Marathon Talk

As we look ahead to the first Marathon of the new season in Tokyo, we catch up with US long-distance great Sara Hall as she prepares to return to the Japanese capital for the 3rd time. And we'll hear from Abbott World Marathon Majors' David Macnamara with a round-up of things happening during race week. On this episode of Marathon Talk: 00:00 - Intro 01:00 - Happy Birthday, Deena! 05:40 - Tokyo Marathon Preview 16:00 - Sara Hall joins us to talk about her prep for Tokyo, her career and more. 39:11 - David Macnamara is here to tell us all about what is happening in Tokyo on race week. Links & References: Abbott World Marathon Majors Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok Marathon Talk Facebook | Instagram | TikTok Martin Yelling | Instagram Deena Kastor | Instagram Sara Hall | Instagram  

Marathon Talk is back for 2026, and what an episode we have for you to start the new season! First up, we're joined by Spencer Matthews, as he prepares to head to Japan to take on the Tokyo Marathon. Our second guests, whom you may have seen on your social media feeds over the last few weeks, Aubrey Mvula and Liz Newcomer, were judges for the recent Abbott World Marathon Majors Marathon Tours & Travel World Tour competition.  They talk us through the process they used to find their winner, Leodhais MacPhearson, and we also have the chance to speak to the man himself as he prepares to run every Abbott World Marathon Major over the next two years. We're so excited be back! On this episode of Marathon Talk: 00:00 - Intro 00:46 - Martin & Deena catch-up 03:37 - Marathon Talk meets Spence Matthews 35:24 - We meet Aubrey Mvula, Liz Newcomer and Leodhais MacPhearson to talk about the Abbott World Marathon Majors Marathon Tours & Travel World Tour competition. 1:06:01 - Wrap-Up Links & References: A

It's nearly Christmas! And on this episode of Marathon Talk, we're joined by content creator, runner, comedian, and public speaker, Laura Green, for a special episode of Christmas Running Confessions. Our listeners have been anonymously submitting their Christmas confessions, so we're going to have some fun reading them! Oh, and plus a little about the recent Valencia Marathon.  Special thanks to our guest, Laura Green, and you can catch Laura as she hosts The Running Game Show in Boston on April 16th 2026. Tickets are available: HERE -------------- Our show this week is brought to you by the Wahoo KICKR RUN Smart Treadmill The KICKR RUN offers the freedom and form of outdoor running at home. Its Dynamic Pacing capability means the treadmill matches your pace automatically with no controls needed, offering you a more natural running experience, and its Unmatched Connectivity means you can sync up with the Wahoo ecosystem and third-party apps, including the simulation of routes from the Wahoo App, Strava or Z

Got a question you've always wanted to ask the team at Abbott World Marathon Majors? Well, now is your chance! We're joined this week by Abbott World Marathon Majors Cheif Operating Officer Danny Coyle, and Stew "Statman" Haynes, who are here to answer your AWMM questions. Martin and Deena also talk about their marathon highlight of the year, and we have news from last weekend's Shanghai Marathon as it bids to become an Abbott World Marathon Major. Before you press play, just to let you know our next episode will be our Christmas Special and we'll be joined by content creator, runner, comedian, and public speaker Laura Green, who will be here to absolve you of (and maybe chuckle at...) your Running Confessions. You can submit yours today via this link: https://forms.gle/AzVpqadH2Sr22xJ76 ----------- Our show this week is brought to you by the Wahoo KICKR RUN Smart Treadmill The KICKR RUN offers the freedom and form of outdoor running at home. Its Dynamic Pacing capability means the treadmill matches your pace

On this episode of Marathon Talk, we're joined by British Paralympian and world record holder Richard Whitehead, following his incredible achievement of running his 100th marathon of his career at the TCS New York City Marathon. Before we speak to Richard, Martin and Deena discuss what to do now that, for most, the marathon season has come to an end. How do we keep the fitness levels where they need to be, without overdoing it? How do we stay focused, and what do we plan for to keep us excited? Finally, Deena had the chance to speak to Rob Dalto, who was representing Team Abbott in New York, and told us about this running story. On this episode of Marathon Talk: 0:00 - Intro 1:24 - Deena is at the finish of the Everywoman Marathon in Scottsdale, Arizona. 7:04 - Now that the season is over, what do we do? 18:09 - Richard Whitehead MBE joins us to tell us about his recent achievement of completing his 100th marathon. 46:13 - Deena and Rob Dalto go for a short trot around Central Park, talking about the race, t

