THE RUNNING EFFECT PODCAST

Clayton Young fell early at the Marathon World Championships, and still finished as the top American. He also ran 2:07:04 at Boston (the fastest marathon of his life), and somehow it still felt like there was more in the tank. 

Since 2024, he’s been everywhere that matters: including 2nd in the U.S. Olympic Trials, 9th at the Paris Olympics, 7th in New York, 7th in Boston, and 9th in Tokyo. This man is stacking top-10 finishes on the biggest stages in the sport of marathon running. 

And now, with Tokyo, Boston, and Berlin lined up in 2026, he’s not just racing majors, it appears that he’s chasing history as he closes in on becoming a Six Star finisher.

Clayton was the 2019 NCAA Champion in the 10,000m while at BYU. He’s a native of American Fork, Utah, and is a mechanical engineer by profession, often sharing detailed training data through partnerships with brands like Stryd.

He runs professionally for ASICS and is coached by Ed Eyestone at Brigham Young University, his former college coach.

Clayton’s career is a masterclass in durability, humility, and quiet progression.

Clayton Young isn’t chasing attention.

He’s chasing excellence.

Tap into the Clayton Young Special. 

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If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

Comment the word “PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen. 

If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

S H O W  N O T E S 

-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs

-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run  

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz

In the span of a few months, Trent McFarland has gone from conference contender to one of the most dangerous milers in the NCAA, running 3:52.73 to break a school record and then defending his Big Ten title in a gritty, tactical 4:11 championship race.
 
As one of the top milers in the Big Ten and the NCAA, Trent has had a tremendous 2025-26 season so far. He is the back-to-back Big Ten mile champion, and helped anchor the Michigan DMR team to gold at the 2026 Big Ten Indoor Championships.

In early 2026, he set a new school record in the mile with a 3:52.73, which at the time was an NCAA number 6 all-time performance. Trent’s collegiate PRs include 1:47.50 in the outdoor 800m (1:47.22 indoor), 3:38.45 in the 1500m, 3:52.73 in the mile, and 7:50.75 in the 3000m. 

Trent McFarland is no longer just a rising name in the Big Ten conference, he’s becoming one of the defining milers of this NCAA era. 

From 3:52 precision to tactical championship wins when it matters most, his 2026 season has been a masterclass in evolution: speed, strength, patience, and competitive fire.

Tap into the Trent McFarland Special. 

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. Comment the word“PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen. If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

Comment the word “PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen. 

If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

S H O W  N O T E S 

-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs

-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run  

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz

Cameron Hanes didn't inherit greatness. He built it: one mile, one arrow, one brutally consistent day at a time. 
 
He wasn't a child prodigy hunter or a naturally gifted runner. He was a warehouse worker, a utility employee, and a guy who struggled through his first mile of running.

And through obsession, discipline, and an uncompromising personal code, he became the man who can run 20 miles before breakfast, lift after work, shoot in the dark, and line up for the hardest ultras in the world, all while preaching a simple philosophy–earn it. 

The prominent bowhunter, endurance athlete, and author, known for his "Keep Hammering" philosophy is here, a man who epitomizes self-discipline and physical preparation. 

In terms of running, he has finished the Moab 240 (238 miles), the Bigfoot 200, and the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run. In 2025, he completed the Cocodona 250 in approximately 84 hours (and 18th place overall) and the Leadville Trail 100 in just over 24 hours. And he has some speed to boot: his mile PR is 5:18. 

Whether you are reaching your potential or someone who needs a higher standard, you won't want to miss this one. As Cameron says, Keep Hammering. 

Tap into the Cameron Hanes Special. 

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. Comment the word"PODCAST" below and I'll DM you a link to listen. If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

Comment the word "PODCAST" below and I'll DM you a link to listen. 
If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

S H O W  N O T E S 

-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs

-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run  

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz

Aleksander Lingauer is back on the show, this time putting everything on the table.

Aleksander is an endurance athlete and writer, and the mind behind Project 61: a solo mission to run the length of Germany, one marathon a day, for two straight months. He's also crewed for Kim Gotthwald across two Last Man Standing victories.

And this year, BPN extended him an invitation of his own.

Aleksander is here to be honest and raw: about his nervous system shutting down on him. Not from one bad running session, but from weeks of training too hard, sleeping too little, and handling sudden public attention in ways he'll be the first to admit weren't healthy. What followed were tearful nights, empty churches, and one very raw conversation with himself on paper. He had to ask himself the question: what am I really doing this for?

This isn't a race preview. 

It's an hour between two people talking honestly about ego, identity, faith, and what happens when the thing you've built your life around suddenly feels meaningless. Alexander reads aloud from a letter he wrote (Churches and Mirrors) and it stops feeling like a podcast entirely.

His closing words: if you can suffer honestly, you will win honestly.

Tap into the Aleksander Lingauer Special. 

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it.

Comment the word “PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen. If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

S H O W  N O T E S 

-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs

-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run 

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz

Becs Gentry isn’t just an influential Peloton instructor. 

She’s a 2:32 marathoner, a former British Olympic Trials fourth-place finisher, the first female non-elite at the 2019 NYC Marathon, and now the newest Global Brand Ambassador for HOKA.

And that’s not even mentioning her incredible second-place finish in The Great World Race in 2024: she ran 7 marathons, on 7 continents, in 7 days, setting a world record for the fastest time to start seven marathons across seven continents, and then turned around and kept training like it was just another chapter.

Prior to that in 2021 she competed in the British Olympic Marathon Trials, finishing 4th with a personal best of 2:32:0. In 2019, she was the first female non-elite finisher at the New York City Marathon with a time of 2:37:01. 

Becs continues to prove that ambition and accessibility can coexist. She’s not just inspiring runners to chase PRs, she’salso challenging them to redefine what progress means, whether that’s a 2:32 marathon or simply showing up on a hard day. 

What makes her different isn’t just the résumé. It’s the mindset behind her mantra:  Forward is a pace. And she’scontinuing to make a difference in the lives of runners across the globe each day.

Tap into the Becs Gentry Special. 

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. 

Comment the word “PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen. 

If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

S H O W  N O T E S

-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs

-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run 

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz

-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs