Into the Wee Hours Podcast (Sarah Pendergrass)

Episode 19! Leif Christensen joined us in the “studio” while visiting from Adelaide for a chat about what being an everyday adventurer means to him. 

Leif shares with us how an exchange program, living in Brazil for a year after leaving school stimulated his interest in experiencing other cultures and places. This passion has seen Leif travel and adventure all over Australia and beyond, both for fun; for fundraising and also for work, as a trained social worker, leading 100km hikes for children while working in an adventure therapy and guide role for Operation Flinders. 

Leif since retrained as a firefighter and we chat about how work and adventure tie in together. He shares with us a whole range of missions he has completed including his self-named project “Six Trails for Change”, taking part in ultra distance trail runs, including the Rapid Ascent “Triple Crown”, as well as summiting the 6812m peak Mount Ama Dablam in Nepal and fastpacking the Great Walk on K’gari (formerly known as Fraser Island). Leif has been riding motorbikes since he was 18, and attempted a fundraising ride from London to Cape Town, while also recently taking part in the challenging and somewhat quirky “Postie Bike Challenge” riding an old “postie bike” 1000km over four days in the Flinders Ranges and remote Outback South Australia, raising funds for the Apex Copper Coast Retreats, supporting families impacted by cancer. 

Leif also shares with us intentions for the year ahead including racing Ultra Trail Australia 100km and climbing Mount Cook in New Zealand. 

We finish with a chat about how through working in the fire service, Leif now volunteers with his kelpie, Boston, training as a search and rescue dog as part of the Urban Search and Rescue taskforce.

You can find Leif on Instagram at @leif_c 

We (…Sarah) apologises for the feature guest - Ness - who was fairly vocal during this interview. 

If you’re enjoying these episodes and interested in supporting us on Patreon please head across to www.patreon.com/intotheweehourspodcast We are so grateful for every contribution which "helps keep the lights on"! 

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Episode 32! Firstly, apologies if this is a tricky one to listen to sound wise - our recording set up from three remote places didn't go quite to plan and our voices come through at different levels, with Sarah being quiet. The main thing we reckon though is you can still hear Cecilia well, and we hope it's not too annoying to listen to as it's well worth perservering with to hear from "CC at CCC"!

We welcome back good friend of the show - Cecilia Mattas, to run us through her recent trip to Europe and how it felt to take on the epic trail race - UTMB's CCC, traversing over 100kms on foot, at speed, through the Alps.  When we last spoke to Cecilia back on Episode 5, she was hot off the back of a win at Ultra Trail Australia 100km. Given COVID restrictions at the time, this opportunity at CCC was Cecilia's first chance to truly race on the world stage and kudos to her as she absolutely crushed it.

While Cecilia has an admirable training ethic and inspiring attitude to her running, nothing can be taken for granted when racing such a long distance on such technical terrain at altitude. As ever though, Cecilia, while being crewed by her partner Tom, handled it with joy and grace - and she shares some fantastic insights into the brutal nature of this course and the real prep it requires. Humble and honest as ever, Cecilia shares with us how she'd considered a top 5 finish while signing up for the race, and on having the opportunity to recce the course pre race, realised it was going to be a huge experience and learning curve. Finishing narrowly outside of the top 20 in the female field is a truly incredible achievement for her first CCC and we can't wait to see what she brings in future! 

Tune in to hear about Cecilia's race preparation, including taking time out in Europe beforehand to train and see family and friends (and take on a swim run race with Tom); the CCC journey itself - including forgetting a piece of mandatory gear last minute (again!) and the massive toll that a mountain course like this takes on the mind and body. Plus upcoming plans, including Cecilia now crewing for her partner Tom on his first UTA 100km journey! All the best to both of you. 

You can find Cecilia on Instagram at @ceciliamattas

If you are keen to help keep the lights on for this podcast, you can support us on Patreon, or you can leave a review on whatever platform you listen to podcasts on like Apple or Spotify.Thank you for the continued support from all of our listeners and patrons - we love and appreciate you all!

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Episode 39! We're stoked to welcome back Guinness World Record Holder, Erchana Murray-Bartlett to share with us how life looks after running 150 marathons for 150 consecutive days, covering the length of mainland Australia.

With Sarah's 700km Scotland trail run mission coming up, this was also an opportunity to hear from Erchana on her learnings from completing Tip to Toe, which we hope helps anyone considering undertaking their own big multiday running adventure! 

If you haven't already listened, check out Erchana's first episode - Episode 33 -where we hear her "origin story" and our great conversation while she was mid Tip to Toe. 

Amongst other things, we hear:

• how Erchana has recently written and published a fiction book - Angels of Karma
• about the fatigue and recovery Erchana experienced after Tip to Toe
• resuming "normal life" and plans for the future after 150 days focused on one project
• her first backyard ultra at Dead Cow Gully which was also her first 100km!
• a secret TV mission in NZ - we can't wait to find out more about that
• plus plans to potentially "finish" the Australian run by running the Tasmanian Trail

Sarah also quizzes Erchana on lessons learned and advice for Sarah/anyone taking on a multiday running mission - including nutrition; crew; fundraising; managing day to day life and recovery on the road.

Thanks again for your time Erchana. We can't wait to see what's next!

You can find Erchana on Instagram via her new handle: @erchana_

If you are keen to help keep the lights on for this podcast, you can support us on Patreon, or you can leave a review on whatever platform you listen to podcasts on like Apple or Spotify.

We appreciate the support of all of our listeners! 

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Having recently completed riding the Great Divide on a bicycle he crafted himself, from wood, we have an awesome conversation with Adelaide born, US based, Toby Lukins. 

Toby is an incredibly experienced everyday adventurer and no doubt, with an extensive range of adventures and experiences behind him, we barely scraped the surface in this fantastic hour chatting to him. Toby shares with us how he balances life as a husband and father of three, while working “fly in fly out”, adventuring and creating some amazing items through his self-taught love for woodworking. 

The particular focus of this conversation was around how Toby recently rode a bucketlist off-road route for bikepackers worldwide -  the Adventure Cycling Association’s 4000+km “Great Divide Mountain Bike Route” - a route following the Continental Divide from Banff, Alberta, Canada to the US/Mexico border in Antelope Wells, New Mexico. Incredibly he rode this on a bike he designed and made entirely himself, out of wood. We cover a great range of topics from how he made his bike; to the challenges of a solo ride on this world renowned route; wildlife encounters and being bear aware; the community of trail angels along the route and the “why” for taking on a challenge like this. We also touch on how these adventures are balanced with life as a parent and how parents can be amazing role models for their children by taking on challenges like this. 

We make reference to the absolutely incredible Lael Wilcox and the 2019 coverage of her riding the Divide in the short film  - “I just want to ride”

Bikepacking.com is also a great resource for anyone curious to find out more about the route and about all things bikepacking. 

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Well, in the intro to this podcast, Sarah and Kristen said they would be elevating the voice of the everyday adventurer. Instead, they jumped in at the deep end with an awesome conversation with world class Australian Adventure Photographer and Director, Krystle Wright.

Sarah and Kristen speak to Krystle from her current home base on the Sunshine Coast, before she embarks on a solo mission across Australia to one of her dream locations, The Kimberley, in her newly decked out LandCruiser. Sarah and Kristen talk all things solo and team adventure; risk; travel; the “5 types of fun” and the reset that the global pandemic has offered a typically nomadic, international professional photographer and adventurer.

You can find Krystle online and see her incredible work at @krystlejwright on Instagram and www.krystlewright.com

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Episode 17! While visiting Queensland after five months of COVID-19 induced state border closures, we took the opportunity to have a great conversation with Tom Kinsley - who also happens to be the partner of our Episode 5 guest, Cecilia Mattas.

Tom is an English born, RAAF pilot based in Newcastle, NSW who has been living in Australia since 2013. Tom’s passion for sport, adventure and running in particular really comes through in this conversation. Both within and outside of work he has been on some incredibly diverse adventures around the world and his “I’ll give anything a go” attitude to adventure and competition is clear. 

