Marathon Handbook Podcast

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

It's been a dramatic week in the world of distance running and Michael and Jessy are here to break it all down.

The biggest headline: Conner Mantz, the American marathon record holder who was one of the most anticipated starters at this year's Boston Marathon, has officially withdrawn with a stress-related injury. It's a significant blow ahead of what was shaping up to be one of the most exciting Boston fields in years.

On a more uplifting note, BYU freshman Jane Hedengren continues to rewrite the record books — this time at Stanford, where she clocked 30:46.8 in the 10,000 meters in her very first attempt at the distance, shattering the NCAA Women's record and slotting in at number seven on the US all-time list. She's 18 years old. Remember her name.

It was also a huge weekend for 5K records. French star Jimmy Gressier ran 12:51 in León — just two seconds shy of the world record — and set a new European Road 5K mark in the process. Meanwhile, 62-year-old Clare Elms did something arguably even more remarkable, running 17:45 to smash her own age group world record by 20 seconds. Her age-graded score? 104%. Yes, really.

Then there's the story that genuinely stopped us in our tracks: Clarke Reynolds, a 45-year-old runner from England with just 5% vision, is preparing to run the Brighton Marathon on April 12th guided entirely by remote volunteers via RayBan Meta smart glasses and the Be My Eyes app — with no in-person guide alongside him. It's a genuine world first, and we're already planning a follow-up with Clarke after the race.

And the episode closes on a frustrating note. Albert Korir, the 2021 NYC Marathon champion, has been handed a five-year ban after testing positive three times for CERA: a synthetic blood booster in the same family as EPO. All his results from October 2025 onwards are disqualified, though he retains his 2021 title. It's another painful reminder of the doping cloud still hanging over elite distance running.