The Relay crew is back recapping everything from the 2024 Chicago Marathon weekend — from Conner Mantz’s near-perfect American record run to the grin heard ‘round the world from Jacob Kiplimo.

The crew also covers:

• What it’s like spectating when your videos look like found-footage horror films

• The announcer pronunciation debacles (Tosh vs. Tosh!)

• Mary Ngugi Cooper’s Nala Track Club and why she’s an international icon

• The Chicago Marathon bottle chaos (and the award for smoothest grab)

• Lindsey’s future as the only person qualified to announce OTQs at the finish line

It’s Chicago Marathon week, and the Relay crew runs a full-on snake draft with five-person rosters and XC-style scoring. Matt hosts alongside Erika, Peter, Kofuzi, and Tommie Runz.

As Relay's first-ever Team USA competitor, we couldn't resist the chance to dive deep with Erika into the whole experience, including the heat, humidity, ice hats, and pacing strategies. Sunglasses, after parties, and all things Tokyo.

Running in the heat is TOUGH! But this was a fun one.

If we missed anything leave a question in the comments and we'll ask Erika!

This week on group chat, we have Tommie, Kofuzi, Peter, Erika, and Marcus.

Episode Rundown:

• The extreme Tokyo heat and humidity and how it affected athletes and fans

• Marathon experiences, aid station violations, and Susanna Sullivan’s race

• Standout events: men’s and women’s steeplechase, women’s 800m, men’s 1500m, men’s 400 hurdles

• Mondo Duplantis and the pole vault world record moments

• Team USA relay handoff issues and practice debates

• Controversial DQs, rules enforcement, and racing tactics

• Fred Kerley, Kenny Bednarek, and Enhance Games controversies

• Prize money delays and the frustrations for pro athletes

• Looking ahead to marathon season: Berlin, Chicago, New York

On this week's group chat, Matt Chittim, Peter Bromka, and Lindsey Hein break down all that has happened at the Tokyo World Championships so far!

Today on group chat, we have Lindsey Hein and Peter Bromka. Episode Rundown:

• Erika Kemp in Tokyo — Lindsey and Peter hyping up Erika’s marathon and her confidence, calling her a “crusher” and “pleasant surprise” on the show.

• Brooks’ identity shift — the back-and-forth about Brooks trying to go from “run happy” to “we’re serious now,” with the high school movie training montage analogy.

• Emily Infeld kick talk — Lindsey saying “she’s gonna outkick you” and Peter joking about Beatrice Chebet not letting her hang around.

• ’90s 10K nostalgia — Peter’s rant about missing the days when athletes would “crash out from 3K out” and his VHS/YouTube Haile Gebrselassie & Paul Tergat clip reference.

• Parenting + 5K race story — Lindsey’s kids racing each other, her tough-love cheerleading (“I don’t have water, keep going!”), and Glenn’s mind games between brothers.

In this lively conversation, Lindsey Hein, Erika Kemp, Tommie Runz, and Peter Bromka discuss various topics ranging from recent running events to internet culture and memes. They share hot takes on food preferences, analyze Faith Kipyegon's performance from the Diamond League, the importance of points in track and field, and the dynamics of community track events.

The conversation wraps up with reflections on the challenges of 5K and 10K races and personal anecdotes about their experiences in running, the pressures of performance in the age of social media, and the impact of social media on athletes' performance and mental health.