Running Your Stories

Martin returns to the show to talk about completing the 270km (168mile) Pennine Bridleway Challenge! A really awesome new ultra event organised by Ranger Ultras. Really great to have Martin back on after hearing about his Paris by night ultra we have been in contact when he attempted the Dragon's Back Race in 2021 and now he needed a tough challenge to regain his confidence! He certainly achieved that! 

Welcome back Howard Dracup. For many people when they see Howard's name in 3rd place on the new 160 mile race, The Spine Challenger North, they won't be surprised. Howard is a proven ultra runner with a strong track record. However, it has not been easy over the last couple of years. Howard talks very openly about his struggled with fatigue and sleepless nights. Howard's story of recognising the that he had a problem, finding the root of the problem, asking for the right help and then working hard to get back near his best is truly inspirational. We hope that it can inspire many and maybe be the nudge that one or two need to take an extra rest day or ask for some help. 

Lovely down to earth chat with second place lady Elaine Bisson. The Spine Race is a gruelling 268 mile race through hills and mountains. Terrain varies from rocks, to bogs, to streams, to flagstones and even a little bit of road! A superb performance from Elaine earned her 2nd place finish! Some wonderful ideas and advice from one of the few competitors to finish with no blisters! 

Dougie Zinis followed on from an incredible 2021 with 2nd place at the Winter Spine Race in January 2022! Dougie shares his story and tips in his usual very understated way. Dougie won the 2020 Spine Challenger, 5th Place at the 2021 Lakeland 100 and has run the fastest ever double Bob Graham Round! 

I had only been running regularly for about 5 months when The Spine Race grabbed my attention and captivated me. 5 years later I finally got to reach the finish line and collect my medal. This is my story. I decided to tell it, to get it out before I chat with others about their race so I don't try to steal their limelight. Hopefully some useful advice for mid pack / back of the pack people looking to take on a challenge of the magnitude of the Spine.  The Spine Race is the whole of the Pennine Way from Edale in Derbyshire to Kirk Yetholm in Scotland, a total of 268 miles. All through the hills and mountains and in the middle of winter with only just over 8hrs of daylight from every 24hrs. It's tough, it's #britainsmostbrutal 

The 26 Lake, Meres and Waters is a less known route in the Lake District. Andy recently became only the 18th recorded completion and the 2nd fastest run of all time! Andy chats about the planning, training and preparation, the amazing crew of supporters and generally what it takes to complete such an epic run! Great chat and great introduction to an interesting route. Many thanks to Andy for being very patient too with a recording issue on the first attempt! Looking forward to catching up with Andy again after his next epic achievement!  You can find out more about the route here https://achille-ratti-climbing-club.co.uk/?page_id=411 and can follow Andy on Instagram @ottermaps  Huge thanks from Andy to all of his support team, Paul, Tim, Matt, Guy, John, Paul, Martin, Matt, Carl, Tom, John K, Rob, Jossie, Charlie, Dougie, Amby, Andy, Tori, Matt and Sara. 

Anna Troup AKA #SuperTrouper returns to the show to chat about breaking the record for the fastest lady to run the Pennine Way #penninewayfkt which was a follow on from breaking the ladies course record at the Summer Spine #summerspine and winning the Lakeland100 all in less than 3 months!  Lovely as always to chat with Anna, we talk about the adventures, the strategies, nutrition, sleep, training and more...  Anna wishes to thank all of her amazing Pennine Way support crew, Richard, Nick, Stu, Tom, Rob, Amelia, John, Sharon, Kev and those wonderful extra people that popped up along the way, Mark, Gary, David and everyone else! 

Becky Howard joins Kev to chat about her amazing story, going from a badly broken leg to running a Bob Graham Round in 2 years! Always inspirational to hear from someone who loves the outdoors, hills and mountains as much as Becky does.   

Gav gives a very honest, over sharing, insight into his brilliant 5th place at the Summer Spine Challenger a 110 mile race up the Pennine Way national trail from Edale to Hardraw!   

