The Rundown returns for this week's episode of the Shakeout Podcast. John Gay is joined by Canadian Running staff writer Marley Dickinson to recap the action from last week's Canadian National Championships and do a deep dive into who's in, who's out, and who's on the qualifying bubble for the 2025 World Athletics championships in Tokyo next month.

Later on the show, we catch up with newly-minted Canadian 1500m Champion, 21 year old Max Davies. After missing the outdoor seasons in 2023 and 2024 with injury, Max is back and better than ever in 2025, outkicking an elite field of Canadian middle-distance talent to win his first senior national title last week in Ottawa. With his eyes set on a qualifying mark for Tokyo, he joins the show to discuss his return from injury, his record breaking season, and how he's leaned into his status as the dark horse in the hotly contested qualifying battle for Canadian team heading to Tokyo. 

Subscribe to The Shakeout Podcast feed on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts.

Follow The Shakeout Podcast @shakeoutpodcast

Huge thank you to this week's sponsor Altitude Sports. Shop now and enjoy up to 20% off your first order with the promo code “shakeout” Click here to order 👉 https://bit.ly/altitude-shakeout

Conditions apply: Valid for a limited time on regular-priced items. Cannot be combined with other offers or the member discount. One use per customer.

TIMELINE

0:00 - Rundown of Canadians qualifying for Tokyo ft. Marley Dickinson

1:04:17 - Canadian 1500m National Champion & U23 Record Holder Max Davies 

Cover Photo: @johnwithlenses

This week on The Shakeout Podcast we bring you a conversation between Brian Beckstead, founder of pioneering low and no-drop running shoe maker Altra, and Canadian Running staff writer Marley Dickinson. 

Brian joins the show for a conversation about his own journey in the sport, recapping how his years-long struggle with recurring injuries and decade-plus of experience in the run specialty retail world combined to form the kernel of Altra’s innovative approach to shoe design.

From their origins creating a shoe that emphasized natural movement through their signature low-drop, natural toe-box fit to the continuing innovation at the heart of the company today, tune it to hear how Brian and his team are on a mission to help athletes of all abilities run faster, further, and more naturally by using their feet the way nature intended. 

Checkout Altra

Subscribe to The Shakeout Podcast feed on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts.

Follow The Shakeout Podcast @shakeoutpodcast

This week on the Shakeout Podcast we're joined by Kelowna, BC's Jerome Blake, a member of Canada's Olympic Gold medal-winning 4x100m relay and the fastest man in Canada this year in the lead up to this weekend's Canadian Track & Field Championships in Ottawa.

A core member of Canada's dominant 4x100 relay team throughout its multi-year global medal streak, Blake has announced himself as a contender in the individual events as well, becoming just the 6th man in Canadian history to eclipse the 10-second barrier in the 100m with his 9.97 clocking in Dessau, Germany last month.

Tune in this week as Jerome shares about the changes in training and mindset that led to a breakout season and why he believes the best is yet to come as he eyes his first national title this weekend in Ottawa at the Canadian Track & Field Championships.

Thanks to this week's sponsor Altitude Sports. Shop now at Altitude Sports and enjoy up to 20% off your first order with the promo code “shakeout” Click here to order 👉 https://bit.ly/altitude-shakeout

Conditions apply: Valid for a limited time on regular-priced items. Cannot be combined with other offers or the member discount. One use per customer.

Subscribe to The Shakeout Podcast feed on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts.

Follow Jerome @_jeromeblake

Follow The Shakeout Podcast @shakeoutpodcast

In part 2 of our series on gender equality in road races we sit down with Canada Running Series CEO and TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon race director Charlotte Brookes. 

After noticing a sharp drop off in female marathon participation post-pandemic, Charlotte and her team at CRS set out to address the decline, with the aim of bringing more gender parity to starting lines across CRS events. At the heart of their initiative has been their "Women's Training Program"  in partnership with Mile2Marathon, offering a free 16-week training plan to all female participants in the marathon and half-marathon events at Toronto Waterfront.

Now in it's second year, the program has seen participation quadruple since it's inception in 2024 and with it a growing community of motivated female participants supporting one another on their journey to the finish line this October 19th. 

Tune in this week to hear more about the work Charlotte and her team at CRS are doing as well as how her own experience as a new mother and runner has given her wider perspective on the needs of female athletes. 

You can find part 1 of our series here. 

Thanks to this week's sponsor Altitude Sports. Shop now at Altitude Sports and enjoy up to 20% off your first order with the promo code “shakeout” Click here to order 👉 https://bit.ly/altitude-shakeout

Conditions apply: Valid for a limited time on regular-priced items. Cannot be combined with other offers or the member discount. One use per customer.

You can sign up for the Women's Training program for free by clicking here: https://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/womens-training-program/

For more information on the Toronto-area run clubs supporting TWM's initiatives, as well as TCS Toronto Waterfront's women's training program partners, checkout the links below:

Kardia - https://www.instagram.com/kardiaathletica?igsh=Zjg4NDhraXplYXcz

Chix Run the 6ix - https://www.instagram.com/chixrunthe6ix?igsh=bm50dDUxY2VnNG03

Badass Lady Gang - https://www.instagram.com/badassladygang?igsh=OXExeG8yeGZqeGNx

Hill Run Club - https://www.instagram.com/hillstudiowellness?igsh=aXd4Z3o0ZGdhbTg4

Partners for the program:

https://www.instagram.com/asicscanada?igsh=d3Y5ZzQxbTAxZXc=

https://www.instagram.com/mile2marathon?igsh=MTdmemdsbmZ3dGM1bw==

Subscribe to The Shakeout Podcast feed on Apple , Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts.

