Tina Muir

Mother. Author. Sustainability Advocate. Running For Real Podcast. Former 🇬🇧 Elite Runner. Tina’s story resonates with people from all walks of life.

Tina Muir is the founder and CEO of Running for Real, a support network and community for runners; a mother of two; and a former elite runner turned sustainability advocate. She hosts the award winning Running For Real podcast, a collection of conversations about running, the climate emergency, and social justice. Running For Real’s episode with Jordan Marie Daniel was voted Best Podcast Episode o

f 2021 at the Outdoor Media Summit and Running For Real won Best Fitness Podcast at the 2021 Sports Podcast Awards. Tina also co-hosted Running Realized, a podcast that provides a space to explore difficult subjects and offers insights to create meaningful change in the running world and beyond. With an impressive athletic career, including representing Great Britain and Northern Ireland in a world championship, Tina enjoyed success in the world of competitive running. However, it was during this time that she realized the profound impact her lifestyle had on the environment. She made a commitment to embrace sustainable living and reduce her carbon footprint, and recognizing the power of her platform as a renowned athlete and influencer, leveraged her position to advocate for climate change action. Tina has worked with the United Nations on campaigns related to climate change and humanitarian affairs, and has written for the UN Chronicle. The presenters of the New York City Marathon, the Chicago Marathon, and the Peachtree Road Race have brought her onto their sustainability teams. Through her podcast and social media presence, she starts conversations and shares resources on sustainability, climate change, and how individuals can make a positive difference in their own lives. Her book, Becoming a Sustainable Runner, co-written with Zoë Rom, merges runners’ passion for their sport with their concern for their health, their community, and the environment. As the first elite athlete to openly discuss having amenorrhea, Tina’s story went viral and was featured in People Magazine, The Daily Mail, Runners World, Women’s Running, and on ESPN. Since then she has become an advocate and supporter for others suffering from RED-S / REDs (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport). Her relatable and accessible approach has empowered many to become sustainability advocates themselves, creating a ripple effect of positive change that extends far beyond the realm of athletics.

05/24/2026

I needed this. Childlike joy mid run. Hearing those excuses why it’s not practical, and choosing to do it anyway. I want to seek more of those moments. This week has been a strange one.

What do you do after a DNF?

I have only dropped out of a handful races in my life, and marathon DNFs are very different to trail.

As an elite marathoner, a DNF means finding another race a few weeks later and trying again. In trail (at least for me), it means you work to accept what is, draw a line in the sand and move on.

Except as I discovered this week (while taking care of two stomach flu sick people), it’s not quite as simple.

Do you take time off as you did a full build to that race, even if the race didn’t go as you hoped? Do you carry on with training, making the most of the opportunity to build on your fitness? That was my plan, but turns out the motivation combined with maxed out humidity + heat, made every run a struggle.

I slogged my way through this week, but maybe there will be time off ahead if my body and mind don’t feel better.

What I do know, is it’s time for my annual social media delete while I am with my family on holiday. And exhale ✌️

05/18/2026

Welp. Not the race recap I envisioned.

I was not okay, and it started long before race day. As much as I tried to trust it would work itself out, it didn’t.

I had been dealing with a medical issue for a few weeks, and stubborn as I am, had been refusing to get help. Last week with the race looming, I finally asked my medical provider, who gave me a protocol.

Unfortunately, the supplement that was healing my body sent my stomach into a state of turmoil. I spent the day before the race curled up, bloated, zero appetite to eat (let alone carb load).

I channeled my focus race morning and off I went. I could tell my legs were fresh from taper, and I was hopeful.

But instead of being giddy excited, talking to trees in this idyllic Pacific North West forest, I had to concentrate to not trip (and not because it was technical). I cursed at the overhanging green ferns. What is wrong with me?!

By mile 7 I felt like I was floating above my body, not in it, watching it. I couldn’t ignore the pleading from my inner voice much longer.

By mile 9 I knew I had to stop. I just had to get to Zoë and . When I burst into the aid station as first place woman, everyone expected me to be smiling, having the best time, ready to charge the next section.

Instead I sat on the ground mumbling about how much my stomach hurt and how bad I felt. If yesterday were an 11 mile race, I would have felt proud of the effort. I watched Zoë go from a state of pump to concern as she stared into my tiny pupils and realized it was over.

It took me 25 minutes to finally say, “I’m out”. I watched so many people go by, no desire to go, just a compulsion that I “should”.

I spent the rest of the day working through multiple rounds of hot tears streaming down my face as I processed. But I knew I made the right choice. I lay on the floor curled up, unable to eat more than a few bites for 36 hours after.

Mistakes made. Lessons learned (maybe, we will see). But all part of this messy life. I wish I could have had my day, I also know we don’t get to choose.

I know my fitness is there, I’ll have another moment, and this setback will make that feel even more special. Till then, I hear you, body❤️

05/18/2026

DNF.

As a VERY emotional human, my expected reaction would be to cry almost constantly, riding the temporary but still very real depressive waves of crashing out of my goal spring race at mile 11.6. I would expect to desperately search for meaning and understanding of what happened.

And yes, I have cried to my husband and friends, I have talked about the shame I felt for quitting (while also hating that the reason I felt shame was because I know I have judgement toward others for “being that person who quits”. Layers upon layers there!)

Despite that. Despite the fact I spent most of yesterday (and the day before the race) curled up in a ball of pain and bloat in my stomach, the last 24 hours I have laughed a lot. I have basked in love and gratitude. I have had deep conversations absolutely nothing to do with my race for hours on end. I have walked around on farmland in the middle of Oregon. Zoë and were incredible commiseration buddies, allowing me to bring it back to my sadness when I needed, then gently enticing me into something more interesting.

While in many ways yesterday sucked, it was also a really fun day with people I care for deeply.

So what happened? I want to share that separately. There is a lot there.

I wanted to say this first. Yes, you can be so emotionally invested in something, be fit and ready to go, have the dream course that feels like it was tailored just for you (in a fairy woods that lights your heart up). You can be prepared and mentally ready to push. And things can go wrong. It would be so easy to crawl into a hole and stay there. Why is life so unfair?

But in these moments we can hold those “if only” thoughts, and also step back to lean into other parts of what makes our lives whole. I can recognize the irony of having two people endlessly fascinated with (and publicly known for) failures of their own, as my companions.

Tina of the past would have still been shut in a room crying, wondering why the world hates her. Today, I woke up feeling so much love, for myself, for this earth, for the people who love me.

What happened? I’ll share that in a part 2. For now, know I DNF’d and I’m okay ❤️

05/16/2026

I resisted it for years, *sharp intake of breath!* Let’s give it a go:

Tomorrow is race day. Tillamook Burn 55K by

In many ways, the complete opposite of my last goal race (a technical 100k in Cape Town). This race is suited to my strengths, and I am feeling fit.

But to go with the journey to this moment, I am trying something new:
YouTube.

Other than my RED-S series to support runners spiraling down the underfueling hole I was trapped in for many years, I have not put much on my YouTube channel, definitely not about my journey.

So let’s change that.

Why this race? Where is my head at? How did I get here? How did I train for this? All of it.

YouTube.com/

05/07/2026

Hi!

My bio is below if you want the official. I wanted to start with this instead. I am proud of the work I have done, and love the work that I do. My favorite thing though, is connecting with others. I share about my sustainability work, about juggling being a mother, and my running journey back to competitive running (after a 10 year hiatus). Stay a while (but not too long, go get off the screen and get out in nature!!), I am glad you are here

And the official stuff if you wanna know more about me:

Tina is a climate advocate, former elite marathoner, and founder of Racing for Sustainability, a nonprofit dedicated to driving environmental and social responsibility in the running industry. Through her leadership, Tina works with races (TCS NYC Marathon, Bank of America Chicago Marathon, TCS London Marathon, Schneider Electric Paris Marathon, TCS Toronto Marathon, California International Marathon and more), brands, and communities to implement sustainable practices that reduce impact and promote equity in sport.

She is also the CEO of Running For Real, a platform that empowers runners to engage with climate action, mental health, and inclusion. As host of the award-winning Running For Real Podcast (6M+ downloads), Tina brings environmental issues to the forefront through meaningful conversations with athletes, scientists, and changemakers.

A co-author of Becoming a Sustainable Runner and a United Nations collaborator, Tina is recognized globally for helping runners become advocates for a healthier planet. Her work exemplifies how sport can be a powerful tool for environmental and cultural change.

05/07/2026

It was a HUGE adrenaline rush. I had done tv segments before, but none that were even close to eight minutes long. Most TV segments now are around three minutes, what has been determined as all our attention spans can handle. This segment was more than double that, could sustainability, my work, plogging keep people’s interest?

Prior to going on stage, that felt like it was a mammoth task. Sure I had a professional, a charismatic and fun human sitting opposite me on stage, but I still had to be concise and interesting. Was I?

and I covered all the elements of my work with races, my nonprofit , plogging and my journey from elite athlete to sustainability advocate. I engaged the Tam Fam (her loyal audience) and laughed a lot. It was an amazing life moment.

