In this insightful episode of Making A Runner , Nic Acampora sits down with Dr. Matt Silver— Sports Physical Therapist, Running Coach and author of Built to Run —for a powerful conversation that redefines how we think about running injuries, movement, and performance. Together, they explore why runners often stay stuck in injury cycles and how a whole-body , system-first approach can offer lasting solutions. From mobility myths and the truth about core training, to foot health, breathing techniq...
Jul 23, 2025•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 117
In this episode of Making A Runner , host Nic sits down once again with Annie Bothma – IOPN Performance Sports Nutritionist (MSc), Running and Strength coach, and Endurance Athlete – to tackle a topic that’s often misunderstood in the running world: sustainable weight loss and body composition change for athletes. Annie unpacks the science behind weight and performance, busts common myths about “lighter equals faster,” and explains why chasing a race weight can sometimes do more harm than good. ...
Jul 09, 2025•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 116
In this inspiring episode of Making A Runner , host Nic sits down with runner and content creator, Chanel Cronje, to talk about one of the most relatable topics in the sport: injury. After building strong momentum in her training, Chanel hit a wall with ITB syndrome during her Cape Town Marathon 2024 campaign — a race she courageously completed despite pain from as early as kilometer 3. In her 18-week long journey of rehabilitation, strength training, and deep self-reflection, she found a way to...
Jun 25, 2025•58 min•Ep. 115
In this episode of Making A Runner, Nic sits down with one of the sport’s most respected voices — Jason Fitzgerald, coach and host of the Strength Running Podcast . From his humble beginnings showing up to his first cross-country practice in basketball shoes, to becoming a 2:39 marathoner and leading coach, Jason’s journey is filled with lessons every runner can learn from. Together, they dive deep into what it means to build lasting progress — touching on the role of genetics, consistency, and ...
Jun 18, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 114
Davey is back on the show and with Nic they go over all you need to hear in the build up to the 2025 Comrades Down Run. In this fun and lighthearted episode you can expect to find some golden nuggets of wisdom which are sure to help get you fully prepared for race day along with many laughs from the stories shared. They cover: - Their own Comrades journeys and how they go to the start of this years race. - Mental advice to overcome the difficult moments on race day. - Seconding and on the day su...
Jun 04, 2025•50 min
In this episode of Making a Runner, host Nic Acampora sits down with South African running icon, Irvette Van Zyl, as she prepares for her very first Comrades Marathon. In this inspiring and deeply honest conversation, Irvette opens up about her rollercoaster journey to the start line, navigating serious injuries, relentless setbacks, and the mental and emotional battles that come with being an elite athlete. Despite facing multiple challenges—including a stress fracture, calf thrombosis, and a t...
May 28, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 112
Ready to make the most of your Comrades Down Run? In this episode of Making A Runner, host Nic Acampora sits down with living legend Barry Holland—the only person to have finished 49 consecutive Comrades Marathons and a current CMA Board Member. Drawing on five decades of experience, Barry unpacks the route like only he can, sharing hard-earned tips on pacing strategies, breaking up the daunting 90km, and how to approach those infamous hills (and downhills!) for your best shot at the finish. The...
May 21, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 111
What does it take to chase some of the world’s biggest running dreams—while juggling careers, travel, setbacks, and the everyday demands of life? In this inspiring episode of Making A Runner , host Nic Acampora sits down with Jade De Sousa and Dominique Webb, two South African runners who not only earned the coveted Abbott Six Star Medal, but met on this journey, pushed their personal boundaries and continued to inspire every step of the way. From a serendipitous meeting in Berlin to unforgettab...
May 13, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 110
In this episode of Making A Runner, host Nic welcomes back Annie Bothma, a frequent guest with profound expertise in nutrition, especially in the context of running. Annie dives into the intricacies of carbohydrate consumption and its pivotal role in endurance sports. Having previously covered pre race Carbo-Loading strategies as a topic as well as general nutritional advice for runners today we focused our conversation around runners preparing for longer distances such as marathons and ultra-ma...
Mar 26, 2025•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 109
In this conversation, Host Nic and Andy Brodziak delve into the critical aspects of hydration and sodium intake for ultra marathon runners. They discuss the importance of understanding individual sweat rates, the role of sodium in performance, and practical strategies for maintaining optimal hydration levels during training and races. The conversation emphasises the need for personalised hydration strategies, the dangers of over-hydration, and the significance of sodium in preventing performance...
