Run Spesh Podcast by Frontrunner Colombo

Frontrunner Colombo
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The Run Spesh podcast is all about the shoes and gear you like to go running in. We cover short-form episodes with in-depth discussions on what the shoe is for, who might benefit from it, and how it was made. The Frontrunner is also here to share stories and bring the community together. Enjoy the characters we have in our sports and the experts we work with. Run Spesh is a play on "Run Specialty" with the Frontrunner Colombo being New Zealand's leading Running Specialty Store

  1. 2d ago

    115 | Brooks Hyperion Elite 6, how Asics is blending the Novablast 6 and 2000 v15 and community events

    Big one this week. We open with Run Club's return (12-week Queenstown Marathon programme starts 25 August), then get into a genuinely packed episode: our biggest-ever Run Club turnout — 260+ people — at the ASICS Novablast 6 / GT-2000 15 wear test at Hagley Park, a proper breakdown of why ASICS built the GT-2000 15 as a "stable Novablast" (same foam, completely different geometry), and the full inside story on Run Unknown now that it's actually happened — checkpoints, demo shoes, and a finish line with 220 beers on tap. We've also got three new shoes in store causing genuine office debate: the RAD UFO (a striking new London brand that's split opinion right down the middle), the NORDA 005 (arguably the nicest trail shoe we've had in the shop all year), and the Mizuno Wave Rider 30. From there it's two listener questions — the best daily trainer for a marathon build, and why Superblasts scuff more than Megablasts even with the same rubber compound — before Oska gets properly honest about his own long history of cramping in marathons, tested against some genuinely interesting new research. We wrap with the World U20 Championships results (which deserved way more mainstream coverage than they got) and a full technical deep dive on the Brooks Hyperion Elite 6. This episode covers: Run Club's return New shoes in: RAD UFO, NORDA 005, Mizuno Wave Rider 30 ASICS Hagley Park wear test recap Novablast 6 vs. GT-2000 15 — the full technical breakdown Run Unknown — the complete story Listener Q&A: daily trainer recommendations, Superblast vs. Megablast wear Does dehydration actually cause cramping? World U20 Championships results Deep dive: Brooks Hyperion Elite 6 New Balance Community Run details Got a question for the show? Drop it in our Instagram DMs — we read every one.

  2. Aug 13

    114 | Henry McMecking, Elite NZ Triathlete

    This week Anna and Oska sit down with Henry McMecking — one of New Zealand's fastest-rising short course triathletes and the reigning NZ Under-23 Triathlete of the Year. Ranked inside the world's top 75 and New Zealand's third-highest ranked male behind only Hayden Wilde and Saxon Morgan, Henry's had a genuine breakout stretch: an all-Kiwi podium sweep at Oceania Sprint Champs in Napier, the U23 continental title, and his World Triathlon Championship Series debut in Hamburg this year. We talk through his Christchurch roots — cross country at primary school, watching his mum race at two age-group world championships — and how he balances 21 to 22 hours of training a week with a full geology job and a relationship (with our own Anna, as it happens). Henry's honest about the tough stretch too: pulling out of his planned World Series debut in Quiberon with a bout of tonsillitis, then backing up to actually debut in Hamburg a few weeks later, finishing 41st after coming in ranked 48th. He also tells us about lining up at the NZ Cross Country Championships just for fun — and running his way to 5th in a stacked senior men's field. We get into how he and coach Tess plan a season, what "making it" in triathlon actually looks like day to day, and the story behind Triathlon Trouble, the YouTube channel he runs with mate Gus Marfell. We close out with a round of quick-fire questions before he heads back to Europe for the U23 World Championships in Pontevedra. This episode covers: Growing up in Christchurch and his mum's triathlon career Balancing elite training with a geology job and a relationship The all-Kiwi podium at Oceania Sprint Champs Withdrawing from Quiberon with tonsillitis, then debuting in Hamburg Racing NZ Cross Country Champs for fun and finishing 5th How races get chosen, and what "making it" looks like Triathlon Trouble, his YouTube channel with Gus Marfell What's next: Pontevedra and Rome Got a question for the show? Drop it in our Instagram DMs.

