Steph was Team GB’s fastest marathon runner at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and won the 2021 UK Olympic trials in a time of 2:27:16. Steph is a coach at Runna and this episode is all about training for your upcoming Spring events. We chat about: Where should you be now in your training plan ahead of your spring events. What should you do if you miss sessions due to injury or illness. Stephs, lower mileage & cross training approach to her training. Stephs journey to becoming an Olympic marathon ru...
Feb 15, 2024•46 min
In this episode Michelle chats with Emma. Emma is a Run Educator, Gait Analyst, columnist at Womens Running UK and Hyrox Ambassador. Listen to hear: - how do you know if you're ready to take on your first ultra - different types of run/walk strategies - hill training tips - recognising the signs of - and avoiding - overtraining - tapering You can follow Emma on: Instagram Twitter / X...
Feb 08, 2024•45 min
Listen to hear Michelle and Dr Josephine chat about how we can encourage more women into ultra-running, and secondly, mental strategies to improve performance in long distance running. The podcast covers: - barriers into ultrarunning affecting women - how we can achieve gender parity in ultra-running - setting effective goals - preparing body and mind for an ultra - strategies for dealing with tough moments in a race, such as mantras and visualisation - tips for dealing effectively with panic at...
Feb 01, 2024•51 min
Bea has been a member of the UKRunChat community since 2014, and is a regular UKRunChat hour cohost. You can learn more about Bea on www.beamycoach.com . Bea works mainly with clients age 40+, and women going through perimenopause and menopause. Once a competitive athlete, Bea now focuses on finding joy in running. We chat about: - Bea's own journey into running - Bea's personal experience of perimenopause, how this affected her running goals, and how this has enabled her to help others going th...
Jan 29, 2024•44 min
In 2007, Paul Willan was a 26 year old overweight smoker when his boss encouraged him to join him in a daily lunchtime walk, which soon progressed into running. Once gasping for air at every lamppost, Paul is now a dedicated ultra runner, who trains 6 mornings a week. Listen to hear how Paul: - Overcame the initial challenges of going from walking to running. - The moment when running stopped being a weight loss tool and started being an enjoyable hobby to him. - Overtraining - recognising it, a...
Jan 23, 2024•41 min
In this episode Michelle is chatting with Sunday Times best-selling author, travel writer, mother and runner, Liz Fraser. Michelle and Liz chat about: - how Liz got into running - her BIG goals for her 50th year - how she keeps motivated to train - her plans for writing about her running (there’s an interesting book in the planning) - running in Italy You can follow Liz on: Twitter Instagram Liz's Blog...
Jan 16, 2024•42 min
Anya Culling is a Runna coach and has represented England over the marathon distance. Anya took up running in lockdown which saw her go from a marathon time of 4hrs 34 mins in 2019 to a current PB of 2hrs 34 mins knocking off 2hrs. Anya has her sights set on The 2026 Commonwealth Games. Michelle chats to Anya about her whirlwind journey into elite running and her tips for getting the best out of yourself at the marathon distance. You can grab an extended free trial on Runna using code UKRUNCHAT1...
Dec 04, 2023•31 min
Scott Jenkins is the 1st Briton to complete the arduous and elusive Triple Crown of 200s in the World Series, placing 5th behind Nike athlete Sally MacRae. Scott is also the current British record holder for the Moab 240 race in Utah and is the first Welshman to complete this race, Bigfoot 200, Tahoe 200 and Cocodona 250 as well as being the 2nd ever Welshman to complete Badwater 135. He has also completed the canal slam, a series of 3 races (130, 145 and 145mile races) along the UK canal system...
Nov 27, 2023•51 min
Jonny Huntington is an elite para-skier, climber and explorer. A former British Army Officer and ultra-distance runner, he had a brain bleed in 2014 that left him paralysed from the neck down on his left side. Following extensive rehabilitation and discharge from the Army, he returned to the world of elite sport as a disabled athlete, competing for GB in Cross Country Skiing. He is now setting his sights on becoming the first ever disabled person to travel from the edge of Antarctica to the Sout...
Nov 23, 2023•1 hr 18 min
Welcome to the UKRunChat podcast where Michelle is joined by Green Runners team member and sustainable events expert Ellie Wardell, and Race Director and green runner, Darren Evans. In this episode, we discuss innovative ideas and expert insights on how races can run towards a greener and more sustainable future, and give you some resources to work towards becoming more sustainable. Follow Green runners on: Instagram X Facebook Web . https://thegreenrunners.com/ Ellie's Instagram page https://ww...
