24: Andy Buchanan, on London Marathon goals, rivalries and letting go of what people think

Before Andy Buchanan’s iconic 2:06:22 at Valencia last year, he often found himself lost in daydreams of breaking the Australian record while running in the bush. But as soon as the run was over, the thoughts would dissipate like a mirage.

In this episode of Run With It, Andy shares the feeling of actually crossing the blue carpet at Valencia and experiencing time slow down in that moment. He talks about how mental training has transformed his running, adding that his breakthroughs have come when he’s let go of what other people think and truly backed himself.

We discuss his progression in the marathon, his big build up to London, including a juicy time goal and his thoughts on the healthy rivalry with former Australian marathon record holder Brett Robinson. Andy weighs up running the marathon World Championships this year against Sydney Marathon, which is offering a huge prize purse, and how athletes often have to choose between making a living or representing Australia.

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Andy Buchanan is an Australian marathon runner based in Bendigo. Initially making his mark as an exceptional cross-country talent, Andy transitioned to marathon running, marking his debut with a time of 2:12:23 in 2022, before running 2:10:20 in 2023 and 2:08:58 in 2024 (all at Hamburg Marathon). He represented Australia at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and got a late call up to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics after Brett Robinson pulled out due to injury. Later in 2024, Andy broke the Australian record in the marathon by more than a minute at Valencia (2:06:22). Next week he’ll line up for his first Abbott World Marathon Major, London Marathon. Outside of running for Asics, Andy works as a high school teacher, an online coach with Run2PB and has a store in Bendigo, called Verve Running.

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Andy Buchanan's Instagram: @andy_buchanan

Run With It: @runwithit.pod

Elise Beacom: @elisebeacom

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Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom

Graphic design by Kate Scheer