One of the major talking points to emerge from last weekend's TCS New York City Marathon was Eliud Kipchoge. Following the completion of his Abbott World Marathon Majors Six Star journey, it felt like the end of an era for the 11-time Majors winner, 2-time Olympic Champion and former World Record holder. On this episode of Marathon Talk, we look back on Kipchoge's career—the highs and lows—and what we will do next. And one of the things he's suggested he'll be doing next is running a marathon on Antartica, so we're very fortunate to be also joined by a man who knows a thing or two about South Pole running, President of Marathon Tours & Travel, Jeff Adams joins us to tell us more about how the running tourism industry is booming now, and where he'll be taking runners to next. On this episode of Marathon Talk: 1:49 - Martin and Deena discuss all that went down at the TCS New York City Marathon 13:04 - We look back on the career of AbbottWMM Six Star finisher, Eliud Kipchoge 30:14 - We're joined by Jeff Ada

We're back for another Marathon Talk Extra, for the TCS New York City Marathon. Martin and Deena are joined by David Macnamara from Abbott World Marathon Majors, who is on the ground in Central Park with all the news from race day. We analiyse an epic battle between Benson Kipruto and Alex Mutiso, we recognise Hellen Obiri's excellence in New York and we wrap up the season for the wheelchair event.

Ahead of the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon, Deena catches up with race director Ted Metellus to hear more about how they prepare for the final Major of the year. We have an update from Cape Town after their race was cancelled on Sunday, and what that means for their bid to become an Abbott World Marathon Major. Also, we hear the marathon story of a Team Abbott member, and finally, Dave is here with a round-up of everything happening in New York during race week. In this episode of Marathon Talk: 3:46 - Martin and Deena are joined by Abbott World Marathon Majors COO Danny Coyle for an update on the events surrounding last weekend's Sanlam Cape Town Marathon. 25:20 - Welcome to Marathon Talk, race director for the TCS New York City Marathon, Ted Metellus. 57:15 - Community Notes: We meet Treena Mitchell, from Team Abbott and hear about her run story. 1:04:51 - AbbottWMM Social Media Manager, David Macnamara is here to give us the lowdown on all the events that are taking place over the course of the next week

Welcome to the first episode of Marathon Talk Extra, your regular post-ride guide to every Abbott World Marathon Major weekend, and much more. On this show, we'll be covering Sunday's Bank of America Chicago Marathon, where the biggest names in marathon running will come face to face as they prepare to see who will emerge as our series champion at the end of the year.

On this week's bumper episode of Marathon Talk, we look back on a punishing day in Berlin as Sabastion Sawe and Rosemary Wanjiru won the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON. We also have news of a PB time for Sted Sarandos, your new favourite celebrity marathon runner. Our first guest on the show is Team GB athlete Phily Bowden, who is preparing for next week's Bank of America Chicago Marathon, and offered us real insight into her training plan and how she prepares for a Major event. And to close the show, we are so pleased to be joined by Abbott Senior Vice President of Global Marketing and External Affairs Melissa Brotz to talk to us about Team Abbott, 10 years of the Abbott and World Marathon Majors partnership, and much more.   In this episode of Marathon Talk: 5:32 - Martin and Deena talk about the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON. 10:22 - Sted Sarandos is the man everyone wanted to see in Berlin. But just who is this mysterious sub-3:00 marathoner? 12:37 - We preview the Bank of America Chicago Marathon 15:23 - We meet Phily Bowden

As we catch our breath after a phenomenal weekend of marathon running at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Deena has all the news from the National Stadium. Then, ahead of this weekend's BMW Berlin Marathon, Martin catches up with a Berlin-based running influencer, coach, and community builder who has become a familiar face in the city’s thriving fitness scene, Aaron McCammon joins us to tell us all about the running scene in Berlin, how to make the most of your time in Germany if you are there for the race and much more. ‍Links & references‍ ‍ Abbott World Marathon Majors https://www.worldmarathonmajors.com/ https://www.instagram.com/wmmajors/‍ https://www.tiktok.com/@marathontalk Martin Yelling https://www.instagram.com/martinyelling/ Deena Kastor https://www.instagram.com/deena8050/ Aaron McCammon https://www.instagram.com/callme.air.ron/  