Great chat with Carly about her running story and running philosophy. Carly shares her amazing journey from an illness that made 400 metres of walking extremely difficult to now being a very happy and capable runner. Carly has built this phase of her life around running as a running coach and nutrition coach. Such an uplifting person to chat with.  You can contact Carly about coaching through www.existfit.co.uk @our_running_revolution on Instagram @Existfitrunningfitness on Facebook

Laura shares very openly and honestly about her experience of living with bulimia for 16 years! Laura is in a great place now thanks to help from First Steps https://firststepsed.co.uk/ a charity specialising in helping people to understand their eating disorders. Trail running has been one of the pieces to the puzzle of being in a happier place. Laura is passionate about helping others with their eating disorders and now volunteers at steps.  Thank you to Laura for sharing so openly and honestly. I hope that we can help to encourage anyone who thinks that they might have an eating disorder to make that first step and talk to somebody that you trust.  As well as First Steps https://firststepsed.co.uk/ there are other charities such a Mind https://www.mind.org.uk/ who can also help. 

Calderfornia with Alison Walker! Alison is a remarkable, talented runner who you will hear on this podcast is also very modest. You could easily listen thinking that Alison is an average mid pack runner but she holds the Malaysian women's 100km record, recently completed the 300km "Smog Graham Round" and has finished in the top 3 of a number of 100km+ ultra marathons. Native to Malaysia and having spent time living in London we talk about why Alison and her husband Matt moved to the Calder Valley. What this move means to her running and why she does not expect to ever look back! A lovely down to earth chat with this very talented lady. Enjoy! linktr.ee/ultraalison

It is such a pleasure to chat with another amazing lady who is so modest about her ability and capability. I always love catching up with Steph and am excited to share this chat with you about the challenge that Steph, Jill and Helen are planning in order to raise money for Cave Rescue Organisation and Mind the mental health charity! Steph is the course record holder for the Spine Mountain Rescue Challenge event which covers the same course as the Spine Challenger. Steph and her friends Jill and Helen who are taking on this challenger are all members of the cave and mountain rescue team CRO. Mountain rescue in England and Wales is free at the point of use with a 100% of mountain rescue personnel being unpaid volunteers. Each team raises money to pay for the world class equipment that is used to rescue people. You can help CRO today by donating https://cro.org.uk/  https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/yorkshire10cro Mind is a mental health charity, here is how they describe themselves "We provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. We campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding." https://www.mind.org.uk/  https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/yorkshire10 

Friend of the show elite runner Howard Dracup joins Kev to chat about Solo Unsupported running, in particular long winter solo unsupported challenges. Both speaking from experience share what went well and what lessons were learned along the way.  With no races going on in the UK due to Covid and support being difficult due to lockdown solo unsupported is one option but it is very different challenge to supported races. Listen in to find out more. 

Mental health is becoming an even bigger issue during the Covid crisis. In particular men's mental health. Andy's Man Club is a UK charity that creates space for men to talk #itsokaytotalk https://andysmanclub.co.uk/  Sinead and Gav are taking on the challenge of running 30 miles a day on hilly trails for 7 consecutive days in order to raise money and awareness for Andy's Man Club! You can sponsor them on https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/feb30x7?utm_term=2qe6JZrzp  https://www.facebook.com/30perday/  Many excellent businesses are supporting! MSA Huddersfield Thaiboxing, Everybody personal trainer, Plan eat meal prep, Chapman Construction, Colne Valley Selfstore, Voom Nutrition, Colne Valley Chiropody, Jan Lark Yoga, Riverhead Brewery, Katies Handmade Kitchen, Tog24

Maria Harron joins me (Kev) to chat about her Virtual London Marathon and mental health. Maria chose to fund raise for Andy's Man Club a men's mental health charity in memory of a friend, Mike, who took his own life earlier this year. There have been a lot of great VLM stories going around, great achievements, this is a local story that caught my attention and I wanted to be able to share with you all. Thank you Maria for sharing your story.  https://andysmanclub.co.uk/ #itsoktotalk 

Episode 42 is all about the Hardmoors 60! Guest host Sinead Battarbee steps in to chat with Mark Thistlethwaite and Kev Robinson about how they got on running in the HM60. We chat about the race and the changes made to allow it to go ahead during these extraordinary times of COVID pandemic. Staggered starts, outdoor checkpoints and not knowing what place you finished in until everyone's come in! Brilliant work by race directors Jon & Shirley! We chat about Mark's brilliant performance taking almost 3 hours off his time from 2019 and with Kev about doing too much and still taking nearly 50mins off his time from 2018. Huge thanks to Sinead for keeping the boys on topic! 

