Faster with Bill Chambers
The Two Scientists Who Ruined My Best Excuse
Two scientists have spent years publicly disagreeing about the same problem: what actually stops you mid-race. Prof. Tim Noakes says your brain has a built-in governor that pulls the plug before you'd ever choose to. Prof. Samuele Marcora says that's the wrong villain — but ends up agreeing on almost everything that matters on race day. I went back through my own archived interviews with both of them — recorded the same year, just months apart, never in the same room — to sort out which one actually explains the two mistakes I've made more times than I'd like to admit: going out too hard because the first half felt fantastic, and giving up with more left in the tank because it felt unbearable. No live guest this week — just the two best arguments I've got on tape, back to back, and what it cost me to actually listen properly the second time round. I lean one way. You might not, once you've heard both. If this changes how you read your next race, this is the show for you every week — subscribe so you don't miss the next one. And if you want the version of this I can't quite fit into an episode, the free newsletter runs alongside it at whchambers.com .
