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This is Defector, a new sports blog and media company. We made this place together, we own it together, we run it together. Without access, without favor, without discretion, and without interference.

Defector

Patrick Redford

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 1: Gabby Thomas, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, and Tamari Davis compete in the women's 100m race at Franklin Field at the University of Pennsylvania on June 1, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Roger Wimmer/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Track And Field

Michael Johnson’s Track Start-Up Declares Bankruptcy

Alex Sujong Laughlin

Two joggers run in an autumnal park between two trees.

Life Lessons

Falling Back In Love With Running

Soraya Roberts

Arts And Culture

The Robe Runner

Owen Lewis is a former Defector intern and has written for The Guardian, The Second Serve, The Athletic, and other publications.

Owen Lewis

The Great Outdoors

I Hate Running. I Miss Running.

Heather Chen is a former Defector intern and the managing editor at the Columbia Daily Spectator. She loves hockey, photography, and the good ol’ state of Michigan.

Heather Wei-Xi Chen

Kenny Moll rips through an impromptu finish line to mark the end of his seventh marathon. Michael-Luca is running to his right, with a crowd of runners behind them. There are trees in the background, and the area is both shaded and sunny.

If You Run Seven Marathons In Seven Days In Central Park, Does It Make A Difference?

Stephen Lurie is a writer and facilitator in Brooklyn, NY.

Stephen Lurie

A box of essentials - body glide, water, bagel, banana, Advil, and Accel Gel. The 116th Boston Marathon starts in Hopkinton in Hopkinton, Mass. on Monday, April 16, 2012.

The Sublime Clarity Of Goo

Dennis Young is the news editor at Front Office Sports.

Dennis Young

Amy Cragg from Portland, Oregon, celebrates at the finish line after winning the US Women's Marathon Olympic Team Trials with a time of 2:28:27 in Los Angeles, California on February 13, 2016. Highlighted Joanna Zeiger behind her, who finished last, the image is a GIF and zooms into her

Olympics

At The Olympic Trials Marathon, DFL Means Pain Over Regret

A runner (2nd R) looks at his watch as he stands at the start line during the 2015 Shanghai International Marathon in Shanghai on November 8, 2015. Shanghai marathon kicked off in the morning of November 8, with 35,000 runners starting their race from the Bund, local media reported.

Negative Splits

Embrace The Second-Dumbest Running Watch You Can Find

Tom Ley

EUGENE, OREGON - JULY 18: Athletes in the Men's 3000m Steeplechase Final run around a cameraman on the track on day four of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 at Hayward Field on July 18, 2022 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Hey Man … You Can’t Be Here

David Roth

The Los Angeles Marathon making its way down Hollywood Boulevard in 2021.

Podcasts

Marathon To The Mall And Other Public/Private Partnerships, With Adam Conover

Dan McQuade was a founding member of Defector. He died in January 2026.

Dan McQuade

Things We Actually Like

Go Watch A Road Race Even If You Don’t Know Anyone In It

A photo of Zalokar oout out by the National Parks Service as they sought information about him.

Champion Marathoner Fred Zalokar Found Dead In Yosemite

Giri Nathan

Video Games

Going On Runs

Diana Moskovitz is Defector&#8217;s investigations editor. You can contact her at diana@defector.com or dfmoskovitz@protonmail.com. She&#8217;s also on Signal @dmoskovitz.99

running