The Shakeout Podcast

This week on The Rundown we bring you all the recent west coast excitement. We cover results from the Harry Jerome International Track Classic, the Vancouver Half Marathon, and the Multi-Grouse Grind. We also dish on the Toronto Pride Run, the Broken Arrow Skyrace, and yet another teenage sprint phenom! 

This week on The Rundown we're joined by Canadian marathon record-holder and Olympian Cam Levins. Cam helps us break down the news and results of the week from the track, trails and road. We also ask him about his training, his hairdo, his doppelganger Malcolm Gladwell, and what it was like being in Toronto for the Raptors' victory.

This week we cover the Rabat Diamond League where Gabriela Stafford, Andre De Grasse and Crystal Emmanuel had brilliant showings. We also bring you the excitement from the Canadian 10,000m and Half Marathon Championships. And we talk about 2-time Olympian Kara Goucher's latest trail accomplishments.

Last month, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) released a verdict that has become one of the most hotly debated rulings in sport history. At the centre of this decision is one woman: the South African mid-distance phenom Caster Semenya. Semenya has a condition called 46XY DSD, which results in her body producing higher than average levels of testosterone. The science and emotions behind this case are complex, and have divided the world of athletics in a way that is unprecedented.

In this episode, 3 guests offer their unique perspectives on this complex topic. Amby Burfoot is the former Editor-in-Chief at Runner’s World Magazine. In Part 1, we chatted with Burfoot about his reasons for agreeing with testosterone limits.

Today in Part 2, we talk with former track and field Olympian and professor Dr. Bruce Kidd. We also speak with Dr. Payoshni Mitra, who was instrumental in overturning the hyperandrogenism ruling in the 2015 Dutee Chand case. Dr. Kidd and Dr. Mitra share their reasons for disagreeing with the CAS ruling, and their hopes for the future. (To skip ahead to Part 2, go to 33:05)

This week on The Rundown, we bring you results from the Scotiabank Bluenose Marathon weekend and the Comrades Marathon in South Africa. We also dish on the top performances from OFSAA, NCAA's, the Speed River Inferno and the Rome Diamond League.

Last month, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) released a verdict that has become one of the most hotly debated rulings in sport history. At the centre of this decision is one woman: the South African mid-distance phenom Caster Semenya. Semenya has a condition called 46XY DSD, which results in her body producing higher than average levels of testosterone. The science and emotions behind this case are complex, and have divided the world of athletics in a way that is unprecedented.

In this episode, 3 guests offer their unique perspectives on this complex topic.  Amby Burfoot is the former Editor-in-Chief at Runner's World Magazine. The week before the CAS decision was released, Burfoot wrote a lengthy article for Letsrun.com outlining many of the issues pertaining to the case. 

 Today in Part 1, we chat with Burfoot about his reasons for agreeing with the CAS ruling. In Part 2 we speak with Dr. Bruce Kidd and Dr. Payoshni Mitra, who have advocated for the CAS decision to be overturned.

Recently we made some small changes to The Shakeout Podcast.  from now on, we’ll be bringing you the weekly Rundown, recapping all the results and news from the track, roads and trails. Every second week, in addition to the Rundown we’ll be releasing a longer episode including interviews and a deeper exploration into the exciting world of running.

In this episode of The Rundown, recorded last Monday, May 13th, we bring you results from Canadian road races, the World Relays, and the international trail racing scene. We discuss the disappointing news out of the Ottawa Lions Track Club. And we talk beer miles, Superman impersonators, and a lightning-fast teenager!

In 2009, while training for her first half marathon, Lisa Sweetman began noticing unusual and unsettling changes in her body. Her joints ached, her energy plummeted and she began putting on a lot of weight. It would be another several months of self-advocacy before she would receive a definitive, and distressing, diagnosis: a brain tumour.

Lisa underwent 5 surgeries, experimented with veganism, started a business, and realized her passion for trail running. In this inspiring episode Lisa talks about the decline of her health, and the rediscovery of her strength as a result. 

This week we are rebroadcasting a episode from last year featuring the Lane 6 program. Lane 6 is a partnership between Canadian Running and Nike. Along with Toronto Community Housing, they created a one-on-one mentorship program, pairing experienced runners from the community with at-risk youth, aged 7-18. The second annual Lane 6 program started last week, and will run until June 6th.

Staff writer Maddy Kelly and I also chat about the latest news and results from the track, trails and roads, specifically the drama that unfolded at the Boston Marathon.

Thousands of runners will toe the line on Monday for the 123rd running on the Boston Marathon. One of those runners is Newfoundland's Derm Holwell. On Monday, Holwell will run his 29th consecutive Boston Marathon.

An athlete with the Mississauga Nomads Running Team and a cancer survivor, Holwell is also part of an exclusive group known as The Quarter Century Club. In this episode, he shares his remarkable stories from his nearly 3 decades of running the Boston Marathon.

The Spring Run Off is Toronto's oldest continuously-held road race. Olympians, world record holders, and masses of Canadian runners turn up for one of the most challenging road races in the country. In this episode we chat with journalist Alex Hutchinson, professional runner Dayna Pidhoresky, and Spring Run Off co-founder Dave Reid.