@@tfjrunningabsolute bullshit. You start from north Sydney and run over the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the first 2km, along the waterfront via pyrmont / darling harbour, onto Barangaroo with views of the Parramatta River, then down to centennial park, through to Mrs Macquaries chair and the Botanical Gardens, finishing at the steps of the Sydney Opera House, possibly one of the most iconic locations on earth. You either haven’t run it and are gaslighting or tanked hard and didn’t finish
@@tfjrunning lol. Clearly you haven’t run the Sydney marathon. Yeah you don’t run over the Sydney harbour bridge, through centennial park, pyrmont, Barangaroo, botanical gardens, and finish at the steps of the opera house. Don’t see any of Sydney at all
Love Andy's comment on Sarah's gym workout "Excuse me, I'm trying to functionally overreach!" For many, running Boston is out of reach, regardless of age group. Paris was once part of the Big 5 and now not even in Abbott. What if we rotated the Majors, allowing a different city to take a spot every few years? This would alleviate the strain on organisers, ease accommodation issues, and reduce challenges around visas and travel for international runners (for us non-elites). It would also give new cities the chance to host and showcase their city and country, and reduce the intense competition in the ballot process-some of us have applied five or even ten times to a major without success. Also, 3 majors in the USA is a lot (not questioning the quality of hosting, etc., rather more global spread of majors).
@@ShantyIrishman Yeah I guess. I think they should give more priority to committed runners, rather than everyone in the ballot having the same chance. I'm running my first full in Manchester next year, which is much easier for me to get to anyway.
@@Stevenc1984 You can qualify through the virtual program, join up with NYRR after this years race has finished , do all the virtual races available including the NY virtual marathon (important to ensure the measuring device (watch / phone) is fully charged , if it is stopped it is null and void. And that and the races you do throughout the year will put you in the correct starting level. The whole thing is not cheap though .. each race cost then the main race cost the flights / hotels, and its a bloody tough race .. but will never forget it.
I've volunteered at the finish line for Boston for the past few years and you can hear people coming through who have both medals, there are a surprising number each year
As a Canadian, must state the obvious- real maple syrup! A little cinnamon, toasted crumbled walnuts & lightest sprinkle of sea salt is perfect with oatmeal in the cooler temperatures, yum :)
I can visualize Rick wearing his silk robe and mud mask singing Born to Run into his hairbrush every morning. 😁😁 Love the podcast,keep up the great work
I think Rick was meaning to say what hoops does a marathon have to jump through to become a major, not what loop holes haha. Valid question, and I also kind of wonder what requirements have to be met. Also wondering why the organization was created to begin with? And really wondering, will they ever have a Saturday marathon join the group, because that is by far my preferred race day.
Really enjoy these podcasts. The easy chat and laughs is so good! Really interesting about the six stars medal. Must be awesome to run all the majors! Currently I’m focussed on running just 5K. Glad you also remember us newbys! The App sounds great! ⭐️👍😁
Sarah, don’t go avoiding the machines at the gym. Get on the leg press and shove an absolute tonne of weight, way more than you think you’ll be capable of, you’ll feel like an absolute boss 💪🏻 P. S. Your marathon PB video was an absolute inspiration Shout out to you and Mo!
@ Manchester marathon where I’m running the first leg of a 4 man relay and the full distance. Then, an ultra called The Wall in June, because why not 😅. Looking forward to seeing what challenges await the running channel team in 2025
Marathon majors are a way to extract max value from dopes. I signed up for 2 marathons next year that total less than 1 marathon major with fewer hoops to jump through.
Come to Greece and film the Authentic Marathon of Athens!! This Sunday I'm running it for the 3rd time! Still cannot believe it. It's a pity that we invented the marathon and we are not in the 6 star majors :( Have in mind that it's one of the most difficult marathons, it's hilly from 18k up to 31! It would be a great challenge for one of the presenters to take on!
