37. Maryann Gong

This episode is an interview with app developer and marathon OTQ hopeful, Maryann Gong. Maryann is an NYC local and California native. She went to MIT where she got her bachelor's degree in computer sciences and her master's degree in AI. While at MIT, she ran on the track and xc team, becoming an All-American and a D3 champion in the indoor 3k. She struggled on and off with fueling and an injury cycle after her junior year, and her experience with this inspired her to create a training app for runners called Toga. She found her way to the marathon and is currently a member of Central Park Track Club chasing an OTQ in the marathon at Chicago this fall.In this episode, we talk about:How Maryann got into the sport of running in high school after transitioning from soccerWhat it was like transitioning from high school to running at an academically rigorous school like MIT, and why D3 was a good fit for herHer struggles with fueling that led to episodes of bulimia and an injury cycle, and how she found her way back from that to focus on fueling for performanceHer new AI powered app for runners, Toga, and why it was important to her to include a feature that helps hold runners back to reduce risk of injury or burnoutHow she discovered high carb fueling during runs, and why she feels like it has changed the game for her to get 120g of carbs per hour during training and marathonsIf you would like to keep up with Maryann, you can find her on Instagram at @maryanngong. If you are interested in Toga, you can follow them on Instagram at @trainwithtoga and you can try it out free for 30 days using the code FUELINGFORWARD. You can find Toga in the app store HERE.