Fresh off Memorial Day weekend and all of its misadventures, we accept the impossible mission of talking about running during a running podcast. But first – Summer GRIT is almost sold out, so get in if you still can. We also recap our past week of running, which included lost keys and trail runs in the Mount to Coast T1. Eventually, we talk about the Skechers Aero Spark, a really great trainer coming in at a $130 price point. This message will self destruct in five seconds.
INDEX:
0:00 Intro
4:14 - Pickleball
6:18 - Memorial Day Weekend
26:50 - Mount-To-Coast T1
32:18 - Summer GRIT / Ice Cream Talk
43:49 - GRIT Gamblin'
52:15 - Robbe’s Pup
54:35 - Mission: Impossible / Tom Cruise
1:01:46 - Bolder Boulder
1:02:40 - Skechers Aero Spark
JOIN US ON THE RUN!
Wednesday, June 4 @ 6:30 p.m.
Global Run Day Crew Challenge w/ BITR, Charm City Run, and Brooks
Location: Patterson Park at Eastern & Linwood Ave., Baltimore, MD
Bring your crew, run some miles, get some Goodr sunglasses, and have a blast!
Cost: FREE
Register here: https://runsignup.com/Race/MD/Baltimore/GlobalRunningDayChallengePattersonPark
Saturday, June 21 @ 8:00 a.m.
Mount to Coast X BITR Trail Run - June 21, 8am
Location: Patapsco State Park, Soapstone Trail Head (park at Southwest Park and Ride, 1171 S. Rolling Road)
Join us and Mount to Coast for the release of the all-new T1 trail shoe. We'll have 3 and 6.66 mile options followed by burgers from Kooper's food truck and apres run beverages. We'll also have multiple giveaways of Mount to Coast trail shoes!
Cost: FREE
RSVP here: https://mailchi.mp/believeintherun/mounttocoast
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!
LMNT
NEW FLAVOR ALERT! Squeeze the most out of summer with LMNT’s new limited-time Lemonade Salt — salty, tart, and refreshing, it brings you the best of summer wherever you are. Get your free 8-count LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase: http://drinklmnt.com/thedrop
SWIFTWICK
The best running socks in the game, Swiftwick is made right here in the USA, which means no price increases on account of tariffs. We're always running in their socks and you should be too. The Drop listeners can get 15% off their first purchase with code BELIEVE15. Shop here: https://swiftwick.com/collections/believe
LAGOON PILLOWS
We use Lagoon to get our best sleep and you should too. Featuring super soft covers, Certi-Pur foam and customizable features, they'll help you find the best pillow for your sleeping style. Visit them at http://lagoonsleep.com/believe and use the discount code BELIEVE for 15% off your first order.
Thomas chats with Zach Litoff, a San Francisco based artist and designer with a love of athletics who as done work for clients like Hoka, Nike, Endorphins Running, and more.
Follow Zach on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/litoffstudios
We know everyone was concerned, but yes, we did in fact live through the 2025 Baltimore Tornado (though sadly many of the trees in our favorite little park did not). In other news, Summer GRIT registration opens on Monday at 9 a.m. ET! You know the drill, so make sure you get in before it sells out. We also try and figure out how a brand new pair of Jordans are the same price as an entry level running shoe. Speaking of running shoes, we also go more in-depth on the New Balance FuelCell Rebel v5.
Learn more and register for Summer GRIT: https://believeintherun.com/grit
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!
LMNT
NEW FLAVOR ALERT! Squeeze the most out of summer with LMNT’s new limited-time Lemonade Salt — salty, tart, and refreshing, it brings you the best of summer wherever you are.
Get your free 8-count LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase: http://drinklmnt.com/thedrop
SWIFTWICK
The best running socks in the game, Swiftwick is made right here in the USA, which means no price increases on account of tariffs. We're always running in their socks and you should be too. The Drop listeners can get 15% off their first purchase with code BELIEVE15.