We talk about an array of his achievements and adventures and how, pre-COVID-19 he had been planning to race the iconic trail running stage race, Marathon des Sables, in the Sahara Desert, and how his goals were forced to be re-established amidst the pandemic era. This led Tom on some incredible alternative challenges, including a self-organised, “solo”, 24 hour running challenge around a 1km bitumen loop on the air force base - covering over 170km while raising funds for the UNICEF Australia COVID-19 appeal. Tom talks about the highs and lows of this incredible endurance challenge.

We also cover topics including dealing with injury - and Tom’s attitude to it being a battle of the mind, but with a supportive partner and team around him, how it refocused him to thinking about what he CAN do, including time swimming and on the bike.

Failed adventures are another favourite of conversation and Tom delivers superbly on this, having sailed a yacht with a team across the English channel, before sinking it off the coast of Cherbourg, France. In spite of Tom’s cool and humorous recollection of events, we’ve no doubt this would be a somewhat frightening experience amidst terrible weather conditions during a European winter.

We should also “importantly” highlight that in this episode, Kristen is mainly just stoked she has found her first “Hells No” to pineapple on pizza guest - not to mention a fellow trumpet player. Finally, Tom’s wildest wee may include a Prime Minister and is one not to be missed!

If you would like to find Tom online he’s @tomkinno on Instagram. 

Amongst others, Tom makes reference to the Rim to Rim to Rim route in the Grand Canyon; the Three Peaks Challenge in the UK, the Three Peaks Yacht Race and Marathon de Sables.

We are still sorting out some audio issues with the popping in the background (if anyone knows what could be going on, please slide into our DMs or email intotheweehourspodcast@gmail.com) but we hope it does not take away from the quality of the conversation. 

Finally, if you’re interested in supporting the podcast, you can visit our Patreon page at www.patreon.com/intotheweehourspodcast or subscribe, rate and review if you’re enjoying these conversations! THANK YOU.

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Welcome to the first ever Into the Wee Hours podcast episode!

In this intro episode, our host, Kristen Vautin, interviews fellow host, Sarah Pendergrass.

The vision for this show was to get to know Sarah and to understand more the idea and intention behind the Into the Wee Hours Podcast.

Sarah is owner of the adventure business, Into the Wee Hours. She’s originally from Scotland; now resident on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland and is extremely passionate about all things adventuring outdoors. You can find her online on her personal account at @allthegearnaeidea or through the business @intotheweehours and www.intotheweehours.com 

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Episode 33! We’re back and stoked to be joined by a super inspiring, fun and determined woman - Erchana Murray-Bartlett.

Erchana joins us from Sydney, off the back of 120 consecutive marathons, having broken a Guinness World Record and continuing to crush the existing record as she runs over 6000kms from Cape York to Melbourne on her “Tip to Toe” mission.  

Erchana talks to us about her roots as an athlete, mainly in highly competitive soccer; her journey into running and subsequently racing as an elite on the road and her time in Melbourne’s COVID lockdown which sparked the idea of her Tip to Toe challenge. We hear about the realities of running 150 back to back marathons; the logistics; the toll it takes on the mind and body and how Erchana continues to maintain such a positive, bright spirit amongst it all. 

Erchana also shares with us the very important environmental advocacy element of this adventure, raising funds and awareness for the Wilderness Society and in particular putting the spotlight on the Australian extinction crisis. In addition to the not so small task of completing a marathon every single day, Erchana has a busy schedule visiting schools, community groups and local clubs, sharing this message. We were blown away by her energy and also really grateful for Erchana's honesty in terms of the highs and lows of this journey. 

One of Erchana's genie wishes was for an increased focus on the environmental message of this mission and with that in mind, we're sharing an extract from her fundraising page here:

You can find Erchana on Instagram at @tip_to_toe_2022

To make a donation visit the GoFundMe page at : https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-local-extinctions-project-our-native-mates 

Sponsor shout out: Tarkine Running, Trackabout Campers, Clif Bar, Market Organics, Amble Outdoors, Sun Sense 

If you are keen to help keep the lights on for this podcast, you can support us on Patreon, or you can leave a review on whatever platform you listen to podcasts on like Apple or Spotify.Thank you for the continued support from all of our listeners and patrons - we love and appreciate you all!

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This week’s episode is a super inspiring and lively conversation with Brisbane based, ultra distance trail runner, Meagan Brown. If you haven’t listened to her husband’s episode, you can check out Sammy’s interview in Episode 20 and compare tales! Meagan’s energy is magnetic! She shares with us her journey from being someone who didn’t even really like running initially, albeit competed in all the sports growing up, to someone who has now been running for ten years, competitively.

Meagan talks to us about a pivotal moment in her life - a spiritual experience she enjoyed while hiking Kokoda Track in Papa New Guinea at a junction in life - which gave her new found independence and confidence and inspired her to seek out more adventure outdoors. This evolved from ticking off trails on a map of her local National Park to completing the Oxfam Trailwalker 100km. After reading Scott Jurek’s Eat and Run she was inspired to try solo events and tackled the Surf Coast Century 100km, finding she preferred this solo style of racing.

Meagan has since completed numerous ultramarathons and road marathons and her life has taken a fantastic course since her first half marathon (Gold Coast Marathon) just for fitness, where she walked from the 18km mark, to now being a regular on the trail podium both in South East Queensland and beyond. We hear her awesome story of the massive contrast between her first 75km Buffalo Stampede - a sky run with 4500m vert. (which she signed up for not understanding “vert”) and ended up crying on the side of a mountain; chasing cut offs and coming through the finish as they were deflating the Finish arch; to her strong victory at this same event last year. 

Excitingly, after five lottery entries for the iconic Western States Endurance Run, Meagan has landed a place on the start line this year and we can’t wait to hear how she goes in her first miler in the USA! Side note - there are 378 prized places for this race - as we quote a variety of entry numbers across the last two episodes! 

We also chat about the representation of women in sport and Meagan’s side hustles, including Queensland Trail Queens - an initially “Gossip Girl” style Instagram account borne out of frustration and anger with the lack of and inconsistent coverage between men and women. We also hear about a co-hosted project, Ladies of the Trail Brisbane - an inclusive introductory and social level trail running group. We are excited to hear that Meagan has started her own run coaching business, Shakeout, designed specifically for female athletes and we wish her every success! 

Meagan is sponsored by Spring Energy and The Trail Co and also makes reference to Ultra Trail Lavaredo, to Jessica Schluter winning Ultra Easy, and of course, to the Brownie's fur children, Mo Furah and Scottie Puppen!!  You can find Meagan on Instagram at @megatron_brown

Don't forget about our Patreon page at www.patreon.com/intotheweehourspodcast - we are so grateful for all of your support! 

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Episode 29! Well, after releasing episodes fortnightly for a year, we’ve had a few weeks break and are back for a brief check in to reflect on a year of podcasting. It’s just Sarah and Kristen for this one. Don’t expect any knowledge bombs, but if you enjoy the sound of laughter - we guarantee we deliver on that front! 

A HUGE thank you to all of our guests, listeners and incredible Patreon Patrons - we are so grateful for all of you for your support in this passion project of ours.

Normal service will resume shortly!

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Happy New Year to all of our amazing Into the Wee Hours Podcast listeners!!

This was a fun one, where we get to hear from previous guests about their 2022 reflections and their intentions and goals for 2023. The prompts that you will hear answers to are around three questions that we, Sarah and Kristen, asked previous guests : 

1. What was a highlight of 2022?

2. What was a lesson learned in 2022?

3. What is a goal or intention of 2023?

All very open-ended questions for a reason, and our guests did not disappoint! We hope you enjoy hearing some familiar voices about their year past and to look out for them in the future!

