I got some world exclusive quotes from UTMB 2026 winner Ben Dhiman about his Indian heritage. Go and read it if you haven’t yet.

Thanks again to Amazfit for helping to schedule that time with Ben.

Are influencers really that important?

Ask any of the publicists in my inbox: I’m not really susceptible to being sold things. That means I also don’t have much use for influencers, which means I don’t follow many. The few I do keep in touch with are the ones who either have elite levels of creativity or they use their position to turbocharge charities. For me, it’s got to be either fun or worthy.

After I posted on IG about how to balance the unfettered consumerism and consumption during UTMB week, I noticed the prevailing sentiment in the comments to be an extraordinarily visceral reaction against influencers.

It was quite startling to see how angry people are with influencers existing at all.

I foolishly suggested the easiest solution was to unfollow them like I had, because I didn’t see anything of them beyond the ones photographing their lukewarm flutes of champagne directly next to me. Apparently, it’s not that simple.

Next, there was the news from the US Open1 about 100 influencers being loud enough during matches to disturb the players, and how Wimbledon wouldn’t allow them next year. I love tennis, and so I know that silence is demanded during these tournaments held in somewhat stuffy, bourgeoisie environments.

If the brands are looking to gain coverage beyond the tennis (or running) world, I think it’s incumbent on those brands to educate their guests on the correct etiquette.

An important thing to note here is that influencers at UTMB did not disturb the athletes. And, like I said, they didn’t disturb me either, because I simply don’t follow them. I think it’s pretty easy to be in charge of that.

The next thing is I don’t think excluding influencers from UTMB week will really do anything on the important point of how helpless we’re all feeling about the actions of big industry and the proliferation of data centers, let alone our own massive personal contributions. Making it 99,000 people in a 10,000-person town instead of 100,000? That’s a statistically insignificant difference.

My strategy for (not) following influencers is drum that I’ve been beating around generally using your time more wisely.

If you have found yourself spending too much time on your phone, engaging in non-digital activities that you enjoy – like running or reading physical books and magazines – means that you simply have less time in your day to sit there and doom-scroll.

Likewise, if you have a strong dislike of influencers, 1) unfollow them, and 2) make sure you’re supporting the kind of content that you do like. That second point is important.

Over the past decade, many traditional publicists have changed their job titles to Influencer Marketers, because that’s how companies get coverage now. Obviously, the rise of TikTok and IG is one side of it, but the other side is how many newspapers and magazines have folded due to poor sales.

If everyone complaining about influencers also genuinely supported the publications that they read regularly, we’d have less of a problem overall. Just 2% of the readers of Running Sucks pay for it, for instance. Fill your world with what you love. You’ll probably be happier.

R is for Routine

Despite being booked for wall-to-wall interviews following his UTMB win (“It’s a good problem to have,” he said.), still found the time to write 1500 words of race recap on his Speedhiman Substack.

The Speedhiman Substack

Release the Beast

At some point in the night I stopped looking back. The chasing headlamps were no longer visible. I felt very alone, and it was a nice feeling. Solitude in the mountains can be cozy, clarifying. I am doing the thing I came here to do. There is no turning back…

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10 days ago · 390 likes · 28 comments · Ben Dhiman

How did you find time for that, let alone the clarity of mind??

“That’s my inner compulsion. Nobody’s hanging that over my head. That’s my own sense of getting something done. And that’s a tradition of mine I’ve held for a long time: to pump that out, and it can’t wait.”

“I just have to do it. It’s an animal act. I gotta get it out. I gotta purge. And that’s what it feels like. Until I get it done, I feel anxious. I just need to get it out there and then I feel better.”

Ben Dhiman on the best time to write:

“I find writing in the morning is better for me. Otherwise, I start getting more and more tired, especially after races in the afternoon, so I’ve just gotta hit it while it’s fresh.”

Ben Dhiman on whether there are any similarities between writing and running:

“Maybe, but [running is] a lot more calibrated. Writing is more visceral. Running is an expression of myself but it’s also my job so I treat it a bit differently.”

