Well folks, were so busy climbing the mountain that we forgot we made it to episode 400. So while we didn't bust out the balloons, we almost broke out a Ouija board and said Bloody Mary three times just to see what would happen. We also mansplain Taylor Swift's artistic direction before deep dishing on Chicago Marathon weekend and Thomas's fueling plan for the race. If you are in Chicago, come out to our shakeout run on Saturday morning, hope to see you there!

All the details for the Chicago Shakeout Run: https://believeintherun.com/event/chicago-marathon/2025-10-11/1/

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!

MAURTEN

Get 15% off by using code Believe15!* We use Maurten gels for all our races and some of the most elite athletes in the world rely on their bicarb system for optimizing their fuel strategies on race day. Stock up for your fall marathon training and save 15% off your order by using this link and code Believe15: https://bit.ly/BITR-MAURTEN

LMNT

The Lemonade Salt has returned for good, so make sure you grab the greatest flavor on the planet for all your fall marathon needs. You'll be getting 1,000 mg of sodium plus other key electrolytes that will restore balance to your life after any hard effort. You'll also get an 8-count LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase, so don't miss out: http://drinklmnt.com/thedrop

INDEX0:00 - Intro7:08 - Pistachio Tides / Fall Race Talk / Getting Weezered12:40 - The Life of a Showgirl / Radiohead / BITR Intro Video Contest22:34 - Chicago Weekend Plans (Final Itinerary)27:17 - Swiftwick X BITR Limited Edition Sock / Swiftwick X Greg Itahara Chicago Sock29:11 - Thomas's Chicago Race Shoes + Plan / Race Nutrition40:53 - Xenon Gas / Run Journals53:38 - Robbe's Running / Half Tight Recommendations1:01:13 - Bloody Mary / Ouija Boards / AI + Celebrities' Heights1:13:56 - Spooky Season / Depressing World Stuff / Closing Thoughts

Taylor packed his bags and headed out to the Mammoth Trailfest in Mammoth Lake, California (sponsored by Craft) for the weekend. Get his recap of one of the most fun events in trail running today.Read his recap: https://believeintherun.com/mammoth-trailfest/

Big things are coming as we head to Chicago next weekend, so we got you covered on that end. We also discuss Meg's infatuation with baby quails, running etiquette on multiple flybys, our training for the New York Marathon and JFK 50 Mile, and our somewhat delayed reactions to the Berlin Marathon. Finally, we cover the Hoka Mach X 3, which sees an improved upper over last year's version.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!

MAURTEN

Get 15% off by using code Believe15!* We use Maurten gels for all our races and some of the most elite athletes in the world rely on their bicarb system for optimizing their fuel strategies on race day. Stock up for your fall marathon training and save 15% off your order by using this link and code Believe15: https://bit.ly/BITR-MAURTEN

SWIFTWICK

You already know that Swiftwick makes our favorite socks for running, from training to race day. Speaking of race day, they just delivered a limited-edition "Dig Deeper" pizza sock designed by artist Greg Itahara in celebration of the Chicago Marathon. They're going fast so make sure you pick them up before they're pepperoni: https://swiftwick.com/products/chicago

LMNT

The Lemonade Salt has returned for good, so make sure you grab the greatest flavor on the planet for all your fall marathon needs. You'll be getting 1,000 mg of sodium plus other key electrolytes that will restore balance to your life after any hard effort. You'll also get an 8-count LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase, so don't miss out: http://drinklmnt.com/thedrop

INDEX

0:00 Intro

8:01 BITR x New Balance Chicago Weekend Itinerary

15:03 Tilly Norwood: AI Actress and the Downfall of Humanity

20:57 Meta Oakley Glasses / Harry Styles and the Berlin Marathon / Molly Seidel's End with Puma

30:53 JFK 50 Miler / Baltimore Running Festival Half-Marathon

49:36 Baby Quails, OnlyFans, and Holiday Dinners

59:44 Fun Dip, Pixie Sticks, Football

1:05:18 Hoka Mach X 3

1:17:36 Runners' Etiquette on the Flyby Wave / Old School Pizza Hut

Taylor chats with Mary Denholm, a pro ultrarunner and Craft athlete.

