Enhanced Games Fallout, Olympic Pay Debate & The Red Bull Race The Sun Countdown | EP 88

[00:00] In the beginning episode 88 Courtney, how are you I'm. Stressed Liam. I'm very, very stressed. Let's pull back the curtain for everybody a little bit. We'll be dropping this on Saturday. We're recording this before Saturday and when Saturday actually rolls around in real time. I'm hoping I'm at that stage in Tenterfield, probably with a beer in hand. Red Bull Race the Sun. Yeah, how? And this this is this is an awesome concept. And when I say Tenterfield,

[00:30] that's 400K away from where we are right now. And now if we look out the window, it is pissing down cats and dogs. What are you feeling right now? There's as the race director of Red Bull Race The Sun. Yep. What are you feeling? Stress, I mean, there's so many. So for those we've mentioned this on the pod before, if you don't, if you, if you're joining us for the first time, welcome, yes, welcome. And it's a race. Well, it's in a it's a challenge. I don't really even consider it

[01:01] a race. It's a challenge, it's a challenge. It's a challenge where we put people in teams of 6 runners and they have to go. From this year it's Currumbin Beach all the way out to Tenterfield. It's so it's 365 K this. Year, So you're starting from Currumbin this year? You're starting down at the rock. No way. Yeah. What time? 6:30 We're at the Rock. At 6:30 my hood I would have been there for bells on. Yeah, no anyway. Anyway. And straight into your locals. Are you out into the border

[01:32] trail? Yep, It's gonna be slidy. It's gonna be slippery. That's the least of my stress. OK, right. That's the that's the bit that I mean. You're not worried about it? I'm not worried about that. But yeah, so 365 K this year it's getting up towards 8000 metres. Avert some of the legs. The runners have to do a certain section. So there's one section in there that we may can run 13 kilometres with 1000 elevation. Oh, so that's, that's just thick UTA all over again. That's tough. And then when night time comes,

[02:04] they can cycle, as you know, they can cycle 400 metres if they want. It's just as long as they change their baton, which is a GPS. It's. A great race concept. Yep. So why normally? All good, super fun. Everyone's psyched, everyone is still psyched. However, we have had the worst weather. I mean, most of the country's copying this, but Gold Coast is we're really copping. It we and we have had a rain bomb sitting over us for the past month. Yeah. And my kids, you know, parents

[02:34] with kids that play sport outside would know you haven't been able to get on a field for the better part of three weeks for training or games or anything like that. Well, I just. Got an email from the school saying and this didn't make me feel any better this morning. Saying tonight due to weather coming the the Chapel services are being shut and I'm like. Well, they're closing the churches. Yeah, it's a good excuse not to go to church, but like, come on, it's a bit of rain. But that didn't make me feel well at all. The fact that. Now when they're. Getting proactive hold. On if they're nervous.

[03:08] What are we in for, Courtney? Well, I don't know. You're on the you. You've got a weather man at your station. Well, no, but he's saying you should be. Able to tell me to. Me if if the if the God bother us are getting nervous, that's when we really need to worry if they think something's if they start building a boat. Does Rod do it? Does Rod? Rod, do your weather. Rod was off sick today, which is also probably a bit of time. Luke Bradnam joined us though, OK? And he told us that he thinks it's gonna be well. For context, we are doing this the day after Origin One in

[03:38] Sydney, where Ashley Klein's performance will be questioned by Queenslanders. And Luke Bradnam described the weather that's coming as being Ashley Klein esque, meaning not good, but he said it would by tomorrow it would be Queenslander ish so it would be better well. Yeah, so I mean that makes me feel good, Liam that we we tomorrow it's so that would be Friday is gonna be OK. However you're in the hands of the God. We're in the hands of the gods. This is the. You know to go to go woo woo run influencer on you for a minute.

[04:09] They talk about controlling the controllables. You can't control the weather. Yeah, and you? Can't do his plan. Yeah, but you can't control your stomach either. No, this is true. Yeah, this is true. Anyway, alright, so hey, what up Before I know you've got a big one this week, we've got a good big one. But before we get into that, I wanted, I want to hit the Gold Coast Marathon. So we had a great chat. I had a great chat with Andy, which has got amazing feedback, terrific chat. I'm going to do those two sessions he gave me. So Andy Buchanan, the current Australian marathon record

[04:42] holder, the current defending Gold Coast marathon, half marathon, no Gold Coast half marathon champion, he's coming back. Why did he run 61 last year? Must go 60 this year. That's so quick. It was actually my favourite moment of last year's race, seeing Andy, having spoken with Andy, did the thing with AG1 with him in the lead up and then seeing him and he got to chat too and it was so brilliant. Yep. So on the Gold Coast stuff last week, we you were throwing out some stuff about what was it, the numbers? Yes, we want to be able to identify first runners in all of

[05:12] this. Well, didn't we get smacked here? Liam Sell from Gold Coast Marathon. Oh good, This is why we put it out there. So there is. They haven't done a shoe count. That was one of the other questions I'd asked. OK, no shoe. I want a shoe count. Shoe count please. Wait, can someone do a shoe count? It's I'll be on the finish line. I can do my best. Yeah, 123 at a. Yeah, it's always not good when a brand does a shoe count either. Oh, OK, OK. We need an independent. Sure we can, all right. But also SH, she mentioned,

[05:42] because we were questioning what would be the next major, whether it was Shanghai or Cape Town, South Africa. Both, both. There's gonna be 9 majors. OK. And then they're gonna have to redo all the medals and, well. And no new medals are going to be available until all nine are confirmed. I wonder if is that hot off the press cell? Like is this common? Not say that for me again. So there's seven world majors right now. There's. Seven world majors right now? Yep, we we're getting second him. We're getting information here saying Shanghai and Cape Town

[06:12] will both be majors, so there's no choice. They're just gonna throw them both in and no more. No new medals until all nine are confirmed. Wow. So forget your 7. So don't bother. Don't be chasing the chasing the seven at the moment. Come and run Gold Coast instead of Sydney. There you go. Doesn't matter. And yeah, so that's that's some information off the off that. Well, if we're talking Gold Coast Marathon, then, then now's my LeBron moment.

[06:42] OK, throw it in. It's time to make an announcement, Courtney. In 2026, I will be taking my talents to the Gold Coast Marathon. Once again, I am locked in. The agreement has been signed. OK, It's been signed. We got we got the deal done during the week, right? Yeah, there was some sticking points. There was, there was some sticking points around access to the VIP lounge. That was the main sticking point. How many? How many tickets?

[07:12] Did you look enough? I heard enough. I heard on the Grapevine you were asking for 20. Tickets enough 20 tickets to the Put it this way, Sam Walker had 32 family and friends attend his Origin debut during the week down in Sydney from Ipswich. I'm at Sam Walker like numbers for the VIP section of the Gold Coast Marathon on marathon weekend. OK, but we've come to the table, we've met, we've come to an agreement and I will be back on the start line with my mate Pete Murray. Yep, back bringing the band back together for this year's event.