I love his focus on routine. With my self-imposed publishing schedule of Mondays and Thursday, it’s one that I obviously like to adhere to, and I like writing in the mornings as well. I also like to run in the mornings though, which is a major battle in my life. When to add in a nap?

Tell me about your favorite routines, or why you don’t like routine.

Leave a comment

Bangladesh’s first UTMB finisher

Another story from UTMB that I’m hoping to tell is Bangladesh’s first ever finisher, Partho Saha. Having diligently built his UTMB Index and Running Stones, he completed the course with over an hour to spare. I hope to tell the story of what he had to go through to get to Chamonix!

You might remember this story from 2024 that I adapted for This is Running. There’s a lot more to think about when you’re from that part of the world.

A run connecting London’s green spaces

One of my final acts of my UK summer was to run nine miles with my friend, Colin along the Green Link Walk2 in London. It connects 15 miles of green spaces between Peckham and Walthamstow, and was an absolute delight.

I met him at St. Paul’s Cathedral, and we traversed winding city streets before traveling through several of East London’s parks. I recommend it!

Thanks for reading!
Raz xx

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I spent the last week in Chamonix in the French Alps. I was experiencing the glory of the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc for the first time, and it truly was glorious.

Everything from spotting the white peak of Mont Blanc appearing through an alleyway or across a vista as I turned a corner to the food to seeing the first non-white winner of UTMB since the very first edition on Saturday afternoon.

All week, Ben Dhiman winning the 100-mile event was top of my conversation of what I hoped to happen. A man with heritage from the Indian subcontinent winning the most prestigious race on the trail calendar? Yes. Please.

And then he did it. What a moment it was seeing him cross the finish line at 2:04pm on Saturday. Just like Rachel Entrekin winning Cocodona, however, it doesn’t mean we’ve solved everything. It doesn’t mean we’ve solved anything.

A huge part of that is that I haven’t actually seen Ben discuss his heritage in interviews. He’s widely celebrated as a boy from Cincinnati who moved to France with his wife and got this deep into mountain running partly due to French employment laws leaving him redundant for two years.

Maybe that lack of discussion comes from a lack of interest or knowledge from the interviewers, but it might also come from within. Maybe Ben simply wants to be known as the winner of UTMB. Maybe as an American. Maybe as an Ohioan. Primarily as the man who finished running around Mont Blanc 81 minutes faster than anyone else ever has. 7% faster? Crazy fast.

As a boy from northeast London, I primarily used to fall asleep dreaming of scoring last-minute winners for current Premier League champions Arsenal. Helping my parents’ home nation qualify for the World Cup wasn’t my priority, even though I knew that would be cool.

In the same way, South Asian representation in running wasn’t always a focus for me. I used to just run a lot. Sure, I was the only Bangladeshi at run club 99.9% of the time, but I wasn’t really thinking about it because there were plenty of other immigrant kids. More recently, I’ve been somewhat radicalized by seeing how the running industry sausage is made (and who exactly makes it).

Searching for someone, anyone who looks like me Western States, The Running Event, TrailCon, and, most recently, the Global Majority Meet-Up in Chamonix has kept flipping the same switch for me. And I’ve been party to increasing numbers of conversations to know that I’m not alone in that.

I would love to primarily be known as the Substack guy who wrote a running book, and that people enjoyed the book, and that the book was even good enough to be stocked by the best department store in the world. That stuff doesn’t put people off as much as being the guy relentlessly writing about getting more South Asian representation in the running world.

Personally, I love it when other people are organizing something that I can join in with. For example, there was a Global Majority Meet-Up1 organized by Sabrina Pace-Humphreys who founded the UK charity, Black Trail Runners2. It’s so great that UTMB made space for such a wonderful event.

I wrote about the Black experience in Chamonix back in March 2025, so I knew that this gathering was an excellent opportunity to push the conversation along. However, upon arriving, I found that I really didn’t see myself among the 100 or so attendees. A similar sentiment to Sabrina’s in her film, We Are Here3.

Take a moment to consider how many South Asian-origin athletes represent the British or American Olympic teams. In 2026, I really, really should not be one of the very first South Asian authors of a running book. I want there to be 100 more so it ceases to even be something to mention.