With the UTS (Ultra Tour Snowdonia) cancelled Howard needed something to fill the void. "What about the Steve Parr Round?" asked Paul Willson. Just 5 days later Howard set off to not only complete the round but to break a record that has stood since 1984!  The Steve Parr Round is 61 Lakeland Summits, about 116 miles, about 42,550 feet of ascent! Howard set a new record of 42hours 37minutes and 15 seconds!  We chat about training, change of plans, the round itself and big up the community!  Howard would like to thank everyone that helped and all of his sponsors: Maggie May Dempsey, John Parkin, Jacob Tonkin, Liam Mills, Nathaniel-Jon Ingram, Scott Newburn, Steve Birkinshaw, John Knapp, Ben Turner, Andy Fid, Paul Nelson, Tim Ripper, Max Driscoll, Martin Stone, Chris Richards, Dan Armstrong, Dave Heterington, Heather Driscoll, Paul Wilson, Jess Pealing, Wim Stevenson, Max Dillon. Coach (The Boss) Margarita Grigoriadi.  Sponsors: Montane, OTE Sports, Mountain King Poles, Precision Hydration, Vaga caps, XMiles and Squirrels Nut Butter. 

From July 2019 Jacob had to stop running due to "Gilmore's Groin", a debilitating injury that left him unable to walk for more than 15 minutes. Following surgery on 18th December 2019 Jacob has been focussed on training and getting back to his best. By August 2020 Jacob not only completed the gruelling Hardmoors 110, a 110 time trail race. But he won the race breaking the course record!  This is a fascinating chat with a very down to earth champion who eloquently reminds us that we can all achieve a huge amount through self belief and hard work. And of course with help from amazing friends. Jacob would particularly like to thank Sabina, Aga, Gosla, Tadek and Marek. What an amazing support crew Jacob has!  Thanks also to Jacob's sponsors La Sportiva, Coros, Mountain Fuel, Bridgedale and Mountain Massage Sports Therapy! 

Sabrina Verjee - What an amazing athlete and example being set in our sport. Sabrina set out to try to set a new record for ascending "All of the Wainwrights". There are 214 mountain peaks in the Lake District in the UK that Alfred WainWright wrote about in his 7 volume book. A few people have run them all, the route covers 318miles and over 4 times the ascent of Mt Everest. Last year Paul Tierney took the record from Steve Birkenshaw. This year Sabrina attempted it. Completed it. And then gained an even greater reputation by declaring "It's not a record". Sabrina was running, walking, crawling, bum sliding for almost 7 days to complete this epic adventure. Due to injury Sabrina had to lean on some of her supporters to safely descend some hills backwards. Therefore Sabs has rejected the record and vowed to come back and complete it in a pure style in the sprit of British fell running. We catch up with Sabs tired again after supporting her husband Ben on his "Bob Graham Round". Sabrina is absolutely clear that the support of her wonderful crew made it a fantastic adventure and would like to take every opportunity to thank: Her husband Ben, Kim Collison, Jacob and Sabina Snochowski, Simon Mills, Sally Fawcett, Tim Miller, Steve Birkinshaw, Tom and Astrid Gibbs, Paul Tierney, Dave Cummins, Charlie Sproson, Jeff Powell Davies, Joe Faulkner, Helen Jackson, James Thurlow, Victoria Rose-Miller, Ben Abdelnour, Shane Ohly, Josh Hartley, John Knapp, Neil Talbott, Nicky Spinks, Mike and Hazel Robinson, Lou Roberts, Bruce Duncan, Dave Spence, Peter Sowerby, Rob Bond, Giles Ruck, Paul Wilson, Gaynor Prior, Wendy Dodds, Jonathan Whilock, Dan Duxbury and Howard Dracup. Photo courtesy of @howard.dracup

