Bonus Episode! with Kofuzi

Adam Woods is an unsponsored marathoner who recently ran a PB of 2:16:58 at CIM. I've known Adam and his wife, Mica, (both runners) as they have a very popular joint IG account theWoodsRun, and I've attended media events with them in their capacity as new media or "influencers" like me. But I've been following their running journeys even before we met in person, so I was excited to see Adam perform well at CIM, especially considering Adam had a health scare earlier in the year that put his running career in jeopardy. 00:00 INTRO02:48 Fastest Known YouTubers05:26 Secret Sauce Training In Utah07:54 Race Breakdown and Analysis16:13 Time in Hospital20:10 The Training24:52 Let's Talk About Shoes26:12 Pacing Arizona with Mica and Recording / Content Juggling33:26 Creating Content35:03 Let's talk about MicaAdam on IG https://www.instagram.com/adammwoodd/Adam and Mica on IGhttps://www.instagram.com/thewoodsrun/Adam on youtubehttps://www.youtube.com/@AdamWoodRuns

Joel Reichow is an unsponsored marathoner who's been running with Minnesota Distance Elite for a while now, but he's finally had that breakout year, winning Grandma's Marathon (to go along with his prior Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon at Grandma's win in 2023) and also coming in 6th in New York with a sub 2:10 time. In this Bonus Episode! I talk with Joel about his race day, the shoes he's been training and racing in as a free agent, and I also do a quick check on just how Minnesota Runner this Minnesota native is. 00:00 INTRO00:51 Interview Start01:39 Kiss, Marry, Kill02:37 Result in NYC05:03 Any time goals?05:38 Race recap, breakdown10:52 Race Day Shoes12:40 What other shoes are you running in?14:13 Getting ready for New York15:34 What are you doing with your hair?18:36 Interaction with Annie20:13 Inside Minnesota Elite21:48 How Minnesota Runner Are You?Follow Minnesota Distance Elite on youtubehttps://www.youtube.com/@MinnesotaDistanceEliteFollow Joel on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/joelreichow/?hl=en

Dakotah Popehn is a professional marathoner for Puma who just finished 7th overall in Chicago, running a PB of 2:24:20 and finishing as second American. But Dakotah was a bit disappointed overall in her performance. In this bonus episode, we'll go over what her goals were, where things went awry, and whether her choice of the Fast R3 was the best choice (Dakotah once told me that that they'd basically have to fight her if they ever tried to take her away her Deviate Nitro Elite 3, which is another shoe that is made by her sponsor)00:00: INTRO00:40: Interview Start01:23: Kiss, Marry, Kill02:05: Training leading up to Chicago04:12: Press Conference05:30: Do you have a favorite marathon indicator workout?06:50: Start of the Race09:24: Mile 910:19: Nutrition on course11:20: Mile 1913:21: Finish14:16: Fast R 3 or Deviate Elite?16:58: Shoe’s worn during training rotation.18:27: Heat Training, Double Training and Nutrition Training19:19: Looking Forward, What’s Next?21:33: What Lagoon animal are you?21:53: What headphones does Dakotah use?23:09: Inside Minnesota Distance EliteFollow Dakotah on IGhttps://www.instagram.com/dakotahlindwurm/Follow Minnesota Distance Elite on YThttps://www.youtube.com/@MinnesotaDistanceElite

I had a chance to speak with Rory Linkletter after the Chicago Marathon where he had been eyeing the Canadian and Area Records for the marathon. The time didn't quite end up where Rory wanted it to be, but it was a PB day for Rory. We talk about his nutrition, his training, and of course, the shoes. 00:00 Intro00:44 Interview Start01:11 Was the Chicago Marathon a Success?02:42 Training For Chicago04:02 Thoughts inside the race.05:22 Press Conference Fit06:43 Inside the Race09:06 Water bottle Stop Issues10:03 Nutrition for Chicago12:42 Mile 17 of Chicago14:57 Was this race different from Boston or the Olympics?17:13 Pain Cave Mindset20:22 After the Race22:56 Professional Hair Model22:25 Hair Long or Short? Facial Hair or No Facial Har?28:42 Training Build for Chicago29:53 What Changes for Next Race?31:17 What shoes are you reaching for?