Sydney has just been announced as the 7th World Marathon Major, and will count towards the newly introduced Nine Star medal, when two more races (Cape Town and Shanghai) join the majors in 2026 and 2027.
Love the podcast but I don't feel you can mention the majors without the elephant in the room that they are so difficult to get an entry for, something you really gloss over. London is ridiculous and others equally difficult, so much so that its becoming the preserve of elites or privilege only. Hyping them up makes this worse and unless you can spend time raising money or getting a good for age or similar time to qualify then these are a pipe dream for the majority.
I'm not sure if we can call it major, but I think people would love to hear about Istanbul Marathon. We run across the beatufiul bridge which connects Europe and Asia continents! :)
I have two main running goals: to run all the majors, and to stay faster than Sarah. My 5k PB is just over 20:00, so when I hear Sarah talking about possibly going sub-20, I know it’s time to grit my teeth and start putting in the work. 😅
Tried your recommendation of golden syrup with porridge this morning! Mmm yes that’s a nice treat indeed. Would say though you should try it with Nutella chocolate spread, even nicer 😁😁😁 Now, back to healthy options, haven’t tried honey but will do!
I'm on my way for 6 marathons no major yet. It seems my running path for a major is to actually qualify with the time goal instead of charity or free bib giveaways/lottery with how much luck has been recently. I hope to get better satisfaction of qualifying for all the majors instead of get bibs for free.
I didn't realise the Tokyo Marathon was first run so recently. Interestingly, the arguably more famous Fukuoka Marathon was first run in 1947, although admittedly it's an elite-only race. I say arguably more famous because it's probably better known here in Australia because in 1967 (Derek Clayton) and 1981 (Rob de Castella) Australian athletes set marathon world records in their respective races.
Does race day anxiety ever go away? I’ve run 17 marathons and countless half marathons and still get super nervous. But I agree with Andy, my worst performances have been when I’ve not felt as nervous. 😬
Yes.. This, I will happily traverse hills, fields etc for miles and miles yet a road marathon destroys me, I think it's because (for me) there is an easier friendly vibe, less egoism.. Kinda the difference between football and rugby maybe?
I wish boston didn't have a super-human time qualifier. I am nowhere fast enough to qualify and I would be terrible raising the enormous amount of money for the charities so I would have to settle for earning 5 out of the 6 stars.
I finished the 6 majors and also ran Sydney. I lost respect for the majors when Shanghai is being considered. Not only there is geopolitical challenges but air pollution is so terrible in China (after visiting China more than a dozen times). When China invades Taiwan, it would be cut off from the free world anyway!
Sad true story, got early birthday pressies yesterday from hubby of Fenix 7 and new brooks trainers And I have the lurgy... My watch is on my wrist taunting me and I keep putting the trainers on (and off).... 😢
Sadly my wife said I am not allowed to run a marathon, as it take too much time. But wierdly half distance and my next goal of iron distance triathlon is fine. Also ultra marathons are ok. But no marathons. So in order to keep the peace I have to let go of running a stand alone marathon.
Technically, it is recognized in Massachusetts, Maine, Florida, Wisconsin, Connecticut, and North Dakota, but yeah I'm fairly sure it is primarily a Boston/Massachusetts thing. I'm from Ohio and had never even heard of it until I happened to be in Boston for work in 2015 over that time period. I knew the marathon was always on a Monday, but had no idea it was technically a holiday for them.
It's gotten so out of hands. NO WAY I'd pay 250 €/USD/UK pound fees times 6 or soon 7 PLUS the airfare PLUS the hotel. Several thousand bucks for one more medal? (Same with the Super Halves, sold out in the blink of an eye). Alternative suggestion: why not make your own dream bucket list of 6 marathons, fulfill these dreams and then have your little niece or grandkids craft a home-made "6 star medal"? Like, I'd limit myself toEurope. Like Eryri/ that North Norway summer one/ the original marathon place in Greece (there are several races?) and a few quirky ones (in an underground salt mine, or get that "golden cucumber" in a cucumber-growing region Spreewaldmarathon). You don't have to mortgage your home or leave a carbon footprint of a Yeti to have fun.
