My 2026 Sydney Marathon Recap: From Sickness To Finish Line

Sixteen marathons in, and Emily Abbate is still learning what it truly means to hurdle life's surprises. Coming to you live from Melbourne, Emily breaks down the complete journey of running the Sydney Marathon—from the 16-week training cycle and a brutal bout of food poisoning 48 hours before the gun, to conquering the hilliest World Major course and taking on the mindset of "steady is it." IN THIS EPISODE The Sydney Opportunity: Securing the bib courtesy of ASICS, planning the 16-week build, and training via the Runna app with a peak weekly mileage of 38 miles balanced by three days of strength training. The 24-Hour Travel Haul: Long-haul logistics from JFK to Sydney, navigating sleep adjustments, exploring the Delta One lounge, and what was packed inside Emily’s Away and Dagne Dover bags. The Food Poisoning Hurdle: Getting violently sick just two days before race day, turning to Ritz crackers, white rice, and Pocari Sweat, and the gut-check conversation about whether to line up at all. Race Strategy & Pacing: Managing Sydney's massive 313-meter elevation gain, locking into consistent 7:40–7:55 splits through mile 22, pushing past quad burn, and finishing strong in 3:35:30. Post-Race Recovery & Next Steps: Celebrating with martinis and french fries, a reset trip to Fiji, managing mild plantar flare-ups, and looking ahead to the After Dark Tour stops in LA and Mumbai. QUOTABLE MOMENTS "I show up and I do hard things, and that is a fact... I am someone who doesn't just do hard things, but she does them well." "Knowing the difference between toxic positivity and being open to positivity, being open to the best-case scenario... When you're in a place where you're open to possibility, you allow possibility to find you." "You didn't come this far to only come this far." "Steady is it." "The journey is the destination. It doesn't matter how fast you run a marathon, the fact that you're showing up to do it at all is such an accomplishment." GEAR AND FAVORITES MENTIONED Shoes: ASICS Superblast, ASICS Megablast Apparel: Bandit Stamina Race Crop (Printed Cacao), Lululemon Power Stride socks Tech: Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, Garmin Forerunner 570, Oakley Sutro Lite sunglasses Recovery & Fuel: Runna app, Future app, Pocari Sweat, LMNT, Ozlo Sleepbuds SOCIAL @hurdlepodcast @emilyabbate @iheartwomenssports JOIN: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Daily Hurdle IG Channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ SIGN UP: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Weekly Hurdle Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ASK ME A QUESTION: Email [email protected] to with your questions! Emily answers them every Friday on the show. Listen to Hurdle with Emily Abbate on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.