Show Notes
Recorded LIVE at Trident Booksellers on Newbury Street the weekend of the 2026 Boston Marathon. Michael, Katelyn, and Alex open with a first-hand recap of Alex's chase at a sub-14 elite 5K on Boston weekend — missing shoe bag included — and break down the biggest storylines of race weekend: the deep American elite field, Nike's "Runners Welcome, Walkers Tolerated" Newbury Street stunt, and the quiet disappearance of the traditional Boston expo. Bobbi Gibb — the first woman to run and finish the Boston Marathon, in 1966, 1967, and 1968 — joins us for an extended conversation about falling in love with the race as a spectator in 1964, driving alone across the country in a VW microbus, the BAA rejection letter that told her women were "physiologically incapable" of running a marathon, hiding in the bushes in Hopkinton in her brother's Bermuda shorts, being embraced by the Wellesley scream tunnel, bleeding through her blisters down Boylston, and meeting Governor Volpe at the finish line in the moment that changed running forever. She also sets the historical record straight, talks about her sculpture now installed at mile zero in Hopkinton, and shares her philosophy of love, truth, and the end of the "war between the sexes." 1968 Boston Marathon champion and Marathon Handbook Editor at Large Amby Burfoot helps guide the conversation, offers a few stories of his own (including how many carbs he took in during his winning run — spoiler: zero), and makes the case that Bobbi may be the most important runner in the history of the marathon. Then Brooks athlete, 6x Boston Marathon runner, 50K world record holder, and indoor marathon record holder CJ Albertson joins the stage. He walks us through leading Boston for 21 miles in 2021 on his birthday, the homemade plywood sauna he built for $200, putting bricks under his treadmill for downhill simulation, ingesting 120 grams of carbs per hour, why he writes workouts on the fly, and his plan to finally nail the last five miles of Boston on Monday. The show closes with a listener Q&A covering recovery, ideal training partners, mid-race voice memos, rest days, what a great spouse does during marathon training, and favorite pre-race dinners.
More from Marathon Handbook Podcast
Traveling for a race? On this week’s episode of The Marathon Handbook Podcast, Michael Doyle, Alex Cyr and Katelyn Tocci are joined by Jessy Carveth live from Michael’s living room in Toronto. They’re there for Toronto Waterfront Marathon weekend, and the crew breaks down everything you need to know about racing away from home. SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS: 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. Marathon Handbook listeners get 15% off their entire order when shopping CEP Running online through November 15! Shop CEP Running or enter code LRL-NYC-15 at checkout.
Michael, Alex and Katelyn react to the 2026 Chicago Marathon after recording their live watchalong. They cover the biggest surprises and key takeaways from the race. 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. 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/
How do you go from job-hunting after college to a 2:05:54 marathon, run in Toledo, in one year? Vinny Mauri did it, and now he’s one of the most talked-about American runners at the 2026 Chicago Marathon. Alex Cyr caught up with Vinny at the Chicago Marathon athlete availability, two days before his first big-city marathon. Vinny explains the 45-mile day that capped his build: 2 x 50 minutes in the morning and 4 x 20 minutes in the afternoon, both on the treadmill. He also explains how he picks his workouts by asking friends and Instagram followers to “pick a number one to four.”
Chicago Marathon weekend is almost here! Michael Doyle, Alex Cyr and Katelyn Tocci preview the race, then answer your questions. SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS: 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. This episode is presented by Momentous. Use promo code MARATHON for up to 35% off your first order: https://livemomentous.com Marathon Handbook listeners get 15% off their entire order when shopping CEP Running online through November 15! Shop CEP Running or enter code LRL-NYC-15 at checkout.
Nike has announced three new race day shoes, and the headliner is the Nike Apex: a zero drop super shoe with 40mm of stack in both the heel and the forefoot, built to challenge the Adidas Adios Pro Evo 3 at the front of the world's fastest marathons. Alex Cyr and Michael Doyle break down the Apex, the Alphafly 4 and the $145 Swooshfly. We sat in on Nike's briefing with the executives and designers behind these shoes and draw on conversations from this summer with Nike athletes and with Brett Schoolmeester, the VP who has helped lead Nike's super shoe program from the start. We cover the Apex's specs and $350 price, whether Nike's athletes will embrace a zero drop racer, how hard it may be to buy a pair, why the Swooshfly is aimed at beginners and at China's booming marathon scene, and whether Nike now has the best running shoe lineup in the sport.