I totally agree. I remember when a team mate of mine ran Berlin pre-pandemic. Then, it was €110 to enter, a bit pricey but not too bad. Now it was €205 for 2024 and that is just the race. I'm not willing to shell out that much money. Since the pandemic, race fees have gone through the roof. I ran London in 2017 when I was a UK resident and I could qualify with a good for age time of sub 3:45. I paid only £35 for the race entry. I would like to run Boston once but with the current fees, I doubt I'll want to spend that much. I have a qualifying time (3:27) but I probably won't use it. I ran Eryri several times from 2011 to 2016 when I lived in the area. Back then, you could just enter the race on New Year's Day, first come first serve. It still is one of my favourite marathons so I'd definitely recommend it. These days, it's also a lottery because it has become so popular. I ran Athens three times in 2010, 2014 and 2023 and each time, it was very well organized and affordable. There are also some really nice marathons around me (I live in Saxony like you), e.g. Goitzsche Marathon or the Lausitz Seenland Marathon that are very affordable and in beautiful locations. I rather support local races than travel halfway around the world.
Some people have the money to travel. Those planes are going to fly regardless of a runner being on it. No effect on the regular carbon footprint of normal commercial flights
I'm half way through running the superhalfs but agree that they're getting out of hand. The ones I've booked so far have been OK both price wise and to book but after the way next year's copenhagen and cardiff ones have sold out in less than an hour, i do worry that my time is going to expire without being able to complete it in time, and that because of the high demand, prices are going to shoot up. Also, I've run the cardiff one the last three years, and cardiff in 2024 was the first half out of the 6 I've run in the last two years has been the only one I've not enjoyed. Felt like there was way too many people there. Missed my start pen going at 10.10 because I'd been queueing for a toilet since 9.20, and then kept on having to stop repeatedly because there were too many people in front of me to get around
Ive never understood why the presenter on the running channel call themselves amateur runners when there work is involved working for a running channel and running in races representing the same channel. I would consider that professional running.
Okay so y'all at TRC are starting to really get a reputation for doing podcasts or partial podcasts on topics that then become out of date within days or weeks of publication, and far ahead of when they were expected to. Eg 'when will women break 2:10 in the marathon? Surely within a few years.' (it happens the next week) Now - 'when will Sydney join the 6 major marathons? I think it's 2-3 years away' (it's just happened today). I think you should decide what world record you really want broken, which runner you really want to succeed, and then do a whole podcast about how it'll be years before they do it!
The Running Channel is way too focused on these high profile marathons that the majority of runners will never run. More focus on domestic events and more achievable goals please.
I’d like a mix. I love the majors, but the Great Run series would be great to see more of, and it’d be cool to see more of the minor races. Like, the Oxford half - I’d love to see more videos like that. And not just the personal journeys (don’t get me wrong, they’re great) but also to talk about the city and race.
I agree, but at the end of the day, right now that may not be possible as they are trying to grow their audience (the majority of the people watching these videos are likely not subscribed), and having bigger or more widely accessible/notable topics might be better for that. Obviously this is one take, and they could definitely keep this going whilst focusing on more domestic races too, this is merely one perspective provided.
Although covering domestic races sounds like fun, this won’t do much for all the English speaking audiences that don’t live domestically. The internet is weird that way, you can watch this from almost anywhere…
TRC has become over focused on marathons. The few times other races are mentioned it is usually Ultra marathon. Ultras are you kidding? Did you know half marathon world record just broken? Hard to tell that you do as I can’t see a post on that from you? I did see a post on (drum roll) NYC marathon.
We cover many marathons and races inside the UK and outside, we cover the majors as well because we get a lot of questions about them. We are unfortunately unable to cover every event as we are still a small team, but will cover smaller races in the future
The world marathon majors is a corporate gimmick. It's just a predetermined list of some of the most expensive marathons. If you genuinely love traveling to races, then great, my next point won't apply to you, but encouraging people to travel all over just to run a race is kind of irresponsible from a climate standpoint. If you want to travel to Japan, great, go for a more than a few days and really experience the culture. If you want to go just to run a race because it's on some predetermined bucket list? Maybe make a personalized original bucket list instead. You would save so much money. And that's without touching how difficult it is becoming to get into these races. Taking a spot for a race like London just to check off a box on a list from someone from London and just wants to run their local marathon, or someone who genuinely has it as their dream race doesn't seem right. Final note, I would be *slightly* more open to lists restricted to one continent such as SuperHalves (Europe). That seems like a better alternative.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
As I'm watching this on Monday morning, Sydney has just been announced as a new major - good timing!
Hahaha what do you think about it?
@@tfjrunningabsolute bullshit. You start from north Sydney and run over the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the first 2km, along the waterfront via pyrmont / darling harbour, onto Barangaroo with views of the Parramatta River, then down to centennial park, through to Mrs Macquaries chair and the Botanical Gardens, finishing at the steps of the Sydney Opera House, possibly one of the most iconic locations on earth.
You either haven’t run it and are gaslighting or tanked hard and didn’t finish
@@tfjrunning lol. Clearly you haven’t run the Sydney marathon. Yeah you don’t run over the Sydney harbour bridge, through centennial park, pyrmont, Barangaroo, botanical gardens, and finish at the steps of the opera house. Don’t see any of Sydney at all
Love Andy's comment on Sarah's gym workout "Excuse me, I'm trying to functionally overreach!" For many, running Boston is out of reach, regardless of age group. Paris was once part of the Big 5 and now not even in Abbott. What if we rotated the Majors, allowing a different city to take a spot every few years? This would alleviate the strain on organisers, ease accommodation issues, and reduce challenges around visas and travel for international runners (for us non-elites). It would also give new cities the chance to host and showcase their city and country, and reduce the intense competition in the ballot process-some of us have applied five or even ten times to a major without success. Also, 3 majors in the USA is a lot (not questioning the quality of hosting, etc., rather more global spread of majors).
Any idea why Paris is no longer considered a major? I'm looking forward to running it in 2025.
@@seascape Don't know the particulars but it's almost certainly money related.
Agree with all this. Dunno why U.S has to have three of them.
Subscriber from Trinidad and Tobago here. My 1st marathon will be in January and my 2 goals are to run a major one day as well as sub 3.
Good luck you can do it!!!
Great goals. Enjoy your journey
Just make sure you have some Kes and Machel playing to get you through the run 🎵
Sedimentary filing, my favourite desk system!
Good luck to everyone running NYC tomorrow, I finished my 9+1 and will be running in 2025.
Amazing!!
I'm in the UK so no chance I'll ever qualify that way, but I love that they do the 9+1
@@Stevenc1984 London is tough enough to get into without 9+1 spots getting filled up!
@@ShantyIrishman Yeah I guess. I think they should give more priority to committed runners, rather than everyone in the ballot having the same chance. I'm running my first full in Manchester next year, which is much easier for me to get to anyway.
@@Stevenc1984 You can qualify through the virtual program, join up with NYRR after this years race has finished , do all the virtual races available including the NY virtual marathon (important to ensure the measuring device (watch / phone) is fully charged , if it is stopped it is null and void. And that and the races you do throughout the year will put you in the correct starting level. The whole thing is not cheap though .. each race cost then the main race cost the flights / hotels, and its a bloody tough race .. but will never forget it.
That is exciting news! I LOVED the videos where you paced so many runners to their PB. Amazing!
Should we look into doing something like that again?
@@runningchannel Yes please. Those were great videos. So emotional. :)
I've volunteered at the finish line for Boston for the past few years and you can hear people coming through who have both medals, there are a surprising number each year
As a Canadian, must state the obvious- real maple syrup!