Shop here: https://swiftwick.com/collections/believe
PILLAR
Ensuring NN Running athletes continue to take podiums and claim records, PILLAR Performance gets them to start lines in the best condition possible. Recovery is crucial to managing training loads, and adequately preparing for race day. This is why PILLAR's Triple Magnesium provides a high dosage of Magnesium Bisglycinate to boost the recovery score on your wearable.
Enter code BITR on The Feed to receive 15% off your first order, and track the difference yourself:
https://thefeed.com/products/pillar-performance
LAGOON PILLOWS
We use Lagoon to get our best sleep and you should too. Featuring super soft covers, Certi-Pur foam and customizable features, they'll help you find the best pillow for your sleeping style. Visit them at http://lagoonsleep.com/believe and use the discount code BELIEVE for 15% off your first order.
INDEX
00:00 INTRO
00:48 - Summer GRIT and Upcoming Events
12:20 - Public Etiquette
18:43 - Brooklyn Half
20:16 - Traction on the Adidas Pro Evo 2
25:31 - Running Shoe Talk
34:18 - Toe Talk
37:28 - Tornado in Baltimore
44:54 - Country Music
48:21 - Move Her Mind Event Series
1:02:17 - Zyn City
1:07:18 - More Running and Shoe Talk
1:13:45 - New Balance Rebel V5
1:30:41 - Miscellaneous Nonsense
Thomas sits town with Taesun Kim, footwear designer at Puma, to chat all about running shoes and his background.
Baltimore is on the rebound and we're doing our best to keep the ball bouncing. Speaking of bouncing, we pinball around from organ donation to Skechers stock, to Meg's very desirable Beanie Babies collection. We also talk about the Brooks Ghost Max 3 and Brooks Ghost 17, since this is a shoe review channel, after all.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!
LA SPORTIVA
Introducing the Prodigio Pro Running Shoe from La Sportiva—crafted for ultrarunners, trail addicts, or anyone chasing their next big effort. With XFlow Speed, a dual-super critical nitrogen-infused EVA and TPU midsole technology, AND an ultralight Power Wire mesh upper - it’s responsive, durable, and ready for any terrain. Go farther, go faster! Get our full thoughts on one of the best trail shoes of 2025 and pick it up at the link in the review: https://believeintherun.com/shoe-reviews/la-sportiva-prodigio-pro-review/
Shop the La Sportiva Prodigio Pro: https://alnk.to/6mRuqAT
SWIFTWICK
The best running socks in the game, we're always running in the Flite XT and you should be too. The Drop listeners can get 15% off their first purchase with code BELIEVE15. Shop here: https://swiftwick.com/collections/believe
LMNT
NEW FLAVOR ALERT! Just in time for summer, LMNT just dropped an all-new Lemonade Salt flavor and it may be their best one yet. We've been crushing it after every run to restore our salt and electrolyte supplies. Get your free 8-count LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase: http://drinklmnt.com/thedrop
PILLAR
Ensuring NN Running athletes continue to take podiums and claim records, PILLAR Performance gets them to start lines in the best condition possible. Recovery is crucial to managing training loads, and adequately preparing for race day. This is why PILLAR's Triple Magnesium provides a high dosage of Magnesium Bisglycinate to boost the recovery score on your wearable. Enter code BITR on The Feed to receive 15% off your first order, and track the difference yourself: https://thefeed.com/products/pillar-performance
INDEX
00:00 - Intro
4:47 - Meg's trip to NYC with Superfeet / Move Her Mind Ridgefield
13:32 - Move Her Mind Event Series (Meg’s media, )
15:06 - Organ donation
21:50 - Asics Metaspeed Tokyo Edge/Sky
27:55 - Thomas’s weekend trail race
34:17 - Robbe’s weekend in PA
47:25 - Training talk
59:20 - 5 Hour Energies and B-Vitamins
1:03:00 - Skechers Stock and hurricane cash machines
1:07:35 - Princess Diana Beanie Babies
1:17:20 - Shoe talk (Brooks Ghost Max 3, Brook Ghost 17)
1:28:02 - Turnstile's Hometown Gig
Bimma Williams is a Collab Marketing Educator recognized by HYPEBEAST as The Voice of Collabs. With over a decade of experience, he has helped brands like Nike, Yeezy, adidas, and Saucony generate $1.5 billion+ in revenue through strategic collaborations.
