The Shakeout Podcast

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 of Ailsa Craig, Ont. An OFSAA qualifier nearly a decade ago, Matt went the route of most avid high-school runners, putting his passion aside to pursue education and a career. It wasn’t until nearly a decade later, at a local road race in London, Ont., that his passion to compete was rekindled and transformed into one of the sharpest ascents in Canadian distance-running history. In just over a year, Talbot has shaved a nearly five minutes off his 10K personal best and begun to establish himself in the lead pack of some of Canada’s premiere distance races. Accumulating a run of personal bests on the road and track, Matt broke through into the collective consciousness of Canadian distance running just over a month ago, when he traded blows with the likes of four-time Olympian Moh Ahmed at the Canadian Cross Country Championships, running to a fourth-place finish and booking his spot on his first national team. He's now set to represent Canada at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Fla., this weekend. Today, Matt joins the show to talk about his return to the sport, his rapid ascent and what it means to kick off the year in the red and white. Subscribe to The Shakeout Podcast feed on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts.Check Out Matt Talbot on Instagram @matt.talbottHuge thank you to this week’s sponsor Smartwool. Join the Smartwool mailinglist to receive updates and 15% off your first smartwool.com purchase on fullprice products only. See terms for details. https://bit.ly/481oMZYConditions apply: Valid on regular-priced items. Can., 16+. Initial registration only. Seeterms for details.

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 Distance Projectteam, discusses his build up for his most recent event and his year-over-year progression in the marathon, with a personal best in each of his last five showings. In addition, JP talks about his decision to move up to the event right out of university, and whether other young distance runners should consider making the jump earlier in their careers. The crew also talks training, fuelling and marathon peaking, while laying out the biggest storylines heading into the new year.Give JP Flavin a follow @JFlavinPSubscribe to The Shakeout Podcast feed on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts.Check out the Out & Back Podcast on Instagram & Spotify 

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 be obsessing over their Strava year-end stats and setting even loftier targets for fast times and high mileage in the new year, many might be overlooking an area for improvement that’s equally ripe for the taking: their nutrition. This week on The Shakeout Podcast, we’re joined by Registered Dietitian Sandra Kilmartin of No Sweat Nutrition. Sandra’s joint passions for running and nutrition come together in her work helping athletes of all abilities, from the track to Ultramarathons, fuel better, feel better, and get the most out of themselves through real-world nutrition solutions. Today, she joins the show to talk about steps runners can take to make sure they’re giving their bodies the fuel they need to perform, how to avoid some of the common race day fuelling pitfalls, and what it looks like to create a nutrition plan that works with you to achieve all your running 2026 running goals. Find more Sports Nutrition advice at nosweatnutrition.caFollow them on Instagram @NoSweatNutritionSubscribe to The Shakeout Podcast feed on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts.

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 returning to the marathon paid off in Valencia, Spain, last week, where Malindi crossed the finish line in 2:24:53, breaking the Canadian 45-49 age group record by a staggering 14 minutes. Malindi now owns five of the six fastest times in Canadian history. The time also eclipsed the men's Canadian 45-49 record, making Malindi the fastest Canadian of all time, male or female, in the age group.Today on The Shakeout Podcast, Malindi joins the show to discuss how she built back from injury to make it to the starting line in Valencia healthy and fit–and how in this, the 10th marathon of her career, she continues to grow and evolve in pursuit of her best performances.Follow Malindi on Social Media @MalindielmoreSubscribe to The Shakeout Podcast feed on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts.

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 universities has quickly drawn the condemnation of the broader Canadian athletics community while raising concerns about the future viability of similar programs across the country. A petition launched in the wake of the announcement to save the program has already garnered more than 11,000 signatures.Joining the show today is Derek Covington, head of Friends of McGill Track & Field, High Performance Director of Athletisme Quebec, and alumnus of McGill Athletics, where he was a multiple time All-Canadian on the track. Derek highlights the critical role that McGill’s track team has played as a development pathway for Canadian athletics talent, its importance to the broader track & field community in Montréal, and what McGill’s decision means for the state of amateur athletics across the country. Learn more at Friends of McGill Track & FieldSign the Petition Follow @savemcgilltrack on InstagramSubscribe to The Shakeout Podcast feed on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts.