I Don't Know Running

Send us Fan Mail The 2026 Western States 100 wasn't just another edition of America's most iconic ultramarathon—it completely rewrote the history books. Jim Walmsley's legendary course record that many thought might stand for years? Gone. Courtney Dauwalter's iconic women's record? Gone too. Four men ran faster than the previous course record. Jennifer Lichter became the f...

Send us Fan Mail A hot race forecast sends a lot of runners into panic mode. Suddenly they're running in sweatshirts, avoiding air conditioning, cutting back on water, and trying to cram heat training into the final two weeks before race day. But does it actually work? In this episode of the I Don't Know Running Podcast, we dive into one of the most misunderstood topics in endurance spor...

Send us Fan Mail A high school relay team wins the state championship... or so everyone thought. At the North Carolina High School State Championships, Mallard Creek's anchor runner crossed the finish line with a comfortable lead and raised his hand in celebration. Moments later, officials disqualified the team. Not for a false start. Not for an illegal handoff. Not for leaving his lane. For...

Send us Fan Mail When you sign up for a race, you expect a measured course, water stations, timing chips, and a finish line waiting for you. But that's not always what happens. In this episode of the I Don't Know Running Podcast, we dive into some of the biggest race disasters in running history—from marathons that were too short to count as Boston Qualifiers, to races that disappeared e...

Send us Fan Mail This week on the I Don't Know Running Podcast, we dive into the emotional roller coaster of the Bayshore Marathon through the stories of four very different runners. One ran purely for fun. One fought to keep a Boston Marathon qualifying streak alive. One accidentally qualified thanks to an upcoming age-group change. And one runner achieved what many marathoners spend years c...

Send us Fan Mail Sometimes marathon running stops being about speed… …and starts becoming something completely different. Because somehow, over a MILLION people apply to run the London Marathon… and some of the people who get in decide to run it: in jeans in full business suits in wooden clogs in four-inch heels or dressed as Thomas the Tank Engine. In this episode, we dive into some of the strang...

Send us Fan Mail The Cocodona 250 might be the most insane ultramarathon in America. 250 miles across Arizona. Nearly 39,000 feet of climbing. Multiple days with almost no sleep. Hallucinations. Desert heat. Mountain cold. And runners pushing themselves far beyond what most people think is possible. In this episode, we break down: the rise of Cocodona 250 Rachel Entrekin making history by winning...

Send us Fan Mail For decades, the sub-2-hour marathon felt impossible. At the 2026 London Marathon, that changed forever. Sabastian Sawe became the first man to officially break two hours with a 1:59:30 world record… but somehow that wasn’t even the whole story. Yomif Kejelcha also went under two hours in the same race, while Jacob Kiplimo still ran faster than the previous world record and only f...

Send us Fan Mail Sometimes a race gets canceled… and no matter what the reason is, someone’s going to be upset. In this episode, we’re breaking down the Carmel Marathon cancellation—and the bigger question behind it. Should races cancel early to protect runners… or wait and risk making the wrong call? Because the reality is: there’s no perfect answer. We talk through the race director’s perspectiv...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when finishing isn’t guaranteed? In this episode of the I Don’t Know Running Podcast, Mitch shares the story behind one of the hardest races of his life—the Jersey City Marathon. On paper, it doesn’t stand out. 6 hours and 12 minutes. His slowest marathon ever. But what led up to this race is what makes it different. Over the last few years, Mitch has dealt with: a he...

Send us Fan Mail In 2019, it felt like women in sport had forced a turning point. When Alysia Montaño, Kara Goucher, and Allyson Felix spoke publicly about pregnancy-related sponsorship penalties, major brands promised change. Contracts changed. Protections were added. The sport moved forward… or did it? In this episode, we unpack the “Pregnancy Penalty,” the recent controversy involving Emma Bate...

Send us Fan Mail Sometimes the hardest part of a marathon… isn’t the running. It’s everything that happens around it. After hearing about a bizarre finish at a marathon earlier this year—where the race leader was literally sent the wrong way just meters before the finish—we started digging into how often things like this actually happen. And it turns out… it’s not rare. In this episode, we talk th...

