Marathon Talk Episode 37: Becs Gentry: Tokyo Marathon Preview

The 2024 Abbott World Marathon Majors season has arrived! It all starts this Sunday in Tokyo with Eliud Kipchoge AND Sifan Hassan both set to toe the line in the Japanese capital.

In this week's episode we dive into the elite races, talk pre-race prep and preview a crop of Six Star hopefuls looking to get their hands on that medal.

One of them is Peloton's running guru Becs Gentry, who joins Martin and Deena in the show to share her mental strategies for staying motivated during races and offers some valuable tips on maximising your training time.

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In this episode of Marathon Talk

8:57: We delve into the men’s Tokyo preview, including Benson Kipruto, who is no stranger to the Majors podiums, and Kipchoge revving up for his 12th win.
13:39: Next up it’s the women’s preview, as Sifan Hassan goes for three wins from three different Majors in her first three marathons ever - never been done before.
20:02: The wheelchair races are going to be intriguing with no victory from Marcel Hug and no Catherine Debrunner who was so dominant in the back half of the season last year.
22:32: On to the Six Star Finishers with more than 2,600 due to collect their medal this year - the second biggest group ever.
25:43: Becs Gentry share her hopes for Tokyo and her top tips
58:32: This week’s Training Talk covers marathon strategies for any weather conditions.
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Episode keywords

Marathon talk, abbott world marathon majors, marathon running, distance running, endurance marathon, marathon training, endurance training, six star finisher, tokyo marathon, weather running tips, Benson Kipruto, Sifan Hassan, Catherine Debrunner, Becs Gentry

Episode highlights

“It's really great that Sifan Hassan and Eliud Kipchoge have have chosen Tokyo to, as you said, to maximise their recovery, which means they don't have to be so strategic about like, just going out there and trying to pull off a win, which is going to be challenging for both of them.” - 10:42 - Deena Kastor

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“Marcel isn't going to win. How do we know that? Well, the series champion isn't making the trip to Japan this year, which does throw the race wide open, doesn't it?” - 20:08 - Martin Yelling

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“Tokyo is a huge deal in marathon running in Japan. It's also going to be the scene of a massive load of new six star finishers with more than 2600 due to collect their six Star Medal, which is the second biggest crop ever behind last year's Tokyo races actually so you know, Tokyo Big Race, big race to get into over 500,000 applicants as far as I'm aware and a few notable names in the field this year. ” - 22:44 - Martin Yelling

“I want to educate people in how to enjoy running, because running is perceived in so many different ways in the world. And I think, thank goodness, you know, this is the one thing I like about social media is the popularity that running has gotten on social media and the confidence that it's given a lot of new people to start running.” - 31:13 - Becs Gentry

“I'm very much a brain games person when it comes to running. I'm not hearing that negativity, I'm not listening to that little person who comes and flies in and sits on my shoulder. This is my time to show them that I'm bigger than them. And I don't need them at all. So that's my joy.” - 52:01 - Becs Gentry

“The other side of that spectrum was the Boston Marathon in 2018. We're on the starting line. It was cold and wet, rainy and windy. And I thought this is going to be a mind gain out here. And no one's mind is stronger than mine,” - 1:05.01 - Deena Kastor