Reed Fischer recently ran in the World Marathon Championships in Tokyo 2025. It was a painfully hot day on the course with about a third of the field DNFing. Reed finished as second American but that only got him 28th place overall. In this interview, we'll discuss Reed's heat training, his race, his plans for a fall marathon, and of course, his favorite shoes. Reed Fischer on IGhttps://www.instagram.com/reedfisch/

I had a chance to sit down with Clayton Young in Tokyo the day after he finished as Top American and 9th overall in the Mens World Championships Marathon Tokyo 2025. We go over the ice hats, the fall, and how he feels about 9th place in his second international race. 0:00 intro0:32 race morning recovery score1:05 altitude camp3:03 return to tokyo5:40 Tokyo crowd support6:56 the hats10:19 aid stations11:27 when did the big pack break12:41 injury list15:23 the fall18:58 race day shoes21:30 how does he feel about 9th25:02 lead car duties25:51 extending japan stay

Earlier this year, I had a chance to speak with multiple ASICS athletes ahead of the Tokyo Speed Race, a 5k and 10k event designed to break records and PBs while debuting the Metaspeed Sky Tokyo and Metaspeed Edge Tokyo. The athletes I had a chance to speak with wereDrew HunterBiya SimbassaMatt RichtmanEmma Grace HurleyMakenna MylerInterview date: May 2025

I recently had the chance to visit Brooks HQ in Seattle, and while there, I spoke with the Brooks athlete who will be representing Team USA for the World Championships Marathon in Tokyo. And four of the six Team USA members are Team Brooks! Erika Kemp, CJ Albertson, Susanna Sullivan, and Jess McClain. We talked about how they'll be preparing for Tokyo, which shoes they'll be running and training in, and then we play a little game. 0:00 intro0:53 Erika Kemp14:28 CJ Albertson28:17 Susanna Sullivan38:58 Jess McClainInterview date: June 17, 2025Edited by Brandon Rossi

In this bonus episode, I’m talking with Betsy Saina, professional runner for ASICS, and one of the fastest American marathoners with a 2:19 PR. I had a chance to speak with Betsy at a media event in Tokyo, and we went over that 2:19 performance, her DNF at the US Marathon Trials just a month prior, and then her performance at the Chicago Marathon later that year. Betsy recently underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in December, and she’s still on the rebound. In the interview, I mainly wanted to get a read on whether Betsy was going to be vying for a spot on Team USA at World Championships in Tokyo later this year or if she’d be looking for a fall marathon. But Betsy surprised me with her long term vision answer. This was my first time speaking with Betsy Saina. I had a great time meeting her and speaking with her, and I hope you enjoy this conversation.Interview date: May 2, 2025

I had a chance to speak with 2025 Boston Marathon Champion Sharon Lokedi. We talked about seeing her mom at the finish, her relationship with Hellen Obiri, and why she hasn't run any of the flat and fast courses yet (but totally wants to)0:00 intro2:36 how does it feel to be called Boston Marathon Champion4:11 what gave Sharon confidence going into the race?7:39 winter training in flagstaff9:30 boston race plan11:17 running into her mom13:25 sharon vs hellen16:00 sharon and the Velociti Elite 19:49 nothing new on race day?21:34 where are the winning shoes now?22:30 sharon's running shoe rotation24:18 how about a flat and fast marathon?follow Sharon on IGhttps://www.instagram.com/shazrine/

In this episode, I talk with John Korir, your 2025 Boston Marathon Champion. We talk about meeting his brother at the finish line, the shoes he raced in, and the big ambitious goal he has his sights set on next.

