Run Spesh Podcast by Frontrunner Colombo
by Frontrunner Colombo
The Run Spesh podcast is all about the shoes and gear you like to go running in. We cover short-form episodes with in-depth discussions on what the shoe is for, who might benefit from it, and how it was made. The Frontrunner is also here to share stories and bring the community together. Enjoy the characters we have in our sports and the experts we work with. Run Spesh is a play on "Run Specialty" with the Frontrunner Colombo being New Zealand's leading Running Specialty Store
Episodes
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124 | Nike Vomero Plus, Auckland Marathon and Facebook marketplace
Tom, Theo and Oska break down Auckland Marathon weekend, Almgren's New York win on debut, World Athletics lifting the stack limit on cross country spikes, and a full Nike Vomero+ review. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro + the Facebook Marketplace con 2:45 Auckland Half Marathon recap 10:20 Auckland…
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Off Track | 005 Scotty Hawker
Andy and Logan are joined by Scotty Hawker, New Zealand ultra-trail runner and online coach, about to line up for a 100K in Antarctica with a crack at the 9:20 continental record. In this episode: - Logan's 292 km bike ride and Andy's 2:59:52 50K at Hagley Park - Scotty's Auckland Marathon as an...
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123 | Saucony Endorphin Speed 6, Timaru 10 Recap and Auckland Marathon Preview
Pip, head coach of the Frontrunner Run Club and one of our new regular reviewers, joins Oska and Theo this week. We recap the Timaru Ten, the real nationals: flat, fast and perfect conditions, with Toby Gualter's course record, seven men under 30 minutes and a string of big PBs for the women.…
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Off Track 005 | By the Run Down
Andy and Logan crack open the mystery beers from Trail Running NZ and run through a huge weekend of racing. Taupo Ultra produced a new 100K course record from Gary Carlton, and Crater Rim had fast times in great conditions. Logan wins the 22K, with finish-line interviews from Jack Payne and Tim...
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122 | Saucony Triumph 24, Timaru 10 Preview and teleportation
Saucony Triumph 24 Review, Timaru 10 Preview + Hannah Gapes on a Tear Tom, Theo and Oscar are back with the weekly running specialty podcast from Frontrunner Colombo in Christchurch. This week Theo makes his podcast debut in the third chair. IN THIS EPISODE Meet Theo: his running background, how…
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121 | Mizuno Hyperwarp Pure 2 | Race the Pro 5 Recap, Training weeks and Anna is back
Anna's back from Europe, Tom's lining up for Auckland and Queenstown, and Oska's out of retirement. We recap Race the Pro 5, run through the weekend's marathon results, give first impressions of the Mizuno Hyperwarp Pure 2, and preview Timaru Ten. Full show notes The Run Down is our weekly…
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Off Track 004 | By the Run Down
Off Track is back — a week late thanks to dogs and airport logistics, and with plenty to catch up on. Andy and Logan start with training: school-holiday survival mode and a busy race-season build for Andy, a post-Tekapo reset (plus a mountaineering course and a taped-up ankle), and Logan's return...
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120 | Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 5, On Cloudsurfer 3, Berlin Recap, Melbourne Recap and Tom's trip
Tom's back after more than seven weeks away — most of it spent training in Andorra with Hayden Wilde and Kyle ahead of the 70.3 Age Group World Championships in Nice, followed by a genuinely brutal travel saga getting home. He's joined this episode by Theo, who gets his own spotlight after a trip...
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Off Track | Episode 002 by The Run Down
Episode 3, and we've got our first-ever guest on the show — Sawyer, who contributed zero words but excellent company throughout. The centrepiece of this episode is Andy's full, honest recap of the Tekapo 50K — a genuinely rough day that included stomach issues from early on, cramping from the 28K...
