He Ran a Marathon, Then Defied Gravity on Broadway | Jordan Litz

Jordan Litz went from a US Olympic Trials swimmer to becoming the longest-running Fiyero in Wicked's history, first on Broadway, and now in the West End's 20th Anniversary Production.

This week on The Runna Podcast, Anya sits down with Jordan to talk marathon training while doing eight Broadway shows a week: everything from running the New York City Marathon and going straight into two full performances of Wicked that same day, to how he balances being a dad with consistent marathon training.

In this episode you'll learn:
🏊 Pool to Stage: From US Olympic Trials swimmer to Broadway's longest-running Fiyero 🏙 Marathon Meets Matinee: Running a marathon before performing two shows the same day 💪 High-Performance Repetitiveness: What 1,800 performances and 20 years of swimming taught him about consistency
⏱ Time Management: Marathon training around eight shows a week and being a dad
🎯 The Redemption Arc: Why he's changing everything for the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon

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⏱ Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro: "I Hate Losing More Than I Like Winning"
2:14 - Who Is Jordan Litz? Fiyero for Six Years and Counting
4:31 - From Pool to Broadway: The Unlikely Path
4:49 - His First Show at 26: Falling Into Musical Theatre
7:07 - Racing at the US Olympic Trials Against Michael Phelps 10:03 What Swimming Gave (and Didn't Give) His Running
11:47 - Marathon Training on an Eight-Show-a-Week Schedule
20:12 - New York City Marathon: "It Did Not Go to Plan"
24:44 - 40 Minutes From Finish Line to Stage Door
27:49 - Balancing Marathon Training, Broadway and Being a Dad
33:03 - The Redemption Arc: Chasing Down Harry Styles at New York 2026
34:31 - Does Running Make Him a Better Dad and Performer?
38:43 - "High-Performance Repetitiveness": What Swimming and Broadway Taught Him
41:45 - This or That: PBs vs Standing Ovations
46:45 - Designing His Dream Race