Mar 07, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 108
In todays conversation your host, Nic, chats to Dr. Philip Batterson, a Physiologist, Coach and Endurance specialist from Oregon, USA. Phil holds extensive knowledge in the field of exercise physiology and it's application when it comes to endurance sports. Today we chat in detail about heat and altitude training for endurance runners. We focus on: The science behind these methodologies of training. How to optimise your oxygen carrying capacity through heat or altitude stress. How to practically...
Feb 26, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 107
In this conversation, Nic chats to the official Comrades Coach, Lindsey Parry, as they look to unpack the essential preparations for runners gearing up for the upcoming 'Down Run' Comrades Marathon. We explore the different types of runners (from novice to sub elite), the importance of training habits, the risks of overtraining, and the significance of setting realistic goals. Lindsey emphasises the need for strength training, especially for novice runners, and provides insights on how to naviga...
Feb 12, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 106
Like any good training program - the off-season is the key part of returning hungry and ready for more! This is the start of a the new year for us and we are planning for big things in 2025! After a 6 week break 'Making A Runner' returns with a conversation surrounding one of the most beautiful and challenging races in the world - The Total Sports Two Oceans Marathon. In this episode Nic chats to Devlin Eyden, a sports scientist, coach and endurance sports junkie who works as part of the team at...
Feb 05, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 105
Today we're diving into the inspiring journey of Dr. Kim Sonntag, a dedicated Runner and Obstetrician & Gynecologist from Cape Town. Kim has not only conquered the grueling Two Oceans and Comrades marathons this year, but she recently took on the extraordinary challenge of a 250 km self-supported race through the Namibian desert ; The Desert Ultra. In this episode, Kim shares insights into her remarkable running journey, from Parkruns to Ultramarathons, and how she recently overcame the inte...
Dec 12, 2024•55 min•Ep. 104
Today, we have the privilege of hosting Mariella Sawyer, Professional Triathlete, Dietitian and new mother, days after she took the win at the Mossel Bay Ironman 70.3, to discuss her transformative journey of returning to competition a year postpartum. Join hosts Nic and Leah in this episode of Making HER Runner, as they delve into Mariella's experiences balancing motherhood and her athletic ambitions. In this episode, Mariella opens up about the unique hormonal changes after childbirth, the rea...
Nov 27, 2024•49 min•Ep. 103
Today, we're thrilled to have Kamo (you may know him as @Kamo.runs on social media) a passionate runner and finance professional, share his incredible journey from a gym enthusiast to achieving a sub-3-hour marathon at Cape Town this year after running over hours in the 2023 version of the race ( a massive 1 hour+ improvement). We'll delve into his unique story of perseverance, motivation, and personal growth, fueled by the motto "dreamers keep trying." From his beginnings in running during the ...
Nov 20, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 102
In today's episode Nic chats to one of our all time favourite deep dive guests, Dr Martin Khoury, as we shift our focus to understanding pharmacology and how it relates to managing running related pain. We'll explore everything from the efficacy of analgesics and the placebo effect to the challenges and ethics of chronic pain management. Whether you're curious about why a simple painkiller could pose risks or how to handle discomfort during a run, Martin provides key insights into making informe...
Nov 13, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 101
Tune into todays episode for a walk down memory lane as we reminisce over the last 100 episodes of Making a Runner spanning the last 2 and a half years. We chat about some of our favourite guests, go into details and learning outcomes from episodes gone by and dive into how our own personal running journey has been influenced by what we have learned since April 2022. Whether you are a die hard fan from day one, have a couple of episodes to catch up on or have 99 to go, we want to thank you for y...
Nov 06, 2024•58 min•Ep. 100
An often overlooked or underestimated element of training is mental strength. We delve into the depths of our STRAVA stats and are pretty clued up about nutrition, right down to grams of crabs per hour, but how do we deal with negative thoughts? Those nagging mental niggles that creep up when we're on the verge of doing something epic. As Giovanni explains, the easiest thing to do in those moments is try and detach and get as much space between us and the little dream-crushing critters, but what...
Oct 14, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 30
It's been a good few months since our last 'Making Her Runner' episode but we are excited to be back sharing in Leah's running journey over the last year. A journey that started with low energy availability prior to Cape Town Marathon in 2023 along with hormonal issues and ended in a completely different runner crossing the finish line of the Karkloof 20 Mile Trail race this past weekend. Through her personal journey we will look to share insights and knowledge behind some of the tough decisions...
