A fun announcement first! ⬇️

I am thrilled to be restarting a partnership with a brand I’ve known and loved since some of my very first running miles over a decade ago back in Boston… Janji! 

Janji was also one of my very first ever sponsors back in 2020, and I’m stoked to be partnering again. I bought a pair of their half tights recently after spending a weekend with their CEO Mike out in Aspen for that race weekend, and now it’s what I pull first for my long runs and workouts! They’re super comfortable and have tons of pockets, and I haven’t had any issues with chafing or fit.

You’ll be hearing more from and about Janji beginning in October, but I couldn’t wait to share this with y’all first. I’ll be having a couple Janji athletes on the pod, and if I can convince Mike on for an episode about the founder’s journey over on Long Run Labs, you’ll be hearing about that too! 

If you need a pair of half tights (or any other gear for everyday exploration), you can use code FTLR for 10% off your order. The first 10 people to spend $200 or more gets a sweet FTLR hat - just forward me your receipt and I’ll get it in the mail for ya! 🧢

Use This Mentality to Get Through Injury: How to Achieve Your Running Goals with Annie Frisbie

From Soccer Fields to Cross Country

Annie Frisbie didn’t grow up thinking she’d be a professional marathoner. Her entry point was much simpler: choosing a fall sport in middle school.

“My mom wanted me to do a fall sport and it was either cross country or volleyball and I knew I didn’t want to do volleyball, so I joined cross country,” she said. “A few of my friends that I was in soccer with, they also signed up for cross country. So it was like an easy transition… and sure enough I loved it pretty much from the gun.”

From those first practices, she discovered she was stronger as a distance runner than on the soccer field. She didn’t have the best foot skills, but she had stamina—and she loved the test of pushing herself.

The Curiosity of How Good You Can Be

That early switch sparked a mindset she still carries today: curiosity about what’s possible.

“I’ve been a fairly competitive person within sport my whole life and when I first joined cross country… you can get so much better within a season, within a year,” she said. “I loved beating my teammates even though they were my good friends… every step of the way was a surprise.”

Frisbie ran at Iowa State, where she became an All-American. After graduation, she joined Minnesota Distance Elite and continued to rise. But her real breakthrough came in 2021, when she debuted at the New York City Marathon and finished seventh overall. That race convinced her that professional running wasn’t just possible—it was her path.

Mindset Shifts Through Injury

Like many professional runners, Frisbie has dealt with injuries that disrupted training and racing plans. Instead of seeing those stretches only as setbacks, she’s learned to treat them as teachers.

“Learning the same mistake over and over again, injuries too… they really sort of bring you back to earth and sort of reset you as an athlete,” she said. “Those valleys really help put so many things into perspective… coming out of those, I’m more motivated than ever.”

Her advice for athletes in recovery is straightforward: don’t compare your journey to anyone else’s. “Try to just, again, not fall in the comparison trap. Everyone’s so different with how they train and how they come back from injury. Do what feels right for your situation. And… focus on other things in your life that are important to you outside of running.”

Fueling the Marathon

Frisbie has experimented with nutrition strategies, especially during marathons. She now has a structured approach.

“In a marathon, I’ll fuel every 5K or so and I hydrate as well… I’ll use the UCAN gels every 5K,” she explained. “In Boston I did add Element into my bottles. I also did sodium bicarbonate, and that was my first time ever doing it in a race. I was really worried about having bathroom issues, but thankfully my stomach held up really well.”

Fueling consistently has helped her run stronger in the later miles—something she admits she struggled with in the past.

Shoe Rotation and PUMA Partnership

Shoes are another area where Frisbie invests her attention. Since signing with PUMA in 2022, she’s tested prototypes and provided feedback on training and racing models.

“It’s been really cool to see the shoe development… their trainers, but also their carbon plated shoes and racing shoes are just insane now compared to where they were a few years ago,” she said.

In her own training, she rotates multiple models to reduce injury risk and keep her legs fresh. She uses daily trainers for most mileage, carbon-plated shoes for specific workouts, and lighter models for faster sessions. That variety, she believes, helps her stay consistent.

Dreaming Big but Staying Grounded

Even as she dreams about what’s possible at the marathon distance, Frisbie tries to balance ambition with humility.

“As distance runners and as athletes in general, I think there’s a lot of dreaming very big to the point where it almost feels delusional,” she said. “Your dreams might seem crazy, but really… the only person that really matters that believes it is you.”

