Everything Endurance (Beyond the Ultimate)

Matt and Ellie are the founders of Summit Fever Media and have carved a niche for themselves as makers of excellent adventure films.  They're often to be found deep in the wilderness, pointing cameras at athletes carrying out amazing feats of endurance.  This summer was no exception.

Their latest film, Totally FKT, is out now and tells the story of John Kelly and Damian Hall's exploits on the Pennine Way as they each took on and broke a record which had stood, solid, for 31 years.

As well as the film, Will chats to Matt and Ellie about what goes into covering races and challenges in extreme environments and why they've chosen to make a life out of telling inspirational adventure stories.

You can buy Totally FKT here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/video/detail/B08P3K5GM9/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

Cover Image: Steve Ashworth

Mark Beaumont is a British long-distance cyclist, broadcaster, author, and documentary maker.  He has completed some truly inspiring and record-breaking adventure challenges during his career but is best know for setting a stunning record for cycling around the world, completing his 18,000-mile (29,000 km) route on 18 September 2017, having taken 78 days 14hrs to do so.

In the latest episode of Everything Endurance, Will chats to Mark about his epic lap of the planet, from Mark's childhood in rural Scotland, through his many earlier cycling and sailing adventures, right up to the finish line of his race around the world.

If you're a cyclist looking for a challenge head to https://worldinaday.com/ where you can help Mark in supporting the amazing work of those on the frontline of the struggle against Coronavirus by joining the 'virtual peloton' and cycling a round-the-world distance together in a single day.

Damian Hall is a Runner, Coach and Journalist with a stunning CV, including podiums and top-10 positions at the Spine Race, the Dragon's Back and the UTMB.  He also holds a number of FKTs already including the 630 mile South West Coast Path.

On Friday 24th of July he grabbed himself another record in the shape of a Pennine Way FKT, a record which had stood for little more than a week after John Kelly's incredible performance (see episode 42).

In this episode we talk through his preparation for the record attempt, his time out on the trail and the work he has put in to making sure that the challenge was carbon neutral.

Beth Pascall has a glittering running CV full of course records and podium placings and has established herself over the last few years as one of the top ultra-runners on an international scale.

In this episode, Will and Beth talk through Beth's early days as a runner, her approach to training, her motivations, and her journey to grabbing herself an epic win at the world-renowned and hugely competitive Western States 100.

Grab a free Ultramarathon Nutrition Guide from our friends at Resilient Nutrition here--> resilientnutrition.com/pages/how-to-fuel-and-ultramarathon-the-ultimate-guide 

Finding reasons not to train is rarely a problem for most of us.  Nothing stops today's guest from achieving ultra-running excellence though. 

Not the fact that she works an extremely challenging role as a human rights lawyer in conflict zones, not the fact that she also gives her time to the charity she founded, not even the fact that much of her training has to take place in small concrete compounds surrounded by security.

Today we chat to Stephanie Case about her running journey, her unusual training regime and about Free to Run, a charity which supports women in conflict zones through adventure sports, helping to improve their physical, emotional and social wellbeing.  A charity of which she is founder and president.

Whether you've already signed up for a self-sufficient ultra race or you're just curious about what it takes to drag yourself through one, we have the podcast for you.

What do you pack?  What will you eat?  How do you prepare your feet for five days of battering?

Having just returned from another Jungle Ultra adventure in the Peruvian rain forest, Will and Kris answer these questions and more as they give you their survival tips for self-sufficient races, specifically in jungle environments.

It's been a while, but Will and Kris are back with the first of many new episodes.  Be ready for more new guests who've done epic things, knowledgable coaches and sports scientists and more non-sensical patter from your beloved hosts.

Before his 21st, at an age when most people are worried about little more than partying, Alex Staniforth had already planned 2 attempts at Everest and sadly seen both end in tragedy.

These early setbacks obviously took a toll, but over the last few years, Alex has found new challenges and channeled his own experiences of overcoming mental health problems into creating Mind over Mountains, a charity offering support to those who find themselves tackling the same issues.

We chatted with Alex about facing an avalanche on the world's highest peak, visiting every high point in every county of the UK and about managing mental health.

Head over to Mind over Mountains to learn more about how Alex is helping to create life-changing outdoor experiences to help restore mental health.

So, you've signed up for an ultra-marathon/multi-stage race somewhere seriously cold. You fancy your chances at tickling that top ten. But what should you expect out there? How do you prepare to take on the top-runners out in the ice and snow?

Will Baldlygo Roberts and Kris King discuss how to successfully compete in one of their favourite places in the world, the arctic tundra. From kit choices to training tips and mental preparation, our co-hosts pick apart Will's 6th place run through the Ice Ultra in 2017 and talk about the approaches of past winners such as Robbie Briton and Damian Hall.

Many thanks to bigmoosecoffeecompany.co for helping to make this possible. Purchase their awesome coffee, beers and other merch from https://www.bigmoosecoffeecompany.co/...

Kristina Schou Madsen hasn't been ultra-running for very long but has progressed at amazing speed (no pun intended).  Alongside representing Denmark as a Trail Runner, Kristina was first female at the Beyond the Ultimate Jungle Ultra in 2016. 

On the 23rd February this year Kristina broke a World Record, becoming the fastest female runner to ever summit Mt Kilimanjaro, the highest peak on the African continent.  She achieved this in an astonishing time of 6hrs 52mins.  That's a mountain just shy of 6000 metres high conquered in record time by an exceptional athlete training in a country where the highest peak is under 200 metres.

Kris and Will hear all about Kristina's record-breaking run and discuss South American snakes, English Spiders and Will's inappropriate photo.

Brett kickstarted Exile Medics back in 2009 as a way to travel the world as a doctor. Starting in Brazil as a race doctor in the Amazon rain forest, his experience now covers every type of environment and terrain all over the world.

Exile Medics takes enthusiastic medical professionals to the world's most challenging environments to provide medical support for expeditions and the most extreme events on the planet. Doctors of all grades, nurses, paramedics, physiotherapists and medical students have worked together on every Exile Medics project, and more are becoming available all the time.

Those who have taken part in our races, or the many others where the Exiles can be found, will know how invaluable they are.  This amazing team have kept countless runners going against the odds and are a friendly face found a checkpoints scattered throughout races around the world.

In this episode Kris and Brett get through a ton of practical advice for runners in extreme environments and, with our own Jungle Ultra just around the corner, focus on rain forest survival tactics! 

Steve Hill is a teacher first and foremost, but he's also an adventurer and endurance athlete who has won multiple awards for his inspirational work with youngsters and an MBE for his charity work too.

Each year he takes on another epic endurance challenge to inspire his next class of pupils.  He shares the whole journey with them teaching them along the way that if they aim high, dream big and never give up they can achieve anything.

We chat to Steve about the message he delivers to his pupils and about being an ultra-runner who 'gets his money's worth' out of his adventures.  In a change to our speedier, record-breaking guests of late, this is a chance to hear from a runner more likely to be toward the back of the pack enjoying every inch of the trail.

You can learn more about the Team Hill Charitable Trust at www.stevehillmbe.com/team-hill-charitable-trust/

Back in 1994, Sharon Gayter won gold in the National Championships for 100km and 24hr racing and her achievements have gotten steadily more epic from there.  This athlete's career has included world records for the furthest distance run on a treadmill in 7 days and multiple medals, CRs and podiums across a variety of different ultra-racing disciplines.

Most recently though, she's gained the attention of mainstream news by bagging another epic record, setting the fastest time for running from John O'Groats, the northernmost point of the UK, to Lands End, the furthest south.  That's 822 miles (1323km).

Sharon knocked off the record in 12 days, 11 hours and 6 minutes braving rough weather, heavy traffic, and extreme sleep deprivation.

Many thanks to bigmoosecoffeecompany.co for helping to make this possible.

Kris King is a Race Director and adventurer with a history of fastpacking style adventures, multi-stage races, and even a 31-day running tour of the UK, he has tried and tested a multitude of backpacks on the trail over the years.

What should you consider when choosing the right backpack?  How should you approach packing it?  How can you avoid chaffing and rubbing whilst running/hiking with your pack?

All these questions and more, such as what's the weirdest thing you've seen a runner pack for a race and where does a bald man stop washing his face, are answered by Kris and Will in this latest episode.

Sean Conway is an endurance adventurer, author and motivational speaker.  He is also the owner of arguably the greatest beard in Britain.

He was the first person to cycle, swim, and run the length of Great Britain, from Land's End to John o'Groats.  In 2016 he completed the world's longest triathlon, a 4,200 mile journey around the coast of Britain all without accumulating barnacles.

