LetsRun.com's Track Talk: The Home of Running and Track and Field

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EPISODE SUMMARY

Tyler Andrews, a two-time Olympic trials marathon qualifier turned speed mountaineer, joins the LetsRun.com podcast after shattering the record for fastest ascent of Mount Everest, climbing from base camp to summit in 9 hours 55 minutes, over an hour faster than the 22-year-old previous mark. Andrews details the logistical nightmare of speed climbing Everest, from navigating the deadly Khumbu Icefall at night to waiting until the season's final day for a crowd-free mountain.

The conversation covers his unconventional training, double threshold sessions applied to mountaineering, hypoxic training at simulated altitudes above 30,000 feet, and living at elevation in Ecuador and Nepal. After going 0-for-6 across three seasons due to broken gear, bad weather, and crowding, everything finally aligned on attempt seven. Andrews also hints at a return to road racing with eyes on the 2028 Olympic Marathon Trials.

🎁 🎧 Get a 2nd LetsRun podcast every week + bonus content: Join the Supporters Club — https://www.letsrun.com/subscribe Use code GOAT50 to save 50%.

LINKS

LetsRun.com Supporters Club

Aequilibrium Speed (Tyler Andrews' shoe)

Tyler Andrews instagram

Tyler Andrews on strava

LetsRun.com newsletter

Shop LetsRun.com

Training Talk Live with Marius Bakken (Supporters Club exclusive)

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Aletheia Run -Free trial + save 10% with code LETSRUN10

1:20 Start

06:02 Climbing Logistics, Crowds, and Gear

13:03 Training for Everest With Double Thresholds

20:18 Seven Attempts: What Went Wrong

23:34 Proof, Danger, and the Ethics of Speed Climbing

31:08 How Hard Is It to Climb Everest?

34:24 From Marathoner to Mountaineer

39:48 Risk, Ethics, and the 2028 Olympic Trials

43:17 Life as a Full-Time Mountaineer

CONTACT

Email: podcast@letsrun.com

Call or text: 1-844-LETSRUN (1-844-538-7786)

ABOUT THE LETSRUN.COM PODCAST

Since 2000, LetsRun.com has been the independent home of elite running. Described by the New York Times as the "influential website that serves as something of a superego for American running," the podcast is the weekly deep dive into the world of track and field and elite distance running. The show is hosted by LetsRun.com co-founders Weldon Johnson, a 2-time Team USA member, and Robert Johnson, a former Cornell coach who helped pace the marathon world record, along with award-winning senior writer Jonathan Gault. Together they move beyond PR headlines to provide insider reporting and unfiltered debate serious fans rely on.

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The Stockholm Diamond League delivered one of the most jaw-dropping days in recent track and field memory. Seventeen-year-old Cooper Lutkenhaus won his first-ever Diamond League 800 in 1:42.70, as Swiss star Audrey Werro shocked everyone including Keely Hogkinson with her 1:53.98 win- the fastest time in 43 years.

Yared Nuguse went back-to-back on the Diamond League circuit, outgunning Australian teenager Cam Myers in the 1500. What's wrong with Kenneth Rooks? Alook ahead to Oslo? and debate the Diamond League Mount Rushmore.

🎁 🎧 Get a 2nd LetsRun podcast every week + bonus content: Join the Supporters Club —https://www.letsrun.com/subscribe?from=public

LINKS

Aletheia free trial with code LETSRUN10

Cooper Lutkenhaus Wins

Audrey Werro 1:53.98

LetsRun.com T-shirts — shop.letsrun.com

Join the Supporters Club

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Aletheia.Run free trial with code LETSRUN10

