Joey Whelan: 35 Marathons, 6 Course Records, and Still Finding Another Gear

About this episode

Joey Whelan discusses his recent racing successes and evolving training strategies in the marathon scene.

Joey Whelan returns to the podcast after one of the busiest stretches of racing imaginable. Since his breakout performance at CIM, he's added wins and course records in Austin and Buffalo, raced internationally in Hamburg, and continued building toward even bigger goals. Through it all, he's remained one of the sport's most unique competitors, balancing aggressive racing, high mileage, and a willingness to line up far more often than most elite marathoners. In this conversation, Joey reflects on leading CIM for nearly the entire race, what he learned from racing solo for so many miles, and why he's increasingly embracing tactics, double-threshold training, and new approaches to recovery. He also shares his thoughts on the evolving American marathon scene, chasing World Championships qualification, the realities of racing without an agent, and why he's excited for another showdown with some familiar rivals at Grandma's Marathon. Thank you to our sponsors: Precision Fuel & Hydration helps runners simplify fueling with personalized plans built around carbohydrates, fluids, and sodium. Their science-backed tools make it easier to dial in race-day nutrition and training fuel. Use…

People in this episode

Hosts: Peter Bromka, Lindsey Hein, Matt Chittim

Guest: Joey Whelan

Topics covered

• marathon racing
• course records
• training techniques
• American marathon scene
• World Championships qualification

Keywords

• Joey Whelan
• marathon
• course records
• CIM
• training
• recovery
• World Championships
• Grandma's Marathon

Sponsors

Precision Fuel & Hydration, Wahoo

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Austin, Buffalo, Hamburg, CIM, Grandma's Marathon

More episodes of Road to the Trials

• Sarah Reiter: Three Olympic Trials, Staying Joyful, and Chasing Sub-2:30 · June 11, 2026 · 1h 3m
• Jax Siddall’s Marathon Debut Win: From 6th Grade Teacher to Eugene Marathon Win · June 9, 2026 · 46 min
• Elena Hayday: From 2:30 to 2:24 at Boston and Chasing Something Bigger · June 1, 2026 · 56 min
• Amanda Martin on Winning Eugene and Learning How to Trust the Marathon · May 28, 2026 · 1h 2m
• Luke Maher: Inside Puma Project 3 and the Rise of the Sub-Elite Marathoner · May 26, 2026 · 44 min
• Aidan Reed: Chasing the Marathon While Falling in Love With the Half · May 21, 2026 · 56 min