Marathon Training Academy
Angie and Trevor
The Marathon Training Academy Podcast will help you unlock your potential to conquer the marathon and change your life. Since 2010 Angie and Trevor have shared tips, inspiration, and interesting guests interviews to help listeners run smarter, avoid injury, and go the distance. What RUNNER’S WORLD says about the MTA Podcast: “If you’re training for 26.2, running coach Angie Spencer and her husband, Trevor, have everything you need to reach the finish line. The duo provides plenty of training tips, interviews, and reviews of marathons from around the world. (Angie has run one in every state!) While they don’t always bring on guests, runners like Sara Hall, Dathan Ritzenhein, and even actor Sean Astin have all stopped by.”
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 11, 2026 • 59min
Interview with Careth Arnold: Faith and Endurance
Careth Arnold is an elite ultrarunner, mother of two, and the first American woman to win UTMB’s brutal TDS race. She shares her leap from forestry work to professional racing, her unlikely rise after motherhood, and the challenges of altitude and injury. She also discusses choosing joyful suffering, navigating imposter syndrome, balancing family with elite competition, and how faith, prayer, and Scripture shape her endurance.
12 snips
Oct 2, 2026 • 57min
The Way of Excellence, Interview with Brad Stulberg
Brad Stulberg, bestselling author of The Way of Excellence and The Practice of Groundedness, explores what true excellence looks like for runners and beyond. They discuss building confidence through training, choosing goals aligned with your values, and creating a resilient identity beyond running. The conversation also covers motivation after plateaus, focus in the digital age, race-day nerves, failure, joy, and why the process matters most.
9 snips
Sep 22, 2026 • 39min
A Disappointing Marathon
A marathoner’s severe cramping sparks a candid look at what causes calves to seize up and seven ways runners can prevent it. The discussion also follows inspiring endurance stories, a journey from Lyme disease recovery to marathon racing, and a painful Dublin Marathon setback. Learn how to process disappointment, assess what went wrong, and turn a tough finish into renewed motivation.
Sep 13, 2026 • 48min
Enter the Pain Cave
Rafael Hidalgo, an entrepreneur, AI founder, author, and ultramarathoner, shares his journey from couch potato to UTMB 100-mile finisher. He explores the “pain cave,” neuroplasticity, training mistakes, and the overlooked triumphs of back-of-pack runners. They also discuss temptation, ego, uncertainty, and how difficult endurance goals can reshape a life.
Sep 1, 2026 • 40min
Yes, We are in a Running Boom!
Genea Salinas, event director of The Running Event, shares a front-row view of running’s explosive growth. She traces her own journey from casual fitness to industry leadership, then explores how run clubs, fashion, trail running, and inclusive communities are reshaping the sport. What’s fueling the boom, and can its momentum last?
11 snips
Aug 22, 2026 • 56min
Des Linden and Magda Boulet on Running the Marathon des Sables
Magdalena Lewy-Boulet, Olympic marathoner turned ultrarunner and sports scientist; Des Linden, Olympic marathoner, Boston winner, and 50K world record holder. They recount racing the Marathon des Sables in the Sahara. Conversations cover heat-specific training, GU Performance Lab testing and fueling protocols, pack-weight and gear tradeoffs, and the mental resilience needed for multi-day desert stages.
10 snips
Aug 14, 2026 • 44min
Expert Advice for Running Your First Marathon
Practical pacing tips to finish smiling and avoid the common start-too-fast mistake. Strategies for managing race-day anxiety and building confidence through progressive long runs. The value of easy zone-two miles and balanced cross-training for long-term gains. Race-day fueling practices and layered goals to help first-timers have a positive finish.
8 snips
Aug 2, 2026 • 42min
Trust Your Training to Go the Distance!
Strategies for trusting your training to finish long races when your longest run was shorter. Practical tips on strength sessions, purposeful long runs, and practicing fueling and hydration. Mental tools for reframing doubt and building confidence. Travel pro tips and highlights from a 45-day European tour including the Dolomites and cost-saving travel hacks.
Jul 21, 2026 • 48min
This Runner Almost Died from Drinking too Much Water!
Yochai Elam, a Barcelona-based runner, entrepreneur and TEDx speaker who survived severe exercise-associated hyponatremia after his first marathon. He recounts collapsing after the race, the ICU diagnosis and slow recovery. He reflects on how the scare changed his approach to hydration, pacing and life. The episode also wanders into favorite races and a quirky Bavaria beer-hall crawl.
9 snips
Jul 10, 2026 • 48min
The 27th Mile with Dimity McDowell
Dimity McDowell, author and co‑founder of Another Mother Runner, explores life after a long running career. She explains the idea of the 27th mile as the transition away from running. Conversations cover grief at giving up running, protecting identity by diversifying activities, transferable skills to new sports, practical transition steps, and finding new adventures and community.
