The 26 Most Influential People in Running for 2026 | Sifan Hassan, Kipchoge, Nike, Strava & More

Who will define the sport of running in 2026? In this episode of the Marathon Handbook Podcast, Michael Doyle, Katelyn Tocci, and Alex Cyr rank the 26 most influential people in running for 2026 — from superstar athletes like Sifan Hassan, Eliud Kipchoge, Faith Kipyegon, and Sebastian Sawe, to power brokers behind the scenes at Nike, Strava, World Athletics, and the World Marathon Majors. We debate celebrities like Harry Styles and Diplo, scrutinize watchdogs like Marathon Investigation, break down the future of super shoes, and argue about who really controls the future of the marathon. Expect strong opinions, hot takes, and a few laughs along the way. 🎙️ New episode every week from the Marathon Handbook Podcast. This episode is brought to you by the Wahoo’s KICKR RUN – go to https://⁠wahoofitness.com⁠ and use promo code MHRUN to get a free $319 KICKR Headwind Fan with your treadmill order Timestamped Chapters: 00:00 Intro & 2026 Running Outlook 02:20 Training Through the Holidays 04:05 Bicarb, Gifts & Holiday Running 07:00 Wahoo KICKR Run Ad 08:25 The 26 Most Influential People in Running Explained 08:55 #26–23: Casey Neistat, Kaplimo, Nike Shoe Designers, Marathon Investigation 15:25 #22–21: Sebastian Coe & Diplo 19:50 #20–19: Tracksmith vs Bandit 24:45 #18–17: Des & Kara + London Marathon 28:00 #16–15: NYC Marathon & LetsRun 32:20 #14–13: Allie Feller & Courtney Dauwalter 35:05 #12: Katie Schide 38:55 #11–10: World Marathon Majors & Laz Lake 44:10 #9: Harry Styles 48:50 #8–7: Nike CEO & Sebastian Sawe 54:30 #6–5: Tigst Assefa & Conner Mantz 59:30 #4: Eliud Kipchoge 01:02:30 #3–2: Strava CEO & Faith Kipyegon 01:11:00 #1: Sifan Hassan 01:14:30 Honorable Mentions & Final Thoughts 📩 Questions about training, race previews, or to send us your hot takes? Email us at podcast@marathonhandbook.com. 🎤 Leave us a voice memo for our mailbag episodes: marathonhandbook.com/podcast📸 Instagram: @marathon.handbook 📰 Join 265,000+ runners getting our daily newsletter: marathonhandbook.com/newsletter #RunningPodcast #MarathonHandbook #RunningNews #MarathonRunning #SifanHassan #EliudKipchoge #FaithKipyegon #RunningCulture #TrackAndField #MarathonTraining