[07:42] It's funny, amazing on the VIP area and this is my daughter. Two years, it were three, 2-3 years ago. Anyway, somehow we found our way up there. I wasn't working there. I think I might have run it. I'm not currently remember, but my daughter got to go up there with me. And now the other day when I was just, I literally, I just confirmed that I'd be back there this year. I said to Quinn, I'm going to be doing the marathon again this year talking. He said, oh, can we go in the VIP section?

[08:12] I'm like, oh, do you want to? He said yeah, you've got you can make your own pancakes. You're conditioning your kids. I I'm ruining them. It's it's like, it's like flying business business slam you then ruin them for. I've told you this story, haven't I? My daughter always says when am I going to get to go on a kangaroo plane? And I said when you get a more successful father. And we made the mistake of once I got to go over to State of Origin, the one the first time they ever played State of Origin. Folded me that one kangaroo. She wasn't. I can give her the hot tea, but I'm much better these days.

[08:44] Get used to the stars, my dear. But we went over to State of Origin in Perth when I was doing the radio show back in Sydney with Mark Geyer. And we went over there and that is the only six star hotel in Australia, the Crown, right next to the Optus Stadium in Perth there. And we they put us up there and I think I got MG's room by mistake because I had this incredible room overlooking the pool and MG was staring at the car park. But we were in there. It happens. And Alana, my wife, we didn't have a Mac at the time, but

[09:15] Quinn came with us. And I remember when she walked through the foyer of this joint staring up at the ceilings and just, oh, I like this. And I was like, oh, no, we've ruined one. Yeah. Don't go. Don't. Better make a second one cause we've ruined this one too early so just to jump back. Yeah, go. We're legend stuff. And what we're talking about, about you, you were saying about the numbers that we should have dinner numbers and everything else. Yes, Ando gave us a spiel about Gold Coast Marathon does it so much better than anyone else if you're running, so you get the

[09:45] Gold Coast Marathon singlet. When you've done it so many times, you be by idea. You're copy copying Comrades Ultra. They already do it that way. OK. But that's fine. We can cop. No, no. Ideas. There's no new ideas. There's no no new ideas and Ando is getting he's he's actually Congrats Ando. He's on the Legends board this year with 10. Well done. So what do you get with the 10 SO Legends? Benefits include polo shirt. Nice. Certificates and trophies depending on that's for the 20

[10:17] and 30 year old legends. So that's 20 times running good, 30 times running again, 20 and 30s. Get access to the Legends Club 10, the IP10 presale discounted entries if you've done 20 plus years. Yep. What else is worth noting down here? Oh, here's the one you want though. Free entries for life How many have a guess how many years Have a guess how many years you've got to have run to get free entries for life it.

[10:49] Should be 42. That's very good. It should be 42. Go William's game. Improv. William's game. It's 40. It should be 42. It should be 42. You should have to run. You should have to run 42 to get entry. Free entry for life. Make it 42. Yeah, so those who have done 10 like Ando this year is gonna get a it gets recognised, yeah. Yeah, fantastic. Hey, can we just Speaking of since we're jumping off of Andy in that fantastic episode you did midweek for the Gold Coast

[11:21] marathon, I wanna jump around a bit. I didn't have you this on the running, but did you see the new World Athletics release the qualification standards for the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing next year? I have seen littles little bread crumbs of it. Right, so Andy Buchanan is the Australian marathon record holder, yes. With a, what is it, 2:06:33? I believe it's I believe it's 2:06:33. Do you know what the the entry standard for the World Championships 2:06:06 flat.

[11:54] Yeah. So we don't have a. So no Australian at this point is qualified to run at the World Championships in Beijing. That's that's how high the bar of marathon running is getting to, right? 2:06:22. OK, so Andy, the fastest ever Australian across the marathon? Improved to 22. Seconds, not 23 seconds or 23 off his PB to qualify for the World Marathon Championships. The World Athletics Championships marathon race. I wonder, I mean this is where

[12:27] we should always do some more research if it rolls down. So if they don't get enough qualifiers, does it roll down? Because you could have the the case where a field is that an automatic qualifier. Must be, must be. What I will say though, on the women's side, Jess Stenson 2:21:24 which you ran at Valencia this year gets her comfortably in the women's standard is 2:23:20 solid. It's still a sharp time. So but it's just, it was

[12:58] interesting to note that men's cut off. Like we talked a bit about when Sebastian Sawe what he did at London this year. And you talk about a lot of people have referenced the, was it Edwin Flack who broke the four minute mile? No, who was it? Herb Elliott who did it? Who's the Aussie that who was the first bloke that broke the four minute mile? I reckon I've said his name. 4 minute mile. It was the UK beat Herb Elliot. What was that? Jeez, we're running. We're talk running. Roger Bannister. Roger Bannister.

[13:29] Sorry, one of the Aussies did it anyway. Roger Bannister did it. And then it opened the floodgates and suddenly it was that moment where it became achievable. And there's been suggestion that after what Sawe did at London, suddenly it might open this door to all these athletes running faster. But that from his world record to the automatic qualification, that's a 7 minute window between what the time Sebastian Sawe ran and what you have to run to automatically qualify for the

[14:00] world. Championship, it is really hard like because if you take like take Alex Yee, I mean he was the he's the second best Brit Brit now. I mean it's not that far under. I can't remember the exact time he ran, but it's not that it wasn't that far under it, which makes me think it's a really solid time. It's incredible. Well, no, Alex, he didn't break it. He ran a 2:06:38, did he? I think he didn't get. He didn't get. He didn't get there. Really. Yeah, yeah, 2:06:38 I would have. So he's.

[14:30] Not qualified. I would have put 1/4 of the house on. No, he was quicker than that. Jeez. Anyway, marathon we look, we know most people aren't even gonna sniff A2 hour marathon, so let's move. On but while you're on there, no, no, no, not let's not move on because I wanted to bring up we're gonna skew it's still running. Let's we're gonna skew to try a little bit here because during the week Cassandre Beaugrand, who is the current Olympic triathlon champion French, she just broke the 5K run record for

[15:05] France again 14:40. This is a professional triathlete, the gold medallist who's breaking the women's national? Yep. So French 5K record. Wow, this triathlon. Truly. Is 14:40. So what the the the note I put in here is you've got to the level in triathlon, yeah, where you have to be the best runner in your country to a degree. I mean, triathlon's always going to have this nuance so someone can get away on the bike.

[15:35] But relatively here, if you want to be confident at an Olympic Games in triathlon now you actually have to be the best runner in your country. That's the standard of both men and women, women and men in this case, probably the women more so where? Do you know what might be an interesting exercise? I'm gonna make a note of this. This is what like 14:40 is so so fast. I'm, I'm going to create a new segment for the show. I'll I can't do it today, but you've this what you've just talked about the, the domino, the running boom.

