In The Beginning | Australian Running and Endurance Podcast

Noosa Triathlon Series: for the first time since 1983, Noosa cancelled the swim. A lifeguard told one athlete she could duck in for a pre-race wee, "just don't go too deep because the sharks are like right there".

Courtney's team, The Imposters, wins the teams race. Liam snaps his chain in front of thousands in the Legends race and finishes on a borrowed mountain bike. Andreas Almgren wins New York on his marathon debut, and Haftu Strintzos runs fifth. HYROX goes in under World Triathlon. Then your Noosa stories: a 100 km/h tandem goal down Garmin Hill, three triathlons with zero swims, the drafting row and the $455 entry fee.

The drafting debate is told by someone who admits he drafted, in a floral suit.

Tell us in the comments: drafting at Noosa — part of the deal at 8,500 people, or should officials crack down?

The Real Science of Sport on the Jepchirchir case: Apple Podcasts 
Matt Hauser on Noosa Fitness Christmas: Instagram 
HYROX and World Triathlon partnership: World Triathlon 
Noosa swim cancelled: ABC News

Follow the podcast on Instagram @inthebeginningpodcast 
Courtney on Strava 
Liam on Strava

CHAPTERS 0:00 Sharks cancel the Noosa swim 9:27 The Imposters win the teams race 12:07 Liam's snapped chain 20:16 Where's Noosa's elite depth gone? 23:15 Volunteering at the kids' race 25:43 New York: Almgren wins on debut 26:36 Doping and the Real Science of Sport 35:53 New York's brand activations 42:06 HYROX joins World Triathlon 44:19 ASICS everywhere, no super shoes 48:08 Your Noosa race stories 1:10:28 Is Noosa getting too expensive?

Noosa Triathlon Series: 8,500 athletes on the start list for Noosa weekend and 58% of them first-timers, and Courtney explains why three Noosa titles are still what people remember him for.

Liam's in for HYROX Brisbane with his wife, Courtney gets caught shirtless in the Nerang trails after swearing he never runs without one, and the boys pick through Sydney Marathon winner Peres Jepchirchir's provisional EPO suspension, an AI count of every shoe at mile 21 of the Marine Corps Marathon, and Courtney's 30-year school 3000m record finally falling. Plus Liam's liver specialist asks him "when did you put the weight on?", and Kilian Jornet on eating real food.

Two blokes who actually race, on a doping story, a shoe count and a weigh-in nobody else would admit to on air.

CHAPTERS 0:00 Noosa by the numbers 4:18 Liam's Noosa plan and the wetsuit rule 9:45 Liam's HYROX Brisbane announcement 12:33 What Noosa means to triathlon 18:34 Caught on camera: Supercars grid and Nerang trails 23:08 Sydney Marathon winner suspended for EPO 31:48 AI shoe count at the Marine Corps Marathon 38:09 Remember the name: a 30-year school record 44:32 Resting heart rate on dating apps 46:14 "When did you put the weight on?" 51:04 Kilian Jornet's nutrition rules 55:01 Shout-outs and sign-off
Tell us in the comments: racing Noosa this weekend? Drop your goal time and we'll read out the best ones next week.

Read Kilian's article: Nutrition: focus on the basics

Follow the podcast on Instagram @inthebeginningpodcast Courtney on Strava Liam on Strava

Courtney's been within 30 seconds of his predicted time at the Gold Coast Marathon, Bridge to Brisbane and the Melbourne half, so he's 80/20 against flying to Kobe to run a time he already knows. Liam ran the Blackall 100 21K after hosting Birds of Tokyo, a 9pm drive to Mapleton and four hours' sleep in the back of the car.

Plus listeners tell Courtney they do care about his age group, his 2017 Strava KOM on Bimberi Peak, Australia's running capital, Noosa Tri borrowing "Christmas for triathletes", and this week's Local Legend Peter Hancock, 12 years of daily swims in Armidale.

Follow Local Legend Peter: @platocean

Follow the podcast on Instagram @inthebeginningpodcast 
Courtney on Strava 
Liam on Strava

Noosa Triathlon is 11 days away, so we’ve pulled the best of coach Dan Atkins from last year’s Road to Noosa series into one episode, in race order. Dan is an Olympic coach and coaches world champion Matt Hauser, and he takes you through the whole course: reading the ocean and getting through the surf, swimming wide of the turn cans, spinning the first 10K of the bike, getting down Garmin Hill, running the first KM 10% slower, and the food, sleep, race breakfast and Saturday jobs for these last 10 days.

Follow Dan Atkins on Instagram @danatkinstraining

Follow the podcast on Instagram @inthebeginningpodcast 
Courtney on Strava 
Liam on Strava

Courtney ran 1:16:37 in the Nike Melbourne Marathon half, with a negative split and second in his age group, and insists nobody cares about the second bit. Both of us met Eliud Kipchoge: Courtney got his structure question answered on the finish line at the MCG, and Liam's phone tried to answer for him mid-Q&A.

Plus Melbourne vs Gold Coast as a city marathon, Kipchoge's start-line mindset, the Alphafly 3 vs 4 one-shoe-each test, Izzi Batt-Doyle's national record, Kona, and this week's Local Legend, Declan Magill, who ran 2:41 pushing his daughter Hazel.

Follow Declan and Hazel: @runningforhazel 
Donate to Declan's Dylan Alcott Foundation fundraiser: Running for Hazel

Follow the podcast on Instagram @inthebeginningpodcast Courtney on Strava 
Liam on Strava