His insights have been featured in Forbes, Complex, Business Insider, HYPEBEAST, UPROXX, and VIBE. His viral Instagram series, Collab Lab, has reached 15 million views in 12 months, breaking down what makes brand partnerships successful.
Follow Bimma on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bimmawilliams
Back to Baltimore, which means more running and more package thieves coming after the summer 2025 Saucony collection. We recap our saga of tracking down shoes, while running in some sizzling heaters for the summer, including the Brooks Hyperion Max 3, Nike Streakfly 2, and Adidas Adios Pro Evo 2. Karl also wraps up his London experience.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS
LA SPORTIVA
Introducing the Prodigio Pro running shoe from La Sportiva—crafted for ultrarunners, trail addicts, or anyone chasing their next big effort. With XFlow Speed, a dual-super critical nitrogen-infused EVA and TPU midsole technology, AND an ultralight Power Wire mesh upper - it’s responsive, durable, and ready for any terrain. Go farther, go faster!
Get our full thoughts on one of the best trail shoes of 2025: https://believeintherun.com/shoe-reviews/la-sportiva-prodigio-pro-review/
Shop the La Sportiva Prodigio Pro: https://alnk.to/6mRuqAT
SWIFTWICK
The best running socks in the game, we're always running in the Flite XT and you should be too. The Drop listeners can get 15% off their first purchase with code BELIEVE15.
Shop here: https://swiftwick.com/collections/believe
LMNT
NEW FLAVOR ALERT! Just in time for summer, LMNT just dropped an all-new Lemonade Salt flavor and it may be their best one yet. We've been crushing it after every run to restore our salt and electrolyte supplies. Get your free 8-count LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase: http://drinklmnt.com/thedrop
INDEX
00:00 - Intro
1:55 - Shoe theft
20:08 - Old school tech talk
28:48 - Epic Water Filters
43:00 - Shoe talk
1:01:00 - Karl’s London Trip
1:09:00 - TV's and Movies, Max Discovery
1:20:00 - Protein chips and Snow Cones
Robbe chats with Henry Abbott, basketball expert and former ESPN journalist, about his new book "Ballistic: The New Science of Injury-Free Athletic Performance," which explores groundbreaking new approaches to athletic training, injury prevention, and enhancing performance using “ballistic” movements. The book reveals a surprising takeaway: The explosive moves and ground impacts we often avoid in everyday workouts might provide the secret to an injury-free athletic life. As you can imagine, we talk about injury, prevention, and what it looks like to reimagine how we assess injury.
Pick up "Ballistic: The New Science of Injury-Free Athletic Performance": https://www.amazon.com/Ballistic-Science-Injury-Free-Athletic-Performance/dp/1324050136
Subscribe to Henry's True Hoop Substack: https://www.truehoop.com/
(Sorry about Robbe's audio on this one, lost the original and had to use the backup.)
Spring marathon season comes to a close, as Thomas and Meaghan run the London Marathon and barely make it back across the Atlantic alive as you'll see in this episode. It's been a real limp to the finish, but we're back and we're ready to relax ...oh wait, Meg heads out on the Move Her Mind tour with ASICS next week and Summer GRIT registration is just around the corner (Memorial Day). Anyway, buckle up and strap on the oxygen mask, you're gonna need it.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!
SWIFTWICK
We love Swiftwick socks for their longevity, comfort and performance (Meg and Thomas ran London in them, Robbe never takes them off because he's like that). The Flite XT Crew is a personal favorite, but the Maxus Zero Tab is a can't miss as well.
