s5/e24 Breaking4, Boston Qualifying Changes, and the Big Business of Women’s Sports with Jonathan Levitt

The Running Explained Podcast

Running Explained

Sports, Running

4.6 • 534 Ratings

🗓️ 24 July 2025

⏱️ 66 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week, I'm joined by the one and only Jon Levitt, host of For the Long Run and Long Run Labs, endurance athlete, and resident expert in both running and running-adjacent banter.What starts as a lighthearted chat about favorite running shoes (RIP Pegasus 34), run fuel (blue raspberry forever), and dream races (Tokyo, anyone?) turns into a deeply thoughtful conversation about what it means to push yourself to the edge... and what happens when you go past it.We dive into:🎯 The anatomy of a moonshot: Was the Breaking4 Project to break 4 minutes in the mile by a woman a marketing stunt or a meaningful milestone?🧠 The shared psychology of suffering: Why elite runners and mid-packers alike know what it feels like to “bleed” in the third lap💥 What makes a mile so compelling (and painful) to run and watch🥵 Downhill marathons, Boston qualifiers, and the not-so-free speed myth💬 What we talk about when we talk about toughness, exclusivity, and why not every goal should be easyPlus: a very scientific game of “Strava Caption or Shenanigans,” Taylor Swift references, and a reminder that running a hard mile might just change your life.🧭 Resources & Links:Follow Jon on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/jwlevittListen to For the Long Run and Long Run Labshttps://shorturl.at/i7pRU

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Research & production assistance by Sophie van Leeuwen

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, my friends, and welcome back to the writing explained podcast.
0:05.6	I am your host, Coach Elizabeth, and today I am joined by Jonathan Levitt, longtime runner,
0:11.6	podcast host, and someone who has been very deep in the endurance base for years.
0:16.4	John knows almost everyone, it seems.
0:19.9	We're talking today about how he started running in the wake of
0:22.9	the boston marathon bombing our takes on faith kip yegan's breaking for attempt the business and the
0:29.1	big bucks of running and we also talk about the boston marathon downhill race qualifying changes
0:35.3	and we have thoughts many thoughts We also talk about racing,
0:40.2	chasing big goals, and what it really means to go up to and then past the edge of what you
0:46.4	thought was possible. And listen up. If your big goal this fall is the Philadelphia half
0:51.6	marathon or marathon, listen up. Most runners don't realize that they
0:55.7	need support until they're already deep into training and struggling big time. Road to Race Day
1:02.0	Philly is for everyone who's tired of flaming out on race day or who actually wants to get the most
1:07.5	out of this training cycle. It is coaching, it is structure, it is accountability, it is support, it is teamwork, and it all
1:15.3	starts on August 4th.
1:16.7	Get the details and sign up now, run and explain.com slash road to race day.
1:21.6	Spots are limited and we start on August 4th, so you are not going to want to miss a single
1:27.3	minute of this training.
1:30.0	All right, let's get to it.
1:35.5	John, welcome for the show. I'm so excited to have you here.
1:38.0	Thanks for having me, Elizabeth.
1:39.8	I cannot believe you haven't been on the show yet. That is a failure on my fault.
	...

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