The Shakeout Podcast

If the early days of 2026 are any indication, the year ahead might be one for the history books in Canadian road running. This past weekend saw the fall of not one, but two national records in two of the most hotly-contested distances, the 10K and the half-marathon.  Within the span of just a few hours, the duo of Kieran Lumb and Rory Linkletter lowered the all-time best marks at the 10K and half,...

As in almost every previous year, in 2025, Canadian elite startlines looked much the same from coast to coast. Whether it was 5,000m on the track, 10K on the road or on the mud and grass of the cross-country course, a familiar cast of national elites toed the line from Vancouver to Montreal, Edmonton to Ottawa. But among the rows of seasoned harriers, one face was relatively unknown: Matt Talbot o...

The Shakeout Podcast kicks off 2026 with a special New Year's Day episode featuring guest host Rory Linkletter . Rory joins  John Gay  for a conversation with recently crowned The Marathon Project champion JP Flavin , fresh off his win and new lifetime best of 2:09:18. The pros-only event was held in Chandler, Arizona last week. Flavin, a member of the Michigan-based Brooks Hansons Original Distan...

While the holiday season represents a break from training for some, for others it’s the perfect opportunity to start ramping up towards big goals in the year ahead.  Regardless of where you find yourself, the end of one year and the beginning of the next marks a perfect time for all runners to take some time to plan for racing and training goals in the year ahead. And while plenty of athletes will...

After being named to lead the Canadian marathon team at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Malindi Elmore had some injury struggles through the spring and summer and was forced to withdraw. She  decided to focus on returning to full health in hopes of finding a later starting line where she could arrive in top shape.  She built steadily through the fall, and her decision to delay returnin...

On November 20th, McGill University announced devastating budget cuts to its athletics programs and the dissolution of 25 varsity and competitive club sports, effective next year. Amongst that list was both men’s and women’s track and field, programs which have existed on campus for more than a century.  The decision to cut the track & field program at one of Canada’s oldest and most prestigious u...

When a debilitating back injury derailed Jesse Prescott 's own athletic endeavours over a decade ago, it created in him an obsession with better understanding the root causes of pain, learning how to strengthen his body against future injury, and sharing what he learned with athletes of all ages and abilities. What followed was a journey into the inner workings of movement and performance and a ca...

After missing out on seeing Ceili McCabe in competition this outdoor track & field season, the wait is over for running fans to see her back at a national championship, as she returned in style this past weekend with a masterclass performance at the 2025 Canadian Cross Country Championships in London. In her first national championship as a professional, the national steeplechase record holder and...

As a teenager, Jane Roos was one of the country’s most promising young talents in track and field, with Olympic aspirations to represent Canada in the heptathlon. At age 18, those aspirations came to an abrupt halt after a devastating car accident brought an end to her athletic career. While tragedy marked the end of her personal pursuit of Olympic glory, it also served as a catalyst for a new pur...

The best distance runners in the country are heading back to London for the 2025 Canadian Cross Country Championships and Canadian Running is your source for all the action. The stakes are extra high for this year’s edition of ACXC, as athletes go head-to-head for to secure their place on the Canadian team heading to the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida in just 6 week’s ti...

For as long as he can remember, running has been a fundamental component of Kevin Smith ’s life. Even during recurring bouts of injury, Smith held onto the identity and community that the sport provided, trusting that someday, he’d have the chance to find out just how much he was capable of.  Through the years of setbacks and time relegated to the status of what he calls a “non-practising runner,”...

When Mark Bomba accepted the head coaching role at Queen’s University in 2020, he inherited a men’s program that was decades removed from their last appearance on a national cross country podium. For the new head coach the climb back to the top of the mountain had to begin with a strong culture, and his top priority was identifying just one athlete who would buy into the team-first ethos he was tr...

When the University of Victoria women’s cross country team claimed a team bronze medal at last year’s U Sports Canadian University Championships, it marked the first time in 13 years that the Vikes had climbed onto the national podium.  Claiming bronze individually that same day was Madelyn Eybergen , a breakout star at the University of Windsor, who had entered the season as a complete unknown. E...