Thank you to all our guests for their contribution in making this episode happen!! In this episode you will hear from:

Matt Wilkins from episode 4 (@traildrifters), Cecilia Mattas from episode 5 (@ceciliamattas), Luke Pryor from episode 7 (@littlemadrunner), Hannah Russell from episode 8 (@hrussell33), Toby Lukins from episode 12 (@caryasoul), Danny Longman from episode 15 (@theworldbeaplayground), Emma Rhymer from episode 16 (@emma.rhymer.mtb), Tom Kinsley from episode 17 (@tomkinno), Allison Piercy from episode 18 (@allis_on_wonderland), Leif Christensen from episode 19 (@leif_c), Sammy Brown from episode 20 (@thesammybrown), Meagan Brown from episode 21 (@megatron_brown), Genevieve Birch from episode 22 (@genevievepaige), Kirra Molnar from episode 23 (@kirramolnar), Julie & Andy Russell from episode 26 (Strava athlete - https://www.strava.com/athletes/8342099?oq=julie ; https://www.strava.com/athletes/273473) Maree Connor from episode 27 (@mareeconnor_), Allie Geddes episode 28 (@themisadventuresofalice), and Erchana Murray-Bartlett from episode 33 (@tip_to_toe_2022).

If you have any reflections of your own that you would like to share, we would love it if you would tag us on social media or comment on a post with your answers to the questions posed! Thank you to everyone, we hope you had a great 2022 and have a safe, happy, and healthy 2023!

If you are keen to help keep the lights on for this podcast, you can support us on our Patreon page, or you can leave us a review on whatever podcast platform you are listening to us on like Apple or Spotify. Thank you for the continued from all of our listeners and patrons - we love and appreciate you all! Happy 2023!

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Getting up there - episode 24!! Welcome back!!

We are so happy to release this podcast, as this one is a mix of professional advice and adventure stories and goes out to all of you listeners to embrace your true ATHLETE. Our guest, Dempsey Ormrod, a Sunshine Coast Myotherapist and Exercise Physiologist through his own practice Myo Mechanics, gives his insights on how no matter skill, activity, or age that all of us everyday adventurers should treat our bodies to some good TLC! Finishing his studies at University of Sunshine Coast (USC), Dempsey started out at a clinic in Buderim until gaining the experience he needed to move into his own practice which is what he has been doing for about 6 years now. 

Dempsey also talks to us about his awesome 4WD adventures in his kitted out Defender with his fiance and his two dogs, Kiara and Joey, going to Stradbroke Island, K'gari (Fraser Island), and planning a trip up to Cape York. Many of these adventures he also does with a group, British Mafia. 

Being an advocate for health and ending 2021 on a serious health scare, Dempsey urges everyone to listen to your body, in whatever way it is trying to talk to you, and find yourself a good practitioner - whether that be a sports therapist to keep you healthy through your adventures, or a good general practitioner to help you find out why something just doesn't feel right. 

Dempsey has such a positive attitude through everything, and some great insights on how we can all take care of ourselves better. If you want to get in touch with Dempsey, hop over to his business page or follow him on Instagram @_dormrod. 

Thanks again for listening, we know you'll get a lot of out of this episode!

If you are keen to support us and help us to keep the lights on, we have a Patreon page, or if you have a spare 3 minutes, please leave us a review!

We are ETERNALLY grateful for all of your support, we are so honoured to bring you these episodes fortnightly and still have heaps of amazing guests that we would love to have on in the future to bring you!

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Well, it's a new year and we have big news for you... 2024 is going to look a little different for the Into the Wee Hours podcast. Tune in to find out why...

(Spoiler alert: Kristen, we're going to miss you big time - thank you so much for everything x )

Find us on Instagram @intotheweehourspodcast

A huge thanks to our Patreon patrons (including our brand new patron, Henrietta L!) for helping us keep the lights on. www.patreon.com/iintotheweehourspodcast

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Welcome to Episode 47 and a new season of the Into the Wee Hours Podcast.

This is brief check in from Sarah to say thank you to you all for sticking by us this past couple of years - we appreciate all of our listeners, guests and Patreon patrons enormously.

With a change in hosts, it's now time to reinvigorate the podcast with regular scheduling and a whole bunch of awesome new guests. It's just Sarah taking the reins now and she's committed to continuing to elevate the voice of the everyday adventurer.

Tune in to hear about:

• the past year and reflections on the podcast
• the vision going forward including regular scheduling
• Patreon updates
• and maybe even a chance to meet in person at an Into the Wee Hours podcast campout!

Thanks so much for your support of the podcast. Sarah (and Ness - who gives one single bark to just welcome in the new year, and then she's quiet, promise!).

If you'd like to help keep the lights on, I'd be so incredibly grateful: www.patreon.com/intotheweehourspodcast

Don't forget to hit "follow" if you don't already, so you don't miss out on this year's episodes!

Happy adventuring and I'll be back VERY soon with our first guest of 2024 - it's a big one.

You can find Sarah on Instagram at @allthegearnaeidea and @intotheweehourspodcast

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Episode 48. Well, there's nothing quite like kicking off Season 2 and Sarah solo hosting, by chatting to Patrick Farnsworth, creator of Bikes or Death podcast - a conversational bikepacking, adventure cycling podcast that hit over a MILLION downloads in 2023!

Patrick was super generous with his time, dialling in from Texas, USA, with wide ranging conversation covering everything from podcasting to parenting; mental health to miles on the bike, to entrepreneurial spirit and bikepacking events. We also chatted about:

• Life living and adventuring in Texas, where less than 3% of land is public lands
• Creating a whole new series of bikepacking style events, including the Texas Showdown series. Check this out - for the lowdown, slowdown, showdown and of course, the hoedown!
• Experiencing life as a single parent of two young daughters in Texas
• Living with ADHD and social anxiety and the ways this manifests itself in life
• Inclusivity in events and community - including encouraging non-male participation and BIPOC focussed events
• Creating really meaningful life shifts, moving from a place of alcoholism to a far healthier, "total life optimisation" and feeling great for it
• Patrick's personal riding goals including some significant rides to start the year, including but not limited to - Mid South 100 mile gravel race; Ozark Gravel Despair 200 miles and an Individual Time Trial on the 300 mile Arizona Trail race section
• Patrick also references the books: Wild, Cheryl Strayed and Last Child in the Woods – Richard Louv
• Brendan Leonard's Practice Maximum Enthusiasm essay - can be found on his site here and his Instagram @semi_rad

Patrick's Instagram: @bikesordeath

If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to rate and review the podcast or share and tag us on Instagram @intotheweehourspodcast

A HUGE thanks also to the podcast patrons - I am SO grateful for your support. If you'd like to join the Patreon family, you can check it out at www.patreon.com/intotheweehourspodcast Every contribution makes a huge difference, thank you! And not forgetting, the amazing new podcast music, courtesy of Allie Geddes (Episode 28) @themisadventuresofalice

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Episode 49! Today's episode is a laughter filled, insightful conversation with Rhianna Knight, based on Wurundjeri Country. Rhianna is a fashion designer, hiker, founder of Amble Outdoors and all in all, a really joyful, inspiring creative and adventurous human.

While out on her own hiking adventures, including in Patagonia, Rhianna realised that while the gear she was wearing was technically appropriate for the conditions, her sense of personal style was totally missing in the then offering for women in the outdoors. Building on her experience as a Fashion Design student, and a really valuable internship in a small snow sports brand where her responsibilities were huge and wide ranging, Rhianna set out to design her own line of outdoor apparel which women can feel good in, while also focusing on sustainability throughout the journey.

Rhianna shares with us so many gems when it comes to the realities of creating, and continuing to evolve "Amble" with sustainability in mind, and her knowledge and passion in this space is so incredibly evident, along with her strong desire to see more women outdoors.

Tune in to hear about many things not limited to:

• building an outdoor apparel brand
• sustainability considerations in creating and choosing outdoor gear
• designing for women and size inclusivity for women
• Rhianna's experience in multi-day hikes and her contrasting approaches to different (both solo and shared) adventures

Amongst others that we no doubt didn't cover (!) Rhianna herself has hiked Wilsons Prom; Great Ocean Road Walk; Larapinta Trail; Grampians Peaks Trail, in addition to her overseas adventures. It's clear that her very open minded and really balanced approach to her own adventures brings such an inclusive perspective to the development of her own brand.

Rhianna mentions the book "Let my People Go Surfing" - Yvon Chouinard.

To find Rhianna online, visit @amble.outdoors or www.ambleoutdoors.com.au

Thanks so much to our newest Patreon sign up - Allison W - and to all of our patrons, I appreciate you so much! To support the show and keep the lights on, check out www.patreon.com/intotheweehourspodcast - any donation of any size means the world to me and to keeping the podcast going!

