Re-Run: Marathon PB tactics & strategy with Brian Hanley (Aug, 2021)

·1 hr 8 min·4 clips

Hanley says “an even pace is the best strategy” and uses Eliud Kipchoge’s even splits as the example.

Brodie opens by tying the episode to the show’s larger aim: helping runners sort out myths from evidence-based guidance. Brian Hanley is introduced through Philip Hayes, the editor of the book The Science and Practice of Middle and Long Distance Running, and the chapter on strategic and tactical decision making in middle- and long-distance races. The conversation quickly narrows to the half marathon and the full marathon, with Brian treating pace as both a physical skill and a mental one. A major theme is that races can be used as training when the goal is practice rather than an all-out effort. Shorter races offer accurate distances, roadside markers, and a clearer way to check whether the runner is on pace. They also cut down on uncertainty: the course is usually traffic-free, GPS matters less, and refreshments may be provided so the runner does not need to carry water in the same way they might on a normal training run. Brian’s point is not that a training race becomes the real thing. It is that the race environment gives runners a place to rehearse the demands of holding a planned pace. That rehearsal builds two things at once: the ability to run at a specific speed and the discipline to remember that the session is still training, not a day to race ego or chase the result. The marathon gets special treatment because Brian describes it as the most difficult race to prepare for, and not simply as two half marathons. The pacing problem is its own problem, with its own limits and demands. The episode suggests that marathon success depends on restraint as much as ambition: learning how to stay controlled, stay on plan, and still run hard enough to matter. Brodie keeps the framing practical and runner-facing. Rather than abstract theory, the conversation focuses on what can actually be used in a preparation block: race conditions, watch checks, course markers, and the confidence that comes from repeating the effort in a structured way. The tone stays measured and clear throughout. Brian does not sell a single trick. Instead, he builds a case for process: pick the right pace, practice it in the right environment, and let confidence grow from repetition. The episode closes on the idea that simple information can still produce meaningful gains when it is applied with attention and restraint.

As heard by us

A practical marathon-strategy listen for runners who want steadier pacing and clearer race-day judgment.

Brian Hanley's marathon-focused discussion stays on pacing, restraint, and decision making under pressure. It is practical rather than airy, with real attention to the mental load of the run, course conditions, and the discipline of treating a shorter race as preparation instead…

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Want a clearer plan for marathon pacing and race-day judgment?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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