cameraman there. I felt, when I watched the movie, I just felt like I was just right there with the runner. There was no – you know sometimes when you see a movie and you just feel like you’re removed from it? I just felt so in it with everybody that was in the movie. You guys did an amazing, amazing job of that.
Angela: One of the things that helped for the two of us that were in the vans is that we had spent a lot of time getting to know the runners as they got to know each other online. So I think they felt like we were friends so it wasn’t as awkward to have us sitting in the van with them.
Jill: Oh okay, there you go. So you were just one of the gang. It’s just that you had a full camera crew with you.
Angela: Right. Other than a big giant camera that we’d stick in their face, we were.
Jill: Okay, so Jen just said that she called you up and said hey, I want to make this documentary and you’re like yeah, I’m in. Is that really how it went down?
Angela: Pretty much. Well, she called me to tell me – it was also, I think I’m going to do this, what do you think? And I said, oh my god, that sounds so fun. And I was thinking in my head, that would make a really good movie, while she said, I think we should shoot it, right? So she didn’t really have to convince me because it did sound like a great idea.
Jill: I just love that so much. And I mean, just as somebody who experienced the movie just as a viewer, I actually – when I saw the movie it was maybe two years ago or three years ago and I had a bunch of clients together for a retreat and we were going to do a movie night and I’m like, what movie should we watch? And it was like, obviously, From Fat to Finish Line. And so we got out the popcorn and we just sat there and watched this movie and everybody was like, oh my god. We were just crying and it was just so powerful, so I’m in awe. I’m in awe that you guys created this thing.
And actually, it’s so funny. Right before we sat down to record, my boyfriend Andy popped in and I said, hey I’m going to be doing a podcast in a few minutes so can you not have the TV on. Podcasting is so glamorous. And he’s like oh, are you interviewing somebody? And I said oh yeah, I’m interviewing the women from From Fat to Finish Line and he’s like, wait what? So excited. He’s like – wait, I even wrote down what he said. He basically is like, he wants to know if he can be on a Ragnar with you guys. He found the entire movie super inspirational and so yeah, he was just super excited like oh my god, you’re going to talk to them. Which one? Which one? Like Jennifer and Angela, calm down. So fun.
Angela: That’s awesome.
Jill: Impacted so many lives. Like, people that you’ll never meet have been – their lives have been changed because of what you decided to do. I mean, that’s kind of an awesome feeling, yeah?
Angela: It’s so inspiring. I mean, it’s changed Jennifer and my life. We kind of quit our day jobs and are building this community. We haven’t figured out how to make money yet but we’re working on it. But I mean, we read posts in our Facebook community of people who, their lives have been changed by running and setting up these meetings and kind of doing training plans and stuff like that. I know we’ve talked to you about maybe bringing on some of your plans and stuff like that because it’s just so meaningful.
And we met working on a talk show and we did Who’s the Daddy for 10 years and it feels like we’re kind of paying off our karmic dues. Plus, it helps us too. I mean, our best friends over the last few years have come from the community. Most of my circle of friends have changed to people who help keep me fit now because of the movie.
Jill: That’s amazing. And like, when you created the movie, you were just out to document this amazing experience. Did you have any idea what was going to come out of it after that?
Angela: Not at all. Not at all. I mean, we were just hoping we’d sell the movie. It had taken us like, years to sell the first movie, which was kids and music and the Grammy foundation and it was like, documentaries are just, like Jennifer said earlier, they’re just such a hustle and they’re so hard, and this one was the easiest one we ever had to set. We got a Netflix deal almost right away. I just think that people are hungry for seeing good examples of changing their lives to a healthier lifestyle.
Jill: I completely agree with that because there’s so much out there of things that are wrong with the world and it’s just so nice and it’s so rare to see an example of things being right with the world. So you made the movie though, and how did the community come about? So now the Facebook group has like what, 25,000 members in it? It’s huge, and I mean, when I’d been there to see what’s going on, I’m just amazed at all of the support and all of the cheerleading and all of the – I wouldn’t call it tough love, but honest comments as well. People are – they’re compassionate but they’re honest and they cheer each other on. So how did that happen? How did they get to be what it is today?
