RunningStateOfTheSport

Paul Gompers--elite marathoner and Harvard Business School professor

Paul Gompers has a long history in the marathon and in the pursuit of excellence. It's hard to imagine anyone more competitive than Gompers. He even owns Alter-G treadmills in two separate residences so he can work out twice a day.

Gompers ran his first marathon in 1983 while a Harvard freshman. His 2:15:28 in Huntsville, Ala, still stands as an under-20 world record on a eligible course.

Here's a famous photo from that race. Gompers explains it in the podcast.

Four years later, Gompers improved to 2:11:39 at the 1987 Twin Cities Marathon. The following spring, he placed fourth in the 1988 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials behind Mark Conover, Ed Eyestone, and Pete Pfitzinger.

Gompers turned next to the study of economics. He has been a professor at the Harvard Business School since 1995, specializing in venture capital and entrepreneurship.

About 20 years ago, he learned to swim and began serious training for age-group triathlon, as did his wife Jody, a Boston-area physician. Gompers has since completed four Kona Ironman Triathlons, as well as many others, with top finishes for his age.

In recent years, he has also advised Harvard's standout alumni runners, including Graham Blanks and Ben Rosa.

For more on Paul Gompers, see this page on Wikipedia.

WHERE TO FIND "RUNNING: STATE OF THE SPORT"

Use your smartphone to download our podcast from Apple, Spotify, Pandora, or YouTube Podcasts. Once you've selected your favorite app, search for "running state of the sport."

With your computer, tablet, or smartphone, you can also listen direct to “Running: State of the Sport” at the below internet links.

Bob Bickel--RunSignUp.com

Back in his college days at Bucknell University, Bob Bickel trained 100 miles/week, and pushed his 10,000-meter time down to an impressive 29:07. Then he took his electrical engineering skills into the tech industry, and enjoyed several modest successes.

Next he opened a running retail store in Moorestown, NJ, and a few years later decided he could improve upon existing race registrations platforms. He was right. Run Sign Up has become the dominant road race registration platform in the U.S., because it's simple to use, and free for race directors to implement.

What more could a volunteer race director want?

We spoke to Bob about his own running career, what he learned from the team philosophy that made Bucknell a regional powerhouse in cross-country, and how he views the demographics of road racing in the U.S. today. We were particularly struck by one key statistic.

According to Bob, only 6 percent of U.S. race participants participate in the top 100 races--the mega races that get nearly 100 percent of news coverage. In other words, 94 percent of U.S. runners take part in local and regional races. That's what makes the sport so deep and strong.

For more about Run Sign Up, check out this 10-minute YouTube video, or read Bob's "Trends Update" for mid-year 2026.

WHERE TO FIND "RUNNING: STATE OF THE SPORT"

Use your smartphone to download our podcast from Apple, Spotify, Pandora, or YouTube Podcasts. Once you've selected your favorite app, search for "running state of the sport."

With your computer, tablet, or smartphone, you can also listen direct to “Running: State of the Sport” at the below internet links.

Paula Radcliffe

This week’s podcast features an interview with Great Britain’s Paula Radcliffe, one of the best-known names in running for the past 30+ years.

Radcliffe first gained international prominence when she won the World Jr. Cross-Country race (on a snowy day in Boston, MA) in 1992. She had a great track career, and then moved up to the marathon, where she enjoyed unparalleled success. Among her biggest wins: three London Marathon titles, and three NYC Marathons.

At the 2003 London Marathon, Radcliffe ran a then-almost-unthinkable 2:15:25 to set a world record that lasted for 16 years. It even survived the first several years of the super-shoe onslaught until Brigid Kosgei ran 2:14:04 in the 2019 Chicago Marathon.

A little more than a year ago, Radcliffe, then 51, came out of marathon retirement to run the Tokyo and Boston Marathons with finish times in the mid 2:50s. This gave her finishes in the six original Abbott World Marathon Majors races.

Radcliffe currently lives in Monaco with her husband, Gary Lough, a well-known coach and agent, and a 15-year-old son, Raphael. Raphael has recently gotten serious about his running, and lowered his 1500-meter best to 3:59. An older daughter, Isla, who had a cancer scare in her teen years, is studying at college in Great Britain.

Radcliffe stays deeply involved in the sport through her track and marathon commentary for various TV outlets. She also co-hosts a podcast titled “Paula’s Run Club,” and promotes youth-running opportunities with several organizations.

In this conversation, Radcliffe talked in depth about her early running experiences and influences, her peak training, her favorite runners, the current women’s marathon world record (2:09:56, by Ruth Chepngetich), and much more.

To learn more about Radcliffe and her activities, check out her Instagram account.

WHERE TO FIND "RUNNING: STATE OF THE SPORT"

Use your smartphone to download our podcast from Apple, Spotify, Pandora, or YouTube Podcasts. Once you've selected your favorite app, search for "running state of the sport."

With your computer, tablet, or smartphone, you can also listen direct to “Running: State of the Sport” at the below internet links.

Jared Ward

In this week's episode of "Running: State of the Sport," Jared Ward becomes our first two-time guest on the podcast. We can't think of anyone better.

Ward placed 6th in the 2016 Rio Olympic Marathon without the super shoes worn by the podium finishers. Neither he nor anyone outside Nike even knew about super shoes at the time.

He soon began working with Saucony on that company's line of super shoes, and continued running fast times in major marathons. Ward hit his marathon PR, 2:09:25, in the 2019 Boston Marathon.

