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2:13 marathoner Craig Leon has notched three consecutive top-15 finishes at World Marathon Majors and this fall will run the Chicago Marathon, where he set his PR last year. Steady improvement is the name of his game, and in Episode 25, Craig shares some of his secrets – including the identity of one speedy pancake. Elsewhere in the episode, we survey this week’s USA Outdoor Championships and the recent Diamond League meet in New York, and Gregg uses a comment about the World Cup to lay out a better future for running.

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Buzunesh Deba, coming off her scintillating, 2:19:59 runner-up performance at the Boston Marathon, is our featured guest on Episode 24. Buzu, who hails from Ethiopia, describes training and racing in her hometown of New York City and offers tips for running a fast 26.2. Turning to the track, we discuss the five-star menu of races at this weekend’s Prefontaine Classic and the plucky Oiselle Instagram photo that drew the ire of the USATF wardrobe cops.

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Running 2:44:50 at the Pittsburgh Marathon, Jane Vongvorachoti of the Central Park Track Club smashed her PR by 15 minutes and nearly qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials and for Thailand’s Olympic team. In our latest podcast Jane charts her path to Rio with the confidence and determination that have fueled her rapid improvement. Elsewhere in the episode we discuss our poll results for Rio, marvel at Nigel Amos, and praise videos on Flotrack Pro. On the soapbox, guest Polly Jones boos the in-race delays at the Vancouver Marathon.

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It’s taper time for Boston marathoners, and Tyler McCandless makes a quick return to cloud259 with advice on how to spend the last week before a race. Elsewhere in episode 22, we ponder how Ryan Hall and Shalane Flanagan will run at Boston, recap the crowning of Wilson Kipsang at the London Marathon, and tell the tale of a toad that stole the hearts of Manchester, England.

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Ben True is set to make his 2014 racing debut on March 15 at the Gate River Run, and in Episode 21 he discusses the upcoming season, the possibility of running a marathon, and how to run a fast 5,000m. We pepper him on a few USATF controversies and one of last year’s more memorable races. Elsewhere in the episode, Brenn reads a telling passage from Alberto Salazar’s book 14 Minutes and compares AlSal to Steve Jobs, Gregg moans about the weather, and we take aim at our British rivals as the Manchester Marathon approaches.

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With a 2:25 personal best, Lisa Stublic has quietly become one of the fastest ever U.S.-born marathoners. In Episode 20, we hear the story of the Columbia grad’s move to Croatia, her breakthrough performances, her scientific approach to training, and her plans for 2014. Elsewhere in the episode, Gregg reads from a book of essays on running at night, and Brenn pines for Rupp versus Willis at their best.

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It’s dueling podcasts as in Episode 19, we welcome Martin Yelling and Tom Williams from the excellent British show Marathon Talk. Yelling and Williams discuss marathoning on the other side of the pond, describe the genesis of Marathon Talk, and share personal anecdotes of breaking three and competing at the top end. It will be us against them in the Race for the Golden Toad at the Manchester Marathon on April 6. Elsewhere in the episode, Brenn frets about falling further into the abyss of social media with his initiation into the worlds of Garmin and Strava.

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There’s been a resurgence in the elite ranks of Canadian marathoning. Lanni Marchant set a new national women’s record at the Toronto Marathon this year, and in episode 18 Reid Coolsaet, one of the Canadian men stalking Jerome Drayton’s 2:10:08 national mark set at Fukuoka in 1975, discusses his near miss at this year’s Fukuoka race. Elsewhere in the show we reveal a spring marathon challenge to the gents at marathontalk across the pond, and Gregg picks his favorite of our soapbox rants from 2013.

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It’s refreshing to see an elite U.S. distance runner take a decidedly different approach when it comes to training and racing. In episode 17 we meet Tyler McCandless, who forgoes long tempo runs, races a ton, trains by feel, and doesn’t sweat blowing up in workouts now and then. Also in the episode, we look at what has been a down year for elite U.S. marathoners, Gregg discusses the book “Anatomy for Runners,” and Brenn gets on the soapbox to preach temperance as Nick Symmonds chases the world record in the Beer Mile.

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Gregg details his race at the Bucks County Marathon in our third episode interlude. After a stomach bug derailed his race at Hartford on Oct. 12, Gregg salvaged his training for another shot at 26.2. Hear how it turned out, and stay tuned for our next unscheduled full episode featuring an elite athlete interview, coming soon.

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