Marathon Handbook Podcast

The Running Story is Marathon Handbook’s weekly news recap show with Michael Doyle and Jessy Carveth. This week we break down Des Linden’s big 2026 announcement—she’s heading to the Sahara for the Marathon des Sables (00:35), then celebrate Dot McMahan’s remarkable Houston Marathon performance as the 49-year-old hits the U.S. Olympic Trials qualifying standard for a record sixth Trials appearance (04:29). We also cover a frightening situation at the Winter Spine, where human rights advocate Sarah Porter was removed from the event after death threats were received (06:46). Next up: Molly Seidel storms into the ultra world by winning the Bandera 50K outright and smashing the course record in her ultra debut, plus a look ahead to Black Canyon and the Western States “golden ticket” path (09:58). We wrap with a lighter one—Ed Sheeran revealing he’s a runner, and the bigger trend of pop stars embracing running (14:03). 
#Running #Marathon #Ultrarunning #TrailRunning #TrackAndField #RunningNews #MarathonHandbook #DesLinden #MollySeidel #EdSheeran

In this Marathon Handbook Podcast episode, Michael Doyle, Katelyn Tocci, and Alex Cyr unpack what actually defines a long run—and how long is “long” for different goals (00:07). After some pre-run chaos (Patriots/Boston accent talk) (01:14), Alex breaks down his Houston Half Marathon PR and the wild sub-elite start experience (07:03), including pacing strategy and the trio finish (21:17). Then the crew goes deep on long-run philosophy: how to structure it across a training block, when to add quality like fast finishes or marathon-pace intervals, and why many runners cap the long run around three hours (30:13) (53:10). They also cover fueling basics—carbs per hour, gels, gut training, and modern trends like hydrogels (1:15:16) (1:23:23), before Coach Katelyn lists common long run mistakes (too fast, skipping fueling, skipping deload weeks, poor recovery, and more) (1:30:22). Mailbag submissions are open at [email protected] (1:48:55), and Katelyn teases a 10-mile race update for next week (1:51:46).
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📩 Questions about training, race previews, or to send us your hot takes? Email us at [email protected].
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#running #marathontraining #longrun #halfmarathon #10ktraining #5ktraining #runners #runningtips #endurance #fueling

The Running Story returns with a jam-packed week in running. Michael Doyle and Jessy Carveth break down a stunning Houston Half Marathon debut (00:45), major American and Canadian breakthroughs (02:55), and standout performances across both Houston marathons, including Sarah Hall’s incredible run at age 42 (04:10). The show then pivots to the rise of the grassroots Burrito League replacing the Chipotle Strava Challenge (06:50), Beatrice Chebet stepping away from the track in 2026 and what it means for the 5,000m and 10,000m landscape (10:15), a controversial ultra runner’s Mission America challenge and Badwater 135 bid (13:45), and record-breaking performances at the Valencia 10K in Spain (16:50). Everything runners need to know — in one weekly recap.
#RunningNews #Marathon #HalfMarathon #TrackAndField #UltraRunning
#RunningPodcast #MarathonHandbook #Strava #RoadRunning #EliteRunning

Who will shape the future of running in 2026? In this episode of the Marathon Handbook Podcast, Michael Doyle, Katelyn Tocci, and Alex Cyr rank the 26 most influential people in running for the year ahead — from global superstars like Sifan Hassan and Eliud Kipchoge to behind-the-scenes power players at Nike, Strava, World Athletics, and the World Marathon Majors. We debate celebrity runners like Harry Styles (48:50), analyze the future of super shoes and Nike’s leadership (48:50–54:30), break down the rise of Conner Mantz (54:30), and explain why Sifan Hassan earns the top spot (01:11:00). Plus, plenty of honorable mentions, strong opinions, and classic Marathon Handbook banter along the way.
This episode is brought to you by the Wahoo’s KICKR RUN – go to https://⁠wahoofitness.com⁠ and use promo code MHRUN to get a free $319 KICKR Headwind Fan with your treadmill order
📩 Questions about training, race previews, or to send us your hot takes? Email us at [email protected].
🎤 Leave us a voice memo for our mailbag episodes: marathonhandbook.com/podcast
📸 Instagram: @marathon.handbook
📰 Join 265,000+ runners getting our daily newsletter: marathonhandbook.com/newsletter
#RunningPodcast #MarathonHandbook #RunningNews #MarathonRunning
#SifanHassan #EliudKipchoge #FaithKipyegon #RunningCulture
#TrackAndField #MarathonTraining

NOTE FOR SUBSCRIBERS:
This is a bonus, inaugural episode of a new weekly podcast we’re piloting called The Running Story. For the next few weeks, you’ll receive this show in the Marathon Handbook feed on Mondays alongside our regular Thursday podcast. We’d love your feedback — email us at [email protected]. More new podcast projects are coming in 2026.
Welcome to the first episode of The Running Story, a new weekly running news podcast from Marathon Handbook.

Hosted by Michael Doyle and Jessy Carveth, this show breaks down four to five of the most important and interesting stories from the past week in the sport and culture of running. Each episode is designed to get you up to speed quickly — under 30 minutes — with context, analysis, and conversation around the stories runners are already talking about.
In this inaugural episode, we cover:
• The Tokyo Hakone Ekiden, Japan’s biggest running event
• The rebrand of the NN Running Team
• Ultra legend Ann Trason’s remarkable multi-day run
• Shelby Houlihan’s controversial trail racing debut
• Truett “Jeans Guy” Haynes and his Olympic Trials ambitions
This podcast is released weekly on Mondays, in addition to the regular Marathon Handbook Podcast on Thursdays.