[16:06] We are a running podcast. That's where we start. That's our core. And we spread from there. The knock on effect, domino effect, whatever you want to call it. I'll come up with a name of the running boom elsewhere. You've given us the first episode right there, which is triathlon. Yeah, the running boom has now created this monster in triathlon where you need to be. You can't just be a great multi sport athlete now. Now you need to be on the start line essentially of your national championships as a

[16:37] runner. Yeah, to be trying to compete on the international. Stage just come back to the the the I just want to focus on the Cassandre here and the females because just think if you were a young female at the moment in Australia and you're a triathlete. Well, let's take the local here, Aspen Anderson. Yeah, and you're now looking going, I'm a triathlete, what do I have to do? My question is what do you concentrate on 1st? Do you concentrate on becoming?

[17:08] Do I have, do I have to become the best runner in Australia first? Is that my focus to a degree before I even think about triathlon? Rather than trying to imagine yourself as a 17 year old Aspen. Yeah, that's let's go back to your take yourself back, if you can, to your career. If you were suddenly in you're young Courtney. You're 17 year old Courtney. I can give you a 17 year old me or probably more 18, but 17 year old me, I would run bridge to Brisbane against Marty Dent, who was our Olympic marathoner. I would run in that race and

[17:42] last 10K with him and then get dropped. Sure, there's a 12K race and he'd OK knocked me off by a couple of minutes or that kind. Of doing it. No, but we will. Yeah, we were in the let's say and I don't think I would be there. It was today's current situation, although Matt Hauser and and those guys maybe would. And Alex. Yeah. And well, Alex. Is, well, this is where I, I think it's it gets really interesting country to country because you know, Cassandre is obviously the number one there. Like I'd put her on the pedestal

[18:14] as being like this stand out. But then if you go Hayden broke, he either broke or was the second quickest 10K New Zealander in history. You got Alex here who's just gone to the, you know, second ever marathoner in Britain. The the lines are getting really blurred now as to how fast you've got to run for travel. I just think, I think, I mean, I just I'm sitting back just watching it going this is a spectacle and it is super impressive.

[18:44] And the women are leading the way. After this week. Cassandre is absolutely blown away. We were. So she what? Was her time again 14:40? I'm just throwing this out there. 14:40 What's what's, what's Australian, right? No, I was just gonna say for what it's worth, Aspen, who's 17 year old rising star on the triathlon scene here on the Gold Coast and and in Australia, her PB over 5000 metres or go with her 5K road run is 16:29. So we're pretty sharp and her 5000 metre PB.

[19:14] This is according to where World Athletics profile is 16:15. So Aspen's running a good clip. I wouldn't be able to tell you what the Australian 5000 metre record is. I'm having a look, 'cause I'm I'm. Would it be just super? Well, that's what I want to know. Rose Davies is in 14:31, which? Is faster than Cassandre, which is faster OK, but still. Be 10 seconds. Wow. OK. I just, as you mentioned, Matt and Alex and Hayden, I think it's just worth a quick shout out that they, the three of those two are set to go head to

[19:46] head in a race for the first time since 2023. Yeah, I've seen. That's coming up. Oh, sorry, no. It's the first time the three of them are going head to head since 2024 over an Olympic distance coming up and. At the game, so, so American, they wouldn't have raced each other since the Olympics. Is that right? Maybe. Anyway, keep an eye out. We got anything more on the Cassandre? Big shout out. Or can I move on? No, I'll tell one story because

[20:17] please the So she was here for Noosa Try last year. She raised Noosa Try. Yes, at that stage she's still had broken. She was the Olympic champion. That's right, she's still had broken. She was the fastest runner in the country. Yes, she was over 5000. Yes, she was the Olympic champion. There was some suggestion that she was the reason that Ash Gentle wasn't going to be competing. In truth, as we all now know, fantastic news for Ash. She had. She had a genuine reason. Not 100%. Big shout out Josh and Ash and Josh as well.

[20:47] But yeah, she was in the sort of, you know, when they do, they do this opening night where they bring in all the partners and sponsors and all the things like that. And she was in the room and she was standing in front of myself and my wife, probably 3 or 4 up. And what was so interesting, and this is this is niches and sports in general. I reckon she even got up to to do AQ and A at one stage. But the room was in your UMC, these events, you know, the worst case scenario where the room noise of people talking is

[21:19] louder than the actual speaker noise. So effectively the event doesn't work because you can't hear. So you've got the Olympic champion on stage, but people are talking over, you can't hear her. I don't think majority of that room even knew who she was. It was a travesty. You've got the, you know, forget all the Aussies, you've got probably one of the best ever doing this at the moment, breaking all this new ground and. Can I ask just? Quickly had a triathlon event in Australia. To talk about, I mentioned we're a running podcast that radiates

[21:51] from running at the middle and to other things. Was it, were you on a stage, was she elevated on the platform in the room or was it A1 single level room? Now they do have a step up and they had some seats, a little step up, but it wasn't. Biggest to any event organisers out there as somebody the most important thing you can have checked and invest in more than your fittings, more than your chairs, more than your finishing, more than your booze, more than your food is sound system.

[22:21] The most important thing you can invest in if you are hosting an event where you are going to have people speaking and guests coming on stage and Q and as and all the rest of that is a sound system that echoes to the back furthest corners of your room. Because if you have that, the people on stage will then have the ability to control the room for you. If you don't do that, the best MC in the world can't do a thing. Yep. Right. And elevate them. And and the next thing I would advise is to elevate them because if they are on if everyone's on that same level.

[22:53] People are the back. People from the back half of the room find themselves think, well, I can't see anything, so I'm going to go back to the conversation I was. Having in in Noosa tries defence on this one. It was meant to be outside and. Oh, I'm not actually. Having no, no, no, no, I 'cause I, I threw them in under the bus here saying, you know, the room was yeah, you did. It was meant to be outside. And then at the last minute, what happens in Queensland It. Rains. What? What did we start with this episode? We can't control the weather. Yeah. OK. I want to pivot to the thing that I think everyone will have

[23:23] had some sort of a conversation about this week, particularly if you like to get out and about and run, do whatever. The enhanced games. Yeah. Did you see any of it? I, I won't, I'm not. We're always transparent. I did not see a single race. All I've seen after it is 3 things. One, the company's stock has collapsed. Yes, 2 The company own all the steroids and everything else who

[23:53] are doing this, so of course this is a marketing play. Don't kid ourselves on anything here. Someone was in it to sell something and three, the clean athletes won. Yep. I think they're really strong takeaways. And I think for a lot of people, I think the news that it was done as a the the company was producing these steroids or the the peptides, whatever they were using was the ones putting on the games. Yeah. That that was suddenly for a whole bunch of people that was

