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. 21m ago

    Off Track 004 | By the Run Down

    Off Track is back — a week late thanks to dogs and airport logistics, and with plenty to catch up on. Andy and Logan start with training: school-holiday survival mode and a busy race-season build for Andy, a post-Tekapo reset (plus a mountaineering course and a taped-up ankle), and Logan's return to running, where each new session type feels like unlocking a character in a video game, alongside big bike miles ahead of La Petite Brevet, a 300K mountain bike loop of Banks Peninsula. We launch a new segment, Tales from the Trails, inspired by the stories that land in Training Peaks comments. The first comes from a friend's early-morning tempo run up Captain Thomas / Godley Head. Send us yours! We also read out a very good reply to last episode's chat about weeing on the run. Then it's three weeks of Kiwi results: Annabel Bramwell and David Hammersmith (course record) at the Rakiura Challenge on Stewart Island, Clinton Manderson and Megan Craig at Marina to Marina, the dog-and-runner 4 Paws Marathon in Bottle Lake Forest (including a 39:55 10K), Dan Jones winning the masters at road relays, a record 1,300 entrants at Cave Kidnappers (a course record for Amber Morrison and a 3:02 from Calum McPherson in the 34K), and Simon Cochran's record 205K "Claw" at the Blue Lake 24-hour. A look at Masters records leads to the story of Jack Foster, who started running at 32, finished eighth at the Olympics, and still holds the NZ M40 marathon record of 2:11:18 from 1973. Athlete to Watch is Chester Holt-Quick, who's building to the Spectacle 100K in Nelson and has an enormous 2027 calendar. Overseas, we cover Lucy Bartholomew's Melbourne Marathon PB, Salomon becoming Ironman's sponsor (and what that might mean for UTMB), Des Linden's road-to-Western-States plan, and Ruth Croft lining up at Diagonale des Fous. Finally, a preview of Taupo Ultra and Crater Rim (Andy is racing the 22K), gear choices for the weekend, a No Free Ads shout-out, and a Coach's Corner on when to start carrying fuel and fluids and how best to carry them. This episode covers: Training catch-up and the new Tales from the Trails segment Results: Rakiura Challenge, Marina to Marina, 4 Paws Marathon, road relays, Cave Kidnappers, Blue Lake 24-hour Jack Foster and the NZ Masters records Athlete to Watch: Chester Holt-Quick Overseas: Lucy Bartholomew, Salomon x Ironman x UTMB, Des Linden, Ruth Croft Preview: Taupo Ultra and Crater Rim Gear: Norda 005 and the singlet No Free Ads: hotel reception lollies Coach's Corner: fuel and hydration Got a trail story or a coaching question? Send it to Frontrunner Colombo or @andygood on Instagram, or comment on Spotify. Anonymous is fine.

  2. 4d ago

    120 | Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 5, On Cloudsurfer 3, Berlin Recap, Melbourne Recap and Tom's trip

    Tom's back after more than seven weeks away — most of it spent training in Andorra with Hayden Wilde and Kyle ahead of the 70.3 Age Group World Championships in Nice, followed by a genuinely brutal travel saga getting home. He's joined this episode by Theo, who gets his own spotlight after a trip to Melbourne meeting the On Running crew and helping launch the Cloudsurfer 3 in New Zealand.   The centrepiece of this episode is Oska's full Berlin Marathon trip with adidas — sitting down with the AdiZero design team to understand every decision behind the new Adizero Adios Pro 5, visiting the House of Fast, getting a photo with Gebrselassie, and watching Tigist Assefa win the women's race while running the final two kilometres on a ruptured Achilles. We get a full technical breakdown of the Pro 5 itself, a listener question on finding a daily workhorse trainer, and the full rundown on **Race the Pro 5 After Dark**, the Sydenham Underpass event held on 8 October with a live DJ, smoke machine, laser lights and the works.   **This episode covers:** - Tom's seven weeks training with Hayden Wilde and Kyle in Andorra - 70.3 Age Group World Championships, Nice - Tom's travel nightmare getting home, and whether he's going pro next year - Theo's Melbourne trip and the On Cloudsurfer 3 - Oska's full Berlin Marathon trip with adidas - Tigist Assefa's remarkable Berlin win - Deep dive: the adidas Adizero Adios Pro 5 - Listener Q: finding a workhorse daily trainer - Race the Pro 5 After Dark — Sydenham Underpass, 8 October   Got a question for the show? Drop it in our Instagram DMs or the Shopify chat.