The TCS Sydney Marathon took place this past weekend, and we have all the news from a momentous day in marathon running as Sydney arrived as an Abbott World Marathon Major! Joining Martin on this week's show, we have Abbott World Marathon Majors Chief Operating Officer Danny Coyle, who was on the ground, in the shadow of the Opera House, to give us his thoughts on both the race day, the city, and also the performances of Sifan Hassan, Eliud Kiphcoge, and the winner of the men's elite race, Hailemaryam Kiros. We're also joined by Simon Bolton, who is now a Seven Star athlete, who will give us his participants perspective of the race and we're also very pleased to welcome Michelle Weltman MBE, head of disability at London Marathon Events, who also joins us from Sydney, to talk to us about wheelchair racing, her thoughts on Sydney, the current series championship and some wider commentary on where wheelchair racing can go in the future. We've got a jam-packed show for you, and we hope you enjoy it. ‍In this epis

Our first episode back after our summer break, and we have a TCS Sydney Marathon Special! On this show, we’ll have a preview of the elite field for the race and hear from Deena as she prepares for her first run in Australia in 20 years. We have a quick check-in with race director Wayne Larden, as Sydney prepares to welcome the Majors, and we’re joined by UK based runner Simon Bolton who is heading to Sydney to collect his seventh AbbbottWMM finish.  Our main guest is James Constantine, who is here to talk to us about all things running in Sydney, how the city and its runners are looking forward to the race, things to experience in the city, and for Deena, as she stays on a little longer in Australia, a few suggestions for things to do while she’s Down Under. ‍In this episode of Marathon Talk: 0:00 - We're back after our break with a TCS Sydney Marathon Special Preview 10:20 - TCS Sydney Marathon Race Director Wayne Larden joins us to give a quick update on how Sydney is prepared for the big race on August

Who’s the host with the most, the quiz whiz, the mastermind with the mic? There’s only one way to find out… This week’s very special Marathon Talk pits Martin and Deena against each other, with a trivial roundup of the running season’s greatest times! We also cover all the latest from Sydney’s elite field announcements, the packed ballot for the London Marathon, and Tokyo’s international ambitions. In this episode of Marathon Talk: 0:00 - We kick off with tales of Deena’s gigging adventures and Martin’s negotiation with injury 5:30 - The latest from the running world includes Sydney’s elite women’s field announcements, Faith Kipyegon’s Breaking4 attempt, and ballot news from London and Tokyo 18:00 - The main event: Martin and Deena face off in a battle of brains across 4 rounds of quizzing - play along at home and see if you can beat our hosts with the most 42:30 - Before we sign off for July, we look to our community for runners to join the Global Run Club challenge, and share your plans for getting

Nobody squeezed more life out of 24 years than Steve Prefontaine, one of running’s greatest icons.   Fresh from penning a biography of Prefontaine, Brendan O’Meara joins us to share the impact of his legacy, and what we all stand to learn from Steve’s unparalleled mindset.   Tune into Marathon Talk this week as we also get the inside track on Boston’s new qualifying stipulations, and the great Martin vs Deena showdown, the outcome of which is in YOUR hands…   In this episode of Marathon Talk: 0:00 - We kick off this week with a roundup of father’s day fox-spotting and Martin’s gradual mileage increase 8:10 - Boston Marathon have made changes to their qualification criteria, making things an uphill struggle for downhill runners… 16:15 - Martin & Deena debunk the ‘no pain, no gain’ approach to training, and laud the benefits of implementing real discipline in your running 25:30 - Brendan O’Meara gives us a glimpse into the short-yet-stellar life of Steve Prefontaine, and how his presence changed run