In my book, I outline the inexorable rise of ultramarathoning in China, and there was a huge, visible East Asian contingent in Chamonix for all of UTMB week, so I was surprised to see even fewer people from that section of the Global Majority at the meet-up.

When I pointed out on IG that I felt like a statistical minority even at a Global Majority Meet-Up, I received a few slightly defensive responses reminiscent of when I’ve highlighted the incredibly white demographic stats in trail running. Yes, there may have been another couple of South Asian people at the meetup, but I would maintain my position that 3% rather than 1% is far from a success in representation of South Asian people, who make up 30% of the Global Majority.

I care much more about working together to achieve that success in parity. My dream would be to be actively invited to something like that. Having a sign-up link is a great middle ground of being able to say it was open to everybody, but I believe directly inviting people to a party is the best practice, and the onus is on the most powerful: UTMB.

One method – and maybe they did do this (which makes the situation worse) – if UTMB invited the gazillions of brands in attendance to send someone to the event, it would be a great start. If the brand doesn’t employ anyone from the Global Majority or simply doesn’t care, that says a lot. Word will spread one way or the other.

For me, a large issue is that I don’t really believe that intersectionality exists. And if that makes you bristle: good. I want it to change.

Some believe that a lot of the big names who rise to the top of campaigning for diversity, equity, and inclusion are largely out to make a name (and money) for themselves. I have a slightly kinder view where many really only think about uplifting others who are exactly like themselves.

When I see how women and Black people have climbed the closest, but still haven’t achieved anything approaching true equity despite the years of constant campaigning, I know that my kinfolk are far behind. It’s one of the reasons why I write about those topics so frequently. I see us all as having the same fight, and I don’t want any of us to be behind. Regardless, reciprocation and unity among allies pulling for the same thing – intersectionally or as part of a Global Majority – would be magnificent and helpful, but feels at least a half-step away.

Like I said: this win doesn’t mean that we’ve solved anything, but I’d love to see more progress next year. Maybe Ben Dhiman’s record-breaking effort can be the next catalyst.

Thank you, HOKA

Eternal thanks to Hoka for getting me on that finish line VIP platform to see that historic moment. What a view.

Chamonix was taken over by UTMB and its title sponsor, Hoka. With the influx of 100,000 visitors, I fully understand the Mayor’s promise to make it better for residents. It’s a local race that’s been commercialized and co-opted by the world.

Hoka in particular had their bright blue, yellow, and orange fingerprints on seemingly every part of the city. From a brand strategy perspective (one that I love), it was a masterpiece. Read this from for an excellent rundown. Did I see some of the photos in this article being taken? Yes, I did.

PEOPLE BRANDS AND THINGS

They didn’t just sponsor a race - they took over a town.

We agree - sometimes, you really do have to see it to believe it…

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14 days ago · 12 likes · 1 comment

The common feature of the best brand activations in Chamonix

As I mentioned, Chamonix was 100% Hoka-town last week, but four other brands managed to stick out to me, and they all had one thing in common.

First, there was the rabbit Clubhouse with Halo, with its slap bang centre ville location and carefully-curated programming, it was a dream to host a book event there. Thanks so much to the readers who came down! It was so lovely to meet you.

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Things I’m looking forward to:

• Hoka very kindly showing me the ropes

• Meeting a lot of friends in an unfamiliar place

• Running on the track with Mont Blanc as a backdrop

• Hosting …

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I’ve not written a long-read interview for over two months now. Yes, first I was busy on the road promoting my book (decent excuse), and then I watched every match of the World Cup with my son (excellent excuse), but I had planned to get back to it in August.

My next piece with Camille Herron has been transcribed and has been in…

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1. Chamonix, cheese, creativity

The newest one is a wine and cheese reception in Chamonix with rabbit. I’ll be giving a presentation on the links between running and creativity, and you can get a copy of my book to spill some wine and/or c…

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Events

Thanks to all who came to my event with Hattie in Stoke Newingto…

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My Love Affair... WITH RUNNING: Raziq Rauf and Hattie Williams

Thursday, July 23 | 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Stoke Newington Bookshop
159 Stoke Newington High Street
London N16 0NY

This Thursday, I’ll be in conversation with at Stoke Newington Bookshop, and we’ll be talking about writing books about running from both a fiction and non-…

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I was a fresh-faced 17-year-old whose primary motivation was meeting the bands he was falling in love with, but the secondary bonus of free concert tickets and advance access to new albums was mighty appealing.

