Long Distance Runner Dakotah Lindwurm in Workout Gear Says “Back To Work”

Long distance runner Dakotah Lindwurm is in full training mode for Paris 2024. Lindwurm, 29, shared a picture of herself wearing black athletic pants and a white long-sleeved shirt, going for a run outside. “Back home and back to work. 📸: @ben_sathre who was also my personal crossing guard this morning 🙏,” she captioned the post. Lindwurm also had her trusty Puma Nitro shoes on for the run. Here’s what the athlete’s health and wellness regimen looks like.

1. Racing the Boys

Lindwurm is used to healthy competition. “I’ve always been somebody who runs fast,” she told The Lap Count. “When I joined the cross country and track team in high school, I was just somebody who just ran with the boys. My girl teammates would always skip out on runs and hide behind the school. So I just got in the habit of running with the guys and they just ran a little bit faster and made it a hard effort. I know that when you’re in a 130 mile week, that you’ve got to take at least your doubles as slow as possible – for me, that’s like 7:10 pace.”

2. Thrilled To Compete

Lindwurm is beyond excited to travel to Europe. “It's insane. It's almost something that's too big to wrap my head around," she told WESH. "I think I'm most excited to see the Eiffel Tower. It's just so iconic and I just have to imagine it's so beautiful. I am also just really excited to experience their food and their coffee. I've heard just incredible things about the coffee and I'm a big connoisseur.”

3. Hockey Background

Lindwurm’s athletic goals once veered in a different direction. “When I was in high school, I was still playing hockey and for sure had Olympic dreams there. But that obviously didn’t pan out,” she told The Lap Count. “But by no means did I think I was going to be an Olympian in running during high school. I ended up walking onto my Division II team because like, I wanted to keep running and I enjoy the community behind it. I was getting better through high school, but I knew that I wasn’t the best in the country or even close to the best in my state.”

4. Ready For Paris

Lindwurm is ready for Paris 2024. “Similar to Orlando, [Paris] leaves a lot of space for an underdog, somebody who isn’t necessarily the fastest to place well,” she told Runner’s World. “And I plan to prepare well. It seems so daunting to be on the starting line with these women who were running amazing times all the way back in high school and college,” Lindwurm said. “But there’s space for people who are willing to work really hard.”

5. Belief In Herself

Lindwurm has firm faith in herself and the future. “If you love something, I just can’t imagine thinking you couldn’t do it,” she told Runner’s World. “I have this thing in my heart that says, ‘I can be the best at this sport.’ I don’t know where that comes from, but I’m thankful for it.”

Long-distance runner Dakotah Popehn (formerly Lindwurm) is wrapping up 2024 in style. Popehn, 29, shared a picture of herself wearing a purple jacket and black active leggings, posing on a New York City street. “Last one, best one! I’ve been calling the @nycmarathon my encore of the year because I can’t think of a better way to celebrate this amazing year than 26.2 miles through the streets of New York. See you guys on the other side 🫡,” she captioned the post. Popehn’s career is going from strength to strength after competing in the Paris Olympics—here’s what’s next for the elite athlete.

1. Meditative Running

Popehn gets into a meditative state when she’s running. “I try to zone out and think as little as possible for 20 miles,” she told Mpls St Paul Magazine. “When you run 130 miles a week, a lot of your miles are blank-brained, I’d say. You’re 8 miles in and you’re like, I don’t even remember what happened. It’s like meditating almost—I feel grounded and peaceful. Then when it gets hard, you fall back on the little things that you practiced. You can’t think, Oh, I have 4 more miles, because that feels like another marathon.”

2. Dream Come True

Popehn was thrilled to be in Paris for the 2024 Olympics. “It’s so hard to describe because it’s the thing I’ve worked for for so, so long and you have this, like, little belief that you can do something crazy like that and then it comes true and it almost feels like a fever dream,” she told In the Know. “From the opening ceremonies, being on a boat with LeBron James chanting, ‘USA! USA!’ with everybody in the rain. Like, that was a highlight for sure.”

3. Hockey Player

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Popehn played hockey before she moved over to long-distance running. “When I was younger, like a true Minnesotan, I played hockey,” she told Minnesota Monthly. “When I was in middle school, I did watch [the 2004 movie] “The Miracle” [about the United States men’s hockey team beating the Soviet Union team in the 1980 Olympic Games]. I remember as a goalie, I looked at Jim Craig and was like, that’s what I want to be. That’s what I want to do. When I transitioned to running, I wasn’t incredibly great at it.”