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119 | The Hype man turns the questions on the boss
The tables are turned this week. Last time, Oska interviewed Alex from Don Greig Racing Stables — this time, Alex has spent weeks sourcing anonymous questions from runners all over Christchurch, and Oska has no idea what's coming. It makes for a genuinely honest hour. We cover childhood —…
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118 | William Little and Connor Melton Pre World Road Championships in Copenhagen
This week Oska sits down with Connor Melton and Will Little — training partners, close friends, and the two Kiwis heading to Copenhagen to race the half marathon at the World Road Running Championships. Both come from very different starting points: Will battled undiagnosed gluten intolerance and...
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Off Track | Episode 001 by the Run Down
Episode 2 of Off Track, and a genuinely huge one. We open with training updates — Logan's finding his rhythm again as he builds back from a stress fracture, and Andy's fresh off a massive confidence-boosting long run ahead of his Tekapo 50K in a couple of weeks. The bulk of this episode is a full...
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117 | Asics Sonic Blast 2 and the SYDNEY MARATHON
A different kind of episode this week. Oska sits down with his good mate Macca from Tempo — recorded in two halves, the first at the ASICS house in Sydney on Saturday night before the race, the second a few days later once both were home — to properly debrief the Sydney Marathon. Neither of them...
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116 | New Balance SuperComp Elite v6 Review, World Masters, Half Marathon World Record and Sydney Preview
A genuinely huge eight days packed into one episode. Oska's fighting off being sick and Anna's just days from six-plus weeks in Europe with Henry, but between them they cover a lot: a Melbourne trip getting an early look at upcoming Hoka and Saucony product, three national-level events happening...
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Off Track | Episode 000 by The Run Down
Introducing Off Track — The Run Down's new trail-running spinoff, hosted by Andy and Logan Griffin. Making sure no trail goes unrun. Episode zero starts with both hosts telling their own stories: Andy's path from a decade in the Army (with a Palmerston North trail network as an unlikely training...
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115 | Brooks Hyperion Elite 6, how Asics is blending the Novablast 6 and 2000 v15 and community events
Big one this week. We open with Run Club's return (12-week Queenstown Marathon programme starts 25 August), then get into a genuinely packed episode: our biggest-ever Run Club turnout — 260+ people — at the ASICS Novablast 6 / GT-2000 15 wear test at Hagley Park, a proper breakdown of why ASICS...
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114 | Henry McMecking, Elite NZ Triathlete
This week Anna and Oska sit down with Henry McMecking — one of New Zealand's fastest-rising short course triathletes and the reigning NZ Under-23 Triathlete of the Year. Ranked inside the world's top 75 and New Zealand's third-highest ranked male behind only Hayden Wilde and Saxon Morgan, Henry's...
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113 | New Balance Supercomp Rebel v1, Athletics NZ Cross Country Recap, Carbon Shoes for a bigger Body and easter egg on a new spin off of the podcast
Tom's mid-trip to Andorra and Anna's home recovering from having her wisdom teeth out, so this week Oska's joined by Andy for a big one. We open with training updates — including Oska's steady comeback from hamstring injury — before a full recap of the NZ Cross Country Championships, headlined by...
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112 | Asics Meta Fuji Trail 2 | Commonwealth Games News | Winter Grind Party and some heavy shoe content
Just Oska and Anna in the studio this week — Tom's mid-way through a 44-hour trip to Andorra, and Maia's home sick days before her final episode with the crew. Still plenty to get through: we open with training updates and what's currently on our feet, run through the week's big shoe releases...
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111 | Saucony Endorphin Elite 3, Josh Kerr, Race wrap ups and Tom's off to Europe
"Wear a kilt. The hill just kept on going. I stopped and got some whisky." One finisher's take on the Mackenzie Half Marathon — which pulled over 1,150 entrants the same weekend Kennett Cup's senior men's race had just five starters. We get into why cross country numbers are shrinking, and what...
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110 | On Cloudboom Strike 2, Paris Recap, Christchurch Marathon, Listener Questions and Emotional Movies
Race starts while you're still in the porta-loo. No time to wipe. Wet day, had to catch up, discard the gear... still won." One of our listeners' most eventful event day stories, and just one of the reasons this week's episode is a good one. Oska's just back from a whirlwind 10 days in Paris with...