Welcome back Kim Kennedy! With no races on Kim took on a Fastest Known Time (FKT) project. Kev joined in at the last minute and together we ran a mixed team fastest known time on the Mary Towneley loop. Check out https://fastestknowntime.com/route/mary-towneley-loop-united-kingdom for more detail. Previous recorded time was 11hrs39 minutes for unsupported mixed team. With a little support, water at 28 miles, we set a new fastest time of 9hrs8 mins! It was a wonderful day out so we would like to share some of the story with you!  The Mary Towneley Loop is a 47-mile (76 km) circular route that forms part of the Pennine Bridleway National Trail, along the borders of Lancashire and Yorkshire in the UK. 

We welcome Gwynn Stokes to Running Your Stories to catch up about his recent Weardale Way Fastest Known Time and his running in general. The Weardale Way, 78 miles, and over 4000 ft of vertical gain completed in the time of 16h:45m:13s. We also chat about Gwynn's past events such as The Montane Spine Race, The Lakeland 100, Dragon's Back, Cape Wrath, Hardmoors, Marathon Des Sables, Back Yard Ultras, Bob Graham Round and his 804 project!  If you're looking for inspiration during lockdown then I'd recommend listening to this episode, follow Gwynn's advice and get out locally and see what you can find.  https://fastestknowntime.com/route/weardale-way-united-kingdom

Great chat with Joe.Athletic AKA Joe Sweeney talking about how he's thriving in lockdown by challenging himself to run a sub 40 minute 10km! We include some chat about Joe's native New Zealand and his home when he can get back, Paris! Joe has a great attitude and I really enjoyed this inspirational chat, I'm even considering trying a fast flat 10km on the 16th May the same as Joe.  Thanks to New Balance New Zealand for sponsoring Joe. Follow Joe on Instagram @joe.athletic and watch the live stream with commentary when he takes on his 10km "race"! 

Guest John Lambe chats with Kev about adapting training during the Corona Virus lockdown in the UK. The chat goes on to talk about the need for support, tolerance and understanding for everyone in our communities.  John is influential in the local running scene having set up a group to introduce people to trail running. John promotes social activities between clubs in the area as well as being a dedicated member of his club Acre Street Runners.  Please stay safe out there, be thankful to the key workers and let's all support each other. 

To say that Anna Troup has had an amazing 12 months of running would be a massive understatement. In Episode 34 we chat about Anna's amazing last 12 months: "The Oner" 83 mile Ultra, 1st lady, 4th overall; Wendover Woods 100, 1st Lady, 2nd overall; Lakeland 100, 1st lady; Exodus (105 miles in the Brecon Beacons), 1st lady 2nd overall; Arc of Attrition 1st lady! Then add in training her daughters to tackle the Javenlina Jundred (and completing that too!), 4 legs of a Bob Graham round, hiking the UTMB route, attempts also at UTS100 and TDS!  We discuss some of the key lessons that Anna has learned along the way that make her confident that the next 12 months will be even more amazing! Thank you Anna for sharing your story we can't wait to see your performances in the next 12 months! 

After 3 years of working towards it, in January 2020 I (Kev) attempted The Montane Spine Race! 268 miles of tough trails, with a heavy pack in brutal mid winter conditions! Dropping out after 120 miles sets a new furthest distance covered but was obviously not the desired outcome. So many lesson's learnt and the best of all how great the trail / ultra community are. So many positive messages about how good it is to see people taking on something so challenging and giving it a proper go. Don't be afraid to "fail"! What a wonderful community we have. In this podcast Kim comes along to ask the questions about all aspects of the race and my (Kev's) experience at trying to go over 200 miles and trying to compete in The Spine Race. Thanks Kim!  Many thanks to Harshan Gill of Peak Exposure for the excellent picture! https://www.facebook.com/harsharngillphotography/ 

Richard Staite. Calm, understated, calculating. Richard currently runs ultras such as TDS, cycles (whole tour de France route), and competes in Iron Man races. That is just the tip of the iceberg! Richard describes how he loves the process of learning a sport, developing himself and others around him. A method, drive and love that has led Richard on a sporty journey to row for Great Britain and climb mount Everest on his way to his current conquests! This is a great, wide ranging chat about sport, as Richard says, “Enjoy the puzzle!" Stop Press! Between recording the podcast and publishing Richard together with partner Anna finished in 2nd and 3rd place overall at the 100mile Exodus Ultra in the Brecon Beacons of Wales! 

