Marathon Handbook Podcast

Predicting your marathon race day pace is one of the trickiest parts of training: go out too conservative and you leave time on the table, go out too aggressive and you blow up in the last 10K. This week, Michael, Alex, and Katelyn break down how to use your lactate threshold pace to dial in a Boston Qualifying goal, plus answer listener questions on half marathon pacing, shoe rotation, bouncing back from injury, and more. We also get into the NFL's first-ever regular season game in Sydney and what it teaches runners about traveling to destination majors.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:
This episode is presented by Momentous. Use promo code MARATHON for up to 35% off your first order: https://⁠livemomentous.com

Orion is a personlized cooling sleep system. Right now, Orion is offering our listeners 15% off at orionsleep.com/marathon

Join Marathon Handbook's RunClub for access to our members-only podcast, training plans, community rooms, merch and more: https://marathonhandbook.com/runclub

In this episode of The Marathon Handbook Podcast, hosts Michael Doyle, Alex Cyr, and Katelyn Tocci dig into a stacked listener mailbag covering threshold training vs. easy miles, whether soccer is wrecking a marathon build, the run-walk method debate, how many races is too many, when it's time to hire a coach, and the best shoes for ultrarunning. Also, an exclusive first look at Ultra's brand new Ultra Vanish Carbon 3. Plus, stories from their trip to the Sydney Marathon, including a surprise run-in with Olympic gold medalist Vivian Cheruiyot.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:

Lagoon pillows help us sleep better, so we run better.  Want to try? You can save 15% with code MARATHON. Go to https://LagoonSleep.com/marathonhandbook and take the 2-minute sleep quiz to find your match.  

Right now, Orion is offering our listeners 15% off at orionsleep.com/marathon

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/

Is the Sydney Marathon a fast course, or one that eats you alive? Fresh off the 2026 race, we make both cases, work out how to actually run a PB here, and settle whether the trip across the world is worth it.

Recorded within the hour, with Alex straight from the finish chute at the Opera House and Katelyn tracking her own athletes to two- and seven-minute PBs. Most of the episode is for anyone weighing this race: what those PBs say about how to run the course, why every major should copy the 6:45 a.m. start, the jet-lag protocol that worked, where Sydney lands in a power ranking of the majors for speed, and what race weekend in Sydney is actually like. And yes, the results: the men's course record fell by nearly a minute and a half with seven finishers inside the old mark, Peres Jepchirchir won again, and the shoe wars produced a surprise podium.

Our UTMB instant reaction drops Sunday afternoon ET, then it's Berlin in September, followed by live events in Chicago and New York this fall. Newsletter: https://marathonhandbook.com/newsletter

Our complete 2026 Sydney Marathon preview, reported from the ground in Sydney, plus the full interview with race director Wayne Larden (38:37). The course and how to race it, start times and how to watch, and the deepest elite field Australia has ever hosted.

Katelyn and Alex are in Sydney for race week, Michael joins from Toronto. They break down a men's race led by Sisay Lemma, world champion Alphonce Simbu, and defending champion Hailemaryam Kiros, with a debut from track star Hagos Gebrhiwet, and a women's race that looks like Peres Jepchirchir's to lose. Plus the Harbour Bridge climb, the drop bear conspiracy, and our winner predictions.

Then race director Wayne Larden on Sydney's second year as a World Marathon Major: the interactive race-day map, how to run the course smart (mind the hill at 41K), where to travel after the race, and why to enter the 2027 ballot.

We'll host a live watch-along on our YouTube channel during the race (4:30 p.m. ET Saturday) and drop an instant reaction episode after the finish. Newsletter: https://marathonhandbook.com/newsletter

We're breaking down one of the most-asked-about topics in marathon training: the peak week. Michael and Alex pull back the curtain on what their own peak weeks actually look like (down to the kilometer) and share what they've learned from years of racing (and from picking the brains of elite runners like Eliud Kipchoge and Casey Klinger) about how to build a peak block that makes you stronger, not broken.

Plus: the team splits up as Katelyn and Alex head to Sydney to cover the brand-new Sydney Marathon while UTMB unfolds in Chamonix, and a full fall racing calendar preview covering Berlin, Chicago, New York, and Valencia.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:
This episode is presented by Momentous. Use promo code MARATHON for up to 35% off your first order: https://⁠livemomentous.com

Right now, Orion is offering our listeners 15% off at orionsleep.com/marathon

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 2026 New York City Marathon elite fields just dropped, and Michael and Alex are breaking down every contender... recorded fresh off a workout with Conner Mantz, Casey Klinger, and Clayton Young in Provo, Utah.

On the men's side: defending champion Benson Kipruto, American record holder Zouhair Talbi, and a red-hot Conner Mantz headline a field where 10 athletes have run faster than the current course record. On the women's side: Sifan Hassan looks for redemption after a brutal fall stretch, defending champ Hellen Obiri returns, and a stacked American trio (Jess McLain, Annie Frisbie, Fiona O'Keefe) chases the country's first NYC women's champion since 2009. Plus: a can't-miss marathon debut, a deep dive into what shoes the elites will be wearing on November 1st, and some genuinely bold predictions.

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/

Is it more volume or more speed that makes you a faster runner? This week Michael, Alex, and Katelyn dig into a listener's massive marathon breakthrough (2:47 → 2:30!) after he dropped threshold work and leaned into high weekly mileage instead — and unpack whether that trade-off actually holds up for the rest of us.

Plus: how to keep your training on track while traveling, lifting heavy before race day, choosing between a safe Boston Qualifier and a sub-3 goal, how many miles you should really get out of a pair of running shoes, decoding the "super trainer" shoe category, and Michael finally opens up his own training log.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:
Lagoon pillows help us sleep better, so we run better.  Want to try? You can save 15% with code MARATHON. Go to https://LagoonSleep.com/marathonhandbook and take the 2-minute sleep quiz to find your match.  