And yet it felt like three minutes into our conversation, she was wrapping. Critical thoughts flooded my mind, “wow was I that bad?! They cut it early”.

As the weeks passed where I had to keep it quiet, I wondered which parts they were going to keep, would they shift it to another idea? The inner critic kept going.

Then Earth Day came around, it was published, and the segment was 10 minutes long. Ten minutes of time dedicated to the work I do and the amazing humans who believe in and stand by my side in this work. Those moments of heightened sensitivity and awareness just shifted my perspective to where I felt I had failed (I hadn’t).

I still haven’t watched it back. Part of me hopes by sharing this, I will change that.

I am proud of the work, I am proud of who I am, and most of the time, I am confident in who I am.

But I also wanted to share that while you “see” me thriving, underneath, my inner child still sometimes feels she’s not good enough, not doing enough, not getting it right.

I’m healing, I’m learning, I’m growing. (You can too).

Be gentle with yourself. Incredible things are ahead for you too. Remember to celebrate those. This was an amazing moment in my life (made even better by having my daughter in studio watching❤️), and I’m so grateful for having this opportunity💚

05/04/2026

April was a BIG month for . Our 10 runners fundraised over $40,000! We loved building the team element into this, with multiple zoom calls and check ins for our spring 2026 group.

Congrats to .runs_ and Zach who ran :
Adam shared, “There’s nothing better than showing up to a major marathon with no other goal than to enjoy the moment, and enjoy the moment I did! I enjoyed fighting for those 26.2 miles for me, but also for the trees that I did all of my training runs alongside of. Sustainability is challenging, but it’s worth it.”

Congrats to .kat for completing :
Bridget shared, “Running the London Marathon for Racing for Sustainability was incredibly meaningful—not just because it’s a cause I believe in, but because every person who donated became part of something bigger.”

Congrats to and Gina for completing :
Alma shared, “Running the Big Sur Marathon was unforgettable; every hill challenged me, every coastal view inspired me, and every mile reminded me why I run—to support a cause dedicated to sustainable actions to maintain our planet so extraordinary.”

We would love to have you join us in your next race. You can run with us as a champion in the race of your choice or fill out the form in bio to tell us which race you wanna run with us in. We can see what we can do to make your dreams come true!

05/01/2026

pril was full—in the best way. Sharing the mission on Tamron Hall, CBS News, and NBC News, championing cup-free racing in Paris, plogging in Boston, and running fast in London while highlighting sustainability progress there. In between: staying grounded in my training and my family.

05/01/2026

I left time on the table. I could have run so much faster. Not from super shoes that didn’t exist yet (or the fact we were running in water thin shoes). Not from new technology or knowledge about training that we didn’t know back in 2016.

No,none of those.

During my elite marathons, not only did I go into race day with a body screaming for more calories in my day to day life, but I was SO underfunded on race day.

I would eat my pre race meal three hours before, often not eating much as I was too nervous. Then I would consume my first gel 45 minutes into the race, a gel that would contain around 20g of carbs.

I would proceed to consume a gel every 45 minutes, until I hit 2:15, where I would decide I was close enough to the finish to not bother with another (maybe taking caffeine gum instead). Adding to a grand total of about 60g of carbs in a 2.5 hour high intensity run that was all about performance.

On Sunday, I consumed 70g of carbs per hour (200g total) from , my first gel on the start line, and every 25 minutes from there. My energy levels were consistent. I never felt like I was burning out or hanging on. My legs hurt from the pounding (these trail legs aren’t used to this speed OR the cement!).

There has been so much research now to back up that my 25g (ish) per hour in my past was NO WHERE CLOSE to enough. And I have to live with that. I could have been faster. Not because of technology, because of understanding how to fuel correctly.

I’ll be honest, I don’t have the motivation or drive to dig deep into that well to go close to my PB pace (or faster) on the roads, but I do know there’s more in there (that yes, I am choosing to leave untapped). I’m at peace with my past, and excited for this future of trail ahead.

I wanted to share as I wish I knew more about fueling. are the absolute best in the business for nerding out over the science to give a personalized recommendation (go use their free planner!).

Now with my next race as a 55k followed by 2 x 100k later this year, I see a LOT of gels in my future (bulk bags squeezed into my reusable nutrition pouch). Good thing I never get sick of the taste!

📸 😍

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Chattanooga, TN

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http://runningforreal.com/, https://tinamuir.com/

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