[24:24] like, oh, what do you mean that was not known information? Do you think we see it again next year? I hope not. I don't think we will. I think it's done. I hope not, but like, I mean it. If the company's making enough money, they'll probably give it another crack. For the sake of the exercise though. Yep. I'll fix it. OK, we'll fix the enhanced games. I can't say you're. Schemes. Is it a scheme, Liam? Schemes. Well, I don't know if it's a scheme. It might be. Let's call it a scheme. Let's put aside because I know

[24:58] people listening to this thing. Oh, that shouldn't be happening. I think it was an absolute bust. Let's put aside the moral questions around it, OK? This is purely an event planning, marketing exercise. Branding, right? They stuffed it up by allowing their ego to believe that they could actually host a games. That was the mistake, thinking that they could, that enough people would care about

[25:28] weightlifting and enough people would care about all these different things. I, I don't mind the venue that they created. I can't believe they had the Killers playing at the end of this. God knows how much that would have cost them. They, I think they let their ego get in the way of the way I think it could have been successfully done. What they needed to do was not to look at this like the Olympics. They needed to look at this like Eliud Kipchoge breaking 2. Instead of trying to create a a games, they needed to create a story that people could follow

[26:00] along with. And that peaked at a moment, right? What I would have done, Enhanced Games is for anybody that's a fan of the UFCUFC used to do the embedded, I think it was called UFC embedded where when these fighters would go into training camp that would last eight weeks, they would have documentary that would have the UFC media follow them for that 8 weeks and they would produce these mini episodes. Enhanced Games needed to go to Netflix. Yeah, they needed to strike up a deal which said we will provide you with six episodes and I'll.

[26:37] And not even 6 episodes, three episodes because the other mistake I think they made was trying to make it about lots of different athletes racing each other. Yeah, yeah, it should have been at most 2, but more specifically 11 athlete charged with trying to break the world record in their discipline. It pick James Magnussen if you want. Turns out you probably we probably should have been following the Greek swimmer all along who actually broke the world record. Pick one athlete, follow them. Document the protocols for us all to see. Don't just tell us that they're

[27:07] being closely monitored and adhered to. Tell us what they're taking. Show us what it is. Walk us along the journey. Create a narrative. Allah full swing, Allah drive to survive all these fantastic sports. Document. You've got the model there. Yeah, that's the model you needed to follow in the lead up. And then you needed to peek it with an Alex Honnold climbing El Capitan type moment, which is here's the day, live. We are here, we are live. You know the background, you know the story you've seen.

[27:38] Yeah, every journey. Now let's see if we can do it. I agree with you. I agree with you. Yep. I mean, do you know what was we're talking about? Netflix Icarus. Yep. I mean Icarus talking about was he a cyclist? Yeah. No, but was he AI mean? He was an amateur cyclist, but he's was he a journalist as well? Yeah, I think, I believe so. Yeah, he was a journalist, but he literally went through the whole process, the investigative process that was 10 times more interesting than this. Far more interesting. And as I watched, because I

[28:09] watched some of it on YouTube out of curiosity and the thing that jumped out at me, I'm like, this is for the average person, the the consumer, the customer, the audience member you're wanting to engage with this. It is all about whether or not the drugs these people have been taking have made them better. As I sat there and I watched some weightlifter, the production values, that's where you skimped out. I just talked to you about how if you're organising an event, what you need is a sound system that will go to the back of the corners. If you are producing this thing

[28:39] which is all about whether or not drugs have made this person better than they once were or better than the best in the world. What you need to have on the screen is pre drug performance and where they're at here. And then show a marker which illustrates where the world's best is. It needs to be idiot proof. I need to be able to look at the screen and go here's James Magnussen the missile, whose PB when he was at the Olympic Games as a clean athlete was this. Now he's swimming this. But the world's best mark from Cameron McEvoy in Australia.

[29:10] Let's see the line. Put the lines in the pool. Lots of information, yeah, from my side, mate. I mean, I agree with you on everything about how you make it a story, but it is, I think to put a nail in it, it it was always about entertainment. It was never about sport. Oh, I think it was all about trying to sell. Well, it was all Yeah, we. We when, when I say entertainment, yeah, it's selling. It's selling. It's selling. I I don't think we'll see it again next year. And frankly, I don't think we've really lost anything. And, and look, hey, congratulations to all the athletes who went in and got paid.

[29:41] James Magnussen just earned more than he probably earned in his tyre. So. What? What would he have walked away with? Mine is that I'm and again, I'm not. This isn't going to be exact. He obviously got paid to sign up to it. Yep, And you got paid to promote along the way. Mine he came forth I think in both of his swims. Yeah, right. But I still but I believe for those two swims for coming forth earned 75 grand a swim. OK. Which is more and here you go. You you know the Olympic payment schemes more than I do. But Liesl Jones, my co-host on radio was breaking down.

[30:13] The gold medal winning swim for her was worth $40,000 as long as she committed to the next games, so that $40,000 payment would only be then paid out to her. Was that from Swimming Australia though? And she would get an Olympic bonus on top of that, no? No, no, that $40,000 gold medal bonus was only hers if she then committed to the following Olympic Games and stayed in the system and then essentially committed to. Really. Yep, I wonder, I mean. Which apparently it's now been

[30:44] halved. Apparently it's only $20,000 now. Well, look well. From again, from my understanding is you have a pool of money that the government put aside for bonuses at the Olympics and then dependent on sometimes like I've if I heard it's been different over different times, but sometimes it's actually an amount like a set figure. And then other times it's been we'll have let's get the medals, the pools bigger. Maybe, but then the the other. I think this is and again I'm giving this. I don't want a medal, so I've never been in the back end of it today. You don't know how big the bull

[31:14] I understand and to be. Then here's the reality. OK, I'll give you a truth bomb. Yeah, here's the reality. You ain't worried about that bonus. Well, you're not going to the Olympics thinking for the bonus. I, if I, I, I'm going to win the medal because the Olympic Committee is going to give me a $15,000 bonus if I get third. It's that is, I don't think that is in anyone going to the Games thinking at that point. OK, the other just quickly before we move on from that one is the the other point Lisa

[31:45] made. I believe, and I might be getting this wrong, but I believe the bonus thing was only based on your best result of the game. So if you if you won 6, if you won two gold medals, you still only got the 40,000. Oh really? Yeah, I'd love to. We should. get Liesl Jones for a chat when you know why Because I wonder if it's sports difference because I. We can do some investigation. Well, let's mean. She was the one who was given the dollar. She was winning the medals, she was said. She'd know, but. She said on our show this morning, she said on our show this morning, I wouldn't become.

