The V.O2 Podcast

Esther Atkins

The V.O2 Podcast

Show Notes

Esther Atkins is one of the most decorated runners in Case Western Reserve history, earning six All-American titles and the 2008 DIII National Championship in the 10k. Since then she's gone on to win the U.S. Championship in the marathon, qualify for the Olympic Trials three times and represent the U.S. at the world marathon championships in Beijing. Her marathon PR is 2:33.

In this episode we talk about what led to her top successes and how taking some risks really backfired. Esther talks about expectations and how being in the right environment were critical to her success and fulfillment in the sport. She's currently transferring all her knowledge and experience on VDOT O2 as an online coach with McKirdy Trained.

Connect @erbyatkins.

Song: Breakadawn, by Mike Quinn

More from The V.O2 Podcast

Oct 8, 2026

In Episode 4 of The V.O2 Podcast, host Brian Rosetti sits down with 2:12 marathoner and 1:03 half marathoner Will Norris. Will details his journey from a rural Iowa high school runner and NAIA athlete to achieving a 6+ VDOT jump post-collegiately. We dive deep into practical marathon and half marathon training insights, including why stacking consistent training blocks beats chasing shortcuts, the role of long single runs over doubles, executing key 90-minute goal pace sessions, and using VDOT to train where you are today rather than where you want to be.

Sep 23, 2026

In Episode 3, we sit down with Renee Gunning, head distance coach at William Penn Charter School. Coach Gunning shares how she transformed a local program into the #16 team in the nation and state champions, missing a national championship berth by just three seconds. We discuss balancing high-level competitive ambitions with athlete longevity, using VDOT to streamline individualized training, avoiding the trap of social media overtraining, and why raising the floor for your JV athletes is the secret to elevating your entire team.

Sep 9, 2026

In this episode, we sit down with the 2026 LA Marathon champion Nathan Martin. We relive his photo finish that shocked the running world and break down the exact mental grit required to pull off a late-race surge.

Aug 26, 2026

V.O2 kicks off the newly relaunched show with running coach Megan Cooke, founder of Never Give Up Coaching (NGU Coaching). Megan brings a unique background to the running world, having spent 25 years competing and coaching at the highest levels of D1 NCAA rowing (including head coach at Duke University) and representing Team USA. After transitioning to road racing, breaking 3:00 in the marathon, and launching her coaching business on the V.O2 platform, Megan built a thriving, waitlisted coaching business in less than two years. In this episode: Transitioning Elite Coaching Experience: How Megan leveraged decades of D1 rowing and high-performance physiology to launch a running coaching business without a traditional running resume.

Aug 4, 2022

Ariane Hendrix is a VDOT Certified Coach and the 5th fastest U.S. born African American woman of all time in the marathon. She’s shown steady progress first running the event in 3:57 ten years ago. Recently, she placed third at the Bayshore Marathon in 2:42.

See all episodes →