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Marathon Handbook’s weekly podcast covers everything you need to know about running, from running your first 5K to qualifying for the Boston Marathon!ย Each week, our editors chat about what’s going on in the running scene, as well as timely training tips, the best new gear, and what’s happening at the world’s biggest races. We’ll cover everything from the Boston Marathon to the Barkley Marathons, often podding live from the most important moments in running! Watch our video podcast each week on YouTube, and listen to it wherever you get your podcasts! Inquiries: podcast@marathonhandbook.com
Come to our LIVE SHOW in Boston! Join Alex, Katelyn and Michael and some very special guests, + giveaways and prizes!๐ Saturday, April 18, at 6:45 p.m๐ Trident Booksellers & Cafรฉ, 338 Newbury Street ๐๏ธ Itโs free to attend, but make sure to RSVP now, as space is limited: https://forms.gle/sFk28hfMYznrsNxMA
Five big stories this week โ strap in.
Des Linden | Marathon des SablesThe 2018 Boston Marathon champion finished 3rd overall at the 2026 Marathon des Sables, a six-day, 250+ km stage race through the Sahara. Her finishing time: 30 hours, 16 minutes, 32 seconds. Even wilder: this was only her second-ever trail ultramarathon, and one of the stages was 100K โ more than double her previous longest run ever. Winner Mary-Line Nahon of France took her third MdS title in just under 26 hours. Des lands in Boston next week to pace her husband. No rest for the wicked.
Clarke Reynolds | Blind Runner Makes Marathon HistoryBritish runner Clark Reynolds, who has just 5% vision due to retinitis pigmentosa, became the first blind person to complete a marathon using Meta smart glasses and the Be My Eyes app. At the 2026 Brighton Marathon, he was guided by 400 trained volunteers who rotated every 30 minutes via the app, with a physical guide runner alongside as a safety net. A feel-good story of the year contender โ and we're hoping to get Clark on the pod soon.
World Athletics Marathon World Championships | Our TakeWorld Athletics has announced a standalone World Athletics Marathon Championships launching in 2030, separate from the main World Athletics Championships. Athens is in the running to host, citing the marathon's birthplace. The official reason given? Climate change. Michael isn't buying it. We break down what this could โ and should โ look like, and why the Tour de France/F1 model is the blueprint they're ignoring.
Josh Kerr | Marathon CuriosityOne of the world's premier milers and 1500m runners has publicly expressed his desire to one day run โ and win โ a World Marathon Major. We dig into the history of track-to-marathon transitions (Kipchoge, Sifan Hassan, Kenenisa Bekele) and why this path is more plausible than it sounds. A marathon Kerr vs. Ingebrigtsen rivalry? We're manifesting it.
Gout Gout | 19.67 in the 200m at Age 18The Australian teenage sprinting phenomenon ran 19.67 in the 200m in Sydney โ breaking the World U20 record and becoming the first Australian man to break 20 seconds under legal wind conditions. For context: Usain Bolt ran 19.93 at the same age. Gout Gout (G-O-U-T G-O-U-T) is now 16th on the all-time 200m list at 18 years old. Born December 29th, he's one to circle for the 2028 Olympics.