  3. Sep 21

    Off Track | Episode 002 by The Run Down

    Episode 3, and we've got our first-ever guest on the show — Sawyer, who contributed zero words but excellent company throughout. The centrepiece of this episode is Andy's full, honest recap of the Tekapo 50K — a genuinely rough day that included stomach issues from early on, cramping from the 28K mark, and a mid-race can of Coke from his crew that may have single-handedly saved the result. We also cover Ruth Croft's return to racing at Diagonale des Fous on Reunion Island, a genuinely wild prize money announcement out of Colorado's Run Rabbit Run (now offering $100,000 USD to the winner — the largest single prize in trail running history), a full review of the Tekapo Trail Weekend as an event, and a proper Athlete to Watch spotlight on Frances Redmond, who ran a patient, calculated 50K to come from third to first. From there it's a rapid-fire listener Q&A covering shoe choice, fibre intake before a race, hill training specificity for a climb like Mount John, and recovering from a DNF, plus gear notes on the Norda 005 and the On running vest. We close out with a couple of lighter segments — Shokz headphones and a genuinely excellent stout recommendation — before a candid, good-humoured conversation about one of ultra running's less-discussed realities. Fair warning is given before that section if it's not for you. This episode covers: Training updates and two new races on the calendar Ruth Croft's return at Diagonale des Fous Run Rabbit Run's $100,000 prize announcement Tekapo Trail Weekend: full event review and results Athlete to Watch: Frances Redmond Andy's full Tekapo 50K race recap Rapid-fire Q&A: shoes, fuelling, hill training, injury recovery Gear notes: Norda 005, Mountain to Coast, the On vest No Free Ads: Shokz headphones, a stout recommendation Got a question for the show? Send it through on Spotify or to the Frontrunner Instagram.

  4. Sep 17

    119 | The Hype man turns the questions on the boss

    The tables are turned this week. Last time, Oska interviewed Alex from Don Greig Racing Stables — this time, Alex has spent weeks sourcing anonymous questions from runners all over Christchurch, and Oska has no idea what's coming. It makes for a genuinely honest hour. We cover childhood — including the four teachers who changed the direction of his life at a point when things weren't easy at home — his approach to brutal honesty (and where it actually comes from), and why having a coach, a psychologist, and a trusted small circle matters as much as any training plan. He's candid about where he's at right now: working through an injury, and for the first time in his life, genuinely not enjoying running. We also get into his half marathon record (eight national titles, undefeated in Christchurch), what's realistic for him in the marathon, and a properly interesting section on the business side of running shoes — how he ranks the major brands as a retailer, what he thinks about the wave of new Chinese running shoe brands, and the four-pillar framework (chemistry, geometry, aesthetics, accessibility) he wrote about for Tempo Journal on what actually makes a "perfect" shoe. We close with his real shoe rotation philosophy and a run of genuinely ridiculous rapid-fire questions. This episode covers: Hayden Wilde's 70.3 World Championship win Childhood, and the four teachers who changed everything Honesty, coaching, and mental health Currently not enjoying running, and working through injury Half marathon record, and marathon ambitions Ranking shoe brands as a retailer Chinese running shoe brands and the "perfect shoe" framework Shoe rotation philosophy and barefoot running Rapid-fire round

  5. Sep 10

    118 | William Little and Connor Melton Pre World Road Championships in Copenhagen

    This week Oska sits down with Connor Melton and Will Little — training partners, close friends, and the two Kiwis heading to Copenhagen to race the half marathon at the World Road Running Championships. Both come from very different starting points: Will battled undiagnosed gluten intolerance and low iron for years before finding real consistency, while Connor spent a decade in Maria Hesson's development squad before moving to coach Sam McLean when he outgrew it heading into the senior ranks. We get into some genuinely big topics — why New Zealand's national titles have lost some of their shine as the global marathon calendar pulls athletes elsewhere, and why there's no incentive (or funding) to bring New Zealand's overseas-based stars home to race domestically the way Australia does. Connor tells the full story of his 2023 World Cross Country race in Tallahassee — brutal heat and humidity, a genuine hands-and-knees crawl through the final stretch, and being pulled by medical staff 200m from the finish. We also get into his PhD in mechanical engineering, which is genuinely relevant to this podcast: his thesis was on an accessible way to 3D-print custom, graded-stiffness heel pad cushioning for plantar heel pain. From there it's training structure, balancing full-time work and postgrad study with elite mileage, a fun rapid-fire round, and a proper, heartfelt tribute to their 82-year-old coach Sam McLean — who coaches for free, turns up on his bike in all weather, and can still recall race splits from over 50 years ago. Sam even wrote in his own tribute to both athletes, which gets read out in full. This episode covers: Will and Connor's very different paths into running Why NZ's national titles don't carry the weight they used to Connor's brutal World Cross Country collapse in Tallahassee Connor's PhD: 3D-printed heel pad cushioning Balancing full-time work and postgrad study with elite training Training structure and how the pair work together Racing shoes: both in the ASICS Metaspeed Edge Tribute to coach Sam McLean What success looks like in Copenhagen

