Tina Muir

Mother. Author. Sustainability Advocate. Running For Real Podcast. Former 🇬🇧 Elite Runner. Tina’s story resonates with people from all walks of life.

Tina Muir is the founder and CEO of Running for Real, a support network and community for runners; a mother of two; and a former elite runner turned sustainability advocate. She hosts the award winning Running For Real podcast, a collection of conversations about running, the climate emergency, and social justice. Running For Real’s episode with Jordan Marie Daniel was voted Best Podcast Episode o

f 2021 at the Outdoor Media Summit and Running For Real won Best Fitness Podcast at the 2021 Sports Podcast Awards. Tina also co-hosted Running Realized, a podcast that provides a space to explore difficult subjects and offers insights to create meaningful change in the running world and beyond. With an impressive athletic career, including representing Great Britain and Northern Ireland in a world championship, Tina enjoyed success in the world of competitive running. However, it was during this time that she realized the profound impact her lifestyle had on the environment. She made a commitment to embrace sustainable living and reduce her carbon footprint, and recognizing the power of her platform as a renowned athlete and influencer, leveraged her position to advocate for climate change action. Tina has worked with the United Nations on campaigns related to climate change and humanitarian affairs, and has written for the UN Chronicle. The presenters of the New York City Marathon, the Chicago Marathon, and the Peachtree Road Race have brought her onto their sustainability teams. Through her podcast and social media presence, she starts conversations and shares resources on sustainability, climate change, and how individuals can make a positive difference in their own lives. Her book, Becoming a Sustainable Runner, co-written with Zoë Rom, merges runners’ passion for their sport with their concern for their health, their community, and the environment. As the first elite athlete to openly discuss having amenorrhea, Tina’s story went viral and was featured in People Magazine, The Daily Mail, Runners World, Women’s Running, and on ESPN. Since then she has become an advocate and supporter for others suffering from RED-S / REDs (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport). Her relatable and accessible approach has empowered many to become sustainability advocates themselves, creating a ripple effect of positive change that extends far beyond the realm of athletics.

06/27/2025

A year ago, I spent HOURS deliberating if I could run the final 100m of .ryan ONE HUNDRED MILE race . Under three months post surgery, my mind was flooded with panic. Would I mess up my achilles? Would I even be able to move my body in that way? Would I be wincing in pain for photos that were meant to be joyful?

Ultimately I did, and spoiler alert, everything was okay. But I still had a hell of a long way to go to get back to fitness. I clawed it back, one run at a time.

One year after that 100m “run”, I am back at Western States, pacing my best friend, and excited to experience this legendary race from a first person perspective.

I had no idea when Ryan and I first began our friendship that this is where it would lead, that I would become one of those ultra runners I had admired, but never imagined becoming one of.

I didn’t know that our friendship would wake up that desire in me to chase some goals in a way I haven’t wanted to since 2017.

And I definitely didn’t know I would be able to run as a pacer for one of the top athletes in the Western States 100.

I’m proud of myself for the commitment I had in my return to running journey. And I’m proud of Ry for ALL the things he has juggled to get here. Ryan is fitter than ever, and ready to crush ❤️ let’s go!

06/20/2025

🌳Chattanooga here we come!
As you can imagine, ALL the feels have been going around this house as we prepare to leave our home in St Louis to move to Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Steve has an incredible opportunity with to be the Head Cross Country and Track and Field Coach of this D1 program! He has interviewed a lot this summer, but we knew almost right away that this was the right fit for him💚

So sad to be leaving our loved ones here, I felt settled and deep in my community. I have my neighbors who have been there for us since day one. I have my environmental group in . I have my friends who I love and care for, and people who feel like more than friends, family for our little unit that didn’t have traditional family here with us.

AND we are excited to explore this new place, a place I have never been(!), but some of my closest friends tell me I will love, immersed in nature and outdoors, an environmental hub in a state that has some work to do.

And yeah, there is a lot of nerves around my girls settling in. Moving kids is hard (and at times heartbreaking), but I know we will find our people, make our home.

So in the comments, give me all you know about Chattanooga (or tag friends who do!), we need all the help we can get. Moving is happening FAST💚

06/01/2025

Legs are coming back🎉, and it feels good to watch these fitness pieces click into place.