02:29 Intro / Stockholm Diamond League Recap

05:37 Cooper Lutkenhaus Wins Diamond League 800 in 1:42.7

16:30 Audrey Werro Runs 1:53.98, Fastest Women's 800 in 43 Years

22:11 Werro vs. Hodgkinson: A New Women's 800 Rivalry

27:47 Men's 1500: Yared Nuguse Edges Cam Myers

33:15 Nuguse's Diamond League Legacy and American Distance Running

36:55 Men's Steeplechase: El Bakkali Wins, Kenneth Rooks Struggles

39:37 Women's Steeplechase: Bouzayani Breaks Nine, Top Americans Reviewed

46:59 Oslo Diamond League Preview: Lutkenhaus vs. Wanyoni and 5K Showdown

51:53 Diamond League Mount Rushmore and Hocker/Kerr Season Plans

54:57 Outro / Join the Supporters Club

57:47 Aletheia Run Free Trial with code LETSRUN10

CONTACT

Contact us:

Email: podcast@letsrun.com

Call or text: 1-844-LETSRUN (1-844-538-7786)

ABOUT THE LETSRUN.COM PODCAST

Since 2000, LetsRun.com has been the independent home of elite running. Described by the New York Times as the "influential website that serves as something of a superego for American running," the podcast is the weekly deep dive into the world of track and field and elite distance running.

The show is hosted by LetsRun.com co-founders Weldon Johnson, a 2-time Team USA member, and Robert Johnson, a former Cornell coach who helped pace the marathon world record, along with award-winning senior writer Jonathan Gault. Together they move beyond PR headlines to provide insider reporting and unfiltered debate serious fans rely on.

🏃 Join the best club in running & get a bonus podcast every week A super soft T-shirt, and savings on running shoes and exclusive content. Use code GOAT50 — just $5/month for the first year. Money-back guarantee. letsrun.com/subscribe****

Diamond League Rabat delivered fireworks: Kenny Bednarek ran 19.69 in the 200m, El Bakkali got the big win as Frederik Ruppert became the first non-African-born man to break 8:00 in the steeplechase, and Yared Nuguse won his fifth Diamond League race before his big showdown with Cam Myers in Stockholm.

The hosts debate whether Cam Myers can break the world record at Stockholm, break down Cooper Lutkenhaus's Diamond League debut, and ask if Keely Hodgkinson will greak the 800m world record this summer.

Then Tyler Andrews @68:50 joins to tell the incredible story of his record-breaking 9-hour-55-minute ascent of Mount Everest from base camp to summit — his seventh attempt — and what it took to get there.

🎁 🎧 Get a 2nd LetsRun podcast every week + bonus content: Join the Supporters Club — https://www.letsrun.com/subscribe

LINKS

LetsRun.com Supporters Club

Shop LetsRun.com

Sam Blaskowski 9.89

Was Cooper Lutkenhaus's 1:42.27 for 800m the greatest performance ever by a 16-year-old?

Thread: Bednarek's 200m at Diamond League Rabat

Aequilibrium Speed (Tyler Andrews' shoe)

Training Talk Live with Marius Bakken (Supporters Club exclusive)

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Start

01:11 Intro and Episode Preview

07:38 Diamond League Rabat: Bednarek's 200m Dominance

11:49 First Non-African Sub-8 Steeplechase

18:16 Is El Bakkali the Steeplechase GOAT?

20:31 Yared Nuguse's Historic Diamond League Streak

22:46 Cam Myers Mania and the Stockholm 1500

26:00 Can Cam Myers Break the World Record?

33:47 Stockholm 1500 Race Tactics and Sam Blaskowski's 9.89

40:17 Cooper Lutkenhaus's Diamond League Debut

44:44 Keely Hodgkinson's 400 and the 800 World Record Chase

51:22 Will Hodgkinson Break 1:53 This Summer?

53:08 Mechanical Rabbiting and World Record Fantasies

56:08 Alan Webb vs Cooper Lutkenhaus vs Jane Hedengren

63:41 Jordan Anthony vs Noah Lyles in Rome

68:50 Tyler Andrews: Fastest Ascent of Mount Everest

73:31 Climbing Logistics, Crowds, and Gear

80:33 Training for Everest With Double Thresholds

87:49 Seven Attempts: What Went Wrong

91:05 Proof, Danger, and the Ethics of Speed Climbing

98:39 How Hard Is It to Climb Everest?