Kris and Will managed to catch Sean between adventures and discuss motivation, becoming an adventurer, pink helmet records and, of course, facial hair.

In this episode Kris and Will get to chat to somebody totally inspirational.  Elise Downing wasn't an elite athlete or even a regular runner when she decided to set off alone and run all the way around England, Wales and Scotland!

Along the way she met some amazing people, saw some beautiful views and ate an awful lot of cake.  She also pushed through some dark days and in doing so displayed an awesome ability to endure hardship and find a way to enjoy even the most difficult times.

Will and the team at BTU have recently returned from Kenya where the For Rangers Ultra was taking place. This is an absolutely unique event that offers runners the opportunity to run in East Africa’s beautiful scenery in open wildlife conservancies teaming with iconic wildlife. If the race itself weren’t awesome enough, all profits go to projects that support the welfare of wildlife rangers and so far almost £600k has been raised.

The 5-day, 220km race puts runners face-to-face with Kenya’s beautiful wildlife, an immense privilege and something almost never done on foot. Beyond that, it is an opportunity for the rangers to meet and interact with the runners who are pushing themselves through this ordeal to raise funds for them, and to hear directly what the life of a ranger is like.

In this episode we chat to Edward Ndiritu, the head of Lewa Conservancy's Anti-Poaching Unit about what the funds are used for, then with Race Director Kris King for an insight into what juggling 70 runners and uptown 200 rangers at a time is like. We then spend some time with our winners Lou Cole and James Hassan before, finally, we talk to seasoned race medic and ultra-runner Chris Hewitt who gives his unique view of the race as a medic and as a finisher.

Time Stamps as follows:

Edward Ndiritu - 0:12:05

Kris King - 0:16:55

Lou Cole - 0:53:10

James Hassan - 01:34:10

Chris Hewitt - 02:06:16

You can find Chris’ excellent race blog here: https://www.beyondtheultimate.co.uk/for-rangers-ultra-we-arrive-as-strangers

Learn more and enter For Rangers Ultra 2024: bit.ly/ForRangersUltra

In his first few years of running, Robbie went from his first marathon to competing for Great Britain in the 24hr Running Championships and finishing 3rd in the World. He is currently living and training in Chamonix, France where he also hosts running training camps.  He really loves big hills.

Warning - There is some, shall we say, colourful language.

Tobias Mews is an Adventure Athlete, Journalist and Author with more races under his belt than he can count.  A multi-disciplinary adventure, he has run, swam, cycled and generally challenged himself all over the globe.

He has published 2 books, '50 Races to Run Before you Die' and 'GO!' his guide to getting outside and challenging yourself.

In this episode, Will and Tobias talk about the positive attitude he developed during his time in the military, his journey into a life of adventure and how and why we should all be heading outside and challenging ourselves with new adventures.

Learn more about Tobias at: https://www.hardastrails.com/

Learn more about the Highland Ultra: https://bit.ly/3gcBnip

Grab exclusive Resilient Nutrition products: https://bit.ly/3agIJxy

In Part 3 of our series of podcasts with Greg Potter, we continue our deep dive into nutrition with a look at how, what, and when to eat to be best prepared to perform.

We talk through how to train your gut in the few weeks before an endurance challenge to minimise the risk of in-race digestive problems ('danger-pants'), we look at the days before the event and explore carb-loading, before getting into race-day fuelling, and the different needs of the body in extreme environments.

Greg Potter is co-founder of Resilient Nutrition and wrote his PhD about circadian rhythms, sleep, nutrition, and metabolism.

You can find Resilient Nutrition's line of Elite Long Range Fuel at store.beyondtheultimate.co.uk  

In this brand new episode, Will Roberts chats to Jon Shield and Kristina Madsen. Hear all about how they went about winning the recent Mountain Ultra, Beyond the Ultimate's inaugural race through the remote and beautiful Tian Shan Mountains of Kyrgyzstan.

You'll also hear from Race Director Kris King about his experience of creating and directing one of the toughest races in the BTU Global Race Series.

This race saw a first batch of pioneering runners take on 200km of technical trail with more than 10,500m of climbing over 5 gruelling days, all against the stunning backdrop of the breath-taking Tian Shan Mountain Range. Our winners will talk you through their time among those stunning peaks.

For anybody considering the Mountain Ultra - this is a must-listen. You'll hear some excellent advice on how best to prepare and plan for an adventure among the summits.

You'll also sample the winning mindsets of these two exceptionally driven runners as they reflect on the massive goals they've reached in their relatively short careers in ultra-running so far.

Enter Mountain Ultra 2024 here: https://www.beyondtheultimate.co.uk/race/mountain-ultra/

*Please note - Jon Shield's audio is occasionally lower quality due to signal problems when recording.

Time Stamps:

Kris King: 0:08:29

Jon Shield: 0:40:29

Kristina Madsen: 1:25:55

Sophie Power is an ultra-runner with an impressive CV including the MDS, running for Great Britain at Spartathlon, and completing the UTMB.

It was during this particular race that a photo, taken of Sophie whilst she breastfed her 3-month-old at the checkpoint in Courmayeur, went viral and sparked debates around the world.

In this episode, we chat to Sophie about her journey into ultra-running, her sudden appearance in the international spotlight, and about the work she has done since becoming an advocate for https://www.womeninsport.org/

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Anna Troup had an excellent 2019, clocking up 5 wins in 12 months.  Then came an injury and a worldwide pandemic to slow things down.  That is until the Montane Summer Spine Race 2021 in which she managed to return to racing with a win and a new course record in one of the toughest races on the planet.

In this episode, Will and Anna talk through her journey to the finish line of the Spine Race, starting with her journey into running, her preparation for the race, and the events of her 80hr charge along the Pennine Way.

On the first weekend in April there was a very special event in Crawley.

On the 400m athletics track at the K2 Leisure Centre, the Freedom Leisure British Ultrafest 24hr Running Championships took place. A field of 30 runners competed in an event where they would each push to run the greatest distance they were able in a 24hr period.  More still came to run 12 and 6 hour versions of the same event.

That's 6, 12 or 24 consecutive hours running around the same track.  As endurance events go this is uniquely challenging.  It is a cutting back of endurance to a matter purely of running ability and the strength of mind to persevere with almost no distraction from noon one day until noon the next.

In a special edition outside broadcast, Will talks to the runners and organisers to find out why these athletes take on this massive distance.

Featuring, among others, Dan Lawson of Team GB, William Sichel, a multi-record holder and the first Brit to finish the world's longest footrace within 52 days, and Abichal Sherrington who has completed that same race among dozens of others from marathon to 1000 miles.

This time last year, our team were in Kenya for the first, epic For Rangers Ultra.  This 220km, 5-stage race, crosses open wildlife reserves in the home of long-distance running.

The race was put together by ourselves, Save the Rhino and For Rangers, a group who fundraise to improve the well-being of the wildlife rangers who form the thin line between the world's endangered wildlife and industrialised poaching.

Hear about the adventure, hear tips on getting through the race and the story of how it came to be in the latest episode.  Oh, and also hear why Kris isn't welcome in Norfolk anymore. 

On weds 2nd September at around 5am, adventurer, ultra-runner and coach Donnie Campbell finished a record attempt that had taken him 31days and 23hrs to complete.

He had summited all 282 Munros (Scottish mountains over 3000ft in height), completing the entire journey under his own power.  He covered almost 900 miles on foot and the same on a bike whilst enduring enough ascent to climb Everest 14 times.  In doing so, he beat the previous record by over a week!

In this episode we chat about his epic journey from forming the idea, through planning the monster logistics, to tackling a serious contender for the most epic record of this summer of FKTs.

Donate to Donnie's fundraiser for the British Red Cross here ---> https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/donniecampbell84

Learn about the Virtual ForRangers Ultra ---> https://beyondtheultimate.co.uk/ultra/virtual-for-rangers-ultra/#!/2020

We know Nick Butter already as the Man who Ran the World (ep34). Today he is the Man who Ran Britain having recently completed a record-breaking 5200+mile run around the coast of Britain.

After initially setting out to run the equivalent of 200 marathons in 100 days, Nick had to battle through injuries and obstacles to complete his mission in 128 days.

We'll hear all about those trials and tribulations as well as the joy of so closely exploring Nick's home country. We'll also hear all about the 196 Foundation, the new charity project Nick was publicising out there on the trail.

Learn more at: https://www.the196foundation.com/

Sabrina Pace-Humphreys is an ultra-runner, a mother and grandmother, a founding member of Black Trail Runners, and now the published author of 'Black Sheep: A story of Rural racism, Identity and Hope'.  Sabrina will shortly be toeing the line at the Summer Spine Race 2022.