Jen: So it’s kind of cool. So we started like any good filmmaker, our Facebook film page. And we had created it like a year or two before we were even close to having the film edited, but we created the page and we kind of created it so we could start to generate some publicity. So we had been interviewed by the Today Show when we were doing our Ragnar. So we had a place to put some of our media stuff that was coming up so we could promote the film when the film was available.
And what happened was people started to find our page and send us like, Facebook messages like, hey, I’m a little bit overweight, how do I start running? Or what kind of shoes should I get? Or what could you recommend? And I didn’t know other people like me were out there. And before long, Rik Akey, who’s our head coach now in the tribe and also was runner number six in the movie said you know, we should start a group. We got one request for help from somebody from Germany and her name was Nora and now she’s our community manager. But she was really essentially our first member in our private Facebook group.
So we started the Facebook group because of this need of people coming to us and asking questions and wanted to have this little group. So for the time being, again, Angela and I really weren’t thinking in terms of business. We were like, this is great, people are talking about running and they’re communicating with one another and there’s other people like that out there like us and that’s awesome. And then before long, we have 3300 people in the group, I’d like to say, and the movie still wasn’t out.
And a lot of people were now just in our group without even knowing there was a film coming out or wasn’t the primary focus. And about 300 of them had said, decided to make this plan to go to Las Vegas to run one of those Rock n Rock races, whether it was the 5K, 10K, half, or full. I don’t think anybody was doing a full, but in any case, 300 people were going and they kind of started to email Angela and I and said hey, we’re going to Las Vegas and we want to be team From Fat to Finish Line. Could you make us some t-shirts? Do you guys have a training program? Do you have hats?
And we were like – I looked at Angela and we kind of looked at each other at the same time. We were like, wow this isn’t even a movie anymore. Movie’s not even out, this is a business. So we kind of just decided at some point to start to pivot over. It was a slow transition. We still had had our film and television company and we were still kind of pursuing developing some projects and then at some point we just were like, no, we’re all in on this.
And it’s just like you said, the small instances of change and the big instances of change and people’s lives being affected, and it’s not just us. It’s you, it’s other people in the community showing people that you don’t have to be a size two and you don’t have to be a lifetime athlete to celebrate your body in an athletic way, and we’re really excited to be part of that movement.
Jill: Yeah, oh my gosh, and you’re a huge important part of that movement for sure. And let me understand this. So the title From Fat to Finish Line, when I first read that I was like, oh, this is about a weight loss journey. But it’s really not. It doesn’t say from fat to skinny. It’s From Fat to Finish Line. So you can end up at that finish line however you want to.
Jen: Correct. And like, for us, there is really no – I came up with that as a blog title and we thought it worked for the movie and it just kind of evolved. But at the time, it was for me like a really personal identity because it’s like I had always identified as fat and it was kind of like I was going to go on this journey. And now it doesn’t really matter. My weight’s been like this, the journey never ends. It’s up and down and I’m trying to learn now to love my body and not beat myself up because it’s just cellulite. It’s a fact, it’s not a – I’m telling you.
Jill: Yeah, so for all the listeners, before we started recording, Jen apparently listened to the How to Love Your Body podcast episode and I made some comment about my hair and she’s like, your hair is just the circumstance. So she’s like, your thought about it is everything else. I’m like, damn, so busted.
Jen: But it’s true. So I’m getting there too because now I’m at – when I started running I was still in my 30s. Now I’m in my mid 40s and turning a corner towards 50 and my running’s getting a little slower again and my weight is harder to manage, and I have to kind of just accept myself at where I’m at and appreciate being a part of that journey. And I think that being in this group and seeing other people and also watching your group and we are just doing the best we can at any given moment and it’s good enough.
Jill: Right. I think chasing perfection is just such a waste of time and energy. Let’s just get in there and do what we want to do with what we’ve got and stop worrying about it having to be perfect.
