Syd Marathon Hype, Ballarat Mud, & Professional Drummer & Run2PB Athlete Tim Firth on chasing a marathon PB.

Episode 311 of the Better With Running Podcast begins with hosts Chris Armstrong and Zac Newman discussing the immense anticipation surrounding the Sydney Marathon.

Chris shares a vivid recap of the National Cross Country Masters 4km in Ballarat, battling ankle-deep mud, freezing weather, and call-room logo-taping logistics to finishing an epic race. Zac manages a minor calf scare with the help of Physio and fellow run2pb Coach James Telford.

The main interview features professional touring drummer and Run2PB athlete Tim Firth. Tim details his running journey from an initial 4:40 marathon disaster to chasing a sub-3:30 at Sydney, alongside his progression to a 3:35 personal best. As a freelance drummer and music teacher—with a degree from the University of New South Wales and Sydney Conservatorium—Tim opens up about what it is like balancing parenting and a demanding professional music career touring with iconic Australian acts like Dragon and Thirsty Merc, as well as jazz artists like James Morrison. He explains how he navigates unpredictable late-night gig schedules, irregular travel, and early morning runs to maintain a consistent routine without letting his music or family life slip.

Finally, Tim and the hosts dive into coaching adjustments with Brady, shifting from high-mileage weeks that left him broken down to fresher, targeted 80km weeks built around marathon-specific quality. The episode concludes with a fun quick-fire round comparing the endurance of a marathon to musical performances, thoughts on modern running tech, and cricket chats.

This episode is brought to you in partnership with Oat Running Socks and listeners can score some using the run2pb discount code "Run2pb15" for 15% off the range by visiting ⁠www.oatrunning.com.au.