I did not expect the Bank of America Chicago 13.1 to jump to near the top of my favorite races to run. It’s a special one, because community, culture, and connection truly are at the heart.

If you’re looking to put your head down and grind it into the ground, this race is not about that. But if you love gorgeous trees 🌳, celebration, and seeing people truly be who they are, wow - it is a beautiful example of that ❤️

It brought me SO much joy to cross the line (I ran 1:31) and see waiting for me - the reusable, refillable aluminum water bottle at the finish💙

This time, I got to go to a refill station post-race, fill it and take it home with me💚

I found so many runners outside the park still holding their aluminum bottles, excited to take it on adventures to come.

The multi-year partnership between Culligan and the Bank of America reduces plastic waste and keeps runners hydrated with clean, great-tasting water.

Culligan, founded in Chicago in 1936 ❤️, makes a difference for people and the planet with better water at home, at work, or on the go—helping protect our planet from waste. And because runners care so much about what goes into their bodies, Culligan’s solutions ensure the water you drink is as clean, safe, and high-quality as it should be.

Check out the link in my bio for more 💙💚

05/31/2025

Dare you to read this without feeling inspired❤️ Let me tell you a little story about love, community, and the power of your choices.

As we began our plog this morning, I felt a little disheartened with the size of our group. Of course, immense gratitude for those who were there, but there’s that part of me that dreams (and can see so clearly) the day where we are hundreds strong.

Today was not that day, AND I knew size doesn’t matter. Seeing someone picking up waste catches your eye. I believe for many, they go on to do something positive in their own world. That’s humans at our most human.

Within a few minutes, a woman came over and asked if we had extra bags and gloves, she wanted to join.

There was so much trash. We decided to focus our energy on cleaning this part of the park over our original route.

I got to know Carolyn. She is 61 years old, lives in a nearby apartment complex overlooking the park, and she was absolutely devastated by the state of the park. As tears streamed down her face, she told me how much it meant to her that we were out there. That she woke up this morning feeling good energy, and she now knew why.

I asked if I could give her a hug, I could feel the goodness, the love pouring out of her. She held on tightly. She needed it too. It was extremely emotional. The rest of the group were up ahead, but I stayed and listened to her share about her life.

We talked about the importance of community, the examples of good building in her neighborhood, cultivating love, peace, and movement (follow them!). We talked about cars driving by that thanked us or cheered us. We talked about how some of the people who dropped the trash could have seen her out there, and maybe, just maybe, it planted a seed of change in them too.

Plogging always create ripples, I know that, but today, I really got to see it impact someone directly, and whose gratitude was felt so deeply.

So we returned to the West Side Wellness Events with stuffed bags (once again, totally in tact 🫶) and full hearts.

I’m not sure if I’ll ever see Carolyn again, but I know I won’t forget her❤️

Do something for your community today, it matters 💚

Thank you to Marathon Foto for these pictures

05/22/2025

“What are three things we can do to be more environmentally friendly runners?”
⬆️ The question I can get asked the most. My answer?

The first part is almost always to carry your own handheld for hydration.

As a community, It’s funny that we got into this habit of disposable cups as a community, when we don’t go about our lives with single cups we throw away. Elites have their own bottles, so if we were going for time, wouldn’t we also want bottles with our own mix?

When you take a moment to think about it, it’s always going to be best to sip hydration instead of choke it down, to have your product that you practiced with at the strength you practiced with, to take 5 seconds to refill every 45 minutes instead of losing time to drink out of a cup every 10 minutes. BUT, and this is a big but:

That bottle you are carrying HAS to be well designed, and get it. It took me quite a few years to detach the association I had with bottles in the past. They were so heavy and bulky and made my fingers hurt. They were so hard and hard to squeeze and just, of putting.

Believe me when I say, heard those complaints of the past loud and clear, and they innovated and innovated till they got it just right. These bottles, my fave the skyflask 350ml and the tempo pro 2 .trevino is holding are 👌. I refill my bottle in a few seconds, it does NOT slosh, and I forget I am carrying it. Natalia had never carried a bottle, and easily carried it for 2hrs 35 minutes.

I genuinely believe that most of us could easily carry our own bottle, and run faster for it. All you need to do is give it a try, and friends, with code TINAMUIR10 you can get 10% off.

