- The Rundown
- Posts
- Weekly Endurance Briefing: Clayton Young Eyes American Record, REVEL Cancels Mt. Charleston + Diadora Cellula 2 Review 🏃♂️
Weekly Endurance Briefing: Clayton Young Eyes American Record, REVEL Cancels Mt. Charleston + Diadora Cellula 2 Review 🏃♂️
The Rundown
September 7th, 2026
Welcome to your weekly endurance briefing, courtesy of the Marathon Journal. Each Monday, we deliver essential updates and expert insights to keep you informed on the latest in running and competitive sports.
Growing up in Jamaica, Paul Latham spent his youth playing table tennis and staying active, but distance running was never on his radar. It wasn't until well after immigrating to the United States and turning 50 that a gym trainer challenged him to run a three-mile loop to build cardio stamina. What started as a hesitant struggle turned into over 200 5Ks, a fear-defying leap into the Chicago Marathon lottery, and now, preparation for his 13th marathon in Cape Town. Now a regular Boston Marathon volunteer and advocate for lifelong fitness, Paul shares how stepping out of your comfort zone, embracing community, and choosing experiences over material things can help you rewrite your second chapter.
In a year where running shoe design is entirely dominated by towering, unstable foam pillows, the new Diadora Cellula 2 completely bucks the trend with a grounded max-cushion ride built for the absolute pain-cave of high-mileage grinding. Clocking in with a massive 42mm heel stack and a low 5mm drop, this $185 Italian contender packs an Anima N2 nitrogen-infused forefoot puck, wide base geometry, and a high-abrasion Duratech 5000 outsole built for 500+ miles. I’ve been putting them through their paces on groggy 4:00 AM Florida runs—completely barefoot, zero socks—to see how their tailored fit handles tired-leg mechanics and keeps hot spots away once broken in. Is it the ultimate high-mileage financial investment for your daily shoe rotation, or just ultra-marathon hype?
The 2027 REVEL Mt. Charleston Marathon is officially off the calendar, with organizer Brooksee pulling the plug months ahead of race day due to lower-than-expected enrollment. But the real story isn't just the cancellation—it’s the fallout. Registrants are being offered race credits and transfers instead of cash refunds, sparking widespread backlash across the running community.
Is "downhill fatigue" setting in as B.A.A. cutoff times get tougher, or is this a broader sign of changing runner preferences? We break down what happened, why interest in extreme downhill races may be dropping, and how affected runners are handling their entries.
U.S. Olympian Clayton Young is chasing history. Appearing on the Nobody Asked Us podcast, the 32-year-old Brooks athlete announced he will target Conner Mantz’s 2:04:43 American marathon record at the 2026 Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 11. Coming off a fast 2:05:41 performance in Boston earlier this year, Young returns to standard ground on the very course where Mantz set the mark.
He won't be chasing the clock alone. Organizers have unveiled one of the deepest professional lineups in Chicago history, headlined by defending champion Jacob Kiplimo (2:00:28 PB), a men's field with six sub-2:04 runners, and a stacked American contingent featuring Charles Hicks and Galen Rupp.
"The only bad run is the one that didn't happen."