Josh (Berlari) Fothergill on Running a 2:29 Marathon Off Minimal Training, Running Marathons in Costumes and Huge Social Media Growth
Release Date: 02/28/2026
How to Run a Sub 2:15 Marathon w/ Coach Kyle Weise
Sweat Elite Podcast
In this Sweat Elite Podcast Training Talk episode, Matt interviews Kyle Weise who is helping guide Matt’s return to running and long-term goal of breaking his marathon PB over the next 12–18 months. Kyle shares his background, starting running in late 2012, racing ultras early including a 100K at age 19, studying exercise science, working as a physio, and transitioning into coaching while building a Gold Coast-based squad alongside remote athletes. Kyle's Strava: Kyle's Instagram: Matt's Instagram: Matt's Strava: Supporters Club: Coaching: The conversation explores common mistakes...
info_outline
IMO #32 - Marathon Mindset Tools, Mileage Plateaus, Easy Runs & Strava Ego, Sleep Supplements & more
Sweat Elite Podcast
I’m back with another fortnightly In My Opinion episode - sharing running observations, Q&A and personal updates, including my return from injury, training in Bangkok, travel disruptions, Globe Runners plans, and listener questions on performance, recovery and mindset. Train with me: Private Podcast Feed + Discord: Contact: Instagram: Strava Training Log: I recorded this In My Opinion episode from Bangkok, where I ended up extending my stay to meet more people, coach athletes and attend Hyrox. Travel plans shifted a bit with flights becoming more expensive and disrupted, partly due...
info_outline
Marty Bordignon on his 2:46 Osaka PB, Training by Feel, Weight Strategy, and Chasing Big Goals at Gold Coast
Sweat Elite Podcast
In this Sweat Elite Training Talk episode, Matt interviews Gold Coast runner Marty Bordignon after his Osaka Marathon PB of 2:46:05, a roughly four-minute improvement, paced evenly with a 1:22 high / 1:23 low split. They discuss Marty’s summer heat-based build, coached by Kyle Weise, with a strong focus on effort over numbers, plus reflections on wanting a faster result and lessons for future races like Gold Coast. Marty's Strava: Marty's Instagram: Matt's Instagram: Matt's Strava: Supporters Club: Coaching: Marty outlines a conventional training week of intervals on Tuesday,...
info_outline
Michael Fox - Overweight to 2:19 Marathon, High-Mileage Training, and Parenting Through Marathon Pursuit
Sweat Elite Podcast
Episode Summary Irish runner and content creator Michael Fox joins Matt to discuss his unconventional path in the sport. After early success as a teenage 800m/1500m runner, Mick drifted away from athletics in his 20s - moving to Australia, gaining around 30 kg, dealing with injuries, and switching focus to cycling before eventually finding his way back to running. He recounts his return to the sport and debut at the 2018 Dublin Marathon in 2:40, followed by several frustrating blow-ups while trying to improve. During COVID lockdown he leaned heavily into high mileage, including multiple...
info_outline
Tokyo Marathon Weekend, Sub-3 Pursuit, and Building a Running YouTube Channel in Thailand - This Messy Happy
Sweat Elite Podcast
Ben and Mary Bridges (Messy Is Happy) recap Tokyo Marathon weekend, celebrating Mary’s 3:00:01 PB and discussing her rapid progression from 3:13 (Chicago 2024) to 3:04 (Shanghai) to nearly breaking three hours. They attribute the improvement to consistent training, gradually building to ~100 km weeks, and focused mindset work. Ben reflects on his emotional on-camera reaction at the finish and shares his own marathon journey, progressing from 2:50 at the 2019 London Marathon to 2:44 in Chicago, with a long-term goal of running in the 2:30s. He also recounts his Chicago trip where he raced...
info_outline
IMO #31 - Thailand Ramble: Tokyo Marathon Takes, Brian Johnson’s 8 Steps, Workouts of the Week and more
Sweat Elite Podcast
I’m back with another fortnightly In My Opinion episode - sharing running observations, Q&A and personal updates. Train with Matt: Private Podcast Feed + Discord: Contact: Instagram: Strava Training Log: I recorded this ramble episode from Phuket during a 10-day Thailand and Bali trip where I’ve been catching up with friends while doing some work. Part of the trip included visiting Thanyapura Sports Resort to see if it might work as a future Globe Runners Asia training camp location. I talk about some of the longevity content from Brian Johnson and walk through his “eight...