A little cinnamon, toasted crumbled walnuts & lightest sprinkle of sea salt is perfect with oatmeal in the cooler temperatures, yum :)
Hahaha we'll take your word for it!
I can visualize Rick wearing his silk robe and mud mask singing Born to Run into his hairbrush every morning. 😁😁 Love the podcast,keep up the great work
Love this format. Laid back and great chemistry between the hosts.
So glad you enjoy it!
31:52 a high HR can also be caused by tapering too hard. When you’re extra fresh, HR will be higher than when fatigued during the block.
Interesting.... never heard that before
I’m running the Loch Ness Marathon Sep28 next year! Would love to see the Running Channel there 🤔
We'd love to go!
one of my favourites!
Anna (from TRC) ran it a couple of years ago - the video is still available. She did it as a run/walk.
Thanks for doing this podcast!
Sydney has just been added as #7 today, with a new Nine Star medal becoming available after Shanghai and Caoe Town complete their assessment
Don’t skip the blue ridge marathon in Virginia. Touted as one of the toughest road race.
Plan is to run 3 marathons including 2 majors next year. SYDNEY late August and New York, plus Gold Coast in early July.
I think Rick was meaning to say what hoops does a marathon have to jump through to become a major, not what loop holes haha. Valid question, and I also kind of wonder what requirements have to be met. Also wondering why the organization was created to begin with? And really wondering, will they ever have a Saturday marathon join the group, because that is by far my preferred race day.
Really enjoy these podcasts. The easy chat and laughs is so good! Really interesting about the six stars medal. Must be awesome to run all the majors! Currently I’m focussed on running just 5K. Glad you also remember us newbys! The App sounds great! ⭐️👍😁
Have you signed up??
Sarah, don’t go avoiding the machines at the gym. Get on the leg press and shove an absolute tonne of weight, way more than you think you’ll be capable of, you’ll feel like an absolute boss 💪🏻 P. S. Your marathon PB video was an absolute inspiration
Shout out to you and Mo!
Thanks Daniel! have you got any marathons lined up?
@ Manchester marathon where I’m running the first leg of a 4 man relay and the full distance.
Then, an ultra called The Wall in June, because why not 😅.
Looking forward to seeing what challenges await the running channel team in 2025
This popped up on my feed yesterday, just as Abbott announced Sydney as the 7th world marathon major 🎉🍾🥂 CONGRATS TO SYDNEY!!!
Great to hear about the Club.. excited to join this!!
Have you signed up??
Yes.. already on waitlist
Second podcast in a row my local Cape Town marathon (run two weeks ago) was snubbed for a mention! Also in the running to become a major
It's a brilliant marathon!
Marathon majors are a way to extract max value from dopes. I signed up for 2 marathons next year that total less than 1 marathon major with fewer hoops to jump through.
Come to Greece and film the Authentic Marathon of Athens!! This Sunday I'm running it for the 3rd time! Still cannot believe it. It's a pity that we invented the marathon and we are not in the 6 star majors :( Have in mind that it's one of the most difficult marathons, it's hilly from 18k up to 31! It would be a great challenge for one of the presenters to take on!
To reduce your heart rate, exhale for slightly longer (i.e. slower) than you inhale. Exhaling calms things down.
up there as one of the best running pods.
So glad you think so!
I would call your gym PBs, progressional overloading in order to functionally overreach
Sydney has just been announced as the 7th World Marathon Major, and will count towards the newly introduced Nine Star medal, when two more races (Cape Town and Shanghai) join the majors in 2026 and 2027.
Love the podcast but I don't feel you can mention the majors without the elephant in the room that they are so difficult to get an entry for, something you really gloss over. London is ridiculous and others equally difficult, so much so that its becoming the preserve of elites or privilege only. Hyping them up makes this worse and unless you can spend time raising money or getting a good for age or similar time to qualify then these are a pipe dream for the majority.
