Mile Zero Toronto 2026: Alex Hutchinson and Natasha Wodak

Mile Zero goes to Toronto! Recorded live in front of an audience during Toronto Waterfront Marathon weekend, Michael Doyle, Alex Cyr and Katelyn Tocci sit down with two of Canada’s biggest names in running.

First up is sports science journalist Alex Hutchinson, author of "Endure" and "The Explorer’s Gene." He sorts the supplements that work from the hype: bicarb, caffeine, beet juice, creatine, Nomio, lactate gels and carbs per hour. He also gives his take on training in super shoes and recovery gadgets, and he previews his upcoming book, "This Is Your Brain on Running." That includes the science of the runner’s high and “transient hypofrontality.” Then he gets through a rapid-fire round of Fad or Fact.

Next, Canadian former marathon record holder and two-time Olympian Natasha Wodak opens up her training. She covers how she structures a marathon build, her favourite 4x5K workout, why she trains in super shoes but skips most supplements, and the return of double threshold. She also talks about whether a peak marathon age exists, the story behind her record-setting run in Berlin, how she gets through a bad race, and her tips for racing the Toronto Waterfront Marathon.

The episode wraps with an audience Q&A covering topical bicarb, pickle juice for cramps, how to judge running products for yourself, whether training has actually improved, and how to use a sauna or hot tub for heat training.

Chapters:
00:00 Welcome to Mile Zero Toronto
03:30 Alex Hutchinson on why runners keep getting faster
05:42 Bicarb vs. beet juice: what works and the stomach problem
07:34 Caffeine, creatine and the IOC’s evidence-based supplements
09:15 How many carbs per hour should you take in a marathon?
13:25 Lactate gels and Nomio: promising or hype?
21:23 Should you do workouts in super shoes?
24:15 Recovery gadgets: what Hutchinson is most skeptical of
28:20 New book: This Is Your Brain on Running
35:24 Is the runner’s high real?
39:44 Fad or Fact lightning round
44:26 Natasha Wodak joins: inside her marathon build
48:03 Her favourite workout: 4x5K at marathon pace
49:44 Super shoes, saunas and double threshold
54:36 Peak marathon age and when to move up
1:02:41 How her training has changed over the years
1:07:45 Toronto Waterfront Marathon course tips
1:12:16 Pushing through a bad race and the Berlin record story
1:21:08 Audience Q&A: bicarb creams, pickle juice and spotting hype
1:29:27 Has training gotten better? Plus sauna heat training

NYC MILE ZERO LIVE SHOW, 31st Oct:
eventbrite.com/e/marathon-handbook-live-mile-zero-nyc-2026-tickets-2002340913574

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