Episode 706: Annie Rodenfels: Making the Jump to the Half Marathon and Representing Team USA

Annie Rodenfels is back on the podcast! Annie is one of the seven women we’re sending to the Half Marathon World Championships in Copenhagen, and I’m so excited to see her making this jump up in distance.

Annie is a newbie to the half marathon. The U.S. Championships was actually her first half marathon! She’s known for being a steeplechaser and 5K runner, and she’s making the pivot to longer distances while still dabbling in the shorter distances as well. She’s definitely not done there.

Annie is a D3 legend. She was a three-time national champion at Centre College, and after college she joined a pro team in Greenville, South Carolina, before eventually joining Team New Balance Boston. Now she’s training under Coach Julie Benson with the Meridian team and landed her first real-deal sponsorship with Salomon about a year ago. We talk about how meaningful it was for her to finally land that deal and what that support has meant for her career.

She’s also a three-time champion of the New York Road Runners Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K, winning it in 2023, 2024, and 2025.

We talk about her excellent half marathon debut at the U.S. Championships and, of course, the finish-line drama. Annie crossed the finish line third, but there was a whole situation with a group of women being taken off course, and she gives us the rundown on what actually happened.

Now she’s getting ready to represent Team USA in Copenhagen, and there are definite plans to eventually pursue the marathon. It’s so exciting to see Annie move into these longer distances. She’s such a strong runner, and I personally think the marathon is going to be a great spot for her.

And we have a fun little chat about books at the end, too!

All right, friends, please enjoy my conversation with Annie Rodenfels!

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