I'm not sure if we can call it major, but I think people would love to hear about Istanbul Marathon. We run across the beatufiul bridge which connects Europe and Asia continents! :)
It looks BEAUTIFUL!!!
I couldn’t get my eyes off the mug Rick gracefully raised to sip multiple times…is that a new merch 🤩😂
It's not but we can look into getting some made... 👀
I have two main running goals: to run all the majors, and to stay faster than Sarah. My 5k PB is just over 20:00, so when I hear Sarah talking about possibly going sub-20, I know it’s time to grit my teeth and start putting in the work. 😅
Hahaha GREAT goals! 😂
Tried your recommendation of golden syrup with porridge this morning! Mmm yes that’s a nice treat indeed. Would say though you should try it with Nutella chocolate spread, even nicer 😁😁😁 Now, back to healthy options, haven’t tried honey but will do!
I'm on my way for 6 marathons no major yet. It seems my running path for a major is to actually qualify with the time goal instead of charity or free bib giveaways/lottery with how much luck has been recently. I hope to get better satisfaction of qualifying for all the majors instead of get bibs for free.
i love how the british version of progressive overload is functional overreach. Maybe they aren't the exact same thing but it sounds like it to me 😂
I didn't realise the Tokyo Marathon was first run so recently. Interestingly, the arguably more famous Fukuoka Marathon was first run in 1947, although admittedly it's an elite-only race. I say arguably more famous because it's probably better known here in Australia because in 1967 (Derek Clayton) and 1981 (Rob de Castella) Australian athletes set marathon world records in their respective races.
That’s so interesting!
Sorry if you answer this later in the video but is this an official club so you'd be "affiliated" when entering a race?
I guess the answer is No
No, but Andy said in an update in a q&a that he wants to do so in the future.
Does race day anxiety ever go away? I’ve run 17 marathons and countless half marathons and still get super nervous. But I agree with Andy, my worst performances have been when I’ve not felt as nervous. 😬
We all very much still get race days nerves!
Plus one for the use of the word detritus.
A whole podcast and I still have no idea what a marathon major is. E.g. why is London a major but not Brighton? What does it matter?
Why is it that a road marathon is more terrifying and farther than a trail ultra?
Yes.. This, I will happily traverse hills, fields etc for miles and miles yet a road marathon destroys me, I think it's because (for me) there is an easier friendly vibe, less egoism.. Kinda the difference between football and rugby maybe?
How can golden syrup be better than honey????
You need to try different honies.
Question from an American, what is golden syrup?
@tanyakennedy6511 its a yellow coloued syrup made during sugar refining process from cane or beets. Like molasses, but light coloured.
Maple Syrup ❤
I wish boston didn't have a super-human time qualifier. I am nowhere fast enough to qualify and I would be terrible raising the enormous amount of money for the charities so I would have to settle for earning 5 out of the 6 stars.
Would you consider going with a tour group?
Running my first major next year at London then a month later I’m running my first ultra 😬
Good luck!! That will be an amazing year of achievements for you!
@ thank you 😀
I finished the 6 majors and also ran Sydney. I lost respect for the majors when Shanghai is being considered. Not only there is geopolitical challenges but air pollution is so terrible in China (after visiting China more than a dozen times). When China invades Taiwan, it would be cut off from the free world anyway!
Sydney has made it to the majors Aussie Aussie Aussie oi oi oi I don't have to travel to the other side of the world for a major.
I know one of the very few persons who actually achieved 3 6-star medals :). Seeing so many around one persons neck is weird.
Sad true story, got early birthday pressies yesterday from hubby of Fenix 7 and new brooks trainers And I have the lurgy... My watch is on my wrist taunting me and I keep putting the trainers on (and off).... 😢
Oh no! hope you get better soon!
@runningchannel ❤️
Sadly my wife said I am not allowed to run a marathon, as it take too much time.
But wierdly half distance and my next goal of iron distance triathlon is fine. Also ultra marathons are ok.
But no marathons.
