The Drop

In this episode, Meg and Thomas sit down with Tracksmith CEO Jared Carver and Chief Product & Merchandising Officer Jon Tappan to discuss the brand's future. The group explores Jon and Jared's transition from Converse to a performance running brand and how Tracksmith plans to balance its classic New England heritage with modern sportswear trends. They also discuss future retail expansion, navigating the current "super shoe" tech wars, and Tracksmith's community events and pop-up shop for the upcoming New York City Marathon.

The gang recaps a chaotic but beautiful fall weekend at the Baltimore Running Festival, diving into odd race logistics and the unofficial (but definitely official) controversy over Under Armour's past involvement in the race. They also take a look at the surprisingly lucrative market of selling Boston Marathon medals on eBay, preview the Nike After Dark Half Marathon, and wrap up with conversations about AI, 80s nostalgia, and Halloween candy.SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!PILLAR PERFORMANCEWe've been taking Pillar Performance Collagen Repair almost every morning in our coffee to support the tendons, ligaments, and connective tissue that take a beating when you're running day after day. It's not a quick fix, but a way to support your body long-term so you can keep training and racing without battling little aches and pains. Enter code BITR for 50% off your first-time purchase at pillarperformance.shop.SWIFTWICKYou already know that Swiftwick makes our favorite socks for running, from training to race day and just hanging out. Whether you prefer the ankle socks or the mid-calf, there are plenty of options to keep your feet happy. Get yourself ready for your next run and save 15% off your first purchase with code BELIEVE15: https://swiftwick.com/collections/bel...LMNTIt's cooling off, but you're still working out and sweating, which means you still need electrolytes in the winter. We are currently loving the sparkling slim cans, which deliver half of what's in a standard packet: 500 mg sodium, 100 mg potassium, and 30 mg magnesium. Get your free 8-count LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase: https://drinklmnt.com/thedrop

Alex returned from a week-long trek with Nnormal. She recaps the Where the Water Was project with both the challenges and triumphs. Then, the conversation takes a turn as the crew talks about bathtroom etiquite (both indoor and outdoors. The crew then finishes with their thoughts on the Altra Olypmus 275 HIlo and Olympus 7.

Guest: Rob Gasbarro is a partner/co-owner of Outdoor 76, a shop in Franklin, North Carolina. He has a wealth of experience when it comes to footwear, and he has recently been sharing his knowledge on social media. Taylor and Rob talk about outdoor footwear history and how the boom of trail running has impacted the trajectory of outrdoor footwear for better and worse.

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Lagoon: Sleep is one of the most underrated training components. We've been fans of Lagoon for years and use their custom pillows nightly to support a great night of sleep and, of course, our running. Go to http://lagoonsleep.com/believe to take a quick quiz to find the best pillow for you. Get 15% off your purchase by using code BELIEVE

The gang gets back from Chicago, where we had a ton of fun with On at our Navy Pier shakeout run before spectating the race on Sunday morning. We had some incredible performances from Clayton Young and Vinny Mauri and so many more. Plus, we get some insider info on the whole ultrarunner to OF pipeline. Enjoy!

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LAGOON PILLOWS

Sleep is training. Lagoon Pillow is built around your sleep position and preferences — so you wake up recovered and ready to run. We use them every night and you should too. Find your perfect pillow at lagoonsleep.com/believe

PILLAR

Recently, we’ve been taking PILLAR Triple Magnesium, and honestly, it’s been a game-changer for our sleep and recovery. What really sets PILLAR apart from other micronutrition we’ve tried is that the results feel tangible and measurable. For runners who care about the data but also just want to feel better day to day, PILLAR Triple Magnesium has become a really easy win in our routine. If you want to try PILLAR, you can head to pillarperformance.shop or TheFeed.com/pillar and enter code BITR for 15% off first-time purchases

While Alex is out running around the Great Salt Lake, Taylor and Johnny get all nerdy by discussing pretty much every single detail of a running shoe and its importance to performance. They discuss the key differences between trail and road shoe development. Prior to that, they also talk about their weeks and misadventures they experienced.

Charlie Sweeney was the first American across the line at the 2026 Berlin Marathon, running 2:09. Thomas and Meg talk with him about the race, switching coaches after Boston, his race-day fueling and his road from Maryland high school football to CU Boulder. He also works at COROS, so if you've ever DM'd them, you've probably talked to Charlie.

Chapters

0:00 Intro

1:50 COROS athlete or COROS employee?

3:55 Charlie's dream COROS watch

5:50 Running COROS social media and answering your DMs

10:45 Growing up in Maryland

13:24 From football and basketball to running

20:41 College: Western Colorado and D2 All-American

24:15 Transferring to CU Boulder

26:54 The Boulder running community

31:59 The dream of a big sponsorship

33:54 Is Nike still the top deal?

37:27 Dating a Nike pro (and her prototypes)

41:50 Why the ASICS Metaspeed Sky Tokyo

42:37 How many miles before racing in a super shoe

44:44 The Berlin build: a new coach after Boston

51:19 Race-day fueling: Maurten, SiS and sodium

53:21 Nomio

55:46 Berlin race day

58:34 The pace car playing '90s rock

62:45 Getting caught by Tigst Assefa's pack

68:34 What's next: Houston Half and a spring marathon

Russia has a plague problem, New York has a cheer zone problem, and Thomas apparently has no problem eating his way through ten Taco Bells in 11 hours. This week Thomas, Meg, Robbe and Karl get into NYRR’s new rules for run club cheer zones (RIP confetti cannons), the run club that cleared $640K in a year, Altra’s Legacy Team of runners aged 75 to 85, and Skechers’ new Aero Elite race shoe (machine washable, naturally). Thomas also shares his first impressions of the Nike Apex and SwooshFly, and we put the Asics Gel Slowcush and the Mizuno Sky Prime on the scale to settle which $200 recovery shoe is worth it. Plus, Meg announces LA 100 2.0, and Robbe’s son takes 2nd place in his first cross country race. We’ll see you in Chicago!

BELIEVE IN THE RUN CHICAGO SHAKEOUT

What: Shakeout run with live music from Hollyy, co-hosted with On and Fleet Feet Chicago. Demo On’s LightSpray before race day, and the first 150 runners get a limited-edition BITR x On cap.

When: Saturday, October 10 @ 8:30 a.m. (we’ll be there at 7:30, and hats go fast)

Where: Navy Pier, Chicago, IL

Cost: FREE

https://www.marathon-weekend.com/chicago/2026/events/believe-in-the-run-x-on-shakeout-run

LA 100 2.0

Meg and Meghann are taking 100 women to the LA Marathon again, with a race bib, coaching, nutrition guidance and a VIP race weekend. Applications are open until October 11: https://la100.run/

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SWIFTWICK

Your feet are sweating with all those workouts, so treat them with the best pair of socks for training and race day. We use Swiftwick for all our races, which keep us cool and blister free. Pick up your pair and save 15% off your first purchase with code BELIEVE15: https://swiftwick.com/collections/believe

LMNT

Fall marathon training is in full swing, which means you need more salt than you think you do. Crisp and refreshing, all LMNT flavors deliver 1000 mg sodium, 200 mg potassium, and 60 mg magnesium. And if you’re an insider, you can get the limited-edition Pink Lemonade or Lemonade Iced Tea. Get your free 8-count LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase: https://drinklmnt.com/thedrop

PILLAR PERFORMANCE

Running day after day takes a toll on your tendons, ligaments and connective tissue. Pillar’s Collagen Repair is designed to support all of it, and it’s flavorless, so a scoop or two disappears into your morning coffee. We use it daily. Get 15% off your first purchase with code BITR: https://pillarperformance.shop or https://thefeed.com/pillar

Johnny and Alex help Taylor sort out his thoughts and decisions after a successful trail season. Does he push forward with more racing or does he settle in for winter to work on goals for next year? Then, they chat about the new Veja Harpie, a simple trail shoe with a sustainable focus. Of course, there’s a mix of story telling and nonsense in the mix too.Guest: Dakota and Brianna prepare for two monumental tasks: 1. Running around the Great Salt Lake and 2. Raise awareness for changing climate and living conditions in the area. Alex talks about logistics, motivation, and more about the event starting on October 13.

Thomas and Karl went big in Berlin, running a marathon around the city on a warm race morning. Before that, they swung by the Adidas HQ to look at some wild innovations and cutting edge technologies coming from the brand. Also, they led hundreds of runners through a shakeout run on Saturday, the biggest event on race weekend outside of the marathon. Needless to say, it was busy. Needless to say, they are tired. But they're still standing (in their Adios Pro 5).

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!

LAGOON PILLOWS
Sleep is training. Lagoon Pillow is built around your sleep position and preferences — so you wake up recovered and ready to run. We use them every night and you should too. Find your perfect pillow at lagoonsleep.com/believe

Alex and Taylor are joined by long time friend of the show and now Dirt Division reviewer, Johnny Dodgin! He has an extensive background in endurance sport, marketing, product development, and art that make him a prime example of a gear nerd. Among many other topics, they discuss the Inov8 Trailfly Pro that Johnny had a major role in bringing to life.