I'll Have Another with Lindsey Hein Podcast · SandyBoy Productions

Episode 648: Rory Linkletter on Taking Big Risks, Running Fearlessly, and his 2:06:49 PR in Chicago

·52 min·3 clips

Rory Linkletter says he is a “graceful death” runner who knows when to stop fighting in a marathon.

1. I'll Have Another with Lindsey Hein centers this episode on Rory Linkletter's 2:06:49 Chicago Marathon and his pursuit of the Canadian record. 2. Lindsey Hein hosts Rory Linkletter, a Puma marathoner from Flagstaff, while Rory matters because he has run 13 marathons, made the Olympic team, and set a Chicago personal best. 3. The episode asks what a fast marathoner learns after a 2:06:49 race, a coaching change, and a failed record attempt. 4. Rory says Ryan Hall stopped coaching pros after the Olympics unless they were married to him, which forced a new coaching search. 5. He chose John Green after weighing other options because he wanted to stay in Flagstaff and avoid moving to Utah or Colorado. 6. Rory says John Green felt like the most seamless transition after a strong 2024 season that included the Olympic standard and an Olympic team spot. 7. He says Ryan Hall's attention to detail felt like coaching on another level and left a lasting mark on his training. 8. Rory says he started marathoning young, ran a 2:16 debut at 23, and was not ready for the event yet. 9. He says it took about three marathons to figure out the marathon and that his fourth race was the first one he ran correctly. 10. He points to Boston, poor fueling, warm humidity, and a missed bottle as examples of how context changed early results. 11. Rory says his third marathon came during a difficult period after the birth of his first child and the death of his dad earlier that year. 12. He says 13 marathons by age 29 give him much more experience than he had earlier in his career, even if the number surprises listeners. 13. He says marathon composure matters because he can now keep racing when a day starts slipping instead of panicking. 14. Rory says his fueling work is deliberate in every long run and workout, using Blanks Sports Nutrition and around 95 grams of carbs per hour. 15. He says Chicago was different because he knew the pace was too hot to take in full fuel early, so he backed off the intake. 16. He says the race started with uncertainty about pacing groups, a very fast 5K, and a move up to the front pack when a larger group stayed just ahead. 17. Rory says the halfway split of 62:20 was a little quick, but the real problem was spending the last 12 miles alone into late headwinds. 18. The interview style is detailed and tactical, with Lindsey Hein pressing on coaching, race execution, and marathon physiology. 19. Listeners who like marathon strategy, coaching changes, and elite pacing. 20. Listeners wanting a short celebrity-style athlete chat.

As heard by us

A frank marathon talk about going for it, missing the record, and finding something left to race for.

Rory Linkletter's Chicago Marathon story stays on the hard part of the day: the solo run into headwinds from miles 15 to 21, the moment the record chase slipped away, and the late push that still let him catch a few people before the finish.

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Why you'd press play

For when you want a marathoner to explain the cost of swinging big.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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