EXCLUSIVE: Pre-New York City Marathon Interview with elite runner Molly Pritz!

Molly Pritz and her crew. Photo courtesy of Brad Hudson

I recently had the opportunity to talk with ASICS America's Molly Pritz about well...not exclusively running, so let's just say I had a chance to interview her. As one of the nation's top runners, she's done quite a few interviews lately, but many of them don't truly capture the essence of Molly (full disclosure: this woman is my best friend, and she's absolutely hilarious, and I wanted to try to show you guys that side of her too. And to be honest, I talk to her multiple times per week, but no one wants to hear those conversations...seriously).

ASICS GEL-Excel33

The Middle Miles: Seeing as 90% of my blog talks about shoes, let's give my readers what they're all wondering...whatcha training in, and what do you plan on wearing for New York?

Molly Pritz: I do my easy runs in the ASICS GEL-Nimbus and the ASICS GEL-Excel33s. I figured I'd balance a more minimalist shoe with a maximalist shoe, so no one is offended (or everyone is offended...) by my shoe choices. I run my speed workouts in the ASICS Piranha SPs and you will see me stomping through the streets of NYC in the ASICS GEL-DS Racers.



TMM: Alright, now that that's out of the way, on to the important questions! Do you wear underwear with your racing briefs?

MP: That's ridiculous. Why would I wear underwear with briefs? They're called BRIEFS for a reason!


TMM: You just found out the world is going to end in 72 hours. With three days left, what would you do? Keep it PG, please!

MP: I would force all my friends to travel to the ends of the earth with me and map the last remaining, uncharted geologic formations. Knowledge is power!

But seriously...relationships are the most important component of my life, so I would spend every hour of those 72 hours with my family, friends, and loved ones. To me, everything else is secondary to the special moments you share with the people you care about. This would probably involve running 100s of miles in 72 hours with my favorite girls, countless bowls of ice cream eaten with my mom and Max, and a cuddlefest with my cats. Okay...mainly just a cuddle fest with my cats.


TMM: Desert island question! The Mizuno boys hijacked your airplane and stranded you on a desert island. However, they were nice enough to let you take five things with you. What are they?

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MP: Luckily, those pesky Mizuno boys do this to me on a weekly basis, so I am very prepared for this question. I would bring a brand spanking new pair of ASICS Nimbus to protect my feet, so I can hunt and run with vigor. I would bring my Garmin watch, because REAL runners Garmin all their miles (I'm really only saying that to hopefully start a skinny runner war). I would definitely need a really awesome pair of stilettos, because...you know, a girl always has to be prepared to look good. An iPod has to be on that list, just so I have some tunes so I can dance my butt off...and a year's supply of iced, sugar cookies, because what's the point in living without iced sugar cookies?!


TMM: So no hairbrush? How long could you survive without a hairbrush, anyway?

MP: Hmmm. I'm going on 4 weeks without one now, so I bet I could keep this up, well...until my mom ninja brushes my hair when I'm not looking. 


TMM: You just found the world's greatest bar that has every beer you've ever heard of on tap. What do you order?

MP: Ooooo, ooooo! Easiest question ever. When we are talking about beers on tap...Sam Adams Cherry Wheat...with cherries on the bottom...and in a swervy big glass. I love the swervy big glasses! 

TMM: You're now entering your cave, and you will see your power animal. What is it?

MP: A Poptart Kitty.






TMM: Now you see your power food. What is that?

MP: Peanut butter and jelly toast. 80% of my calories come from it. The other 20% come from restaurants. Cooking isn't my priority in life by any means. I proudly state that I don't think I've used an oven in Colorado...yet.

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TMM: Can I ask a serious question? You seem super excited for New York, same place you made your debut. What is it that makes New York special for you?

MP: The NYC Marathon is what inspired me to become a long distance runner. There's a mystical appeal to the difficult course, the world class competition and the glory associated with it all that just draws me in like nothing else. Running well at the NYC Marathon will always be a huge motivation for me to improve as an athlete and I hope to return to the NYRR's premier event as many times as they will have me.


TMM: We all know you're a long distance girl at heart. What's your favorite part about marathon training?

MP: The super long tempo runs. If a workout day is under 17 miles, it begins to feel like a "why bother?"


TMM: Least favorite part of marathon training?

MP: The longer second runs. It should be constitutionally illegal for me to have to run more than 4 miles in the afternoon.

Molly Pritz: Geologist extraordinaire

TMM: In college, you were a geology major and wrote a 1100 page thesis on fracking. Living in Boulder, do you ever run past rocks, geek out, and explain them to your running partners?

MP: I live to give speeches about geologic formations, point bars and cutbanks, and rock cleavage so no fellow runner can escape my passion for rocks and sediment. I will never end my fight on educating the nation on rock formations!



TMM: If you could ask yourself one question, what would it be? Go ahead and answer it too, this is your chance to have some fun with a question.

MP: Does size really matter?

  ~ Yes, size is the most important factor in my choice...on which running shoes to buy. :-)

Thanks Molly, and good luck in New York!