Sam catches up with Max Gordon 🎙️

Max's running has come a long way in a short time. After only starting structured training in 2023, he's already run 2:43:07 at the Boston Marathon after first clocking 2:44 at Sydney. Now the focus shifts to chasing a 2:38 at this year's Sydney Marathon. 💥

His training has evolved too. Long runs have moved to Saturdays with a full rest day on Sunday, workouts are now done on the flat at Windang instead of the rolling roads at home, and he's currently being coached by Ryan and Jen Gregson after initially getting guidance from ultra coach Tim.

A typical week includes marathon pace work on Monday, easy mileage Tuesday and Friday, speed sessions on Thursday, and a hilly long run around Kiama on Saturday, building 80–90km weeks.

Before all of this? Max was simply running a couple of hard 5–10km efforts each week with no real structure, before signing up for Canberra Marathon with his sister Charlotte. That first marathon ended in a 2:55, and the progression since has been remarkable.

We also chat about: • Boston Marathon and what it really took to qualify • Why moving key sessions to flatter terrain made such a difference • Running naturally lean and whether body composition gets overlooked in distance running • Using the treadmill for intervals and why he's become a fan • Upcoming races including City2Surf and the Sydney Marathon

☕️ Café Kit of the Week – Low Calorie Iced Frappe - A bag of Woolies Finger buns - Metaspeed Edge

A great conversation about smart training, rapid progression, and how a few simple changes can unlock the next level.

Sam & Katie catch up with William Wei 🎙️

William’s had a huge few months on the roads and track, highlighted by a breakthrough 16:27 for 5K at the WRF 5K, where he finished 3rd overall, before backing it up with a 34:13 at the Sydney 10 — a race he describes as the best performance of his career so far. We chat about balancing big performances with a frustrating metatarsal injury, why his coach pulled the handbrake on training after burnout, and how he’s approaching recovery while juggling Year 12 and HSC prep.

We also dive into the world of Hyrox, where William recently raced both Brisbane and Sydney. He teamed up with his brother Tian to run 1:01:56 in the Brisbane doubles before tackling the Sydney singles in 1:10:07, sharing what surprised him most about the event, which stations hurt the most, and why being a lighter athlete can be a disadvantage.

William opens up about his running journey, from discovering cross country during COVID to dropping his 5K from 20 minutes to 16:27 in little over a year. He talks through training under Geoff Stalker, favourite sessions like Deeks Quarters, the classic Aussie Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday structure, and the workouts that have driven his improvement.

The conversation also covers William’s growing social media presence, how one Instagram Reel reached 70,000 views, and the frustrating story behind YouTube shutting down his channel due to age verification requirements.

Sam and Katie then wrap up with their own training updates, Gold Coast Marathon results, Hyrox performances, Strava pet peeves, recovery strategies, a chat about calorie tracking and fuelling, plus Sam's bargain pickup of the Nike Zoom Fly 6.

☕️ Café Kit of the Weik 🏆 Congratulations to Daniel Meta, winner of this month's $100 Café Kit Co. voucher! 👟 Question of the Month: If you could only wear one running shoe brand for the rest of your life, which would you choose? 🎾 Recommendation of the Weik: Rafa on Netflix.

🎧 Available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify & Podbean.

🏃‍♀️ NEW EPISODE – Lauren Percival ⚡

This week Sam & Katie catch up with NSW representative sprinter and Australian Under-23 international Lauren Percival.

Lauren takes us through her rapid rise from training on grass in Ulladulla to running 23.51 for 200m, representing Australia in Taiwan, and setting her sights on the World Championships and ultimately the Olympics.

We dive into the world of sprinting, covering: ⚡ Why the 200m has become her favourite event 💪 Sprint-specific gym work, power development & plyometrics 🏃 Track sessions, block starts & overspeed training 🧊 Recovery routines including sauna & ice baths 🇦🇺 Representing Australia on the international stage 🎯 Chasing the next big breakthrough toward global competition

As always, we finish by comparing everyone's training weeks, chatting through recent sessions, and a few running rants—including track etiquette and some frustrating close calls with drivers.

A huge thanks to Lauren for joining us and sharing an inside look at elite sprint training.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your podcasts.