So in order to keep the peace I have to let go of running a stand alone marathon.
Oh no sorry to hear that, how can we help you convince her?
And now those that have done the 6, have another to do in order to have done all of them.
I got so confused between "Berlin" and "Bell Inn" hahaha
There is a 9 star medal potentially coming too
There is!!
Sarah, you missed it. The proper line to sing is "tramps like us, baby ,we were born to run"
Why did I think Sarah was doing NYC this weekend 🤔
There was a chance she was going to but sadly it wasn't possible
@@runningchannel Ah that makes sense! Thought I was imaging things. There's always next year!
Patriots day isn't a US holiday mainly a New England thing.
Thanks for letting us know!
Technically, it is recognized in Massachusetts, Maine, Florida, Wisconsin, Connecticut, and North Dakota, but yeah I'm fairly sure it is primarily a Boston/Massachusetts thing. I'm from Ohio and had never even heard of it until I happened to be in Boston for work in 2015 over that time period. I knew the marathon was always on a Monday, but had no idea it was technically a holiday for them.
How many medals have you received and how many do you still have?
Who are you asking?
@@runningchannel General question over the years you receive hundreds of medals and I have only kept 2
It's gotten so out of hands. NO WAY I'd pay 250 €/USD/UK pound fees times 6 or soon 7 PLUS the airfare PLUS the hotel. Several thousand bucks for one more medal? (Same with the Super Halves, sold out in the blink of an eye). Alternative suggestion: why not make your own dream bucket list of 6 marathons, fulfill these dreams and then have your little niece or grandkids craft a home-made "6 star medal"? Like, I'd limit myself toEurope. Like Eryri/ that North Norway summer one/ the original marathon place in Greece (there are several races?) and a few quirky ones (in an underground salt mine, or get that "golden cucumber" in a cucumber-growing region Spreewaldmarathon). You don't have to mortgage your home or leave a carbon footprint of a Yeti to have fun.
I totally agree. I remember when a team mate of mine ran Berlin pre-pandemic. Then, it was €110 to enter, a bit pricey but not too bad. Now it was €205 for 2024 and that is just the race. I'm not willing to shell out that much money. Since the pandemic, race fees have gone through the roof. I ran London in 2017 when I was a UK resident and I could qualify with a good for age time of sub 3:45. I paid only £35 for the race entry. I would like to run Boston once but with the current fees, I doubt I'll want to spend that much. I have a qualifying time (3:27) but I probably won't use it.
I ran Eryri several times from 2011 to 2016 when I lived in the area. Back then, you could just enter the race on New Year's Day, first come first serve. It still is one of my favourite marathons so I'd definitely recommend it. These days, it's also a lottery because it has become so popular. I ran Athens three times in 2010, 2014 and 2023 and each time, it was very well organized and affordable. There are also some really nice marathons around me (I live in Saxony like you), e.g. Goitzsche Marathon or the Lausitz Seenland Marathon that are very affordable and in beautiful locations. I rather support local races than travel halfway around the world.
Some people have the money to travel. Those planes are going to fly regardless of a runner being on it. No effect on the regular carbon footprint of normal commercial flights
I'm half way through running the superhalfs but agree that they're getting out of hand. The ones I've booked so far have been OK both price wise and to book but after the way next year's copenhagen and cardiff ones have sold out in less than an hour, i do worry that my time is going to expire without being able to complete it in time, and that because of the high demand, prices are going to shoot up.
Also, I've run the cardiff one the last three years, and cardiff in 2024 was the first half out of the 6 I've run in the last two years has been the only one I've not enjoyed. Felt like there was way too many people there. Missed my start pen going at 10.10 because I'd been queueing for a toilet since 9.20, and then kept on having to stop repeatedly because there were too many people in front of me to get around
When will Cape Town be added!!
We'll have to wait and see!
Rumour is Sydney will become a major Monday
....🎉
Ive never understood why the presenter on the running channel call themselves amateur runners when there work is involved working for a running channel and running in races representing the same channel. I would consider that professional running.
