Marathon Running Podcast by Marathon Journal

In this episode of The Marathon Running Podcast, I sit down with U.S. Olympian and elite distance runner Dakotah Popehn fresh off her second-place American finish at the Chicago Marathon.
We dive deep into the real-time dynamics of race day, from managing 60-degree heat and hamstring nerve impingement at mile 21 to working dynamically with her Puma teammate and pacer, Rory Linkletter. Dakotah breaks down the exact mental grounding techniques she uses when a race gets dark, sharing how staying in the present moment gets her through the hardest miles.
I also share my own Chicago Marathon recap from the course, breaking down what it was like to navigate unseasonably warm weather, the massive spectator energy, and the mechanics of handling hydration at speed. Plus, we explore Chicago’s major sustainability push on course—examining the shift toward cupless refill stations with Culligan and HydraPak, the reality of cup-handling dynamics at high volumes, and how major marathons are tackling waste reduction.
Beyond the roads, Dakotah gives us an inside look at her upcoming memoir, You Think This Hurts. We talk candidly about her journey through early-life adversity, family divorce, and how running became a way to choose her own pain to process life’s uncontrollable challenges. Plus, she shares her perspective on the road to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and what lies ahead for her training.

Ever heard a coach tell you to "just be mentally tough" and wondered what on earth that actually means in the middle of a grueling marathon? In this episode of the podcast, we’re breaking down the lazy branding of sports psychologist buzzwords with Dr. Megan Cannon, PhD. Fresh from her keynote session at Dirt Camp in the Berkshires, Dr. Cannon joins us to reframe sports psychology as true strength and conditioning for your brain, giving endurance runners an actual, mechanical toolkit to handle race-day anxiety and mid-race panic.
We dive deep into her formula for mental toughness—the intersection of emotion and attention regulation—and unpack the "MVP" mindset (Mentally Versatile Performance). Plus, Dr. Cannon shares practical, battle-tested strategies from her own wild adventures, ranging from tackling Half Dome at 5-foot-2 to surviving a brutal seven-day summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, proving why having your head where your feet are is the ultimate game-changer for your next starting line.

In this episode of Your Story, Your Why, host Letty Lundquist sits down with Massimo Ian, Head of Marketing & Communications at Tracksmith. Massimo shares how his multicultural upbringing in New York City shaped his deep appreciation for community, food, and human connection. He opens up about his early years in running—from using the sport as a coping mechanism while navigating his identity as a closeted youth to healing his relationship with running and body image.
Massimo details his career transition from international non-profit work with UNICEF and youth rehabilitation programs in Brazil into the running industry. He discusses the importance of representation, creating welcoming spaces for underrepresented communities in running, and his favorite weekly mindfulness habit: running "unplugged" without a watch, phone, or headphones to stay connected with nature and body feel.

In this episode, veteran sports nutrition coach Erin Sperald dives deep into the clinical reality of Low Energy Availability (LEA) and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs), exposing how chronic underfueling sabotages athletic performance, immune function, and bone health. Sperald shares actionable strategies for calculating baseline nutritional needs, using carbohydrates as a flexible fuel dial to match training output, and shifting focus away from aesthetics toward long-term health and longevity. Whether you are balancing heavy marathon mileage or struggling with recovery plateau, this conversation provides essential insights to optimize daily fueling and protect your metabolic foundation.

What separates a late-race marathon breakdown from a course PR? In this episode, host Letty Lundquist sits down with RRCA Certified Coach, Abbott 6-Star Finisher, and veteran pacer Dave Masterson to discuss his new book, "Marathon 101" by Dave Masterson: A Professional Pacer's Book Running Your Personal Best. Having paced and finished over 70 marathons, Dave shares his front-row strategies on mastering energy conservation, training your gut for race-day fueling, skipping aid-station chaos, and executing a smart pacing plan.