The band in question back on the 13th of July of the year 2000 was My Vitriol. I’d heard t…

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TrailCon’s curious lack…

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As a first-time author, working in a niche category, who put out only the most difficult format of book, it was incredible news. For context, 90% of non-fiction books sell less than 2,000 copies in …

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That’s right: I made Running Sucks running socks with Swiftwick.

Designed in a retro style using the blue/yellow colorway of my book, the words are on the back of the sock especially so that the people you pass can have a chuckle. If you’re reading this newsl…

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How’s that for some over-alliteration? Maybe I should put it on a t-shirt.

Interestingly, there’s an article on Business of Fashion today about how books have become a signifier in this cruel age of AI slop. If you’ve read the introduction to This is Running, you will know the parallels that I draw between running and reading – two of the most human acts possible

If you haven’t yet read the introduction to my book, This is Running, please pick up a copy today.

Get your copy of This is Running now

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Enjoy your Global Running LIFE this Wednesday

For Global Running Day, I’ve been featured on the Swiftwick Socks blog. Cool socks. Cool people. It’s an honor to be highlighted by them.

Running Sucks by running socks

Wouldn’t it be great if there were some Running Sucks running socks? Now there’s a thought… (Keep your eyes peeled on IG.) In the meantime, here’s a feature with Greg Itahara, who designed one of my favorite pairs of socks.

How to get 1 million people running

I believe the number one way to celebrate running is by sharing it with more people. Yeah, you’ll end up complaining that you can’t get into the marathon you want to race but overall I think that more people running is a good thing.

Couch to 5K has been one of (if not the) most impactful things in the history of running. Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, there is a Q&A with Josh Clark in my book, and I published the extended version of that on Thursday.

May was also 10 years to the month of the NHS formally incorporating a C25K app into their health program, so it’s a timely moment for the program.

Happy 10th birthday to rabbit.

Earlier this year, I profiled Monica DeVreese, co-founder of rabbit, when I was taken by their Clubhouse series of quiet haven hotels at the NYC and Chicago Marathons and at UTMB. The brand is celebrating their 10th anniversary right now.

D is for Doping

It’s a question every injured runner has asked themselves: what would I do to not be injured any more.

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Last week, I was in Minneapolis and Portland for the Gravel tour with Salomon, and I got to explore both cities on foot and at speed.

I wrote about how to run in a new city a couple of years ago, and it is genuinely how I do it. I landed in Minneapolis (Minnesota is the 19th US State that I’ve visited now!) on Monday afternoon. John, the local Salomon rep, picked me up from the airport (what unexpected luxury!) and dropped me off at my hotel.

On that drive, John gave me a couple of places to see in downtown Minneapolis, so I put a few landmarks into my phone map and created a quick route. Once I’d finished accidentally tipping everything out of my suitcase, I pulled on my running gear and set off.

I ran past First Avenue nightclub, where Prince played however many hometown shows, ran across the Hennepin and Stone Arch bridges, finding out / remembering that the Mississippi starts all the way up in Minnesota, and took video calls at the Twins and Vikings stadiums with my sports-mad eldest son.

From there I ran south down Chicago Ave until I reached the George Floyd memorial. Filled with people congregating with music at the end of the day, It was a moment that was as sobering as it was warming – one worth experiencing. I ran a couple more miles to Matt’s Bar, a glorious dive bar that claims to have invented the local delicacy of cheese stuffed into a hot pocket of hamburger patties. I ate it and took the bus home. Here’s the IG post.

The following day I ran with TC Running Co and met area “trail person” Kurt Decker. When you talk about building culture, there are few people more important than the local race director. Especially one as storied as Kurt. Read this Trailrunner mag article on him, titled The Godfather.

