Jess McClain’s comeback makes a useful point: elite running can suffer when it takes over someone’s whole life. After years away from the sport, she found a way back that leaves room for the rest of her—and music is part of that balance.
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McClain’s story is a reminder that dedication and balance don’t have to be opposites. The Arizona native competed in high school, mainly in the 5K and 10K, then became a seven-time NCAA Division I All-American at Stanford. She turned professional in 2015 and signed with Brooks. That transition changed her relationship with running.
As a student, she had friends, clubs, extracurriculars and football games alongside competition. Professional running, she says, narrowed her focus too far: “I was so excited to go all in, but I realized very quickly I’m not one-dimensional. It’s really hard for me not to have other buckets to pour myself into.”
At the time, McClain felt she had to make running her entire life—to live, train, eat, breathe and sleep for the sport. The all-consuming approach brought recurring injuries and burnout. In 2018, she parted ways with her sponsor and, at 26, moved back to Phoenix to live with her parents.
She spent the next few years working full-time in marketing and got married. The break helped her separate her identity from racing, which had been part of her life since age 12. “I really didn’t know who I was or what I wanted outside of that,” she says. “I needed self-discovery time to find out who Jess is when she’s not racing.”
A return on her own terms
The pandemic interrupted her early thoughts of returning, but McClain eventually lined up for the 2022 Mesa Marathon shortly before turning 30. It was her first marathon, and she had trained for just six weeks. She ran 2:33:34, qualified for the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials and finished fourth there. She later placed in the top 10 at both the 2024 New York City Marathon and the 2025 Boston Marathon. At Boston in 2026, she set the American course record at 2:20:49.
McClain returned to Brooks, but says this phase feels different. She can pursue racing and still make room for other parts of life. Finding that balance took time; she calls it finding her recipe.
Music has been part of that recipe since her early running days, back when she used a bulky MP3 player and headphones that could make the sound crackle if they shifted. Now she listens to music and podcasts on easy runs and solo outings. Sometimes she puts her phone in the back pocket of her sports bra and plays music aloud during track workouts.
Her tastes range from Taylor Swift—“I grew up with her, and we’re the same age, so it’s a nostalgic thing”—to the “teenage angst” of ’90s alternative and punk. Recent listens include Taking Back Sunday, My Chemical Romance, Matchbox Twenty and Papa Roach.
For her Runner’s World guest playlist, McClain paired plenty of Swift with blink-182, Hoodie Allen and The Veronicas. It’s a mix with some bite, and a window into how she makes running feel like part of a fuller life.
