Episode 252 | Simon Freeman and Mario Fraioli on Resetting Expectations, Running's Growing Pains, and Choosing Sustainability Over Scale

About this episode

Mario Fraioli and Simon Freeman discuss resetting expectations in running, the impact of recent record-breaking performances, and the importance of local racing and community support.

I recently sat down with my good friend and frequent podcast guest Simon Freeman , the co-founder and publisher of my favorite running magazine, Like The Wind , for our second quarterly conversation of 2026, which you can listen to wherever you get the morning shakeout podcast. An excerpt of this exchange can be found in Issue #49 of LtW, which is out now. (You can buy a copy or subscribe here .) In this episode, recorded shortly after a wild spring racing season, we dig into the first sub-2-hour marathon ever run in an actual race, the women's-only world record set the same day in London, the barnburners at both Boston and Cocodona, and how barrier-breaking performances reset our sense of what's possible. We also get into why racing (and not clock-chasing) is what makes the sport worth watching, running's growing pains around access to major events, the case for racing locally and supporting your community, and a lot more. Click here for complete show notes and sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday. Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford . Hosted on Acast. See…

People in this episode

Host: Mario Fraioli

Guest: Simon Freeman

Topics covered

• resetting expectations
• running's growing pains
• sustainability in running
• local racing
• barrier-breaking performances
• community support

Keywords

• running
• marathon
• record
• community
• sustainability
• racing
• expectations

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Like The Wind

Books & works: Issue #49 of LtW

More episodes of the morning shakeout podcast

• Episode 251 | Matt Taylor on Brand Building, Storytelling, and Creative Expression · May 11, 2026 · 1h 20m
• Episode 250 | Raziq Rauf on Running Crews, Culture, and Community · March 30, 2026 · 1h 16m
• Episode 249 | Simon Freeman and Mario Fraioli on Like the Wind U.S., Fresh Starts, and Cultural Differences in Running · March 9, 2026 · 1h 32m
• Episode 248 | Devin Kelly on His New Novel, Exploring His Obsessions, and Committing to a Daily Practice · February 3, 2026 · 1h 20m
• Episode 247 | Simon Freeman and Mario Fraioli on When to Push Hard and When to Pull Back · November 24, 2025 · 1h 11m
• Episode 246 | Simon Freeman and Mario Fraioli on Teamwork and Support Crews in Running, Business, and Life · August 28, 2025 · 1h 18m