4. What’s Next?

Popehn has big dreams after competing in the Olympics. “Right after I made the team, I had to see—I didn’t have to; I chose to see—a sports psych for a little bit,” she told Mpls St Paul Magazine. “Because I did feel like, Oh gosh, I just accomplished my end-all-be-all dream, and I’m still very young in my career. What happens after the Olympics felt like a big black hole. But I sat down and realized I still would like to win a major marathon—New York or Boston. And Paris being hot, hilly, and humid, I definitely have ambitions to get a medal there, and if I don’t, we’ll go for LA in 2028 or even Brisbane in 2032.”

5. Hard Work

Popehn is inspired by her father, and her late mother who always believed in her. “I feel like I’m just a really, really hard worker,” she told Run. “I think it comes from my whole family—just the most amazing examples. Watching my dad my whole life, wake up every day and no matter if he’s doing his job or something around the house, even dishes—he does everything 100 percent. He never slacks or does anything halfway. That example has been totally ingrained in me. Even if I wasn’t a runner—if I was a teacher, I’d be doing that to the best of my ability.”

Kenyan runner Faith Kipyegon is ready for the Olympic trials! Kipyegon, 30, shared a picture of herself wearing gray running pants and a black shirt, surrounded by pairs of running shoes. “I’ve been building in a great way during the past months for a beautiful season ahead. Some weeks back I got a small muscle problem that was handled well. I’m now back in full training, focusing to start my season in 4 weeks time at the Kenyan Trials for the Olympic Games. I saw my name announced for @preclassic, it’s one of the greatest competitions in the circuit and I plan to compete there again in 2025 💗,” she captioned the post. “We can’t wait to see you at the trials,” a fan commented. Here’s how Kipyegon stays focused and strong.

1. Barefoot Runner

Kipyegon is infamous for running barefoot when she was a junior, but switched to shoes with Wavelight technology. “It’s an improved shoe, but I don’t think the shoe is running – I’m running,” she told the Irish Examiner. “I just put the shoe on, believe in myself and go and break the world record. I believe in the training; the technology comes after.” She has no intention of running without shoes anymore.

2. Marathon Running

Kipyegon wants to try more marathon running after training with different types of runners. “Training with marathoners has opened my mind,” she told Runner’s World. “I want to see myself at longer distances in the future. I could do the marathon in future and follow the footsteps of Eliud [Kipchoge] and Geoffrey [Kamworor].”

3. Motherhood and Ambition

Faith Kipyegon/Instagram

Kipyegon says motherhood has sharpened her ambition and made her even more determined to succeed. “Now that I’m a mother, I have to focus more on my career for the sake of my child,” she told Runner’s World. “Since Alyn came into this world, she has been my life. Now I’m a focused athlete, I have someone to take care of so I put my heart, my head, everything, for her.”

4. Postpartum Training

Kipyegon was careful about getting back into training after welcoming her daughter Alyn in 2018. “I went to my coach, and he told me to take my time, I followed all the things he told me,” she told Runner’s World. “I can say it was not easy. The food I was eating was normal food. I was eating chapati, chips, everything.”

5. Restarting Her Career

Kipyegon says she is now stronger than ever. “The motherhood journey has made me strong,” she told the Irish Examiner. “I was so afraid, (thinking): ‘Maybe I will not come back, I will just disappear.’ Every lady, their mind goes like that. I thought it was the end of my career, but it was the beginning.”

MMA fighter Aspen Ladd is ready to rumble—you can tell by counting the abs on her stomach. Ladd, 29, shared a picture of herself posing in red yoga pants and a purple shirt, showing off impressive abdominal muscles in preparation for her fight. “You can usually tell how close to a fight I am , based on how many abs I have 😂 the current answer is, ‘very close’,” she captioned the post. Here’s how Ladd stays strong, fit, focused, and ready for the ring.

1. Hiking With the Pups

Ladd loves to hike with her pups (and doesn’t mind doing some heavy lifting in the process). “We all need a little help sometimes 🙂 this is on today’s 11.5 mile hike. Kaia needs help to cross fast moving water like this ( she will be 14 this summer). It's a privilege to still have old girl as my adventure buddy and enjoying her wild self ❤️,” she captioned an Instagram post.

2. 5 Mile Runs In the Mountains

Ladd goes running in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with her dogs. “5 miles of running and a whole bunch of playing is good for the soul …especially on Thursday before evening training. Because Thursdays are ROUGH usually. Balance ⚖️,” she captioned an Instagram post.

3. Scrubbing Down the Mats

Ladd likes to cool down after training by cleaning the mat herself. “Rate our mat scrubbing skills,” she captioned a funny video. “This gym is a funk free zone 🙅‍♀️ it’s luck of the draw who scrubs them down after each practice ( usually the last ones in the gym) ….but I never mind and it’s a nice cool down after some real good sparring rounds tonight.”