Brilliantly, Kurt and I primarily bonded over our shared love of Scottish rockers Biffy Clyro. After years of cancelled shows and unsavory tour routing, Kurt finally saw them live in Minneapolis a couple of weeks ago. The following day Spotify announced Biffy as my most-listened-to band ever. I’ve been watching the Biff live since 2001, and finding an American fan is a real rarity.

They’re like a weird Foo Fighters with 10/10 lyrics. One for the heads, as they say. On two levels in this case. Here’s my favorite Biffy song. Just in case I can convert a couple more of you.

In Portland, I ran in Forest Park twice, along the Willamette, had lunch with some of the coolest running writers (Zoë Rom, Tina Muir, and ), some beers in soccer-themed brewery Away Days with UP professor Dr Ian Parkman, was taken to Powell’s by my friend Eli, and feasted upon the wonderful Khao Man Gai from Nong’s (twice). I love PDX, and I’ll be back as soon as humanly possible.

All that is to say that I ran a 20-mile week for the first time in over a year, and it feels great. Fewer miles this week, but I’ll be in “San Francisco” on Wednesday evening, so come by. It’s at the Fleet Feet in Menlo Park, the birthplace of Silicon Valley, so that’ll be fun. I’ll talk tech.

Last week on Running Sucks

The last couple of long-reads have been about newer running brands that I like. I spoke to the Pruzan founders the week before last, and published a profile of Jason Levine of Minor Planet in New York on Friday. I think he’s making some marvelous stuff. Effortlessly cool, and purposefully important.

Jason is from the world of hardcore punk, and I wrote about that, and about how Satisfy is the equivalent of a punk band headlining a stadium. Some would grandstand in saying that’s the antithesis of punk, but maybe it’s just a natural progression. For example, Green Day are still cool or super corny, depending on who you speak to (and what they’re doing).

My final brand profile in this mini-series is coming at the end of this week, and is maybe my favorite of the three. New York, New York again.

What to say about Satisfy?

My beautiful friends Cole Townsend and Howie Goldklang have two great reviews of Satisfy’s brand activation with Adidas. One is somewhat more diplomatic than the other, let’s say.

What’s my take?

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Last Tuesday, I recorded an ill-fated chat with . The themes are quite specifically 1) running and 2) writing – two topics that Mario and I have enjoyed yamming about in private over the past few months. Hopefully it’s a nice intersection for anyone who enjoys either one or both.

Sadly, last week’s recording hit technical difficulties and didn’t fully record, but those who tuned in live enjoyed it. (I think!) Go check out what did record, and tell us what you think.

the morning shakeout

Running and Writing with Mario Fraioli and Raziq Rauf: Episode 1

Thank you to everyone who tuned in to our first live conversation about running and writing. We’re hoping to make this a semi-regular thing where we talk about running, writing, and where and how the two overlap, intersect, and interact…

Listen now

4 months ago · 6 likes · Mario Fraioli and Raziq Rauf

Mario and I are going to do this every couple of months, but would love some help with a title better than ‘Live with Mario & Raz.’ Here’s a poll, but any other ideas are very, very welcome!

Storytelling with Brendan Leonard

On the topic of literary runners, I signed up for ’s writing course: ‘How to Tell One Story.’ I’ll let you know how it goes in due course, but I try to do a big learning exercise like this every few months and I’m a huge fan of how Brendan tells stories, so I am very prepared to learn some cool things.

If you want to learn how to write your first story in just six weeks, register your interest for September’s course. This is not an ad, by the way. It’s just something cool by someone cool that I’m enjoying, so I think you might also enjoy.

Last week on Running Sucks

On Thursday, I wrote about Pruzan, which is a running brand for women by women. I met the founders at The Running Event last December, where their stand containing their delicate mesh tank was posted up right next to the new Nike ACG and their heavy mesh shirt. It was the same but different. I like what Pruzan is doing. Take a read.

You may have noticed that I have been paywalling my work for the past few weeks. I’ve certainly noticed the extra unsubscribes haha. Thanks so much to everyone who has upgraded their subscriptions recently.