Follow Mary on Instagram: @eatrunandbemary

The gang came back to Baltimore while Thomas went to China. From Guangzhou to Hong Kong, we dive deep into all his culinary and running adventures, including a behind the scenes visit to a manufacturing facility for Mount to Coast and many other brands. We also do shots of Kweichoi Moutai out of respect.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!

MAURTEN

Get 15% off by using code Believe15!*

We use Maurten gels for all our races and some of the most elite athletes in the world rely on their bicarb system for optimizing their fuel strategies on race day.

Stock up for your fall marathon training and save 15% off your order by using this link and code Believe15: https://www.maurten.com/?utm_source=referral&utm_campaign=bitr_podcast&utm_medium=partnerships&utm_content=believeintherun

*Valid for all products except Bicarb

Cannot be combined with other promotions

One-time use per customer

Valid through 31 Dec 2025

LMNT

The Lemonade Salt has returned for good, so make sure you grab the greatest flavor on the planet for all your fall marathon needs. You'll be getting 1,000 mg of sodium plus other key electrolytes that will restore balance to your life after any hard effort. You'll also get an 8-count LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase, so don't miss out: http://drinklmnt.com/thedrop

INDEX:

0:00 - Intro

4:33 - Thomas's China Recap / Arrival

29:12 - Mount-To-Coast HQ

34:42 - Chinese Cuisine

36:55 - "The Midsole Factory" / MTC Lab

53:52 - Shenzen Adventures

1:10:46 - Bullet Train to Hong Kong / Dim Sum and Eric Andre

1:20:21 - Taoist Temple / Mountain Hiking

1:31:40 - Mount-To-Coast Group Run

1:34:32 - Shanghai / Chinese EV's

1:58:43 - Wrap-Up / Berlin Marathon / BITR Chicago Marathon Plans

Taylor chats with Adidas Terrex Athlete Eli Hemming.

Follow Eli on Instagram: @eli_hemming

We traveled a day ahead and a week in time to experience the 2025 World Athletics Championship in Tokyo. From the 100 meter finals to the world record in the pole vault to the men's and women's marathons on a hot and humid morning, we witnessed greatness across the board. We did our best to assimilate and only made a few blunders along the way (that we're aware of, anyway). We may not have come back with any Labubus, but we brought home plenty of amazing memories. Thanks to Asics and thanks to Tokyo for being so awesome, we won't forget it anytime soon.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!

MAURTEN

Get 15% off by using code Believe15!* We use Maurten gels for all our races and some of the most elite athletes in the world rely on their bicarb system for optimizing their fuel strategies on race day. Stock up for your fall marathon training and save 15% off your order by using this link and code Believe15: https://www.maurten.com/?utm_source=referral&utm_campaign=bitr_podcast&utm_medium=partnerships&utm_content=believeintherun

SWIFTWICK

The best running socks in the game, Swiftwick is made right here in the USA, which means no price increases on account of tariffs. We're always running in their socks and you should be too. The Drop listeners can get 15% off their first purchase with code BELIEVE15.

Shop here: https://swiftwick.com/collections/believe

LMNT

The Lemonade Salt has returned for good, so make sure you grab the greatest flavor on the planet for all your fall marathon needs. You'll be getting 1,000 mg of sodium plus other key electrolytes that will restore balance to your life after any hard effort. You'll also get an 8-count LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase, so don't miss out: http://drinklmnt.com/thedrop

*Valid for all products except Bicarb Cannot be combined with other promotions One-time use per customer Valid through 31 Dec 2025

INDEX

0:00 - Intro

4:12 - Travel to Japan

12:57 - Citius Mag Group Run

21:22 - Quest for Labubu

25:45 - Robot Sushi

30:17 - Boat Dinner, Karaoke, and Snails

38:24 - Day 1 (For Us) of Athletics

43:43 - Robbe Reunites With Old ""Friend""

49:36 - Final 'Move Her Mind' Stop, Fancy Dinner, Day 2 (For Us) of Athletics

56:42 - Women's Marathon / Karl and Robbe's Side Quest in Shinjuku

1:23:57 - Day 3 (For Us) of Athletics / Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce's Final Race

1:25:03 - Men's Marathon / Clayton Young Falling

1:31:01 - Sumo Wrestling

1:39:53 - Final Evening / Mondo's World Record / Japanese McDonald's

Taylor interviews Kyle Siegel, founder of Raide - a performance based apparel and equipment company focused in the trail space.

Check out their products and learn more about the company here: https://raideresearch.com/