How we pick and check shows

We list a running podcast when it is about running, is in English, and has published an episode in the last 60 days. Every fact on a show page comes from that show's own feed, website or Apple Podcasts page, and every page says the date it was checked.

Where the list comes from

We start from Apple Podcasts' Running charts (the top 200 in the US, UK, Canada and Australia) and each show's public RSS feed, which we read again every day. Episode counts and dates come straight from the feed. We leave out repeat listings of the same show, shows not in English (going by what the show itself sounds like, not only what its feed says), and shows that sit in the Running category but are really about another sport, such as triathlon or obstacle racing. A show with no new episode in 60 days moves to the archive; it moves back as soon as a new episode comes out.

What a guide includes

The hosts and who they are, the format, why someone would listen, one or two episodes to start with, and recent guests. A guest is only listed when the episode's own title or notes name them. We never copy show notes; we write a short summary in our own words and link to the episode.

How the charts page works

Our charts page shows only chart positions that Apple and Spotify publish themselves. Once a day we copy Apple Podcasts' Running chart (the top 200) for the US, UK, Canada and Australia, and Spotify's Health & Fitness and Sports charts for the US, UK and Australia (Spotify has no running chart). We match each entry to the shows we track by its Apple or Spotify ID, not by name. The page says when the copy was made, and we keep every day's copy so we can show how a show has moved.

What a chart position is not: a count of downloads or listeners. Apple and Spotify don't publish those numbers or their full formulas, and we don't guess them. We don't blend the charts into a score of our own, and we don't move a show up or down for any reason.

What we don't do

• We don't sell rankings or picks. If we ever run a paid placement, it will be clearly labelled as one, and kept apart from the picks.
• We don't give shows a score or star rating. We'd rather tell you what a show is like and let you choose.
• We don't publish full transcripts.

Corrections

If anything is wrong, tell us. Hosts can claim their show for free and send fixes directly.