[32:17] I wouldn't advise anyone to try and become an Olympian. It's not worth it. The glory doesn't pay the bills. I. I disagree with that. I would say it's 100% worth. It this comment came off the back of IOC. Here's a question for you. Would she have her job on radio today if she didn't go to the Olympics and win medals? No, of course she wouldn't. OK, of course she wouldn't. So is it worth? It the reason she, well, the reason we made the had this conversation, she made the comment she did this morning is that IOC president Kirsty Coventry has come out and said

[32:47] that she doesn't believe athletes should be paid at all. Did you see some of the athletes making comments on this? One. What do you think? Well, you think this is Kirsty Coventry, who's the IOC president. She's a former Olympic gold medallist in the pool for Zimbabwe, She said. I came, I come from a small country. I came from a sport that doesn't necessarily pay athletes very well. And I still don't think we should be paying athletes at the Olympic Games to find more ways to directly impact athletes and find ways to help them on their journey to becoming Olympians and while they're Olympians.

[33:20] This is a. What do you think? I think it's a question I'd want to think a lot more about before I made it just an often remark I answer, but I, I'm, I'm with two sides because sure, I, I agree that should I, I believe with the effort and and then the pinnacle of what it is and the money that is made out of that and the athletes in the end are the assets. Yes, just like the college system in America, there should be a payment system in some shape or form. What I also believe with the

[33:53] Olympics is I understand the the fact it is a business and they're moving with the times into all these different areas and it's becoming less traditional. The argument and non payment is around the tradition. Yeah, but if you're gonna skirt the tradition of the Olympics to become more relevant in a modern world, well then I think it should be paid. It's a difference. It's a different, you know what I mean? You can't have you can't have these morals of tradition and you know, the sports and it's amateur and all of that.

[34:25] But then go. Yeah. But now we're going to St skating. Yeah. And I'm not having to go with street skating, but like any of the newest sports or put in, you know, I'd even add triathlon into that mix. When we came in in the 2000 Olympics, we were that new sport. Like you can't have it both ways. I think if it's true amateur and it's the best of the best in those sports, it should stay with the traditions. If it's going to move with the times, you've got to move with the times across the whole the whole area. That's probably just off like off the cuff, but. No, no, no, you I, I appreciate

[34:57] the situation you find yourself in because you are an athlete who is still a part of the Olympic community and you always will be because of what you've done. So you do need to catch your thoughts carefully. No, but that that's my honest thoughts is there's there's I don't think it's just as easy as a like a knee jerk remark of yes, everything should get paid because I mean, there's a lot more that goes into with that. But I just, I think if you're gonna move one way with times, yeah, you have to do it with the whole. Thing I agree what I will say is I can be a little bit more flippant and callous and the IOC

[35:32] in the four year 2021 to 2024 window that Olympic window leading into Paris collected $12 billion, twelve billion dollars in sponsorship in in revenue, most of it from sponsorship and global broadcast rights right, $12 billion. Now like the report says and this is the IOC doing the right thing 70 nearly 74% of that was redistributed back into international sport. So the IOC is, is spending money, is investing back into, right.

[36:03] That leaves you with a little over $3 billion. If you are making, if you are generating $3 billion in money, that ain't going back into your international sport. You can pay your athletes, you can pay your athletes to compete because guess what, If the athletes stop competing, you don't exist. And. Which is and you've you've brought it to a really good point is then it's that old case of the chicken or the egg.

[36:35] Because you say then to the athletes, well, you're not getting paid. Don't compete. Yeah, but if you don't compete. You don't get paid but then, but. You, you, you. Well, if you don't compete, you literally like, you know, you hear about athletes waiting for, you know, it's like when they boycotted games and you miss that games. It's like the once in a lifetime opportunity for athletes to go to a pinnacle event. Yeah. And then you say, well, we're gonna boycott it. It's it if if, if you're in a rock and a hard place.

[37:05] Either way, if, if, but if the athletes choose to walk away, they can be amateur athletes with jobs not competing at the Olympics. They can just be doing their sport for pure joy elsewhere and getting the joy out of it elsewhere. If the athletes walk away, the Olympics falls over tomorrow, so pay your athletes. You heard Liam move on. Hey, I'm I'm sick of answering this question for you. How are your legs after? The still no good. Nah, still no good. The knee. The left knee is still sore.

[37:37] Now there's there's no danger of anybody there. Thank you to all my new followers on Strava, but sorry, it's probably the most boring follow you've ever had. No sign of running anytime soon. The left knee is still. Still big, still blowing. No, it's, it's come down quite a bit and it's improving, but it's improving slowly. I've got no, but also I've got. I'm not in any rush to. No, you don't need to get back. Anywhere and I the only other remnants probably there's the big left toe is still pins and needles. Oh, there's still a lot of

[38:08] really. Yeah, still no real strong. Feelings there because there's swelling in the foot still or not, don't know. Not worried about it. At the moment, Oh, honestly, later. Oh, I have the the furthest thing from my mind right now is me competing in anything. Is that a nice feeling also at the moment, not to have to go ahead and not, well, not just run, but just do exercise. Yeah, I think about it for a bit. No, it is it. Look, I will. I am keen to get back to the gym though. Yeah, just to start doing something and moving. That's a good idea.

[38:39] And I am. I do now have the bike set up in the garage because at some point I'll have to jump on that and start thinking about news of trial, which is 6 months away. Yeah, but right now I'm still very much in the void that is recovery. Yep, and I've also we we played golf last week where I saw you hobbling. No, and I've got a confession. Here we go. I said I could beat Liam at golf. I forfeit. That's a problem in the air.

[39:12] No, I like that one play. More that way. No, no. OK, no, I like the first one. Yeah, I, yeah, One, I'm never getting an invite back to play golf with Triple M, by the way. Yeah, we're we're over at the Suns. We're at the Suns part today, Yes. And let's just say I was definitely an Achilles here on the time. It wasn't having a good day either. It it wasn't clearly it wasn't your best day. I'm not. It wasn't. It wasn't. My best day, but I'm still gonna

[39:43] admit defeat in that I won't be able to beat. You what I would like to say is you're a great company out there and I think we still have future golf days ahead of us. So we need to I, I would. Hey, I've I've got yeah, maybe I got I got asked to play golf. Oh again. And I like this week with some crew that I won't mention, but I'm like. Or you're you're you're rock Dave I. Am rock. You're like, I don't even know how. Now you know how I feel after a running event. No, Courtney, you're finally in the shoes of every all of our

[40:15] audience. You finally know what it is to not be a lead at something it was. You need to lean into this. Courtney, it was awful. No, it was awful. This is a good friend of mine, Sam, who is a listener of the podcast. I'm gonna throw him under the bus a bit here because he famously, when we were a bit younger, we got into squash for a period of time. Me and my mates, we just found the game of squash, great social game. It was a bit of fun, something different for us to do and we all started playing it. Sam just refused and we're like,

[40:48] why, mate? Is that because I'm not good at it? I'm like, but that's not what it's about. And he would do this with golf. He would do this with squash. He was, if he wasn't good at it, He's like, I'm not, yeah, but I'm not. I'm out, I get this, I get this. There's levels right when you you can have enjoyment. If everyone's playing it and running's probably to a degree the same. If everyone's running at the same level, you'll run and you chat golf. I mean, at least you're in a cart together. Sure, it's like fine and Ambrose style's. Fine. But if we were playing individually, stroke like, oh God. Well, we'd still be there.

