The Drop

Charlie Sweeney was the first American across the line at the 2026 Berlin Marathon, running 2:09. Thomas and Meg talk with him about the race, switching coaches after Boston, his race-day fueling and his road from Maryland high school football to CU Boulder. He also works at COROS, so if you've ever DM'd them, you've probably talked to Charlie.

Chapters
0:00 Intro
1:50 COROS athlete or COROS employee?
3:55 Charlie's dream COROS watch
5:50 Running COROS social media and answering your DMs
10:45 Growing up in Maryland
13:24 From football and basketball to running
20:41 College: Western Colorado and D2 All-American
24:15 Transferring to CU Boulder
26:54 The Boulder running community
31:59 The dream of a big sponsorship
33:54 Is Nike still the top deal?
37:27 Dating a Nike pro (and her prototypes)
41:50 Why the ASICS Metaspeed Sky Tokyo
42:37 How many miles before racing in a super shoe
44:44 The Berlin build: a new coach after Boston
51:19 Race-day fueling: Maurten, SiS and sodium
53:21 Nomio
55:46 Berlin race day
58:34 The pace car playing '90s rock
62:45 Getting caught by Tigst Assefa's pack
68:34 What's next: Houston Half and a spring marathon

Russia has a plague problem, New York has a cheer zone problem, and Thomas apparently has no problem eating his way through ten Taco Bells in 11 hours. This week Thomas, Meg, Robbe and Karl get into NYRR’s new rules for run club cheer zones (RIP confetti cannons), the run club that cleared $640K in a year, Altra’s Legacy Team of runners aged 75 to 85, and Skechers’ new Aero Elite race shoe (machine washable, naturally). Thomas also shares his first impressions of the Nike Apex and SwooshFly, and we put the Asics Gel Slowcush and the Mizuno Sky Prime on the scale to settle which $200 recovery shoe is worth it. Plus, Meg announces LA 100 2.0, and Robbe’s son takes 2nd place in his first cross country race. We’ll see you in Chicago!
BELIEVE IN THE RUN CHICAGO SHAKEOUT
What: Shakeout run with live music from Hollyy, co-hosted with On and Fleet Feet Chicago. Demo On’s LightSpray before race day, and the first 150 runners get a limited-edition BITR x On cap.
When: Saturday, October 10 @ 8:30 a.m. (we’ll be there at 7:30, and hats go fast)
Where: Navy Pier, Chicago, IL
Cost: FREE
https://www.marathon-weekend.com/chicago/2026/events/believe-in-the-run-x-on-shakeout-run
LA 100 2.0
Meg and Meghann are taking 100 women to the LA Marathon again, with a race bib, coaching, nutrition guidance and a VIP race weekend. Applications are open until October 11: https://la100.run/
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!
SWIFTWICK
Your feet are sweating with all those workouts, so treat them with the best pair of socks for training and race day. We use Swiftwick for all our races, which keep us cool and blister free. Pick up your pair and save 15% off your first purchase with code BELIEVE15: https://swiftwick.com/collections/believe
LMNT
Fall marathon training is in full swing, which means you need more salt than you think you do. Crisp and refreshing, all LMNT flavors deliver 1000 mg sodium, 200 mg potassium, and 60 mg magnesium. And if you’re an insider, you can get the limited-edition Pink Lemonade or Lemonade Iced Tea. Get your free 8-count LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase: https://drinklmnt.com/thedrop
PILLAR PERFORMANCE
Running day after day takes a toll on your tendons, ligaments and connective tissue. Pillar’s Collagen Repair is designed to support all of it, and it’s flavorless, so a scoop or two disappears into your morning coffee. We use it daily. Get 15% off your first purchase with code BITR: https://pillarperformance.shop or https://thefeed.com/pillar

Johnny and Alex help Taylor sort out his thoughts and decisions after a successful trail season. Does he push forward with more racing or does he settle in for winter to work on goals for next year? Then, they chat about the new Veja Harpie, a simple trail shoe with a sustainable focus. Of course, there’s a mix of story telling and nonsense in the mix too.Guest: Dakota and Brianna prepare for two monumental tasks: 1. Running around the Great Salt Lake and 2. Raise awareness for changing climate and living conditions in the area. Alex talks about logistics, motivation, and more about the event starting on October 13.

Thomas and Karl went big in Berlin, running a marathon around the city on a warm race morning. Before that, they swung by the Adidas HQ to look at some wild innovations and cutting edge technologies coming from the brand. Also, they led hundreds of runners through a shakeout run on Saturday, the biggest event on race weekend outside of the marathon. Needless to say, it was busy. Needless to say, they are tired. But they're still standing (in their Adios Pro 5).

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!

LAGOON PILLOWS
Sleep is training. Lagoon Pillow is built around your sleep position and preferences — so you wake up recovered and ready to run. We use them every night and you should too. Find your perfect pillow at lagoonsleep.com/believe

Alex and Taylor are joined by long time friend of the show and now Dirt Division reviewer, Johnny Dodgin! He has an extensive background in endurance sport, marketing, product development, and art that make him a prime example of a gear nerd. Among many other topics, they discuss the Inov8 Trailfly Pro that Johnny had a major role in bringing to life.