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/

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 your very best

• 55:05 - Our notes from the community this week are predictions of their finish times in Boston - we wish them luck, and promise a prize to whoever is closest to their predicted time

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/

Meb Keflezighi

https://www.instagram.com/runmeb/