There’s nobody on earth quite like Dean Karnazes, a man with more human-powered mileage than perhaps anyone else…   He’s proof of the extreme lengths to which you can push the human body, so if you’re looking at your next running challenge, his interview on Marathon Talk this week is pure gold.   Join us as we also share Deena’s tips for taking on an unknown marathon course, and unveil the three lucky winners of Jamie Ramsay’s book!   In this episode of Marathon Talk: 0:00 - We catch up with Martin’s tips for tackling an injury he’s currently nursing, and Deena looks ahead at her race in Sydney, sharing her advice for conquering a course you’ve never seen before 16:10 - Dean Karnazes, THE quintessential ultramarathon man, talks about his running career, staying in shape as you get older, the power of Ultramarathon running, and much more 48:00 - In the community notes this week we share the three lucky winners of Jamie’s new book, and set the stage for an EPIC Martin vs Deena showdown, in which you deter

It’s 17,000 kilometres from Vancouver to Buenos Aires - anyone fancy running it…?   Jamie Ramsay covered the two continents in 367 gruelling days, and joins us on Marathon Talk this week to detail his masterclass in resilience, pushing boundaries, and what he learned about himself!   Tune in this week as we also pore through the finalised stats from THAT brutally blistering London Marathon, and talk about how you can best prepare for the heat on your next summer run…    In this episode of Marathon Talk: 0:00 - Martin and Deena catch up on Deena’s trip to the Museum of Tolerance, parse through London Marathon’s finalised statistics, and dive into the ins and outs of training for heat 20:35 - Jamie Ramsay talks us through his 17,000km, 367 day trek across The Americas 51:00 - Our listeners talk us through their ambitious training plans for the summer head Marathon Talk is proudly powered by Abbott World Marathon Majors, who create, build and support opportunities for all to discover the power of the ma

Swapping guitars for trainers last week, Rou Reynolds was one of a record-breaking 56,640 finishers in London - the biggest ever!    From his maiden marathon, to an exhilarating elite field, to an exciting announcement from the Cape Town Marathon, we’ve all this and more on this week’s unmissable Marathon Talk!   In this episode of Marathon Talk: 4:15 - The huge news this week comes from London and Cape Town, with huge performances from Sebastian Sawe and Tigist Assefa, 5-on-the-bounce for Marcel Hug, and South Africa’s biggest marathon taking on the Age Group World Championships 18:00 - Enter Shikari’s Rou Reynolds talks us through his 26.2 miles, how he balances running with a rockstar lifestyle, and the magic that’s unique to marathons 43:30 - We crown a winner from our community for the closest prediction, and cover some of your greatest performances Marathon Talk is proudly powered by Abbott World Marathon Majors, who create, build and support opportunities for all to discover the power of the m

Welcome to a truly jam-packed episode of Marathon Talk this week, where we bring you all of the news from a thrilling weekend of racing at the Boston Marathon. From John Korir’s incredible comeback after a shocking start-line tumble to Sharon Lokedi’s course record.   We then head across the Atlantic to a preview of this weekend’s TCS London Marathon, featuring an insane elite field that includes Eliud Kipchoge, Sifan Hassan and a potential world record showdown.    Plus we have an exclusive interview with Spencer Barden, Head of Elite Athletes at London Marathon Events, the mastermind behind assembling these Marathon stars.    In this episode of Marathon Talk:   0:00 - Martin & Deena share their personal running updates including spring weather, stargazing and hill-training 4:31 - Boston Marathon Review: We discuss the unique features of Boston such as the finish line area, pop-up shops and competitive nature.  11:21 - Men’s Race Highlights including John Korir’s back-to-back wins. 13:03 - Women’

It’s race week for the Majors, and we’re kicking off a stellar double header with a trip to the fabled grounds of Boston!   We have the lowdown on defending champions in Hellen Obiri and Sisay Lemma, Catherine Debrunner’s potential course record clean-sweep, and former Boston Champion Meb Keflezighi shares his top tips for taking on the Boston course.   In this episode of Marathon Talk: 0:00 - Martin & Deena catch up on their spring motivations, and preparations for Boston & London 5:00 - We round up the big stories ahead of Boston, from the defending champions and a potential clean sweep of course records, to Marcel Hug’s 8th possible win at Boston 13:35 - Statman Stew joins us for some exclusive statistics for the Boston race, including the 1,585 6 Star hopefuls, 3 birthday runners, and 2 new countries to give us first-time 6 Star Finishers 24:45 - ‘Marathon Meb’ recounts his experience with the Boston course, and shares his top tips on how you can make your way to Boyleston Street running y