Last year at the Paris Olympics, just 7 of the 17 distance runners on Canada’s Olympic team were training at home. Faced with limited opportunities in their home country, many of Canada’s best and brightest track stars have made the decision to move elsewhere in search of better competition, warmer weather, and the chance to make a viable career out of running fast. 

Yet while athletes from the rest of the country have flocked elsewhere in their quest for success, one small program has bucked the trend. Under the guidance of Athletics Québec’s young provincial team head coach, Félix-Antoine Lapointe, a small but mighty group in Québec City has ushered in a renaissance for Canadian-based distance running excellence. 

While Quebec placed just one athlete on the Olympic team in Tokyo in 2021, that number sky-rocketed to 7 last summer in Paris. Leading the charge were Coach Félix and the trio of Charles Philibert-Thiboutot (1500m), Jean-Simon Desgagnés (3000m SC) & Thomas Fafard (5000m), Quebec provincial record holders who not only made it to Paris, but advanced out of the qualifying rounds in their respective events.

Today on The Shakeout Podcast we sit down with Coach Félix and the athlete whose career started it all, Charles Philibert Thiboutot, to discuss the rapid rise of the Quebec program, the unique relationship between the two, and how the model they helped build together has now extended to the next generation of Canadian-based distance running stars.

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Charles Philibert-Thiboutot @CharlesPT

Félix-Antoine Lapointe @CoachLapointe

This week on The Shakeout Podcast we sit down with Brad Culp, author of the newly released book The Norwegian Method: The culture, science, and humans behind the groundbreaking approach to endurance training. 

Brad takes us on a deep dive into how a tiny Scandinavian country has managed to produce such world beaters as Double-Olympic champion Jakob Ingebritsen and why the same principles that have become a staple for pro-runners the world over might be the secret to your next breakthrough.

From double-threshold training to blood lactate testing, this episode is all about going deep on the science behind the Norwegian method, and why slowing down in training could be the recipe for faster times on race day.

Whether you're a double-threshold disciple or just figuring out the heart-rate function on your watch, this episode gives you the knowledge to apply Norway's game-changing philosophy to your own endurance training.

Purchase The Norwegian Method here

Brad Culp: @BBCulp

Cover Photo Credit: Nick Iwanyshyn

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This week on The Shakeout Podcast we sit down with Kelowna BC's Emilie Mann, one of the top Canadian's on the Ultra scene today.

Fresh off a podium performance at the Desert Rat's 100km in Utah, Emilie joins the show to talk about her ascent on the ultra trail running scenes, from initial success at "shorter" distances to finding her stride as the miles drag along into triple-digit territory.

Emilie shares with us from her incredible breakthrough performance at last September's Run Rabbit Run 100 Miler, where she not only bested a world-class field but came away with a course record in her first completion of the 100 mile distance. 

Also on the show, Rory Linkletter rejoins the Shakeout in the wake of his historic 6th-place finish at the Boston Marathon this past Monday, where his 2:07:02 finishing time was the quickest ever recorded by a Canadian at Boston, as well as the second fastest Canadian marathon performance of all time.  

Timeline

Rory Linkletter 1:37 @rory_linkletter

Emilie Mann 13:00 @emilieesara

The Shakeout Podcast returns with a special Boston Marathon-edition of The Rundown, featuring Canadian Olympian and 2025 Boston Elite-field competitor Rory Linkletter.

This week on the show, Rory joins host John Gay to discuss his training leading into Boston, and what makes the 129-year old event like no other marathon in the world.

As part of this Rundown episode, John is also joined by first-time guests Paula Roberts Banks and Kristian Jamieson, two 2025 Boston Qualifiers who share their unique perspectives on the marathon and it's importance to Canadians.

TIMELINE

Rory Linkletter - 2:00 @rory_linkletter

Paula Roberts Banks - 24:43 https://www.paulabanks.ca

Kristian Jamieson - 36:49 @kristian.j1

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This week on the Shakeout Podcast  we welcome back Jennifer Sygo, registered dietitian and sports nutritionist to the Canadian Olympic Track & Field teams in Tokyo & Paris.

