172: What Can We Learn from Elites & Why the Enhanced Games Failed

In this episode, the hosts of The Running Channel podcast—Rick Kelsey, Andy Baddeley, and Sarah Hartley—reflect on recent marathon achievements, with five of the fastest men's marathon times recorded in April. They highlight Tigst Assefa's world record in the women's only marathon and Rachel Entrichen's impressive win at the Cocodona 250 mile race. To draw lessons from these elite athletes, they delve into fueling strategies, stating that the average runner now has access to nutrition techniques previously reserved for elites. They emphasize the importance of carbohydrate intake, citing how elite athletes now consume much more than was standard years ago.

The episode discusses how intensity and training volume differ at elite levels compared to everyday runners, promoting the 80/20 rule of training—devoting 80% of runs to easy pacing and 20% to hard efforts. They also delve into biomechanics, stressing the importance of calf and ankle strength over relying solely on quad muscles for power and efficiency. This leads to a broader discussion on what runners can learn from elite training methods.

Towards the end, the podcast shifts to the topic of the Enhanced Games, where athletes openly use performance-enhancing drugs. The hosts express disdain for the concept, stressing that it undermines the integrity of sports. They caution against promoting such practices to future generations of athletes, highlighting the importance of competing cleanly and valuing hard work and dedication.