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, breaking new ground for Canadian distance running by eclipsing the elusive 28-minute and 1-hour marks, respectively. After a mid-season coaching change in 2025 to begin working with Gjert Ingebrigtsen–the estranged father and former coach of multi-time Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen–Lumb’s pivot and subsequent move to a new training base in Europe paid off on Sunday morning in Valencia, Spain. His mark of 27 minutes and 50 seconds over 10K made him the first Canadian to dip under 28 minutes on the roads, eclipsing Charles Philibert-Thiboutot’s 2025 mark of 28:10.Mere hours later, in Houston, Texas, Linkletter continued the momentum of a career-defining 2025 season by reclaiming the Canadian half-marathon record with a 59:49 clocking, besting Cam Levins's mark by nearly 30 seconds and becoming the first Canadian man to break the one-hour barrier.Lumb and Linkletter join this week's episode of The Shakeout Podcast to recap their record-breaking weekend and to set the tone for a year of action in Canadian running that is off to an historic start.Subscribe to The Shakeout Podcast feed on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts.Check out @Kieran.M.Lumb & @Rory_Linkletter on Social MediaHuge 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.

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.