The tables have turned! In this episode Milly Troup asks the questions as she interviews Kev about his recent 4th male, 5th overall finish at the Hardwolds 80, an 80 mile trail race in Yorkshire! Milly goes on to ask about Kev's training and looks forward to Kev taking on the epic 268 miles of the Montane Spine Race in January!  If you'd like to know more about Milly then please listen to Episode 30 about Milly's successful completion of the Javelina Jundred at age 16! Thank you so much Milly! 

Milly Troup, at 16 years old has just completed the Javelina Jundred 100 mile race. We catch up with Milly a few weeks after the race to reflect on her life changing experience. Milly's maturity can perhaps be summed up big highlighting that not once in the interview does she talk about winning the trophy for being the youngest finisher. Milly has learned some great life lessons and grown in a way that takes many people at least twice as many as her mere 16 years.

Anne Marie Lord is an accomplished ultra runner who recently completed a treble of runs across England, Scotland and Wales. Each of those nearing 200 miles! Anne Marie is well known in her local running community for supporting other runners, encouraging all runners, especially women to progress. Anne Marie has an infectious enthusiasm for "being out there", enjoying the great outdoors.  King Offa's Dyke, Race Across Scotland and Race Across Great Britain are just a few of Anne Marie's most notable achievements. Not to mention over 100 parkrun first female results among many other completions and great accomplishments.  Anne Marie encourages everyone to work toward their dreams and goals, "you never know, it could be you!" It could be you finishing the challenge of a lifetime, it could be you standing on the podium, it can be you if you work for it. You can achieve it. What a wonderful message from Anne Marie who is the embodiment of the message. 

Huge thanks to Shelli for chatting about this sensitive subject. This episode talks about some of the difficulties of mental health, "it's OK not to be OK". The episode had been planned for some time but we discussed whether to postpone in light of another tragedy in the running community. However we feel that it is very important not to delay talking about mental health. If we can reach just one more person and help them or encourage you to help one other person then it is very worthwhile. If you do not feel OK please do not hesitate to contact one of the amazing resources out there. Charities such as CALM, Andy's Man Club, Papyrus, Samaritans or contact your GP. Please be lovely to each other. https://www.thecalmzone.net http://andysmanclub.co.uk https://papyrus-uk.org https://www.samaritans.org

Emma started out not wanting to run at all. Deciding that she'd be try something for a bit of fitness and then decided to realise her dream of running a marathon! We share Emma's story of the ups and downs through the first marathon, on to a few more and then the leap to "The Wall!" A 69mile Ultra! Juggling with a busy life, 3 kids, full time work, ongoing illness. Emma shares her story about how she achieves so much through a tremendous drive, inspirational willpower and the support of her mates at her running club, Stainland Lions! If you have a dream and are hesitating then listen to Emma's story and you will be inspired! Thanks Emma! And keep up the great fundraising for Bloodwise! 

Anna Troup is a fantastic British ultra runner part way through an amazing 2019, 2nd at Arc of Attrition, 1st at Wendover Woods 100 and 1st at Lakeland 100 only 2 weeks later! Currently preparing for TDS and the big project in October. In October Anna will be running with her two inspirational daughters Milly and Bella in the Javelina Jundred! When the race Milly will be 16 and Bella 15! We discuss the journey that has brought them to within reach of the start line, what inspired the girls to take this on and how Anna and Richard are taking care to help the girls prepare for this to be a life changing journey.  You can follow "TroupGirlsRun" on Instagram! RunningYourStories will also share updates! 

Kev is joined by ultra runner James Penson to discuss training ahead of Kev's Lakeland100 attempt. After months of training, mind, body and nutrition we're keen to share the theory that Kev has been working to before the event that will put it to the test. The Lakeland 100 is 100 miles through the English Lake District mountains. 7,000 metres or 23,000 feet of ascent makes this a tough challenge. Training the body with 15% more volume but also more controlled low stress running (within MAF heartrate), adjusting nutrition to be lower stress by extending time restricted eating to increase fat adaption and then stopping eating all grains and high carb foods. These coincide with mental training which has further contributed with a low stress mindset. The miles of running, the huge amount of ascent and time on the feet will undoubtedly cause great stress but will the training help Kev make a leap forward in the sport of Ultra Running or will he find a limiter which has been overlooked. We hope that you enjoy this episode that spells out the theory, thanks to James for asking some great questions and preventing this being a monologue. Kev is number 361, race tracking is here http://live.opentracking.co.uk/19lakeland100/

Sinead Battarbee was looking for a sense of community and so 5 years ago founded Marsden Racers UK. This is the first in a series of podcasts exploring some of the running clubs that we all love. Marsden Racers started as an idea and has grown into an inclusive running community in Marsden, West Yorkshire, UK. In this conversation we chat about how the club has developed. We touch on how much some of the runners have achieved, first half marathons, first 10 mile run, first ultra, representing Great Britain! This is a local community club for runners of all levels. Sinead and her husband Ian have built a wonderful running and cycling club and it was a real pleasure to chat about the story.  

Laura Williams is an "ultra librarian"! University librarian by day trail runner by night! And Ultra runner on the weekend. Laura is an inspiration to so many people with her wonderful attitude of always taking the next step. Her Laura's story from a few miles, into 10km, half marathon, road marathon and then discovering trails and the wonderful outdoors around us. A lovely inspirational tale from the middle of the pack! Thank you Laura for sharing!

Multi Day events are very different from running a long way all in one go. Recently Abbie has completed over 100miles on the Cotswold Way as a 4 day challenge and Kev has completed the Wainright level of the Silva Great Lakeland 3 Day Event (GL3D). This is a chat about those events, sharing details and experiences, maybe you will be inspired to try one of these or another multi day running event. Thanks again to Abbie for joining us again. You can hear Abbie's background in episode 16, it was great to catch up again. We're already talking each other into other challenges! 

Wouter Huitzing is an ultra runner with some pedigree. Winning the Montane Spine Challenger in 2018 with a new course record and 2nd in 2019! Starting on Easter weekend Wouter set out to run 498km to set a fastest known time to complete the Pieterpad trail in his native Netherlands!  Wouter is perhaps still better known in adventure racing but has found his competitive edge in ultra running. This is a great chat with a really lovely guy! He even brought some stroopwaffles to share :-)  During the episode we talk about Wouter's story in running. Injury, alpinism, adventure racing, ultra running. We talk in more detail about the Pieterpad FKT and about the Guinness Book of records submission process!  Wouter is now in Conwy in Wales ready for the start of the Berghaus Dragon's back Race! Good Luck! 

Running Your Stories welcomes Gavin Dodd. We catch up with Gav after a great performance in the Manchester Marathon. We chat about his intelligent training which is resulting in personal best results at all distances up to marathon. We talk about his training program, running slow to run fast, motivation and why speed over distance. Enjoyable as always! 

Running Your Stories is delighted to share Mark Baines' story of his running and how he has progressed from being told he might never run again after an accident to completing a number of Ultra Marathons. We catch up with Mark as he is progressing towards his first 100mile Ultra! 

Lisa is a friend of the show and inspirational middle of the pack to back of the pack ultra runner. Since sharing her epic story on episode 4 Lisa completed her 50th Marathon / Ultra on her 50th birthday! What can you do after that? Lisa took on the 268 mile Montane Spine Race, an unsupported ultra in the middle of winter! Kev chats with Lisa about her attempt sharing some of his experience on the "entry level" 108 mile race, the Spine Challenger. If you are wondering how far you can push yourself, not sure of what you might be capable of doing then listen Lisa's story, truly inspirational! 

Welcome Martin Slack to Running Your Stories! Martin is an experienced marathon runner who switched to ultras. His latest achievement has been completing the Paris by Night ultra which is quite a different format to most. We discuss different formats of race, Martin's history, training methods and volunteering.