Try them now and get 15% off by using code BELIEVE15: https://swiftwick.com/collections/believe
PILLAR
Ensuring NN Running athletes continue to take podiums and claim records, PILLAR Performance gets them to start lines in the best condition possible. Recovery is crucial to managing training loads, and adequately preparing for race day. This is why PILLAR's Triple Magnesium provides a high dosage of Magnesium Bisglycinate to boost the recovery score on your wearable.
Enter code BITR on The Feed to receive 15% off your first order, and track the difference yourself: https://thefeed.com/products/pillar-performance
Thomas met Toby Tanser while on his recent trip to Kenya and immediately knew he had to have him on the podcast. Shoe4Africa originated 30 years ago from Toby's vision of harnessing the power of sports to create positive change for African children. Initially focused on collecting and distributing athletic shoes to aspiring young runners in Kenya their efforts expanded to address broader issues, including healthcare and education. Currently operating with only one paid staff member, Shoe4Africa has built East and Central Africa’s first public children’s hospital, which has treated over 1.2 million children. Beyond healthcare, they’ve established six free-to-attend schools, a Boys and Girls Club, and generated hundreds of jobs, all while distributing over 6 million meals to those in need.Learn more about Shoe4Africa: https://shoe4africa.org/Follow Shoe4Africa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shoe4africa/
We've returned from the Super Bowl of running – the 129th Boston Marathon – but first, we made a couple detours to the emergency room and the Cheesecake Factory. for a dose of pain pills and fine dining, respectively. Then it was a slew of events, including an incredible opening night with Adidas, running the B.A.A. 5K, a fun and festive marathon track relay with New Balance, the always epic shakeout with Asics, then front row seats to the best World Major of them all. Thanks to everyone who came out to one or more of the events or said hello at some point during the weekend. And congrats to Crossing-The Finish Karl, Lo, Aubrey, and all the other 28,000+ finishers of the Boston Marathon. It was an amazing sight to see.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!
LMNT
It’s warming up, which means you’re sweating more, which means you need more salt. Like, a lot more. Luckily, LMNT has 1000 mg of the stuff, as well as potassium and magnesium. Get your free 8-count LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase: http://drinklmnt.com/thedrop
...
A few days out from Boston and one week out from London, so of course the taper crazies are coming on strong, as well as a well-timed viral infection. Meg lays low while Thomas and Robbe take the reins in recounting a trip abroad, the comeback of the receding hairline (thanks White Lotus), the joys of driving a manual car, and more. We also cover the Puma Fast-R 3, the first shoe since the Nike Vaporfly to show independent lab studies of 3% performance gains when compared against competitors. Wild times.
Come see us at the New Balance Relay in Boston, hang out, grab a sweet custom t-shirt. Details here, it's free and no RSVP necessary: https://believeintherun.com/event/team-marathon-relay-at-the-track-at-new-balance/
Don't miss the always epic Asics Boston shakeout run on Sunday morning in Boston! First 500 to show up will get a custom corduroy cap. Details here, no RSVP necessary: https://believeintherun.com/event/asics-boston-marathon-shakeout-run-2025/
WAHOO FITNESS
Discover the KICKR RUN, a groundbreaking reimagination of the treadmill from Wahoo. Its innovative RunFree mode lets you run naturally—automatically adjusting to your pace without having to press a button. Plus, effortlessly sync with training devices to optimize your indoor workouts and achieve your goals. Learn more: https://www.wahoofitness.com/devices/running/treadmills/?rfsn=8167444.8594e18
SWIFTWICK
The best running socks in the game, Swiftwick just launched their new spring collection this week, and Drop listeners can get 15% off their first purchase with code BELIEVE15. Shop here: https://swiftwick.com/collections/believe
LMNT
It’s warming up, which means you’re sweating more, which means you need more salt. Like, a lot more. Luckily, LMNT has 1000 mg of the stuff, as well as potassium and magnesium. Get your free 8-count LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase: http://drinklmnt.com/thedrop
MICHAEL BONSBY HVAC
We talk a lot about performance and recovery—but let’s be real, if your home’s not comfortable, neither is your training. That’s why we teamed up with Michael Bonsby HVAC, a local Maryland legend and part of the Zephyr Home Services crew. They helped us out big time, and now they’re offering Believe in the Run listeners $50 off any service or new install. Spring is almost here, so get ready to elevate your cool down after this summer’s hottest runs. They’ve got you covered, so book your service now at www.michaelbonsbyhvac.com.
