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
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