In an episode, Will and Sabrina chat through her whole journey from starting out as a runner in 2009, to her first contact with ultra-running, the creation, and reason behind the creation, of Black Trail Runners, and her preparations for the Summer Spine Race. 

We learn what helped motivated Sabrina to begin this running journey and why she thinks so many others could benefit from starting on a fitness journey of their own.

Cover photo --> Roxanna Barry

Anna #SuperTrouper Troup appeared on this podcast just 3 episodes ago but in that short time she has grabbed a win at the Lakeland 100, and more recently, a record for being the fastest woman to run the Pennine Way.

Anna covered the 268mile national trail in 72 hours and 46 minutes, which is more than 1.5 hours faster than the previous female fastest time set by Sabrina Verjee last September.

Grab a free Ultramarathon Nutrition Guide from our friends at Resilient Nutrition here--> resilientnutrition.com/pages/how-to-fuel-and-ultramarathon-the-ultimate-guide 

In 2011, avid climber Steve Bate found out he was losing his eyesight and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Though initially rocked by the news, it led Steve to realise that he wanted to make every moment of his life count and he wasn't going to let his condition get in the way.

Since then his journey has taken him up the face of El Capitan making him the first visually impaired person to solo 'El Cap', and then to joining the Team GB Paralympic Cycling team with whom he has now won multiple gold medals and set a world record.

Will and Steve talk about his journey to being a world-beating cyclist and about his upcoming attempt to set a world record for cycling from Cairo to Cape Town.

Learn more about Steve and his adventures at: https://www.stevebatembe.com/

The Montane Winter Spine Races 2023 begin on Saturday 15th Jan, and in honour of this EPIC event, we thought we better make an EPIC podcast.

Welcome to our Spine Race Special.

Over the festive period, whilst many people were packing in mince pies and wrapping presents, the runners about to take part in #BritainsMostBrutal race were busy thinking about the 268-miles of non-stop racing waiting for them in the new year. And that's just those on the full-length edition. Across all 5 race classes, there were over 500 runners passing a nervous New Year thinking about the Pennine Way. This seemed like the perfect time to call them up and try and distill a little of that pre-race tension into a special edition of Everything Endurance.

In this episode, you'll find past podiumers, record holders, and Spine legends. There are short interviews with Anna Troup, Damian Hall, Ellie Eccles, Eoin Keith, Elaine Bisson, James Leavesley, Sharon Gayter, and the legendary Bobby Cullen. We talk through their motivations, their approach to preparing, their tips for first-time Spiners and more.

Obviously, we couldn't cover all the runners we wanted to across all the races. Check out the Ultrarunning Sam podcast though as Sam has also been interviewing Spiners recently and picked up a couple of people we weren't able to: https://www.youtube.com/@ultrarunningsam

For ease, here are the time-stamps of each interview:

06:15 Anna Troup

28:50 Damian Hall

46:10 Ellie Eccles

01:03:09 Eoin Keith

01:19:33 Elaine Bisson

01:34:25 James Leavesley

01:42:12 Sharon Gayter

02:07:08 Bobby Cullen - Apologies for the slightly lower sound quality during this interview.

Shane Benzie of Running Reborn is a Running technique coach and movement specialist.  Think of him as the Indiana Jones of the coaching world, scouring the Earth looking for treasures of lost athletic lore.  He has scientifically studied the art of running in such far flung places as the Peruvian rainforest, the frozen tundra of northern Sweden and the plains of Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda in search of the perfect model for efficient running.

Simon Roberts spent the race-free period of the pandemic honing his skills, doing his homework, and generally transforming himself into a race-winning-machine.

In this episode he talks Will through his first footsteps into ultra running and how about his experience of winning the Dragon's Back, The Montane Spine Challenger - North, and the Cheviot Goat.

We also introduce our new charity partner: https://www.bigmoosecharity.co/

Co-host Kris King is a successful Race Director who has lead runners through tough environments all around the world.  But he is also an experienced ultra-runner, and formerly a full-time strength and fitness coach.

Recorded back in the mists of time, in those halcyon, pre-Lockdown days, this episode includes our attempt at getting grime supremo Stormzy to produce a new theme tune as well as King Krizzy's insights into the seemingly daunting task of setting yourself a training plan for taking on a major endurance challenge.

Drawing on his wealth of experience, in this episode we talk through how to plan your training for an ultra-marathon.  Whether you're brand new to this and feeling overwhelmed by the information out there, or just looking to improve your performances, this is the podcast for you.

Adam Kimble makes his second appearance on Everything Endurance shortly after joining the Beyond the Ultimate team as a Race Director!

Kris and Will chat to Adam about his Great British Adventure in which he and Kris ran John O'Groats to Lands End with the 3 Peaks along the way. We also cover Adam's upcoming FKT in which he's looking to take a record from one Mr Killian Jornet. The conversation then somehow veers onto obscure 90s cartoons, but that sort of thing is to be expected by now.

Kimbledore also shares some of his top tips for successfully running desert ultras.

Adam is a very accomplished ultra-runner who has won and set course records at the Gobi March and Desert Ultra among others.

Many thanks to bigmoosecoffeecompany.co for helping to make this possible.

Purchase their awesome coffee, beers and other merch from https://www.bigmoosecoffeecompany.co/...

4 years and 76 episodes have gone by since we last spoke to today's guest, ultra-runner and coach Robbie Britton.

Robbie has wracked up a successful running career in which he has run across countries, run 24hr events for Team GB, win the BTU Ice Ultra, and support some seriously talented runners through his elite coaching.  Now he's taken that knowledge and refined it into 1001 Running Tips, a running guide with something for everyone.

In this episode, Will and Robbie talk through some of the tips to be found within and reflect back on 4 years of chatting to awesome adventurers.

Grab 1001 Running Tips here: https://www.v-publishing.co.uk/books/running/1-1-running-tips/

Learn more about Robbie: http://robbiebritton.co.uk/

Mimi Anderson is a legend in the ultra-running scene.  The last time we spoke to her she was preparing to head to the US to add to her growing list of international accolades with a record-breaking run across North America.

However, 40 days in disaster struck when a knee injury put paid to not just the record attempt, but her continued career as an exceptional ultra-runner.

The marvelous Mimi Anderson fought through the emotional fall-out and found a new way of adventuring.  Here she talks to Kris and Will about learning to swim, learning to cycle and learning to thrive in her life after running.

Jenny Tough is not an athlete who takes no for an answer.  Many people told her that flying alone to Kyrgystan and running through the Tian Shan Mountain Range was a bad idea.  Not least because she'd be running unsupported in a country where there are next to no guidebooks or maps to help you plan your adventure.

Nevertheless, Jenny completed that run and it led her to a new goal of running a mountain range on every continent on the planet.

This week's episode takes us from Kyrgystan, to Morrocco, on to Bolivia and then to New Zealand as we talk about Jenny's approach to expeditions and her motivation for taking on these epic challenges. 

Read more amazing stories and watch her excellent short films at https://jennytough.com/

Listen to Helen's own episode on the Highland Ultra and you'll learn how you can get a discounted entry for next year's race: https://www.insidetrishow.com/episode/highlandultra

Against a backdrop of the Covid_19 pandemic and the slew of race cancellations it led too, a few runners have managed to salvage the spirit of competition and a number of epic achievements from the clutches of what could have been a very quiet year in trail/ultra-running.

There can be few claims to greater success this year than Damian Hall's.  He has just grabbed his 3rd record of a busy summer after a nail-biting 14hr charge along the South Wales Traverse.

We cover this, his year as a whole and also the upcoming film 'Totally FKT' which documents Damian and John Kelly's exploits on the Pennine Way earlier this summer (see episodes #42 and #44).

In a special feature, Will also chats to Matt and Ellie Green of Summit Fever, the film-makers behind this amazing documentary which premieres on Sunday 22nd November at Kendal Mountain Festival 

Learn more at: https://www.summitfevermedia.com/pennine-way-fkt

Cover Images: (c) innov8/Dave Macfarlane

In 2008, at the age of 36, Alex Flynn discovered he had Parkinson's Disease, a degenerative, chronic, and currently incurable neurological condition which, over time, robs sufferers of the ability to move.

Nevertheless, Alex entered the MDS the following year only for circumstances to leave him lost, alone, in the Sahara.  Still, Alex continued, eventually conquering the MDS and going on to complete his own '10 Million Metre' challenge, covering 10,000km over the next few years all in support of Parkinson's charities.

He is now preparing for another hard year of racing and mountaineering followed by an attempt to be the first person with Parkinson's to reach the top of Everest.