Welcome Abbie Dagg to Running Your Stories. Abbie is a podiatrist and runner. Abbie loves running of all kinds, roads, trails, cross country, fell running. 5km, 10km, Half Marathon, Ultra Marathon. Recently something has “clicked” for Abbie and her times are falling, confidence is growing and enjoyment is at an all time high. We discuss Abbie’s story and the changes in her training that are helping her move forward. We also discuss some questions from a new runner and offer a little advice. Abbie is also the moderator of the “Team Huddersfield” Facebook group for all runners from the Huddersfield area, we find her enthusiasm infectious and we’re sure you will too.

Running Your Stories welcomes Kim Kennedy. Kim has had a phenomenal 2018 not only completing her first 100mile Ultra Marathon but placing 2nd as well! Through other great achievements and on to finishing first lady at Dusk Till Dawn, Ladybower 50 and White Rose 100. Kim is an excellent Ultra Runner with an interesting story. Kim started running to help herself through the pain of losing her husband and found herself a new identity, one that suits her so well. We share the story of Kim's amazing success in 2018 and Kim talks about the difficult times, the amazing charity Brake and finding herself in running. This is Kim's running story! Thanks to www.sportsunday.co.uk for the photo! 

Running Your Stories welcomes Rachel Ross Russell. Rachel's story starts at school, goes through tough army years and then into motherhood where Rachel became a force to be reckoned with on the road. Disaster strikes in the form of injury that stopped Rachel running altogether. Now re-invented as a trail runner with a totally different outlook Rachel is back to winning races and achieving podium finishes. In the last few months Rachel placed 3rd female at the Hardmoors 60 Ultra, 1st female at the Hardmoors Osmotherley trail marathon and 1st female at the Hardmoors Goathland Marathon! This is Rachel's inspiring story!

Running Your Stories welcomes Rachel Ann Cullen. Rachel is the author of "Running for my life" which tells Rachel's story of a lifelong battle with mental health issues. Finding running changed Rachel's life forever. This chat introduces the book, catches up on Rachel's story since and delves into some of the lessor talked about topics in life and how running has helped. 

Running Your Stories welcomes Sally Watts. An inspirational story of not just couch to half marathon but overcoming shoulder surgery and managing a long term knee issue. Sally has found the belief and determination to keep running through injuries that would have stopped most people. Sally has such an infectious positive attitude we're sure that you'll enjoy listening to this story.  Well done to Sally for completing the Great North Run raising money for  https://www.supportdogs.org.uk and thank you for sharing your story. 

Running Your Stories presents an episode with our usual host Kev. Kev gives and update on the lessons learned from early this year and how they have been put into practice. The story follows a recap of lessons. Then focuses on the Hardmoors 60 race. A 63 mile trail Ultra down the East coast of the UK. The story covers training, nutrition, the race itself and those all important lessons.  Thanks to www.sportsunday.co.uk for the photo! 

Running Your Stories presents the story of Carl Howells. A runner with a great philosophy of "running makes you happy", "run for enjoyment". This attitude has taken Carl a long way, including setting course records, winning ultra events and representing Great Britian at Spartathlon, one of the toughest races in the world. Carl shares some great insight into a world of ultra running that goes over 200 miles! Thanks to Carl for sharing and being down to earth, we can't wait to see how you get on at Spartathlon 2018! 

Running Your Stories Episode 9 features Amjid Khan who has recently put in 12 hours of running at "Hell On The Humber"! Listen to Amjid's story of his running including his Ultra in the desert in Jordan! Ultra Running can often be a mental game, it takes things to another level to run back and forth across the Humber bridge for 12 hours! You can read more on Amjid's blog here https://theamjidkhan.wordpress.com/2018/08/25/hell-on-the-humber-2018/ 

Howard Dracup recently experienced being on the other side of a race for the first time! Howard is Race Director for Whitworth Trail Marathon. We caught up with Howard to find out how he got into running, ended up as a race director and what his thoughts are about this experience (just how nervous was Howard on race day!). If you'd like an insight into what goes on behind the scenes of a race then this is a great podcast for you! You can find the FaceBook page for Howard's race here. https://www.facebook.com/WhitworthTrail/