Keep,

​Running News : Training Tips : Training Plans : Shoes+Gear : YouTube : Podcast​

Hi runners, Jessy here with newsletter #682! 🎉

Happy Saturday!​
​
Here's what I have for you today:

• WATCH: How I Broke a Half Marathon Course Record (My Secret Weapon)
  ​
• If your holiday shopping list is full of runners and you’re running out of ideas, this year’s editor-tested gift guide has you covered. From clever stocking stuffers to big-ticket surprises, these are the picks our team actually uses.
  ​
• WATCH: Everything You Need To Know About The Wild New Adidas Shoe
  ​
• TRE is basically the candy store of endurance nutrition, so I did the only reasonable thing: tried everything I could get my hands on. After dozens of samples, these are the eight brands I’d actually recommend to runners figuring out their fueling plan.
  ​
• Turns out Jakob Ingebrigtsen isn’t just collecting medals. A recent glimpse inside his home office revealed a Pokémon collection so elaborate it could pass for a mini–museum.
  ​
• Most runners chase speed by pushing harder, but the smarter path might be as simple as taking quicker steps. That's where increasing cadence comes in!
  ​
• WATCH: Brooks Running Shoes 2026 REVEALED l Hyperion Elite 6, Glycerin Max 2, Glycerin Flex, AND MORE
  ​
• Only two runners leave Honolulu each December with a medal that’s literally worth its weight in gold. The race is pairing prize money with a $27,000 solid-gold award that makes the finish line feel more like a vault.
  ​
• GST is officially in bankruptcy court, and whatever optimism the league tried to project over the past two weeks evaporated with Thursday morning’s Chapter 11 filing.
  ​
• Feeling that quiet slump where your weekday runs are technically fine… but not actually fun? You don’t need to overhaul your training, just shake up the edges a bit.​
  ​
• Some years, Boston builds slowly toward star power. Not this time. With the defending champs reunited on the start line and America’s fastest joining them, the 2026 edition is shaping up to be faster than most Aprils on Boylston Street.
  ​
• WATCH: 2025 Running Year in Review (Part 1): Records, Rivalries & Scandals | Marathon Handbook Podcast
  ​

Get ready to get faster!

Jessy Carveth
Senior News Editor

​WATCH: How I Broke a Half Marathon Course Record (My Secret Weapon)​

With an ambitious goal for his upcoming half marathon in mind, Alex has a problem - it’s hard to train for a hilly and sunny California race in flat and snowbound Toronto.

So the team decamp to Marathon Handbook’s secret alpine lair for a training session that set Alex up for crushing his race…

​The Best Gifts For Runners This Season, Tested and Chosen By Our Editors​

Trying to shop for a runner during the Christmas rush?

We pulled together the gifts we actually rely on all year, tested, approved, and not just another pair of shoes wrapped under the tree. Think smart, useful, and guaranteed-not-to-end-up-in-a-drawer gear.

​WATCH: Everything You Need To Know About The Wild New Adidas Shoe​

The Marathon Handbook team traveled to The Running Event in San Antonio, Texas to check out Adidas' new line of running shoes for 2026.

Here, Senior Editor Alex Cyr speaks with Harry Miles, director of product innovation at Adidas, about the chunky, staggeringly lightweight Prime X Evo: the shoe created to destroy the 100km world record.

​I Tried Every Sports Nutrition Brand At TRE So You Don’t Have To​

I spent two days at TRE taste-testing more gels, chews, mixes, and oddball snacks than any normal person should.

Eight brands actually stood out, not because of hype, but because they solved real fueling problems runners run into every single week.

Here’s what survived the taste-test gauntlet.

​Jakob Ingebrigtsen Has One of the Most Impressive Pokémon Collections Around​

Most runners unwind with Netflix or a nap. Jakob Ingebrigtsen sorts Pokémon cards... thousands of them.

His office tour this week revealed a collection so detailed and carefully catalogued that it feels like an extension of his training mindset, only with far more Charizards.

​Boost Your Stride: How to Increase Cadence While Running​

If you’ve ever wondered how to run faster without blowing up your form, cadence is the quiet lever worth pulling.

A small bump in steps-per-minute can ease impact, smooth out your mechanics, and help you pick up pace naturally. Here’s how to start dialing it in.

​WATCH: Brooks Running Shoes 2026 REVEALED l Hyperion Elite 6, Glycerin Max 2, Glycerin Flex, AND MORE​

The Marathon Handbook team traveled to The Running Event in San Antonio, Texas to check out Brooks' new line of running shoes for 2026.

Here, Managing Editor Katelyn Tocci, Senior Editor Alex Cyr and Brooks product line manager Tina Danforth present the fleet of Brooks running shoes that will define 2026.

​2025 Honolulu Marathon Champions Will Take Home a $27,000 Pure Gold Medal​

Most marathons hand out medals, but Honolulu hands out treasure.

This year’s champions will walk away not just with the win, but with a pure gold medal worth more than the race’s cash prize itself.

It’s one of the sport’s most unusual traditions, and one that’s quickly becoming part of Honolulu’s identity.

​Grand Slam Track Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy​

Grand Slam Track spent months insisting it could steady the ship. Their Chapter 11 filing makes it clear the ship was already underwater.

What GST calls a “reorganization” looks, in practice, like a last attempt to salvage a league that never found its financial footing, and athletes are wondering whether there’s anything left to save.

​In A Run Rut? 4 Easy Ways To Keep Mid-Week Runs Fresh​

Doubling up your workouts can be a game-changer for fitness and performance, or a fast track to fatigue if you’re not careful.

Before you add a second session to your day, here’s what you need to know about the real benefits, the hidden drawbacks, and how to structure doubles so they actually work for you.

​2026 Boston Marathon Fields Both Defending Champions And American Record Holders​

Boston doesn’t always get this lucky. Next year’s marathon brings a front pack so loaded it almost feels like a wish list.

With a course record holder, comeback stories, and long-awaited debuts all converging, this lineup already looks like one of the strongest Boston has put together in years.

​WATCH: 2025 Running Year in Review (Part 1): Records, Rivalries & Scandals | Marathon Handbook Podcast​

Join hosts Michael Doyle, Alex Cyr, Katelyn Tocci, and Jessy Carveth for a deep dive into January through July 2025 — a stretch packed with American records, world records, major-marathon drama, breakout stars, super-shoe tech, ultra chaos, and one of the biggest doping bombshells in recent history.

We revisit Conner Mantz’s historic run in Houston, the February record spree, the Boston–London doubleheader, Nike’s Breaking4 experiment with Faith Kipyegon, Western States, UTMB highs and lows, and the July revelation that shook the sport: Ruth Chepngetich’s doping ban.

QUICK SPRINTS

• ​The 7 Best Plyometric Exercises For Speed
  ​​
• ​How To Start Trail Running: 6 Tips For Beginners To Get Going
  ​​
• ​Everything You Need To Know About Running With Gels​