We sit down with Dr. Desmond Wilson, Eternal's Chief Medical Officer. He's a doctor, avid trail runner and talks to us about aging as an athlete. Eternal is new healthcare service tailored to performance for athletes, which just launched in San Francisco and New York. Eternal provides a proactive, science-backed approach to help athletes better understand their changing bodies, optimize peak performance, and continue excelling as they age.
The boys are back in town, except now Robbe has ventured off to Spain. But that's okay, as Karl joins Thomas and Meg in front of the camera this week to recap their adventure in Kenya with Kiprun to unveil their new race shoe, the KD900X LAB - a 5K/10K racer which seems pretty promising. Plus, Meg recaps her time in D.C. for the start of the Asics Move Her Mind Event Series as well as racing the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler. This episode is a pretty long one, so hopefully you're running enough miles out there to cover the entire thing.
WAHOO FITNESS
Discover the KICKR RUN, a groundbreaking reimagination of the treadmill from Wahoo. Its innovative RunFree mode lets you run naturally—automatically adjusting to your pace without having to press a button. Plus, effortlessly sync with training devices to optimize your indoor workouts and achieve your goals.
Learn more: https://www.wahoofitness.com/devices/running/treadmills/?rfsn=8167444.8594e18
SWIFTWICK
The best running socks in the game, Swiftwick just launched their new spring collection this week, and Drop listeners can get 15% off their first purchase with code BELIEVE15. Shop here: https://swiftwick.com/collections/believe
LMNT
It’s warming up, which means you’re sweating more, which means you need more salt. Like, a lot more. Luckily, LMNT has 1000 mg of the stuff, as well as potassium and magnesium. Get your free 8-count LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase: http://drinklmnt.com/thedrop
MICHAEL BONSBY HVAC
We talk a lot about performance and recovery—but let’s be real, if your home’s not comfortable, neither is your training. That’s why we teamed up with Michael Bonsby HVAC, a local Maryland legend and part of the Zephyr Home Services crew. They helped us out big time, and now they’re offering Believe in the Run listeners $50 off any service or new install. Spring is almost here, so get ready to elevate your cool down after this summer’s hottest runs. They’ve got you covered, so book your service now at www.michaelbonsbyhvac.com.
We got Erin Azar back on the show, even though she’s officially too cool for us. This time, she’s talking casual convos with NFL players, her marathon training for London (using the Galloway method), and her very chill philosophy on doing less. Erin is down-to-earth and effortlessly funny and we hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did.
Thomas and Karl are off galavanting in Kenya, so we recorded this on a Friday, which is always questionable. We cover the usual nonsense, talk about the Nike Vaporfly, and petition some brand, somewhere, to take us up on our offer to have a real life unicorn in Boston. Robbe also gives us his review of the King of Moab, a trail running documentary that– spoiler alert– is pretty great. There’s also a lot of shoe talk at the end, so go listen wherever you enjoy your favorite podcasts.