  3. Aug 6

    113 | New Balance Supercomp Rebel v1, Athletics NZ Cross Country Recap, Carbon Shoes for a bigger Body and easter egg on a new spin off of the podcast

    Tom's mid-trip to Andorra and Anna's home recovering from having her wisdom teeth out, so this week Oska's joined by Andy for a big one. We open with training updates — including Oska's steady comeback from hamstring injury — before a full recap of the NZ Cross Country Championships, headlined by Ronan Lee's title-winning run (with David Lee closing like a freight train for silver) and a genuinely gutsy run from Maia in her last local race before leaving the team. From there it's a big Commonwealth Games wrap: Josh Kerr backed up his mile world record with gold at the Games, Sam Tanner ran a season's best, Eliza McCartney completed a real comeback story with pole vault gold, Tom Walsh took silver, and Tori Mowbray picked up a javelin silver that deserves more attention than it's had. We run through everything coming up on the community calendar — the ASICS Community Run, Run Unknown, the New Balance New Brighton run, and Run Club's return — plus a genuinely wild double course record at Badwater 135 in Death Valley. We're also excited to announce Off Track, a new trail-running spinoff of the podcast hosted by Andy, launching soon. From there it's a listener question on the best carbon race shoe for a heavier runner, a discussion of Izzi Batt-Doyle's honest piece on racing with her period, and we close with a full deep dive on the New Balance SuperComp Rebel v1. This episode covers: What we're testing / wearing this week Training weeks: Oska's hamstring comeback NZ Cross Country Championships recap Commonwealth Games wrap: Kerr, Tanner, McCartney, Walsh, Mowbray Community events: ASICS Community Run, Run Unknown, New Balance run, Run Club's return Badwater 135 double course record Announcing Off Track, our new trail spinoff Listener Q: carbon race shoe for a heavier runner Izzi Batt-Doyle: racing with your period Deep dive: New Balance SuperComp Rebel v1 Got a question for the show? Drop it in our Instagram DMs. ✅ Store website: https://frontrunnercolombo.co.nz ✅ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontrunnercolombo/ ✅ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frontrunnerthecolombo/ ✅ Run Club page: https://frontrunnercolombo.co.nz/pages/frontrunner-run-club-frrc ✅ ASICS Community Run RSVP: https://luma.com/71ml6j34 ✅ New Balance Community Run RSVP: https://luma.com/xk7g6ilb ✅ Izzi Batt-Doyle article: https://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/houseofwellness/my-legs-were-achy-i-felt-sick-and-i-wanted-to-stay-in-bed-izzi-battdoyles-hidden-raceday-struggles/news-story/6c513d812aa27648b457c4d536c42fd6 Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro (Andy filling in for Anna & Tom) 03:00 – What we're testing / wearing this week 10:00 – Training weeks: Oska's comeback 17:00 – NZ Cross Country Championships recap 32:00 – Commonwealth Games wrap 42:00 – Community events: ASICS run, Run Unknown, New Balance run, Run Club returns 45:00 – Badwater 135 double course record 50:00 – Announcing Off Track 53:00 – Listener Q: carbon race shoe for a heavier runner 60:00 – Izzi Batt-Doyle: racing with your period 65:00 – Deep dive: New Balance SuperComp Rebel v1

  4. Jul 30

    112 | Asics Meta Fuji Trail 2 | Commonwealth Games News | Winter Grind Party and some heavy shoe content