info_outline
Josh (Berlari) Fothergill on Running a 2:29 Marathon Off Minimal Training, Running Marathons in Costumes and Huge Social Media Growth
Sweat Elite Podcast
Episode Summary Runner and content creator Josh Berlari (Josh “Josh Berlari”) breaks down the training behind his 2:29 London Marathon (2025) and a near-sub-15 5K, pushing back on rumors of “minimal training.” He shares that his peak was about 100 km per week, with a focused 4-5 week speed block before a marathon block that overlapped with fasting during Ramadan. Based in Bali for five years, Josh explains how he built a 140K+ Indonesian-language Instagram following by running in costumes (including a suit and a Go-Jek helmet), while trying to balance entertainment with a serious...
info_outline
Doping, Corruption and Athlete Exploitation in Kenyan & Ethiopian Distance Running
Sweat Elite Podcast
Matt interviews high performance coach Selva Yoga following Selva’s earlier public comments on doping in elite distance running. Selva has worked with male athletes holding personal bests ranging from 2:25 down to 2:07 in the marathon, and female athletes as fast as 2:38. He has personally coached athletes from 2:26 down to 2:16 in the marathon. The conversation breaks down how athletes are caught - in and out of competition testing, missed whereabouts filings, and biological passport irregularities - alongside claims of uneven enforcement. Selva alleges corruption within parts of Kenyan...
info_outline
IMO #30 - Osaka Marathon Weekend, Social Media, Running To Effort and much more
Sweat Elite Podcast
I’m back with another fortnightly In My Opinion episode - sharing running observations, Q&A and personal updates. Train with Matt: Private Podcast Feed + Discord: Contact: Instagram: Strava Training Log: I wished friends luck at Osaka and Tokyo and spoke about returning to YouTube to document a marathon comeback despite not running yet and feeling imposter syndrome. I explained why I moved away from pro-athlete travel content - doping concerns, COVID restrictions, visa limits and tax complications. The channel is shifting toward my own journey. On training, I addressed the...
info_outline
Are all the Elite Runners Doping?
Sweat Elite Podcast
Luke and Matt kick off with some light banter before Luke’s travel day into Japan for the Osaka Marathon - a small delay, a tight connection, business class, melatonin sleep, and ANA staff going above and beyond to get them through. That opens a broader chat on Japan’s world-class service, its strict rule-following culture, and why Japan feels “cheap” right now with the yen and day-to-day costs. The episode then pivots to Jake Barraclough’s “Ran To Japan” video and his blunt take on doping in pro running - how hard it is for major names to get caught, the risks for...
info_outlineEpisode Summary
Runner and content creator Josh Berlari (Josh “Josh Berlari”) breaks down the training behind his 2:29 London Marathon (2025) and a near-sub-15 5K, pushing back on rumors of “minimal training.” He shares that his peak was about 100 km per week, with a focused 4-5 week speed block before a marathon block that overlapped with fasting during Ramadan.
Based in Bali for five years, Josh explains how he built a 140K+ Indonesian-language Instagram following by running in costumes (including a suit and a Go-Jek helmet), while trying to balance entertainment with a serious pursuit of elite performance. He also discusses his full-time e-commerce and digital marketing role selling hearing aids into the US, managing global operations after scaling to seven figures per month.
Now coached by Mark Scott, Josh details his build toward Tokyo up to roughly 140 km per week before an ankle injury from stepping into a pothole in heavy rain. He outlines how he’s using bike and treadmill cross-training, and why he’s keeping Tokyo conservative (around 2:24-2:25), while targeting sub-2:20 this year and longer-term goals that include London, Gold Coast, and Berlin.
Links
Josh Fothergill Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/joshberlari/
Be coached by Matt:
https://www.sweatelitecoaching.com/coaching-2026
Join the Shareholders Club / Private Podcast Feed:
https://www.sweatelite.co/shareholders
Matt Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/mattinglisfox/
Matt Training Log - Strava:
https://www.strava.com/athletes/6248359/
Contact Matt:
matt@sweatelite.co
Topics
00:00 - Minimal Marathon Build
00:31 - Speed Block Before London
01:47 - Fasting Through Training
02:26 - Meet The Runner
04:35 - Costumes And Content
07:20 - Going Global With YouTube
09:38 - Day Job And Hustle
11:58 - Full Time Running Dreams
16:06 - Coached By Mark Scott
18:47 - Tokyo Injury Setback
22:03 - Tokyo Goals And Potential
23:53 - Marathon Time Goals
25:17 - Instagram Origins
26:26 - Back To Back Racing
28:15 - Upgrading Content Gear
29:50 - Costumes Versus Speed
31:39 - Helmet And Suit Lessons
33:38 - Future Content Direction
37:51 - Tokyo Injury And Plan
41:01 - Where To Follow Josh
42:29 - Faith And Online Stereotypes