Marathon Talk

Imagine your first marathon almost breaking a national record - that’s how you break onto the scene and make a statement.

Barring Paula Radcliffe’s time in London, Calli Thackery’s 2:22:11 is the UK’s best, and as she sets her sights on the Paris Olympic Games, she joins us to share the run that’s been 15 years in the making.

Elsewhere we’re gearing up for New York, as Letesenbet Geday prepares for his Majors debut, the women’s wheelchair race features four fierce frontrunners, and Marcel Hug’s lining up an unprecedented clean sweep.

In this episode of Marathon Talk:

• 0:00 - Martin’s dinner with the stars, Deena’s joyful exploration, and the art of leaf peeping
• 9:00 - A roundup of Deena’s induction to the New York Road Runners’ Hall of Fame, the stacked lineup for NYC, and Marcel Hug’s hunt for a clean sweep
• 20:00 - Calli Thackery takes us through her route to running the UK’s 2nd fastest women’s marathon EVER, setting her sights on Paris, and enjoying running for what it is, rather than goal-chasing

Marathon Talk is proudly powered by Abbott World Marathon Majors, who create, build and support opportunities for all to discover the power of the marathon community. Learn more at https://www.worldmarathonmajors.com/

This week’s guest needs no introduction to Deena - he’s her coach, her husband, and now a Boston Marathon qualifier after an admirable performance in LA.

It’s a joy to catch up with Coach Kastor fresh from his 3 hour and 13 minute run as he shares the unique experience of coaching himself, his best recovery tips, and how to prepare your training cycle for a marathon far into the future.

Elsewhere in the show we spotlight a stacked field for the upcoming London Marathon, and in Training Talk we guide you through the do’s and don’ts of the final phase of your training.

In this episode of Marathon Talk:

• 0:45 - Deena and Martin catch up on the last two weeks, from the LA Marathon and speaking at UCLA, to Martin’s Purbeck Loop and a sweary sheep-herding story, plus coverage of a staggering new World Record
• 9:50 - We bring the latest on a London Marathon field that’s absolutely stacked with elite runners, and a men’s lineup which will bring us a first-time champion
• 20:00 - Training Talk this week focuses on the do’s and don’ts in the late stages of prep, why ‘less is best’ at this point, and the unexpected power of doing a ‘kit lay’
• 29:10 - Deena’s coach and husband, Andrew Kastor, takes us through his recent LA Marathon experience, how he coaches himself through races, his top recovery advice, and how to build a training schedule to target a marathon 12 months out

Marathon Talk is proudly powered by Abbott World Marathon Majors, who create, build and support opportunities for all to discover the power of the marathon community. Learn more at https://www.worldmarathonmajors.com/

Welcome back to Marathon Talk! It’s 2024, and what better way to inspire the year ahead than a fascinating episode featuring a four time world champion - Richard Whitehead MBE.

We learn more from him about his 10 year unbeaten streak in 200m track events, and the training plan that’ll see him to his 6 Star finish in Tokyo.

Also in this jam-packed show, Training Talk returns to kick off your training plans for a spring marathon, and we round up the news from record-breakers and blistering debutants galore!

In this episode of Marathon Talk:

• 0:00 - Martin welcomes back Danny Coyle as a guest host this week, caps off Christmas, and the duo review the start of their 2024 training plans
• 7:00 - Our roundup of the busy holiday season, from a javelin thrower-turned-debutant-winner, a new fastest women’s debut ever, and a road 5k record toppled
• 17:50 - Training Talk returns with a kickstart to your running year, focusing first on laying the essential groundwork for the all-important months leading up to a spring marathon
• 31:15 - Richard Whitehead MBE joins us to detail his remarkable career, from finding his specialism and hunting his 6th star, to world-beating performances and the biomechanics of running as a double amputee

Marathon Talk is proudly powered by Abbott World Marathon Majors, who create, build and support opportunities for all to discover the power of the marathon community. Learn more at https://www.worldmarathonmajors.com/

In 2013, Kelvin Kiptum participated in his first half marathon. 10 years and three game-changing marathons later, his was a World Record to be reckoned with.

A light that shone so incredibly brightly and all too briefly, Kiptum and his coach, Gervais Hakizimana, sadly died on Sunday 11th of February in Kenya.

We’re taking this episode of Marathon Talk to explore the stellar highlights of his career, and share in his irreplaceable impact on the marathon community with Chicago’s Executive Race Director Carey Pinkowski, and Author of Running With The Kenyans, Adharanand Finn.

In this episode of Marathon Talk:

• 0:00 - We take a moment of silence to remember Kelvin & Gervais, relive the moment that he stormed to the finish line at the London Marathon, and follow the journey he took to marathon glory
• 20:00 - Chicago’s Executive Race Director, Carey Pinkowski, joins us to relive the moment that he shattered the fastest time in human history, and discusses the impact that he made on Chicago and the marathon community as a whole
• 36:20 - Kelvin’s performances earned him praise from the community’s greatest, and we parse through some of the most glowing quotes shared in his wake
• 41:00 - Adharanand Finn, Author of Running With The Kenyans, shares his experiences of Gervais & Kelvin’s impact on the community in Kenya, diving into just how family-focused he and his community are

Marathon Talk is proudly powered by Abbott World Marathon Majors, who create, build and support opportunities for all to discover the power of the marathon community. Learn more at https://www.worldmarathonmajors.com/

Abbott World Marathon Majors

https://www.worldmarathonmajors.com/

https://www.instagram.com/wmmajors/

Martin Yelling

https://www.instagram.com/martinyelling/

Deena Kastor

https://www.instagram.com/deena8050/

Adharanand Finn

https://www.instagram.com/adharanand

Olympic years bring the toughest tests for every nation’s athletes, and the coaches who feed such elite talent - coaches like the indomitable Ed Eyestone.

He coaches the only two athletes going into the US Olympic Marathon Trials who’ve hit the Olympic standard of 2:08:10, and this week we discover out the coaching tips that make an Olympic marathon star.

Elsewhere we round up a record-breaking Valencia 10k, Evans Chebet’s potential hat trick in Boston, and training talk this week focuses on tackling life’s unavoidable barriers.

In this episode of Marathon Talk:

• 0:00 - Martin welcomes Deena back to the podcast as we hear how both have inspired their kids to take the running initiative
• 11:45 - All the latest on Evans Chebet’s potential to join Boston’s 3-in-a-row club, and the 10k world record being obliterated in Valencia
• 23:15 - Training Talk this week brings relief to those feeling the pressure of unexpected hurdles in your training plan, whether it’s nagging injuries or winter weather
• 31:10 - Ed Eyestone joins Deena to share his stunning marathon and cross country journey, and the confidence-building tips to elicit an elite performance when it counts

Marathon Talk is proudly powered by Abbott World Marathon Majors, who create, build and support opportunities for all to discover the power of the marathon community. Learn more at https://www.worldmarathonmajors.com/