    Just Oska and Anna in the studio this week — Tom's mid-way through a 44-hour trip to Andorra, and Maia's home sick days before her final episode with the crew. Still plenty to get through: we open with training updates and what's currently on our feet, run through the week's big shoe releases (Novablast 6, On Cloudboom Strike 2), then get into it — the frankly rubbish online backlash aimed at Hamish Kerr for withdrawing from the Commonwealth Games, and why we think people need to do better. From there it's a big Commonwealth Games wrap led by Zoe Hobbs' stunning 100m gold (NZ's first-ever Commonwealth sprint gold), plus Geordie Beamish, Lauren Bruce, and a strong showing in the pool. We preview this Saturday's NZ Cross Country Championships at Hagley Park, work through a stack of listener questions — including a proper debate on supershoes vs. uptempo trainers for workouts, our picks for NZ's marathon "Mount Rushmore," and a Reddit question on whether some runners are doomed to stability shoes forever. We close with a full deep dive on the ASICS MetaFuji Trail 2, plus all the key dates coming up: Run Club's return, Run Unknown, and the New Balance New Brighton event. This episode covers: Training weeks and what we're running in Shoe releases: ASICS Novablast 6, On Cloudboom Strike 2 Hamish Kerr's Commonwealth Games withdrawal and the online reaction Commonwealth Games wrap: Zoe Hobbs' gold, Beamish, Lauren Bruce, swimming medals NZ Cross Country Championships preview Listener Q&A: supershoes vs. uptempo trainers, NZ's marathon greats, local "Majors" equivalents Reddit Q: stability shoes Deep dive: ASICS MetaFuji Trail 2 Key dates: Run Club, Run Unknown, New Balance New Brighton event A farewell to Maia Got a question for the show? Email marketing@frontrunnercolombo.co.nz or drop it in our Instagram DMs.

  5. Jul 23

    111 | Saucony Endorphin Elite 3, Josh Kerr, Race wrap ups and Tom's off to Europe

    "Wear a kilt. The hill just kept on going. I stopped and got some whisky." One finisher's take on the Mackenzie Half Marathon — which pulled over 1,150 entrants the same weekend Kennett Cup's senior men's race had just five starters. We get into why cross country numbers are shrinking, and what might actually fix it. Also this week: a full breakdown of Josh Kerr's mile world record, including the wild eight-years-of-data story behind his custom Brooks spike. Anna walks us through new EBU camera-angle guidelines aimed at reducing the sexualisation of women's athletics coverage. Maia Flint — in her second-to-last week with the Frontrunner crew — won the Kennett Cup women's senior race, and Tom's athlete Corbin Harding took silver at the Mackenzie Half. We round up cross country results from around the country, catch up on Kiwis racing well overseas, and give you the first real details on Run Unknown's return. We close out with a proper tech deep dive on the Saucony Endorphin Elite 3 — what's actually been fixed since the divisive version 2, and who it's built for. This episode covers: What we're testing / wearing this week Josh Kerr's mile world record and the tech behind it New broadcasting guidelines for filming women's athletics Kennett Cup results and a real conversation about cross country's participation problem Corbin Harding's silver medal at the Mackenzie Half Marathon NZ cross country round-up and Kiwis racing overseas Run Unknown returns — mystery riddle race with On Deep dive: Saucony Endorphin Elite 3 Winter Grind party, Run Club's return, and the New Balance store takeover Got a question for the show? Drop it in our Instagram DMs or in the Run Club Facebook group.

  6. Jul 16

    110 | On Cloudboom Strike 2, Paris Recap, Christchurch Marathon, Listener Questions and Emotional Movies

