The Dream Race Calendar Episode: Marathons, UTMB, World Majors & More!

What would your dream race calendar look like? In this episode of the Marathon Handbook Podcast, Michael Doyle, Alex Cyr, and Katelyn Tocci go head-to-head in our second annual Fantasy Race Draft — building the ultimate year of running. 00:00 Draft Rules + Race Categories Explained 02:30 Audience Challenge: Who Wins the Draft? 07:37 Draft Order Revealed (Snake Draft Begins) 09:56 Alex Pick #1 — London Marathon 🇬🇧 12:28 Michael Pick #1 — New York City Marathon 🇺🇸 14:38 Katelyn Pick #1 — Brooklyn Half Marathon 🇺🇸 16:47 Katelyn Pick #2 — Patagonia Ultra 50K (Chile) 🇨🇱 21:00 Michael Pick #2 — Rotterdam Marathon 🇳🇱 24:00 Alex Pick #2 — Valencia Marathon 🇪🇸 26:31 Alex Pick #3 — Ottawa 10K 🇨🇦 31:20 Michael Pick #3 — Dublin St. Patrick’s Day 5K 🇮🇪 34:34 Katelyn Pick #3 — Rome Marathon 🇮🇹 36:24 Katelyn Pick #4 — Athens Authentic Marathon 🇬🇷 41:40 Michael Pick #4 — Great North Run Half Marathon 🇬🇧 45:00 Alex Pick #4 — Copenhagen Half Marathon 🇩🇰 46:30 Alex Wild Card Pick — Japan Ekiden Relay 🇯🇵 52:10 Michael Pick #5 — UTMB CCC Ultra (France) 🇫🇷 53:10 Katelyn Pick #5 — Rock ‘n’ Roll Madrid 10K 🇪🇸 56:15 Katelyn Pick #6 — Iceland Midnight Sun Run 5K 🇮🇸 58:40 Michael Pick #6 — Sydney Harbour 10K 🇦🇺 01:01:40 Alex Pick #5 — NYC Half Marathon 🇺🇸 01:06:10 Alex Pick #6 — Amsterdam 10K 🇳🇱 01:09:20 Michael Pick #7 — Barcelona Half Marathon 🇪🇸 01:11:20 Katelyn Pick #7 — Buenos Aires Half Marathon 🇦🇷 01:16:00 Katelyn Pick #8 — Geneva 10K 🇨🇭 01:22:20 Alex Pick #7 — Auckland Waterfront 5K 🇳🇿 01:25:30 Alex Pick #8 — Singapore 5K 🇸🇬 01:20:50 Michael Pick #8 — Abu Dhabi 10K 🇦🇪 01:29:00 Michael Pick #9 — Cape Town Night 5K 🇿🇦 SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS: Saysky makes incredible running gear that our team love. Use code MARATHON15 for 15% off your purchase at https://saysky.com This episode is presented by Momentous. Use promo code MARATHON for up to 35% off your first order: https://⁠livemomentous.com Here’s the challenge: • One 5K, 10K, Half Marathon & Marathon (Spring + Fall) • One true trail ultra (50K+) • One wild card race • Only ONE race per country • And it has to be realistically runnable in one year From the London Marathon, NYC Marathon, and Valencia, to UTMB, Athens, Brooklyn Half, Tokyo, Patagonia ultras, and some surprise 5Ks… we build our dream 2026 race schedules and debate strategy along the way. Now it’s your turn 👇 Who won the draft? Drop your vote in the comments. Topics we cover: • World Marathon Majors strategy • Fast half marathons vs bucket-list races • Trail ultras vs road racing • Destination racing • The hardest scheduling decisions runners face • Fantasy vs realistic race calendars CHAPTERS: 00:30 Draft Rules + Race Categories Explained 02:30 Audience Challenge: Who Wins the Draft? 07:37 Draft Order Revealed (Snake Draft Begins) 09:56 Alex Pick #1 — London Marathon 🇬🇧 12:28 Michael Pick #1 — New York City Marathon 🇺🇸 14:38 Katelyn Pick #1 — Brooklyn Half Marathon 🇺🇸 16:47 Katelyn Pick #2 — Patagonia Ultra 50K (Chile) 🇨🇱 21:00 Michael Pick #2 — Rotterdam Marathon 🇳🇱 24:00 Alex Pick #2 — Valencia Marathon 🇪🇸 26:31 Alex Pick #3 — Ottawa 10K 🇨🇦 31:20 Michael Pick #3 — Dublin St. Patrick’s Day 5K 🇮🇪 34:34 Katelyn Pick #3 — Rome Marathon 🇮🇹 36:24 Katelyn Pick #4 — Athens Authentic Marathon 🇬🇷 41:40 Michael Pick #4 — Great North Run Half Marathon 🇬🇧 45:00 Alex Pick #4 — Copenhagen Half Marathon 🇩🇰 46:30 Alex Wild Card Pick — Japan Ekiden Relay 🇯🇵 52:10 Michael Pick #5 — UTMB CCC Ultra (France) 🇫🇷 53:10 Katelyn Pick #5 — Rock ‘n’ Roll Madrid 10K 🇪🇸 56:15 Katelyn Pick #6 — Iceland Midnight Sun Run 5K 🇮🇸 58:40 Michael Pick #6 — Sydney Harbour 10K 🇦🇺 01:01:40 Alex Pick #5 — NYC Half Marathon 🇺🇸 01:06:10 Alex Pick #6 — Amsterdam 10K 🇳🇱 01:09:20 Michael Pick #7 — Barcelona Half Marathon 🇪🇸 01:11:20 Katelyn Pick #7 — Buenos Aires Half Marathon 🇦🇷 01:16:00 Katelyn Pick #8 — Geneva 10K 🇨🇭 01:22:20 Alex Pick #7 — Auckland Waterfront 5K 🇳🇿 01:25:30 Alex Pick #8 — Singapore 5K 🇸🇬 01:20:50 Michael Pick #8 — Abu Dhabi 10K 🇦🇪 01:29:00 Michael Pick #9 — Cape Town Night 5K 🇿🇦 If you love marathon training, race strategy, travel racing, and big running debates — this one’s for you. 📩 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 📬 Subscribe to the Marathon Handbook newsletter for daily training insights 👇 Drop your questions or takes in the comments — we read them all. #Marathon #RunningPodcast #WorldMarathonMajors #UTMB #HalfMarathon #LondonMarathon #NYCMarathon #ValenciaMarathon #RaceStrategy