How Fueling More Helped a Back-of-the-Pack Runner Finish Dopey an Interview with Kai

PodcastDopeyFuelLong Run / Easy RunSpeed and Pace
Written By Ali Marty

Season 3 of Running to the Castle Podcast w/ Dr. Ali Marty

Episode 216 Cross the Finish Line at Dopey as a Slow Runner runDisney Races

In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali sits down with Kai to share his powerful journey from walking for weight loss to completing the Dopey Challenge after years of setbacks, surgeries, and time away from running. 

Despite dealing with multiple surgeries, shin splints, and barely being able to run 20 seconds at a time just months before race day, Kai committed to a different approach: slowing down, focusing on time on feet, dialing in fueling, and using a run/walk strategy. 

Together, they unpack how shifting from “just run more” to intentional training, including proper fueling (even if that meant Cherry Coke), structured workouts, and grace with missed sessions… helped him not only finish Dopey but actually enjoy Disney afterward. 

This episode highlights resilience, patience, and the reminder that your time will come… and when it does, you’ll be ready to cross that finish line strong.

Ali Marty

Hi! I’m Ali. I’ve been in the health and wellness space since graduating with a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in 2012. I worked in the typical outpatient clinic with active men and women with orthopedic injuries (shin splints, Achilles tendonitis, muscle and ligament tears, knee pain, IT Band pain, plantar fasciitis, and hip and knee arthritis until 2018 at which point I started Mobile Physical Therapy in Las Vegas, Nevada. Over the past few years I’ve transitioned to helping women running runDisney races after they’ve had an injury and they want to finish strong and enjoy the rest of their runcation.

https://dralipt.com
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