Send us Fan Mail Why would an everyday runner cheat in a race? Not elites. Not professionals. Just… normal people. In this episode, we take a look at the strange and surprisingly relatable psychology behind cheating in running—from cutting courses and bib swapping to chasing Strava validation and Boston qualifiers. This isn’t just about the stories. It’s about the why. Because at some level, most...

Send us Fan Mail What kind of runner are you… really? In this episode, we’re breaking down the different types of running communities—from Marathon Maniacs chasing finish lines to social run crews meeting for coffee, to performance-focused track clubs grinding through workouts. Because depending on who you run with… running can feel like a competition, a community, or something in between. We talk...

Send us Fan Mail Sometimes the conversation around running isn’t about pace, training plans, or race results. It’s about something deeper than that. Why are you doing it in the first place? In this episode of the I Don’t Know Running Podcast, Lewis and Mitch revisit the recent debate around race-day phones and cameras — but this time, they focus on what really stood out: The responses. Some runner...

Send us Fan Mail Did runners really get a marathon medal for only 18 miles? At the 2026 LA Marathon, race organizers offered runners an early finish at Mile 18 because of extreme heat conditions. Runners who stopped still received a medal — but no official marathon time. So… does that count as finishing the race? In this episode of the I Don’t Know Running Podcast, Lewis and Mitch break down one o...

Send us Fan Mail Imagine leading a national championship race with just over a mile to go… and then the lead vehicle sends you the wrong way. That’s exactly what happened during the 2026 USATF Half Marathon Championship in Atlanta. With the race nearly decided, the lead convoy turned off the certified course and the front runners followed—costing them nearly two minutes and ultimately the national...

Send us Fan Mail If you pull out your phone during an Ironman race in 2026… you could be disqualified. No selfies. No GoPros. No smart glasses recording. Starting March 2, 2026, Ironman has officially banned athletes from recording photos or video while racing. Violation? Immediate DQ. You can carry your phone. You can use it for GPS. You can call for help. But you cannot actively record your race...

Send us Fan Mail He ran 56:42. He shattered the half marathon world record by 48 seconds. And it doesn’t count. World Athletics declined to ratify Jacob Kiplimo’s performance at the Barcelona Half Marathon — not for doping, not for traditional cheating — but because of alleged pacing assistance from the lead vehicle and possible in-race coaching. So… where’s the line? In this episode of the I Don’...

Send us Fan Mail Trail runners talk about Leave No Trace. But what about road runners? In this episode of the I Don’t Know Running Podcast, we dive into the unwritten rules of road running — the small behaviors that shape how the public sees runners. Because running isn’t a solo sport. Drivers see you. Walkers see you. Homeowners see you. Cyclists see you. And whether we realize it or not, every r...

Send us Fan Mail Endurance isn’t a straight line — it’s a steep curve. In this episode of the I Don’t Know Running Podcast, Lewis and Mitch break down the “endurance curve”: how each distance milestone (5K → marathon → 50K → 50 miles → 100 miles → 200+) filters runners out for totally different reasons. Past a certain point, it stops being “fitness” and becomes life management — nutrition, decisio...

Send us Fan Mail Are your running watch numbers telling you the truth — or just a convincing story? In this episode of the I Don’t Know Running Podcast, we dig into what your watch can tell you… and where it quietly gets things wrong. From heart rate and VO₂ max to calorie burn, recovery time, and HRV, we talk about why wearable data often feels precise — but isn’t always accurate. We cover: Why w...

Send us Fan Mail What if your next running goal wasn’t about a PR… but about the experience? In this episode of the I Don’t Know Running Podcast, Lewis and Mitch talk through non-traditional running events that are less about racing the clock and more about racing the landscape, navigating terrain, and building unforgettable memories. We dive into: 🧭 Adventure Racing — team-based navigation, trek...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the I Don’t Know Running Podcast , we dig into a question a lot of long-distance runners quietly wonder about: What does ultrarunning actually do to your body over the long term? This isn’t an episode meant to scare anyone away from endurance sports. Instead, we talk honestly about what science does know, what it doesn’t , and how real runners experience these t...

Send us Fan Mail Winter running hits different in Michigan—one day you’re “getting it done,” the next you’re sliding around wondering why you even left the house. 😅 In this episode of the I Don’t Know Running Podcast, Lewis and Mitch get into a super practical (and slightly ranty) conversation about treadmills: Why so many treadmills turn into $2,000 clothes hangers The real reason specs matter:...