4. Respect For Nature

Ladd is aware the mountains can be dangerous, always has her two German Shepherd dogs with her for protection when she’s hiking. “A beautiful 8 mile loop near my home. It’s always crazy to me when I see people out solo hiking or running. No dogs no other people, headphones in …just livin on hope 😂,” she captioned an Instagram post. “For example, just tonight in 8 miles my dogs alerted that there was some kind of predator near by on 5 separate occasions. Could be anything from a coyote to a bear 🐻 I never know until I find prints of scat . 2 weeks ago it was a cougar. How do I know it’s a predatory animal, you may ask? Easy , my dogs spend so much time out in the mountains with me that I know based on their different reactions.”

5. Recovery Workouts

Ladd switches up her training when to deal with injuries while still staying active. I tweaked my back pretty good at the end of last week, and it’s not quite up to chucking humans around yet 🤼‍♀️,” she captioned a video. “So my coach gave me a less body wrecking assignment to do tonight, and give the back one more day to recover.

Warm up / stretch for 1 mile

Then

Run 1 mile

Shadow box 5 minutes

Repeat ✖️3

Visualize opponents/ scenarios the whole time and practice what we’ve been drilling. It’s a great low stress workout for anyone wanting to try 🙂.”

Dutch runner Femke Bol is celebrating after winning gold in the mixed 4x400m relay. Bol, 24, shared a picture of herself wearing black shorts and an orange shirt, walking on the track. “Time to get to the start line of my second Olympic Games ✨I cannot wait to enjoy and feel the wonderful atmosphere while giving it my all on the track ❤️‍🔥This will be my schedule:

03/08 20.55 4x400 mixed FINAL

04/08 12.35 400 hurdles heats

06/08 20.07 400 hurdles semis

08/08 21.25 400 hurdles FINAL

09/08 10.40 4x400 women heats

10/08 21.14 4x400 women FINAL

Thank you for all the support, the journey to the games showed me once again how amazing the team around me is and I’m forever grateful for them 🥰,” she captioned the post. Here’s what the athlete’s training and fitness regimen looks like.

1. Hard Work

Bol works hard for her record-breaking speed. “I think that speed is not the most natural thing to me,” she told RunBlogRun. “I work hard to get more speed. But with the fatigue and the lactic, I keep thinking, what is the right pace? I think that is where my talent is. Also, in a 400 flat, what the pace should feel like. I love to go through the lactic and go deeper and go faster. Or in training, when I am full of lactic, can I do one more – when we have a lot of reps in a session. I think that is it, and I need to continue to be able to think and plan because you need a good plan.”

2. Inspired By Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

Bol is a huge fan of fellow competitor Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. “It's inspirational and motivational how McLaughlin-Levrone's racing and seeing how she's raising the bar,” she told Longview News-Journal. “In all honesty a couple of years ago if you'd told me people would be running 400m hurdles in 51sec, I wouldn't have believed it, and now I'm one of them doing it. The moment you see someone doing it... there's is something in your head that thinks 'maybe I can also do it'. For sure it's something that pushes me to become better and dream better on the 400m hurdles.”

3. Training Camp

Bol trains with a large team in The Netherlands. “I train at Papendal, the National Dutch Sports Center,” she told RunBlogRun. “There is a big group, I think fourteen 400m runners. And also Ajla Del Ponte from Switzerland. So it’s a pretty nice group to be in. We train hard, a lot of tough training – some do more endurance, others more speed. It’s a big group, but training is adapted to the person. I think it’s a nice atmosphere that we train in. In the end, we’re all sore and tired, but we keep having fun. We work together and push each other on. It’s a great place to be and one of the best places in which to become one of the best athletes.”

4. Clearing Her Head

Bol has loved running since she was a young girl. “It was always a way to clear your mind and just have fun and not think too much about other things,” she told Athletics Weekly. “That’s still what I like so much about it. I have sessions I like more and I like less but I enjoy every session and mostly the lactic ones because then it really clears your mind and the only thing you can think about is the pain and how you are going to recover. I just love how you really can mentally challenge yourself so much in the sport and just let go of everything a bit by running.”

5. Loving the Journey

Bol is proud of her accomplishments. “I sometimes ask how I have achieved these things, but I do work hard for it and do so many things for it,” she told RunBlogRun. “It’s not like I click my fingers, and I get it. But still, there are a lot of other athletes who train just as hard and are not achieving these things. I do ask how I have achieved this, and I think it’s amazing. I am enjoying it a lot, which helps.”