  6. Sep 7

    Off Track | Episode 001 by the Run Down

    Episode 2 of Off Track, and a genuinely huge one. We open with training updates — Logan's finding his rhythm again as he builds back from a stress fracture, and Andy's fresh off a massive confidence-boosting long run ahead of his Tekapo 50K in a couple of weeks. The bulk of this episode is a full recap of the UTMB World Finals, the biggest weekend on the global trail calendar. We cover OCC (course-cutting penalties, a stacked field, and a women's race with more live viewers than the men's for the first time in UTMB history), CCC (a first-ever two-time champion, and a huge run from Kiwi Caitlin Fielder marred by a random spectator jumping into her finish chute), and the big one itself — Ben Damon's dominant solo run (stopped for a total of nine minutes across 18 hours of racing) and an emotional, grand-slam-completing win in the women's race. Closer to home, we cover the brutal conditions at Naseby's 200-miler, a strong showing at the Dunstan Trail Marathon, and introduce a new recurring segment — Athlete to Watch — starting with multi-discipline talent Michael "Fossy" Voss. Andy gives a full breakdown of his Tekapo 50K prep (course, gear, nutrition, shoes), we get the confirmed dates for the NZ Mountain Running Championships (Nelson, May 2027), and a first look at the Kea Series' full season two calendar. We close with a listener question on Zone 5 training and finding your max heart rate, and a new "No Free Ads" segment with Logan's running headphone recommendation. This episode covers: Training check-ins UTMB World Finals: OCC, CCC, and the main event NZ results: Naseby, Dunstan Trail Marathon Athlete to Watch: Michael Voss Tekapo 50K full prep breakdown NZ Mountain Running Champs — Nelson, May 2027 Kea Series season 2 calendar Listener Q&A: Zone 5 training, max heart rate No Free Ads: running headphones Got a question for the show? Send it through to our Instagram, or drop a comment on Spotify.

  7. Sep 4

    117 | Asics Sonic Blast 2 and the SYDNEY MARATHON

    A different kind of episode this week. Oska sits down with his good mate Macca from Tempo — recorded in two halves, the first at the ASICS house in Sydney on Saturday night before the race, the second a few days later once both were home — to properly debrief the Sydney Marathon. Neither of them raced it. Oska's still working back from injury and ran a relaxed, deeply enjoyable 2:50-something with a genuine negative split; Oska stepped out of his usual elite-adjacent world to run as one of "the masses" for the first time in his career, and came away with a completely different appreciation for what a major marathon actually is. Between them they cover the Harbour Bridge, a 100-plus person choir that stopped Macca in his tracks around the 11K mark, the noise of Oxford Street's Pride corner, and a chance elevator conversation with a man running his 101st career marathon — his 25th Boston. There's a genuinely good discussion in here about what separates a "major" from every other marathon: not the course, but the fact that for one weekend, an entire city's worth of strangers are speaking the same language. We also get an update on what's next for Oska — chasing a 5000m PB on the track, working the hamstring and Achilles back to full health, and eyeing a crack at his own Christchurch Marathon course record next April — plus a first tease of Race the Pro 5 After Dark, easily the biggest event Frontrunner's put together. This episode covers: Sydney Marathon race day, run relaxed rather than raced Course highlights: the Harbour Bridge, the choir, Oxford Street Meeting a 101-marathon veteran in a hotel elevator Local names who had big days: Tommy Richards and Jared both breaking 2:30 What actually makes a "major" marathon different What's next for Oska: a 5000m PB attempt, then a Christchurch Marathon course record tilt in April First look at Race the Pro 5 After Dark

  8. Aug 27

    116 | New Balance SuperComp Elite v6 Review, World Masters, Half Marathon World Record and Sydney Preview

    A genuinely huge eight days packed into one episode. Oska's fighting off being sick and Anna's just days from six-plus weeks in Europe with Henry, but between them they cover a lot: a Melbourne trip getting an early look at upcoming Hoka and Saucony product, three national-level events happening the same weekend (NZ Road & Race Walk Champs in New Plymouth, Governors Bay to Lyttelton, and Sydney Marathon), and a half marathon world record from Yomif Kejelcha that puts their own Tuesday club session into brutal perspective. The big one this episode: the full reveal of Race the Pro 5, The Chasedown — Frontrunner's biggest event yet, teaming up with Adidas to launch the Adizero Adios Pro 5 with a mixed-relay race against an elite pro team, taking over the entire Sydenham Underpass on 8 October. We also get a great World Masters Championships update (Sally Gibbs' double gold including a sub-20 5000m at 60 years old deserves way more attention than it's getting), a listener question on burning forefoot pain, a full technical deep dive on the New Balance SuperComp Elite v6, and a Sydney Marathon preview with both reigning World Champions on the same start line for the first time in the race's history. We close with a recap of three community events in eight days (500 people total!) and a look at the genuinely hectic few weeks ahead. This episode covers: Melbourne trip recap: Hoka and Saucony NZ Road & Race Walk Championships preview World Masters Championships results Yomif Kejelcha's half marathon world record Race the Pro 5, The Chasedown — full event reveal Listener Q: burning forefoot Deep dive: New Balance SuperComp Elite v6 Sydney Marathon preview Christchurch Marathon course update Recap: 500 people, 3 events, 8 days Got a question for the show? Drop it in our Instagram DMs.

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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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