Marathon Handbook Podcast

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Michael Doyle and Jessy Carveth, live from Berlin, react to a dramatic 2026 Berlin Marathon. Tigst Assefa was 10 seconds ahead of world record pace at 40K and on track to break Ruth Chepngetich's 2:09:56. Then an apparent right Achilles injury left her limping through the final 2K. She still finished in 2:11:04, a course record and the third-fastest women's marathon in history, and Haile Gebrselassie was the first to help her at the finish line.
On the men's side, 35-year-old Guye Adola won his second Berlin title in 2:02:50, knocking almost a minute off a personal best that had stood since 2017. Michael and Jessy go through both podiums, Rosemary Wanjiru's fade, and Adidas sweeping the women's podium in the Adios Pro Evo 3 and a new speed suit with the bib built in. They also cover Sabastian Sawe missing the race, the warm conditions, and whether Berlin should move to an earlier start time.
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Tickets for our live show, MILE ZERO presented by Zappos: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/marathon-handbook-live-mile-zero-presented-by-zappos-chicago-2026-tickets-2001880670976
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What happens when the world's most popular marathon runs on two days? London Marathon CEO Hugh Brasher sits down with Jessy Carveth to talk about the 2027 Double London Marathon: 45,000 runners on Saturday, 55,000 on Sunday, and a one-time-only weekend that could be the biggest in the history of marathon running.
Join our Chicago Shakeout Run on 10th Oct: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2002027257420
Tickets for our live show, MILE ZERO presented by Zappos: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/marathon-handbook-live-mile-zero-presented-by-zappos-chicago-2026-tickets-2001880670976
Join Marathon Handbook’s RunClub for access to our members-only podcast, training plans, community rooms, merch and more: https://marathonhandbook.com/runclub
Shop Marathon Handbook Merch: https://store.marathonhandbook.com
Subscribe to our newsletter:
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What does it take to believe you can run a sub-two-hour marathon? Bestselling author Brad Stulberg (The Way of Excellence, Master of Change, The Practice of Groundedness) joins Michael Doyle, Alex Cyr and Katelyn Tocci to talk about the running mindset.
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This episode is presented by Momentous. Use promo code MARATHON for up to 35% off your first order: https://⁠livemomentous.com
Brad's work:
https://www.bradstulberg.com/
https://www.instagram.com/bradstulberg/
Join our Chicago Shakeout Run on 10th Oct: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2002027257420
Tickets for our live show, MILE ZERO presented by Zappos: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/marathon-handbook-live-mile-zero-presented-by-zappos-chicago-2026-tickets-2001880670976
Join Marathon Handbook's RunClub for access to our members-only podcast, training plans, community rooms, merch and more: https://marathonhandbook.com/runclub
Shop Marathon Handbook Merch: https://store.marathonhandbook.com
Send us a question:
https://marathonhandbook.com/podcast/
Join our newsletter:
https://marathonhandbook.com/newsletter/

The Nike Alphafly 4 is here, the first update to the franchise in two years and eight months, and we have had our hands on it since November. Michael Doyle and Alex Cyr go through the full spec sheet, every change from the Alphafly 3, and whether Nike has done enough to stay competitive at the top of the super shoe market.
The Alphafly 4 retails for $275, which is $10 below what the Alphafly 3 launched at. Stack height is 39mm in the heel and 31mm in the forefoot, an 8mm drop, and it weighs 7.33 ounces in a men's size 10, with Nike rating it for roughly 300 miles. The carbon plate is wider, the Zoom Air units are 30 percent lighter, and the foam carries a new name, Zoom XLT.
That weight is where the conversation gets interesting. The Adidas Adizero Pro Evo 3 weighs 4.3 ounces, and most of the current super shoe field sits under seven. We talk through whether the Alphafly 4 can be taken seriously at the front of a race, or whether Nike has built it for everyone else and is holding its real answer back for a shoe reported to be called the Apex.
Along the way: every prototype sighting from Conner Mantz in Chicago to Jacob Kiplimo in London, a power ranking of the super shoe market as it stands, the cost per mile math that makes the Alphafly 4 look like a bargain, a round of over/unders on what the shoe does this fall, and whether either of us would actually race in it.
CHAPTERS
(00:00) It's Alphafly 4 Day
(02:03) First Impressions Holding the Shoe
(05:45) What Nike Changed Underfoot
(07:55) The Spec Sheet: $275 and 39mm
(10:10) Rated for 300 Miles
(11:41) Zoom XLT and the Pebax Reveal
(12:31) The Weight Problem
(14:18) How It Stacks Up Against Its Rivals
(15:37) Why the Alphafly 3 Was a Gold Mine
(18:30) They Finally Fixed the Squeak
(20:05) Where We Spotted the Prototypes
(22:00) Every Podium It Has Already Won
(23:04) The Sifan Hassan Mystery
(23:57) The Zero Drop Prototype
(25:51) Power Ranking the Elite Super Shoes
(29:29) Where the Alphafly 4 Slots In
(32:04) 92 Cents a Mile vs $6 a Mile
(34:30) Hot Take: Best Seller in Six Months
(36:22) The Apex, Nike's Real Answer
(41:41) Over/Unders and Bold Predictions
(46:57) Is Nike Done?
(51:28) Would We Race In It?
(55:40) Coming Next: Brett Schoolmeester
Our full review is coming once test pairs arrive. Next week we talk to Brett Schoolmeester, Nike's vice president of innovation.
Watch this episode on YouTube: [CHANNEL LINK]
Newsletter: [NEWSLETTER LINK]

This week Michael, Katelyn, and Alex tackle a stacked mailbag of listener questions covering the toughest parts of marathon training: the ones that aren't about splits and mileage. From surviving a brutal race-day side stitch to managing pre-race anxiety to figuring out whether to trust your heart rate or your gut, this episode digs into the mental side of the sport as much as the physical.
RPE Chart:
https://marathonhandbook.com/rate-of-perceived-exertion/
Side Stitch Article:
https://marathonhandbook.com/side-stitch-wont-go-away/
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Join Marathon Handbook's RunClub for access to our members-only podcast, training plans, community rooms, merch and more: https://marathonhandbook.com/runclub
Shop Marathon Handbook Merch: https://store.marathonhandbook.com
Send us a question:
https://marathonhandbook.com/podcast/
Join our newsletter:
https://marathonhandbook.com/newsletter/