    Race starts while you're still in the porta-loo. No time to wipe. Wet day, had to catch up, discard the gear... still won." One of our listeners' most eventful event day stories, and just one of the reasons this week's episode is a good one. Oska's just back from a whirlwind 10 days in Paris with On — factory tours, robot-sprayed shoes, and getting cold-shouldered out of a café for not ordering in French — while Tom's been out racing bikes and clocking solid triathlon training weeks. Anna talks us through her partner Henry's World Triathlon Series debut in Hamburg (41st on debut!), plus how Hayden and Saxon fared. Back home, we're digging into your Instagram questions — your most eventful event day stories and the worst running advice you've ever been given ("you don't need multiple $300 shoes" — gtfoh) — before answering three of the most common shoe questions we get asked in-store. The big one this week: Christchurch Marathon 2027 just leveled up. ASICS is coming on as headline partner, and Frontrunner is taking on a brand new role as Performance Partner — helping build a world-class elite athlete experience from the ground up. Entries are opening soon. And of course, we close out with a full tech deep dive on the On Cloudboom Strike 2 — what's changed from version one, the real numbers, and who it's actually built for. This episode covers: What we're running in this week Tom's Sector 6 bike race and triathlon training block Hamburg WTS recap: Anna on Henry's debut, plus Hayden and Saxon Oska's Paris trip with On Listener Q&A: eventful event days + worst running advice Shoe FAQ: replacing shoes, daily trainer vs super shoe, road vs trail Christchurch Marathon 2027: ASICS partnership + our new Performance Partner role Deep dive: On Cloudboom Strike 2 Winter Grind wrap-up, Winter Grind party (Tues 28th), Run Club returns (last Tues of August) Got a question for the show? Drop it in our Instagram DMs or in the Run Club Facebook group. Christchurch Marathon — entries open now https://raceroster.com/events/2027/129745/2027-asics-christchurch-marathon Saucony Endorphin Elite 3 review (Frontrunner blog) https://frontrunnercolombo.co.nz/blogs/the-run-down-shoe-reviews/saucony-endorphin-elite-3 Winter Grind Party & Run Club Get Together — RSVP required, $15 https://luma.com/7d458rvx

  7. Jul 10

    109 | Todd "Toddy" Andrews and The Dream Run

    Todd Andrews: From Outback Runner to S&C Coach — The Dream Run Across Australia for Cholmondeley Hosts Oska and Maia welcome Todd "Toddy" Andrews on The Front Runner Colombo's weekly running podcast to trace his path from a love-filled but financially tight childhood in Australia—frequent moves, single-parent upbringing, and finding stability through running—to a life-changing Melbourne school scholarship after coach Neville Sillitoe spotted his talent, mentored him, and even bought his first running shoes. Todd shares how he adapted academically, his competitive drive, and how marrying and becoming a parent young shifted his Olympic ambitions toward coaching and strength & conditioning. After moving to New Zealand in 2005, he qualified as a personal trainer, enrolled in a sport coaching degree at the University of Canterbury, graduated top of his class, entered S&C via post-earthquake opportunities with the Canterbury Academy, and completed a master's. He describes a midlife identity shift and outlines "The Dream Run": attempting three marathons a day for 30 days from Cottesloe Beach to Bondi Beach to inspire young people and raise funds for Cholmondeley Children's Centre, now aiming for next June after injury delays. 00:00 Podcast Welcome 00:45 Meet Todd Andrews 02:28 Family Life And Fatherhood 03:21 Outback Childhood And Moving 05:43 Growing Up With Less 09:22 Freedom And Early Memories 12:56 Finding Identity In Running 16:19 Scholarship To Melbourne 24:05 Overwhelmed But Determined 25:47 Neville The Mentor Coach 32:03 Imposter Syndrome And Resilience 34:20 Early Competitive Fire 36:29 Competitive Drive 37:01 Academic Survival Skills 38:58 Young Family Shift 41:33 Personal Training Pivot 43:28 University Breakthrough 46:46 Four Ps Framework 48:15 Earthquake Opportunity 53:21 Midlife Identity Reset 01:02:38 Three Marathons Plan 01:10:35 Cholmondeley Mission 01:19:55 Setbacks New Timeline 01:21:46 Closing Reflections

  8. Jun 28

    108 | We Made it to Paris for the ON running summit

    Run Spesh Podcast by Frontrunner Colombo

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About

The Run Spesh podcast is all about the shoes and gear you like to go running in. We cover short-form episodes with in-depth discussions on what the shoe is for, who might benefit from it, and how it was made. The Frontrunner is also here to share stories and bring the community together. Enjoy the characters we have in our sports and the experts we work with. Run Spesh is a play on "Run Specialty" with the Frontrunner Colombo being New Zealand's leading Running Specialty Store

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