[41:20] I will. Yes. Alright, thank you for. It's a big of you to admit failure. But no, I don't want you to put the sticks away. I want you to keep on keeping on. You did steal my brother's you. He's oh, your brother's getting. He's not getting. Back. Yes, sorry. Rick three would you've? Lost that? You've lost that card that's staying. With me hey, couple of where do we want to go here now I'm going to go throw it here. Listen to this story. This is this is a great story. Long run and so running a bit late this morning, work back my coffee. Normally wait a little bit before I take off but thought

[41:52] I'll just get down to the Marina, go toilet, carry on, save a bit of time. Public toilets don't open till 6:00 AM so rookie mistake. I tried to push so he couldn't so had to find a little hidey hole. Well good, found a nice little spot, do my business. Flying around the corner comes this big dog and suddenly I'm like, and hear this lady yelling out Bruce, all the pants up. I'm sort of just standing there. He's still got his collar and leash on. So I'm like just sort of startled pretty much. And then this lady comes running around the corner. He's like Bruce, Bruce, don't worry, he's friendly. He's friendly. I'm looking at him like, yeah, look fucking friendly.

[42:22] I've got my torch on. I just see his eyes. Look, I'm sorry, sorry. She picks up his leash and I'm just like standing there. He goes, Oh my God, I'm so sorry. And she grabs out a dog bag and like, she goes and picks up my shit. She goes, that's the second one in like the last five minutes. What have you been eating? And I'm just, I'm, I, I was just like fucking hilarious. Picks it up, takes it away. She doesn't have a good day. And I'm just continued my run. But I don't know how to feel about it. Now I saw this. This folder me Julius Julius

[42:52] runs from Perth. Very funny. I saw this and I did see then a lot of the comments going, yeah, it was funny the first time I heard it on. Radio 10 years ago, right? OK. I'll just enjoy the joke. I like, I enjoy it. Just enjoy the joke. Just, you know, good. Good though poop had you. Had you heard it on? Had you Had you heard that one on radio? Before. I've heard a variation of that story before. I think it's a bit like the other thing. Well, the reason it got me 'cause I hadn't heard it in. It's told him that way, but I just, it actually made me. It's pretty real.

[43:25] Oh totally. Like. One, yeah, toilets not happen open where you think they're open at #1 and then #2 of like happening to go and then suddenly someone. Especially in these days when people are up earlier and earlier on the Gold Coast, you'd struggle to get their peace and quiet our. Goldie toilets are like props to our council, our majority of our Esplanade ish area toilets. They do a good job. They do a good job. Hey, Courtney, I've got a question for you, and it's probably more related to a

[43:55] Wednesday. Yeah, but I'm gonna throw it at you now. Yeah, Mad has asked this much, said this might be a dumb question, but is there a reason why Courtney is setting his goal? Mara heart rate at 140 BPMS? I know heart rate is individual, but could he raise that goal to 150 BPM and then find that he can hit that 345 pace he is looking for at Mara effort? Yeah, yes, Matt, you, you've, you're correct. And that is probably more the goal pace. I reckon I've just done a miss a miscommunication that I 'cause

[44:26] I, I think I was saying I want to be like, I'm trying to hold my heart rate under 140 and that is my L1, like under aerobic pace. And I was struggling to get the time where I wanted to get it there towards marathon time. But the reality is in the marathon, I'm going to let that heart rate fight. I even noticed when I was, I mean, do you, do you pick yourself up doing this or like I was talking to Andy and we were talking about that session. He liked around the two hour run and then run on 20 minutes after. And then I was telling him a

[44:57] story. Oh, on the weekend I ran 2 1/2 hours and then I ran on for an hour and a half, but it's actually half an hour and it's just a miss. Little bonus, a little bonus on there. But I didn't even realise I said it that way. Yeah, I'm wrong. I reckon this is mad. I reckon this is probably that case, yes. I mean, already last week we're down with the Gold Coast run Co and I was letting the heart rate flowed up towards the one 50s and I was I was at 335 pace. So mate, it's yeah, absolutely. This is called that little ego in your head that likes to but

[45:27] mad. But I still believe for the 140 pace that I was talking about, is that pure aerobic. If I can improve that and get more effective there, it's still gonna help that top end pace 100% over that distance. Yeah. But thanks for the question. And and thank you to everyone who keeps saying hey this. One this one Jackson, I can't say his last name, Jackson Stowe. I believe it is from Wollaba Local. I need his information today

[45:57] 'cause he's right in the thick of where I need to know we're training and how the roads are down there. Hey boys, I was listening to the pod on Saturday morning whilst running the News 1/2 leading into the Gold Coast marrow. I was having a good laugh when you two were fumbling around for the days and News are thinking I'm bloody running at boys it's. On. I'm in the thick of it. It was ironic you were talking about, but it was ironic talk. You were talking about capturing content in races Noosa, he believes is the worst, but he thinks he there were multiple wannabe. I might say it like that there

[46:29] were more wannabe people out there and a bunch of people had there was people running out there with had who had other people on E bikes following them with DCDSLR cameras. They were fumbling around and all it's a lap course It was dangerous it's frustrating love you work boys. We said this doesn't happen. Well, here's it is. Well, clearly. It is exactly spotting it and and is it something we just have to accept as being part of races

[47:02] now? Well. We're talking a bit about UTA had called it out in their race to get people stop people running on the field of play. Yeah, if you go to a big event, the the, the beauty here's here's the here's the middle ground. The beauty of running is and and travelling to a degree, probably to a less degree because the bikes is a lot more dangerous at the speeds they're going. But there's a field of play, which is the road, but it's set on such a long, like a lot like

[47:34] a big section that people will walk across the road and do things. So it's not a closed field of play. If you went to the Olympic Games, it is like a closed field of play. Like unless you're actually the athlete with the big one, you can't go into that area. You'd hate to think you have to put in place all of those measures around every event that goes on, but there is going to be a place where, like, yeah, you got to allow for a little bit of, you know, a kid or dog. Something's could happen out there on the course. But if it's purposely happening, yeah, that someone is out there.

