Some here probably know the exact numbers, but from what Jake has shared publicly, his marathon progress basically tracked the scale. When he was running around 2:45, he was still carrying a lot of leftover MMA mass, probably in the high-170s to low-180s lbs. As he leaned out into the low-160s, the times dropped almost perfectly in sync. That was his biggest leap, shedding non-functional weight. After that, improvements were smaller, which makes sense, once the low-hanging fruit of weight loss is gone, further gains rely on training, speed, and efficiency. I get the other arguments about his training, peaking, and how he manages races, and those are all fair. But I still think we are dancing around the elephant in the room (no pun intended). Height itself is not limiting; we have seen tall elite marathoners. What you do not usually see is someone who is both tall and carrying extra mass competing at the very top of elite races. By regular standards he is skinny, sure, but by elite marathon norms he is still carrying more mass than the event typically allows. Compare him to someone like Jonny Mellor, similar height but significantly lighter, and the effect on marathon potential becomes obvious. Bottom line, he would need better speed, further body recomposition, and more consistently optimized training. And that is not trivial, it would require meaningful lifestyle changes, stricter focus on body composition, careful control over training and recovery, and less flexibility day-to-day. Honestly, I doubt that is something he is willing or wants to commit to without sacrificing the enjoyment of training, which is totally fair. But it also explains why talking about cracking the very top tier of elite marathon times right now is probably unrealistic. None of this is meant to diminish his accomplishments; transforming from an MMA build to a 2:14-ish marathoner is impressive. But the improvement curve so far is textbook: lose excess mass, see big gains, then diminishing returns once body size, training quality, and physiological ceilings become limiting factors. Physics does not care about vibes or youtube narratives.
Some here probably know the exact numbers, but from what Jake has shared publicly, his marathon progress basically tracked the scale. When he was running around 2:45, he was still carrying a lot of leftover MMA mass, probably in the high-170s to low-180s lbs. As he leaned out into the low-160s, the times dropped almost perfectly in sync. That was his biggest leap, shedding non-functional weight. After that, improvements were smaller, which makes sense, once the low-hanging fruit of weight loss is gone, further gains rely on training, speed, and efficiency. I get the other arguments about his training, peaking, and how he manages races, and those are all fair. But I still think we are dancing around the elephant in the room (no pun intended). Height itself is not limiting; we have seen tall elite marathoners. What you do not usually see is someone who is both tall and carrying extra mass competing at the very top of elite races. By regular standards he is skinny, sure, but by elite marathon norms he is still carrying more mass than the event typically allows. Compare him to someone like Jonny Mellor, similar height but significantly lighter, and the effect on marathon potential becomes obvious. Bottom line, he would need better speed, further body recomposition, and more consistently optimized training. And that is not trivial, it would require meaningful lifestyle changes, stricter focus on body composition, careful control over training and recovery, and less flexibility day-to-day. Honestly, I doubt that is something he is willing or wants to commit to without sacrificing the enjoyment of training, which is totally fair. But it also explains why talking about cracking the very top tier of elite marathon times right now is probably unrealistic. None of this is meant to diminish his accomplishments; transforming from an MMA build to a 2:14-ish marathoner is impressive. But the improvement curve so far is textbook: lose excess mass, see big gains, then diminishing returns once body size, training quality, and physiological ceilings become limiting factors. Physics does not care about vibes or youtube narratives.
You’ll only get downvotes on this comment because people will read the first paragraph, not understand and hate you for it.
What an unbelievably gorgeous thing Nick Bester has done for Aubrey bigger than running this Christmas time.
Aubrey is one of the loveliest, YouTubers out there and his recent progress as a runner is quite startling. To break 21 minutes in the 5k is a huge achievement compared to where he was even 1 year ago.
So proud of Nick for pacing him to that achievement. It shows what a great friend he is. Having to put ego aside and run the slowly relative to his own pace in order to help Aubrey is completely within the Christmas spirit. Sacrificing his own shot at parkrun glory to do it.
Two of the sports nicest people, working together. Really hoping for a collab soon between them both and Ben Fenton. The Brits really are ruling the running YouTube world right now.
I really like RTJ but I don't get the 'Moderate Talent' thing, for some reason it seems to be a narrative Jake pushes for YouTube. He ran at a decent level as a youngster then had a while out for health reasons before moving to MMA in the US, he then ran a 2:30 something marathon with little training (something that an untalented runner certainly wouldn't be capable of doing).