And not forgetting, the amazing new podcast music, courtesy of Allie Geddes (Episode 28) @themisadventuresofalice

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Episode 50! Wow. And what a great Episode 50 as I'm joined by the super down to earth and engaging, Evan Howard, generously sharing his time with me (on his birthday!) from his home on Wurundjeri Country.

As an accomplished mountaineer, skier, climber, bikepacker and much more, not to mention a talented creator, this was a wide ranging conversation with Evan. Tune in to hear it all! A few of the topics we touched on include:

• the evolution of his business, Terra Rosa Gear, creating and sewing lightweight gear for many adventure purposes
• being an Arc'teryx Design Ambassador and part of the ReBird upcycling program (...and for the dog lovers, Barctery'x!)
• life as a first time father, adventuring with Gwendolyn and his changing views of risk tolerance through life, especially now as a Dad
• Packrafting and the versatility of these boats when it comes to exploring
• Understanding the environment you're adventuring in and the crew you're going with - and the value of backcountry training and courses like Remote Area and Wilderness First Aid

Evan mentions Schusser Threads, Packraft Australia, Survive First Aid,

You can find Evan on Instagram at @terra_rosa_gear

To support the show and keep the lights on, check out www.patreon.com/intotheweehourspodcast - any donation of any size means the world to me and to keeping the podcast going!

And not forgetting, the amazing new podcast music, courtesy of Allie Geddes (Episode 28) @themisadventuresofalice

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Episode 51! Today I speak to the very lovely Sophie Gray, originally from the UK, now based on SA's Fleurieu Peninsula.

Sophie generously shares with us her reality of a shock diagnosis of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia at 29, which subsequently resulted in a lifesaving stem cell transplant. While trapped in a hospital ward for over a month, Sophie looked out of the hospital windows at the countryside surrounding Adelaide, wishing she were out exploring. Indeed nature and movement have formed a major part of Sophie's recovery, and without having ever gone on a multiday hike before, Sophie embarked on a through hike of the 1200km Heysen Trail as part of her journey.

Now working as a yoga teacher, we cover a range of topics including:

• the magic of yoga, meditation and breathwork
• movement as medicine
• how you may be able to make a difference to someone else's life through the stem cell registry
• Sophie's own Yoga after Cancer course creation
• hiking the 1200km Heysen Trail (with a few days left to complete, thanks to a sprained ankle along the way!)
• Camel trekking through the desert

Sophie references the organisations Strength to Give and Ur the Cure.

We also mention Sophie Matterson's book, The Crossing.

You can find Sophie on Instagram at @sophiegrayyoga

Thanks as always to the podcast Patreon supporters - you're amazing! You can help keep the podcast lights on and join the community here: www.patreon.com/intotheweehourspodcast

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Episode 52!

Today's conversation is with the super inspiring, Meanjin, Brisbane based bicycling advocate, Ben Fallon.

Ben shares with us how his love for riding bikes has been so pivotal in his life, including:

• Adventuring with his two young children, taking them bikepacking from the ages of 2 and 4
• Family bikepacking 1000km routes across Tasmania and in New Zealand and tips on choosing gear for bikepacking with children
• Fat biking across the Simpson Desert on an adventure, following in the footsteps of Australian explorer, Cecil Madigan
• Stage Racing the Simpson Desert Bike Challenge several times
• His upcoming European adventure, riding 5000+KM from Norway to Spain along EuroVelo 3

If you're looking for tips on bikepacking with young children, or on riding across the Simpson Desert, or the multitude of other topics we touched on, Ben can be found on Instagram at @benny_pacer

Thanks as always to the podcast Patreon supporters - you're amazing! You can help keep the podcast lights on and join the community here: www.patreon.com/intotheweehourspodcast

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A less than ten minute check-in to let you know the latest in the land of the Into the Wee Hours Podcast, and to announce an exciting collaboration coming up thanks to the Gutsy Girls Adventure Film Tour - www.gutsygirlsadventurefilmtour.com.au .

Listen in and make sure you're subscribed to receive the three part weekly series!

Follow the podcast on Instagram @intotheweehourspodcast

Thanks to the Patreon community for your support! www.patreon.com/intotheweehourspodcast

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The first in our Gutsy Girls three part mini series is here!

A huge thanks to Gutsy Girls Adventure Film Tour for sponsoring this series - make sure to check out the film festival and get tickets to a show near you at www.gutsygirlsadventurefilmtour.com.au

Episode 54! Today's conversation is with Canberra based bikepacker, Stephanie Skinner. After chasing a big goal of racing the Tour Divide in 2023, Steph had to make some serious decisions when struck by injuries which forced her to refocus and push out this enormous, iconic bikepacking challenge. In the meantime, Steph has had the opportunity to stay close to bikepacking in a different form by spending time building community events for women and locals, while rebuilding and navigating surgery and recovery.

We cover all things bikes and bikepacking, including:

• Discovering a love for riding bikes thanks to a work commute
• Rediscovering Canberra through the lens of riding bikes, on road and off-road
• Discovering offroad riding and her Hunt 1000 experience
• Fuelling your races and adventures
• Injury, healing and refocusing - and the (somewhat begrudgingly done but essential!) physio exercises that are required to build overall physical strength and resilience for big goals
• Mental strength in endurance environments
• Creating a women's only bikepacking overnighter out of Canberra
• Making bikepacking more accessible to a wider audience
• Canberra winter solstice camp out and tips for winter bikepacking on a budget

Steph also references "Touring with a Sense of Urgency" - by legends Sarah Hammond and Jesse Carlsson.

And, of course, we have a chat about dogs too, because, dogs!

Thanks Steph for your time and all the best in your post surgery healing. You can find Steph on Instagram at: @steph_skinner

If you've enjoyed this episode and are enjoying listening to the podcast, you can join the Patreon community for as little as $2 a month - any contribution really helps to keep the lights on. www.patreon.com/intotheweehourspodcast Thanks so much to the existing patrons! I appreciate you!

And thanks too to the Gutsy Girls Adventure Film Tour for supporting this three part mini series, celebrating Gusty Girls in the Aussie adventure space.

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The second in our Gutsy Girls three part mini series is here!

A huge thanks to Gutsy Girls Adventure Film Tour for sponsoring this series - make sure to check out the film festival and get tickets to a show near you at www.gutsygirlsadventurefilmtour.com.au

Episode 55! Today's conversation is with Geelong based adventurer, travel writer and author, Laura Waters. Laura shares with us her metamorphosis from city living corporate 9-5er to adventurous travel writer and published author - a journey which was sparked during her 3000KM hike, the length of NZ, over a decade ago.

Laura is this year's Gutsy Girls Adventure Film Tour Grant recipient and also shares with us her plans for kayaking over 2000KM from source to sea on the Murray River in October this year.

We touch on many aspects of big life changes; hiking; travel writing and paddling including:

• the inspiration for Laura's book "Bewildered" - a life changing 3000KM through hike of the Te Araroa trail when it was a newly established trail
• documenting the experience on the trail and the craft of storytelling
• the process of writing a book with no prior knowledge, including literary speed dating events
• the realities of a life as a travel writer
• Planning for Laura's upcoming Murray River paddle

Thanks Laura for your time and we can't wait to follow along on your Murray River adventure. You can find Laura on Instagram at: @laurawaters_writer and Facebook: Soul Trekkers

If you've enjoyed this episode and are enjoying listening to the podcast, you can join the Patreon community for as little as $2 a month - any contribution really helps to keep the lights on and would be enormously appreciated. www.patreon.com/intotheweehourspodcast Thanks so much to the existing patrons! I appreciate you!

And thanks too to the Gutsy Girls Adventure Film Tour for supporting this three part mini series, celebrating Gusty Girls in the Aussie adventure space.

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Welcome to the third and final part of our Into the Wee hours Podcast x Gusty Girls Adventure Film Tour mini-series! A huge thanks to our first ever podcast sponsor – the Gutsy Girls Adventure Film Tour!