101:55 From Marathoner to Mountaineer

107:19 Risk, Ethics, and the 2028 Olympic Trials

110:48 Life as a Full-Time Mountaineer

CONTACT

Email: podcast@letsrun.com

Call or text: 1-844-LETSRUN (1-844-538-7786)

ABOUT THE LETSRUN.COM PODCAST

Since 2000, LetsRun.com has been the independent home of elite running. Described by the New York Times as the "influential website that serves as something of a superego for American running," the podcast is the weekly deep dive into the world of track and field and elite distance running. The show is hosted by LetsRun.com co-founders Weldon Johnson, a 2-time Team USA member, and Robert Johnson, a former Cornell coach who helped pace the marathon world record, along with award-winning senior writer Jonathan Gault. Together they move beyond PR headlines to provide insider reporting and unfiltered debate serious fans rely on.

🏃Join the LetsRun.com Supporters Club Join for $5/month with code GOAT50. Get a bonus podcast every week, exclusive content, and a super soft T-shirt when you join for a year. https://www.letsrun.com/subscribe****

Parker Valby made a triumphant return to outdoor track with a 14:49 personal best victory in the women's 5,000, her first professional outdoor race in nearly two years. Brandon Miller got the men's 800 at LA Track Fest rand aised questions about Donovan Brazier, while Josh Kerr posted an 800 PB fueling mile world record speculation.

World Athletics dropped bombshell 2027 World Championship standards — 1:43 flat for the men's 800, 3:30 for the 1500, 12:50 for the 5K — and banned BU's indoor track for qualifying.

The episode closes with NBC's Andrew Greif (author of Beyond Fast) talking about his experience at the Enhanced Games, where $250,000 first-place prizes couldn't overcome Father Time.

🎁 🎧 Get a 2nd LetsRun podcast every week + bonus content: Join the Supporters Club — https://www.letsrun.com/subscribe

LINKS

LetsRun.com - the home of running

Marius Bakken's New Book: The Norwegian Method Applied Is a Must-Read

LetsRun.com Supporters Club — (code GOAT50)

World Athletics Announces Super-Hard Qualifying Standards for 2027 World Championships

Hot Rumor: WA Will No Longer Accept Times From BU Indoors (LetsRun Forum Thread)

Enhanced Games: Drugs Don't Get Athletes Banned, They Get Rich — Andrew Greif, NBC News

Beyond Fast by Andrew Greif and Chris Lear (Amazon)

LetsRun.com Training Talk Live with Marius Bakken (Monday 1:00 PM Eastern, Supporters Club members only)

TIMESTAMPS

00:05 Sponsor and Supporters Club Plug

01:09 Intro and Episode Preview

06:29 LA Track Fest: Biggest Winners and Losers

07:08 Parker Valby's Triumphant Return

11:57 Is Parker Valby's 14:49 Good Enough?

15:11 Most Disappointing Performances

18:22 Men's 800: Brazier, Kerr, and Kessler

22:51 Hobbs Kessler's Ceiling and Parker Wolfe's Rise

27:14 Josh Kerr's 800 PB and Mile World Record Talk

30:26 Weldon's World Cup Team and Soccer Tangent

36:09 Steeplechase Roundup and Cooper Lutkenhaus

42:14 2027 World Championship Standards Are Insane

45:39 BU Indoor Track Banned for Qualifying

53:01 Will These Standards Kill the US Trials?

56:04 Quota Reallocation and the Future of Team Selection

59:39 Sound Running, Track Meets, and Quick Hits

66:08 AI, Princeton Reunions, and Random Banter

68:38 The Enhanced Games Recap

69:19 Andrew Greif Joins: Inside the Enhanced Games

74:39 The Money That Lured Athletes Out of Retirement

77:28 The Spectacle in Las Vegas

82:55 Why Clean Athletes Competed at the Enhanced Games

85:00 Fred Kerley and the Olympic Eligibility Question

88:11 Did the Drugs Actually Work?