So when he claims he went from a 2:30 to a 2:14 marathon "because of high milage" that is disingenuous because he would've improved massively by stopping MMA and going all in on running whatever philosophy he went with and its impossible to know what time he might've run if he was doing 180k a week with a few focused speed sessions.
He also uses relatively poor 5k/10k times as a reason for why he has less 'Talent'despite the fact he did almost no speed training for two years and even now he doesn't focus heavily enough on improving his speed whilst also barely ever racing 5/10k against other decent runners (I know that they are less popular in Japan and this is why). Its almost a self fulfilling prophecy where he doesn't train or race 5ks then claims hes a carthorse and does more endurance training because of it...
Being able to physically withstand really high mileage week in and week out without (physical) injury is a massive "talent," one that many professional runners lack (even with access to the best recovery products/ massage/ gym equipment, etc.).
Also, of course, his physique totally changed from his MMA fighting days. The body composition change alone is a major factor in lowering his marathon time. he then bundled that with a huge amount of training volume but 2:38 is not a terrible starting place either considering where he was physically at that time based on decent but certainly not great youth/ collegiate running results and after months of injury spent stationary biking.
This is not one of those influencer "I shaved 3 hours off of my marathon" stories and likely indicates a high level of natural talent... I understand that everyone at the elite level has a high level of natural talent but I think Jake sells himself short by not including himself in that group. On the other hand, I think this underdog mentality, warranted or not, provides him the motivation to run 25 miles a day and to chose to remain living in a sweaty shoebox.
***upon second thought, many of mine echo the very sensible quoted post. apologies for redundancy.
I don't hold this against him but that 2:38 (technically 2:37:59) was very sandbagged. He was more forthcoming about this in some interviews like in his interview with Life in Stride. Another interview to watch is with Goran Winblad for more info on his fitness before Japan. He says he had still been training MMA up to a few weeks before the race and weighed 25-30 pounds more. Also it was 80+ degrees and 70%+ humidity and he won it by 3 minutes. So imagine how much slower you'd run a race if you were 25 pounds heavier, training MMA, in 70+ degree dew point, and having to finish solo.
He also said he hit 100mi weeks when training for that marathon, which he never talks about in his own videos, to emphasize how much he changed his training when he moved to Japan. Anyway...
After that marathon (May 2021) he still had one more year at SCAD. He picked MMA back up and didn't drop it completely until the end of his time at SCAD (~May 2022). That summer he goes back to the UK and is now all-in on the marathon, training for Valencia. You can see two weeks of 107mi, 110mi on Strava, which he described to Goran as "not that high of mileage" and then he tore his hip. He didn't run for 7 months. While he was rehabbing his hip, he did a ton of cycling and this is when he lost a lot of weight.
His return from injury was in February 2023. Over 7 weeks he runs: 9mi, 13mi, 21, 33, 38, 49, 51. In that 7th week he does his first workout (3 x 1mi in 5:25, 5:05, 5:01) as well as a 5k race in 15:35. 8th week is 64mi. 9th week he runs a 15:10 5k. His best 5k at SCAD was a 15:29, which he's now smashed off of relatively low mileage and a handful of workouts.
In June 2023 he breaks 15 for a 5k with a 14:57. He does a post-race workout 30mins later of another 5k in 16:11.
Mid August 2023, he runs 3 x 4k (1k float) at HM pace and says he's aiming for sub-66 in a few weeks.
End of August 2023, off of 130mi weeks, he runs a 31:16 10k PB during a workout of 3 x 3k (500m) float. If the 3k reps were at HM pace, which seems like a reasonable workout, then a 65 HM is looking very good. But he cancels the HM race to do the "Rugby to Paris" event.
End of Aug to beginning of September 2023, he does "Rugby to Paris" where he runs 289 miles in 10.5 days. On September 7 2023, he's moved to Japan.
November 2023 he runs a 65min half. Maybe could've run 64 with better pacing, but the kamikaze Japanese pacing didn't help.
So my two conclusions are:
1. Despite how bad his collegiate 1500m/5000m times were, as well as that 2:37 marathon, he was in ~65 HM / 2:17 M shape before he moved to Japan. And that was off only a few months of high mileage. He went from maybe 2:30 shape to 2:17 shape with mostly cycling, weight loss, lifestyle changes, and consistency.
2. He didn't change his training THAT drastically in preparation for moving to Japan and after moving to Japan. He already had experience running consistent 100mi weeks in worse conditions (higher weight, with MMA training, worse sleep, drinking). I'd argue the higher mileage "marathon monk" approach, especially for a pure slow twitch guy, is actually easier than trying to survive 100mi weeks with MMA training and partying and 25 pounds heavier.
