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 episode of Marathon Talk:

0:00 - Martin and Danny discuss the 2025 TCS Sydney Marathon.

15:48 - Simon Bolton joins us to give the runners' perspective of the race, fresh from collecting his Seventh Abbott World Marathon Majors star.

22:44 - Michelle Weltman MBE is our guest as we get an update on the current state of play in the wheelchair championship, along with much more insight about the sport as it looks to grow alongside the new Major races.

41:06 - A small preview of what we have lined up for our next show, where Deena will hopefully join us from Tokyo at the World Athletics Championships.

‍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/

Michelle Weltman
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-weltman-mbe-964911b0/

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 31st

20:40 - As runners from around the world head to Sydney, we speak to local runner James Constantine to give us a background on running culture in the city, what the race means to the local community and he shares a few tips on the things to do in Sydney that visitors don't want to miss.

37:21 - In our Community Notes section, we hear from Simon Bolton as one of more than 3,000 Six Star finishers who are heading to Sydney to collect his seventh Abbott World Marathon Majors star.

41:35 - We have an update on our Global Run Club challenge as we head into the last few weeks of the competition.

Episode highlights

"When I think of the names and quality of the fields put together for this race, it's really going to be interesting to see how the hills become part of the racers' strategies; have they studied the course, have they figured out which hill do they make their move on? I'm fascinated to see how the course itself plays into those moves." - 08:19 - Deena Kastor

“I'd be pretty confident right now that Eliud would be really enthusiastically telling the world how beautiful Sydney is, how friendly Australians are, what a great time he has had in Sydney, and what a great race and beautiful course it is." - 16:50 - Wayne Larden

“The culture has certainly changed over the last few years, running has become this cool thing, and it's absolutely been exacerbated by social media, but also the communities and the run club culture has really developed over the last few years in Sydney. It's just a great place to be in Australia if you're a runner.” - 22:32 - James Constantine

“I'm more excited than you can imagine! I'm really looking forward to it. Getting on a plane to head to the other side of the world, I can't wait!” - 38:10 - Simon Bolton

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 the steps in this summer

Marathon Talk is proudly powered by Abbott World Marathon Majors, who create, build and support opportunities for all to discover the power of the marathon community. Learn more at https://www.worldmarathonmajors.com/

Abbott World Marathon Majors

https://www.worldmarathonmajors.com/

https://www.instagram.com/wmmajors/

Martin Yelling

https://www.instagram.com/martinyelling/

Deena Kastor

https://www.instagram.com/deena8050/

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 running forever in his 24 years

• 56:45 - Martin & Deena make their appeal to the community to join the battle raging on between Deena’s Dominators and Martin’s Mile Crushers on the Global Run Club app

Marathon Talk is proudly powered by Abbott World Marathon Majors, who create, build and support opportunities for all to discover the power of the marathon community. Learn more at https://www.worldmarathonmajors.com/

Abbott World Marathon Majors

https://www.worldmarathonmajors.com/

https://www.instagram.com/wmmajors/

Martin Yelling

https://www.instagram.com/martinyelling/

Deena Kastor

https://www.instagram.com/deena8050/

Brendan O’Meara

https://brendanomeara.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendan-o-meara-40295333/

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 determine the victor…

Marathon Talk is proudly powered by Abbott World Marathon Majors, who create, build and support opportunities for all to discover the power of the marathon community. Learn more at https://www.worldmarathonmajors.com/

Abbott World Marathon Majors

https://www.worldmarathonmajors.com/

https://www.instagram.com/wmmajors/

Martin Yelling

https://www.instagram.com/martinyelling/

Deena Kastor

https://www.instagram.com/deena8050/

Dean Karnazes

http://ultramarathonman.com/

https://www.instagram.com/ultramarathon/

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 marathon community. Learn more at https://www.worldmarathonmajors.com/

Abbott World Marathon Majors

https://www.worldmarathonmajors.com/

https://www.instagram.com/wmmajors/

Martin Yelling

https://www.instagram.com/martinyelling/

Deena Kastor

https://www.instagram.com/deena8050/

Jamie Ramsay

https://www.jamieramsay.net/

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 marathon community. Learn more at https://www.worldmarathonmajors.com/

Abbott World Marathon Majors

https://www.worldmarathonmajors.com/

https://www.instagram.com/wmmajors/

Martin Yelling

https://www.instagram.com/martinyelling/

Deena Kastor

https://www.instagram.com/deena8050/

Rou Reynolds

https://www.instagram.com/roureynolds/

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’s Race Highlights including Sharon Lokedi’s course record.

• 17:56 - Martin & Deena discuss the excitement surrounding the TCS London Marathon including the star-studded fields.

• 24:53 - Spencer Barden: We meet the man responsible for the greatest marathon field we’ve ever seen, Head of Elite Athletes at London Marathon Events.

• 49:45 - Our notes from the community this week include a review of Boston race times, a prize for a lucky listener and another opportunity to be a winner!

Marathon Talk is proudly powered by Abbott World Marathon Majors, who create, build and support opportunities for all to discover the power of the marathon community. Learn more at https://www.worldmarathonmajors.com/

Abbott World Marathon Majors

https://www.worldmarathonmajors.com/

https://www.instagram.com/wmmajors/

Martin Yelling

https://www.instagram.com/martinyelling/

Deena Kastor

https://www.instagram.com/deena8050/

Spencer Barden

https://x.com/spencerb1973

https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-barden-0b051653/