92:59 The Protocol Problem and What Comes Next

98:19 Father Time Is Undefeated

102:13 The Emotional Cost of Crossing the Line

103:44 Doping in the NCAA and Closing Thoughts

109:03 Outro and Supporters Club

CONTACT

Email: podcast@letsrun.com

Call or text: 1-844-LETSRUN (1-844-538-7786)

ABOUT THE LETSRUN.COM PODCAST

Since 2000, LetsRun.com has been the independent home of elite running. Described by the New York Times as the "influential website that serves as something of a superego for American running," the podcast is the weekly deep dive into the world of track and field and elite distance running. The show is hosted by LetsRun.com co-founders Weldon Johnson, a 2-time Team USA member, and Robert Johnson, a former Cornell coach who helped pace the marathon world record, along with award-winning senior writer Jonathan Gault. Together they move beyond PR headlines to provide insider

🏃 Want a bonus podcast every week, a super soft shirt, all for less than $5 a month? Join the Supporters Club for a second weekly podcast, bonus content, and access to live events. Use code GOAT50 for a discount. https://www.letsrun.com/subscribe

The Diamond League returned with a historic men's 3,000 in Keqiao where 14 men broke 7:30, more than any full year in history, while distance racing's became even more international with a win by Mark English.

A North Carolina high school relay team was controversially disqualified for a minor celebration, Parker Valby makes her outdoor pro debut at the Sound Running Track Fest, Donovan Brazier continues his unlikely comeback, and Emma Coburn returns to the steeplechase at 35.

This weekend we have the Sound Running Track Fest on Saturday evening at UCLA with a stacked lineup of American stars. Athlos announced a new two-meet format for 2026 with $2.1 million in prize money, a 2.7x increase over last year. And the Enhanced Games launch Sunday in Las Vegas with $250,000 on the line in the men's 100.

🎁 🎧 Get a 2nd LetsRun podcast every week + bonus content: Join the Supporters Club — https://www.letsrun.com/subscribe

Links

Marius Bakken's New Book 'The Norwegian Method Applied' Is a Must-Read (Book Review)

Sound Running Track Fest

Athlos Announces New 2-Meet Format for 2026, $2.1 Million in Prize Money

LetsRun.com Supporters Club — https://www.letsrun.com/subscribe

LetsRun.com VPN recommendation — https://www.letsrun.com/vpn

Timestamps

00:00 Sponsor / Intro

01:07 Diamond League Format and Weekend Preview

08:30 Historic Men's 3000 Meters in Keqiao

10:33 The Globalization of Men's Distance Racing

14:57 Doping, Super Spikes, and Why Africa's Dominance Is Fading

20:51 Women's 1500 and Australia's Commonwealth Games Selection Puzzle

26:19 Sprint Recap: Lyles, Jordan Anthony, and Rai Benjamin

28:44 US Women's Steeplechase Check-In

32:01 From Soccer to Ivy League Steeple Champ: The Pia Belolo Story

35:16 Nick Plant's 1500 and 4x400 Double at ACCs

38:58 North Carolina High School DQ Controversy

41:25 Celebration vs Taunting: Where's the Line?

49:01 Sound Running LA Track Fest Preview

54:59 Donovan Brazier's Comeback and the Men's 800 Storyline

60:26 Emma Coburn Returns to the Steeplechase

62:51 The Enhanced Games: Should We Watch?

68:58 The Ethics of Enhancement and What It Means for Clean Sport

72:03 Athlos 2026: Doubling Down on Prize Money

76:41 Athlos Teams, Messaging, and Sustainability Questions

82:28 Athlos vs Grand Slam Track: Spending Smarter

Contact us:

Email: podcast@letsrun.com

Call or text: 1-844-LETSRUN (1-844-538-7786)

ABOUT THE LETSRUN.COM PODCAST

Since 2000, LetsRun.com has been the independent home of elite running. Described by the New York Times as the "influential website that serves as something of a superego for American running," the podcast is the weekly deep dive into the world of track and field and elite distance running. The show is hosted by LetsRun.com co-founders Weldon Johnson, a 2-time Team USA member, and Robert Johnson, a former Cornell coach who helped pace the marathon world record, along with award-winning senior writer Jonathan Gault. Together they move beyond PR headlines to provide insider reporting and unfiltered debate serious fans rely on.