Jen: Right. So it’s been a really cool and exciting thing for us and I’m happy because like Angela said earlier, we’re not just people who run a business. We are the members. We are the members. I’m the person who has to still really kick myself in the ass and get out and run some days. I want to lay on – my first language is laying on the couch and watching Bravo and ordering some Chinese food.
Getting up and running out the door for a run will never be something that I’m like, woo. I have to talk myself into it still, and I am happy that I’m surrounded by people who will either give me that kick in the ass or will relate when I’m having a bad day or say it’s okay that your running pants aren’t a size small, medium, or even a large. So it’s cool because we’re all in it together. We’re no better, no worse. We just happen to be the lucky people who made this movie.
Jill: So it’s almost like you made the movie and the community that you yourself needed to see.
Jen: Yeah. That’s probably exactly right. And like I said earlier, if I’d found you, I would have been super thrilled. So I think the more resources out there for people like us and our community, the better, because it’s just really important. So many people are sitting, especially with those self-limiting thoughts and those preconceived ideas of I can’t do this because of my weight, because of this, because I never ran before, because of my knees – you know what I mean? And it’s like, the more people like us out there giving the example across the board, the more happy and healthy people I think have the motivation to be. They’re seeing other people out there.
Jill: Yeah, I think that’s it. I talk about this all the time with my community is that it’s not just about being in a community so you can get help. It’s about helping other people and being the example of what’s possible because we – the reason that you and I started running is because we saw somebody else doing it and thought hey, maybe if that person can do it, I can do it. And so it’s almost our responsibility to be bold and open about our journeys so that other people can see us and make that same leap. You just kind of have to keep paying it forward.
Angela: I think that’s kind of the best motivator too because you know, unfortunately, a lot of times we will be more committed to something that’s helping somebody else than ourselves. So if helping somebody else also helps ourselves, you know, we had this mentorship program and I’ve started mentoring a few friends of mine and I brashed into triathlon because of Jen Small in the movie and so now I have a bunch of girls who started doing triathlons with me and I think that it keeps me – I think twice about skipping a workout because I know that I’m motivating them.
Jill: Yeah, you know that they’re watching and observing and you’re like, I got to be that example of what’s possible. I love that. So let’s talk a little bit more about the – just the community in general and what – so with that large of a community, you must have some amazing stories to share about successes or maybe some friendships that have formed. What happens if there’s any of my listeners, I can’t imagine that there’s any that are not as part of the From Fat to Finish Line community, but if there are, let’s let them know, if they join what they can expect.
Angela: I mean, there’s conversations about everything that goes on in that community, but obviously it’s mostly running. A lot of people have met and become really, really good friends. Melissa Clark and Beck Streeper, they’re in Des Moines, right?
Jen: Iowa, yeah.
Angela: So we have one love connection that was found in our community, Patty and Tim, who are favorites, favorites, favorites of ours. Tim had – I guess I won’t call it a cancer scare. He had cancer last year and the whole community was pulling for him and he’s okay right so – but they are the cutest couple and they came out to Vegas. We actually have gone out to Vegas every year as a group and run those Rock n Roll races because they have everything from a 5K to a full marathon. There’s kind of a race for everybody. So that’s our annual get together and they were out this year and last year, so we had a really good time with them. And then I’ve done a couple of other races with them. They’re just the greatest. They’re so cute.
Jill: That’s awesome. I just love that.
Jen: It’s been cool too. We’ve had people I mean, travel all over the world. Like I said, Nora’s from Germany, we’ve got people that are in our group from England and Australia. We did a team race in Dublin, Ireland, and there’s been tons of Ragnar teams that have come out of our group. So like Angela is saying, the really most satisfying part of this is really watching people not just cross finish lines and run, but really establish some of the best friends and support team that you could ever imagine. And I think that like Angela said, myself included, I can probably name 10 people in that group that have just become amongst my closest friends and family in that group because there’s something about the shared journey and just – I don’t know. There’s just something super empowering. I’m sure you could speak to it better Jill, as a life coach, but that empowerment of just being able to like, set a goal, work hard for it, and cross the finish line.