We've had this said to us a lot, personally we would never class ourselves as professional runners
I do World Marathon Majors when I want to get rid of large quantities of money fast.
It is expensive!
Nothing to do with this podcast, but sometimes I go sock, shoe, sock, shoe just because I know, somewhere, Sarah is screaming in psychic pain.
😂
😂
Forget golden syrup: try maple syrup!
yum!
Okay so y'all at TRC are starting to really get a reputation for doing podcasts or partial podcasts on topics that then become out of date within days or weeks of publication, and far ahead of when they were expected to.
Eg 'when will women break 2:10 in the marathon? Surely within a few years.' (it happens the next week)
Now - 'when will Sydney join the 6 major marathons? I think it's 2-3 years away' (it's just happened today).
I think you should decide what world record you really want broken, which runner you really want to succeed, and then do a whole podcast about how it'll be years before they do it!
Hahahaha great spot!
Wonder if they'll consider doing a podcast on when I'll win a half marathon at some point before my next one in March? 😂
The Running Channel is way too focused on these high profile marathons that the majority of runners will never run. More focus on domestic events and more achievable goals please.
Second that
I agree. The Great Run event series would even be quite good as it's a super accessible set of races
I’d like a mix. I love the majors, but the Great Run series would be great to see more of, and it’d be cool to see more of the minor races. Like, the Oxford half - I’d love to see more videos like that. And not just the personal journeys (don’t get me wrong, they’re great) but also to talk about the city and race.
I agree, but at the end of the day, right now that may not be possible as they are trying to grow their audience (the majority of the people watching these videos are likely not subscribed), and having bigger or more widely accessible/notable topics might be better for that.
Obviously this is one take, and they could definitely keep this going whilst focusing on more domestic races too, this is merely one perspective provided.
Although covering domestic races sounds like fun, this won’t do much for all the English speaking audiences that don’t live domestically. The internet is weird that way, you can watch this from almost anywhere…
There are 7 majors now, soon to be 8.
Why is Sarah giving us The People's Eyebrow in the thumbnail?
The people's eyebrow?
Could be wrong but is it not progressive overload?
TRC has become over focused on marathons. The few times other races are mentioned it is usually Ultra marathon. Ultras are you kidding? Did you know half marathon world record just broken? Hard to tell that you do as I can’t see a post on that from you? I did see a post on (drum roll) NYC marathon.
We cover many marathons and races inside the UK and outside, we cover the majors as well because we get a lot of questions about them. We are unfortunately unable to cover every event as we are still a small team, but will cover smaller races in the future
Oh no, one day out and you are already out of date. There is now seven majors. Welcome aboard Sydney.
We've got an update coming don't you worry!
You made this video a week too early! Sydney just been added
We've seen! Got an update coming about it today!
The correct answer is peanut butter with your porridge.
So delicious!
The world marathon majors is a corporate gimmick. It's just a predetermined list of some of the most expensive marathons. If you genuinely love traveling to races, then great, my next point won't apply to you, but encouraging people to travel all over just to run a race is kind of irresponsible from a climate standpoint. If you want to travel to Japan, great, go for a more than a few days and really experience the culture. If you want to go just to run a race because it's on some predetermined bucket list? Maybe make a personalized original bucket list instead. You would save so much money. And that's without touching how difficult it is becoming to get into these races. Taking a spot for a race like London just to check off a box on a list from someone from London and just wants to run their local marathon, or someone who genuinely has it as their dream race doesn't seem right. Final note, I would be *slightly* more open to lists restricted to one continent such as SuperHalves (Europe). That seems like a better alternative.
Those are good points, do you have a favourite non major marathon?
Plenty of excellent marathons out there that aren't "majors". London is a joke unless you're rich enough to buy a charity place.
What's your favourite marathon?
Who’s here not to think about the US election 🗳️ today, anyone? (Scouting for fellow ostriches 😂)