America's Best Marathoner On High School Cross Country: Jess McClain's Four Nationals Appearances, Summer Heat Training, And Advice For Chasing A Golden Ticket

<p>Jess McClain almost skipped her first Foot Locker Nationals for a high school dance.</p><p><br></p><p>Her coach talked her out of it, and she went on to become one of only 27 girls in the meet&#39;s history to make all four national finals—2006 through 2009, alongside classmate Emily Sisson.</p><p><br></p><p>Sixteen years later, she&#39;s the fastest American woman ever to run Boston.</p><p><br></p><p>Jess kicks off the Call Room: Golden Ticket Edition, presented by Fleet Feet, leading into the Brooks Cross Country National Championships. She and Dominic start with the heat, since she grew up in Phoenix waking at 4:15 a.m. five days a week and still trains there today. Her answer is effort-based work and a lot of grace, and it&#39;s the same approach she used at fifteen.</p><p><br></p><p>From there they walk Balboa Park year by year: 24th as a wide-eyed freshman; then 20th; then 10th; then 13th as a senior ranked fourth in the country. Jess fondly recalls the free backpack, the West Region blue, the hill everyone underestimates, and the friendships still going. She talks about Coach Messer&#39;s precision and Coach Van Sickle&#39;s fun, three state team titles at Xavier, and why the team races mattered more than the individual ones.</p><p><br></p><p>Then the meet&#39;s near-death last year, why she immediately thought Brooks should save it, and what the golden ticket system means for kids whose schedules don&#39;t line up.</p><p><br></p><p>Her advice for anyone chasing a spot this fall: be in the mile you&#39;re in, and make the process worth the goal.</p><p><br></p><p>Tap into the Jess McClain Special. </p><p><br></p><p>If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it.</p><p><br></p><p>S H O W  N O T E S   </p><p><br></p><p>-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): <a href="https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs" target="_blank">https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs</a></p><p><br></p><p>-Our Website: <a href="https://therunningeffect.run/" target="_blank">https://therunningeffect.run</a></p><p><br></p><p>-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ</a></p><p><br></p><p>-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠<a href="https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p><br></p><p>-Take our podcast survey: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz" target="_blank">https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz</a></p><p><br></p><p>Behind the scenes of The Running Effect: <a href="https://youtube.com/@dominicschlueter?si=PM9FjPc92eFUFEZ" target="_blank">https://youtube.com/@dominicschlueter?si=PM9FjPc92eFUFEZ</a></p><p><br></p><p>LuminaryThreads: luminarythreads.shop</p><p><br></p><p>$20 off your next Attuned scan: https://attuned.health/discount/TRE20?ref=TRE20</p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://www.fleetfeet.com/brooks-xc-championships?srsltid=AfmBOoqy606pAIaKGDJHiVRk0iKrFgC7Urgn4k0LbhxzVV6EyDCqKkeE" target="_blank">Fleet Feet x Brooks XC Championships</a></p><p><br></p><p><a href="http://fleetfeet.com/" target="_blank">FleetFeet.com</a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Instagram:</strong><a href="https://www.instagram.com/jesstonn/?hl=en" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/jesstonn/?hl=en" target="_blank">@jesstonn</a></p>