I've been thrilled to be partnering with Gutsy Girls, a celebration of adventurous women around the world and in Australia. If you haven't already purchased your tickets, head to www.gutsygirlsadventurefilmtour.com.au - and if you've missed a screening or these aren't accessible to you, don't forget you can access past films via Adventure Reels TV.

Episode 56! My guest is none other than Lisa Blair, a remarkable world record-holding Aussie sailor. As you'll hear, Lisa has faced incredible challenges and achieved extraordinary feats on the open seas. Amongst this great conversation, we cover topics including:

• Lisa's background and journey to becoming a world record-holding sailor.
• The realities of the behind the scenes fundraising hustle and planning for big campaigns
• The most challenging moments of her career so far including facing the possibility of death on her first attempt to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around Antarctica in 2017
• How Lisa prepares mentally for her missions and the risk assessment involved
• Her boat Climate Action Now, and the science and data capture projects Lisa has taken part in so far while out on her world breaking campaigns, including her latest world record breaking missions sailing solo to, and around NZ
• Lisa’s next campaign to sail around the Arctic solo - and the huge environmental aspect of this mission

Thanks Lisa for your time and we can't wait to follow along on your Arctic campaign. You can find Lisa on Instagram at @lisablairsailstheworld and her website www.lisablairsailstheworld.com

If you've enjoyed this episode and are enjoying listening to the podcast, you can join the Patreon community for as little as $2 a month - any contribution really helps to keep the lights on and would be enormously appreciated. www.patreon.com/intotheweehourspodcast Thanks so much to the existing patrons! I appreciate you!

Thank you for tuning in to this special episode. A huge thank you to our sponsor, Gutsy Girls Adventure Film Tour, and to my amazing guest, Lisa Blair, for sharing her incredible journey. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!

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Episode 57!

Today's conversation is with UK based adventurer Lottie Dodd.

Currently based in the Wirrall, Lottie gives us a glimpse into life, career changes and travel - and in particular, shares with us stories of her HUGE first year of bikepacking while on a career break from her role as Senior Lecturer of Law at the University of Law in Manchester, including:

• Her journey into bikepacking over the past year 
• Conversation around the bikepacking trips she’s undertaken including her first mission on the Hebridean Way, Scotland. And during a career break - Tour Aotearoa, New Zealand. The East Coast Greenway, USA. Lotties shares with us highlights; challenges, and the contrasting nature of the different trips
• Using "Warm Showers" as a means of accommodation while bikepacking in the USA
• Plans for her upcoming trip in South Korea and Japan
• How Lottie prepares (or doesn’t prepare!) for these multi day missions, and learnings from her first year and thousands of miles
• How Lottie’s intuition and trust guides many of her choices, including when it comes to adventure 

If you want to check out posts Lottie has shared along the way on these adventures, you can find her on Instagram @onyourbikelottie

Thanks as always to the podcast Patreon supporters - you're amazing! You can help keep the podcast lights on and join the community here: www.patreon.com/intotheweehourspodcast

Or, if you've enjoyed this episode, I'd love if you'd consider buying me a virtual coffee, to help me create the next podcast episode!!

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Episode 58! Today's conversation is with the incredibly motivated, inspiring and humorous, Brisbane based endurance open water swimmer, born without arms, Kerry-Lee Gockel.

We cover a whole raft of topics based around Kerry-Lee's journey into swimming and in the past five years or so, long-distance ocean swimming events, including:

• Kerry-Lee's birth story; being born - unexpectedly - without arms; and the sanctuary and support her family have provided over the years
• Kerry-Lee's journey from self-proclaimed "the least sporty child" to a highly accomplished swimmer as an adult - initially as a competitor in the pool, before entering her first open water swim in 2004
• The logistics and ins and outs of taking on mammoth 10KM++ ocean swims including training; fuelling and teamwork, "getting into cruising altitude", along with adaptations Kerry-Lee makes as a "wingless warrior" in ocean swells
• Kerry-Lee's experience of the Island Charity Swim from Mudjimba to Moolooolaba on the Sunshine Coast and the connections she and her team have fostered with the Sunshine Coast Special Schools as a result.
• Kerry-Lee's very positive experience of community through open water swimming and how anyone curious about open water swimming can give it a try
• Holidaying with her husband Paul (also a swimmer and former Australian Paralympian) "Ocean Swim Safaris" across the world
• Kerry-Lee's goals and vision for the future, increasing mileage even further!

We recorded this prior to Kerry-Lee taking on the Swim Around Keppel - a 20KM swim, as a team (and in future plans, solo!)

Be sure to say hi to Kerry-Lee on Instagram @thewinglesswarrior

Thanks as always to the podcast Patreon supporters - you're amazing! You can help keep the podcast lights on and join the community here: www.patreon.com/intotheweehourspodcast

Or, if you've enjoyed this episode, I'd love if you'd consider buying me a virtual coffee, to help me create the next podcast episode!!

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Episode 59! Today's conversation is with a truly remarkable athlete and adventurer, Liz Woodgate.

While Liz's athletic and adventure background is extensive, the focus of this conversation is around her setting the huge Larapinta Trail end-to-end-to-end Fastest Known Time in July this year, covering an incredible 460KM on the brutal Larapinta trail, in 5 days, 22hours, 43minutes and 10 seconds. You can see her FKT on the Fastest Known Website here.

We cover off a range of aspects of her amazing endurance accomplishment including, but not limited to(!):

• Liz's journey into endurance sports and trail running, from her beginnings in IRONMAN in the '80s to now, multiple time West Macs Monster champion. In the intro I mention Liz racing 13 UTA 100s, and with that, I should say, the race now known as UTA 100 - given Liz raced the inaugural and subsequent North Face 100s long before it became Ultra Trail Australia.
• Liz's relationship with the Larapinta Trail over the years, including winning the 230KM West Macs Monster and acting as Race Director last year while rehabbing a MTB injury
• Training for and fuelling this FKT
• Highs and lows across the FKT
• Liz's support crew along the way, comprised primarily of her husband, Rhett plus the support of local runners including the Alice Springs "Dirt Divas"
• Recovery, including multi-day hiking the Jatbula Trail and sweeping for Run Larapinta stage race not long after her finish!
• Longevity in endurance sport, achieving these incredible endurance feats at 60, and sucking people into Liz's "vortex" !

You can find Liz's run on her Strava feed, and also find Liz on Instagram @liz.woodgate

Thanks as always to the podcast Patreon supporters - you're amazing! You can help keep the podcast lights on and join the community here: www.patreon.com/intotheweehourspodcast

Or, if you've enjoyed this episode, I'd love if you'd consider buying me a virtual coffee, to help me create the next podcast episode!!

Season 2 intro vocals and music created and performed thanks to the very kind gift of Allie Geddes, Episode 28.

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Thank you yet again for joining us for another episode of the Into The Wee Hours Podcast! So happy as always to bring you stories and voices of everyday adventurers, and this one is absoultely inspirational!

This episode brings you the voice of Maree Connor, an overall busy woman wearing many hats - only some being mother, wife, sister, ultra runner, and Clinical Nurse Unit Manager. (We also talk about the other hats she wears like craft beer drinker, dad-joke teller, and designated bike pusher for her kids.) We were lucky enough to steal Maree away for an excellent chat during Mother's Day, after her two young daughters had made her well-deserved breakfast in bed!

While wearing many hats, we mostly focused on Maree's ultra running achievements which include, but are not limited to, winning and lowering the women's record at Brisbane Trail Ultra (BTU) [watch her interview with Race Director, Shona Stephenson, here!!], winning Elephant Trail Race, completing (TWICE) and winning and lowering the women's record at Coast to Kosci, and as she so casually drops at the end of the conversation getting to Mount Everest Base Camp! We hear how Maree had serious back surgery and has incredibly come back stronger with a new lease on life, and takes advantage of her new situation to say "thank you" for this fantastic opportunity. Maree is so humble about her achievements, but it is clear that she puts in the hard work (while being self-coached!) to balance her life and juggle priorities to find success in so many aspects of her life. 