If you’ve been reading for the past three years or a portion thereof, here’s a gentle suggestion to support the things you enjoy. There are two great ways:

1. Upgrade your subscription for $40 a year / 80¢ a week (tax deductible if you work in publishing or the running industry).

2. Share Running Sucks with a friend and if they subscribe, you get a FREE month of reading. Get 5 friends to sign up and you can read for free for a year. Easy.

Subscribe now

If you haven’t yet picked up a copy of my book, This is Running, here are some links:

USA - Amazon US | Bookshop US | Barnes & Noble
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REVIEW - Goodreads | Amazon reviews really help as well thanks

Incidentally, I’ve been cited as one of the “most important voices in run culture” in this list. Just in case you needed someone else’s opinion to make up your mind.

Salt & Flickers

The 5 Most Important Voices in Run Culture Right Now (May 2026)

The 5 Most Important Voices in Run Culture Right Now (May 2026…

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4 months ago · 8 likes · Howie Goldklang

Next up on the tour

I’m on my way to Minneapolis and Portland for the next two dates on the Salomon Off Track Gravel Tour. If you’re in either area, drop me a line with your tips, even if you aren’t able to make the event. I’ll be in Portland for an extra couple of days in-between dates.

• Tue 5/12 6pm | TC Running Co | REGISTER

• Sat 5/16 10am | Fleet Feet PDX | REGISTER

Last week’s book excerpt was about trails being the final level boss, and there’s a lot to that. A huge focus on the Salomon Gravel Tour is about how creativity is key to all of our lives, and when we spend large swaths of our time at a desk, moving our bodies is scientifically proven to prompt our creative selves. Where better than a run into greenery?

Z is for Gen Z

Some people have been begging to predict the End of the Running Boom, but I’ve always responded in the same way: running is going nowhere.

Over the past month or so, however, I have amended that to: I actually think we’ve seen nothing yet. There is even some great evidence to suggest that we’re about to embark upon another large moment in the running boom.

When I saw that Gen Z women make up the single largest cohort of applicants to the 2027 London Marathon, it didn’t surprise me. We are currently bearing the fruits of the seed sown during the pandemic.

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Substack Live with Mario Fraioli and me

Tomorrow at 11am PST, I’m going live with for a new series of almost-podcasts where we’ll talk very specifically about running and writing. We’ll talk about them separately, but also not.

I’m a huge fan of Mario’s. He’s a fantastic writer, and a brilliant coach, and after finally meeting IRL in LA in March, we also met in SF and in Boston in April. I failed to get a photo together on each of the three occasions. Fourth time lucky, perhaps. Tune in tomorrow, anyway.

Join me and Mario on Substack Live

Between Running and Comedy Lies Obsession

The subject of this somewhat dramatic title is comedian and ultrarunner, . I’ve been following his progress for a couple of years now, and boy oh boy have there been some ups and downs. When I spoke to him back in December, he was experiencing some intense downs, but he’s hitting some highs right now. Hopefully, I’ll have time to go for a run with him this week. Let’s see.

Read my profile of another fascinating member of the running community, and also check out his Substack that he’s since been inspired to create. I very much look forward to reading his work.

Are trails the final level boss of running?

That’s the second paragraph of my chapter on trails. Page 198 if you’ve already bought a copy. If you haven’t yet, and you now finally understand that the rest of This is Running is essential reading, here are your purchase links. Or go visit your local library and ask them to stock it. Thanks to all of you who have got your libraries to stock This is Running!

USA - Amazon US | Bookshop US | Barnes & Noble
UK - Amazon UK | Bookshop UK | Waterstones
REVIEW - Goodreads | Amazon reviews really help xo

A review of This is Running on iRunFar

I love how thorough this feature by Lydia Thompson is. Give it a read.

This is Running on iRunFar

• Gmail has been putting my Google Alerts in the Spam folder, so apologies if you’ve replied to the newsletter in recent weeks and I haven’t replied. I guess I just have to check the Spam folder more diligently now. Thanks, Gmail!

• I’m back on the road next week, as I travel to five cities on the Salomon Off Track Gravel Tour, where I’ll be leading runs and speaking about the very real relationships between cities, green space, running, and creativity. If I’m in one of your cities, come say hi!

