739. Sam Ryan, New York City Sports Anchor & Reporter

Ali on the Run Show

"I remember watching the New York City Marathon on TV and just saying, 'One day, I want to do that.' I’m watching it, and I’m like, 'They’re superheroes! How do they do that?!'"

Sam Ryan is WABC 7's Emmy Award-winning sports anchor and reporter. The New York City-based mom of two spends her days talking baseball, football, and hockey on live TV — but her favorite day on air is when she gets to co-anchor WABC's New York City Marathon coverage. Sam is an 11-time marathoner who has worked at ESPN, ABC Sports, CBS, and the MLB Network. She has covered the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Little League World Series, Monday Night Football, and the Home Run Derby. (I was fortunate to get to work with Sam at the 2023 New York City Marathon and at this year's New York Mini 10K!)

FOLLOW SAM @samryanabc7

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What you’ll get on this episode:

• Sam’s best on-the-job celebrity encounters (4:30)
• What Young Sam was like, and how she found her way to sports journalism (8:35)
• “I’m nervous all the time” (15:20)
• A day in the life of a sports reporter (20:00)
• How Sam pursued a travel-filled career and motherhood (26:50)
• On being a woman in a male-dominated industry (31:40)
• Sam’s advice for being more comfortable on live television (34:50)
• Sam’s most memorable “live on TV” moments (41:15)
• On co-anchoring the New York City Marathon broadcast for WABC7 (45:00)
• How — and why — Sam became a runner (51:25)
• Why Sam decided to run her first marathon at 44 years old (57:55)
• Sam’s decision to get her master’s degree in English Literature (1:04:30)

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