So in my mind, putting aside his actual marathon PR progression, from Sept '23 to March '25 he went from ~65/2:17 fitness to ~63/2:12 fitness. He averaged 133mi/week in 2024 to make that leap.
Very respectable and significant. But that's definitely not the impression his viewers have about his fitness progression. Nor do his viewers have a clear picture of his mileage progression.
And note that for him to quickly be in 65 HM shape post-collegiately when he messed around so much in college ... wouldn't we call that a talented runner? Granted he is not talented for shorter distances.
IMO if he wants to run 280-300km weeks, that's not completely out of the question, but he needs to periodize like Kelvin Kiptum did: "Our marathon program is established over four months, with a lot of bodybuilding and strengthening at the start. The first month he runs around 900 km (559 miles) in total, the second month between 280 and 300 km (173-186 miles) per week. In the fourth month we gradually reduce the volume, to have some rest before the race."
edit: I've just seen someone wrote a reply an hour ago about the weight loss. So just to address that, I think I've shown that explains how he got to 65 / 2:17 shape. Continuing to progress from there is definitely not a given. But he has significantly progressed from there through training, not further weight loss.
This post was edited 8 minutes after it was posted.
But I still think we are dancing around the elephant in the room (no pun intended). Height itself is not limiting; we have seen tall elite marathoners. What you do not usually see is someone who is both tall and carrying extra mass competing at the very top of elite races. By regular standards he is skinny, sure, but by elite marathon norms he is still carrying more mass than the event typically allows. Compare him to someone like Jonny Mellor, similar height but significantly lighter, and the effect on marathon potential becomes obvious. Bottom line, he would need better speed, further body recomposition, and more consistently optimized training. And that is not trivial, it would require meaningful lifestyle changes, stricter focus on body composition, careful control over training and recovery, and less flexibility day-to-day. Honestly, I doubt that is something he is willing or wants to commit to without sacrificing the enjoyment of training, which is totally fair. But it also explains why talking about cracking the very top tier of elite marathon times right now is probably unrealistic. None of this is meant to diminish his accomplishments; transforming from an MMA build to a 2:14-ish marathoner is impressive. But the improvement curve so far is textbook: lose excess mass, see big gains, then diminishing returns once body size, training quality, and physiological ceilings become limiting factors. Physics does not care about vibes or youtube narratives.
If he cut weight down to a standard marathoner build I'd expect to see more injuries with his training, there's no guarantee it actually improves his times if it limits his training.
Anyone see the brilliant video from an England masters runner about the best shoe of 2025? It's by a guy called Donato who I understand is one of the original running youtubers who's been in the game for over a decade.
IMO if he wants to run 280-300km weeks, that's not completely out of the question, but he needs to periodize like Kelvin Kiptum did: "Our marathon program is established over four months, with a lot of bodybuilding and strengthening at the start. The first month he runs around 900 km (559 miles) in total, the second month between 280 and 300 km (173-186 miles) per week. In the fourth month we gradually reduce the volume, to have some rest before the race."
That would be my take away. A lot of people have done high mileage and ran fast. Very few have done it for long though. have a baseline of like 100-120mpw and do a couple months of 160 before the marathon.
In the end we will see over the next 18 months if this was a blip or a sign of things to come. I do think people miss that the slogan is a bit sarcastic.
Thank you for this breakdown Xel. This just goes to show how much Jake has gaslit himself and us viewers into thinking this mileage/Japanese marathon monk lifestyle is necessary for his training. He really needs to see this but he's too stubborn and will probably double down.
Some here probably know the exact numbers, but from what Jake has shared publicly, his marathon progress basically tracked the scale. When he was running around 2:45, he was still carrying a lot of leftover MMA mass, probably in the high-170s to low-180s lbs. As he leaned out into the low-160s, the times dropped almost perfectly in sync. That was his biggest leap, shedding non-functional weight. After that, improvements were smaller, which makes sense, once the low-hanging fruit of weight loss is gone, further gains rely on training, speed, and efficiency. I get the other arguments about his training, peaking, and how he manages races, and those are all fair. But I still think we are dancing around the elephant in the room (no pun intended). Height itself is not limiting; we have seen tall elite marathoners. What you do not usually see is someone who is both tall and carrying extra mass competing at the very top of elite races. By regular standards he is skinny, sure, but by elite marathon norms he is still carrying more mass than the event typically allows. Compare him to someone like Jonny Mellor, similar height but significantly lighter, and the effect on marathon potential becomes obvious. Bottom line, he would need better speed, further body recomposition, and more consistently optimized training. And that is not trivial, it would require meaningful lifestyle changes, stricter focus on body composition, careful control over training and recovery, and less flexibility day-to-day. Honestly, I doubt that is something he is willing or wants to commit to without sacrificing the enjoyment of training, which is totally fair. But it also explains why talking about cracking the very top tier of elite marathon times right now is probably unrealistic. None of this is meant to diminish his accomplishments; transforming from an MMA build to a 2:14-ish marathoner is impressive. But the improvement curve so far is textbook: lose excess mass, see big gains, then diminishing returns once body size, training quality, and physiological ceilings become limiting factors. Physics does not care about vibes or youtube narratives.
