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The XC Podcast

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Real talk about the culture and sport of running. We cover everything from the World Marathon Majors, like the Boston Marathon, New York City Marathon and London Marathon, to track and field, the Olympics, and the shoe wars raging on between Nike, Adidas and smaller running brands. Because we don't engage with advertisers, we're one of the only truly unbiased and trustworthy sources of opinion and entertainment in the world of distance running. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, listen to our other podcasts, and read our daily content: https://thexc.org

Location:

Canada

Genres:

Podcasts

Description:

Real talk about the culture and sport of running. We cover everything from the World Marathon Majors, like the Boston Marathon, New York City Marathon and London Marathon, to track and field, the Olympics, and the shoe wars raging on between Nike, Adidas and smaller running brands. Because we don't engage with advertisers, we're one of the only truly unbiased and trustworthy sources of opinion and entertainment in the world of distance running. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, listen to our other podcasts, and read our daily content: https://thexc.org

Twitter:

@theXCorg

Language:

English

Contact:

6479811035


Episodes
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How to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, with Ben Flanagan

6/7/2021
On this week's episode, I chat with Kitchener, Ontario's Ben Flanagan, who lives and trains in Virginia as part of the Reebok Boston track club. The 26-year-old Flanagan has forced his way into the consciousness of Athletics Canada's Olympic team selection committee by posting solid results across in the 5,000m and 10,000m this year. Most recently, Flanagan set a new 5,000m PB of 13:20 at Tracksmith's Platinum PT qualifier in Boston last week, winning the race in the process. Ben and I...

Duration:00:55:53

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Cam Levins on qualifying for Tokyo

5/26/2021
Today's guest on The XC Podcast is Canadian marathon record holder and Hoka One One athlete Cameron Levins. Last week, some would have called the best Canadian athlete without Olympic standard. Then, on Sunday, with just a week remaining in the Olympic marathon qualification period, that changed. Between raindrops and nine time zones away from his residence in Portland Oregon, Levins won the S7 marathon in Loipersdorf, Austria in a time of 2:10:14 - comfortably under Olympic standard of...

Duration:00:49:06

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Canada's Olympic Marathon Squad Seems Set

5/24/2021
Welcome to "The Rings," a weekly update on all things about the upcoming Olympics, brought to you by The XC. This week, we talk all about Canada's Olympic marathon squad — who we think will be selected, including Cameron Levins, who qualified in dramatic, last-minute fashion over the weekend in Austria, of all places. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter at thexc.org Host: Alex Cyr

Duration:01:02:26

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Introducing The Rings, a weekly Olympic update (67 Days Until the Opening Ceremony)

5/17/2021
Welcome to the kick-off episode of The Rings, a weekly podcast and newsletter updating you on all things related to the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, including who's qualified, who hasn't, and other storylines as they break. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter, as The Rings will go out each Monday straight to your inbox, along with a link to this podcast. On this week's pod, just days after winning the 5,000m at USATF’s Golden Games in Walnut, California in a personal best of 15:02, Julie-Anne...

Duration:00:51:42

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Mission Marathon Instant Reaction Pod!

4/18/2021
The Kipper is back! Alex Cyr and Michael Doyle react to Eliud Kipchoge's triumphant (if perhaps highly choreographed) return to marathon dominance. They look at all the action from the NN Mission Marathon event in The Netherlands, including the surprisingly fun storylines that unfolded behind Kipchoge's comfortable 2:04 win, and the implications the event will have on the Olympic picture.

Duration:00:44:51

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Mission Marathon Preview Show

4/17/2021
Eliud Kipchoge will be racing on a converted airport in the Eastern Netherlands Sunday morning (at 2:30 a.m. ET). Alex Cyr and Michael Doyle break down what to expect, what's not yet known, and the each make their bold predictions for Kipper and the gang. And check this feed on Sunday for our instant reaction pod right after the race wraps up! Follow us on social @theXCorg Subscribe to the newsletter at thexc.org

Duration:00:48:31

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Kipchoge Is Back! Plus, One World Record that Counts and One that Won't

4/10/2021
Hosts Alex Cyr and Michael Doyle discuss what's known (and unknown) about next week's NN Mission Marathon, which has been moved to the Netherlands. They then break down a pair of impressive world records, and why one of them won't count in the end. Follow the The XC on social: @thexcorg And subscribe to our newsletter at thexc.org

Duration:00:53:31

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The Races We've Missed, Plus We Draft Our Post-Pandemic Dream Race Schedule

4/1/2021
It's been a year of almost no real races for many of us, so this week Alex Cyr and Michael Doyle chat about the races they've missed and why they've missed them; then they are joined by contributor John Lofranco to do a sort of fantasy draft, where they each pick one of the following in order to create their post-pandemic bucket list: a marathon, a track event, an ultra/trail or cross-country race, a non-marathon road race and "wild card" pick. A few pretty legendary races get left on the...

Duration:01:41:58

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An Even More Exclusive Boston Marathon | The Top 5 Running Show

3/30/2021
The Top 5 Running Show is back. This week, we take a look at a more intimate and autumnal Boston Marathon, Chris Thompson's UK Olympic Trials triumph, high schooler Hobbs Kessler's mind-bending two miler, and ASICS' attempt at creating two new "Vaporfly Killers" Each week, two of our contributors or special guests face off in The XC's Top 5 Running Show, dissecting five stories from the week in the world of distance running and track and field. They offer their best and hottest takes in...