Nov 15, 2023•55 min
On 3rd November 2023, Julia will be taking on the 100k race at Kullamannen - a race set along the rocky shores of Sweden's Kullaberg. Representing Great Britain, she already found success at the UTMB World Series in 2023, after returning to racing in 2022 from having her son. Julia discusses: • How she trains on the Cornish coast path for mountain races • Balancing family life and international competitions • How she got into running, and her journey to competing in 100 kilometre + races • What'...
Oct 31, 2023•29 min
Ben Parker is Head Coach at Runna, and one of the founders. Ben has spent 6+ years as a professional running coach, helping everyone from beginners runners to elite athletes. Ben is also a certified England Athletics Coach, IRONMAN Coach, Personal Trainer and Pilates Instructor. In his spare time, ben is a keen athlete himself and competes within his age group at IRONMAN events with multiple finishes. He also enjoys running ultramarathons whilst holding a marathon PB of 2:34. Ypu can enjoy an ex...
Oct 24, 2023•29 min
On 2 September 2023, fitness and motivational influencer Milly Pickles became the first ever amputee to participate in Red Bull 400: the world’s toughest 400m race, which sees competitors from across the globe sprint up a ski jump in Slovenia with a brutal 140 metre elevation from start to finish. Milly is elated with her performance and has released a vlog of her experience on YouTube here . In 2017, Milly was electrocuted, leaving her with serious injuries and ultimately resulting in her right...
Sep 18, 2023•38 min
In this episode Michelle speaks with Jess Learmonth. Jess is best known for her Olympic gold as part of the mixed triathlon relay team, at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Jess has also enjoyed gold, silver and bronze victories across World Triathlon Series, European Championships, Commonwealth Games and Super League Triathlon. Now, Jess is taking a break from triathlon as she prepares to welcome her first child, due in September. Michelle and Jess chat about: - Finding the balance between starting a...
Aug 24, 2023•33 min
Recovery Runners Community was born in January 2021 when two runners from Leeds, Dean Smith, and Jamie Heselden, came up with the idea of introducing a small group of people in recovery from drugs and alcohol to the benefits of running. Since then, the Community has grown and achieved local and national recognition, officially launching as a running community in Leeds on 1st August 2021. Although Dean and Jamie use running in their own recovery from alcohol addiction, Recovery Runners Community ...
Aug 16, 2023•53 min
In this episode we catch up again with the team from Soar our Strength & Conditioning partners. Listen to this conversation with Alex and James as we discuss: What are the most common running related injuries and what can we do to help reduce the risk of these injuries? Why rest alone is not enough to help an injury recover. Specific strength exercise recommendation all runners should do. What is occlusion training and should you do it? And more.......
Aug 08, 2023•55 min
In June, Team SweatElite claimed victory over 16 other teams in Eurotrip - a 400km non-stop relay run from Cologne in Germany to Strasbourg in France. EuroTrip has very few rules; teams are made up of 8 people, 2 of which must be female, there are 5 checkpoints to hit and motorways are not allowed. Teams must combine running ability, ordering and shift strategy, fuelling and wayfinding to succeed. Working alongside Precision Fuel and Hydration, Team SweatElite was made up of runners from UK, Ire...
Aug 01, 2023•54 min•Ep. 75
Doug Richards, the renowned author behind the books "Running Hot & Cold" and "Can We Run With You, Grandfather?," embarks on an extraordinary adventures as he sets his sights on running destinations all over the world. His next endeavor? Conquering a staggering distance of 24,902 miles, symbolizing the remarkable circumference of the Earth's equator. You can follow Doug on: Twitter Once Around the Planet...
Jul 05, 2023•49 min•Ep. 74
In this podcast episode Michelle speaks with UKRunChat community member Andrea who is embarking on an Alphabet Challenge. The challenge started by combining travelling with running. As someone with a passion for adventure, nature and travel, it became apparent how engaging and motivating it was to combine adventure with running. Whilst it's not a new concept to run for a purpose - the tradition of going travelling in search of new things that we might lack is quite a historical concept from our ...
Jun 22, 2023•44 min•Ep. 73
Jenna Pogue is a runner with Massey Ferguson Running Club in Coventry and her book "Running in Real Life" is a light-hearted collection of stories, anecdotes and race reports from and about real runners, that portray what running can really be like. You can follow Jenna on: Instagram Facebook Blog You can see Jennas book here...