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109 | Todd "Toddy" Andrews and The Dream Run
Todd Andrews: From Outback Runner to S&C Coach — The Dream Run Across Australia for Cholmondeley Hosts Oska and Maia welcome Todd "Toddy" Andrews on The Front Runner Colombo's weekly running podcast to trace his path from a love-filled but financially tight childhood in Australia—frequent moves,...
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107 | Nnormal Cadi Shoe Review, Results from in and around, Winter Clothing Conumdrums
The crew kicks off this week's episode from a freshly moved (and very unfinished) Frontrunner office to bring you a massive mix of raw training realities, major global athletics news, and technical gear deep dives. The biggest news of the week hits close to home: Oska shares his recent scan...
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106 | Asics Novablast 6 Review, World Champs Team Announcement, NCAA and Running Investments
Run Spesh: The Rundown — Injuries, NCAA Chaos, World Road Champs Squad & Novablast 6 First Look Oska, Tom and Anna kick off Run Spesh from Frontrunner with a rebrand to "The Rundown," then share training updates: Anna is back running pain-free after gym strength work, while Oska is nearly two…
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105 | Launceston Recap, Melbourne Trip and Race Arousal
Oska, Anna and Maia banter through a chaotic Run Spesh episode from Frontrunner, covering a week of shop life, travel, racing and brand meetings. Oska recaps flying to Melbourne, then heading to Launceston for a half marathon where he felt flat (low HRV, blocked nose, sore hamstring/ankle), fell...
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104 | Brooks Ghost 18 Review, Enchanced Games, Local Pop Culture and down weeks
Run Spesh Ep 104: Racing in Tassie, Wild World Champs Standards & the Ghost 18 Glow-Up Oska, Tom and Anna (from Frontrunner Colombo) kick off Run Spesh with winter banter and Oska's upcoming half marathon in Launceston, where he's managing sciatica/hamstring issues and choosing the ASICS…
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103 | Nike Structure Plus Review, range showings, whats new and race results
Run Spesh Returns: Range Showing Chaos, Launceston Countdown, Trail Wins & Nike Structure+ Oska, Tom and Maia return to Run Spesh after a missed week, explaining how exhausting "range showing" week is as they review upcoming footwear across brands and debate what's exciting versus terrible. They...
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102 | Nike ACG Pegasus Review, Crazy Listener stories, Rotorua Marathon Recap
Run Spesh #102: Rotorua Marathon Recap, Oska's Achilles Comeback, Wild Run Sightings + Nike Pegasus ACG Trail Oska, Tom and Anna kick off with Tom's birthday banter, then recap the Rotorua Marathon: Daniel Belch wins in 2:19 by nearly six minutes on the hilly course, the women's race is won in...
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101 | norda 005 Review, Skedaddle, Canterbury Tour and Mountain Running Champs Recap
Run Spesh: 100 Episodes, Hagley Park Toilet Chaos, London Marathon WRs & Maia Wins Skidaddle Oska, Tom and Maia celebrate (belatedly) 100 episodes of Run Spesh, swap grim stories from Hagley Park—including a shocking Saturday-morning toilet encounter—and invite listeners to share their wild…
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100 | Nike Vapourfly 4 Review, Training Weeks, Boston Marathon, NZ Mountain Running Champs
Run Spesh: Nike Billboard Drama, Boston Dominance, New Shoe Drops & Trail Tech Oska, Tom and Maia from Frontrunner Colombo riff on Nike's Boston Marathon billboard ("runners are welcome, walkers are tolerated") and the backlash, noting Nike had nobody on the Boston podium while ASICS prototypes...
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99 | Hoka Speedgoat 7 Review and Christchurch Marathon Recap
Christchurch Marathon Chaos, PBs & Vomit + Speedgoat 7 Is Back | Run Spesh Oska, Tom and Maia recap a huge Christchurch Marathon week for Frontrunner, from the shakeout run and expo to racing and supporting runners on course. Maia details her half marathon debut, going out too fast, battling...
