Hey runners, in today's newsletter, the heatwave is reshaping how we train, the world's oldest 100-mile race is about to kick off, and a marathon is somehow happening inside an IKEA.
Western States 100 returns today with its deepest fields ever, as Jim Walmsley, Kilian Jornet, and the defending champion lead 370 runners from Olympic Valley to Auburn in the 53rd running of the sport's most iconic ultra. We've got everything you need to know to watch, follow, and understand the race. Out in Russia's Leningrad Region, Dmitry Klimov just set a new backyard ultra world record at Biotropika 2026, lasting 123 hours on course and breaking a mark set only a year ago.
The European heatwave has emergency services on edge, with London's ambulance service logging its busiest day ever and Paris officials publicly calling joggers "irresponsible" as cardiac arrests spike. Even fit runners are being told to skip workouts. And on the doping front, former half-marathon world record holder Kibiwott Kandie has been hit with a seven-year ban after refusing an out-of-competition test and then handing investigators a forged government document to back up his story.
In lighter news, runners will race a full 26.2 inside an IKEA in Croydon this December, complete with meatballs at the aid station and a self-assembly medal at the finish. New York Road Runners is also honoring the five visionaries who took the NYC Marathon out of Central Park 50 years ago, with their descendants set to lead the 2026 race. And Nike has hired Pfizer's David Denton as its new CFO as the brand pushes through a slow turnaround.
And as always, we round things out with the practical stuff: exactly how much the heat is slowing your pace and how to adjust, why your heart rate spikes in summer training, and the eight best hip flexor stretches every runner should be doing.
Jessy Carveth
Senior News Editor, Marathon Handbook
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London's ambulance service logged its busiest day ever this week, and Paris officials are calling joggers "irresponsible" as cardiac arrests spike across the continent.
Jim Walmsley, Kilian Jornet, and a defending champion lead 370 runners from Olympic Valley to Auburn in the 53rd running of the sport's oldest 100-mile race.
Kenya's Kandie refused an out-of-competition test, then handed investigators a forged government document to back up his story. They checked. It was fake.
Eighty general entries opened Friday for the 26.2-mile race through the Croydon showroom, with meatballs at the aid station and a self-assembly medal at the finish.
The ALPHAFLY 3 stacks two Air Zoom pods, a full-length carbon plate and Nike's springy ZoomX midsole — the bounciest, most propulsive shoe in the Nike range, and still the swoosh's top racer.
A new campaign from New York Road Runners credits Ted Corbitt, George Hirsch, Fred Lebow, George Spitz, and Percy Sutton with reshaping the modern marathon, as their descendants prepare to lead the 2026 race.
Dmitry Klimov outlasted the field at Biotropika 2026 in the Leningrad Region with 123 laps, beating a mark set just a year ago by Australia's Phil Gore
This week on The Running Story, Michael Doyle and Jessy Carveth break down the five biggest stories in the running world including a scary medical emergency involving one of the greatest track runners of all time, a jaw-dropping performance from an eighth grader, a Dutch marathon canceled over a fake paramedic scam, and why Berlin 2026 is shaping up to be the most anticipated marathon of the fall season.
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