Marathon Running in 2025: The Strongest Countries and Deepest Fields

In this episode of The Sweat Elite podcast, hosts Luke and Matt dive into marathon statistics for the year 2025, analyzing the strongest nations and the fastest races. They discuss the sub-2:10 performances for men and sub-2:25 for women, highlighting the dominance of Kenya, Ethiopia, and Japan. Alex Yee's impressive 2:06:38 at the Valencia Marathon is also examined, with an in-depth look at his training from Strava. The episode touches on the concept of elite versus sub-elite marathon times, the role of shoe brands in elite performances, and the recent challenges faced by the Grand Slam Track League. Additionally, the hosts mention the surge in Olympic Trials qualifiers from the California International Marathon. Be coached by Matt: https://www.sweatelitecoaching.com/coaching-2025 Join the Shareholders Club / Private Podcast Feed: https://www.sweatelite.co/shareholders Luke Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lukeandrewkeogh/ Luke Training Log - Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/87061348/ Matt Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattinglisfox/ Matt Training Log - Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/6248359 Contact Matt: matt@sweatelite.co Topics: 00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview00:36 Strongest Countries in the Marathon 202510:38 Deepest Marathon Events 202517:56 Defining Elite and Sub-Elite Marathon Standards24:20 Olympic Trials Qualifying at CIM25:20 Debate on Olympic Standards 29:11 Alex Yee - Valencia Marathon Training Analysis 43:26 Grand Slam Track League Bankruptcy 49:21 Conclusion