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98 | On Cloud Moster Hyper 3 LS Review, Christchurch Marathon Preview and Taper Weeks
Christchurch Marathon Week Hype: Tapers, National Champs & Expo Deals | Run Spesh Oska, Tom and Maia (from Frontrunner Colombo) kick off Run Spesh with some banter, then dive into Christchurch Marathon week—the biggest week on the local running calendar and a major week for the shop. They reflect...
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Sole Mates #8 | On Cloudboom Volt vs Nike Zoom Fly 6
Edit to the episode - the Nike unfortunatley isn't 40mm or under! On Cloudboom Vault vs Nike Zoom Fly 6 | (Run Spesh: Sole Mates) Oska and Tom from Frontrunner Colombo's Run Spesh "Sole Mates" compare two new the On Cloudboom Vault and the Nike Zoom Fly 6. They discuss why staying under the 40mm...
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97 | Nike Pegasus 42 Review, Hanmer Training Camps, EPO bans and Race Mentalities
https://frontrunnercolombo.co.nz/ Run Spesh: Wild Hamner Training Camp Tales + Nike Pegasus 42 Review + Christchurch Marathon Week Plans Oska, Tom, and Maia from Frontrunner Colombo chat through a chaotic weekend training camp trip to Hamner that started with sideways rain, TT bikes in gale-force...
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Sole Mates #7 | Hoka Mach X3 vs Mach 7
Hoka Mach X 3 vs Mach 7 (Sole Mates) | Which Frontrunner Daily Trainer Wins? Oska and Tom from Frontrunner Colombo record a "Sole Mates" comparison after their camera isn't charged, pitting Hoka's Mach X 3 against the Mach 7 as faster daily trainers rather than true racers. They praise updates…
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96 | Hoka Mach 7 Review, Borrowing Future Workouts, Listener Questions and the Sponsorship Debate
Run Spesh (Frontrunner): Hamstring Chaos, Half Mara Woes, Shoe Recs & the Scavenger Hunt Run On Run Spesh from Frontrunner, Oska, maia and Anna fill in while Tom's away and riff on podcast awkwardness, eye contact, and office life like new clock-in/out time tracking, late emails, and Oska's...
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Sole Mates #6 | Adidas Hyperboost Edge vs Asics Megablast
ASICS MegaBlast vs adidas Hyper Boost Edge : TPU vs PBA | Run Spesh "Solemates" Oska and Tom from Frontrunner Columbo record a "Solemates" Run Spesh episode comparing the ASICS MegaBlast and the adidas Hyper Boost Edge (Pro), framing it as a matchup of premium foams (TPU vs PBA) and debating what...
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95 | Adidas Hyperboost Edge Review, Le Race, Back into training and weekly round up
Run Spesh: The Race, Devonport carnage, City2Surf record crowds + shoe hot takes Oska, Tom and Anna (from Frontrunner Colombo) ramble through a late-week Run Spesh catch-up: Tom previews "La Race," a brutal Christchurch-to-Akaroa bike event with ~500–600 riders, rolling road closures, gnarly...
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94 | On Cloud Monster 3 Hyper Review, Crack Runs, Motatapu, NZ Track and Field
NZ Track Champs Chaos, Taupō Ironman Drama & a Brutal Motatapu Win | Run Spesh Run Spesh (from Frontrunner Colombo) opens with sponsor chat before Oska, Tom, and Maia recap a huge weekend: New Zealand Track & Field Champs in Auckland, celebrating Rosa Twyford's Triple Crown despite recent injury...
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Solemates #5 | Puma Devaite Nitro Elite 3 vs Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 4
Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 4 vs 3: Lighter, Wider, More Responsive? | Run Spesh at Frontrunner Oska and Tom from Frontrunner Colombo discuss Puma's return to running and compare the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 4 to the popular Deviate Nitro Elite 3, praising the 3 for reliability and versatility from…
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93 | On Cloudboom Volt Review, National Track and Field Preview and Taupo Ironman
Bee Stings, Nationals Hype & The Great Unknown 5K: Run Spesh with Oska, Tom & Anna Oska, Tom and Anna from Frontrunner Colombo catch up on Run Spesh with chaotic shop chat, including Oska's brutal bee-sting running stories and recent travel. Anna shares how she's managing hip tendinopathy while...
