Running has a way of serving as a mirror for life. For Inga Dengel—a global runner with Russian roots, a German passport, and a home in Athens, Greece—lacing up a pair of running shoes started as a practical tool for health and weight management. Over time, it evolved into a transformative force that helped her break free from decades of diet culture, overcome injury setbacks, and conquer the marathon distance.
When Inga and I connected for Your Story, Your Why, we reflected on how deeply relatable the runner’s journey is across global borders—a full-circle moment as she shared how she frequently listens to this very podcast during her long runs in Greece. In our conversation, Inga opened up about balancing multi-generational family life, navigating the unglamorous realities of training in Athens, and working with an elite sports physical therapist to build long-term strength.
From Multi-Generational Living to the First Laps
Inga’s background is as dynamic as her running history. Having lived in Russia, Germany, and the UK before settling in Greece, she often finds “Where are you from?” to be the most complicated question people can ask. While she dipped in and out of running in her twenties, severe back pain forced her to stop completely, leading her to spend six years focused strictly on heavy strength training.
After relocating to Athens, Inga moved into a traditional multi-generational home with her husband, daughter, and in-laws. Living on the top floor above her mother-in-law—whom she describes as the best cook on the planet—Inga realized her daily lifestyle had shifted. Strengthened by her years of lifting, she decided to pick up running again to manage her health, finding that her back pain had entirely disappeared.
“I started running regularly as a means to regulate my weight,” Inga recalls. “A friend mentioned a 10K as part of the Athens Marathon weekend, and another friend passed along an unused bib. I walked and jogged my way through it, and I thought, ‘That was kind of fun—how do I stick to it?'”
That initial 10K sparked a steady progression to the Athens Half Marathon, which quickly led to an unexpected entry into her first full 26.2-mile challenge: the 2024 Authentic Athens Marathon.
Ditching Diet Culture and Training in Athens
For Inga, stepping up to distance running brought a profound mental shift regarding food and body image. Having started her first diet at age 11, she spent over three decades constantly regulating her food intake. However, as her training volume reached 60 kilometers (~37 miles) per week, weight control faded out of the equation entirely.
“For the first time in my life, I don’t consciously regulate my food or think about dieting,” Inga shares. “Instead of wanting to lose weight, I actually realized I needed to eat more just to avoid crashing during runs.”
While running brought mental freedom, training in Athens presented raw, non-romantic friction. Sidewalks are rare, traffic is hazards-heavy, and extreme summer temperatures force Inga out the door at 4:30 AM for Sunday long runs. Additionally, seasonal moves closer to the coast brought encounters with aggressive stray dogs—including a dog bite incident that led her to buy her husband a marathon ticket so he would train alongside her as a running partner.
Overcoming Injuries and Building Resilience
Inga’s path has also required navigating physical setbacks, including IT band syndrome and severe shin splints. Early on, she relied heavily on an AI coaching app, but recurring pain led her to seek hands-on human expertise with Dimitris, a physiotherapist who works directly with elite Greek national athletes.
His advice was direct and non-negotiable: fire the algorithm, take load management seriously, and commit to twice-weekly strength training. By utilizing his rehab gym for five core compound exercises, Inga cleared her injury hurdles, successfully completed the Amsterdam Marathon, and learned that she actually performs better on challenging, hilly courses than flat routes.
“If you want to continue training for marathons, you need to do strength training—it’s five exercises, twice a week,” Inga reflects. “Running creates a level of mental space that I don’t get from any other activity. It helps with idea generation, processing thoughts, and structuring my work.”
What We Cover in This Episode:
- The Global Starting Line: Navigating a multi-cultural background and returning to running in Greece.
- Reframing Food & Fueling: Shifting away from a 30-year cycle of restrictive dieting to functional marathon fueling.
- The Realities of Athens: Managing 4:30 AM long runs, summer heat, road safety, and stray dog encounters.
- Elite Physio Protocols: Moving from AI app coaching to structured, non-negotiable strength training with an elite Olympic therapist.
- Mindset & Creative Space: Utilizing voice dictation on long runs to capture ideas and finding community on the mountain trails of Athens.
Whether you are navigating injury recovery, adjusting your training environment, or learning to reframe your relationship with food and fitness, Inga’s story illustrates how consistency and structural support build lasting endurance.
👉 Listen to Inga’s full episode now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Marathon Journal
