AW Magazine

06 November, 2025

The new issue of AW (out on November 6) goes beyond the track to look at the worlds of road, trail and cross country running. There’s an exclusive interview with Conner Mantz about the rapidly changing face of marathon racing. The new American record-holder discusses why the best athletes are going on all-out attack over 26.2 miles, when we might see the first legal sub two-hour run and his ambition to compete at the World Cross Country Championships. Elsewhere in distance running, the HOKA-sponsored Team Makou is looking to make its presence felt and Jasmine Collett joins them at their recent training camp in Font Romeu to find out what makes them tick and discover why working together makes such a difference. Meanwhile, trail running is going through a period of rapid growth and journalist Matt Walsh examines the pros and cons of the evolution, as well as the lessons that the wider sport of athletics might be able to learn from it. There’s an interview, too, with world champion trail runner Katie Schide. This issue also looks at cross country, for so long a foundation stone for endurance running, which has arguably been left behind by other developments in athletics. We examine its untapped potential and the crucial role it still has to play. Elsewhere in the pages, it’s that time of year again when AW readers are invited to cast their votes and decide upon their athletes of the year across a range of categories. The spotlight is also placed on the Cardiff-based training set-up that brought British athletes so much success in the throws at the recent World Para Athletics Championships, plus para sprinter Victoria Levitt chats about her rapid rise on the track. Irish Olympian David Gillick also looks at the darker side of fame, plus James Ellington and Hannah Williams openly talk about the setbacks which brought an end to their careers. There’s the usual mix of opinion and insight, too, plus an in-depth coaching conversation with Ross Cairns and reviews of the best footwear for these winter months.