Despite rising total participation in road races, the gap between male and females toeing the line is growing. 

This week on the Shakeout Podcast we bring you part one of our two part series examining the gender gap in road race participation. Joining the show today is Dr. Sasha Gollish, co-host of the “Strong Girl Talk” Podcast, author of the Yellow Running Shoe newsletter, and Chartered Professional Coach (ChPC). 

A Canadian masters record holder, Canadian University Champion, and multi-time Canadian National team member on the road, track, and trail Sasha has long been a champion of promoting gender equity and initiatives that support higher female participation in athletics. 

She joins us today to share her perspective from a lifetime of involvement in running, and highlight some of the promising initiatives currently underway. Stay tuned for part 2 next week, where we'll sit down with TCS Toronto Waterfront Race Director Charlotte Brookes to hear about the initiatives she and her race organizing team are championing to actively support female athletes.

Thanks to this week's sponsor Altitude Sports. Shop now at Altitude Sports and enjoy up to 20% off your first order with the promo code “shakeout” Click here to order 👉 https://bit.ly/altitude-shakeout

Conditions apply: Valid for a limited time on regular-priced items. Cannot be combined with other offers or the member discount. One use per customer.

Follow Sasha  ⁨@SGollishRuns⁩  and at the "Strong Girls Talk" Podcast 

Follow us @ShakeoutPodcast on Facebook, Instagram, X & YouTube

Cover Photo Credit: @_Nikkiross 

Youtube LInk: 

This episode is brought to you by Altitude Sports! Shop now at Altitude Sports and enjoy up to 20% off your first order with the promo code “shakeout” Click here to order 👉 https://bit.ly/altitude-shakeout

Conditions apply: Valid for a limited time on regular-priced items. Cannot be combined with other offers or the member discount. One use per customer.

This week on The Shakeout Podcast we welcome back multiple-time Canadian Record holder and 2xOlympian Gabriela DeBues-Stafford. After consecutive injury-plagued seasons that left her just short of qualifying for her third Olympic team in Paris last summer, she joins us from her new training base in Edinburgh, Scotland on the heels of a scorching fast 14:47 clocking in the 5000m that has earned her a qualifying mark for the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo. 

Gabriela takes us through the process of coming back from injury and how she's rediscovered her knack for racing under the guidance of husband and newly-appointed coach Rowan DeBues-Stafford. Tune in this week to hear more about her decision to move to Europe, the potential for a 1500m-5000m double, and what it means to be eyeing a return to Tokyo and the Olympic Stadium after years spent battling injury. 

Follow Gabriela @GabrielaStafford

With the long-time challenges faced by the queer community being amplified by increasingly hostile rhetoric at home and globally, and the shocks of lost funding as many long-time Pride sponsors dial back or withdraw corporate donations, the Toronto run club community has taken a stand, serving as a driving force in the fundraising efforts long at the heart of Toronto’s Pride & Remembrance Run.

This week on The Shakeout Podcast we sit down with Siphelele Danisa and Jocelyn Riet, two local organizers in Toronto's queer running community. They share from their unique experience with organizations like Frontrunners and Queer Run Club, and how the movement that is still very much in its infancy has embraced a central role in bringing awareness, a sense of belonging, and crucial financial support to Toronto’s Pride movement. 

You can find out more about the Pride & Remembrance Run on June 29th at https://www.priderun.org/

Get connected with Toronto Queer running clubs on social media:

Frontrunners Toronto

Queer Run Club Toronto

With hotter temperatures arriving across Canada, runners from Coast to Coast are being reminded of the added toll heat takes on their bodies. From easy jogs to all out races, the summer sun can prove to be the greatest competition many athletes will face, but might it also hold the potential to be their biggest ally?

This week on The Shakeout Podcast we welcome back Dr. Trent Stellingwerff, renowned sport scientist, coach, and chief performance officer for the Canadian Sport Institute. Having spear-headed athlete heat adaptation programs for many of Canada’s Olympic and World Championship teams, Trent brings his knowledge of heat training to the masses. 

Whether you’re looking to beat the heat at your next summer road race, or use the hot summer months as your secret weapon in the buildup to a fall marathon, Trent shares the real-world applications of heat training gained from a career working with the world’s best athletes, helping you use embrace the heat like a pro.

Subscribe to The Shakeout Podcast feed on Apple , Spotify  , YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts.

Timeline

Why we slow down in the heat - The Science of Heat Training: 1:56

How to beat the heat - Strategies for dealing with extreme heat: 15:56

Putting the heat to work for you - Using heat as a tool to maximize performance: 21:59

Altitude and heat - How running hot mimics living high: 29:38

How to prepare - Training applications for race day performance: 35:06

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.

Subscribe to The Shakeout Podcast feed on Apple , Spotify  , YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts.

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

Subscribe to The Shakeout Podcast feed on Apple , Spotify  , YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts.