Episode 65: Adele Roberts - The Talk From Tokyo

Unseasonably warm conditions couldn’t stop over 36,000 athletes taking on the Tokyo Marathon, and this week on Marathon Talk we’ve all the star-studded stories from the first Major of 2025.

We have news of an Ethiopian double in the elite field, hear more about Paula Radcliffe and Harry Styles’ stellar efforts, our guest Adele Roberts joins us to update us on the latest step on her Six Star Journey, and we hear from Marathon Talk listeners as they let us know how they got in on the streets of the Japanese capital.

You won’t want to miss this jam-packed episode of Marathon Talk!

‍

LISTEN

‍


Apple Podcasts	Spotify Podcasts	Amazon Podcasts

‍

WATCH

‍

In this episode of Marathon Talk:

0:00 - We catch up with Martin’s tempo running, a dodgy achilles, and Deena’s run-in with a delighted Marathon Talk listener in Lake Tahoe
3:45 - All the big stories from Tokyo, from the elite fields beating the heat and the hometown hero in the men’s wheelchair race, to Paula Radcliffe’s majestic return and the >2.5k athletes receiving a Six Star Medal in Japan
10:00 - We play a game of ‘Higher or Lower’ with Deena, all based around one of the world’s biggest stars’ finishing time in Tokyo - Harry Styles’ 3:24:07
14:00 - Broadcaster, runner and author Adele Roberts is our inspiring guest this week, talking us through her recovery from bowel cancer, the failures that’ve tallied up to her marathon successes, and her ambitions to set a new Guinness World Record
39:15 - A new section to the show, we share notes from the fabulous members of our community who took to the streets of Tokyo and flew their way through the finishing line

Episode highlights
‍

“I was so impressed with Paula’s performance that I sent her a congratulatory text after the race - she said that after she stopped, she needed a wheelchair to get back to her hotel!” - 6:15 - Deena Kastor

“Last week, we told you about 83-year-old Chilean runner, Ivan Moreno. Ivan previously competed at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. So it was a wonderful full-circle moment for him to complete his Six Star journey in the same city.” - 8:50 - Deena Kastor

“I always say that I'm not ashamed to have a stoma. I'm ashamed I didn't know what one was before I got it.” - 18:50 - Adele Roberts

“Martin, you helped me rationalize it and realize that, yes, it's great to finish a marathon, but some of the joy and some of what you learn from a marathon and how you transform yourself is in the training and in the taking part of the marathon - the medal’s just the cherry on the cake.” - 24:35 - Adele Roberts

“Marathon running is brilliant like that because it levels the field for everyone. I think that means that when people toe the line, they know what to expect. They know it's not going to take any prisoners, and they have to capitalize on their innermost strength.” - 30:00 - Martin Yelling

“I fail all the time so that I can learn from it and then get better. I don't believe in losses, really, in life. I just believe in wins and lessons. When things go wrong, that's when you grow the most.” - 36:40 - Adele Roberts

‍