In this episode, Will and Alex chat about carrying on in the face of adversity, and finding new purpose when your whole life has changed.

Learn more about Alex and his adventures at: https://www.alexflynn.co.uk/

If you are interested in supporting Alex's Everest challenge you can contact him at alex@alexflynn.co.uk

Greg Potter is co-founder of Resilient Nutrition and a renowned expert on the effects of sleep and nutrition on health.  In this episode, we take a deep and detailed dive into what sleep is for, the problems caused by poor sleep, and how to get better sleep.  At a time when most of us have experienced a lot of disruption in our day to day routines, we look at how all of us can get the benefit of more and better rest, as well as sleep tactics for those training and racing.

Greg Potter has worked with medal-winning athletes, world record-setting rowers, and even the US Special Forces, and has a self-confessed passion for helping people to live happier and healthier lives.

Resilient Nutrition, the company he co-founded in 2020, make tasty nut-butter-based products enhanced to boost stamina, keep you calm and alert, and bolster resilience.  Their brand new range of Elite Long Range Fuels is ideal for endurance athletes or anyone with adventure ahead of them, and can be found exclusively in the BTU store: https://bit.ly/ResilientNut 

Just over a month ago, Doug Zinis headed up into the Lake District peaks and took on a double Bob Graham Round.  The Bob Graham is a 66 miles (106 km) route with 26,900 feet (8,200 m) of ascent which Doug would need to complete before turning around and returning on the same route to his start/finish point in Keswick.

Doug managed this feat in 45hrs and 3 minutes, a new fastest known time for the challenge.  In this episode we chat to Doug about taking up running at 28, his recent journey into ultra-running and the planning and support that goes into this kind of challenge.

We also have a windswept update from Kris King up in Knoydart preparing for the Highland Ultra.

Each year since 1986, in Frozen Head State Park Tenessee, a race has taken place that teeters on the brink of being impossible to finish. An enigma of an event that eschews marketing, GPS tracking, and largely even race fees, and has a reputation as a serious contender for the title of toughest race on Earth.

In this episode, we talk to 3 runners who recently put in outstanding performances at the event. John Kelly was already one of the tiny group of people to ever finish the race and this year joined the even smaller group of those to finish it 2 times or more. Jasmin Paris put in the best performance by any female athlete in the history of the race, and Damian Hall managed to get all the way out onto loop 4 in his first-ever Barkley.

We also have Keith Dunn, master of Barkley Twitter, the only link between the race organisation and the outside world, chatting with Will about how he came to be such a big part of the event.

If that was somehow not enough, we also have another Radness Update from Adam Kimble, our man in America, who is here to talk us through some of the bigger US races and his journey to running the Badwater 135 in 2024.

Learn more about the Barkley Marathons by listening to our interview with Barkley Marathons creator and Race Director Gary Cantrell aka Lazarus Lake: https://bit.ly/EE36_LazLake

Image of Keith courtesy of Alexis Berg

At 3am on Saturday 11th July, Kim Collison set off from the quiet darkness of a small Lake District village with a running record in his sights that had stood for more than 20 years.  24hrs later he had returned to the start of his challenge having reached the top of 78 Lakeland peaks.  In all, he covered 175km (109 miles) with 11,890m (39,000ft) of ascent.

Kim Collison has been a prominent figure in British ultra-running for some years now,  who's accolades including being British Trail Running Champion in 2014, wins at the Lakeland 50, Lakes in a Day and Arc of Attrition races among others, and a Winter Bob Graham record which he bagged in December last year.

In this episode, Kim talks us through his journey into running, the things that keep him motivated, and the highs and lows of 24hrs of running through some of the UK's lumpiest terrain!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all you listeners!

In this shorter episode, Will and Kris end the year with a long-overdue Christmas catch-up.  A chance to talk about the harder parts of running a global race series during a pandemic, but also to talk through the positive things that have happened in that time including the Highland Ultra, the Summer Spine Race, and Will finally finding the time to rewatch every episode of Lost.

As a special little Christmas gift, Kris has set up a discount code for all listeners to use in the BTU Store.  For 10% off just enter EVERYTHINGENDURANCE10 at the checkout.

https://store.beyondtheultimate.co.uk/

See you in the New Year, everyone!

Will

On November 10th 2019 Nick Butter became the first and only person to run a full marathon distance in every country in the world, and did so in just 23 months.  He travelled alone for 674 days, running 2 or 3 marathons in 2 or 3 countries, every week, for 96 consecutive weeks.

In this episode we attempt to condense more than 2 years of adventure into 40 minutes of chat covering such topics as car-park marathons, wild dog avoidance techniques and running with food poisoning.

Nick's awesome adventure is on it's way to being a book called Run the World, which you can pre-order now, and a speaking tour.  You can find details at https://www.nickbutter.com/  

Beyond the Ultimate first encountered Nick Watson in Kenya during the first For Rangers Ultra in 2018.  Through his passion for adventure and enthusiastic nature, Nick quickly established himself as a part of our extended family.  We were over the moon then when he came to us with a plan for an epic new race in the UK.

Now we are all looking forward to April next year when we get to journey to the remote and wonderful Knoydart Peninsula in the West Highland's of Scotland for the first Highland Ultra.

In this episode, our founder and Race Director Kris King chats with our newest Course Director Nick Watson about the race he dreamed up and about what goes into bringing an event like this to life.  

Learn more about the Highland Ultra.

Enda Brady is a journalist who's had the chance, over the years, to talk to some truly great sportspeople.

A Sky News Correspondent since 2005, he has spent time interviewing the likes of Eliud Kipchoge, Chris Froome and even Zlatan Ibrahimovich, and in this episode, he shares some of the insights he's picked up and some of the great stories they've told him.

Between interviewing incredible sportspeople, Enda is also an experienced runner having completed over 30 road marathons and, more recently, a number of ultra-marathons too, including the For Rangers Ultra in Kenya.

In July, a group of passionate runners formed an organisation with the aim of increasing inclusion, participation and representation of black people in trail running.  That group called itself Black Trail Runners.

In this episode we chat to 2 of those runners, namely 'Marathon Marcus' Brown and Sonny Peart about their own passion for running and outdoor sports, their experiences on the trails, and about what can be done to tackle a lack of diversity that leaves many people missing out on the physical and mental benefits gained from running and other outdoor sports.

Follow BlackTrailRunners on instagram---> https://www.instagram.com/blacktrailrunners/

Contact them at ---> blacktrailrunners@gmail.com

Hear Marcus' 'A Runner’s Life' podcast ---> https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/a-runners-life/id1504303593

Learn about the Virtual ForRangers Ultra ---> https://beyondtheultimate.co.uk/ultra/virtual-for-rangers-ultra/#!/2020

Pedal4Parks was an 'eco-adventure' in which Isaac and 4 fellow adventurers cycled from Orkney to the Scilly Isles, visiting as many of mainland Britain's National Parks as possible on the way, and interviewing people involved in projects which will help to regenerate these precious green spaces and find ways for all of us to live more sustainably in the future.

The result was a unique feat of endurance and a documentary which is being shown this weekend at COP26, the UN Conference on Climate Change.  Watch here at 9:30am on 6th November: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJlvsGJAR8NsiyLzuBf_cQg

In this episode we talk to Isaac about his early days in adventure and the challenges he and his team faced in planning and executing the Pedal4Parks project.

Learn more about Pedal4Parks here: https://pedal4parks.co.uk/

Listen to Mind the Green Space podcast here: https://pedal4parks.co.uk/podcast/

John Kelly is an exceptional ultra-runner with a habit of being very successful at running outrageously long distances in difficult conditions.  It's little surprise then that his latest effort to break the record for running the Pennine Way resulted in him setting a new fastest time, having covered the 268 miles in 58:04:53.

John originally broke this record in 2020 only to see it smashed again by Damian Hall a week later.  We chat about how he beat his first time by more than 6hrs (and Damian's by more than 3!).

There's also a bonus interview with Dr Nicki Lygo who crewed both John and Damian's Pennine Way attempts and just got back from crewing for Damian as he successfully broke the Coast to Coast record. 

Support Nicki's End Duchenne JustGiving fund here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/endduchenne

Cover Images www.steveashworthmedia.com

Greg makes his 2nd appearance on the podcast in a month as we bring him back to help build on our earlier podcasts about nutrition.

In episode 40, Kris King talked us through the basics of nutrition so listeners could build a healthy attitude to food and habits which can help achieve our training goals. But, when should you eat particular foods in order to improve performance? What is RED-S and how can it be avoided? What supplements should I be taking? Is Beetroot Juice really useful!?

