ANDY BUCHANAN’S national record in the marathon was beaten by just two seconds earlier this year. Two seconds is not a lot of time in any race, but in one that spans more than two hours and 42 kilometres, it’s an agonisingly small gap. Buchanan is confident he can close it.
“I’m pretty motivated to get that record back,” Buchanan tells Men’s Health, “and I know that I can definitely run faster over the marathon distance than I have in the past.”
Buchanan won the City2Surf earlier this month, finishing less than 30 seconds off Steve Moneghetti’s record which has stood for 35 years. He spent much of the race with his nearest competitor deep in his rearview, with only two runners finishing within two minutes of his time. It was a welcome confidence boost. “I feel like mentally and physically I needed a good hard race effort to show where I thought my fitness is,” says the Shokz ambassador. “After racing, I’m mentally feeling a lot more confident.”
Next up: the TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS, the biggest event on the Australian racing calendar. Since becoming the seventh World Marathon Major in 2025, the race has grown to be even more competitive. Last year, the winner set a new course record. The fastest Australian finished 14th. No Australian man has ever won the event, but Buchanan believes he’s capable of being the first. He’s certainly putting in the work.
“My current training is two runs a day apart from Sunday, averaging around 185km per week,” Buchanan says. My knees get sore just thinking about covering that much ground every week, but Buchanan layers his runs with strength work too. “I also do three strength sessions per week and 2-3 sauna sessions per week.
“I really enjoy doing my strength sessions so I don’t find them hard to fit into my week, I like how different it is to my running training and know how beneficial these gym sessions are for me,” Buchanan continues. “I’m still getting better and focusing on my recovery, I often get home and like to keep busy around the house. I’m trying to find time during the day to stop and read a book or listen to an audiobook to help me unwind and rest.”
Running is (and should be) fun, but anyone who has trained for a marathon will know it can be fairly monotonous. Buchanan keeps things interesting with the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2. For those unfamiliar, the OpenRun Pro 2 uses bone conduction through your jaw and cheeks to transmit sound into your ear canal, rather than plugging up your ears with buds. This allows you to still hear street noise and people around you, giving you more total awareness while on your runs.
When we tested the OpenRun Pro 2, we found that its innovative features solved many of the pain points we’ve had with other models. The DualPitch technology produces clear sound and strong bass, which is top of class sound quality in the open-ear category. And the fit, comfort and security make it perfect for running.
If you need a companion for marathon training, the OpenRun Pro 2 is as good as they come. Buchanan agrees. “I wear my Shokz OpenRun Pro 2s on every run that I’m not running with people,” he says. “They are the first thing I grab as I’m heading out the door. Listening to music keeps me entertained and it’s great still being able to hear cars coming when wearing my Shokz. My favourite feature is the open ear design and how comfortable they fit. The battery life is also really impressive.”
Shokz has created a special edition of the OpenRun Pro 2 for the TCS Sydney Marathon. The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 TCS Sydney Marathon Presented by ASICS Co-Branded Edition adopts a dark blue colourway with gold accents and features the TCS Sydney Marathon logo. The model is already top tier, but the collab takes it to a whole new level.
For Buchanan, the best runs happen when he can easily find his rhythm and enter flow state. The OpenRun Pro 2 is his secret weapon in that regard. “I often get into a flow state during my runs and I find that listening to music helps with this, so my Shokz play a key role.”
Sometimes all it takes to turn a bad run into a great one is having the right gear. Buchanan knows this better than anyone. For him, Shokz is the difference-maker.
Only 100 units of the OpenRun Pro 2 TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS Co-Branded Edition will be available exclusively at the Shokz booth during the TCS Sydney Marathon Running Show, 27–29 August.
Other OpenRun Pro 2 colourways are available to purchase via the Shokz Australia website, Shokz Amazon Store, JB HiFi and Harvey Norman.
Shokz is the Official Headphones Partner of the TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS.
