Run Spesh Podcast by Frontrunner Colombo

Todd Andrews: From Outback Runner to S&C Coach — The Dream Run Across Australia for Cholmondeley Hosts Oska and Maia welcome Todd "Toddy" Andrews on The Front Runner Colombo's weekly running podcast to trace his path from a love-filled but financially tight childhood in Australia—frequent moves, single-parent upbringing, and finding stability through running—to a life-changing Melbourne school sch...

The crew kicks off this week's episode from a freshly moved (and very unfinished) Frontrunner office to bring you a massive mix of raw training realities, major global athletics news, and technical gear deep dives. The biggest news of the week hits close to home: Oska shares his recent scan results, revealing a linear tear at the top of the proximal hamstring alongside severe high hamstring tendin...

Run Spesh: The Rundown — Injuries, NCAA Chaos, World Road Champs Squad & Novablast 6 First Look Oska, Tom and Anna kick off Run Spesh from Frontrunner with a rebrand to "The Rundown," then share training updates: Anna is back running pain-free after gym strength work, while Oska is nearly two weeks off with a diagnosed tendon tear and plans a cautious return. Tom recaps a fast, tactical winter bik...

Oska, Anna and Maia banter through a chaotic Run Spesh episode from Frontrunner, covering a week of shop life, travel, racing and brand meetings. Oska recaps flying to Melbourne, then heading to Launceston for a half marathon where he felt flat (low HRV, blocked nose, sore hamstring/ankle), fell off pace early, and turned the race into a 70-minute tempo, likely missing his last World Champs qualif...

Run Spesh Ep 104: Racing in Tassie, Wild World Champs Standards & the Ghost 18 Glow-Up Oska, Tom and Anna (from Frontrunner Colombo) kick off Run Spesh with winter banter and Oska's upcoming half marathon in Launceston, where he's managing sciatica/hamstring issues and choosing the ASICS MetaSpeed Sky over the Puma Fast-R for stability. They discuss a possible Global Running Day special with Matt...

Run Spesh Returns: Range Showing Chaos, Launceston Countdown, Trail Wins & Nike Structure+ Oska, Tom and Maia return to Run Spesh after a missed week, explaining how exhausting "range showing" week is as they review upcoming footwear across brands and debate what's exciting versus terrible. They highlight Adidas Evo SL2 and Adios Pro 5, discuss ASICS delays and rumored updates, Brooks' improved El...

Run Spesh #102: Rotorua Marathon Recap, Oska's Achilles Comeback, Wild Run Sightings + Nike Pegasus ACG Trail Oska, Tom and Anna kick off with Tom's birthday banter, then recap the Rotorua Marathon: Daniel Belch wins in 2:19 by nearly six minutes on the hilly course, the women's race is won in 2:43, and Catherine Camp runs 1:16 and places second overall. They preview upcoming NZ races (Wellington,...

Run Spesh: 100 Episodes, Hagley Park Toilet Chaos, London Marathon WRs & Maia Wins Skidaddle Oska, Tom and Maia celebrate (belatedly) 100 episodes of Run Spesh, swap grim stories from Hagley Park—including a shocking Saturday-morning toilet encounter—and invite listeners to share their wild Hagley moments. They react to an extraordinary weekend of distance running as both men's and women's maratho...

Run Spesh: Nike Billboard Drama, Boston Dominance, New Shoe Drops & Trail Tech Oska, Tom and Maia from Frontrunner Colombo riff on Nike's Boston Marathon billboard ("runners are welcome, walkers are tolerated") and the backlash, noting Nike had nobody on the Boston podium while ASICS prototypes featured heavily. Oska shares he's back near full training at ~95 miles with doubles and new hill-600 wo...

Christchurch Marathon Chaos, PBs & Vomit + Speedgoat 7 Is Back | Run Spesh Oska, Tom and Maia recap a huge Christchurch Marathon week for Frontrunner, from the shakeout run and expo to racing and supporting runners on course. Maia details her half marathon debut, going out too fast, battling humidity, managing gels, vomiting near the finish, and running 1:18:42 to earn a National Champs medal, whi...

Christchurch Marathon Week Hype: Tapers, National Champs & Expo Deals | Run Spesh Oska, Tom and Maia (from Frontrunner Colombo) kick off Run Spesh with some banter, then dive into Christchurch Marathon week—the biggest week on the local running calendar and a major week for the shop. They reflect on achieving a longtime goal of being headline sponsor for the Christchurch Marathon, preview the nerv...

Edit to the episode - the Nike unfortunatley isn't 40mm or under! On Cloudboom Vault vs Nike Zoom Fly 6 |  (Run Spesh: Sole Mates) Oska and Tom from Frontrunner Colombo's Run Spesh "Sole Mates" compare two new the On Cloudboom Vault and the Nike Zoom Fly 6. They discuss why staying under the 40mm stack limit matters for age-group racing, then break down specs and ride feel. The Cloudboom Vault is...

https://frontrunnercolombo.co.nz/ Run Spesh: Wild Hamner Training Camp Tales + Nike Pegasus 42 Review + Christchurch Marathon Week Plans Oska, Tom, and Maia from Frontrunner Colombo chat through a chaotic weekend training camp trip to Hamner that started with sideways rain, TT bikes in gale-force winds, and a mid-ride turnaround before salvaging the camp with cycling, running, swimming, and pub ha...

