Hello! Welcome back to The Footprint. Happy Friday – and happy Boston Weekend.

Best of luck to everyone running Boston over the next few days – including a bunch of familiar faces from recent editions, from Thomas Eller and Jen Curtis to Debbie Tupper and Josh and Aaron Belowich.

📬 Edition #11: Two years after two hip replacements, Carrie Bradshaw is about to run a marathon. She and her coach, former Boston champion Meb Keflezighi, talk to The Footprint.

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On the sidelines of last month’s New York City Half Marathon, I interviewed Olympian Conner Mantz for the Guardian as he geared up for Boston.

Mantz, by his own admission, gives himself a hard time. “Until he’s at the level of Eliud Kipchoge in his prime, winning everything and running faster at everything, I think there is going to be that sense of wanting more,” said Ed Eyestone, the two-time Olympian who trains him.

But two strong half marathons this year – including Houston, where he broke the American record – have boosted his confidence. The NYC Half “might have been the best race I've ever run,” he said.

• Conner Mantz on keeping perspective, taking risks, and shooting for the podium

BOSTON TIPS

🎧️ Running? Here’s what you need to know, courtesy of the Ali On The Run Show podcast.

🧭 Heading to town? Here’s a local’s guide to Boston marathon weekend, by Cole Townsend.

📣 Following along? Here’s who to look out for, according to Olympian Kara Goucher.

Back In Boston

The Boston Marathon is notoriously punishing: a downhill slog from Hopkinton to the city which sets the stage for a series of arduous climbs, just as your legs might want a breather.

“The key is to be patient, especially for the everyday athlete,” said Meb Keflezighi, who knows this course better than most. “It’s just discipline.”

Keflezighi, 49, set out “like a bat out of hell” in 2006, his first year in the race, settling for third place. Eight years later, in 2014, he became the first American man to win Boston in three decades.

It’s easy to give into temptation and speed up in the early stages, he said. “You’re feeling great, obviously. You’re in taper mode. You've got fresh legs! Downhill. Narrow road. Crowd. Caffeine. Excitement.” 

Keflezighi, now focused on philanthropy and coaching, has spent recent months preparing three athletes for Monday’s race. Three years ago, one of them feared she might never run again.

Carrie Bradshaw, 43, knows this will be grueling. She has run ten marathons, including Boston a decade ago. But this one’s different. 

A diagnosis with congenital hip dysplasia appeared to spell the end of her running career. After various treatments failed to resolve years of hip pain, she had both replaced – in November 2022, and April 2023. 

Running on hip replacements would not be possible, Bradshaw had been told by more than a handful of doctors. But after seeking advice she slowly, but surely, started to build back.

“It was scary. You have a new body. My whole gait had changed,” she said. “I was afraid to mess anything up. I was also completely out of shape. My whole body was trying to adjust to its new siblings. Everything was really sore.” 

A few steps became a few minutes. A few minutes became a few miles. In September 2023, she entered her new body into its first 10K. “Even though I was so far off what I used to be, it was so special. I got that piece of my soul back.” 

After a string of half marathons, she started working with Keflezighi last year. This is her “dream come true,” he said. “She is very driven. She wants it so bad.” 

Bradshaw has focused on trying to play the long game, and not get carried away. “Everything – every run, every long run, every race – just feels like such a huge gift,” she said. “I can’t believe I’m getting to do this again.” 

The Massachusetts hills are waiting. While Bradshaw is under no illusions as to how challenging Boston will be, the route to the finish is unlikely to prove more trying than her journey to the start.  

“It’s going to be hard, physically,” she said. “But I’ve got this.” 

On Monday morning, some 30,000 runners – from 128 countries and all 50 US states – will convene in Hopkinton to take on the world’s oldest annually-run marathon. 

During conversations with Bradshaw, Keflezighi has often returned to his overarching advice for athletes who grapple with this course. Patience is key. 

“It’s not 26.2 miles. You’ve gotta get ready for, like, 27,” he said. “She’s ready to go.” 

AROUND AND ABOUT

🏖️ Olympic dreams on Venice Beach. The LA 2028 marathon will begin in the beachside neighborhood, organizers announced this week. The finish location has yet to be confirmed. “Time for a business trip,” wrote 2024 Olympian Clayton Young.

📱 Kudos to coaching. Strava is acquiring Runna, the personalized training app, for an undisclosed sum. Michael Martin, CEO of Strava, said it plans to keep the apps separate “for the foreseeable future” and focus on developing Runna.

📺️ Trail running on TV. The Golden Trail World Series will be shown on Eurosport across Europe, TNT Sports in the UK & Ireland, and streaming platforms Max and discovery+, through a partnership between Salomon and Warner Bros Discovery. The new season starts in Kobe, Japan, tomorrow.

🇬🇧 Make sure you have the right Boston. At least one Boston Marathon has already been and gone: the Lincolnshire town in England held its annual marathon on Sunday. Hundreds took part.

RECENT EDITIONS

• #10 Where The World Begins | with The Speed Project soloist Jen Curtis

• #09 Running Behind Bars | with the leaders of the 1000 Mile Club

• #08 Fearless Movement | with Edith Zuschmann of 261 Fearless

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think: just hit ‘reply,’ or email me.

Have a great weekend.

– Callum