In today's episode, Greg digs deeper looking into nutritional timing, micro-nutrients and supplements, and RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport).

Greg Potter is co-founder of Resilient Nutrition and wrote his PhD about circadian rhythms, sleep, nutrition, and metabolism.

Jamie Ramsay is as an award-winning British Endurance Adventurer.  After 12 years of successfully living and working at a stressful job in London, Jamie realised he was unhappy with the direction of his life and that if he didn’t make some drastic changes then things would continue to spiral downwards.

His rather audacious solution was to quit his job (where he was a newly promoted Partner), fly to Vancouver, and run 17,000km to Buenos Aires completely unsupported.

Since his leap into the unknown, Jamie has travelled the world running, climbing and trekking his way across some of the worlds most iconic places, from running across the Atacama Desert, Cycling across a flooded Salar de Uyuni, reaching the summit of Aconcagua, and coming 3rd in the Cape Wrath Ultra despite nursing a sprained ankle.

In this episode, he chats to Will about some of the highlights from his travels, about his approach to planning adventures, and about changing your life for the sake of your mental wellbeing.

In the episode, we discuss Jamie's support for the Campaign Against Living Miserably.  C.A.L.M work to help people feel empowered to share their experiences and get the help they need before they reach the point of crisis. Suicide is the single biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK.

Head to https://www.thecalmzone.net/ to learn more.

At the beginning of 2016 you could accurately have described Will as an overweight punk rock guitarist, a real ale enthusiast, and a kebab aficionado.  Very occasionally you could have thrown in 'reluctant jogger'.  

Over the following year he dropped 16kgs (2.5 stone) and ran his first half marathon, marathon and ultras.  By March 1st 2017 he'd finished the Ice Ultra as first Briton, coming sixth overall in a foot race through 230km of arctic tundra.

I'm writing about myself here and it's a bit creepy.  So maybe just listen to the podcast to hear about my training journey, Kris' approach to coaching me and all the highs and lows of what came to be known as Project Baldlygo!

In this mid-season special we break from the norm.  Rather than Will and Kris bringing a guest in for the podcast to talk about their adventures, this week Kris interviews Will about his.

Since the planets ultra-runners have been unleashed from easing lockdowns around the world, they've been channeling their pent up energy into record-breaking feats of running.

In this special midweek episode, we chat to one of those runners,  John Kelly, for the 2nd time this year.  What earns him his exalted status as the only person ever to appear on this show twice in the same year?  Breaking the Pennine Way FKT, that's what.  A record which had stood for 31 years before he came along.

John covered the 268 mile long Pennine Way, the national trail running from Edale in the Peak District to Kirk Yetholm across the border in Scotland, in just 2 days, 16 hours and 40 minutes, beating the previous record by a margin of just over 30 minutes.

We chat through John's data-driven approach to his epic challenges and talk about how this latest achievement fits into his plan to run the Hartley Slam in 2020.

John Kelly is fundraising throughout the Hartley Slam for the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust.  Read all about their work and donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hartleyslam

Dr Al Ruddock is a physiologist at Sheffield Hallam University with a wealth of experience in sport science. He has worked with a range of individual athletes and teams from FIFA World Cup referee Howard Webb to the Commonwealth games medal winning England Table Tennis team.  He has also worked extensively in Boxing, helping Kid Galahad achieve his British, Commonwealth and European Titles and, more recently, Kell Brook’s IBF welterweight world title victory.

Doctor Al's first appearance last year was our second most popular episode so we basically had to agree to have him back.  This time around Al and Kris discuss what makes an elite athlete, focussing on Mo Farah's transition to Marathon and on Sheffield's own Jess Ennis-Hill.

This is part one of a three-part series focussing on this subject.  Al has provided a physiological perspective and we'll soon be bringing you some nutritional science facts and taking a look at the psychology of these amazing athletes.

In this episode, we talk adaptations, training tips and whether Derbyshire tea is a thing.

The Jungle Ultra is Beyond the Ultimate's 5 day, 230km journey deep into the rainforests of Peru. Runners arrive in the historic city of Cusco, are escorted over the rugged Andes Mountains, and begin their journey in the Manu National Park, one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet. The area is beautiful but the terrain and the climate alone give this event a reputation for arguably being the toughest race on the BTU roster.

Stage 4 in particular is notorious as possibly the hardest stage of any BTU race.

In this episode, Will catches up with the winner Ben Harrison plus two more Jungle legends in the form of Jemma Harding and Mark Reilly. The trio recount the highlights, the challenges and their tips for success in such extreme environments.

Mark was running for Reverse Rett, a charity looking to cure Rett Syndrome, a severe neurological disorder which effects his daughter. Learn more here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-reilly

Jemma was running for Rock2Recovery, a charity that supports the armed forces, veteran, those working in the emergency services, and all their families who are affected by stress. Learn more here: https://sportsgiving.co.uk/sponsor/activity/a-5-day-230km-ultra-marathon-through-the-amazon-jungle/jemma-harding

Congratulations to Noora Hintsa, the winning Female athlete at Jungle Ultra 2024. Noora was unfortunately ill at the time of recording but we will feature her in a future episode!

Beyond the Ultimate's resident media guy and Everything Endurance co-host, Will (aka @baldlygo), recently completed the Ice Ultra in Swedish Lapland.
After making his way through 230km of Europe's last remaining wilderness we thought it might be a good idea to have him tell you about what he learnt on the other side of the arctic circle.
So here is a special one off podcast of Will's Top Ten Tips for surviving on the Ice. Here he discusses arctic admin, Ice Ultra cuisine wilderness fashion essentials and much more.

Head to the Beyond the Ultimate YouTube channel to watch the videos and take a look at some of the kit he's describing!

Kristina Madsen of Denmark was a highly decorated ultra-runner and a holder of multiple FKTs already when in February she became the first woman to be the overall winner of a BTU Global Race Series event. Kristina won the Ice Ultra, BTU's 230km, 5-day race across the ice and snow of Swedish Lapland, where temperatures regularly drop as low as -40°c. In this episode, we chat with Kristina about her historic win and about what it takes to be successful when running in the Arctic.

If that wasn't enough, we also catch up with Karl Alvarez, who came 2nd in the same race and is currently part way through an attempt to complete all of BTU's races within a year.

You'll also find a Race Director's Round-Up of the Ice Ultra from Kris King, and a brand new regular feature we're loosely calling the Adam Kimble Radness Update where fellow BTU RD and professional ultra-runner Adam Kimble, brings you an enthusiastic update from the world of endurance achievement!

Stu Westfield is an expedition leader, Race Director, and the man who oversees the safety of all the competitors taking on #BritainsmostBrutal endurance event, the Montane Spine Race.

Whether you are signed up for a Spine event or just looking forward to getting back into the hills after lockdown, this episode will arm you with some of the basic skills you'll need to keep yourself safe so you can get the most out of whatever adventuring you have planned.

From planning to selecting what kit to take with you to spotting and combatting hyperthermia, this episode has plenty for anyone with outdoor exploration in mind.

To learn about the new Spine Race events and Training Weekends head to: https://thespinerace.com/

Learn about Ranger Ultras events and Stu's 1-2-1 Spine Training events: http://rangerultras.co.uk/ 

Contact Will at: will.roberts@beyondtheultimate.co.uk 

The Montane Spine Race has earned itself the moniker of Britain's Most Brutal as year after year runners have pitted themselves against 268 miles of non-stop racing along the iconic Pennine Way National Trail.  The self-sufficient race offers an expedition-like experience to those brave enough to take it on.

Phil Hayday-Brown is one of the co-founders of the event, and with just a week to go before the 2021 Summer Spine Races, we chat about how the race came to be, just why it is so tough, and why people keep coming back, again and again, to try and earn themselves a Spine Race medal.

Adam Kimble is an American Ultra-Runner and Coach with an impressive and growing CV.  He is also a Race Director with Beyond the Ultimate, a motivational speaker, and a serious contender for friendliest human on earth.

This Lake Tahoe resident recently set a new Fastest Known Time for the Tahoe Rim Trail, a 171-mile route through alpine terrain in California with over 8000 metres of climbing.  This was Adam's 2nd attempt to take the record from it's previous owner, one Kilian Jornet.  You may have heard of him.

In this episode Will and Adam chat about his first attempt last October, his training and preparation since, and the amazing 37hrs and 12 minutes he spent on the trail breaking the record last weekend.

250kms over 5 days in the oldest desert on earth in temperatures of 50°c and higher. That's the challenge that faced the athletes who travelled with BTU out to Namibia just a few weeks ago for Desert Ultra 2023. The Desert Ultra is the longest race in the Global Race Series and this year's edition was the hottest race BTU has ever hosted.

