Is Boston the best weekend every year?!

I’m writing this while flying back from this year’s Boston Marathon, which was perhaps the most fun Boston Marathon yet. As always, the fun in Boston kicked off early in the weekend. I attended Laura Green’s Trivia Night on Thursday to kick things off, which involved a blindfolded Deena Kastor trying to identify a banana via scent, among many other crazy things that happened. 😂

I got to take an early spin through the PUMA pop-up just next to the finish line on Friday morning, and received my pair of their new Fast-R 3’s, perhaps the most groundbreaking shoe release since the initial 4%. Lab data suggested a 3.5% improvement over existing super shoes, and the results from race day were impressive. It was also really cool to see all the runners in their orange and black PUMA PROJECT 3 kits making their way down Beacon Street looking fast and fresh.

Saturday morning, I got to take the Fast-R 3’s for a spin on the marathon course with Brooksee CEO and Boulderthon operator (and good friend) Phil Dumontet. We had ourselves some perfect conditions and I now understand why the PUMA team describes the R 3’s as an F1 car that perform better the faster you go. We ran mostly easy effort, but the shoes were begging to rip along mile 19 of the course and our stride opened up a bit… and man I can’t wait to take those shoes for a real long and hard effort.

As I talked about in this prep episode, Boston weekend is notorious for having WAY too many choices of things to do. On Saturday, I left the house at 7:45am for a long run, and wasn’t back until 9:30pm, 45,000 steps later. The second time I ran Boston, I attended way too many events and left my race on Newbury Street (and that was 2017, when there wasn’t nearly as much going on!). These days, you could make a strong argument for Boston being more fun for those not running on Monday… though I definitely do plan to make it back to that start line in Hopkinson one day.

One moment from the weekend that stuck out in particular was meeting up with recent podcast guest and 3x PGA Tour champion Scott Stallings. Originally a Mass resident, Scott trained for and ran his first marathon to benefit Golf Fights Cancer, and raised over $20K in the process. We chatted for a while on Newbury Street, and it was really fun to hear from someone who is at the absolute top of his craft in one arena, apply that process to something totally new. (For more on this, check out our episode!).

And of course, it was super fun to meet SO many people who listen to the podcast! I always appreciate when people mention that!!

The State of Running: there are SO many brands trying to capture mindshare and attention. Having the best product isn’t enough; you need emotion and connection. What worked in 2017 isn’t working today. The community is different, distribution is different, and our motivations might even be different. The brands that leaned into group experiences or a tribal/community vibe are the ones that won this weekend. Community isn’t build overnight, and it is fun to see more brands acknowledging the importance of people and trust.

If you were in Boston this weekend, what was your favorite part?

— Jon Levitt, Host and Creator of For The Long Run 

Newer, faster shoes 👟

I am LOVING this new shoe from our partners over at PUMA, the Fast-R 3. I got to grab a pair at the Boston Marathon and boy…these things are FAST. We got to hear directly from one of the PUMA shoe designers, Connor!

Check them out and let’s all go a little faster together 💪👇

A pretty special podcast feature

You all know that I love podcasting - both doing my own AND getting interviewed - and this week, I wanted to share a pretty special conversation I had with fellow podcaster, Lindsey Hein, on I’ll Have Another Podcast.

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We have been friends for a long time and in this episode, we dig deep into my running journey (haven’t talked about the full story in a while!), the running podcasting world, lessons from years in this industry and much more.

To keep you running for the long run 👇

Thanks to our major sponsors this month, Shokz, PUMA, Hyperice, Boulderthon, Pillar, and Tifosi. By supporting our sponsors, you are supporting the show and the whole team behind it. Y'all are the best!

Listen to this 👇

What does it take to build a passion-based activewear line?

Caitlyn Miller is a 26-year-old business owner and marathon runner. Caitlyn’s business, Expntl Athletics, specializes in activewear for distance runners.

Listen to hear about:

• How social media helped Caitlyn connect to audiences and build a brand

• Navigating the mental and physical aspects of a sacrum injury

• Distinguishing between good and bad pain and learning to trust your body again

• The vision and inspiration of Expntl Athletics

• Bringing authenticity and passion to entrepreneurship

You don’t want to miss this fun, inspiring conversation!

New to the For The Long Run Podcast? Start here. 👇

Welcome to our community! We are so excited to have you here. To get you started, check out our playlist just for you: the top 12 For The Long Run episodes. And let us know what you think. 🤗

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About Jon Levitt and For The Long Run

Jonathan is a runner, cyclist, and podcast host from Boston, MA, who now lives in Boulder, CO. For The Long Run is aimed at exploring the why behind what keeps runners running long, strong, and motivated.

Follow Jon on Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, and Twitter.