Marathon Training Academy 2024 Holiday Letter
As I reflect on an unforgettable year at MTA, I’m thrilled to share the milestones and adventures that made 2024 one for the books. From marathon journeys around the world to new faces joining our coaching team, it’s been a year of progress, gratitude, and plenty of miles!
New Coaches Joined the Team
In January we brought three new coaches on the coaching team to help train runners of all ages and ability. Erin Palos, Jenna Ziegler, and Erin Smith are certified coaches and accomplished marathoners.
Erin Palos is a 12X marathoner and knows what it takes to qualify for Boston. Erin Smith is the former race director of the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon and runs 100 milers. Jena Ziegler is also a physical therapy doctor (DPT, OCS) and is passionate about helping injury runners get back in the game!
This fall Coach Abby Omerza became the new Head Coach at MTA. Abby has a Master of Science in Exercise Physiology and Fitness and is Boston Marathon Qualifier. She brings a ton of experience to the team -she’s had a full roster of happy clients, and she’s an accomplished marathoner and triathlete.
Abby oversees our coaching program -making sure that clients have what they need to reach their running potential. Disappointed with your recent running performances? Schedule a free consultation call with Coach Abby!
The MTA Podcast
The MTA Podcast reached 15.2 million lifetime downloads this year. When we started back in 2010 my friends would ask, “What is a podcast?”. Now there are millions of podcasts but we’ve managed to remain the top show on “marathon training”. A huge thanks is due to our amazing listeners, members, and clients that make this possible!
This year we had the chance to speak with record setters like Emily Sisson (thanks to UCAN!), Jasmin Paris, and Tara Dower; authors like Dr. Michael Greger and retired Navy Seal Alden Mills; and fitness influencers like Laura Green.
And we featured client success stories with . . .
- Robin Walters -once upon a time she hated running but now she’s a Boston Marathon qualifier.
- Kofo Obasanjo-Blackshire -with consistency and patience she has dropped her marathon time from 4:40 to 3:53
- Melanie Toelcke -ran through the Grand Canyon from rim-to-rim-to-rim
Our most popular episode on Spotify was Let’s Talk About Nutrition for Runners with Coach Amber from MetPro.
The Tokyo Marathon
I definitely recommend putting this race on your bucket list. I think the 14 hour flight from the East Coast was harder than the marathon. Japanese hospitality is legendary and the Tokyo Marathon is an organizational masterpiece.
Angie and I ran for the charity Room to Read which builds school libraries in countries where literacy rate, especially female literacy rates, are low.
Tokyo was Angie’s 5th World Major and 72nd career marathon. Thanks to our Japan-based podcast listeners Roger Berman, Leslie Ann Rogers and Glen Rubin for helping us with logistics and to all the runners who came to the MTA Meet-up!
Revel White Mountains
If you’re lookin for fast and beautiful you can’t go wrong with a Revel Race! In May we drove up to the scenic mountains of Conway, New Hampshire, for the Revel White Mountains Half Marathon. This was the inaugural race and was so popular that Revel is bringing it back in 2025. After the race we had an MTA meet-up at a local brewery with about 25 runners.
The Tour du Mont Blanc
Life’s too short to just sit around right? In July we had the chance to take an adventure that’s been on my bucket list -the Tour du Mont Blanc. The Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB) is the most famous trail running route in the world, circling Mont Blanc (the highest mountain in the Alps) and meandering through France, Italy, and Switzerland.
Starting in Chamonix, France, we meet up with a team of runners from the MTA community. The people who came together for this adventure were all low-drama high-spirited runners. The Chamonix based tour company Run the Alps handled all the logistics and provided two local guides, who were awesome!
We spent a glorious 10 days trekking 114 miles through the mesmerizing beauty of the Alps and eating the local cuisine.
- We ran a total of 183.09km (114.43 miles)
- We climbed 9,810m (32,667ft)
- We descended 10,424m (34,711.92ft)
Join us on next year’s adventure in Switzerland with Run the Alps.
Special thanks to Jeff Thompson, Anna Haberzettle, James and Susie Jin, Kelly Heffner, Becca Schaldt, Parker Watson, Deborah Brown, Tamra Ludlow, Alistair Crompton, Marion Giraud, and Run the Alps!
Germany
After we finished the TMB, Angie flew home and I stayed on the continent to climb mountains, record podcasts, and ‘muck about’ in Switzerland, Austria, France, and Germany. I’m especially fond of via ferratta climbing in the Alps. It’s great cross-training if you’re not afraid of heights. Via Ferrata (Italian for the iron way) is a protected climbing route that uses fixed metal rungs, cables, and ladders to help climbers safely navigate steep or challenging terrain.
Climbing above Hallstatt, Austria
My oldest son, Riley, met me in Germany and helped film videos for our MTA Instagram. My video about going on a Schnapps Hike in the Black Forrest went viral on Instagram (2.1 million views) proving that the internet loves drunken travel adventures.
I was back in Germany in late September to inline skate the Berlin Marathon and cheer for the runners. Skating a marathon is definitely easier than running one. There are not many marathons that have an inline skating edition, I hope they keep it rolling. Thanks to my new friends at Sports Tours International for arranging this trip!
Skating the Berlin Marathon
Slovakia
Next I rented a car and drove to Slovakia, via Prague. I was invited to interview the former prime minister of Slovakia on the podcast and then run the oldest marathon in Europe. How could I not say yes to such a great opportunity! I knew this would be a fun story to share with our audience.
Mikuláš Dzurinda -a transformational leader and avid runner with 39 marathon finishes. Thanks to my friend Andrej Aleksiev for making this all possible!
Trevor interviewing the former Prime Minister of Slovakia
Later that weekend I completed the Košice Marathon (in eastern Slovakia) which is Europe’s oldest marathon. This was my 24th marathon and a chance to add another country to my list. My long-range goal is to run a marathon in every European country.
The Richmond Marathon
In November I was back in Richmond, Virginia, for my 4th consecutive year at America’s Friendliest Marathon. They wanted me to host the Friday shakeout run, which I was more than happy to do. The next day I ran the half and hosted a meet up at Hardywood Brewing. Thanks to everyone who attended and thanks to Sports Backers for having me back for another great year!
2025 Goals
My most important goal is to see our clients and members reach their goals. Everyone here at MTA looks forward to helping runners conquer the marathon and change their lives. For us it’s all about getting feed back like this from our client Melanie who ran her first marathon this year:
“I freaking did it! Yesterday I ran and completed my first marathon! I fulfilled a dream I had since I was 16 years old. 🥹 It was worth the long hours of training, the weight gain from carb loading, 😅😮💨 pain, and everything else.
I can’t wait to train for the next one and do it better and stronger. I don’t think I would have been as successful if it wasn’t for Marathon Training Academy and MTA Coach Erin Palos! Thank you so much for your support and guidance! My chip time was 5:33:12. -Melanie O
On a personal note I’m looking forward to pushing myself to do hard things in 2025. Angie and I will be training for the beautiful Eiger Ultra Trail in Switzerland 🇨🇭. This race is already sold out but we have access to bibs through Run the Alps. They have a 51k, 35k, and 16k.
I’m looking forward to being back in the Bernese Oberland -my favorite place in Switzerland. This will be my second ever ultramarathon and I’m a bit nervous about it. But sometimes you gotta go for it!
Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays from our family to yours!
Trevor Spencer
Co-Founder at Marathon Training Academy
