New York Runner Sarah Moran: From Fortune 500 to Event Production and 200+ Races

In this inspiring episode of Friends in Training: Life is a Marathon, Marcela welcomes Sarah Moran, a passionate runner, event producer, and daughter of FIT community members Brian and Fran, for an engaging conversation about finding your purpose, building community, and having the courage to chase your dreams. Sarah's journey into running began in middle school with track, but it wasn't until over a decade ago that she truly fell in love with the sport. Based in New York City's Upper West Side, she has completed over 200 races and discovered that running is always there for you, no matter what life throws your way. During the pandemic, when gyms closed and gatherings stopped, running became a lifeline for New Yorkers and sparked a boom in the sport that continues today. Sarah shares how running is open to all, at any pace, and how the community built around it has become one of the most powerful aspects of the sport. Her first race was a four mile event supporting teens against smoking, where she sprinted the first mile and walked the rest, learning valuable lessons about pacing that would serve her throughout her running career. Fast forward to today, Sarah has run the New York City Marathon five times, with her sixth coming up this year. Her first marathon in 2019 was extra special because she crossed the finish line with her mother, Fran, after earning her entry through the challenging 9 plus 1 program. Sarah shares hilarious stories from her most recent New York City Marathon, where she decided to embrace the experience and accept everything offered along the course, including tequila shots and sushi. Beyond her accomplishments as a runner, Sarah's career transition is equally inspiring. After years climbing the corporate ladder in tech, working with Fortune 500 companies and managing multimillion dollar budgets, she realized something was missing. She found herself surrounded by coworkers with unhealthy habits, skipping meals and burning out, while she wanted to wake up early and run 13 miles. The disconnect became too much to ignore. Despite lucrative job offers and the comfort of a cushy career, Sarah took a risk on herself and made the leap into the running and wellness industry. The transition wasn't easy. It required cold outreach, warm connections, and a lot of uncertainty. But with the support of her husband Jordan, who reminded her that accepting another corporate job would just lead to the same unhappiness, Sarah pushed forward. Today, she works as a consultant for amazing organizations in the health, wellness, and running space, including Running Man Festival, a unique three day wellness retreat in Atlanta featuring a choose your own distance race on a one mile track, the Honolulu Marathon, where she oversees the expo and works with local vendors to bring Hawaiian culture to the event, and Dun Daily, a corporate wellness company focused on helping employees achieve true work life balance through coaching and accountability. Sarah is also a coach with Fleet Feet's New York City Marathon training program, guiding approximately 200 runners of all paces toward the finish line. She has experience guiding visually impaired runners and is passionate about using running as a way to give back and help others achieve their goals. Her work with Achilles and her time guiding a blind athlete in Honolulu opened her eyes to how running can be a powerful tool for service and connection. Throughout their conversation, Marcela and Sarah explore the importance of community, the loneliness epidemic even in densely populated cities like New York, and how run clubs are solving that gap by bringing people together. They discuss why corporate wellness matters, how running teaches work life balance, and why everyone should have a coach to help them reach the next level. Sarah shares her philosophy that life is a marathon, not a sprint, and that there are no shortcuts. Success comes from showing up day by day, taking small steps, and trusting that those little achievements will compound into something bigger. This episode is a powerful reminder that it's never too late to change direction, chase your passion, and build a life that makes you happy. Whether you're stuck in a job you hate, searching for community, or training for your first or hundredth race, Sarah's story will inspire you to take that first step toward the life you truly want. Learn more about Marcela, and the FIT community, at https://friendsintraining.net/ Connect with Sarah Moran on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahboydmoran/