You Break Two… And You Still Lose?

You Break Two… And You Still Lose?

From Relay by Relay

April 29, 2026 · 60 min

About this episode

The episode discusses coaching, marathon performances, and the dynamics of race day experiences.

What we discussed: Erika coaching Cynthia Erivo through the London Marathon and meeting her in person for the first time The anxiety of coaching on race day and tracking apps failing mid-race Cynthia’s marathon execution, training swings, and performance relative to her PB Sub-2 marathon breakthrough and reactions to Sawa and Kiplimo’s performances Debate around super shoes, accessibility, and what actually makes runners faster Boston Marathon conditions, surge in fast times, and depth of competitive fields Emerging U.S. men’s marathon depth and recent breakout performances Penn Relays rivalry, NCAA 1500m record, and trash talk between athletes Eugene Marathon “pancake 5K” and the culture of fun race experiences Debate on helping runners at the finish line vs. racing your own race (and DQ implications)

People in this episode

Host: Erika

Guest: Cynthia Erivo

Topics covered

  • coaching
  • marathon performance
  • super shoes
  • race day anxiety
  • competitive fields
  • fun race experiences
  • finish line strategies

Keywords

  • London Marathon
  • Boston Marathon
  • super shoes
  • marathon training
  • competitive running
  • Penn Relays
  • Eugene Marathon
  • finish line strategies

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: NCAA 1500m record

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