Gold Coast Marathon Countdown: Taper, Wind Strategy, Fueling Plan, and Paris Diamond League Recap - Marty Bordignon

With just six days until the Gold Coast Marathon, Marty Bordignon returns to the podcast to break down his taper, race strategy, fueling plan, and confidence heading into race day. We also recap the outstanding performances from the Paris Diamond League, including Cameron Myers' Australian record, Sarah Billings' national record, Marco Arop's incredible 1:41, and discuss the mindset needed to perform at your best.

Please note: During the recording we incorrectly referred to the Commonwealth Games event as the 1500m. After recording we looked into it more closely and can confirm it will in fact be contested over the mile.

Marty Bordignon

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelling.runner/

Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6KK6zB0vCtp6b2QhKt9n0v

Matt Fox

Coaching: https://sweatelitecoaching.com/matt-fox/

Supporters Club (Private Podcast): https://sweatelite.co/supporters-club/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattinglisfox/

Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/6248359

Marty talks through his final marathon-specific workouts, how fatigue gradually disappeared during his taper, and why he believes accumulated training load, calorie restriction, and inconsistent carbohydrate intake contributed to feeling flat a couple of weeks ago.

We discuss the latest Gold Coast Marathon weather forecast, the unique out-and-back wind conditions, whether it's worth committing to a pace group, and how to adjust your effort depending on the headwind and tailwind sections of the course.

Marty also shares his complete race nutrition strategy, including carbohydrate intake, sodium loading, drinking to thirst, and the foods he'll rely on during his final days before the marathon.

The conversation then shifts to the Paris Diamond League where we analyse Cameron Myers' stunning 3:28 Australian record, Sarah Billings' Australian 800m record, Marco Arop's 1:41 performance, Grant Fisher's 5,000m victory, and discuss confidence, championship racing, breakthrough performances, and why belief can completely change an athlete's ceiling.

Chapters

00:00 Gold Coast Countdown
01:08 Final Long Run Breakdown
03:24 Energy Dip and Carb Loading
06:41 Weather and Wind Strategy
08:02 Course Wind Dynamics
11:46 Pace Groups and Pack Tactics
14:53 Race Day Fueling Plan
18:22 Carb Load Foods and Tricks
21:46 Taper Niggles and Injury Management
25:41 Paris Diamond League Recap
29:11 Commonwealth Games Outlook
30:56 Mile or 1500 Confusion
31:54 Why Championships Hit Different
32:36 Women's 800 Shock Result
35:20 Arop 1:41 and Race Mindset
38:00 Why the 800 Is Chaos
39:38 Paris 5K and Alex Yee Update
41:56 Can a Marathoner Break 13?
43:48 Big Marathon Progress Jumps
45:18 Kai Robinson and Racing Confidence
48:05 Personal Breakthrough Psychology
51:25 Strava Percentiles Reality Check
53:17 Fraser Coss Winning Mentality
55:06 Gold Coast Shoe Choice
56:53 What's Next After Gold Coast
58:24 Wrap Up and Next Episode

In this IMO episode, I explain why I am seeking legal action against Brett Larner from Japan Running News over what I believe has been a sustained campaign of online harassment, false reporting, inflammatory articles, and ongoing anonymous forum-style attacks. This week, I was denied the chance to run for a charity at the Gold Coast Marathon, with Brett's articles specifically referenced as part of that decision, and this has been the final reason I feel legal action is now necessary.

Links:

Coaching: https://sweatelitecoaching.com/matt-fox/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SweatElite

Supporters Club: https://sweatelite.co/supporters-club/

In this episode, I talk through the full story from my time in Japan, including the detention situation, the media coverage that followed, and the way I believe the story has continued to be framed unfairly. I also discuss how these articles have affected me personally and professionally, including the recent Gold Coast Marathon charity rejection.

I also give some broader updates on training, my return to running, parkrun, weight goals, and my plans for the Melbourne and Sydney Marathons. Later in the episode, I break down the origins of the media situation, the Ageo Half entry mix-up, the race ban fallout, the cannabis context, the online forum discussions, and why I now believe legal action is the only way forward.

Timestamps:

00:00 Midday intro and drink mix
00:43 Why this episode matters
03:08 Japan detention backstory
09:07 Return to running and injury
13:57 16:06 parkrun and weight goals
17:55 Melbourne and Sydney marathon plans
22:24 Origins of the issues with Mr Larna - November 2023 (the meaty part)
25:21 Ekiden filming with Sebastian
25:54 Ageo Half entry mix-up
27:18 Brett Larner reaches out
30:38 AGEO City Half Marathon ban
31:33 Cheater article discovery
33:09 Arrest story goes public
35:10 Forum slander
39:12 Context on cannabis use
42:02 Brett accusations breakdown
45:58 Gold Coast charity rejection
51:39 Legal action and wrap up

Kyle Weise joins the podcast again with the Gold Coast Marathon now just 16 days away. Kyle shares how his build has come together after consistent 110-125 km weeks, including a key long-run session of 3×7 km late in the run where he progressed by feel, closing strongly into a headwind.

Kyle Weise

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/kyle_weise/

Strava:
https://www.strava.com/athletes/3517976

Matt Fox

Coaching:
https://sweatelitecoaching.com/matt-fox/

Supporters Club:
https://sweatelite.co/supporters-club/

Email:
matt@sweatelite.co

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/mattinglisfox/

Strava:
https://www.strava.com/athletes/6248359

Matt and Kyle discuss why Kyle has avoided obsessing over goal marathon pace, the value of long-run efforts that mimic late-race fatigue, and how confidence can come from feel rather than constantly checking the watch. They also cover Kyle's final long run, taper plans, fueling strategy, bottles as priority A, carb pouches, caffeine gels, electrolytes, and targeting around 100 grams of carbs per hour.

The conversation also gets into low-mileage success examples, group progress, Marty's sub-2:40 attempt, strides and hill sprints, reducing anxiety around training, London Marathon moving to a two-day format, Matt's planned 5K benchmark, and Kyle's decision to race in the Puma Fast-R.

Available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.

Timestamps

00:00 Gold Coast Build Update
01:21 Three by Seven Breakdown
04:17 Effort and Pacing Philosophy
08:24 Next Long Run and Taper
10:55 Mileage Myths and Confidence
16:20 Strides and Hill Sprints
19:04 Race Fueling Plan
21:25 Marty and Course Strategy
25:50 Recovery Habits and Stress
29:44 Training Without Anxiety
30:46 Racing As Experiment
32:55 Detach From Goal Time
33:34 Ultras Teach Feel
35:23 Trust Gut Over Watch
36:37 Unhealthy Time Attachment
37:57 No Watch Marathon Idea
40:10 Watch Died Breakthrough
41:22 Tip For Data Dependence
42:34 Chasing A Parkrun Race
45:48 Practice Racing Mindset
47:18 Marathon Plans And Travel
48:19 London Goes Two Days
50:50 Melbourne And Kipchoge
52:38 Wrap Up And Shoe Choice