In this episode, you'll hear from race director Adam Kimble about why he's so happy to consider the Namib his second home, from our race winners Steve Williams and Ellie Milnes, and later in the episode an extremely inspiring interview with Andy Delderfield whose preparations for this race took place whilst he also underwent treatment for cancer. We know his journey inspires us and we're certain you will feel the same.

Keep your ears open for another shorter episode coming out very soon featuring BTU's very own Jenny Hall who was also out in Namibia finishing her first-ever ultra marathon.

Timestamps as follows:

Adam Kimble: 7:40

Ellie Milnes: 41:00

Steve Williams: 1:25:15

Andy Delderfield: 1:58:00

Enter the #DesertUltra: https://www.beyondtheultimate.co.uk/race/desert-ultra/

On the 14th of June 2010 Leigh Timmis left Derby, UK.  This was the beginning of a circumnavigation of the world he thought would take around 3 years.  In late April 2017, after 7 years in which he covered more than 40000 miles, he came home.

Will chats to this amazing traveler about his epic journey in which he endured raging storms at sea, freezing mountain passes, the sweltering outback and a run in with the Tibetan police.  Leigh saw some of the world's most amazing sights and made friends and encountered people and cultures who would change his life forever.

On June 20th, Inov8 Athlete, Paul Tierney completed an astonishing feat in 6 days, 6 hours and 5 minutes. Paul took the record for the fastest time to complete all 214 of Alfred Wairight's Lake District Peaks in one go.

Paul, a former police officer from Ireland, battled sleep deprivation, exhaustion, bad weather and an unquenchable desire for chips as he beat the previous record by almost 7hrs.

In this latest episode of Everything Endurance, Will, Kris and Paul discuss running a bloody long way in the lakes, covering route planning, kit choices and the all-important snack tactics.

To read more about his epic achievement head to
https://www.inov-8.com/blog/paultierneywainwright/

When Kasia Orzechowska made the decision to follow her dream of running a multi-stage ultra-marathon in the Desert, she was 7 months pregnant and resettling in a new country.  13 months later she arrived in Namibia having trained hard, researched her kit, but having never run further than a marathon.

Faced with 5 days and 250km of hard running in temperatures of 50°c and above, Kasia rose to the challenge and was not only the first woman to reach the finish line, she also broke the previous course record set by Kristina Madsen, a world record-breaking runner we've featured on this show in the past.

In this episode, we talk through her training journey, her experience in the Namib desert, and what the future holds for this exceptional runner who is now entering races as a sponsored athlete.

We promised you a third installment of our series on training for endurance events/ultra-running with our very own Kris King, and here it is!

Why should runners worry about strength training? Is strength work actually good for runners? Are there any exercises every runner should do? What role can strength training play in the prevention of injuries? All these questions and more are answered as Will and Kris are reunited for another episode of Everything Endurance.

Alongside Kris King's role as Race Director for Beyond the Ultimate, he is also an experienced fitness coach with a track record of helping athletes to prepare for epic feats, including training Will from being an overweight kebab enthusiast with a morbid fear of running into an ultra-runner capable of a top-10 finish at the Ice Ultra, in under a year.

The Knoydart Peninsula is a serious contender for the most beautiful spot in the UK. Remote and tranquil, it's nestled in the West Highlands of Scotland, surrounded on one side by sea-lochs and stunning views across to the Isle of Skye, and on the other by a series of rugged Scottish mountains. The scenery is as beautiful as it is difficult to move through. It's just as well there's a beautiful view to reward the runners at the top of every one of those monster climbs.

 In this episode, Will talks to three runners who recently completed the Highland Ultra, Beyond the Ultimate's three-day, 125-km race around that beautiful corner of Scotland. Among the trio of guests are our two winners, both of whom came into this event with very little experience of races of this kind.

There is plenty of useful advice and inspiring positivity from all of these guests so settle back and let them tell you how they came to conquer the Highland Ultra against the odds. If you've signed up for a similar challenge, if you have a mountain in your sights or a massive race to prepare for, and you are starting to worry that you may have bitten off more than you can chew, then listen to this episode and you'll feel like you can do anything.

Aum was running in support of Richstone Family Centre - an organisation dedicated to treating and preventing child abuse and trauma.

Entries for Highland Ultra 2025 are now open. Learn more and enter HERE.

After running LEJOG, barefoot and unsupported, Aleks made a choice.  To pick a life with a backpack and some sandals and a spirit of adventure over a secure life with a good income.  With that in mind he left the UK in August 2016 to run from the northernmost to the southernmost point of Europe with nothing but the sandals on his feet and the kit on his back.

The former Science teacher ran through freezing cold conditions and rough terrain taking in the incredible variety of conditions which Europe offers as he trekked from the cold of the Arctic to a point within site of the African continent.   Aleks faced new and often tough challenges at every step, each of which he has faced with charm, courage and a perfectly reasonable amount of swearing.

In this episode of our podcast we discuss the benefits of barefoot running, the trials and tribulations of running an entire continent and of the fear inducing challenge Aleks has set for the near future.

Dubbed the 'Ocean Sheroes', this team of 4 set off from San Francisco in May as part of the Great Pacific Race, a 2700 miles rowing race ending in Hawaii.

The team, comprising Bella Collins, Mary Sutherland, Lily Lower, and Purusha Gordan, arrived in Hawaii 35 days later as the fastest women to ever complete the trip.

In this episode, Lily and Purusha chat to Will about the reality of a month of hard rowing on a boat which Will describes as being 'about the size of 3 or 4 sofas lashed together.'

The Ocean Sheroes took on this challenge to raise money for the SeaBin Project.  Learn more and donate to the cause here: https://oceansheroes.com/the-charity/

Grab the Resilient 'Weekender' Package, perfect for whatever this weekend's adventure is: https://resilientnutrition.com/collections/resilient-nutrition/products/weekender

Aside from a thirst for adventure, there is another thing that our previous guests have in common. Whether it be due to the early mornings and long hours spent in training, or the deep dark deprivation which comes in the midst of a long race or endurance challenge, they've all found their sleep patterns disrupted and suffered as a consequence.

In this episode, we discuss all things slumber related with James Wilson, a Sleep Behaviour and Environment Expert who has, with a supporting team of other experts, developed an approach that helps people understand their sleep better, and assists them in making the changes to their mindset, behaviours and environment that can lead to better sleep.

Why do we need to sleep?  Why is it sometimes so hard to get to?  What is happening to you when you're sleep-deprived and what can you do about it during a race?  We'll chat through these questions and more as we fight off the sleep monsters and learn how best to harness rest.

Learn more about The Sleep Geek and his work with professional athletes at https://www.thesleepgeek.co.uk/

In this episode we talk to the winner of the Ice Ultra, Beyond the Ultimate's 5-day multistage run across Arctic Sweden, a runner who faced down 5 days of running in temperatures as low as -35c with a grin on his face throughout.

A runner who not long ago decided to take a leap of faith and work towards making a career out of the thing he loves most.

When Dicksy took on the Jungle Ultra (the same format but much hotter, much wetter, and with infinitely more mosquitos) there was a lightbulb moment somewhere out among the trees where he decided to change his life.

If you're planning a cold race or adventure, we have some tips for you.  If you're looking for inspiration to take your own passion and make it a livelihood then Simon's story and his massive enthusiasm is just what you need.

Eoin Keith has been running ultras since the late 90s but shows no sign of slowing down.

In his illustrious career as a runner of immense distances, Eoin has excelled in ultra and adventure racing as well as 24hr and 6-day running events, but is best known for breaking the world record for the fastest crossing of Ireland on foot (550km in 3 days, 3hrs and 47 minutes) and for his multiple podiums, and overall win in 2016, of the Montane Spine Race.

Here he chats to Will and Kris about sleep deprivation, motivation and what he has learned during his many successes on the Spine. 

Everything Endurance is back with another run of episodes featuring some of our most awesome guests yet.  Don't forget to like, subscribe and review this podcast wherever you're getting it from.  Spread the word and help us bring you more episodes and more amazing guests.

This year, John Kelly became a Spine Race winner and broke a Pennine Way FKT which had stood for over 30 years (setting a record which was rudely broken a week later by Damian Hall!).

As if this wasn't enough achievement, he also recently completed his 'Hartley Slam' project by completing the Grand Round.

This monstrous endeavour saw John take on all 3 UK grand rounds (the Paddy Buckley, Bob Graham and Charlie Ramsay) consecutively, whilst cycling the distances in between.  Each of those runs are around the 100km mark with stacks of ascent, and the rides between are around the 300km each!

