I’ve been back in London this past week. Here’s what I’ve been doing:
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.
Me swinging my legs outside the gorgeous Artwords in Clapton ahead of my in-conversation evening with Sophie Heawood | by Benjamin Gibson 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!
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.
Having been waiting for this to happen for almost a decade, it was incredibly cool to see the milestone achieved in-person. What’s better is that, knowing about this model, there is certainly more to come, and soon. Sawe’s confidence was well-placed.
Buy This is Running
In the three weeks since my book’s release, it’s been sitting in around the Top 50 books on Amazon that are about running. That is objectively insane to me. Bookshops positioning my book next to decades-old classics is insane to me.
Thanks for buying This is Running, or reviewing it (five stars across the boards!), or if you’re about to help me become a bestseller. Here are some purchase links.
USA - Amazon US | Bookshop US | Signed from Skylight
UK - Amazon UK | Bookshop UK
REVIEW - Goodreads | Amazon reviews really help xo
Adidas won the race
Both record breakers and Yomif Kejelcha, who also ran sub-2hr in his first competitive marathon, were wearing the new $500 superdupershoe from Adidas. Will Adidas fully own the narrative in a moment where Nike, who started the sub-2hr arms race, is licking its self-inflicted wounds? Let’s see.
Marathon Commerce Culture
I haven’t been caught up in the hubbub of the London Marathon for a few years, but it was last year that caused a million think pieces on running culture (like this one). According to Simon Freeman of Like the Wind magazine, 2026 is even bigger and more brand-focused.
How to make the denim chafe worth it
One of the reasons that I started this newsletter was that I wanted to write about running but none of the major outlets wanted me to write about running for them. LA Times? No reply. Runner’s World? Same. I knew I had a very solid résumé, but I didn’t want the pain of having to pitch my (admittedly slightly leftfield) views to an editor who would umm and ahh and eventually pass, wasting all the time. So here we are.
When Runner’s World put out a call for a runner culture expert writer, I dropped them a line offering my services, and told them I just wrote a book on the topic. Maybe they’d review it, I half-joked, expectantly.
I pitched a few stories that I thought would pop and we settled on this on denim. With Truett Hanes as the headline, he’s a divisive enough figure for the Instagram post to truly pop with comments from dozens of people who won’t read the article. My nightmare.
The big thing I love about the Running Sucks community is that you’re calm, measured, and not that many of you are even on Instagram, let alone trying to score points over giant publications from behind your tiny screens. It’s a different world, and I like this one a lot more.
As you can imagine in an article from me, it’s a bit fun, but there’s also a big community focus. Give it a read. Maybe I’ll write more for them.
Can I be convinced to like running?
I’m still waiting for a single review of my book from legacy media, but I’ve luckily got the support of top writers like Mikala Jamison, who ask questions like the above. I’ve been a big fan of Mikala’s work in Body Type. It’s the kind of non-judgmental writing on exercise that I can fully get behind.
Go read our bit, and see what you think.
Time to finally go home to LA after 12 days away, and write up a conversation with comedian Dan LaMorte, which I will post on Thursday. I’m writing this to keep myself accountable! I’m looking forward to not being around tens of thousands of (admittedly awesome) people for a while.
Thanks for reading,
Raz x
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