Jun 12, 2023•39 min•Ep. 72
Former Head of Strength and Conditioning and Head of Learning at the English Institute of Sport, Alex has supported over 250 Olympic, Paralympic and World Championship medal winning performances. In this episode we talk to Alex about the Soar Ready to Run product and how 15 years of data has enabled the team to offer elite level, personalised strength & conditioning programs to everyone. We also talk about plyometrics and training with injuries. Alex Wolf Twitter Soar Twitter Soar Instagram...
May 22, 2023•53 min•Ep. 71
We are delighted to have returning for the second time on the UKRunChat podcast Sam and Tony Holness. Regular listeners will remember Sam and Tony being on previously and they have both been busy since we last spoke including Sam competing at Kona, achieving a Guinness world record and running a sub 3 at London marathon! Sam has Autism and has become the world's first openly autistic athlete to conquer the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii. Enjoy this chat as Michelle hosts once again, you kn...
May 11, 2023•53 min•Ep. 70
In this episode Michelle chats with Ultra Runner and Author Michiel Panhuysen. Journalist and ultrarunner Michiel Panhuysen is a multiple-time Barkley entrant, having fallen under the spell of this most enigmatic of races – and its presiding philosopher-genius organizer Lazarus Lake – in the early 2010s. On each occasion, the Barkley won. The Barkley nearly always wins. Mig is Author of In The Spell Of The Barkley that has just been translated into English. In The Spell Of The Barkley...
Apr 28, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 69
Have you ever wondered what its like to be responsible for organising a large mass participation event? As runners we’ve took part in them but what actually happens behind the scenes to put on an event with tens of thousands of people taking part. In this episode I speak with Jamie, Senior Operations Manager at The Great Run Company. This is a really interesting deep dive into life on the other side of events. If you are looking for a spring event then have a look on www.greatrun.org whose event...
Mar 29, 2023•56 min•Ep. 68
In episode 67 of the UKRunChat podcast, I speak with Jason and Duncan the co-founders of our nutrition partners Rawvelo. Jason and Duncan have created a range of plant-based sports nutrition that helps to sustain the planet as well as your performance. This is the first of our podcasts with the team from Rawvelo. If you have any comments or would like to get in touch you know you can on info@ukrunchat.co.uk Follow Rawvelo on: Instagram Twitter Facebook Web...
Mar 14, 2023•56 min•Ep. 67
In episode 66 of UKRunChat podcast I catch up with Will and Emma from the Challenge Events Team at Macmillan Cancer Support. We all know the fantastic work Macmillan do and so its nice to catch up with the team to see what they have been up to and what is coming up in 2023. If you are fundraising whilst running events this year please do have a look at the fund-raising tips and tools on this page of the Macmillan website to help you with ideas on how to do so. Find an event to fundraise for Macm...
Feb 14, 2023•42 min•Ep. 66
Welcome to episode #65 of the UKRunChat podcast. In this episode we welcome Alex and Josh from our new strength & conditioning partners Soar Today . Alex and Josh have vast experience in the S&C world including being involved in 6 major championships, which includes multiple Olympic games with Team GB. This is the first in a series of podcasts we will be recording. Listen to hear us chat about the following and more: What is Strength & Conditioning? What are the two significant facto...
Feb 01, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 65
Welcome to episode 64 of the UKRunChat podcast. In this episode I speak with Lewis Ryan. Lewis is an ultra runner and came in the top 100 of UTMB in 2022 which was a great year for him. Lewis also won 3 ultras including 2 course records and a marathon PB. All this training whilst working full time and building a new business called Brewser who sponsored our event the Shrewsbury Half Marathon with a beer for all participants. Connect with Lewis on: Instagram Twitter Follow Brewser on: Instagram T...
Jan 11, 2023•47 min•Ep. 64
In this episode our guest is Gary McKee. Gary is a fundraiser and takes on some hefty challenges to raise money for his chosen charities which includes our charity partner Macmillan Cancer Support. You may remember last year we spoke with Gary whilst he was completing 110 marathohns in 110 days as part of Macmillans 110 year anniversary. Gary is coming close to completing a full year of daily marathons, 365 in 365. We recorded this last week and today he has completed day 347. Enjoy listening to...
Dec 13, 2022•35 min•Ep. 63
Todays guest is Richard Edmonds, co-founder of Runderwear. Runderwear is a premium performance underwear brand specialising in designing and creating chafe-free, blister free, seamless garments for ultimate comfort. You can connect with Richard and the team on Their website In their Strava group Facebook Twitter Instagram We are available on info@ukrunchat.co.uk if you have any comments or questions about the podcast....
Dec 10, 2022•42 min•Ep. 62