Custom insoles made with supershoe foam: visit kilarun.com and use code “marathon” to get $80 off your first order.

Orion is a personlized cooling sleep system. Right now, Orion is offering our listeners 15% off at orionsleep.com/marathon

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/

This week on The Marathon Handbook Podcast, Michael Doyle, Alex Cyr, and Katelyn Tocci tackle a stacked list of listener questions starting with one every marathoner has wondered about: does switching into your super shoes mid-long run actually hurt you on race day? Plus, Alex and Katelyn share the news that they're heading to Australia to cover the Sydney Marathon (and race actual lifeguards on Bondi Beach), a 66-year-old listener's quest to run a fast 800 m, advice on training two marathons just 15 weeks apart, how to keep a young runner in love with the sport, and when it's time to step back up to the marathon distance.

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
2:05 Sydney Marathon trip announcement
10:07 Announcements: Runs Like Hell, Run Club, and The Green Room
22:46 Sponsor: Kila custom insoles
24:49 Back from break: your questions
25:43 Q&A: Training for two marathons 15 weeks apart
38:06 Sponsor: Orion Sleep
39:23 Back from break
39:31 Q&A: Chasing a fast 800m at 66 years old
50:37 Q&A: Coaching a young runner (age 8) who loves the sport
59:33 Q&A: When to return to marathon training
1:10:10 Sponsor: Momentous creatine
1:12:19 Back from break
1:12:34 Q&A: Should you switch shoes mid-long run?
1:34:26 Wrap-up & sign-off

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:
Custom insoles made with supershoe foam: visit kilarun.com and use code “marathon” to get $80 off your first order.

Orion is a personlized cooling sleep system: get up to $400 off at orionsleep.com/marathon

This episode is presented by Momentous. Use promo code MARATHON for up to 35% off your first order: https://⁠livemomentous.com

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/

We're halfway through 2026, and it's time for our mid-year shoe power rankings. Michael and Alex each built their own Top 10 favorite running shoes of the year so far: super shoes, super trainers, daily trainers, and everything in between. Plus, a bonus trail shoe corner at the end.

Chapters:
0:00 Intro — how we're ranking shoes this year
0:38 Alex #10 — Saucony Endorphin Pro 5
3:52 Michael #10 — On Cloudmonster 3 Hyper (Light Spray)
6:40 Alex #9 — Saucony Endorphin Azura
9:50 Michael #9 — Mizuno Wave Rider 30
12:29 Alex #8 — Brooks Hyperion Elite 6
14:50 Michael #8 — Saucony Ride 19
17:22 Alex #7 — On Cloudboom Strike 2
20:51 Michael #7 — Salomon Gravel Concept Shoe
23:45 Alex #6 — Hoka Clifton Pro
29:13 Michael #6 — Adidas EVO SL ATR
32:09 Alex #5 — Adidas Hyperboost Edge
36:44 Michael #5 — Mount to Coast C1
39:59 Alex #4 — Puma Deviate Nitro
43:19 Michael #4 — Brooks Hyperion Elite 6
46:57 Alex #3 — Asics MetaSleek
51:30 Michael #3 — Tracksmith Eliot Rider
57:16 Alex #2 — Saucony Paramount Max
1:01:40 Michael #2 — Mizuno Neo Vista 3
1:07:17 Alex #1 — Asics Superblast 3
1:12:37 Michael #1 — On Cloudboom Strike 2 LS
1:19:05 Bonus: Trail Shoe Corner
1:20:15 Trail #3 — Nike ACG UltraFly 2
1:21:06 Trail #2 — Asics Metaspeed Fuji Trail 2
1:22:07 Trail #1 — Adidas Gravic Speed Ultra 2
1:24:30 Wrap-up & what's coming at year-end

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

Max Jolliffe is one of the most followed ultrarunners on the internet, and in July 2026 he became the fastest man in the 49-year history of Badwater 135, finishing Death Valley's brutal 135-mile course (ending with a 12-mile climb up Mount Whitney Portal Road, in temperatures hitting 118°F) in 20 hours 53 minutes, on his very first attempt.

In this episode, Michael talks to Max about his journey from Newport Beach surf-and-skate culture to ultrarunning champion, the science behind his heat training, his race-day battle for the lead at Badwater, how he balances content creation with elite racing, and why Cocodona has become his "white whale."

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
3:25 Growing up in Newport Beach: surfing, skating, and sports
6:16 Getting sober and finding running almost by accident
8:14 His first marathon: OC Marathon, 2019
10:14 The meteoric rise from marathoner to ultrarunning champion
10:37 Training through COVID and building real consistency
12:13 Racing his way into Badwater (Sean O'Brien 100K to Angeles Crest 100)
14:05 Course recon and race-specific prep for Death Valley
14:58 The science of heat training: core temp, sweat tests, and data
17:28 What it's actually like to run Badwater 135
19:12 Race strategy and the back-and-forth battle
21:41 The darkest night: fighting through stomach issues and self-doubt
23:04 The explosion of content creators in ultrarunning
24:16 Balancing brand partnerships with full-time training
26:14 Running is the new skateboarding
28:59 Project-based running vs chasing competitive results
30:32 Cocodona 250: the race he's never finished, his white whale
31:25 What's next: Kodiak 100, UTMB qualifying, and the Go and More Ultra
32:11 Honeymoon plans in Spain (with a little training on the side)
32:59 What his watch showed during the hottest miles of the race
34:25 Do your feet really cook running on Death Valley asphalt?
35:34 Bucket list races: Western States, Barkley, and Tor des Géants

Follow Max:
https://www.instagram.com/woah_max/

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