Perhaps more importantly, he mentored a gaggle of younger BYU graduates like Conner Mantz and Clayton Young to their significant marathon careers. He also helped form the public/private "Run Elite Program" to encourage professional running in Utah while promoting health and fitness to the wider population.

After moving his wife and six kids to Oxford, England, where he pursued an Executive Business Administration degree, Ward returned to near-top form this spring. Now 37, he ran a personal best 46:49 for 10 miles at Cherry Blossom, and then finished second in the Pittsburgh Marathon.

In this podcast, he explains why BYU running has reached such a high level, and what he sees in his own running and business future.

For more about Ward, see his profile on the Run Elite website.

WHERE TO FIND "RUNNING: STATE OF THE SPORT"

Use your smartphone to download our podcast from Apple, Spotify, Pandora, or YouTube Podcasts. Once you've selected your favorite app, search for "running state of the sport."

With your computer, tablet, or smartphone, you can also listen direct to “Running: State of the Sport” at the below internet links.

Apple
Spotify
Audible
Pandora
I Heart Radio

Pocket Casts

YouTube

"Running: State of the Sport" is brought to you by MarathonHandbook.com and RunLongRunHealthy.com. Marathon Handbook is the world’s leading marathon website, with a special focus on trustworthy running information and free, runner-tested training plans for all ability levels.

"Run Long, Run Healthy" is a weekly newsletter focused on the newest, most scientific, and most useful training advice for runners. It was launched by Amby in 2021, and is now edited by Brady Holmer, exercise physiologist and 2:24 marathon runner.

Oz Pearlman--mentalist and marathoner

Oz Pearlman is a well-known mentalist-entertainer and a less-well-known marathon and ultramarathon runner. However, his record on the roads and trails is just about as impressive as his mindreading tricks.

Pearlman, 43, has run a 2:23 marathon, a 2:25 at Boston, and finished the Western States 100, the Badwater 135, and the Spartathlon in Greece.

Recently, he was the planned entertainer at the White House Correspondents dinner in Washington, D.C.--the evening interrupted by gun shots and an apparent assassination attempt.

Pearlman was crouched between President Trump and press secretary Karoline Leavitt, attempting to guess the name of her unborn child, when the first shots were heard. A moment later, he was caught in the swarm of Secret Service agents who stormed in to protect Trump, and lead him to safety.

In this podcast, Pearlman chillingly describes the scene, including the fear he felt for himself and his wife and friends in attendance.

He also talks about his early days in marathon running when he knew virtually nothing about the sport, and what he needed to learn before he became more successful. He's particularly insightful in explaining some of the shared mental strategies between his on-stage performances and in the last miles of a marathon or ultra.

For more about Pearlman, check out his website or his Instagram feed.

WHERE TO FIND "RUNNING: STATE OF THE SPORT"

Use your smartphone to download our podcast from Apple, Spotify, Pandora, or YouTube Podcasts. Once you've selected your favorite app, search for "running state of the sport."

With your computer, tablet, or smartphone, you can also listen direct to “Running: State of the Sport” at the below internet links.

Apple
Spotify
Audible
Pandora
I Heart Radio

Pocket Casts
YouTube

London & Boston: Wow!

For this episode, George and I didn't need any guests. The Boston Marathon and London Marathon provided more than enough fuel for a detail-packed discussion.

Just from the top: a world record and sub-2:00-hour marathon at London; a course record at Boston; a women's-only world record at London.

And that was only the cream. Things got even more interesting when we dug into the details.

Are super-shoes still getting faster? Are marathoners using sodium bicarbonate, as milers clearly are, even though research has never proven the kitchen staple productive in events over 15 minutes? Why are there so many fast American marathoners these days?

We just witnessed arguably--no, inarguably--the greatest week of marathon running the world has ever seen. Come along and join us as we explore this amazing, fast-growing sport.

WHERE TO FIND "RUNNING: STATE OF THE SPORT"

Use your smartphone to download our podcast from Apple, Spotify, Pandora, or YouTube Podcasts. Once you've selected your favorite app, search for "running state of the sport."

With your computer, tablet, or smartphone, you can also listen direct to “Running: State of the Sport” at the below internet links.

Apple
Spotify
Audible
Pandora
I Heart Radio
YouTube

Martin Dugard, author

Marty Dugard began writing for Runner's World in the late 1980s, gained more notice as the best-selling coauthor of Bill O'Reilly's "Killing" series of books--Lincoln, Kennedy, Jesus, etc--and now has returned to running with The Long Run.

It's a epic, fast-moving history of running (and especially marathon running) from roughly 1970 to Joan Benoit's victory in the 1984 Olympic Marathon, with a few throwbacks to Pheidippides, Bill Bowerman, and others. You'll meet the people and moments that shaped running as we know it today.

Dugard isn't just a writer of historical non-fiction. He's been deeply immersed in running and running culture since his teen years. For the last 15 years, he has been coaching high school cross-country teams in California, several of which have won state championships.

For more on Dugard, you can follow his regular blogs at MartinDugard.com

WHERE TO FIND "RUNNING: STATE OF THE SPORT"

Use your smartphone to download our podcast from Apple, Spotify, Pandora, or YouTube Podcasts. Once you've selected your favorite app, search for "running state of the sport."

With your computer, tablet, or smartphone, you can also listen direct to “Running: State of the Sport” at the below internet links.

Apple
Spotify
Audible
Pandora
I Heart Radio
YouTube