(check the article that came out yesterday to read more about Natalia and I other suggestions on sustainable running)

Thanks for the fun photos 💚

05/21/2025

There is that now famous quote, from a twitter account that says, “Climate change will manifest as a series of disasters viewed through phones with footage that gets closer and closer to where you live until you’re the one filming it”.

05/20/2025

Plogging isn’t a thing, until it is…

And while I have not yet achieved my goal of hundreds of runners coming to join us for a pre-race plog, where plogging is the shakeout of choice for many runners, every single time we do it, I see inspiration in the group AND (more importantly) in the people we pass while doing it.

There is so much negativity, frustration, anger, pain in our world right now, we are desperate for connection, desperate for belonging and feeling like we matter. Typically, instead of finding ways to work through that, we put our eyes down to our phones and disconnect more…

Plogging though, I watch people going by lift their eyes from their phone, I see them smile (or even beam) at the example of humanity before their eyes (especially kids), and they go off on their days with their heads higher and more connected to the world. Maybe it inspires them to take an action, maybe it just gives them a few minutes where they interact with the world around them. To me that matters, and might be the planting of a seed in their lives that leads them to change the way they interact with the world from now on.

Do I know this for sure? No. But I have seen it happen again and again. Our choices matter.

bags once again joined us (and held up beautifully) for the RBC Brooklyn Half plogging on Friday. These compostable trash bags are great for this, but also fantastic home trash bags (you can get 20% off with code TINA20), I have been buying them for five years🙌

Our time was full of laughter, connection, and time well spent. I can’t imagine a better way to spend a Friday evening.

See you next time? (If you are in Chicago, come join us on May 31, comment below and I’ll send you info)💚

02/19/2025

Unfathomable.
Every time I have been to Vail, I viscerally feel the previous visit, how my mental, emotional, spiritual, and of course, physical body experienced that moment. And each time, what felt unfathomable on the trip prior.

April 2024, my first visit ever to vail…for my Achilles surgery, not how I imagined I would visit this little ski town. Undergoing surgery, by choice, something I thought I would never do.

May 2024, two week checkup and stitches removal. On crutches, proud of the healing my body had done, the idea of walking on the beautiful trails all around, unfathomable.

June 2024, six week checkup, proud of a half mile hike, dreaming about walking a normal speed through Vail and being able to move without pain. On this day, unfathomable.

July 2024, final check in with surgeon, proud of a 1.5 mile walk through Vail, looking forward to running it instead, but told it is a month away. On this day, not happening.

August 2024, proud of a four mile hike in the mountains, the idea of a regular run through this small town I had come to care for, unfathomable.

February 2024, proud of a 6.2 mile run through a partly snow covered Vail💚

Having never been here before 2024, I have now been six times, yes, a few of them were planned (including driving my family out here for a vacation), but for the rest, the universe conspired to get me here, and through some miracle, it was all in network, so I could do it.

My foot isn’t perfect, I’m here to figure out what we are missing and how we get past this stage, but each of these visits show me the progress. It truly is about progress over perfection, and if you need that reminder to trust in your body, trust in yourself, and trust the process, this is it. I’m ten months post surgery and far from where I wanna be, but I’m on my way.

so all that’s left is to pick something that feels unfathomable right now, that next time, I will complete.

Trail community, help me out, how do I make my Vail story complete? (And yes, I would like snowboarding to be part of that story someday, just not yet!)

02/07/2025

When told me sustainability was going to be a topic for the main stage at , I knew what I wanted it to be; sustainability for small to medium sized races.

Because while I work with the biggest races, as with the races themselves, there are more participants overall when you combine the small races than when you combine the largest events. We need to speak to them, they matter.

Those small to medium races, they are the ones interacting with their communities, setting the standard for what racing in their city is going to be. They are a critical piece of the puzzle.

And so I invited an example of one of those race directors who is environmentally doing the work here in St Louis, not because he is “passionate” about it, but because he felt it was the right thing to do. has made small changes with a big impact in our area. If he could share why and how he made changes, others would see it wasn’t so scary.

Knowing everything about the inspiring humans living in Louisville, Michael suggested , Executive Director of , who had inspired me in my own work, yes please!

And of course I had to invite my bestie brand who make my favorite sustainability products. I speak about them almost daily. HydraPak has worked hard to make their resuable bottles, cups, and hydration carrying products the absolute best they can be. It shows. I loved that could join me on the panel to share how to transition races from thousands to millions of disposable cups to...well, none (or at least much less).

We had a wonderful conversation, and many race organizers came up to me during the rest of the conference to speak to how important it was to talk about this.

There was one other thing we announced, which brought my big smile in this photo, i’ll save that for another post. For now, celebrating an important and focused panel on sustainability to once again, bring people in, rather than leave them out.

01/20/2025

“Our streets are clean”

I hear that over and over about my neighborhood, and yes, compared to many other places, we are very fortunate.

And yet, I pick up trash every day on my walk to and from the girls schools.

It’s out there.

When suggested joining me for a trash pickup (and tree hug💚), I jumped at the chance.

I’m sure many people think I’m crazy, running, tree hugging lady who is always bending down to pick up newspapers that have left their driveways.

So having Erin offer to join me, yeah I jumped at the chance.

But even I was surprised how much trash we found in just two streets. It was a lot, but of course was up to the challenge!

There was even a bag of p**p (to which I told her, “nope, don’t pick that up”, p**p and needles are a no for plogging).

I guarantee the streets near you have some trash, headed toward a nearby drain.

You don’t have to “go plogging” with a bag, but could you pick up a few pieces of trash each day for the rest of the month? If nothing else, it gives us back a sense of control over our surroundings, and starting tomorrow, we might need that❤️

Ps. Code TINA20 Will give you 20% if you need more control, repurpose has you covered for the bags ;)

01/16/2025

1-2-3 of real life:

She’s one of my absolute favorites to hug. Three big, beautiful limbs on this sycamore😍

The trash is starting to be uncovered as the snow melts here, I am noticing a lot of plastic bottles and snack wrappers. Lots to pick up.

The cold deep breaths were much needed as my 6 year old spent the whole walk to school telling me how she wanted her daddy, not mummy (why is not taking things personal from your kids so hard!). Today I took more like 27 deep breaths to get me through that ;)

01/12/2025

It’s all of it…

Happy, sad, angry, bored. The emotions I knew never felt enough, but I believed that was all there was

Now I know there are dozens of emotions, each with depth and different places we feel them in our body. At any one time I don’t just feel one emotion, but many. I talk with my kids about the “good” and “bad” in every moment, that we feel many emotions at any one time.

On Tuesday, as I looked out my window unfocused, I was grateful for a warm home, hearing the squeals of joy from imaginary play downstairs. I was in awe of the beauty of the snow falling outside my window, aware of the stress and havoc it was causing to some. In the back of my mind (and often front), was angst for people in LA, and panic thinking about all the other people in the world suffering from climate related disaster. There was anger towards the people who have put shareholders and greed ahead of the planet and human lives, and there was tenderness for those in so much emotional pain, that they abandon their authentic selves time and again for their own personal gain. I thought about how hard it would be to not have people who love you for you, or a community who give you a greater purpose. There was adoration for the people in those climate disaster hotspots who were coming together with a fierce desire to show up and spread love (all while feeling the agony of loss).

How could so much be going on in my heart, in my body at the same time?

Yesterday, I ran by this tree, it stopped me in my tracks. It represented so much. Admiration for the size and stature over years of growth. And sadness it is being choked by another invasive element of nature, that wasn’t meant to be here. That vine was beautiful in itself, adding a pop of green to the brown of the winter tree. I felt grief this tree would soon be dying (if not already), but grateful for the life it shared. I felt connected to the present moment (snow and all).

If feeling multiple things at once is not something you knew or know, this emotion wheel can help explore beyond the surface, especially when there is so much going on.

Whatever you feel is okay, only you know your heart❤️

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Tina is a 2:36 marathoner and Great Britain runner who shocked the running world by taking a hiatus to focus on starting a family and overcoming amenorrhea. A few months later, she was pregnant, and had her first daughter, Bailey Grace in January 2018. Tina created the Running for Real Community to foster a healthy mindset around running. This is a space where runners can explore, embrace, and get better from setbacks through inspiring podcasts, videos, and blog posts, and most importantly, sharing thoughts and experiences. Behind every personal best, there are plenty of personal not-so-bests, from beating ourselves up about just-missed PRs to the injury blues to embarrassing falls. Running can really hurt, but we don’t have to go through it alone.