Duration:00:25:58

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How Fewer Fans Will Change the Tokyo Olympics

3/23/2021
In an extraordinary move to make sure the 2021 Tokyo Olympics indeed happen, the IOC and the organizing committee have announced that foreign fans (and volunteers) will not be permitted to attend the Games. How will this decision alter how the athletes experience the Olympics, and what will it be like for viewers around the world watching a one-third capacity stadium during, say, the 100m finals? Hosts Alex Cyr and Michael Doyle break it all down, and speculate on what will be different at...

Duration:01:01:58

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The Next Great One? | The Top 5 Running Show

3/16/2021
On this week's episode of The XC's Top 5 Running Show, our panelists discuss a wild week of NCAA action, plus the IOC's plan to offer China's vaccine to Olympians. Each week, two of our contributors or special guests face off in The XC's Top 5 Running Show, dissecting five stories from the week in the world of distance running and track and field. They offer their best and hottest takes to the host, Michael Doyle, who rewards them in points. The panelist with the deepest knowledge and...

Duration:00:23:43

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Two Olympic Hopefuls on Chasing the Dream During the Pandemic

3/10/2021
Today's guests on The XC Podcast are both in quarantine, they are both fighting for a spot on the Canadian Olympic team, and they were both wearing the same new balance t-shirt. Charles Philibert-Thiboutot and Julie-Anne Staehli join host Alex Cyr from their respective homes in Edmonton, Alberta and Lucknow, Ontario. Julie-Anne recently broke the Canadian indoor two mile record at the New Balance Grand Prix in Boston, running 9:22.66. Charles, meanwhile, recently ran a near-PB in the 1,500m...

Duration:01:26:05

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A 10-Second Advantage? | The Top 5 Running Show

3/8/2021
The XC's Top 5 Running Show is back. This week, Jakob Ingebrigtsen catches a break, Yohan Blake wants nothing to do with a COVID-19 vaccine, and athletes reckon with the power of the Nike Dragonfly spikes. Host: Michael Doyle Guests: Alex Cyr, Justin Horneker

Duration:00:24:50

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The Vaporflys of the Track? | The Top 5 Running Show

2/16/2021
Each week, two of our contributors or special guests face off in The XC's Top 5 Running Show, dissecting five stories from the week in the world of distance running and track and field. They offer their best and hottest takes to the host, Michael Doyle, who rewards them in points. The panelist with the deepest knowledge and hottest takes will emerge from this five-lap sprint of ideas the victor. The prize? We give them the mic atop the podium to tell us something important or exciting they...

Duration:00:28:49

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What Is the Super Bowl of Running? | The Top 5 Running Show

2/8/2021
In this episode of the Top 5 Running Show pits defending champion Justin Horneker against show veteran and nerd runner Alex Cyr. In this episode, they debate: Who took home the Prickly Pear? The American Track League - a saving grace, but too soon? The father-son 4-minute mile club - which duo did it best? Colleen Quigley leaves world famous training group - good move? And finally, what is the Super Bowl of running? Each week, two of our contributors or special guests face off in The XC's...

Duration:00:27:05

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Andrea Seccafien On Chasing Records From the Opposite Side of the World

2/4/2021
Today's guest on The XC Podcast is Andrea Seccafien, one of Canada's most accomplished distance runners who now trains in Australia. Seccafien, a 2016 Olympian from Guelph, Ontario now trains under coach Nic Bideau with the Melbourne Track Club. In 2019, she became the fourth Canadian woman to dip under the 15-minute barrier for 5,000m and three months after that, she set a new Canadian half-marathon record of 69:38. The 30-year-old is currently navigating the highs and lows of the pandemic...

Duration:00:44:31

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Of Course The Gamestop Mastermind Is a Runner | The Top 5 Running Show

2/1/2021
Each week, two of our contributors or special guests face off in The XC's Top 5 Running Show, dissecting five stories from the week in the world of distance running and track and field. They offer their best and hottest takes to the host, Michael Doyle, who rewards them in points. This week's topics: The Gamestop Reddit mastermind was a near 4-minute miler! Will the NCAA ban wavelight technology? HBO's Real Sports takes a look a the Nike Oregon Project scandal The American Track League is...

Duration:00:27:42

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What Is Going on with the Tokyo Olympics?

1/27/2021
Last week, amid a recent spike in COVID-19 cases in Japan, reports in The Times of London stated that the Japan government privately concluded that the 2021 Olympic games be cancelled due to the Coronavirus. That led to immediate pushback from the IOC and Japan's own Olympic committee, and the Japanese government, which called the reports “categorically untrue.” Organizers and I.O.C. officials have said that no further postponement is possible and that if the Games do not proceed in the...

Duration:00:58:13

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100K of Heartbreak | The Top 5 Running Show

1/25/2021
Each week, two of our contributors or special guests face off in The XC's Top 5 Running Show, dissecting five stories from the week in the world of distance running and track and field. They offer their best and hottest takes to the host, Michael Doyle, who rewards them in points. The panelist with the deepest knowledge and hottest takes will emerge from this five-lap sprint of ideas the victor. The prize? We give them the mic atop the podium to tell us something important or exciting they...

Duration:00:39:52

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Gabriela DeBues-Stafford: Into the Unknown

1/22/2021
Amid a lingering pandemic, social unrest and persistent wildfires, Gabriela DeBues-Stafford, the holder of six national records and a new member of Nike's Bowerman Track Club, is quietly growing stronger in Portland, Oregon. Today, host Alex Cyr talks with DeBues-Stafford about her move to the U.S. and first months with her new club, her transformation from top Canadian runner to international medal threat, her thoughts on how the 2021 Olympics can safely take place (if they happen at all),...

Duration:00:51:08