392. Kara Goucher, Olympic Track & Field Trials Commentator
“This was the most fun I’ve had in so long.”
If you watched any of this year's Olympic Track & Field Trials coverage, you would have heard a familiar voice calling the distance races: Kara Goucher! Kara served as commentator and member of the NBC broadcast team at Hayward Field, and today, she's here to tell all. On this episode, Kara talks about how she got the job (she will also be part of the NBC broadcast team during the Olympic Games in Tokyo later this month), how she prepared for the races, and what it was like calling all the action. She reflects on the highlights and heartbreaks from the Trials, talks about making mistakes live on air and how she handled them, and about getting the call that her husband, Adam, had gotten into a car accident right before she was about to go live. As always, Kara is open and honest, and promised nothing was off-limits during this conversation — so yes, she talks about having to wear Nike-branded apparel on air, and whether that swoosh-covering braid was intentional.
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What you’ll get on this episode:
How Kara feels in the wake of the Trials (4:20) How Kara got the job to join the NBC broadcast team for the Track & Field Trials (10:00) How Kara’s on-camera confidence improved throughout the Trials (21:30) On misgendering Nikki Hiltz during the broadcast, and how Kara handled the mistake (22:55) How Kara prepped and studied for the Trials (26:30) How Kara stayed objective on air — even when some of her best friends were competing (29:15) On the Nike of it all (31:00) What it was like getting the call that Kara’s husband had been in a car accident right before Kara went on air (37:50) Shoe talk, and other “rules” for the broadcast (47:00) What it was like hearing the news break about Shelby Houlihan’s positive test, and how Kara handled covering that during the Trials (51:30) Which performances Kara is still thinking about after the Trials (1:00:40) Kara answers listener questions from the Ali on the Run Show Facebook group (1:14:00)
What we mention on this episode:
Kara Goucher on Episode 43 of the Ali on the Run Show
Kara Goucher on Episode 86 of the Ali on the Run Show
Kara and Adam Goucher on Episode 208 of the Ali on the Run Show
Leslie Jones commentating the steeplechase
Shelby Houlihan & Karissa Schweizer on Episode 357 of the Ali on the Run Show
Follow Kara:
Instagram @karagoucher Twitter @karagoucher Facebook Clean Sport Collective Podcast Blog
Follow Ali:
Instagram @aliontherun1 Join the Facebook group Twitter @aliontherun1 Support on Patreon Blog Strava
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