We’ve Got Marginal Gains All Wrong
Could the best runners of the 1960s have beaten the sub 2-hr marathon if they had 2026 level sports science, gear, and training protocols? That’s what Thomas is looking to answer today - and why our understanding of Marginal Gains is, at times, flawed. Chapters: 00:00 Could old-school runners have broken 2 hours? 01:31 Derek Clayton's old-school gear, diet & training 02:32 Stacking modern marginal gains onto Derek 05:42 Were old-school runners just tougher? 06:36 Origin of "marginal gains": Team Sky 07:30 The Team Sky doping controversy 08:29 Debunking the marginal gains myth 11:20 Ceiling effects and the Atomic Habits graph 13:04 Marginal gains = avoiding bad outcomes too 14:00 Back to Derek: what the real data says 18:05 Why Derek would still trail today's best 19:45 Verdict, and a message to Derek Clayton 22:03 Two real takeaways for your own training Join Marathon Handbook’s RunClub for access to our members-only podcast, training plans, community rooms, merch and more: https://marathonhandbook.com/runclub Shop Marathon Handbook merch: https://store.marathonhandbook.com
