James Milner on His NYC Marathon Debut, Liverpool’s Workouts & the Premier League’s Fittest Players

James Milner, the Premier League's all-time appearance record holder with 658 games, joins Jonathan Gault ahead of his marathon debut at the TCS New York City Marathon. Milner details his transition from footballer to distance runner, revealing he used AI to build his training plan and topped out at 32 kilometers in preparation.

The conversation dives into the fitness culture at Liverpool under Jürgen Klopp, including the famous lactate threshold test Milner never lost. He also opens up about a knee operation two years ago that left him unable to lift his foot for six months, an injury that makes simply finishing the marathon meaningful. Milner is running for the James Milner Foundation, which has raised over £1.3 million for causes including NSPCC and Help for Heroes.

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LINKS

• James Milner Foundation -Donate here
• LetsRun.com
• LetsRun TCS New York City Marathon Coverage
• Better Running Shoes — betterrunningshoes.com
• LetsRun.com NYC Marathon Prediction Contest

Video of talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UrnjHEA3sU

TIMESTAMPS

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:52 Marathon Training and Preparation
• 04:20 Race Strategy and the Knee Injury That Almost Ended It All
• 05:45 Milner's Athletics Background
• 07:37 The Fittest Players in Football
• 09:08 Inside Liverpool's Pre-Season and the Famous Lactate Test
• 11:54 Staying Fit as an Aging Footballer
• 13:15 Fueling in Football vs. Marathon Running
• 16:44 Life After Football and the NYC Marathon
• 18:12 The James Milner Foundation
• 19:31 Man City vs. Brighton Prediction
• 21:36 Outro

CONTACT

Email: podcast@letsrun.com Call or text: 1-844-LETSRUN (1-844-538-7786)

ABOUT THE LETSRUN.COM PODCAST

Since 2000, LetsRun.com has been the independent home of elite running. Described by the New York Times as the "influential website that serves as something of a superego for American running," the podcast is the weekly deep dive into the world of track and field and elite distance running.

The show is hosted by LetsRun.com co-founders Weldon Johnson, a 2-time Team USA member, and Robert Johnson, a former Cornell coach who helped pace the marathon world record, along with award-winning senior writer Jonathan Gault. Together they move beyond PR headlines to provide insider reporting and unfiltered debate serious fans rely on.