[48:07] I think, like if it was me, you got to be stricter in the race rules #1 and there's got to be some accountability then after. That's the only way you stop this. Yeah. And then then it's a bit of a question of, yeah, as you say, do you necessarily you don't wanna stop at all. Like, I think we live the Internet's there, social media is there. The horses bolted. We're not. We're not putting the genie back in the bottom. But you gotta stop other. People getting on course in a public race, interfering in the race zone. It's fine yeah hey, if you're if you're yourself got a camera and

[48:40] you feel them yourself yeah go for it like no stress as long as you're not impeding others. But you, where do you draw the line of, well, Liam, this week you want someone with a camera running with you? I want someone with a camera running with you. So suddenly you've got a race of, I've got no idea, 5000 people and you've got 2 1/2 thousand people out there wanting a camera on them. It's it. Labour intensive process but AI these days and who knows we can we create a Could you create a

[49:13] selfish influencer list that can be shared? A database that can be shared throughout key races. What? What do you mean? In that if if you're able to then view footage and videos and content that was captured clearly captured by not the participant on course, IE they've used someone to follow them around and get into the the field of play. Yeah, great. Hope you enjoy it. I hope you got your content. I know where you're going. You're. Not going to be able to get into any races. Oh, you mean that's the account?

[49:45] And then after the fact. Not enough. Like I mean, I wouldn't even give it enough. Time. I mean, you're bored with the idea you're. Bored with the idea already, but maybe that's what the integrity mob can take that on themselves. Can we have an integrity? Unit, they've got it. Who, who, whoever's behind? The anti official official marathon time stuff. They can just take that on I. Like that, OK, Let they do it. Let them handle it. No, no, no. I like them adding to their skill set, which is not just about checking people's times, yeah, but outing people for bringing people into the field of play. 100% yeah, yeah, go. That's that someone else's

[50:18] domain. Liam is definitely not. To everybody out there who's listening, you have no idea how quickly Courtney wanted to brush this away as not my job, not my job, I'm this is not me. I don't want to do it. I. Don't even want to talk about. It the more we talk about it, someone might make me yeah. Anyway I. Don't want to talk about it and not our job, but from a from a race organiser's point of view, I think they've got a in there's. The only way you can shut something down if it's gaining momentum is to put very hard guidelines on it and accountability. Just like if you get caught

[50:49] running in someone else's number. Yes, if you get. Caught or is someone else on? Course, with you're being done. I feel like that's dropped off a little bit. I feel like the noise around that has has gone away a little bit, that whole. Or maybe people started getting caught and they decided that's not the greatest idea. The thing is, the other thing people or people always listen to more than anything else. People don't like this. In all authority people, you know who they will listen to is their mates. If you've got a mate that's trying to do this, tell them not to. Just tell them. All right, we like following you, but don't interrupt other

[51:19] people's days for your own. Yeah, let's get someone in way, way more important and way more positive go. Fantastic. This is from Grant and I reckon this is I reckon if it's the Grant I know from up in Port Douglas runs, runs some of the tours up there around the Daintree and. Yes, beautiful. If it is, hey Grant, fantastic episode, love all of them but this one was special to hear. And that was your recap of of the Mylar. Well done, Liam. I have an answer for your question. This is something I've always, or I always say to the Nippers

[51:50] that I train with up here in Port Douglas. Good dead last is better than did not finish, which is better than did not start. This was the question about what's worse, DNF or DNS. He says, do his nippers here say that again, Dead last is still better than did not finish, which is still better than did not start. Love it. Get in there, just go in. And then he said you answered the question yourself in the end. Just go and sign up. Love it. I love it, Grant. Thank you. Hey, I forgot about this.

[52:21] I didn't put this in the run sheet just to to put a bow on my Milo and then we move on because yeah, I I don't want to be overly celebrating a 250th place finishing this Milo thing too much. A lot of people talking about ready and there was a lot of faith. This is Andy Reid, Bondi Rescue. I haven't is. This coming to you personally? Personally. Because it's not coming for. You on the day I was getting a lot of people reminding me about Reid and then we had a bit of fun about ready over the journey.

[52:51] He sent me a voicemail. I haven't heard this. OK, And he said he sent me a voice note and he said, mate, no pressure, just wanted to give you some kudos. So I'm going to I don't. I haven't heard this. Oh OK, but make sure you play it in the mic. Here we go. Please. Obviously a long time listener, I can't call it now. I think just want to check in and wish funnel. Lots and lots of kudos mate. I love being proved wrong. I'd say I didn't doubt that you wouldn't finish. I just knew it'd be a big day for you.

[53:21] And when you said I think you're at 9 hours after 50 KS, I was thinking Jesus in for a big day. And I can tell you right now that John Spot Anderson would not be happy with, I think you had a 20 hour positive split or somewhere around that. So yeah, definitely not the definitely nowhere near the marathon world record that we saw with a beautiful one minute negative split over there in London. But anyway, this is all about you. This is your moment and you just proved to the world that

[53:55] anything is possible, you bloody legend. And I'll tell you what, you've inspired me. I actually haven't run much since Sydney Marathon due to a hamstring injury and probably a little bit of probably a little bit of too much running for me. So I've had about a nine month break. But you have inspired me and I am now back out pounding the pavement right now here at Bondi with our Runners in the Dark cruise. Obviously not keeping up with them for fagging Friday, but but we're here. But maybe I just want to say shout out. I love the episode of the recap.

[54:25] It was so beautiful and what a testament to your beautiful wife. What an absolute legend. May we all meet a woman like Alana that hang around through everything. I mean I'm sure you've probably crap your cans a few times out there. She was probably having to run behind you. So anyway mate, well done and I can't wait to see what you take on next. Good man. Ready. He's a He's a good egg. Thank you. Ready. I appreciate that. I had a chat to ready yesterday. Oh, did you? He gave me a call about

[54:57] something and I literally he goes, I'm in the city and I'm like, I'm on Northside. I was on Northside of the bridge. Yeah, hanging out and just missed him and. Hey, I know you've just done the episode with Andy on Wednesday, just gone. I want to check in with you just quickly though from For You and Me. How are you feeling? How's everything going? It's good this week. I think I said this last week, bit of a planned down this week because of, I mean, I was literally, yeah, well, races. I've been in Sydney Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Racers Sun

[55:27] organising today and I'll be out there for who knows how long. We'll be up during the weekend, so I might try and get a longer run done Sunday afternoon when I get back to the coast after all of that, but I'd say it's gonna be pretty pedestrian. But what got me thinking, because Andy gave me those great ideas and sessions and I definitely I'm gonna try the two by three, the two by 3K with a stand down rest into into 12K. Just that one. Yeah, I like that. One. Yeah, cool. But let's just see what we got. But down week this week,

[55:59] running's going good, heart rate's going good. Ran with a few of my mates, got a little crew down in Coogee. When I was down there we had a run. Yep, rain mate. I'm I'm sure everyone's thinking this at the moment though, if that rain. Rain goes. Away I ran. I had just an hour this morning. I wasn't sure what I was going to do. I was going to go to Gold Coast Marathon. So this is, you know, because we talk about making decisions around running. So this one's one that, you know, other people I'm sure would be able to kind of identify with. I, I flew back in from Sydney last night and it not that I, I

[56:33] actually get more taxed from doing mental things and being in offices and that type of thing than I do for actually exercising. So I, I often find when I arrive home after a few days doing that type of stuff, I am exhausted. So I had to watch Origin last night to the end. Yes, I thought I might have been able to go to bed at halfway and then bloody. What do you think was the send off? I'm a Queenslander. I'm going to say no. It was 10 minutes. 10 minutes had been, wasn't. I would have, I mean, don't overrule the the tech you talk about entertainment value.