In this Bonus Episode! I talk with Jess McClain, a professional marathoner for Brooks. She recently raced in the USATF Half Marathon Championships, which was her half marathon debut (kinda*). She finished 4th, which made her the 1st alternate for Team USA at the World Road Championships to be raced later this year. 0:00 intro2:11 what shoes did she run in today2:41 Jess's shoe rotation3:24 Launch 11 vs Hyperion4:39 debut half marathon5:11 rock n roll half marathon6:26 racing incognito7:48 atlanta half marathon build9:18 race plan for atlanta12:26 was the cold a factor at the start line14:30 very roomy start line15:10 fast start16:45 chasing an American Record Holder18:48 finishing 4th 20:50 finish line 22:56 having fun25:10 hyperion elite 4pb vs 526:51 why sign with brooks twice?32:18 half marathon vs 10k or full mara33:13 goals for The Ten34:19 goals for boston36:27 des linden38:26 team McClain

I went to Atlanta to cover the USATF Half Marathon Championships. I was able to get into the mix zone and speak with athletes after the race, and those interviews have gone up individually on social media. But I wanted to provide an audio only version for listeners of the podcast. Hope you enjoy. 0:00 intro0:50 Reed Fisher2:34 Dakotah Popehn3:59 Annie Frisbie 5:46 Emma Grace Hurley8:16 Amanda Vestri9:38 Habtamu Cheney12:25 Clayton Young16:59 closing thoughts

Allie Ostrander, professional runner for Oiselle, recently ran her half marathon debut in Mesa. In this bonus episode, we talk about her race, the shoes she races and trains in, her new contract with Oiselle, and where she sits on the Top 5 Fastest YouTubers: Half Marathon list0:00 intro1:05 race recap5:42 shoe rotation8:03 Oiselle10:00 How much did Allie's variety of running come into contract discussions11:30 How important is social media for pro runners13:18 what kinds of running makes Allie excited14:28 Top 5 Fastest YouTubers - Half Marathonfollow Allie!youtube https://www.youtube.com/ @allie_ostrander IG https://www.instagram.com/allie_ostrander/Strava https://www.strava.com/athletes/111680667

Rory Linkletter is a pro marathoner for Puma who recently went to Japan with breaking the Canadian Half Marathon record as a B goal for the race. In this bonus episode, we talk about the depth of Japanese road racing, Pocari Sweat, and where Rory sits on the list of Top 5 Half Marathon YouTubers 0:00 intro 1:13 Pocari Sweat 2:18 why Marugame 4:18 how important was depth of field 6:07 race recap 8:59 how do you get through the rough patches 10:05 runner math 11:30 turning towards Boston 13:21 watch first or photo first? 14:29 participant medal 15:39 race shoes 17:06 fall marathon plans 18:16 Top 5 YouTubers List Follow Rory on Strava https://www.strava.com/pros/9351341 Follow Rory on IG https://www.instagram.com/rory_linkletter/ Rory’s Marugame Reel https://www.instagram.com/p/DFoIMXQy4zO/  Rory’s Japan Running News Interview https://www.instagram.com/p/DFjgxhbPspv/ note: the Top 5 Half Marathon YouTubers list is an informal list I keep on a sheet of scrap paper. But there are some loose rules.  (1) Old PB's are ok, but the runner can't be retired (2) the athlete must have their own YouTube channel. People who are on YouTube in other channels' videos don't qualify (like Conner Mantz). I also don't count group/team YouTube accounts, like Reed Fischer of Tinman Elite, but I may change my mind on that later (3) the athlete needs to have posted at least once to their YouTube channel within the last 12 months

Yo, what's goin on. This is the intro episode for this new podcast, which really, is just a spinoff from the Kofuzi Run Club podcast. Over there, we had two main kinds of content, livestreams and athlete interviews, and the two audiences were sometimes quite different. So for the sake of clarity, I'm splitting out the athlete interviews to this new podcast. So if all you wanted was the bonus episodes, Bonus Episode! with Kofuzi is the podcast for you. Thank you for listening.