Maree has a full plate planned ahead including Southern Sydney 24 Hour Ultra (a 24-hour track race) only 5 weeks before returning to Brisbane Trail Ultra again (because you have to do everything twice, right Maree?!). She tells us how she also hopes to one day hike the Anapurna Circuit with her husband and daughters!

We started to dive into a bit about Maree's nutrition and how she mostly uses Tailwind Nutrition before our call dropped out! So about midway through, we apologise for the disruption in recording, but we are so grateful for Maree's (and our listener's) patience with us through recording! We hope it does not take away from the quality of the conversation with Maree!

Follow along with Maree's adventures via Instagram @mareeconnor_.

If you are keen to help keep the lights on for this podcast, you can support us on Patreon, or you can leave a review on whatever platform you isten to podcasts on like Apple or Spotify! Thank you for the continued support from all of our listeners and patrons - we love and appreciate you all! 

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This episode isn’t just for trail runners! Finland born, Sunshine Coast resident, Cecilia Mattas came in to chat to us about all things running and adventure. 

Being conscious that she has appeared on other podcasts talking in depth about her victory at UTA 100, we touch on this briefly, however focus more on her incredibly interesting athletic background in soccer and “swim run” - open water swimming between islands and running in her wetsuit! 

Cecilia also shares her experience of her first ever fastpacking adventure on Tasmania’s epic South Coast Track, with her partner Tom. She gives us great insights into what life is like, performing at an elite level, while working full time and leading an incredibly busy life outside of running. We love you Cecilia!

You can find Cecilia on Instagram @ceciliamattas

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As this goes to air, Sarah will be far away, out of range, (hopefully not drinking out of too many cattle troughs), mid-way through a 700km solo and unsupported bikepacking adventure in the outback!

The day before Sarah headed off, Kristen took the mic to interview Sarah about this mission through Queensland's Central Highlands region on her self-mapped and spontaneously self-named "Sandstone Wilderness 700" route.

This one is for all of you who are curious about planning your own adventure as Sarah gives her tips on how she plans routes and considerations for bikepacking trips. (Although perhaps stay tuned for the follow up episode to see what worked and may have not!)

You can find Sarah on Instagram @allthegearnaeidea where she will be updating periodically.

Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review if you are enjoying the podcast. Thank you!

Gear mentions :

Garmin Fenix 6 - https://buy.garmin.com/en-AU/AU/p/702902

Garmin Edge 530 - https://buy.garmin.com/en-AU/AU/p/621224

Garmin In-Reach - https://discover.garmin.com/en-US/inreach/personal/

GoPro - https://gopro.com/en/au/shop/cameras/hero9-black/CHDHX-901-master.html

Curve GMX+ - https://www.curvecycling.com.au/products/gmx-plus-bikepacking-bike

Route planning mentions :

Ride with GPS - https://ridewithgps.com/

Strava - https://www.strava.com

Google Earth - https://earth.google.com/web/

Places mentioned :

Blackdown Tableland National Park - https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/blackdown-tableland

Carnarvon Gorge National Park - https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/carnarvon-gorge

Terra Australis Backpacking Event - https://bikepacking.com/event/terra-australis-bike-epic-2021/

Spirit of the Outback (train) - https://www.queenslandrailtravel.com.au/railexperiences/ourtrains/spiritoftheoutback

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Episode Seven. Luke Pryor, Ultra Distance Trail Runner, Clinical & Performance Pyschologist, FKT Challenger & Tiny Home Dweller. 

This episode is a really interesting catch up with Luke Pryor, talking all things endurance, psychology and running as a metaphor for life. 

Luke shares his origin story with us and we find out how he came from a childhood on an 100 acre farm in Victoria to now, living in a newly built “tiny home” in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. As a Clinical and Performance Psychologist, Luke sheds light on some fundamentals of Performance Psychology and their application for athletes and adventurers alike, including the practices of Mindfulness, Gratitude and Compassion.

Luke also shares his plans to set a Fastest Known Time (FKT) on the 210km Goldfields Track and we dig into the “why” of these enormous endurance challenges. 

Unfortunately we were again hit by some distracting popping in the background of the audio and we hope you persevere and listen to this, as Luke shares some really valuable insights. 

He references the book “Self Compassion” by Kristin Neff.

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Fresh off her awesome run, completing her third Run Queensland, Blackall 100KM, Sarah takes the host spot in this episode and chats to Kristen, less than 24 hours afterwards, about her experience at this iconic Sunshine Coast ultra trail run event. 

This is a great opportunity to hear Kristen’s personal experience of running 100kms - amidst a very busy life beyond running - and whether you’re an experienced trail runner, interested to hear the perspective of another athlete, or you’re curious about what it takes to participate in an endurance event of this scale, there’s something in here for you! 

We talk about training and injury; preparation; coaching; the “why”; race day experiences; nutrition; community and all the highs and lows that come with such an epic achievement. 

You can find out more about the Blackall 100 here. We also reference some of our favourite podcasts including Megan and David Roche’s Some Work All Play Podcast (woooohoooo - if you know, you know); the recently launched female, pro athlete led podcast Trail Society and Jason Koop’s KoopCast. Kristen mentions the awesome book from Stacey Sims, ROAR and shout out to Sunshine Coast locals Rachel and Jason from Infinit Nutrition Australia.

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Welcome back for Episode 25! If you've ever been slightly curious about what it might be like to work as an outdoor guide and educator, we know you'll love this conversation. We are so pleased to present an amazing everyday adventurer, who has turned his passions into his career - Sol Kamal. Sarah and Sol have known each other almost 10 years now after Sarah went on a fateful kayak trip through Sydney Harbour Kayaks. After loving the experience, she explored the possibility of becoming a kayak guide herself - enter Sol!

From roots in Toronto, Canada as an archaeologist and museum curator, Sol decided before 'settling down' and setting up his own business (Adventure North), to take a trip to Australia where he found an amazing opportunity to make this wonderful country his home. Coming from Canada with a Level 2 Sea Kayaking Instructor, throughout his time here, Sol has been on plenty of his own amazing trips while also guiding hundreds of people through, for many, a lifechanging experience in the great outdoors. Sol talks about the ups and downs of making the adventure space his life, and shares how ultimately he believes he ended up where he is thanks to universal guidance.

Now, 16 years later after calling Australia 'home', Sol has his own sole trader business where he offers consulting, adventure guiding, and school programming for activites through kayaking, mountain biking, abseling, quad biking, and outdoor education and continues to love what he does. If you ever wanted an insider perspective of what it is like to work in the outdoor industry, this is the episode for you! We really appreciated Sol's candour, and know you can all take something away from this interesting conversation. If you want to have a chat with Sol, he's pretty elusive online but you can find him on Facebook @sol.kamal.7

Thanks again for listening!

As we mention in the intro, if you are keen to help keep the lights on for this podcast, you can support us on Patreon, or you can leave a review on whatever platform you listen to podcasts on! 

Thank you for the continued support from all of our listeners and patrons - we love you all!!

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Episode 42!

A third and final pre mission check in with Sarah a week before she heads off to start her 700KMish Scotland end-to-end mission on 21 August. For more context, you can hop back to Episode 36, when Sarah set this intention in January and Episode 37 for a May update. 

We cover off a general update including:

• the final name for the project, "Light to Light"
• how training has been going
• a fundraising update - fundraising for Free to Run; you can donate via the link here
• support received - including from Converge Marketing; becoming a lululemon Run Ambassador; being the recipient of the Gutsy Girls Adventure Film Festival fundraiser; gear support from Nemo Equipment and Smartwool and O.M.M. in addition to nutrition support from CLIF Bar. 
• Plus featuring on the We Are Explorers podcast: "This explorer draws the gear she reviews"
• storytelling and the bigger picture

You'll be able to follow the adventure via Sarah's instagram: @allthegearnaeidea

If you are keen to help keep the lights on for this podcast, you can support us on Patreon, or you can leave a review on whatever platform you listen to podcasts on like Apple or Spotify.

We appreciate the support of all of our listeners! 

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Episode 36 - and a "new" format of a shorter episode, amidst our usual guest interviews which will continue as normal...