SAYSKYExperience the premium quality and unique design of the SAYSKY collection. Check it out now at saysky.com and use code DROP15 to save. WAHOO FITNESS Discover the KICKR RUN, a groundbreaking reimagination of the treadmill from Wahoo. Its innovative RunFree mode lets you run naturally—automatically adjusting to your pace without having to press a button. Plus, effortlessly sync with training devices to optimize your indoor workouts and achieve your goals. Learn more: https://www.wahoofitness.com/devices/running/treadmills/?rfsn=8167444.8594e18 LMNTIt’s warming up, which means you’re sweating more, which means you need more salt. Like, a lot more. Luckily, LMNT has 1000 mg of the stuff, as well as potassium and magnesium. Get your free 8-count LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase: http://drinklmnt.com/thedropMICHAEL BONSBY HVAC We talk a lot about performance and recovery—but let’s be real, if your home’s not comfortable, neither is your training. That’s why we teamed up with Michael Bonsby HVAC, a local Maryland legend and part of the Zephyr Home Services crew. They helped us out big time, and now they’re offering Believe in the Run listeners $50 off any service or new install. Spring is almost here, so get ready to elevate your cool down after this summer’s hottest runs. They’ve got you covered, so book your service now at www.michaelbonsbyhvac.com.
Thomas spoke with Kyle Awtry, founder of Sauri Running—a niche running brand based out of LA.
If you've ever looked a Canadian goose in the eye, well, you know you've seen pure evil. Today on the podcast, we talk about encounters with geese, jury duty in Baltimore, shark cages, and Karl's latest emo hit titled "Heartbreak Hill." We also talk about a few other shoes, including more experiences in the Tracksmith Eliot Racer and the Veja Condor 3 Advanced.
Support our sponsors!
SAYSKY X PUMA
Experience the premium quality and unique design of the PUMA x SAYSKY collection. Check it out now at saysky.com and use code DROP15 to save.
WAHOO FITNESS
Discover the KICKR RUN, a groundbreaking reimagination of the treadmill from Wahoo. Its innovative RunFree mode lets you run naturally—automatically adjusting to your pace without having to press a button. Plus, effortlessly sync with training devices to optimize your indoor workouts and achieve your goals. Learn more: https://www.wahoofitness.com/devices/running/treadmills/?rfsn=8167444.8594e18
SWIFTWICK
The best running socks in the game, Swiftwick just launched their new spring collection this week, and Drop listeners can get 15% off their first purchase with code BELIEVE15. Shop here: https://swiftwick.com/collections/believe
LMNT
It’s warming up, which means you’re sweating more, which means you need more salt. Like, a lot more. Luckily, LMNT has 1000 mg of the stuff, as well as potassium and magnesium. Get your free 8-count LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase: http://drinklmnt.com/thedrop
MICHAEL BONSBY HVAC
We talk a lot about performance and recovery—but let’s be real, if your home’s not comfortable, neither is your training. That’s why we teamed up with Michael Bonsby HVAC, a local Maryland legend and part of the Zephyr Home Services crew. They helped us out big time, and now they’re offering Believe in the Run listeners $50 off any service or new install. Spring is almost here, so get ready to elevate your cool down after this summer’s hottest runs. They’ve got you covered, so book your service now at www.michaelbonsbyhvac.com.
INDEX
3:05 - Favorite Seasons / Second Summer
5:28 - TV talk
13:00 - Boston Marathon course / Getting your heart actually broken at Heartbreak Hill
20:51 - Dolphins and sharks
27:00 - Evil Geese
31:20 - Robbe's Jury Duty experience
38:37 - Nepo Babies
42:15 - The Speed Project / Barkley Marathon / HAT 50K
1:07:06 - Weightlifting talk
1:09:00 - Shoe talk
1:16:00 - Tracksmith Signs Steph Bruce / Puma "Got High" ad
1:22:34 - Veja Condor 3 Advanced
One of the most fascinating athletes in the marathon scene right now, CJ Albertson is doing it his way and succeeding at every step of the way. From racking up ultra high mileage weeks to dropping it down to almost nothing in between cycles, to juggling running and a full-time job as a professor, coach and dad, all while managing to come out with top-10 finishes at the Olympic Trials, NYC Marathon, Boston Marathon, Chicago Marathon, and CIM. And that was just in 2024. This was such a great look inside the training and accomplishments of one of the best American marathoners right now.
Follow CJ on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cjalbertson/
Check out our Brooks running reviews: https://believeintherun.com/shoe-reviews/type/road/?shoe_brand=971
