When Two Podcasters Walk Into the Same Company…
A collaboration, a conversation, and what running has taught me about community
I didn’t expect to find a running connection at work. But that’s exactly what happened when Drew Martig — host of the Happy Running Podcast — reached out to me a few weeks back. We both work at Tanium, and somehow, through the magic of LinkedIn and a shared obsession with logging miles, we found each other.
Drew’s no casual jogger, either. The guy has run a 2:28 marathon. When he messaged me about doing a podcast together, I looked him up and thought — yeah, I’m definitely saying yes to this.
I was a guest on his show first. We talked for over an hour and covered a lot of ground — my running origin story, how DFW Running Talk got started, what I’ve learned about building community, and the simple (but not easy) truth about getting faster. We’re planning to flip it and have Drew on DFW Running Talk next, so this is a real collaboration, not just a one-time thing.
How I Got Here
I didn’t come to running gracefully. I ran cross country in high school, then completely disappeared from the sport for close to two decades. By my mid-thirties I was going through a divorce, putting on weight, and my twin brother Buddy — who has never once sugarcoated anything in his life — told me flat out that I needed to do something about it. And then he did something that changed everything: he invited me to come run with him at the Dallas Running Club at White Rock Lake.
So I started. Walk-run intervals. A mile. Then a mile and a half. Our brother Josh talked me into a 10K about three weeks in. I beat him. And something clicked.
I’ve been running consistently ever since — from age 37 to now at 51. What really hooked me, though, wasn’t the racing. It was the people. That drive from Little Elm into Dallas every weekend to run around White Rock Lake with a group — that’s where the addiction set in. Not to the miles, but to the people doing them with you.
Why Community Is Everything
Here’s what I’ve learned after building the DFW Running Group Facebook community to over 11,000 members, producing nearly 90 podcast episodes, and growing this newsletter to almost 1,300 subscribers: people don’t just want a running group. They want to belong to something.
I started the Facebook group because I had nobody to run with in my neighborhood. It was simple and small. Then I moved to Dallas, opened it up, started inviting people, and it slowly took on a life of its own. The podcast came later — partly because I wanted real content for that community, and partly because I was dying to have actual conversations with the runners in DFW that nobody was talking to. The really fast people. The ones running 110-mile weeks and winning local races. The 20-year-old woman running a 3:05 marathon debut. The masters runner who hasn’t slowed down.
Nobody was interviewing these people. They wanted to tell their stories. Nine out of ten say yes when I reach out.
One of the things Drew said on our episode really stuck with me: “The beauty of the podcast and information online is the accessibility to getting better. You and I have the privilege of sharing that with people.” That’s it. That’s exactly why I do this.
The Secret to Getting Faster (Spoiler: It’s Boring)
Drew and I talked training too. He’s coming back from a tough injury — a hernia repair after managing some pelvic inflammation through the summer — and he had a great metaphor for it. A friend told him to think of returning from injury like being a sculptor. You’ve already carved out the shape once. You know where you’re going. Now you’re just chipping away at what’s covering it back up.
I loved that.
On the training side, we both landed in the same place: there’s no secret formula. It’s miles. Slow, consistent, unglamorous miles. When I bumped my weekly mileage from 20–25 up to 40–50 last year, my body adapted, I started running with more people, and I hit my half marathon PR — a 1:26:17 at the REVEL Big Cottonwood race in Utah. Downhill course, so I always clarify that. But I’ll take it at 51.
This year I’m chasing a 1:25 or better at Cottonwood in September. First I’ve got the inaugural McKinney Historic Half coming up, then Oklahoma City in late April with a crew from White Rock Running Co-op. (I’ve got my eye on one guy named Nick. He knows who he is.)
The other thing Drew and I agreed on: surround yourself with people faster than you. You don’t have to keep up. You just have to show up. Maddie Stier is a great example of this — she runs with the Completely Slothed group, some of the fastest runners in all of DFW. She’s a 2:47 marathoner running alongside people doing 2:30s. She shows up, she does the work, and she keeps getting better. That’s the whole philosophy right there.
What’s Next
Drew is working his way back to health, aiming for Chicago this fall, and I’ll be having him on DFW Running Talk soon. Two community builders, one from Flagstaff and one from Dallas, figuring it out together — I think there’s a lot more to come from this one.
You can watch our full conversation on YouTube right here 👇
Watch the episode → Happy Running Podcast x DFW Running Talk
Thanks for reading. Go log some miles.
— Chris
This issue of DFW Running Talk is sponsored by Rise Racing Co.
If you’re in the Fort Worth area and looking for your next race, don’t sleep on the Panther City Ultra — (USE CODE DFW for 10% off) happening April 4th at Marion Sansom Park in Fort Worth. Rise Racing Co. puts on well-organized, community-first events on some of the best trail terrain in North Texas. Whether you’re chasing your first ultra or just want a great day on the trails, this one is worth your time. Registration is open now — go sign up at riseracingco.com.
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