California Race Announcer Bio Monica Olivas

Race Announcer • Event Host • Running Media Personality

Monica Olivas knows what it feels like to stand at a starting line with butterflies in her stomach, chase a finish-line goal, and wonder if months of training will pay off. She also knows what it takes to make the moment on the other side of that finish line feel unforgettable.

A longtime runner, running content creator, on-camera host, interviewer and podcast host, Monica brings together a rare combination of broadcast experience, running expertise, storytelling ability and genuine enthusiasm for the people who make every race special.

With a degree in broadcast journalism and experience in on-camera reporting, live events and interviewing, Monica has spent years talking to runners, coaches, authors, doctors, athletes, celebrities and running-industry leaders. She has interviewed legends including Jeff Galloway, Bob Harper, Bob Greene and Matt Fitzgerald, as well as race-industry professionals and everyday runners with stories worth telling.

She was also the host of Hyland’s “10,000 Miles to Boston,” a branded video series following a team of healthcare professionals on their journey to the Boston Marathon. As host, Monica interviewed members of the team and running experts, created on-camera content and covered the excitement of Boston Marathon race weekend.

Her hosting experience extends beyond the camera. Monica has hosted and participated in live running events and conversations, including a live Run to the Finish book-tour event with author and runner Amanda Brooks, where she led a live conversation during the Los Angeles Marathon weekend. She has also spoken and appeared on panels at events including Fitbloggin, the Healthy Living Summit and IDEA World/Fitness BlogFest, including a Walgreens-sponsored wellness panel.

From 2017–2021, Monica hosted the Run Eat Repeat Podcast, interviewing runners, coaches, authors, health professionals and members of the running industry. The show grew into a substantial library of conversations about training, racing, motivation, nutrition, injuries, race strategy and the realities of being a runner. That experience taught her how to keep a conversation moving, ask questions that get people talking, listen for the story behind the answer and make an audience feel like they’re part of the conversation.

And Monica has been doing this in the running world for a long time.

Through Run Eat Repeat, she has covered races and race weekends, traveled with running brands, participated in sponsored running events and worked with companies including Hyland’s, Brooks Running, Got Chocolate Milk/Team Refuel, Walgreens and and many more. Her work has taken her behind the scenes at major running events including the Boston Marathon, Rock ‘n’ Roll races and the New York City Marathon, giving her an understanding of the race experience from the perspective of the runner, the brand, the media and the event itself.

California Race Announcer Bio Monica Olivas Los Angeles Marathon, Orange County

What Monica brings to the microphone

Monica believes a great race announcer does much more than read instructions and call out names. A race is a collection of thousands of individual stories.

There’s the runner chasing a PR. The person running their first 5K. The friend who trained with someone for months. The parent running because their child is watching. The back-of-the-pack runner who almost didn’t sign up. The veteran who has returned for another race. The person who overcame an injury, illness, fear or a hundred reasons to stop training.

Every one of them deserves to feel seen.

That’s what Monica wants to bring to your event: energy, enthusiasm, useful information, and the ability to connect with runners at every level.

She understands runner humor. She understands race-day nerves. She knows why the finish line matters. And because she is a runner herself, she can talk to participants in a way that feels natural rather than scripted.

Her background in journalism also means she knows how to prepare. She researches the event, learns the course and understands the importance of getting the details right. Her years as an interviewer mean she’s comfortable thinking on her feet, talking with people she has just met, finding the interesting story and keeping a conversation moving.

And her years creating content for a large running audience give her another advantage: she knows how runners actually talk, what they care about and what makes them stop, listen and engage.

Monica is available for:

Race announcing
Start- and finish-line hosting
Race expos and packet-pickup events
Awards ceremonies
Runner interviews
Athlete and elite interviews
Sponsor activations
Panel moderation
Live podcast recordings
Running-industry events
Corporate and charity running events
Fitness and wellness events
Social media and on-camera event coverage

Whether the job is keeping thousands of runners informed and energized, interviewing an elite athlete at the finish line, helping a first-time runner celebrate their accomplishment, moderating a panel or keeping the energy high during a long race morning, Monica brings the same approach:

Know the event. Know the audience. Tell the story. Keep the energy up. And make people feel like they belong.