Is Gout Gout the Next Usain Bolt? + Des Linden's Ultra Debut, Blind Runner History & World Marathon News
The Running Story | Marathon Handbook NewsShow Notes
Come to our LIVE SHOW in Boston! Join Alex, Katelyn and Michael and some very special guests, + giveaways and prizes! 📅 Saturday, April 18, at 6:45 p.m 📍 Trident Booksellers & Café, 338 Newbury Street 🎟️ It's free to attend, but make sure to RSVP now, as space is limited: https://forms.gle/sFk28hfMYznrsNxMA Five big stories this week — strap in. Des Linden | Marathon des Sables The 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 — 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 History British 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 — and we're hoping to get Clark on the pod soon. World Athletics Marathon World Championships | Our Take World 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 — and should — look like, and why the Tour de France/F1 model is the blueprint they're ignoring. Josh Kerr | Marathon Curiosity One of the world's premier milers and 1500m runners has publicly expressed his desire to one day run — and win — 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 18 The Australian teenage sprinting phenomenon ran 19.67 in the 200m in Sydney — 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.
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/