Jill: Because I think that once you do that one time and you feel the confidence that comes from setting a goal and then kind of keeping your commitment to yourself, it’s like then you start looking around in your life and you’re like, huh, I wonder what else I could do? And then the next thing you know, you’re just confident everywhere and it just sort of blossoms. So that’s what I love about running is it gives you a chance to get that taste of accomplishment and then start elsewhere in your life for everywhere else you can do it. But your community is just so, so amazing, and do you take people on Ragnar races now? Is that – am I understanding that correctly? That people can sign up to do a Ragnar as part of a From Fat to Finish Line team?
Angela: So in 2018, we had – I don’t know how many teams we had but I personally did the Northwest passage and SoCal Ragnars with From Fat to Finish Line teams, of which we had multiple teams. We did Chicago, there was a bunch of teams, and then we also ran the Buck Fifty in Ohio, which is a Ragnar type race, and one of our community members, Cindy Freeman lives in Ross Country, Ohio, and they used to be one of the country’s highest in opiate overdoses.
And this county just came together to clean up their act. They didn’t want to be known for the county that had – so three prostitutes had been killed there because of the opiate problem and then so many people were dying. And so they’ve been doing all these different programs and one of the things they did was this race. And so everyone at every exchange just volunteers and they’re just trying to set a positive example of the people of the community, and they’ve taken their community in the last three years, they’ve dropped in double digits every year in the percentage of death they’ve had when Ohio is like, three times the national average still. So that was a really special relay race, so we’re doing that one again this year. But we do have teams – Ragnar teams that are formed in our community probably every week.
Jill: That’s so awesome. So what would you say – because I know a lot of the women in the Not Your Average Runner community say oh hey, let’s form a Ragnar team, and then the first thing that comes up is, yeah, but we’re all too slow and we won’t make the cut off. So can you speak a little bit to what are some of the intricacies of creating a team and what do you do if your team is slower than the race cut off?
Angela: So what we did last year because you know, Ragnar itself, it’s not qualifying for everything so they don’t have – unless you’re going to win, which none of us are going to do, it’s really more about the experience. And even in the movie, our team was a little bit slow so we actually have every single exchange in the movie except for you don’t see John, who’s runner 12 and Katie, who’s runner one, you don’t see John hand off to Katie the last time because they were actually both running at the same time for us to be able to cross the finish line in time.
And so Ragnar has finally set up all of these protocols so that if people don’t want to run alone at night, two runners can double up on a run. So let’s say runner four and five both have night runs, they could skip four and both run five together, so everyone’s still running three legs. So there’s a lot of things you can do in order to make up the time. Because I will say most runners nowadays, that more of us have been accepted into the running community don’t run 11-minute miles, and that’s really what you have to maintain. 11 and 11-and-a-half-minute pace to finish in time.
So there’s a whole bunch of ways to do it and Ragnar, now it seems like this last couple of Ragnars I’ve done all of the exchange managers have been hip to it. They say, oh, why don’t you just go drop your next runner off and get them started? You can leap five, put two runners on the course at the same time.
Jill: Oh, that’s so awesome. So they’ve become very back of the pack friendly it sounds.
Angela: Yes, they have. They really have.
Jill: And I think that’s so important for race directors and so forth to start understanding that the slower runners and the plus size runners are – there’s a lot of us, right? It’s not just this tiny little section of the running population. It’s a big population and they have money to spend on races and they want to get out there, so I think – I feel like there’s a shift in the industry, but I’m super excited to hear that Ragnar is completely on board with that because that is such a goal of so many. At least so many of the Not Your Average Runner community are just all about wanting to do the Ragnar and thinking that they can’t because of this time limit. So I’m so glad to hear that, that’s really cool. So what’s your favorite Ragnar that you’ve done?
Jen: Me or Angela?
Jill: Either of you.
Jen: Well let’s see. I mean, obviously I loved and hated the one in the movie. I loved it because the team was amazing, but it was – if you watched the movie, I didn’t have the best experience in the middle of the night. I had a really tough run so after – it was a really actually very emotional experience for me because I don’t want to give too much away if anybody wants to see it, but it was a really, really tough run for me. And after that I was never going to do another Ragnar. I actually swore them off. I was like, there’s no reason to do this. It’s like, it’s fun once, I did it, blah blahblah.
