“If I can close the gap a little bit more each time, one day I can win the race. I’m here for the long term.” My guest for today’s episode is Zouhair Talbi — and if you’ve been following American marathon running this year, you already know the name. We had him at No. 2 in CITIUS MAG’s Way Too Early 2028 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon Power Rankings. He ran 2:03:45 at the Boston Marathon in April, finishing fifth overall, breaking Ryan Hall’s 15-year American course record. He is now days out from the TCS New York City Marathon, where he has unfinished business. The 2023 New York was Zouhair’s second marathon. He went out with Tamirat Tola’s record-setting group, covered the surge, and by 34 kilometers his body had completely shut down — from 4:40 pace to 6:30, unable to go faster, pulling off the road. He describes it as one of the biggest experiences of his career. He was back in the hotel within the hour, already thinking about what he’d do differently. What he did differently was build, patiently and systematically, over the three years since. This block was his longest since turning to the marathon — five months from Boston to New York, with seven weeks at or above 130 miles, two of his fastest 40K long runs in training, and a Great North Run win in 59:47 that gave him the fitness signal he needed heading into the final phase. In this conversation, we go through the full build — what changed from the Boston block, how he is thinking about New York’s decisive moves or where in the race he is visualizing it. We also get into the dynamic of racing Conner Mantz, the Andreas Almgren wildcard, and a broader look at Olympic qualifying. ____________ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS SUUNTO: The Suunto Run 2 is their new flagship watch built specifically for road running and the marathon. You get around 10 days of battery with daily use and 24 hours in performance mode with dual frequency GPS. The watch also tracks your sleep, HRV, and training balance, so you know when to push and when to back off in your workouts. If you're in the market for a new watch, check out the Suunto Run 2. KAIZEN: kaizen is a training app that starts with your running history to set the baseline and then updates around the training you do. kaizen looks at the bigger picture of your training to know your current fitness. The app translates your last few months of training into an accurate view of how your current fitness, taking a big picture view that quiets the noise of individual workouts. Download today in the App Store or Google Play and get two weeks free with code CITIUS within the app. WAHOO: With the Wahoo KICKR RUN, you can simulate your goal marathon course right in your own home. You can also use the run free mode, which uses sensors to automatically match the belt speed to your stride. No buttons, no interruptions, and no breaking your flow. When you use code CITIUS at checkout, you'll also get a free KICKR Headwind Smart Fan. Check it out today at wahoofitness.com.