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Sole Mates #4 | Asics Superblast 3 vs Asics Superblast 2
ASICS Superblast 3 vs Superblast 2: LEAP Foam, Fit Changes & Who Each Shoe Is For | Run Spesh In this Run Spesh "Solemates" episode from Frontrunner Colombo, Oska and Tom compare the ASICS Superblast 2 and the revamped Superblast 3, focusing on the major shift to softer, faster-compressing LEAP...
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92 | Asics Superblast 3 Review, Osaka Marathon, Challenge Wanaka and Moonlight Marathon
Run Spesh: Oska's Osaka Marathon Debrief, Tommy's Frozen Challenge Wānaka & Maia's Moonlight Half + Superblast 3 Launch In this Run Spesh episode, Oska recaps a busy stretch for the Frontrunner crew six weeks out from Christchurch Marathon, including his trip to Japan to race the Osaka Marathon.…
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91 | Hillary Allen, Brooks Elite Trail Runner + Brooks Cascadia Elite Review
Hillary Allen (Hilly Goat) on Survival, Joy & the Brooks Cascadia Elite | run spesh This week on run spesh, Oska and Maia sit down in Christchurch with elite trail runner Hillary Allen (aka "Hilly Goat") ahead of Tarawera 50K. Hillary talks NZ trail life (Hillary Track, oxygen-rich workouts…
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Sole Mates #3 | New Balance 1080v13 vs Saucony Triumph 23
Oska and Tom from Frontrunner Colombo compare two neutral, highly cushioned road daily trainers: the New Balance 1080v15 and the Saucony Triumph 23. They explain what "neutral" means (no added motion-control elements) and discuss how the 1080v15 is a major improvement over the v14, with a new...
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90 | Saucony Endorphin Pro 5 Review, Lawn Maintance, Race Week Previews and Community Events
Join Oska, Tom and Anna for a jam-packed episode of Run Spesh! This week's highlights include a recap of the latest Run Club events, an exciting announcement about switching locations for interval training, and heaps of gratitude for community support. Oska gets real about his upcoming Osaka...
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Sole Mates #2 Mizuno Hyperwarp Pure vs Elite
Solemates Sneaker Showdown: Mizuno's Hyper Warp Pure vs Elite 🚀👟 Welcome to another exciting episode of 'Sole Mates' with Oska and Tom! Today, we dive deep into the details of Mizuno's latest game-changers: the Hyper Warp Pure and Hyper Warp Elite. We explore stack heights, midsole tech, and...
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89 | Hoka Cielo x1 3.0, Sam Ruthe Runs 3:48, USB thumb Drives, Unratified World Records
Running Records Smashed and Surprising Gear Revealed! 🏃♂️💥 Hey, it's Oska, Tom, and Anna from the Frontrunner Colombo team on the latest episode of Run Spesh, your weekly running specialty podcast! This week, we dive into some of the craziest running results we've ever seen, including Sam…
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Sole Mates #1 | Hoka Cielo x1 2.0 vs Hoka Cielo x1 3.0
Sole Mates Shoe Showdown: Cielo X 3.0 vs Cielo X 2.0 - The Ultimate Running Shoe Comparison! Join Oska from the Frontrunner Colombo and Tom from the Frontrunner Cobo in this exciting episode of 'Sole Mates,' part of the 'Run Spesh' YouTube and Spotify series. Today, they delve into an in-depth...
About this show
The Run Spesh podcast is all about the shoes and gear you like to go running in. We cover short-form episodes with in-depth discussions on what the shoe is for, who might benefit from it, and how it was made. The Frontrunner is also here to share stories and bring the community together. Enjoy the characters we have in our sports and the experts we work with. Run Spesh is a play on "Run Specialty" with the Frontrunner Colombo being New Zealand's leading Running Specialty Store
Hosted by
Frontrunner Colombo