Show Notes
The 2026 Barkley Marathons delivered one of the most brutal editions in race history — and for the second year in a row, no one finished. In this episode of The Running Story, Michael Doyle and Jessy Carveth unpack everything that happened at this year's Barkley Marathons in Tennessee's Frozen Head State Park. They discuss: Why the February start made this year historic How cold rain, fog, and creek crossings shaped the race The shockingly low Loop 1 completion rate The lone "fun run" finisher The top women's performances The mysterious reporting style of the Barkley Whether Lazarus Lake made the race too hard What 2027 might look like Is the Barkley Marathons supposed to be nearly impossible — or has the balance tipped too far? If you love ultrarunning, trail running, and deep race analysis, this episode is for you. Read our feature on Keith Dunn: https://marathonhandbook.com/meet-keith-dunn-the-mad-tweeter-of-the-barkley-marathons/ New episodes of The Running Story drop weekly.
More from The Running Story | Marathon Handbook News
Ultra legend Courtney Dauwalter is heading back to the roads. She’s racing the California International Marathon (CIM) in December to chase the 2:37 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials standard. On this week’s episode of The Running Story, Michael and Jessy go through the top running news of the week, recorded in person in Toronto following the Toronto Waterfront Marathon. Marathon Budget Episode: https://youtu.be/iOX5QNbZXb8?si=BHmCFaOc-aFt3ubN NYC MILE ZERO LIVE SHOW, 31st Oct: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/marathon-handbook-live-mile-zero-nyc-2026-tickets-2002340913574 Join Marathon Handbook's RunClub for access to our members-only podcast, training plans, community rooms, merch and more: https://marathonhandbook.com/runclub Shop Marathon Handbook Merch: https://store.marathonhandbook.com Send us a question: https://marathonhandbook.com/podcast/ Join our newsletter: https://marathonhandbook.com/newsletter/
Recorded live and in person in Chicago, hours after the finish, Michael Doyle and Jessy Carveth break down the 2026 Chicago Marathon and the week’s other top running stories. TORONTO MILE ZERO LIVE SHOW, 17th Oct: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/marathon-handbook-live-mile-zero-toronto-2026-tickets-2002512056467 NYC MILE ZERO LIVE SHOW, 31st Oct: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/marathon-handbook-live-mile-zero-nyc-2026-tickets-2002340913574 Join Marathon Handbook's RunClub for access to our members-only podcast, training plans, community rooms, merch and more: https://marathonhandbook.com/runclub Shop Marathon Handbook Merch: https://store.marathonhandbook.com Send us a question: https://marathonhandbook.com/podcast/ Join our newsletter: https://marathonhandbook.com/newsletter/
The 2026 Chicago Marathon is almost here, and in this bonus episode of The Running Story, Michael Doyle and Jessy Carveth cover everything you need to know before race day. We love Wahoo’s KICKR RUN treadmill – go to https://wahoofitness.com and use promo code MHRUN to get a free $319 KICKR Headwind Fan with your treadmill order. Join our Chicago Shakeout Run on 10th Oct: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2002027257420 Tickets for our live show, MILE ZERO presented by Zappos: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/marathon-handbook-live-mile-zero-presented-by-zappos-chicago-2026-tickets-2001880670976 TORONTO MILE ZERO LIVE SHOW, 17th Oct: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/marathon-handbook-live-mile-zero-toronto-2026-tickets-2002512056467 Join Marathon Handbook's RunClub for access to our members-only podcast, training plans, community rooms, merch and more: https://marathonhandbook.com/runclub Shop Marathon Handbook Merch: https://store.marathonhandbook.com Send us a question: https://marathonhandbook.com/podcast/ Join our newsletter: https://marathonhandbook.com/newsletter/
It's Chicago Marathon week! Michael Doyle and Jessy Carveth go through the week's top running news. Join our Chicago Shakeout Run on 10th Oct: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2002027257420 Tickets for our live show, MILE ZERO presented by Zappos: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/marathon-handbook-live-mile-zero-presented-by-zappos-chicago-2026-tickets-2001880670976 TORONTO MILE ZERO LIVE SHOW, 17th Oct: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/marathon-handbook-live-mile-zero-toronto-2026-tickets-2002512056467 Join Marathon Handbook's RunClub for access to our members-only podcast, training plans, community rooms, merch and more: https://marathonhandbook.com/runclub Shop Marathon Handbook Merch: https://store.marathonhandbook.com Send us a question: https://marathonhandbook.com/podcast/ Join our newsletter: https://marathonhandbook.com/newsletter/
In this week's episode of The Running Story, who cover how Tigst Assefa was on world record pace at the 2026 Berlin Marathon until the final 2K. Assefa still won in a course record of 2:11:04, even though she appeared to suffer an Achilles injury around 40K. Early reports suggest a partial tear. Guye Adola won the men's race in 2:02:50, his first personal best in almost ten years. We also cover Josh Kerr's 1,000m time trial at altitude in Albuquerque, which came within 0.83 seconds of Emmanuel Wanyonyi's world record before the Ultimate Championship. Join our Chicago Shakeout Run on 10th Oct: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2002027257420 Tickets for our live show, MILE ZERO presented by Zappos: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/marathon-handbook-live-mile-zero-presented-by-zappos-chicago-2026-tickets-2001880670976 Join Marathon Handbook’s RunClub for access to our members-only podcast, training plans, community rooms, merch and more: https://marathonhandbook.com/runclub Shop Marathon Handbook Merch: https://store.marathonhandbook.com Subscribe to our newsletter: https://marathonhandbook.com/newsletter/