Rather than publicize her biggest goals, she prefers to keep them private, focusing on consistent progress day by day.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Annie’s journey from soccer to professional running

• How Minnesota Distance Elite fosters a positive, productive culture

• The mindset shifts she’s gained from injuries and setbacks

• Fueling strategies for marathons and beyond

• Why belief and patience are critical to long-term success

Give this one a listen this weekend 👇

Partner Programs That Actually Work? Meet Superfiliate. 🚀

If you’ve ever wanted to build an affiliate program without the headache, this is your sign. Superfiliate is the clean, no-BS affiliate platform I’ve been recommending for years — and for good reason.

Whether you’re on the brand side or working with creators, Superfiliate keeps it simple: intuitive setup, effortless tracking, and seamless payouts. No bloated dashboards. No tangled workflows. Just tools that do their job so you can do yours.

Bonus: Superfiliate helps you actually engage your partners with cobranded landing pages, UGC, rewards (cash, credit, gifts!), and more.

If you’re ready to grow your program without growing your stress, head to Superfiliate.com — and tell them I sent you. 💸

Being in the Driver’s Seat of Your Own Health: Building Eternal with Alex Mather

When Alex Mather looks at the way most of us interact with our health, he sees a gap. We can rattle off fantasy football stats or car maintenance schedules, but when it comes to our own bodies, most of us are flying blind. His latest company, Eternal, aims to change that, giving people ownership of their health data in a way that’s approachable, actionable, and consistent.

Before launching Eternal, Alex co-founded The Athletic and scaled it to over one million subscribers before selling to The New York Times in 2022 for $550M. Before that, he helped lead Product & Design at Strava, growing it from a scrappy startup with 800 users to tens of millions of athletes worldwide. Along the way, endurance sports have been a throughline in his life and leadership.

From Strava to The Athletic

Alex’s career arc traces the evolution of how communities form around sport. At Strava, he saw how technology could deepen connection and create shared accountability. At The Athletic, he flipped the script on sports journalism by offering high-quality, subscription-based coverage at a time when ad-driven models dominated.

Each move built on the last: user experience and product design at Strava, storytelling and subscription models at The Athletic, and now personalized health empowerment at Eternal.

Why Eternal?

The idea for Eternal came from a simple observation: most people don’t have a baseline understanding of their own health. For Alex, that’s both a societal problem and a personal frustration.

Eternal’s mission is to make health literacy as universal as sports fandom. Through data tracking, tailored insights, and practical tools, Eternal wants to put people in the driver’s seat — not just during a crisis, but every day.

Lessons in Leadership

Alex’s path has also shaped his views on building teams and leading companies. He’s candid about the highs and lows of startup life: the scrappiness required at Strava, the audacious bets at The Athletic, and the careful, long-term planning now at Eternal.

One theme that emerges is Alex’s belief in alignment, both in mission and in people. When teams are grounded in a shared purpose, everything else moves faster.

The Joy of Being a Sports Fan

For all his work building companies at the intersection of sports, tech, and media, Alex still loves being a fan. From growing up watching Philadelphia teams to finding new communities through running, he sees fandom as a throughline in his life.

That perspective shapes his work: whether it’s The Athletic creating a new way to consume journalism, or Eternal reimagining how we track our health, Alex believes passion is the ultimate driver of behavior. If people care (about a team, a race, or their long-term health), they’ll invest time, money, and energy in it.

It’s a reminder that even the most ambitious startups start from something simple: love of the game.

Takeaways for Founders and Endurance Athletes

Alex’s story is packed with insights for entrepreneurs, creators, and athletes alike.

1. Community is the engine.

From Strava to The Athletic, Alex has proven that meaningful communities drive growth more than gimmicks.

2. Build for the long run. 

Subscription models, like training cycles, reward consistency and patience over short-term wins.

3. Health is the next great data frontier. 

Most of us lack even the most basic health literacy. Companies like Eternal can close that gap.

4. Leadership is endurance.

Startup life mirrors ultrarunning: it requires stamina, adaptability, and a willingness to suffer strategically.

Looking Ahead

Eternal is still in its early stages, but Alex is clear about the opportunity: making health data not just accessible but essential. It’s the same ethos that powered Strava and The Athletic: find what people care about most, and build tools that make them better at it.

Get a Clearer Picture of Your Health 📈

I’m thrilled to introduce our new partner, Eternal — a performance health company built for runners, endurance athletes, and anyone serious about their training. Their two-hour in-person performance physical goes way beyond a standard checkup with mobility assessments, metabolic testing, bloodwork, and a full movement analysis from real experts.

Whether you’re chasing PRs or just want a clearer picture of your health, Eternal helps you run harder and longer. Book your performance physical at eternal.co, use the code FTLR for 10% off, and keep doing what you love for years to come.

About Jon Levitt and For The Long Run

Jon is a runner, cyclist, and podcast host from Boston, MA, who now lives in Boulder, CO. For The Long Run is aimed at exploring the why behind what keeps runners running long, strong, and motivated.

Follow Jon on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.