Sep 26, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 29
We’re thrilled to have the legendary Trail Runner and Coach, Linda Doke, back on the pod. In this episode, Linda shares her profound insights into the ultra-running world, diving into specific race strategies, challenges, and the personal impact of trail running. We chat about the latest news coming from UTMB, David Roche's Leadville 100miler record breaking run and look to provide listeners with training / racing insights into the upcoming local races such as Karkloof, Otter and UTCT. Listeners...
Sep 12, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Season 3Ep. 28
In this episode we welcome Davey back onto the pod as we catch up with how life as a parent is treating him whilst touching onto both Nic and Davey's training for the Cape Town Marathon. We focus on: providing our listeners with insights and tips on what to expect from the last 6 weeks of training the route changes and what to expect come race day providing race day strategy advice and how that relates to the type of training you should be doing right now the 5km and 10km Peace Runs as well as t...
Sep 05, 2024•53 min•Season 3Ep. 27
In this second part of our conversation Nic and Nelfrie Kemp go into the details of foot anatomy, biomechanics, common injuries and answer some of the questions from our listeners. Nelfrie discusses the importance of everyday shoe wear, the complexity of foot biomechanics, and the significant impact it has on running mechanics. From addressing common foot problems to debunking the idea of quick fixes, this episode is packed with valuable information for every runner. So lace up your shoes and ge...
Aug 28, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 26
In this episode, Nic sits down with sports nutrition expert Annie Bothma to delve deep into the world of carb loading for runners. Together, they explore the essential role carbohydrates play in endurance exercise, tracing the history and evolution of carb loading as a strategy for athletes. Topics Discussed: Why Carb Loading Matters: Annie explains the significance of carbohydrates in delaying fatigue during endurance events, especially those lasting over 90 minutes. The Evolution of Carb Loadi...
Aug 21, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 25
What is the right shoe for me? This is the most commonly asked question by runners all around the world and yet the answer to this simple question is far from straight forward. In today's conversation we chat to Nelfrie Kemp, Podiatrist and long time friend of the podcast as we dive deep into the topic of helping runners find the right shoe. We ask her the hard questions, we chat about different brands, different designs of shoes as well as different shoes for specific workouts ranging from your...
Aug 14, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 3Ep. 24
Today's conversation is one of those chicken and egg scenario's, what came first? Where some runners lace up and strike gold on their first try, others spend years in the single pursuit of a goal. So is it potential that requires hard work or hard work that unlocks potential? Nick Bester, running coach and founder of Best Athletics, helps us navigate the subject. We chat about what really moves the needle when it comes to making performance progress, the pillars that uphold his training philosop...
Aug 07, 2024•53 min•Season 3Ep. 23
In this conversation Hosts Nic and Davey chat to one of the best Ultra Trail Runners in the country right now - Admire Muzopambwa. Coming from a road running background Adie discovered his ability on trail and has never looked back winning and podiuming at many of the country's biggest trail running events such as UTD, Karkloof, MUT and Skyrun to name a few. He is a part of the UTMB world series and hopes to be able to race in Chamonix in 2025 along with the World's top trail runners. His CV spe...
Jul 31, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 3Ep. 22
Jo Keppler is a familiar voice on the show and with this episode we welcome her back to help us unpack some core differences between Road and Trail Running - Jo being an accomplished ultra-distance trail runner herself, who trained for her very first Comrades Marathon this year. We cover some interesting ground including the difference in intensity between road and trail and the importance of recovery and fuelling and how these strategies change for the different disciplines. Jo takes as through...
Jul 24, 2024•55 min•Season 3Ep. 21
Dr Martin Khoury is no stranger to the podcast and his expertise have already been shared in previous deep dive episodes on the lower leg and knee but as he will tell you: "The hip joint is his favourite joint of the body". His enthusiasm and knowledge of the subject matter is unmatched. We had a fantastic conversation covering: Hip Joint Anatomy and movement Muscular relationships and the importance of each muscle group How the hip impacts our running motion and the multiple roles it plays Comm...
Jul 17, 2024•1 hr 16 min
We are back after a small production break with one of the most anticipated conversations of the year - The 2024 Comrades Marathon Winner, Piet Wiersma. After narrowly missing out on the win in 2023 by 2 seconds the 'Unknown' Dutchman was the talk of the South African and global running community. We had the pleasure of chatting to him back then (See S2|E17) where he pledged he would make a comeback this year and go one step higher on the podium. A commitment that he was able to fulfill on the 9...
Jun 26, 2024•1 hr 20 min