John Kelly was fundraising throughout the Hartley Slam for the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust.  Read all about their work and donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hartleyslam

Cover Background Photo: @the_phbalance 

In this special 'extra' episode Will chats with Jenny Hall who has just returned from completing Desert Ultra 2023, her first ever ultra-distance event.

Jenny is the Marketing Manager at BTU/Spine Race and she signed up to the Desert Ultra less than a year ago having never taken part in an event like it. In that short time, Jenny turned herself into a succesfrul ultra-runner and grabbed a finisher's medal under incredibly tough conditions in Namibia this November.

This interview represents a unique opportunity in that Will went through almost the same journey a few years ago, going from a standing start to finishing the Ice Ultra in less than 12 months. In this episode the pair discuss Jenny's experiences in Namibia and also mine into what you can expect if you sign up for a massive challenge of your own. In this thorough and frank conversation, the pair cover the challenges involved from fitting in training, researching kit, understanding nutrition, completing the race itself, and also managing the emotional come-down that hits some people afterwards.

If this episode helps a single runner to find the confidence to work towards their own epic adventure, or to overcome their own imposter syndrome then Will and Jenny will both be happy...

Three letters have dominated ultra-distance running this year and those three letters are FKT. As the pandemic put paid to most runner's plans, their thoughts collectively turned to other outlets for their competitive natures and records began to fall on a near-daily basis.

In Broken, Ally Beaven takes an entertaining look at just why 2020 was so unusual for long-distance running. With his interest in Fastest Known Times (FKTs) piqued, Beaven immerses himself in the scene. His summer becomes one of spending hours in the hills feeding, cajoling and generally trying to keep alive the runners he is supporting, as well as following the dots of live trackers in the middle of the night and endlessly refreshing his Twitter feed as records tumble around the country.

Who looked the most knackered? Who took on the biggest challenge? What is Ally willing to draw in the signed copies? These questions answered and more as Will and Ally chat through the ups and downs of putting this amazing book together.

N.B. this episode comes with a slight colourful language warning!

Pre-order at https://www.v-publishing.co.uk/books/narratives/broken/

Cathy Dean has been Save the Rhino International's CEO since October 2001. She is in charge of the charity, and also a member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission (IUCN SSC) African Rhino Specialist Group.

Under her leadership, the charity has seen it’s income – and therefore the amount available from which to make grants to protect rhinos – more than quadruple.

Cathy is passionate and enthusiastic about protecting wildlife and is not at all afraid to practice what she preaches, appearing on the start line of last year’s inaugural ForRangers Ultra herself as part of the team wearing the famous Save the Rhino costume.  Cathy took a number of shifts in the sweltering heat of the suit and claimed her finishers medal on the equator from Eliud Kipchoge having comfortably completed the 220km course.

In this episode of Everything Endurance, Will and Kris are invited into Cathy’s home to chat to her about the For Rangers Ultra and how the funds this amazing race raises help to support the work of wildlife rangers around the world.

To learn more about how these funds were used, take a read of our blog here.

To donate to this year’s race, click here.

To enter the race in 2020, register here.  But make it quick, there are only 75 places available and the ballot closes at the end of September 2019.

Kristian Morgan is an ultra-runner, coach and podcast host with his sights set on breaking massive records.  After covering over 1000 miles of the Appalachian Trail last year as part of the support team for Belgian runner Karel Sabbe's FKT, Kristian was intent on taking on the same challenge himself, until Covid scuppered his plans.

With the hunger for an epic challenge already in him, and with some close ties to the iconic South West Coast Path here in the UK, Kristian decided he'd make an attempt at breaking Damian Hall's already impressive record.

After running an average of 60 miles per day, on around 4 hours sleep a night for a total of 10 days, 12 hours and 6 minutes, Kristian had has record.  In this episode we hear about his earlier adventures and about his experiences running along Britain's beautiful south west coast.

You can find Kristians Podcast here: https://www.kristianultra.com/podcast

And learn more about his coaching services here: https://www.kristianultra.com/onlineruncoaching

Support his Appalachian Trail FKT attempt here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/appalachian-trail-speed-record-attempt

Knoydart is a perfect backdrop for the Highland Ultra in so many ways. As well as being the ideal place to build a course for a 3-day, 125km race, full of technical climbs, breath-taking views and tranquillity, it is home to a positive and inspiring group of people working together to improve their community and the environment around them. We are proud to support that work through the Highland Ultra and also to be able to give these fantastic people a chance to talk to you via this podcast.

In this episode, we will talk to the winners of the 2023 race in April. Lauren Gregory, Axel Jannson and Fredrik Pettersen speak about their training, their experiences on the course, what did and didn't work as they prepared for this race and, in the case of our duo of Scandinavian winners, their unconventional route to the podium.

We then go into interviews with Lorna Schofield of the Knoydart Forest Trust and Finlay Greig of the Knoydart Ranger Service where we unpack some of the massive conservation projects being undertaken by members of the Knoydart Community and how the Highland Ultra supports them through donations from race fees, trees planted for t-shirts, and more.

Enter Highland Ultra 2024 here: https://www.beyondtheultimate.co.uk/race/highland-ultra

Learn more about the Knoydart Forest Trust and the Rangers from the links below:

Knoydart Forest Trust: https://www.knoydartforesttrust.org

Knoydart Ranger Service: https://knoydart.org/ranger

Time Stamps

Axel Jansson: 14:45

Fredrik Pettersen: 34:55

Lauren Gregory: 1:05:55

Lorna Schofield: 1:47:50

Finlay Greig: 2:07:55

Adam Kimble: 2:40:30

The Montane Arctic Spine is a non-stop, 293 mile (472 km) foot race along the Kungsleden Trail in Arctic Sweden. This race captures the full self-sufficient, expedition-style feel of the Spine Race as we know it, but transported into the bitter cold of the Arctic.

This year's event was the first ever edition of this race which is the first of it's kind. Athletes pull all of their kit behind them on pulks as they carve their way along the trail on backcountry skis, or snowshoes. Conditions were extremely tough with temperatures dipping below -30°c on the first day and not rising above that point throughout the rest of the race. Snow was deep enough in places that our pioneering entrants had to plough their own route through the terrain.

After 48hrs of racing only 2 athletes remained. Both went on to put in outstanding performances and both were well deserving recipients of the first-ever Arctic Spine Race finishers medals.

Those athletes were Ed Sellon and Kev Leahy who was crowned our winner.

in this episode you'll hear about their experiences in the Arctic, and a wealth of tips on how to survive whilst racing in this environment.

If you're interested in entering the event in 2025 then click the following link and register your interest today: www.thespinerace.com/race/arctic/arctic-spine

In the episode we refer to a playlist of music that Kev was listening too out there in the snow. You can find that here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/60rLcr908ONMoXrvLJ9rIa?si=10ea5bc0facd460b

Season Two begins with a great guest (not that they aren't all great)!Damian Hall has been a sports journalist with a passion for the outdoors for over 15 years.  Back in 2011, he ran his first half-marathon and something clicked.  Skip on to 2017 and Damian has been on the podium at The Spine, the Dragon's Back and the 2016 British Athletics Ultra Trail Championships.  He has also made the top 20 of the UTMB twice and has the Fastest Known Time for completing the 630-mile South West Coast Path.

It's been a meteoric rise for somebody who came to running relatively late and Will and Kris take full advantage of the opportunity to talk about his journey and through some of the highlights of his career.  And to test out Kris' new professional podcast production equipment.

On 14th October, Tom Garrod started the 253mile Lon Las Cymru Ultramarathon, a grueling race from the north to the south of Wales.  When he reached the finish line, he turned around and raced back to the start alone - all to raise money for Kings College Hospital in memory of Mark Thornberry, a well-known fellow ultra-runner who sadly passed from liver cancer last year.

17 years earlier, Tom was diagnosed with stage IV testicular cancer and given a 5% chance of survival.  In this episode, we hear all about his story of defying those odds and the journey afterward that led him into his amazing achievements as an ultra-athlete and his efforts to raise awareness of testicular cancer.

Learn more at https://bustinyourballs.org/

Donate to his Double Lon Las fundraiser here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/doublelonlascymru4thorners

Please Note - COLOURFUL LANGUAGE WARNING - there are a few expletives in this interview.

In January 2020, John Kelly became the founding member of the most exclusive club in the world.  A club reserved for people who have finished both the Montane Spine Race and the Barkley Marathons, two races with a reasonable claim on the title toughest-in-the-world. 

What's more, is that he joined that club having won both races having crossed the line at the end of a particularly weather-beaten Spine Race in the 2nd fastest recorded time.

