I’m so thrilled to introduce Carolyn Coffin to the SandyBoy Productions podcast network. Carolyn hosts the Inspired Soles podcast and has been telling incredible stories in the running world since 2020. She’s based in Canada, and we get into how much her show highlights Canadian athletes, why those stories matter, and the crossover between the U.S. and Canadian running scenes.

Carolyn shares her background as a physiotherapist, how she shifted into health coaching and eventually running coaching, and how she found her own love for the sport later in life. We talk through her long journey with the marathon — the near misses, the tough races, the canceled races, the heat DNFs — and the fire she still has at age 48 to run her fastest marathon yet. She also talks about family life, her husband’s running, raising teenagers, and what her coaching roster looks like today. This is a rich conversation about longevity, learning, curiosity, and chasing big goals no matter your age.

Topics discussed:

Welcoming Inspired Soles to the network
Why Canadian representation in running media matters
Carolyn’s shifts from physio to health coach to running coach
The early running memories that shaped her beliefs
Her breakthrough years and chasing sub-3:20
Chicago 2020 getting canceled and the virtual marathon
Heat cancellations, injuries, GI issues, and all the almost-PRs
Training for the Marathon Project
Running with her husband and pacing each other
How her kids relate to running and movement
Coaching everyday runners and creating community
Future ideas around philanthropy and supporting women chasing big goals
What inspires her right now

Media recommended:

carolyn coffin

Episodes