This week on The Shakeout Podcast , we’re tackling the sensitive topic of sensitive tummies, diving into an exploration of the science behind gastrointestinal distress and learning how runners of all abilities can turn their fuelling, nutrition, and the inner workings of their gut from a weakness into a strength.  Sharing her from her extensive experience is Jessalyn O’Donnell .  As a registered s...

Having to “Go” has long been the enemy of runners everywhere, but might it hold the key to unlocking higher performance? While any runner can attest to how critical a well placed porta potty can be to performance, few realize the powerful science backing it up.  Today on The Shakeout Podcast we’re joined by Dr. Chia Hua Kuo ,  professor in the department of health and physical education at the Edu...

For more than a decade, few athletes have been as ubiquitous in Canadian athletics as Charles Philibert-Thiboutot . From a legendary university career at Université Laval that saw him help turn the Rouge et Or into the powerhouse they remain today, Charles quickly rose through the ranks on the elite scene, chalking up podium performances, national records, and championship titles on the roads, tra...

A look back at the past 12 months and there’s not much that Nelson, BC’s Jazmine Lowther hasn’t done in the trail running world. After a summer of big-time performances that included a top ten finish at the legendary UTMB World 50k Finals in Chamonix, Lowther saved her best performance for last, leading the Canadian team at the World Mountain and Trail running championships in Spain with a stunnin...

The 2025 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon takes place this Sunday, October 19th. Headlining the Canadian National championship field this year is Ben Flanagan , as he looks set to make his much-anticipated debut over the Marathon distance.  This week on The Shakeout Podcast we catch up with Ben to hear how he's approaching his first step into the deep waters of marathoning. Following a stellar 2024...

After one too many long commute times on Toronto’s aging street car network, Mac Bauer was fed up and decided to take it to the Toronto Transit Commission in a battle of man vs. machine.  Over the past several months, Bauer has made it his mission to outrun the 11 routes that comprise Toronto’s streetcar network, tackling summer heat, distracted drivers, and endless red lights all while maintainin...

Huge thank you to this week's sponsor Smartwool . Join the Smartwool mailing list to received updates and 15% off your first purchase 👉   https://bit.ly/4nrD1wb Conditions apply: Valid on regular-priced items. See terms for details. In 2024,  Ryan Keeping  made headlines from coast to coast, literally. Over the course of 99 days, the Halifax ultrarunner completed a cross country trek that took hi...

This week on The Shakeout Podcast we welcome Calgary, AB's Cody Ko, a comedian, DJ, and YouTube megastar. While Cody became famous largely through his YouTube and social media presence, amassing millions of followers and hundreds of millions of views through his signature brand of comedy, running has been a part of his life for a long time and, in recent years, has become the focus of his online p...

The Rundown returns for a special World Championships preview. With the biggest week in Track and Field of the year finally here, host John Gay and Canadian Running staff writer Marley Dickinson connect to break down all the biggest Canadian story lines heading into Tokyo. Also joining the show is Canadian national team member and 2024 Olympian in the 1500m, Kate Current. Kate joins the conversati...

Run club culture is on the rise in Canada and globally, yet for many would-be participants the idea of showing up can be an intimidating one, especially when their own cultures and ethnicities are underrepresented.  With an eye on creating greater representation in the sport of running, a new wave of culturally focused run clubs are on the rise in cities across Canada, setting out to make particip...

This week on the Shakeout Podcast we're joined by Justyn Knight , Olympic finalist, multi-time NCAA Division 1 national champion, and the second fastest man in Canadian history over 5000m.  After a devastating injury sustained at the 5000m final at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 kept Knight off the track for nearly 4 years, he's back competing against the world's best in 2025. Fresh off a podium-perfo...

With the fall road race season fast approaching, now's the time to dial in your fuelling strategy to make sure you get the most out of yourself on race day. Joining the show to answer all your marathon fuelling questions is Rachel Hannah , registered dietitian and 5xCanadian champion on the roads and track. Rachel breaks down the science of fuelling, from day-to-day to peak performance, and shares...