The Drop

While Alex is out running around the Great Salt Lake, Taylor and Johnny get all nerdy by discussing pretty much every single detail of a running shoe and its importance to performance. They discuss the key differences between trail and road shoe development. Prior to that, they also talk about their weeks and misadventures they experienced.

Russia has a plague problem, New York has a cheer zone problem, and Thomas apparently has no problem eating his way through ten Taco Bells in 11 hours. This week Thomas, Meg, Robbe and Karl get into NYRR’s new rules for run club cheer zones (RIP confetti cannons), the run club that cleared $640K in a year, Altra’s Legacy Team of runners aged 75 to 85, and Skechers’ new Aero Elite race shoe (machine washable, naturally). Thomas also shares his first impressions of the Nike Apex and SwooshFly, and we put the Asics Gel Slowcush and the Mizuno Sky Prime on the scale to settle which $200 recovery shoe is worth it. Plus, Meg announces LA 100 2.0, and Robbe’s son takes 2nd place in his first cross country race. We’ll see you in Chicago!BELIEVE IN THE RUN CHICAGO SHAKEOUTWhat: Shakeout run with live music from Hollyy, co-hosted with On and Fleet Feet Chicago. Demo On’s LightSpray before race day, and the first 150 runners get a limited-edition BITR x On cap.When: Saturday, October 10 @ 8:30 a.m. (we’ll be there at 7:30, and hats go fast)Where: Navy Pier, Chicago, ILCost: FREEhttps://www.marathon-weekend.com/chicago/2026/events/believe-in-the-run-x-on-shakeout-runLA 100 2.0Meg and Meghann are taking 100 women to the LA Marathon again, with a race bib, coaching, nutrition guidance and a VIP race weekend. Applications are open until October 11: https://la100.run/SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!SWIFTWICKYour feet are sweating with all those workouts, so treat them with the best pair of socks for training and race day. We use Swiftwick for all our races, which keep us cool and blister free. Pick up your pair and save 15% off your first purchase with code BELIEVE15: https://swiftwick.com/collections/believeLMNTFall marathon training is in full swing, which means you need more salt than you think you do. Crisp and refreshing, all LMNT flavors deliver 1000 mg sodium, 200 mg potassium, and 60 mg magnesium. And if you’re an insider, you can get the limited-edition Pink Lemonade or Lemonade Iced Tea. Get your free 8-count LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase: https://drinklmnt.com/thedropPILLAR PERFORMANCERunning day after day takes a toll on your tendons, ligaments and connective tissue. Pillar’s Collagen Repair is designed to support all of it, and it’s flavorless, so a scoop or two disappears into your morning coffee. We use it daily. Get 15% off your first purchase with code BITR: https://pillarperformance.shop or https://thefeed.com/pillar

Thomas and Karl went big in Berlin, running a marathon around the city on a warm race morning. Before that, they swung by the Adidas HQ to look at some wild innovations and cutting edge technologies coming from the brand. Also, they led hundreds of runners through a shakeout run on Saturday, the biggest event on race weekend outside of the marathon. Needless to say, it was busy. Needless to say, they are tired. But they're still standing (in their Adios Pro 5).SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!LAGOON PILLOWSSleep is training. Lagoon Pillow is built around your sleep position and preferences — so you wake up recovered and ready to run. We use them every night and you should too. Find your perfect pillow at lagoonsleep.com/believe

We have some big shoes in today to talk about (with a couple of side quests on the NFL's guardian caps and Instagram Plus). In today's episode, the Nike Alphafly 4 and Adidas Adios Pro 5 take the stage.SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!LMNT Fall marathon training is in full swing, which means you need more salt than you think you do. Crisp and refreshing, all LMNT flavors deliver 1000 mg sodium, 200 mg potassium, and 60 mg magnesium. And if you're an insider, you can get the limited-edition Pink Lemonade or Lemonade Iced Tea. Get your free 8-count LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase: https://drinklmnt.com/thedropSWIFTWICKYour feet are sweating with all those workouts, so treat them with the best pair of socks for training and race day. We use Swiftwick for all our races, which keep us cool and blister free. Pick up your pair and save 15% off your first purchase with code BELIEVE15: https://swiftwick.com/collections/believe

Thomas sat down with the folks at Miler (Ben Morrow and Bit Klecker) to talk life, business, and their latest venture: the Metropolitan Trail Racing team. The team made their debut this past weekend at Grindstone by UTMB, and it was a strong showing right out of the gate. In the 21K, Bit Klecker took first for the women, Grant finished 2nd and Drew 7th on the men's side, and in the 50K Ben crossed in 22nd while working back from an injury. Not a bad way to announce yourselves.Learn more about the team here: https://milerrunning.com/pages/metropolitan-trail-racing

Alex and Taylor talk this week about coaching and some things to consider whether you're on the hunt for one or not. First, Alex tests Taylor to see if he is a true midwesterner. They end with a chat about a brand new trail shoe, the Pandarprank Orbis.Guest: Meg Eckhert just broke the world record for distance covered over 6 days! The Mount to Coast athlete, teacher, and wife gives us some insight on her preparation for such a feat.

This week, Alex posed a challenge to pick out a budget-friendly trail running kit. They give insight on how to shop, things to look for, etc. Outside of that conversation they talk about about a special Rocky Mountain mission for Taylor and Thomas as well as the upcoming Hoka Tecton X 4.SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:Näak Nutrition: The Drop Listeners can get 15% off any Näak products by using code BITR15. Näak is a nutrition brand the leverages natural ingredients and research backed formulas to help athletes perform. They have a host of products like gels, drink, mixes, broths, bars, and recovery fuel. Their highest performance Boost line doubles down on the carbs for high-performance fuel that's also gut-friendly. Go to http://naak.com to explore and purchase.