Marathon Running in 2025: The Strongest Countries and Deepest Fields

In this episode of The Sweat Elite podcast, hosts Luke and Matt dive into marathon statistics for the year 2025, analyzing the strongest nations and the fastest races. They discuss the sub-2:10 performances for men and sub-2:25 for women, highlighting the dominance of Kenya, Ethiopia, and Japan. Alex Yee's impressive 2:06:38 at the Valencia Marathon is also examined, with an in-depth look at his training from Strava. The episode touches on the concept of elite versus sub-elite marathon times, the role of shoe brands in elite performances, and the recent challenges faced by the Grand Slam Track League. Additionally, the hosts mention the surge in Olympic Trials qualifiers from the California International Marathon.

Be coached by Matt: sweatelitecoaching.com/coaching-2025

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Luke Instagram: instagram.com/lukeandrewkeogh

Luke Training Log - Strava: strava.com/athletes/87061348

Matt Instagram: instagram.com/mattinglisfox

Matt Training Log - Strava: strava.com/athletes/6248359

Contact Matt: matt@sweatelite.co

Topics:
00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview
00:36 Strongest Countries in the Marathon 2025
10:38 Deepest Marathon Events 2025
17:56 Defining Elite and Sub-Elite Marathon Standards
24:20 Olympic Trials Qualifying at CIM
25:20 Debate on Olympic Standards
29:11 Alex Yee - Valencia Marathon Training Analysis
43:26 Grand Slam Track League Bankruptcy
49:21 Conclusion