In the latest episode of Everything Endurance, Will 'Baldlygo' Roberts chats with John Kelly about his journey into running, his Barkley win and how to survive sleet, snow and sleeplessness on the Pennine Way.

Al Ruddock is a physiologist at Sheffield Hallam University with a wealth of experience in sport science. He has has worked with a range of individual athletes and teams from FIFA World Cup referee Howard Webb to the Commonwealth games medal winning England Table Tennis team.  

He is also something of an expert in what Will refers to as 'The Punchy Men.'  Alan has worked extensively within Boxing at the highest level, having a huge influence on Kid Galahad’s British, Commonwealth and European Title wins and most recently Kell Brook’s IBF welterweight world title victory.

In this high-brow, science based podcast Kris and Will almost entirely fail to maintain their professionalism.  Luckily Alan's massive knowledge more than make up for our co-hosts' hijinks.  Have a listen as we discuss over-training, recovery techniques and torture.

Jay Worthy is an endurance athlete and podcast host on a mission to inspire people into adding a little more adventure to their lives and is a great advocate for the mental and physical benefits of time spent engaging with nature and taking on physical challenges.

In this episode, Will talks to Jay about his own journey into a life of adventure before unpacking how you can add a little adventure to your days.  We challenge you to listen to this episode and not want to strap on some trail shoes and head for the hills!

Listen to 28 Summers here: https://28summers.com/

Grab the Resilient 'Weekender' Package here: https://resilientnutrition.com/collections/resilient-nutrition/products/weekender

Gary Cantrell, aka Lazarus Lake, is the man behind the Barkley Marathons, a race with a powerful air of mystery and a reputation for insane levels of toughness.  A race that strips it's runners to the bone, pitting them against the wilderness in a fight that heavily favours the hills.

Since it's 1986 inception, only 15 runners have ever reached the finish and yet runners all over the world muddle through the obscure application process each year in the hope that it might be their time.

In this episode, we chat to Laz about Gary Cantrell's early ultra-running days, about how a lack of races led to him setting up his own, about his recent trans-continental trek across the US, and about how the now world-famous Barkley Marathons came to be the race that it is.

It's time to talk about the Montane Summer Spine Race 2024!

Those who attended this year's race will know it looked a lot like a winter one. Conditions were extremely difficult and the athletes who did well this June can quite rightly say they completed a race as tough in its own way as any January edition. Among those brave runners were Chris Cope and Mel Sykes.

Chris and Mel arrived at the start line of this year's Summer Spine Race and Summer Spine Challenger South respectively, with a slightly higher mountain to climb than most people around them. Chris has type 1 diabetes which he has managed, to great success, since his teens. Mel was returning to the Pennine Way for the second year in a row having experienced a very serious incident between races, an incident described by Mel herself as finding out 'her brain was falling out'.

In this episode both Chris and Mel chat with Will about their experiences out on the Pennine Way and about the conditions they overcame in order to achieve Spine Race success.

Jasmin Paris was already a national fell-running champion, winner of the Skyrunner world series and a record holder on the Bob Graham and Ramsey Rounds when she crossed the line of the 2019 Spine Race in first position.

In that moment she was propelled into the public consciousness, having been the first woman to take the overall win in that immensely tough race, but also having smashed the course record by over twelve hours. 

We recently chatted to Jasmin about her journey into running, her experience on The Spine Race and the media aftermath of very suddenly being the most famous utra-runner on the planet.

Jeff Smith is an adventurer, former professional Ice Hockey player and all round lovely bloke.  He is also the founder of bigmoose.co.  Oh, and he recently climbed Everest.

The idea for bigmoose was born out of a very sad event in Jeff's life, the death of his best friend.  That event made him, in his own words, vow to get the most out of every minute of his time on planet Earth.

This has led Jeff into some amazing adventures, (did we mention he recently climbed Everest at all!) and to create Bigmoose, a non-profit organisation with a very clear intention - do fun stuff that inspires people to live better, healthier, kinder lives.

In this episode Jeff and Kris discuss adventure, overcoming adversity and injury and the pros and cons of baldness.  Oh and climbing Everest.  Did we mention he just climbed Everest?

Sit back somewhere comfortable or prepare for a long steady run, this man tells a great story...

Carla Molinaro is an elite ultrarunner and coach with a glowing CV.  After the cancellation of all her races this year, Carla began training for a world record attempt under lockdown in South Africa, where she could only run up and down a 100-metre driveway.

Nevertheless, on 28th July she set a new women's world record having run the 874-mile/1400km length of Great Britain in 12 days and 30 minutes.

We chat to her about preparing for a world record under lockdown restrictions, and about the grueling 12 days of hard running it took to reach her goal.

We're back in Arctic Sweden for the 2nd episode in a row, but this time we're exploring the Ice Ultra, a 5-day race across the ice and snow of Swedish Lapland. There are no skis or sledges here, but snowshoes and backpacks. Competitors carry everything but their sleeping bags and camp clothes on their backs throughout, so your ability to select and manage the right kit is a big factor in whether you end up a finisher or a shivery DNF.

In this episode, Will speaks to the 2 winners of the race, and another runner who maximised their time on the course a little more, and digs into the choices they made that carried them across the snow.

Those runners are 1st male and overall winner Alex O'Shea, a record breaking Irish athlete more commonly known as the Running Fireman, 1st female Tarryn Gordon-Bennett of South Africa,  and Sia Kindberg who ranks among the most infectiously positive people to chat on this podcast.

Whether you're planning a cold adventure of your own and are looking for detailed advice, or you're curious about what running 230km in the Arctic might feel like, this is the episode for you.

Support Sia's charity page here: https://www.mycause.com.au/p/313604/on-an-ultra-mission-to-rebuild-my-childhood-school-ban-bua-yang-thailand

If you're interested in taking on the Ice Ultra you can learn more and enter here: https://www.beyondtheultimate.co.uk/race/ice-ultra/

During her first-ever skydive, something clicked in Holly's head. 

That sudden rush of adrenaline started a journey that would see her become the first woman to jump from a plane next to Everest at the height of the summit (see cover image!), participate in the first Mongol Derby horse race, climb Everest as a mountaineer, and set up the conservation charity, How Many Elephants.

In this episode, Will chats with Holly about falling out of planes at inopportune moments, being swept away in a stampede of wild horses, and spending nights in the field with anti-poaching units in South Africa and Zimbabwe. 

To support Holly's conservation charity, head to howmanyelephants.org

Adam Kimble ran his first 5km race in 2009 which resulted in a second place in his age group, some painful cramps and the beginning of a life of running based adventure!

Since then he has progressed quickly.  Among others his race CV includes coming third in the Yellowstone-Teton 100 in 2014, winning the Gobi March and setting a course record in 2015 and placing second in the 2016 Burning River 100.

2016 turned out to be a massive year with Adam making an attempt at the trans-american world record.  The injuries unfortunately put a stop to his push for the record he continued on his way and successfully made it from one ocean to the other in 60 days.  If that weren't enough he also spent 60 days stranded alone in the wilderness for Discovery channel's survival show, The Wheel.

In this episode Will, Kris and Kimbledore talk about all of the above and King and Kimble's upcoming Great British Adventure.  The pair are heading out in July to run from John O'Groats to Lands End, taking in the 3 highest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales along the way, in 31 days.

Eoin Keith has a lengthy and illustrious running CV which includes many podiums, as well as course and even world records.  He recently added a Montane Summer Spine Race win and Course Record to that list.

In this episode, Will and Eoin talk about his recent run along the Pennine Way, about the differences between winter and summer racing, and about Eoin's journey from golf courses, to mountains, to the world's biggest ultra races.

In this episode Kris and Will get to chat to one of Will's heros.  The absolutely marvelous Mimi Anderson!

Mimi is a multiple Guinness World Record holder, multiple course record holder and has appeared at Beyond the Ultimate events all over the world.  You won't find a more determined runner.  Mimi holds the world records for running Lands End to John O'Groats and for running the length of Ireland.  Her Double-Badwater and 6633 Arctic Ultra times are unbeaten to this day. 

Take a listen as a starstruck Will and Kris chat to a living legend.   

After a pandemic imposed hiatus from the show, Kris King returns with the second part of his enlightening series on training for endurance events.  This time we tackle the topic of basic nutrition.

Whether you're looking to healthily lose a little lockdown weight, or you're building the foundations ready to train for an epic adventure of your own, there is plenty to learn as Kris gives us an overview of how to build a healthy attitude towards food and make changes to our habits which can help you achieve your goals.

After nearly 4 months without recording together, expect the co-hosts to bait each other about their hair and exchange a little colourful language as we get into the basics of healthy diet.