Early Call Time

Dec 22 2022

Early Call Time Podcast artwork

The podcast where we discuss issues and news in the road race industry and get to know some of the people who keep it running! Hosted by Eli Asch (Race Director, Twin Cities In Motion/Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon) and Tony Yamanaka Brand Partnerships Director, BibRave), the ECT Pod features monthly interviews with some of the most interesting people in the running industry as well as lively banter about issues facing the mass participation endurance sports event industry. All opinions expressed on the ECT Pod are our own. So blame us for anything you disagree with, not our employers. Have any feedback for us or requests of who you want to hear interviewed on the show? Contact us at [email protected] Facebook: @EarlyCallTimePod Instagram: @EarlyCallTimePod Twitter: @EarlyPod

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An Exit Interview with Virginia Brophy Achman (Outgoing Executive Director of Twin Cities In Motion)

Dec 22 2022 64 mins

The ECT Pod is back and better than ever after a longer than expected Eli-had-room-for-nothing-in-his-life-outside-of-planning-the-Twin-Cities-Marathon-and-then-a-new-Turkey-Trot enforced hiatus! And the first episode after our break is a doozy--an exit interview with outgoing Twin Cities In Motion Executive Director Virginia Brophy Achman (who also happens to be Eli's boss).In her

Tanner Bell (CEO, Ragnar/General Manager of Events, FitLab)

Jun 30 2022 57 mins

After a bit of a hiatus Tony and Eli are back with a bang, with an in-depth interview with one of the most entrepreneurial people in the industry, Ragnar Co-Founder and CEO Tanner Bell! From a project that started while Tanner and his co-founder were undergrads and thought it was just something that would look good on a grad school application, Ragnar has grown into one of the most

Shelley Villalobos (Executive Director, Council for Responsible Sport)

Apr 20 2022 60 mins

In a special Earth Day episode, Eli and Tony couldn't be more excited to have Council for Responsible Sport Executive Director Shelley Villalobos on the pod for an interview. The guys first find out a little about Shelley's athletic background--which includes Division I experience in a non-running sport--and how "she resisted running as long as she possibly could" until finishing h

An Early Call Time Special Episode: What Does it Mean to be Back at Running USA?

Mar 04 2022 8 mins

In this special mini-episode, Tony caught up with almost twenty industry leaders at the Running USA conference last weekend in Florida and asked them what it meant to be back together with their industry peers at the Running USA conference. Enjoy--and see you next year in Denver!If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you liste

Inconsistency Is What Assures Our Success

Mar 04 2022 49 mins

In this episode, the guys discuss how events and event production companies can retain their talented people after as the industry emerges from a tough couple of years--they talk work-life balance, opportunities for growth and avoiding getting stale, and how sometimes event production people need to just be allowed the time to do what they need to do.Tony and Eli also discuss which

Michael Luchsinger (Managing Partner and Co-founder, Event Southwest)

Jan 28 2022 63 mins

In the Season 3 season premier of Early Call Time, Tony and Eli interview Michael Luchsinger, President and Co-founder of Event Southwest, a Dallas-based event production company that works on some of the biggest races in the country (including the Houston, Chicago, and Dallas marathons) and also happens to be where Tony used to work.Michael tells the guys his intergenerational eve

The Triumphant Return of the Pod!

Dec 22 2021 58 mins

After a long hiatus, the guys return for their final episode of 2022! Want to know why the pod went dark for so long? Then you've gotta listen, because they discuss that--and also how it was related to Eli's facial hair getting crazy for a little while. They discuss Eli's lessons learned from the return of the Twin Cities Marathon and any pandemic-related changes he may want to kee

Greg Haapala (Race Director, Grandma's Marathon)

Jul 14 2021 64 mins

In this month's interview episode Tony and Eli consider themselves incredibly privileged to have on the Race Director of the first major American Marathon to take place since the pandemic, Greg Haapala of Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN.After sharing that he is a fellow member of the "One Marathon Club," stumping Tony on what NIRCA (which he helped to found) is, and letting us all

Alex Vander Hoeven (CEO, Race Roster and General Manager, Asics Running Apps)

Jun 17 2021 70 mins

In this month's interview episode Tony and Eli have on a man who is such a big fan of the podcast that he once sponsored it, Race Roster CEO and General Manager of Asics Running Apps Alex Vander Hoeven. Alex tells the guys about the early days of Race Roster, and how he and his fellow founders originally intended to start a race, not a technology company. They talk about how Race R

The Carousel

May 27 2021 56 mins

In the only episode the guys will be dropping this month, Eli puts his cards on the table and admits that even after talking about it for the better part of a half-hour last episode he still doesn't understand what Tony's new job is. It's only when Tony puts it in terms of Mad Men that the wheels (or, rather should we say, the carousel) start turning for Eli.Beyond that, the guys h