Today we don't have any guests in the "studio" because we're launching a new mini series of episodes with a specific focus. In this episode, Sarah reveals her big mission for 2023 - trail running "the length" of Scotland (exact details tbc!). Our intention is to document aspects of this journey from now through until the mission in August of this year.

Jumping in amidst the "messy middle" (to reference a version of Glennon Doyle and We Can Do Hard Things podcast), in the very early stages of planning, Kristen and Sarah chat over Sarah's initial thoughts on this big Scotland adventure which has been in the works since 2017/2018. 

In this first episode, we cover topics including:

- the origin of the idea

- the route Sarah has currently mapped from the most southerly point in Scotland - the Mull of Galloway, to the most northerly point of the Outer Hebrides - the Butt o' Lewis - covering around 700kms on trail networks including - as referenced, the West Highland Way and the Hebridean Way.

- the supported style of the mission

The intention is to release future episodes in the lead up to the adventure in August 2023 covering other topics related to planning a long multiday mission like this.

Sarah mentions the International Appalachian Trail and also references a couple of books - The Pants of Perspective, by Anna McNuff - 

and (couldn't remember the name of!) You Need a Manifesto - How to Craft Your Convictions and Put Them to Work. Charlotte Burgess-Auburn.

If you have any questions for Sarah for future episodes in this mini series or would like to follow more of her journey, you can find her on Instagram at @allthegearnaeidea

If you are keen to help keep the lights on for this podcast, you can support us on Patreon, or you can leave a review on whatever platform you listen to podcasts on like Apple or Spotify.

Thank you for the continued support from all of our listeners and patrons - we love and appreciate you all!

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Sarah and Kristen have a great chat with Sunshine Coast local, Matt Wilkins. Matt is co-owner of Mountain Bike Coaching Australia and his adventure resume extends well beyond mountain biking, . 

Matt has paddled the Bass Strait from mainland Australia to Tasmania; placed third at Trans Continental, riding self supported from London to Istanbul and completed (and failed) numerous other adventures in Australia and overseas. 

We cover how Matt’s childhood informed his attitude to riding bikes and adventuring as an adult; weird places he has slept on multiday missions; solo versus shared adventures; the learnings that come from attempting and failing on adventures and managing the “selfish” nature of preparation for huge expeditions while balancing (or not balancing!) relationships and the rest of life.

Matt is pretty elusive online but you can check out his business account at @mtbcoachingaus

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Running has become a huge part of Sammy’s life, including being the way he met his, now, wife, Meagan, after a little Instagram stalking, while racing in a Glasshouse Series trail run. 

Sammy has accomplished a number of Fastest Known Times (FKTs) in Queensland and we have a great chat about why he takes on these solo challenges and the physical and mental sides of these performances. We reference Sammy’s Fastest Known Times which you can view on www.fastestknowntime.com and include: Glasshouse Gallivant; Conondale Great Walk and 2 x Carnarvon Gorge Great Walk. Sammy is super encouraging for anyone to get out there and try these FKTs for themselves -  “If you can’t go fast; go first!”.

We also chat about the year ahead which includes Sammy’s goal to run an road marathon PB at the marathon at Brisbane Marathon Festival; running the 21km at Yandina-Five-O with his wife Meagan, before heading to the USA later in the year to crew and pace for Meagan on the iconic Western States Endurance Run. Other races we mention which Sammy has completed include the BVRT 100 miles, Ultra Trail Mount Fuji and Ultra Trail Lavaredo. 

We can’t forget to mention Sammy and Meagan’s newest addition to the family, Scottie Puppen, a new sibling for Mo Furah. If you hadn't guessed, the Brownies are pun fans so check out Scottie Pippen and Mo Farah for the origin of these names!!

To get in touch with Sammy, you can find him on Instagram @thesammybrown 

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Both growing up in a similar area in the San Francisco Bay Area, Andy and Julie meeting each other young, have had quite some adventures together! From throwing the boat on the water on any given weekday to waterski, to driving up the mountains for a ski trip, Andy and Julie had it pretty sweet, and then the best thing ever came along - Kristen! (Can you tell who wrote this...?) We chatted with these two about raising kids as active parents and negotiating when they would fit activities in, and when to bring the kids along (even if it meant some kicking and screaming). 

Now finding "home" again in the mountains, Andy and Julie live at the base of Mt Rose outside of Reno, Nevada as the kids have all gone off on their own adventures, these two have not slowed down by any means. Still out ski touring, mountain biking, running, hiking, golfing, and any other activity a friend invites them to - we get into it all in this episode! We talked about longevity in the athletic and adventure space, and competing with their own self over others.

These two are an inspiration to both Kristen and Sarah, and we hope that you draw as much insight as we did from the experiences that these two share together. As a particularly proud daughter, Kristen is extremely honored to bring you this episode.

In true adventure fashion, if you want to find these two on socials, the best place to look them up is their Strava accounts! : Andy Russell, and Julie Russell

As we mention in the introduction, Andy was not feeling well so Sarah recorded over Zoom, but we hope it does not draw away from the great conversation. Thanks as always for tuning in! 

If you are keen to help keep the lights on for this podcast, you can support us on Patreon, or you can leave a review on whatever platform you listen to podcasts on like Apple or Spotify! Thank you for the continued support from all of our listeners and patrons - we love and appreciate you all! You are amazing!!

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Episode 18! We speak to Allison Piercy, who kindly took the train up to the Sunshine Coast from Brisbane to join us in our “studio” for a fantastic in person conversation. 

Over the past few years Allison has really embraced the art of bikepacking, from riding the 800km Cairns to Karumba bike event with her Mum; to her first trip on the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail with a makeshift set up (including a Mexican blanket wrapped in a Woolies plastic bag, strapped to her bars), to now having completed numerous trips on her trusty Surly Bridgeclub bicycle, including a four week trip on the notorious Tassie Gift route and a mammoth solo six week adventure which took in remote parts of Australia, starting in Adelaide on the Mawson Trail, before riding the legendary remote Oodnadatta Track and then adventuring out to the red centre - Alice Springs. 

Allison shares some great insights around bikepacking; solo adventures and the dynamics of travelling with a group when you prefer solo time; community - shout out here to Mattie Gould creator of DesireLines CC; her why for getting out on these adventures and her love for self propelled travel, not to mention the personal growth and self reflection Allison gains from these experiences. 

It turns out Allison is also the "go to" group member if you're looking to win 800 bucks in a pub on a bikepacking trip! Maxxy from BikePackShop gets a mention on this one too.

As we refer to in this episode, Allison is well known by her great Instagram handle and you can find her on Instagram at @allis_on_wonderland 

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Episode 31! Enjoy this fantastic, fun and honest conversation with UK born, now Springbrook based, Jemma Purandare.

Jemma is a wonderfully bubbly and engaging woman and shares with us how she's training for a dream race - CCC, as part of the UTMB festival, while also holding down a full time job as an Environmental Scientist; studying International Law and since that's not enough for one busy human (!) - working on a PhD looking at climate change and its influence on river estuaries on the Gold Coast.

We hear about Jemma's background, growing up in the UK, studying Landscape Architecture (before two Masters programs to refocus on her interest in Environmental Science) at Edinburgh University and first coming to Australia to study, before relocating here full-time in 2011. From a sporting perspective, Jemma shares how she mainly played netball in school and started running as a means to meet people outside of work, how this turned into racing triathlon, all the way into the full IRONMAN distance in 2016. Recognising her ability for endurance, Jemma began to focus on trail running, as part of the inaugural Mountain Goat running crew in Brisbane. 

Jemma shares with us her preparation for CCC (100km and over 6000m of vert!); her experience of goal setting and qualifying for the race; an endemetriosis diagnosis and experience of fatigue, which led her to focus more on her health and nutrition and her experience as a woman in sport and science. 

Jemma was also mentioned in our last podcast episode as she travelled to the USA to crew for Meagan Brown at Western States Endurance Run - listen back to Episode 30 for more on that one!

As Meagan shared with us in some of our pre-episode "research" work, Jemma is "one of the most kind, supportive, caring people you'll meet who will leave this Earth in a better place" and it was a pleasure to elevate her voice in this episode.

