Haile Gebrselassie is one of the best long distance runners in history. But that doesn’t matter to him, he runs because he loves the feeling it achieves in his body and mind. He wants everyone to experience the elixir of running and the benefits it can bring to you.

Deena Kastor, known for being one of the world’s fastest marathoners, is preparing to run this year’s Chicago Marathon after her broken foot in 2008 slowed down her career. She speaks with Take The Magic Step®.

Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele reflects on his recent record-breaking double at the World Championships as well as his storied career.

After the difficult decision to withdraw from competing in the marathon of the World Championships, Irina Mikitenko talked about her thoughts and feelings.

Sara Hall sits down with Take The Magic Step® before her 5,000m race at the U.S. Track and Field Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon. She’ll face tough challenges, but says she is ready—and reveals that training with her fellow world class runner and husband, Ryan Hall, keeps things fun.

Paul Tergat’s running career is filled with superlative achievements. He has set numerous world records and was the first runner to break 2:05 in the marathon. And he still has challenging goals! Paul spoke candidly with Take The Magic Step® about his legendary career and what the future might hold for him.

Relaxed and ready to run, Team KIMbia talks about strategy, team racing, and staying fresh for another competition despite their hectic running schedule.

James Koskei, at age 40, has been running marathons for only five years. And as he hits master’s age, he says he’s getting stronger. Take The Magic Step® sat down with him on the eve of the 2009 Boston Marathon.

Ryan Hall has the running world wondering if he will be the first American to win the Boston Marathon in over 25 years. Take The Magic Step® spoke with Ryan in the final weeks of his training before the fabled marathon.

In 1997, Thomas Geierspichler was abusing drugs and alcohol to forget the wheelchair beneath him and the 1994 car crash that had put him there. But then he began an amazingly inspiring journey that brought him the title World Champion and a world record time in winning the Beijing 2008 Paralympic’s Marathon. He speaks with Take The Magic Step®.

Fans know him as “Fam,” and after his self-described “reckless running” in the 2008 Olympic Steeplechase, 30 year-old Anthony Famiglietti captured the attention of runners everywhere. In an interview as spirited and full throttle as his running, Fam talks about his running style, his desire to win, and his mental toughness.

A few months after her phenomenal bronze medal race in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, American distance runner Shalane Flanagan sits down for an interview to talk about her incredible experiences at the Olympics, her holistic approach to training, and her future racing plans.

As the first German woman to break the 2:20-hour barrier at the real,- Berlin Marathon, 36 year-old Irina Mikitenko also became the fourth-fastest female marathon runner ever. A former top athlete on the track, she made a fast and remarkable transition to the marathon distance. Irina talks about her motivation, her running and training, and her all important family.

Nicky Martin is in the classic tradition of high-standard British club runners who have competed all their lives over track, road and cross country, but his is a story with a difference.

Roger Robinson has combined the career of distinguished academic with a passion that matches his talent for distance running. This interview offers strong insights into the development of running as a sport in the past 50 years, including the rise of the Africans, as well as the qualities required to be a successful competitor in the ultimate test: the Olympic Games.

On the last day of September 2007, Haile Gebrselassie set a world record of 2:04:26 at the Berlin Marathon. The 34-year-old Ethiopian improved the old mark of his Kenyan rival Paul Tergat, who had run 2:04:55 in Berlin in 2003, by 29 seconds.

Celebrated 1976 Boston Marathon champion Jack Fultz, who teaches sport psychology at Tufts University, shares his thoughts on how to measure your successes—and be truly happy with your accomplishments.

Meseret Defar improved her own world record for 5,000m to 14:16.53 at the Bislett Games in Oslo, Norway, in June 2007. Her new record was an impressive eight seconds faster than her previous one. Take The Magic Step® spoke with the Ethiopian 5,000m Olympic champion soon after her race.

Jim Phelan is a deep thinker about endurance sport. He developed his interest in the duathlon and triathlon from a base as a track, cross country and road runner for Blackheath and Bromley Harriers, a British club founded in 1869 and based in south London. This interview was conducted in May 2007 by Take The Magic Step writer Andy Edwards.

Roger Low has competed in every London marathon since the race’s debut in 1981, and has developed a highly distinctive approach to marathon preparation. For Roger, the long run is the key, and that might be an understatement once you have read the interview.

When Elana Meyer announced her retirement from international competition in the spring of 2005, she did so after a career of amazing length and quality. She’s finding new mountains to conquer, in some cases literally, as she is planning to summit Mt. Everest. In this interview Elana talks about her broad approach to fitness, her work on behalf of children’s fitness and her thoughts on how sport and politics mix.

Lance Armstrong rewrote sports history by winning the Tour de France seven consecutive times from 1999 through 2005. Always a competitor, Lance then decided to take on the 2006 NYC Marathon. Take The Magic Step® spoke with Lance soon after his marathon debut.

Bill Rodgers won the Boston and New York City marathons four times each and was ranked #1 in the world three times. At 58, his competitive juices still flow. But more importantly, Bill has become an elder statesman and ambassador for the sport of running. (This interview was posted in October 2006.)