[57:07] Hell of a game. I mean it was a hell of a game but it was kind of a yeah NSW bloody Blues are going to go wingers but like it giving the 10 they get back in the game. It would have been a great game still. Caitlin Pong was on the field for the final 13 minutes. Exactly, and then it would have been his great day. They. Probably don't score. It's still a great game. And Queensland should have won like they should have. No, they're just oh, again, we radiate out. I everyone admiring Ashley Klein for making the call. If you if you had a call, don't

[57:39] send it to the bunker. The bunker is there to double check your work. Now if the bunker comes back and says you've made a mistake you don't get then then you don't then get to say, ah, no, I think you're wrong. Well, because now if you're. Going to bring in the technology you've got to. Use it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And ultimately if like it's it's, it's so circular and it just ends up going back around on itself. It's like, oh, we need the technology to stop any hows, but if we don't agree with the

[58:09] technology, we won't use it. Well, why have the technology? You know who the winner is, NRL. NRL are the winner because what do we all talk like A good, bad story, good story. We're all talking about the story and that's true. It's set up for another like QLD, Realistically, all momentum. We're going to romp home with that. They need to come out and win so now. It suddenly makes everything you know the next, the next bloody game is going to be. Well, and this is the the next thing I get shirty at. What's the next game in Melbourne?

[58:41] Yeah, that's just. It's a miss. It's such a it's again, I love Melbourne, but you got you got your sport right. This is this could be a series winning game for NSW and then they have to celebrate in Melbourne, or it could be a series levelling game that should be done in one of the states of Origin. Either way, there's going to be fireworks. So it's which which is why we all love it and watch it, right? Yeah. You're asking round off your

[59:12] marathon. We were. Talking about I forgot We're Oscar. No, because you're about to go and you're. Talking about I was actually gonna give a lesson. Yeah, so the. Need to make a decision. So some of the crew last night said Gold we're running Gold Coast Runco, which would have been some type of threshold this morning. And I said I'm 70% chance of getting there because knowing that I'm gonna have to have a long no sleep in the next few days, I was like, I'm gonna take all the sleep I can get. If I wake up at 5:00, I'll go training. Cool. If I wake up at 6:30 like I did, I'm gonna go and jog my own. Yep, that's then that was the decision. Not stressed about it because I know uncontrollable, right?

[59:44] I want to give a big shout out. So running at this stage, the experiment is working. That's where I'll leave it. Beautiful. Jeff Newey, just want to give a quick shout out because. We sent him a link to our pod and he's and he just said already a Spotify subscriber, fellas. Good man, keep up the good work. 53 year old Clydesdale, OH. Yes. We love, we love the Clydesdale audience.

[01:00:15] I, I didn't realise how many, how many Clydesdales like 'cause when we were chatting about it around the marathon. Gold Coast haven't enacted A Clydesdale category of disappoint, disappointing. That's OK. Well, we'll keep working on it for you fellas and and and ladies. Athena's. Yep, Clydesdale and Athena's categories. We need both. That's what we need. Please here. And he's training for Sydney marathon #2 I love hearing this. Fantastic. This is awesome. Fantastic Jeff.

[01:00:46] It's great to hear. It's great to see if you know somebody that is in the running world and that not yet already on board team in the beginning, please send them the pod, get them to subscribe. We continue to grow. We continue to do more. We we actually have to have a planning meeting next week. Courtney, outside of the podcast. We've got some things to discuss. We've got some things to enact and we've got some things to discuss. Just behind the scenes, Yeah, this is this is good stuff. Yeah, good stuff. But it like we me and Liam, I

[01:01:17] say this is this, this, this, this is the thing we'd probably I'd prefer prefer to be doing this more than anything. You and me both. But the reality is we like the last month has been absolute. You know, it's it's well, tonight it's my favourite hour. Come and sit in with you like this lean and just to like actually not think about. Anything and me tonight I gotta go do I'm doing Women's State of Origin Game 3. Where's that? Saba superstay and Gold Coast Goldie Tonight. I'm the Goldie. I'm gonna go do side.

[01:01:47] Live, that's gonna be. It's gonna be I'm going to be wetter than an otter's pocket. But the game will be but. The game will be good, disappointing, NSW have already won the series but and then I've got to do Brisbane Lions and Fremantle and on Saturday and we're busy men. But we are trying to move some things and shuffle some pieces in the background so we can take in the beginning to the next. Level and I also don't want to let you go 'cause you want to forget about the the UTAI do. But there's a few We had so many

[01:02:19] of the family kept running a few. I just know. Here, Jeremy. Thank you. Yes, Sir. Liam the Milah Flanagan. He's actually giving you the nickname the. Milah, I don't mind that. To grind out for 3038 hours is more impressive 10 times than if you hit your goal of 28. He Oh no, this is the reason I put in. There he goes. I love sharing one of your 160 odd kilometres along the trail. He was out there. Do you remember Jeremy? Oh, you know, that's Jeremy, I shouted out. Oh, already this? Is Jeremy?

[01:02:49] I shouted out in the recap episode. He was waiting at the top of the stairs with the cowbell. That was Jeremy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And we walked along well, double, double, double, double. Yeah. Double check that, yeah. And then 112166470226 Real personable. Yep. Great. Yep. Still waiting your episodes like Payday? Yes and this one was well worth the wait. Liam sounds like you had an Alice in Wonderland moment. The run sounds tough and the kudos to you and the friends, the wife and all doing it.

[01:03:20] Inspiring stuff. Thank you too, I love it. I weighed it like payday. I love it. No, the Milo was an amazing experience. The body will be back soon and yet now for the for the foreseeable, for the next 5 weeks we are all about Courtney Atkinson and the Gold Coast Marathon. Yeah, next, I'm looking forward to next week because let's. Not forget this is history making stuff. The first ever race marathon for Courtney Atkinson for our two time Olympic Olympian, Three time winner of Noosa Triathlon

[01:03:50] is taking on a race marathon for the first time. What? You know what? I'm gonna I'm gonna plan something. I'm gonna. You've got me so. I told you I got my shoes. No, what the how do you not lead with that? You know what? Save for Wednesday. OK Wednesday's episode Courtney reveals his shoes for the Gold Coast Marathon 2026. Alright, we'll see you then. See you then.