But I had a bunch of friends who kept asking me and coach Rik, who I referred to earlier who’s in the movie kept saying, you need to do another one, you need to do another one. I was like, Rik, I’m never doing another one. And then we premiered the movie at Nashville and he was putting together a team and he’s like, you need to do this, you have to be on my team. I’m like, no, I’m never doing this again. So that team came and went.
Finally, in 2017, he caught me on a night that I probably had a martini or two. Yes, some people do drunk crazy things, I drunk sign up for crap. But in any case, I’m glad I did. I was actually sitting at Angela’s house, we were working. I’d come out to Los Angeles every so often, we work together, and she was doing this Ragnar, the Del Sol Ragnar with another team and Rik is calling me and texting me, I need a teammate, you should do it, you need redemption, you’re going to have fun, and Angela’s like, you should do it. And I’m drinking and I was like, yeah, going to do it.
And then I woke up full of regret and fear, but then I said alright, you know what, it’s okay, I’m going to put on my big girl pants and I’m just going to go in with an open mind. I mean, listen, at least I’m not going to be filmed this time. So if I have a nervous breakdown, I won’t have Angela Lee chasing me around with a camera so it’ll be fine. But I’m so glad I did it. It was a great experience. I loved – again, had wonderful people on my team. It was a couple of – a lot of the people were from the From Fat to Finish Line group, so I got to really connect with – actually, I think just about all of them. I don’t know, I think they were all From Fat to Finish Line people actually in both vans.
And Rik in the other van and he was also in the film and it was just fantastic. It was a great experience and then from there I went on to do two or three more. So – but I liked them all. They’re all different, they’re all special. Northwest passage was beautiful. I loved SoCal, but I’m going to say Del Sol got the comeback tour of Ragnar was my favorite just because I mean, it was hot as shit and it was Arizona. […] parts are very deserty, but I don’t know, I think it was just what I needed as far as mentally to be able to say, I overcame a fear. Because I really thought, this is it, I can’t do these, you see I can’t do these, and I was able to overcome and have a really great experience and you know, get very close to a bunch of cool people.
Jill: That’s awesome.
Angela: My favorite course was the Poconos though. That Pennsylvania race is so beautiful. It starts out in Amish country, you run through Amish country, and I have to say, the Amish, they get such a kick out of us running through town once a year and they’re out there sometimes with water and their horse and buggies and tending to their gardens. It’s so beautiful. And then of course it ends with you running up the Pocono mountains, so that’s kind of bull crap but it has some of the toughest hills but it’s a really, really beautiful course.
And then I think that my favorite race, but that’s mostly because of the people is the Buck Fifty, and that’s a relay style race. There’s a couple of things about it because I’m in my 50s now so I don’t recover from not sleeping for 48 hours as well as I used to. And the thing about that race is it’s 10 people and 150 miles so you run as much – every single person runs as much but you don’t have quite as much sleep deprivation.
Jill: Oh okay. So it’s a slightly shorter race with – but it’s still the same number of people but at least it doesn’t last as long, I guess.
Angela: Right. It’s 10 people and 150 miles instead of 12 people and 200 miles. So I ran – I did it last year and I had 17 miles overall so I felt like it was the same amount of miles I usually run. And also, the way the course is, it’s just a circular course around the county and our hotel was in the middle. So every time we stopped, we were 15 minutes from the hotel so we would just go back to the hotel and rest instead of putting your sleeping bag down in a parking lot somewhere.
Jill: Yeah, that sounds like the least fun thing ever. Oh my gosh.
Angela: Sometimes it’s fun, sometimes it’s not.
Jen: Fun-ish.
Jill: Fun is a relative term sometimes. But I think with running, what runners consider fun is crazy to the rest of the world, so it’s all part of the same thing. So good. Okay, well we’re coming to the end of our time here so what I’d love to know is if you could give one piece of advice to somebody’s who’s listening to think thinking, hey, I want to be a runner but – and they’ve got a million reasons why not, what’s the advice you’d give to that person?
