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Sweat Elite PodcastAuthor: Sweat Elite
Interviews with Elite Athletes, Professional Coaches, Sport Scientists and Thought Leaders in the Sport of Running. Language: en-us Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Running a 2:09 Marathon off a 98%+ Treadmill Build-Up - Tom Nobbs
Saturday, 4 April, 2026
Matt is joined by Canadian 2:09 marathoner Tom Nobbs, fresh off a huge breakthrough performance at the McCurdy Marathon. Tom ran 2:09 on a low-key, looped course to become the fourth fastest Canadian marathoner of all time and he did 98%+ of the build up on a treadmill! He joins the show to break down the training, racing, and mindset behind the result. Train with Matt Fox here: https://sweatelitecoaching.com/matt-fox/ Join the Supporters Club and private podcast feed here: https://www.sweatelite.co/shareholders/ Contact Matt Fox here: matt@sweatelite.co Matt Fox Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattinglisfox/ Matt Fox Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/6248359 Tom Nobbs Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nobbs.not.knobs/ Tom Nobbs Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/28521910 Matt opens the episode by welcoming Tom Nobbs to the podcast just days after his outstanding 2:09 marathon at McCurdy. Tom explains why the performance was especially meaningful given the unusual lead-in - it was his fourth marathon in around two and a half years, his first back-to-back marathon build since the Marathon Project, and a winter training block completed almost entirely on the treadmill. Tom shares how that treadmill-heavy buildup created a lot of uncertainty around race-day pacing and fitness translation. Once the pacer stepped off early, he was left to run roughly 22 miles alone on a looped course with confusing lap splits, forcing him to rely heavily on feel and effort rather than clean external feedback. That ability to stay composed and trust the work became one of the defining parts of the race. The conversation then turns to Tom's progression from 2:15 to 2:12 to 2:09. Rather than simply piling on more mileage, he credits much of that jump to improved speed, better quality, and specific Canova-style sessions such as 12 x 1K plus 6 x 400, along with frequent strides and faster running around 5K to 3K pace. Matt and Tom discuss how those layers of speed have helped raise his ceiling while still supporting marathon performance. They also get into body weight, fuelling strategy, and how Tom thinks about food through a marathon build, as well as race shoes, including the Puma Fast-R 3. Tom speaks about coaching with Team Run Run, his philosophy around helping athletes improve, and the value of putting bold goals out publicly rather than hiding from them. Later in the episode, they touch on Connor Mantz dropping Boston, the pros and cons of pros racing too often, and Tom's own plans moving forward, which include returning to shorter races on the track and over 10K before deciding on a possible fall marathon. Timestamps: 00:00 - Meet Tom Nobbs 01:04 - Fresh Off 2:09 02:16 - Why This Build Worked 03:54 - Treadmill Winter Grind 06:01 - Race Day Chaos 09:39 - Running Solo Confidence 12:57 - From 2:15 to 2:09 15:50 - Monster Canova Sessions 17:19 - Heat and Treadmill Doubts 21:43 - Strides and Speed Layer 26:42 - Predicting a 5K Return 28:17 - 5K Time Expectations 28:42 - Weight and Food Mindset 30:47 - Fueling and Carb Strategy 35:06 - Race Shoes and Sponsorship 36:56 - Sharing Big Goals Online 43:02 - Starting YouTube Content 44:37 - Coaching Career and Philosophy 48:01 - Pros Racing Too Often 52:27 - Wrap Up and Next Races
