The Road To Chicago

Anthony reflects on his training block and gives us an insight into his shoe rotation

I’m sure you’re all familiar with Anthony, manager of our new store in Coal Drops Yard. Alongside his amazing expertise and knowledge in running and gait analysis, he’s also a dedicated runner, balancing training with work and family life. We caught up with him ahead of the Chicago Marathon to chat about his current training block, his marathon essentials, and what’s keeping him motivated.

When Anthony first started running, races weren’t even on his radar. Then, one day, an unexpected invitation to run the London Marathon in 2022 changed everything.

“I didn’t care to race,” he admits. “And then one day somehow, I got invited to do the London Marathon.”

He arrived at the start line not really knowing what to expect. But when he crossed the finish line, something clicked. What had started simply as going for a run sparked a newfound curiosity: just how fast could he run a marathon, and just how far could he push himself?

Fast forward to now, and Anthony is preparing to stand on the start line this Sunday in Chicago for his 11th marathon, with a target of 2:38 in his sights. A lot has changed since that first marathon in London, where he got his first taste for the distance. This time, there’s a goal that he wants to chase, but there’s more to it than that.
“I learn a lot about myself through running,” he says, deep in thought. “Running has made me realise that I can talk myself out of things without even trying. So that’s what this race is about.”

Sometimes the biggest obstacle to success isn’t whether you are physically capable of keeping up, but whether or not you believe you belong there in the first place. If he could go back and give his younger self one piece of advice before that first 26.2 miles, it would be simple: don’t be afraid to run with people faster than you.

And I think that advice that goes beyond pacing, too. Sometimes you just have to run with people who are faster than you and see what happens. Worst case, you get dropped (and still improve). Best case, you surprise yourself. 

Marathon training doesn’t only affect the running, it can easily spill into the rest of your life too. This block, in particular, has been less about doing more and more about finding a better balance. Preparing for a marathon can easily become all-consuming, and Anthony admits that he can get “quite dark” during a training block, putting so much of his attention into the hard work that it can come at the expense of other parts of his life.

“I’ve tried to have more fun and make more time for my kids,” he says. “Usually in a training block, I can get quite dark and really focus on the hard work only, and then sometimes that knocks the balance for other parts of my life. But I think I had a really good balance in this block.”

This time, training has looked a little different. Alongside the hard work, Anthony has made a conscious effort to enjoy the process and make more time for his family. Because, as it turns out, marathon training doesn’t have to take over everything.

Of course, we can’t talk about Anthony’s training without talking about what’s on his feet. His current rotation has a shoe for pretty much every type of run.

For his daily running and clocking up the miles, the Nike Vomero 18 is his go-to, he describes it simply as “just an amazing shoe”. 

For faster runs and sessions, he opts for the Saucony Endorphin Azura. It’s based on the brand’s racing shoe but without the carbon plate, giving him the light and responsive feeling he wants when he needs to pick up the pace. 

And for race day, he’s going for the ASICS Metaspeed Tokyo. A crazy fast and aggressive racer that is, “probably one of the greatest race shoes I’ve tried” according to Anthony, who also keen to add that he’s “not sponsored by the way”.

For Anthony, having a rotation isn’t just an excuse to have loads of shoes stacked away somewhere, although I’m sure that’s a nice bonus. It’s about keeping running feeling fresh. It means that each shoe has enough time to recover between runs, helping them last longer. “If you can afford it, I always recommend a rotation.”

Aside from shoes, his marathon essentials include Bandit half tights, which are known for their plentiful pockets and endless storage. He’s torn between a Bandit vest or Nike Runlimited vest for race day, SUMS socks and his race day fuel of choice, Maurten gels, alternating between caffeinated and non-caffeinated roughly every 20 minutes. 

When it comes to getting himself out the door, Anthony says, “I will never regret a run, but I will always regret not running.” This sums up his relationship with the sport quite nicely.

On Sunday, it all comes together in Chicago as Anthony takes on marathon number 11. It’ll be a test of everything he’s worked towards, and a chance to see what he can do when it all comes down to those 26.2 miles. But there’ll be a lot more to take from the day than just the time on his stopwatch. Every marathon has a story and something new to discover about yourself.

“Running can mean many things,” he says. “One day it could just mean I’m going to have a mental break from everything else. It’s a place for self discovery, a place to cycle through thoughts. It can be whatever I need it to be.”

Eleven marathons in, he’s still finding out where running can take him, and what it can give him along the way.

Shop Anthony's Rotations

Written by Cara Teton

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