Do get in touch if you work at a brand and you would like to work with me on something similar in the future. It’ll be different to what you normally do. raz@runningsucks101.com.

Email me

FOLLOW ME - Instagram | Me on Strava | Strava club

G is for Gatekeeping

Remember when Matt Choi ran a sub-3hr marathon in NYC in 2024? Remember when the NYRR disqualified him and banned him from future NYRR events because of the entourage filming him? What if he wasn’t actually the bad guy in your Spaghetti Western mind?

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• On Wednesday, I visited Apple HQ, where I tried their new running-focused Apple Watch, and I think I really like it. I’ll let you know once I run with it on my own.

• On World Book Day (Thursday), Artwords, a beautiful independent bookshop dedicated their window display to my book, which was incredible. My friend Ben Gibson, who photographed both my wedding and Elton John at The White House, took some photos of the evening.

  

• Friday had the double whammy of hosting a panel with Tracksmith on the future of running media (it is safe) AND a bonus surprise drinks and dinner with Lee Glandorf and friends.

• Today, I saw both the women’s and men’s marathon world records fall from the London Marathon finish line grandstand. It was incredible.

Watching Tigst Assefa cruising down The Mall with those long, relaxed strides, on her way to breaking her own world record was cool, but by the time Sabastian Sawe rolled through, minutes later, we were already expecting a world record time. The pace was mind-boggling, but we were 11 months ahead of schedule for a sub-two-hour marathon!

Flick to p.218 of my book, This is Running, and you’ll see the passage about how Dr Simon Angus of Monash University in Melbourne, Australia ran a model that predicted we would see a runner break the sub-two-hour marathon barrier by March 2027.

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So what’s been happening since last time?

• A few other people started complaining about the Nike ad campaign that I complained about last Monday.

• I spent the weekend at the Boston Marathon with the coolest (but also friendliest) people in the world.

• I flew straight from Boston to London for my book launch in Dalston this evening with the author of the Harry Styles x Haruki Murakami article, plus two other events.

Like I said: not much time to write. I know you’re here because you like longer form messages, but it’s easy to update via Instagram so follow there if you wish. Like this photo, for instance:

RUNNERS TOLERATED

Overall, this particular ad just felt like a ham-fisted ‘how do you do, fellow kids’ attempt to get in with runners. It failed.

Every marketing planner/strategist on LinkedIn has given their tuppence on what Nike’s polemic campaign has taught them about B2B sales, but here are my quick rebuttals and points of view.

• Nike’s share price is down 65% in the last five years. My hot take is that Nike is the challenger brand in running now.

• They’re throwing money at the trail space a few years after everyone else did.

• They’re rumored to be re-launching their pioneering running fashion category, Gyakusou… a few years after everyone else did.

• They tried (and failed) to write a Tracksmith-style ad campaign because that’s a brand they’ve lost ground to over the past decade.

In 2026, Nike might just be a challenger brand bankrolled by past glories.

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On Wednesday, almost 60 people (!) came down to Vroman’s in Pasadena to watch the show with my friends Ezra and Jinghuan. We did some readings, they asked me some questions, I signed some books. And I did it all over again in SF on Friday evening at Running Wylder, with some incredible questions from the audience.

Get your copy of This is Running

USA - Amazon US | Bookshop US | Barnes & Noble
UK - Amazon UK | Bookshop UK | Waterstones

Signed copies can be found in Vroman’s, Running Wylder, and Skylight. Here are a couple of photos. More can be found on my Instagram.

1. If you have bought my book, thank you, thank you, thank you SO much. When there are so many other things to spend your money on, it means a lot.

2. Reviews are really tough to come by, so if you would be so kind as to go to Amazon or Goodreads and give my book a rating, that would be awesome.

IT’S BOSTON WEEK

I’ll be in Boston this weekend. My book will be available at The Rec Room, which is a running fashion pop-up at 334 Newbury Street that’s curated by , , and . I will be there signing copies, and generally hanging out, so come and say hi!

