THE RUNNING EFFECT PODCAST

Becs Gentry isn’t just an influential Peloton instructor. 

She’s a 2:32 marathoner, a former British Olympic Trials fourth-place finisher, the first female non-elite at the 2019 NYC Marathon, and now the newest Global Brand Ambassador for HOKA.

And that’s not even mentioning her incredible second-place finish in The Great World Race in 2024: she ran 7 marathons, on 7 continents, in 7 days, setting a world record for the fastest time to start seven marathons across seven continents, and then turned around and kept training like it was just another chapter.

Prior to that in 2021 she competed in the British Olympic Marathon Trials, finishing 4th with a personal best of 2:32:0. In 2019, she was the first female non-elite finisher at the New York City Marathon with a time of 2:37:01. 

Becs continues to prove that ambition and accessibility can coexist. She’s not just inspiring runners to chase PRs, she’salso challenging them to redefine what progress means, whether that’s a 2:32 marathon or simply showing up on a hard day. 

What makes her different isn’t just the résumé. It’s the mindset behind her mantra:  Forward is a pace. And she’scontinuing to make a difference in the lives of runners across the globe each day.

Tap into the Becs Gentry Special. 

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S H O W  N O T E S

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The story of coach Craig Kirkwood doesn’t begin and end with teenage phenom Sam Ruthe. 

Yes, just this year the 16-year-old Ruthe ran 3:48.88 indoors, breaking the World U18 Indoor Mile record and the New Zealand senior record in one race. It was a generational performance.

But this wasn’t Coach Craig’s first run-in with elite talent. He has coached Olympic medalists like Hayden Wilde (Olympic bronze medalist in Tokyo 2020; and silver medalist in Paris 2024 in the triathlon), New Zealand record holders like Sam Tanner (Two-time Olympian and New Zealand record holder in the 1500m), and he’s done it while building athletes who balance elite performance with real life.

Craig wasn’t handed a blueprint. He built himself first: from self-coached teenager, studying Arthur Lydiard; to 2:13marathoner; to World Cross Country athlete; to three-time Kona Ironman competitor.

Sam Ruthe’s latest 3:48.88 mile wasn’t an accident. Just like Hayden Wilde’s Olympic medals weren’t luck, and Sam Tanner’s record-breaking 1500m wasn’t random.

They’re products of a system built on belief, patience, and long-term development. Coach Craig Kirkwood has seen a lot and has lived every phase of endurance sports. And that lived experience shows up in how he develops athletes today. 

Tap into the Craig Kirkwood 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. 

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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

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The grade-two calf tear he suffered during the World Championship 1500m race in Tokyo in 2025 could have resulted inJosh Kerr stepping off the track and licking his wounds.

Instead, he finished the race, committed to rehab, and returned to the stage at the Millrose Games. Kerr lined up in the 2-mile not just as the world indoor best holder (8:00.67), but as the man everyone was chasing. In a tactical, electric“kicker’s battle,” he clocked 8:07.68 and finished second to American Cole Hocker, a reminder that even record holders must keep evolving.

Josh’s career highlights include winning the gold medal in the 1500m at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest; securing another gold medal in the 3000m at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow; holding the world best time for the indoor 2-mile event, with a time of 8:00.67 set in February 2024 at the Millrose Games; and holding British national records for the outdoor 1500m (3:27.79) and the outdoor mile (3:45.34).

But Milrose 2026 was a statement. If 8:07.68 in February is the starting point, the rest of the year could be something special. Because the best careers aren’t built on perfect scripts. They’re built on responses to adversity.

And Josh Kerr has never shied away from the response.
Tap into the Josh Kerr 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!

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 new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs

Alex returns for his monthly Run Down to unpack five recent essays that challenge how we think about talent, training, and long-term development in running.

First, he explores why most prodigies don’t ultimately make it at the highest level. Early success, he argues, often masks structural weaknesses. That theme flows directly into the case for delaying specialization. The athletes who diversify early, build broader movement skills, and avoid constant pressure to peak as teenagers often develop deeper physical and psychological reserves later on. 

From there, Alex highlights what he calls the most common training mistake runners make. It’s not a lack of effort, but misapplied intensity. Many athletes spend too much time in the gray zone: running moderately hard too often, never fully easy and never truly hard.

The final pieces focus on tendon health: one of the most overlooked performance variables in the sport. Tendons adapt more slowly than muscles and lungs, yet they ultimately determine durability, power transfer, and long-term ceiling. Alex discusses why progressive loading, patience, and intelligent structure matter more than chasing fitness spikes.

Across all five essays, one idea connects everything: sustainable success in running is built over years, not months. Whether you’re a young athlete, a competitive adult, or a coach guiding others, this conversation reframes what it really means to develop. 

Tap into the The Run Down 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

Since his last appearance on the show, Coach Pat Henner has continued shaping distance culture at the highest levels of the sport while playing a quiet but meaningful role in one of the most remarkable middle-distance arcs in recent American history.

After joining the University of Georgia in June 2022, Henner coached standout athlete Will Sumner to an NCAA title and helped elevate the Bulldogs’ distance program before departing in June 2024. He was succeeded by Adam Tribble.

At the same time, Henner has served as a high-performance consultant for Olympic middle-distance star Hobbs Kessler, helping to shape one of the sport’s most historic breakthroughs: Kessler qualifying for the Paris Olympics in both the 800m and 1500m at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

More recently, Kessler shattered Kenenisa Bekele’s long-standing indoor 2000m world record, running 4:48.79 in January 2026.

Henner’s coaching roots stretch from Blacksburg High School to James Madison, Georgetown (where he led the women to an NCAA cross country title in 2011), USC, Arizona State, and most recently the University of Georgia, where he served as Head Cross Country Coach and Assistant Coach for the distance events from 2022–2024.

But this episode isn’t a résumé tour. It’s a check-in with a coach who’s still evolving; still shaping athletes at the very top of the sport; still refining how wisdom, timing, and trust converge when performance truly matters.

Tap into the Pat Henner 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!

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