THE RUNNING EFFECT PODCAST

A sub-2-hour marathon was supposed to be impossible. Then Dr. Brad Wilkins built the mathematical model that proved it wasn't, and Nike handed him the keys to make it happen.

In 2017, Kipchoge ran 2:00:25 at Breaking2—25 seconds short. Close enough to prove the science was right. Two years later, the 1:59:40 happened in Vienna. The blueprint Wilkins built made that possible.
Now he's back in a university lab asking an even bigger question: what is the actual ceiling of human performance? Spoiler: he doesn't think there is one.

From the gut bacteria influencing your race day performance, to the hormone data that's about to change how women train forever, to the super shoe numbers the industry doesn't want you to see, Dr. Brad Wilkins is bringing the actual science, not the headlines.

He'll tell you why your wearable is lying to you, why your brain quits long before your body has to, and why most of what you've heard about VO2 max, altitude, and recovery is noise dressed up as wisdom.

Ten years inside Nike's most secretive labs. Forty-plus published manuscripts. One bold claim: humans have no limits.

This is the episode that changes how you train.

Tap into the Dr. Brad Wilkins Special. 

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. Comment the word“PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen. If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

Comment the word “PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen. 

If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

S H O W  N O T E S 

-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs

-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run  

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz

-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs

What if the secret to running faster is eating a donut? 

World-class coach Alex Ostberg is back for another monthly breakdown of his newsletter, The Rundown; and this one might be his most thought-provoking yet.

Dominic and Alex tear through four recent editions, starting with a piece that'll make your clean-eating friends squirm: The Case for Junk Food as a Runner. Alex breaks down the real physiology behind post-run refueling—and why your muscles genuinely don't care where your carbohydrates come from. 

From there, the conversation shifts to one of the most emotionally charged moments in any athlete's season: the bad race. Alex's piece, What Not to Do After a Bad Race, has a surprisingly sharp analytical edge, pulling from NBA data, Fidelity investment research, and a controversial Super Bowl call to make the case for why one result should almost never rewrite your entire plan. 

Then Alex lays out The Best Way to Guarantee Improvement; a question every runner asks and very few coaches answer honestly. The aerobic vs. anaerobic breakdown is clear, practical, and backed by real science.
Finally, they close with Five Rules for Building Mileage Without Getting Injured. The "durability lag" concept and the Ferrari-in-a-Prius metaphor will stick with you long after this episode ends.

Tap into The Rundown Recap Special. 

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. Comment the word“PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen. If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

Comment the word “PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen. 

If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

S H O W  N O T E S 

-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs

-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run  

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz

What do you do after you've literally run around the world? For Isaiah Photo, apparently, you wake up at 5 AM every single morning, jump into an ice bath, and spend 75 days trying to get a six-pack. 

This is the kind of unhinged, disciplined, borderline-beautiful chaos that Isaiah Photo lives in. You might know him from his 10 million YouTube subscribers, or from that video where he attempted a marathon in high heels. But today, he's back on the show to discuss his 75 Hard Challenge, aka Operation Get Isaiah a Six Pack. 

With all the humor, Isaiah is a legit runner. He successfully ran a marathon in cheap budget shoes. And outside of stunts, he is a highly competitive runner. He recently set a personal best of 2:41:54 at the Chicago Marathon. He has also attempted a sub-4:30 mile. 

At the end of the day, running isn't just about miles or minutes or podiums. It's about the version of yourself you're willing to fight for: even when it's 5 AM, even when the ice bath is waiting, even when your next marathon is on a different continent and you're running it in a pair of shoes that absolutely were not designed for 26 miles.

Tap into the Isaiah Photo Special. 

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. Comment the word“PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen. If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

Comment the word “PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen. 

If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

S H O W  N O T E S 

-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs

-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run  

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz

Grant Fisher holds American records, world records, and an Olympic medal. He's arguably the greatest American distance runner alive—and he's only 28.

But the story that shaped all of it almost didn't happen. His college coach sat him down junior year and asked one question: how much do you actually care about this? That conversation changed everything. 

Then, before the 2024 Olympics, Grant did something most athletes never do at the height of their power: he blew it all up. New coach, new city, new training. Complete blank slate.

So what drives a man who already has the records to rebuild from scratch? What does it feel like when you can't force the magic; you just have to be ready when it comes? And how does one of the most honest athletes in the sport sit with the tension between peak performance and knowing the window is finite?

He's 28, at his absolute best, being chased by a new generation of Americans who want what he has, and in this conversation, he holds nothing back.

This is one of the most honest conversations we have ever had with an athlete operating at the highest level of the sport.

This conversation is worth every minute.

Tap into the Grant Fisher Special.  

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. Comment the word“PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen. If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

Comment the word “PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen. 

If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

S H O W  N O T E S 
-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs

-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run  

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: 
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz

Adriaan Wildschutt just became the first South African in history to win the NYC Half Marathon, and it looks like he’s in the middle of a memorable career.

Adriaan holds five South African national records. He ran a sizzling 59:13 half marathon debut. He was 13th at the World Cross Country Championships, which was the best finish a South African man has ever had at that event. This guy is notbuilding toward something. He's already in the middle of it. 

Adriaan’s NYC Half Marathon victory on March 15 was both historic and revelatory. If the running world didn’t know him before, they do now. At the Valencia Half Marathon in October 2025, he debuted with a 59:13. And at  the World Athletics Championships in August 2025, he secured a 10th-place finish in the 10,000m in Tokyo.

To cap it off, he holds the South African national records in the 10,000m (outdoor): 26:50.64, the 5,000m (outdoor): 12:56.76, the 3,000m (outdoor): 7:32.99, the Half Marathon: 59:13, and the 5,000m (indoor): 12:56.67.

Historic, revelatory, and long overdue for the recognition, If the running world didn't know Adriaan Wildschutt before Sunday, they do now.

Tap into the Adriaan Wildschutt Special. 

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. Comment the word“PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen. If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

Comment the word “PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen. 

If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

S H O W  N O T E S 

-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs

-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run  

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz