Marathon Talk

In this week's episode, we look at what went down at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, as Tigst Assefa comes within seconds of an historic win, but has she sacrificed too much in pursuit of the record?
And speaking of Berlin, our guest Sam Griffiths was in the German capital this weekend. The Brecon-based runner finished a very respectable 81st place on Sunday, but the story of how he got there is truly inspirational.
We've also got a preview of next week's Bank of America Chicago Marathon.
On this episode of Marathon Talk:
00:00 - Intro
04:42 - We review the 2026 BMW BERLIN-MARATHON
20:03 - We meet Sam Griffiths, who ran a 2:20:26 in Berlin at the weekend, but whose story is so much more. 
58:13 - We preview the Bank of America Chicago Marathon.
Links & References:
Abbott World Marathon Majors | Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
Marathon Talk | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
Martin Yelling | Instagram
Deena Kastor | Instagram
Sam Griffiths | Instagram

With the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON on the horizon, we met a man who is aiming to make it Seven-In-A-Row, the most dominant athlete in the world, a man with over 40 Abbott World Marathon Majors titles to his name, the Swiss Silver Bullet, Marcel Hug.
And staying with wheelchair racing, we're joined by London Marathon's Head of Disability, Michelle Weltman, who has an update for us on how the season has gone as competition steps up with 3 races to go.
On this episode of Marathon Talk:
00:00 - Intro
05:35 - Marathon Talk meets Marcel Hug
35:30 - Michelle Weltman from London Marathon Events joins us to give us an update on the elite wheelchair season. 
51:30 - Preview of the 2026 BMW BERLIN-MARATHON
Links & References:
Abbott World Marathon Majors
Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
Marathon Talk
Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
Martin Yelling | Instagram
Deena Kastor | Instagram
Marcel Hug | Instagram

This past weekend, the 2026 TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS took place, and we have all the news from a big weekend of racing.
There have also been some pretty seismic events in the world of long-distance running in the past fortnight, so we'll be taking a look at them too, plus we're joined by US TV personality Matt James, live from Sydney, to hear more about his marathon journey.
On this episode of Marathon Talk:
00:00 - Intro
00:51 - Martin and Deena talk about UTMB and more
05:52 - Yomif Kejelcha breaks the Half Marathon World Record in Buenos Aires
07:53 - Sabastian Sawe pulls out of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON
10:35 - A review of TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS with David Macnamara from Abbott World Marathon Majors in Sydney
25:48 - Marathon Talk meets Matt James
54:06 - Wrapping up
Links & References:
Abbott World Marathon Majors
Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
Marathon Talk
Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
Martin Yelling | Instagram
Deena Kastor | Instagram
Matt James | Instagram

As the 2026 Abbott World Marathon Majors season returns after its summer break, attention turns to the TCS Sydney Marathon.
Joining us on this week's show, we welcome a legend of Australian marathon running. Lisa Weightman is an Olympian, representing Australia at the Beijing, London, Rio and Tokyo Games and has also competed at multiple World Championships and Commonwealth Games.
We've also got news from the European Championships in Birmingham, and Martin & Deena share stories from their recent trip to Boulder, Colorado. All this, and more, on the latest episode of Marathon Talk.
On this week's show:
00:00 - Intro
00:51 - Martin and Deena tell us about what they have been up to while we've been off
09:48 - European Championships
13:58 - A recap of the Abbott World Marathon Majors series so far
17:33 - TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS race preview
23:00 - Marathon Talk meets Lisa Weightman
57:34 - Wrapping up
Links & References:
Abbott World Marathon Majors
Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
Marathon Talk
Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
Martin Yelling | Instagram
Deena Kastor | Instagram
Lisa Weightman | Instagram

We're getting ready to take a short break for the summer, but as is now tradition, we're joined by David Macnamara from Abbott World Marathon Majors for our mid-season quiz.
Have Martin and Deena been paying attention over the last 12 months, and can they answer David's moderately difficult questions? 
Who will be this year's winner? Find out on the latest episode of Marathon Talk.
00:00 - Intro
08:48 - Round 1 | Tokyo
11:20 - Round 2 | Boston
15:31 - Round 3 | London
21:41 - Round 4 | Cape Town
24:33 - Round 5 | Sydney
29:34 - Round 6 | Berlin
34:25 - Round 7 | Chicago
40:05 - Round 8 | New York
Links & References:
Abbott World Marathon Majors
Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
Marathon Talk
Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
Martin Yelling | Instagram
Deena Kastor | Instagram