Jen joins the show to discuss her work in helping athletes of all ability levels reach their goals through nutrition, offering tangible, real world advice to put food to work towards training, recovery, and race day performance.

With over 20 years of experience working with elite athletes, Jen shares some of her favourite tips that all runners can use as they prep for their next race as well as giving an inside scoop on some of the exciting new areas of research in the field of sports nutrition.

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This week on the Shakeout Podcast we're joined by Evan Dunfee, 3xOlympian, Global medallist and, as of last week, World Record Holder in the 35km Race Walk.

A Canadian National Team standout for well over a decade, Evan owns national, area, and world records in the race walk in distances ranging from 3000m all the way to 50km and has been at the forefront of Canadian athletics as a role model and advocate for many years.=

On this week's episode Evan takes us through his record-breaking walk in in Dudince, Slovakia last week and shares insights from his extensive career on training, staying motivated, and the importance of an incredible support system in propelling him to the heights of success.

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The return of the Rundown! In this special edition of The Shakeout Podcast, host John Gay is joined by Canadian Running staff writers Cameron Ormond and Marley Dickinson to recap an exciting winter of racing on the indoor oval and set the stage for the fast-approaching spring season on the track and roads.

2025 got off to a flying start and the team at CR takes you through their favourite moments thus far, from Canadian dominance at NCAAs to Sarah Mitton's title defence at the World Indoor Championships and Evan Dunfee's incredible new World record.

With a full slate of pro meets and marathon majors coming up, Cami, Marley & John also break down some of the biggest storylines heading into the Spring, including which Canadian's to keep an eye on along the road to the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo this summer. 

This week on the Shakeout Podcast we sit down with Jake Barraclough, the man behind the wildly popular YouTube channel RanToJapan.

Looking to take his running to the next level, Jake uprooted his life in the UK to move full-time to Japan and embrace the country's unique approach to marathon training, all while documenting the journey on YouTube. 16 months, and many thousands of kilometres of training, later, his gamble has paid off with huge personal bests at the Marathon and Half Marathon and a captivated fan base from across the globe.

Jake joins TheShakeout to share his motivations for moving to Japan, the mind-bending training behind his rapid upward progression, and what makes the Japanese running scene unlike anywhere else in the world.

Subscribe to The Shakeout Podcast feed on Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, or wherever you find your podcasts. You can find us @shakeoutpodcast on Instagram, Facebook, and X and Jake @RanToJapan

This week on the Shakeout Podcast we sit down with bestselling author, researcher, and performance coach Steve Magness to discuss his new book "Win the Inside Game: How to Move from Surviving to Thriving, and Free Yourself Up to Perform".

Steve shares with us his own journey from high school phenom to coach to author and how his own experiences grappling with extrinsic motivators led him towards exploration, creativity, and realigning his identity in order to be the best version of himself. We examine some of the pitfalls of going "all in" on a performance-based mindset as well as how incorporating play and curiosity into training can yield the greatest results.

Subscribe to The Shakeout Podcast feed on Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, or wherever you find your podcasts. You can find us @shakeoutpodcast on Instagram, Facebook, and X and Steve Magness @Stevemagness.

The founders of Toronto's Girls Run the 6ix Run Club join the show to discuss the importance of creating spaces for women to foster female friendships in the running world. Jill Amirault and Claire Milburn met through a shared desire to find more female friends to run with amidst a lack of opportunities in the run club scene. What began as a few women getting together to brave the early morning cold of December in Toronto has grown into a thriving community where all women are welcome and where running is only the beginning.

On the show, Jill and Claire discuss the origins of Girls Run the 6ix, the power of running to build community, and the need for all-female spaces to create meaningful relationships. We also talk about what goes into taking a run club from idea to reality and some of the exciting ways that Girls Run the 6ix are transcending the sport to support their community in other facets of their lives.

You can find out more about GRT6 @girlsrunthe6ix on Instagram or by emailing [email protected]

Subscribe to The Shakeout Podcast feed on Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, or wherever you find your podcasts and follow @canadianrunning and @shakeoutpodcast for more storytelling from the running world.