Hoka Mach X 3 vs Mach 7 (Sole Mates) | Which Frontrunner Daily Trainer Wins? Oska and Tom from Frontrunner Colombo record a "Sole Mates" comparison after their camera isn't charged, pitting Hoka's Mach X 3 against the Mach 7 as faster daily trainers rather than true racers. They praise updates from the Mach X 2, including a more traditional heel collar and wider width options, but criticize Hoka's...

Run Spesh (Frontrunner): Hamstring Chaos, Half Mara Woes, Shoe Recs & the Scavenger Hunt Run On Run Spesh from Frontrunner, Oska, maia and Anna fill in while Tom's away and riff on podcast awkwardness, eye contact, and office life like new clock-in/out time tracking, late emails, and Oska's delegation habits. They touch on maia's voiceover video, Oska using a "brick" to shut off phone distractions...

ASICS MegaBlast vs adidas Hyper Boost Edge : TPU vs PBA | Run Spesh "Solemates" Oska and Tom from Frontrunner Columbo record a "Solemates" Run Spesh episode comparing the ASICS MegaBlast and the adidas Hyper Boost Edge (Pro), framing it as a matchup of premium foams (TPU vs PBA) and debating what makes a "super trainer" versus a premium daily trainer. They praise the MegaBlast's versatility, light...

Run Spesh: The Race, Devonport carnage, City2Surf record crowds + shoe hot takes Oska, Tom and Anna (from Frontrunner Colombo) ramble through a late-week Run Spesh catch-up: Tom previews "La Race," a brutal Christchurch-to-Akaroa bike event with ~500–600 riders, rolling road closures, gnarly climbs, safety concerns (fog, road debris, acorns), and why road cycling feels harder and riskier than runn...

NZ Track Champs Chaos, Taupō Ironman Drama & a Brutal Motatapu Win | Run Spesh Run Spesh (from Frontrunner Colombo) opens with sponsor chat before Oska, Tom, and Maia recap a huge weekend: New Zealand Track & Field Champs in Auckland, celebrating Rosa Twyford's Triple Crown despite recent injury worries, and discussing improved broadcast coverage, crowd energy, and the value of constructive feedba...

Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 4 vs 3: Lighter, Wider, More Responsive? | Run Spesh at Frontrunner Oska and Tom from Frontrunner Colombo discuss Puma's return to running and compare the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 4 to the popular Deviate Nitro Elite 3, praising the 3 for reliability and versatility from 5K to marathon. They explain how the 4 updates the formula with a wider midfoot and forefoot base, a cl...

Bee Stings, Nationals Hype & The Great Unknown 5K: Run Spesh with Oska, Tom & Anna Oska, Tom and Anna from Frontrunner Colombo catch up on Run Spesh with chaotic shop chat, including Oska's brutal bee-sting running stories and recent travel. Anna shares how she's managing hip tendinopathy while building back to 40-minute runs, gym work and biking, and they recap Oceania sprint champs results with...

ASICS Superblast 3 vs Superblast 2: LEAP Foam, Fit Changes & Who Each Shoe Is For | Run Spesh In this Run Spesh "Solemates" episode from Frontrunner Colombo, Oska and Tom compare the ASICS Superblast 2 and the revamped Superblast 3, focusing on the major shift to softer, faster-compressing LEAP foam (an A-TPU with an EVA stability piece) versus the firmer feel of Superblast 2's EVA/Peba blend. The...

Run Spesh: Oska's Osaka Marathon Debrief, Tommy's Frozen Challenge Wānaka & Maia's Moonlight Half + Superblast 3 Launch In this Run Spesh episode, Oska recaps a busy stretch for the Frontrunner crew six weeks out from Christchurch Marathon, including his trip to Japan to race the Osaka Marathon. He details travel, pre-race logistics, chaotic bottle-drop rules, starting too far back, heat changing...

Hillary Allen (Hilly Goat) on Survival, Joy & the Brooks Cascadia Elite | run spesh This week on run spesh, Oska and Maia sit down in Christchurch with elite trail runner Hillary Allen (aka "Hilly Goat") ahead of Tarawera 50K. Hillary talks NZ trail life (Hillary Track, oxygen-rich workouts, rugged underbrush, and the joy of trails with no bears), how she went from neuroscience grad school + tenni...

Oska and Tom from Frontrunner Colombo compare two neutral, highly cushioned road daily trainers: the New Balance 1080v15 and the Saucony Triumph 23. They explain what "neutral" means (no added motion-control elements) and discuss how the 1080v15 is a major improvement over the v14, with a new EVA/TPE-style foam that feels soft and responsive, decent outsole coverage, and a lighter build (261g, 6mm...