May 10, 2025

Behind Breaking2: Dr. Brad Wilkins PhD on Human Limits, Eliud Kipchoge’s Mindset, and the Science of the Impossible + What YOU Can Learn From It All

59 minutes

What does it take to break one of the most iconic barriers in sports history?

Brad Wilkins, lead scientist on Nike’s Breaking2 project, joins the show to pull back the curtain on the science, strategy, and soul behind chasing the sub-two-hour marathon.

Dr. Wilkins currently serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Physiology at the University of Oregon. He is the Director of the Oregon Performance Research Laboratory (OPRL); his research focuses on the physiological limits of human performance.

Here is a link to his work. Check it out and work with them if it's of interest: https://oprl.uoregon.edu

Dr. Wilkins explores thermoregulation, neural control of the cardiovascular system, the impact of product interventions on performance outcomes–just to name a few. The work he has done in this field has led to over 40 published manuscripts and patents.

Dr. Wilkins received his Ph.D. from the University of Oregon and has also worked at the Mayo Clinic. He has been an accomplished scientist at Nike for 10 years now, and led the scientific team for the Breaking2 project, where he was instrumental in coordinating the various scientific disciplines involved in the project. (Eliud Kipchoge, Lelisa Desisa, and Zersenay Tadese attempted to break two hours in the marathon and narrowly missed the mark, with Kipchoge running a 2:00:25.)

Tap into the Brad Wilkins Special.

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https://oprl.uoregon.edu

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By Dominic Schlueter

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