Also worth pointing out that he will be at a stage where it is difficult for him to safely lose any more weight with the volume of training he is doing right now.
As we all know weight loss requires a calorific deficit but when you are running 250k a week you simply cant be risking not refueling properly as it leaves an almost guarantee that you get injured.
He would need to back off the running whilst also managing his intake for a while to do so, which like you said I don't see him ever doing.
Thank you for this breakdown Xel. This just goes to show how much Jake has gaslit himself and us viewers into thinking this mileage/Japanese marathon monk lifestyle is necessary for his training. He really needs to see this but he's too stubborn and will probably double down.
It was indeed an interesting breakdown. Jake is an excellent storyteller; his channel literally started with him ripping off a suit and running to Japan.
These shotubers balance storytelling with real life; overall, it’s a story not out and out gaslighting. For instance, if Jake positioned his channel in a more honest way: a talented runner in his late 20s, with a huge safety net, uses cultural scholarships to chase a gray zone between sub-elite and elite, it just doesn’t have the same appeal.
As much as I loved the channel, some things are niggling a bit with Jake. Firstly, he talks a lot about becoming an Olympian - he must know this is nearly impossible given the depth in the UK. Second, releasing a documentary about yourself seems a bit of a Folberg/Phily move! Third, stating "youtube comes second to running" when he literally is doing a live stream a few hours after collapsing.
This post was edited 5 minutes after it was posted.
If they added whinging to the Olympics then I reckon you’d have a chance of qualifying BrightonHobbyJogger ;) or setting the world record for comments about YouTubers…
It’s Christmas time, maybe this thread ought to have a 2 day ceasefire on criticism and say what the YouTubers have done well this year. I’ll start:
CrownMyRun is spicing up as youngest Mills closes in on the times of the other two..
BenFenton ran his most sensibly paced marathon to date in Chicago
MARM continues to excel in making genuinely amusing comments
If they added whinging to the Olympics then I reckon you’d have a chance of qualifying BrightonHobbyJogger ;) or setting the world record for comments about YouTubers…
It’s Christmas time, maybe this thread ought to have a 2 day ceasefire on criticism and say what the YouTubers have done well this year. I’ll start:
CrownMyRun is spicing up as youngest Mills closes in on the times of the other two..
BenFenton ran his most sensibly paced marathon to date in Chicago
MARM continues to excel in making genuinely amusing comments
lol, a fair observation. My youtuber highlights:
- FOD's PBs
- Sirpoc appearing of a few youtube chats
- Bester's melted trousers
- J Mills getting a sub 17 park run; in Brighton of all places.
Nevermind all the chat about his training... but how do people actually enjoy RTJ content from a personality and content standpoint? He is well annoying and has basically turned into Scullion where every other sentence starts with "As a 2:14 marathoner."
Not to mention all his training videos are just him playing with his little AI app thing.
Awful videos without even considering the dumb race blow ups
Nevermind all the chat about his training... but how do people actually enjoy RTJ content from a personality and content standpoint? He is well annoying and has basically turned into Scullion where every other sentence starts with "As a 2:14 marathoner."
Not to mention all his training videos are just him playing with his little AI app thing.
Awful videos without even considering the dumb race blow ups
Disagree wholeheartedly. Think you probably don’t believe that either tbh.
Anyway, the three most discussed YouTubers in 2025 on this thread (make of that what you will) surely must be:
1) Nick Bester
2) Floberg Runs
3) Jake (RTJ) with a late flourish of posts.
Shoutout to SirPoc, Donato, Fenton, BITR who also seem to get a fair few mentions
Help us build the best running shoe review site for a chance to win a LetsRun t-shirt.Help us build the best running shoe review site for a chance to win one of 10 LetsRun t-shirts.