Jen: Just go out, find a tribe, find some people, find a community, find a training plan. They now exist. We have a run your first mile plan that’s free. You have tons of training plans. We exist now. So there’s no reason for you guys not to go out there and get a training plan, get some support, get some advice and give it a shot. You don’t have to be fast, it doesn’t have to be long.
My first run was for 30 seconds and I thought I was going to die. But I didn’t. I didn’t die, and then I ran for 45 seconds, I thought I was going to die, and then it was a long time. And by the way, it’s going to hurt a little bit at first and then it’s going to be outside your comfort zone and you’re going to huff and puff and every time I ran I thought I was having a heart attack and I thought there was a sign from the universe that I shouldn’t be running because I’m going to have a heart attack and I’m like, no, that’s a sign I need to run because I can’t breathe because I’m out of shape.
So it’s not easy for anybody. So it’s okay if it’s a little hard, just keep going, and if you have to sit, sit, and if you have to walk, walk, and if you have to run even slower – I mean, my first run was slower than kids in flip flops walking dogs and that’s okay. Just like, go and do what you can and then the next day maybe do a little bit more and just keep connected to other runners. We are out there, we’re here to support you, and ask away, and it’s okay. It’s okay. Just keep going. Get some failure, get some feedback, but keep going.
Jill: Love it.
Angela: Just one foot in front of the other. I think whether it’s a 10-minute mile or a 35-minute mile, it doesn’t really matter. Just keep moving.
Jill: So good. Right, just keep moving. That’s all you need to do. Okay girls, it has been my pleasure and a complete honor to have you on the podcast. So let me find out, where can people connect with you if they’re not already following you, if they’re not already in the community? How do they get more?
Jen: We’re on Facebook. You could go right to facebook.com/groups/fattofinish. We also have a website, fattofinish.com and we have a film page that’s – what’s the film page? Is it just Facebook fat to finish, Ange?
Angela: I think so. I think when you search From Fat to Finish Line…
Jen: Just Google. You’ll find us. Just Google From Fat to Finish Line, you’ll find us. But anyway.
Jill: Actually, I do have one more question for you. Is there a part two? Is there a movie number two? She’s making a maybe so face.
Jen: We’ve toyed with the idea. We might do – Angela the director can answer that question.
Angela: You know, I mean, we would love to do another From Fat to Finish Line movie. I think we’ve just kind of always questioned how should we do it. At one point we were talking with John Halsey about – he volunteers, he’s an ex-Marine, and he was volunteering at a kind of social center for Marines and we were thinking about maybe doing it with some veterans. So I think one day definitely there is one, it’s just what’s the story and who it’s going to be about is the question.
Jill: So good. I love it. And the possibilities are endless. You could do From Fat to Triathlon, From Fat to Ironman. I mean, I just feel like there’s so many possibilities. So yes, okay so thank you again to both of you for joining me today and if you guys, the listeners want to find Jennifer and Angela and their whole community, it’s fattofinish.com or facebook.com/groups/fattofinish and that is a wrap for us. Did I say that right?
Jen: Nice. Well played.
Jill: Alright ladies, thank you so much and yeah, we’ll be in touch. Jen and I just figured out we both live in New Jersey so I see some fun stuff, some fun collabs.
Angela: Awesome, I’ll fly out.
Jill: Yes, love it. Thank you so much.
Angela: Thank you.
Jen: Thank you.
—
Hey rebels, I hope you enjoyed my chat with Angela and Jen, and if you want to join From Fat to Finish Line yourself, you can go right to their private Facebook group, which is facebook.com/groups/fattofinish. Ask to join there, or you can go to their film Facebook page, which is facebook.com/fattofinish. Or you can just go to their website. There are a ton of resources there, fattofinish.com. And all of these links are also going to be at notyouraveragerunner.com/78. I am glad that you joined me for this amazing interview today and I will see you next week.
Thanks for listening to this episode of The Not Your Average Runner Podcast. If you liked what you heard and want more, head over to www.notyouraveragerunner.com to download your free one week jumpstart plan and get started running today.
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