I’ll also be making an appearance at the Tracksmith Clubhouse on Friday evening, and there will be a couple of (hopefully signed) copies available at the mighty Trident Bookshop, but if you simply want to meet up to enjoy the Boston breeze or invite me to a hott party, please drop me a line.

email me

IT’S ALMOST LONDON WEEK

From Boston, I’ll be flying straight to London for three very special events. I can’t wait.

Thu 23rd April - 6.30pm at Artwords Bookshop, Clarence Rd E5

I’ll be in conversation with Sophie Heawood, my lovely friend who recently wrote the marvelous Harry Styles / Haruki Murakami feature for Runner’s World - RESERVE YOUR SPOT

Fri 24th April - 3pm at Knees Up, Hackney Rd E2

I’m hosting a panel with Tracksmith titled Reimagining the Future of Running Media, featuring Simon Freeman from Like the Wind, Ashley Mateo of Runher, Ben Hobson of Runner’s World, Grace Cook of Salty, and Carmichael Caldwell - RESERVE YOUR SPOT

Sat 25th April - 11am at Progress Club House - The Dray Walk Gallery, Brick Lane E1

As part of Progress Running Club’s London Marathon pop-up, Simon Freeman (again) will be interviewing me and Howie Goldklang, author of Salt & Flickers and founder of Silver Lake Track Club. I love hanging out with LA friends on home soil.

C is for Charity

A few weeks ago, the London Marathon was rumored to have two editions over one weekend. Some of you might already know that’s something I predicted in my book, but as the biggest single day of raising money for charity, my immediate thought was that it’s going to raise a whole lot more money.

About a month ago there was some dullard on Threads complaining about people getting to run Boston Marathon because they were raising money for charity. Here’s my hot take, that I first blurted out on Mario Fraioli’s Morning Shakeout podcast:

Anyone not actively competing in the elite field anyway. You’re only running for a participation medal, so you might as well do something good for the world.

How about 2% of your annual income? Seems fair, doesn’t it? And if you get tired of asking people to sponsor you for a different marathon every other month, maybe you’re running too many. Give someone else a turn. There. I solved the major marathon ballot crisis as well…

I was interviewed by Josh Rosenthal of Borderlands and he asked me about my favorite artifact. The photo of me in my school athletics singlet is from the first 5k that I ran as an adult, where I raised $1,000. For a 5k. It wasn’t about the race itself as much as it was about doing something good for the community.

If you have a corporate job, here’s a tip to make the most of it: ask your colleagues. The CEO of the company I was working for put in half of that. That’s how to redistribute the wealth in my opinion.

My friend Alex just ran the Brighton Marathon. Very windy, apparently, but he raised £1000 for Alzheimer’s charity in aid of his mother-in-law. How cool is that? He outlines that he funded the race entirely by himself so 100% of all donations go to charity. That’s the way to do it.

Decentering yourself from the process, giving yourself an external ‘why’ can even help you dig deeper in the difficult moments during a race. Consider that bit of potential benefit to your race, if helping others isn’t enough.

Paris is for tree huggers

Talking of thinking about someone other than yourself, the Paris Marathon banned single-use materials. Another friend, Chris ran the race and told me about how every runner was given a reusable plastic cup and there were huge efforts to ensure there were water stations every 2.5 km (1.5 miles). He told me how it was such a non-event; that the Paris Marathon had normalized this kind of behavior.

Brighton Marathon had an army of ploggers literally sweeping the back of the route, picking up an estimated 22,000 gel wrappers. Slowly but surely, sustainability initiatives are making their way into larger races. These are things for all other races to try and emulate. And maybe something for the fueling companies to consider as well.

Beyond Running by Aire Libre with Mau Diaz

“It’s a conversation about obsession, craft, and the strange beauty of a thing millions of people do every day without ever quite being able to explain why.”

Culture Study Q&A

Anne Helen Petersen, who was kind enough to write a blurb for my book, featured me in a Culture Study Q&A last week. As ever, Anne’s questions were top dollar, and the comments didn’t disappoint either.

Go and read it here on Patreon.

What on earth is Nike doing?

Putting this billboard, with that messaging at a free and incredibly inclusive community wellness initiative??

Read more