You can find Jemma on Instagram at @littlegoatjem

If you are keen to help keep the lights on for this podcast, you can support us on Patreon, or you can leave a review on whatever platform you listen to podcasts on like Apple or Spotify.Thank you for the continued support from all of our listeners and patrons - we love and appreciate you all!

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Episode 37! 

Oh hey, it's been a while!

We're back with another shorter form episode, with Kristen and Sarah (and guest appearance from Moose, cos, we know you miss the doggos) checking in on Sarah's huge trail running mission, coming up in August of this year. If you haven't listened to Episode 36, check it out to hear the origins of the plan!

Sarah shares the elements of her mission which have changed since the January check in.

This includes:

• Being coached now by Nic Ayson at SIngletrack Collective
• Life changes meaning training hasn't been as planned at all, although consistency is coming back
• A failed attempt at joining a gym for strength work!
• Becoming a Free to Run NGO ambassador - please do check out the incredible 30 minute Free to Run film on YouTube to learn more
• You can donate to Sarah's Fundraising cause for Free to Run on Just Giving - any donation of any size is so gratefully received 
• Sarah's crew check in with chief of crew, George and his dog Tidbin
• Being gifted an ice bath/chest freezer and the benefits of this practice for mental strength, along with recovery 
• Plus some answers to listener questions! 

You can follow Sarah's journey on Instagram @allthegearnaeidea and shoot her any questions there!

If you are keen to help keep the lights on for this podcast, you can support us on Patreon, or you can leave a review on whatever platform you listen to podcasts on like Apple or Spotify.

Thank you for the continued support from all of our listeners and patrons - we love and appreciate you all! And we'll be back with more episodes from incredible everyday adventurers doing all the things!

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Episode 43! Sarah arrived back in Australia from her Light to Light adventure a few weeks ago so Sarah and Kristen took the opportunity to check in and debrief on her 675KM run from the most southerly point of Scotland at the Mull of Galloway Lighthouse, north to the most northerly point of the Outer Hebrides at the lighthouse at the Butt of Lewis. 

If you don't know about Sarah's self-mapped and self-named adventure, "Light to Light", skip back to Epsiode 35, Episode 37 and Episode 42 where we talked through the mission from the time Sarah committed back in January of this year, with progress updates along the way.

Otherwise, tune in here to hear all about how the adventure went down. We cover the journey along the way across dedicated trail networks; the physical and mental challenges; the experience of designing and running your own adventure outside of a dedicated event, plus other stuff not previously shared via Instagram!

Thanks to everyone for their support in Light to Light including lululemon, Nemo Equipment, OMM, Smartwool Socks, CLIF Bar and the Gutsy Girls Adventure Film Festival. 

Sarah's run was in support of Free to Run -  you can visit her fundraising page here. Thanks to everyone for your generous donations for this incredible cause. The short film FREE TO RUN about the NGO and its founder, Stephanie Case, is available on YouTube here.

You can check out images of the adventure via Sarah's instagram: @allthegearnaeidea

If you are keen to help keep the lights on for this podcast, you can support us on Patreon, or you can leave a review on whatever platform you listen to podcasts on like Apple or Spotify.

We appreciate the support of all of our listeners! 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 45! 

Today's episode is a great conversation with German, Gold Coast Hinterland based, Natalie Reutter.

Natalie and Kristen met through their joint love of handling and hiding from dogs, at the Queensland K9 Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) group.

A concreter by day, as you'll hear in the episode, Natalie loves an endurance challenge and has completed enormous trail runs and races, including the 200 mile "Delerious West" in WA. 

We could have covered an entire episode on ultra distance running, however today's focus is one for the dog lovers as we chat in depth about Natalie's experience training and adventuring with her two kelpies - Lucy and Wilbur. 

If you're curious about what it means to be a dog handler at USAR, or the ins and outs of adventuring with your trail dog, this is the episode for you! While we're pretty restricted in Queensland when it comes to adventures with dogs, Natalie has completed the 100 mile Brisbane Valley Rail Trail, over four days, with her kelpie Lucy, and shares the experience and learnings with us.

To see more of Natalie's adventures with the kelpies, you can find her on Instagram at @lucylovesadventures_

If you are keen to help keep the lights on for this podcast, you can support us on Patreon, or you can leave a review on your preferred podcast platform like Apple or Spotify.

We appreciate the support of all of our listeners! 

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Welcome back to another episode of the Into the Wee Hours Podcast!

In this second intro episode, our host, Sarah Pendergrass, interviews fellow host, Kristen Vautin.

The vision for this show was to get to know Kristen and to understand her background coming into the Into the Wee Hours Podcast.

Kristen is a proud accomplice of the Into the Wee Hours Podcast, supporting Sarah's adventure business, Into the Wee Hours. Kristen is originally from America, now a resident of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. Kristen loves all things adventuring on her two feet and is excited to get to know others who share a passion for the outdoors. You can find her online on her personal account at @kristenvautin on Instagram.

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Sarah and Kristen take the time to check in after the first five episodes. Topics covered include their reflections on the podcast journey so far; a laugh at the little interview habits which are creeping in and life lessons being learned from podcasting. 

They also share a very honest check in with each other on life; including Sarah’s experience so far in hypnotherapy and Kristen’s interest in beekeeping with her husband, Phil. Plus a look at how training is going for Sarah's bike packing goal, The Hunt 1000 and Kristen's 100km trail running goal, Blackall 100. 

We round up the conversation with an all important update on our trail dogs, Bear, Moose and Ness and find out about our own “wildest wees” in the spirit of the podcast so far!

Apologies for the popping sound in the background - still learning the ropes and we hope it’s not too distracting.

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Welcome to Episode 15 of the Into the Wee Hours Podcast!

We talk to Evolutionary Biologist and ultra endurance athlete, Danny Longman via Zoom, all the way from the European mountains.

Having taken on numerous adventures worldwide and holding world records for ocean rowing, as a member of the Polar Row team, in addition to his work at Loughborough University which includes research enhancing understanding of human physiology in the world’s most extreme environments, we could have talked to Danny about so many things. However, in this episode we focus on the Lakes Swim Challenge 2021, his latest World Record open water swim achievement, being the fastest to swim the maximum length of every lake in England’s Lake District.

We cover so many interesting aspects of his “Lakes Swim Challenge” from preparation and planning; to the crew and teamwork behind this individual attempt; nutrition; the physical toll an effort like this takes, including Danny having to tape his hand into a swimstroke position mid challenge and the “why” behind the attempt. 

You can see images and more stories behind the challenge on Danny’s Instagram account: @theworldbeaplayground 

Also, we are now on Patreon and would be so grateful for any support! You can check us out at patreon.com/intotheweehourspodcast 

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Introducing Dr Rowan Brookes. A humble, adventurous, inspiring powerhouse of a woman.

Sarah met Rowan while racing the Rapid Ascent, Run Larapinta stage race in 2018 (not 2019 as she says in the intro) and it was an absolute privilege for us to share this time in conversation with Rowan.

This one is for all of the mothers; the wives; the endurance athletes; the adventurers; the injured; the academics and scientists; the environmentally conscious and the “everyday” activists. These are just a few of the incredibly insightful themes we touch on with Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, based, Rowan Brookes. 

Rowan shares with us how pivotal the outdoors has been in shaping her life since her first experience on an Outward Bound program as a teenager facing mental health challenges. She has since built an incredible adventure and athletic resume, covering ultra distance trail running; bikepacking; adventure racing and multiday hiking, amongst others. We mention a series of Rowan’s achievements, and in particular touch on the bikepacking route, the Victoria Divide 550 and her recent solo, self supported through hike of the 223km long Larapinta Trail. We also talk about Rowan's 250km Great South West Walk run and her initiative, Tread Lightly for Change. You can read more about this and see some beautiful images, on the We are Explorers site here.

In spite of not being long off the Larapinta Trail multiday adventure, this is also one for those of you navigating the challenges of a sustained  COVID-19 lockdown. Rowan talks about navigating this new pandemic era and how she has adapted her training and her approach to planning adventures; all while being a mother of three; an academic; a leadership educator and changemaker. 

Rowan was the 2016 Telstra Victorian Public Sector and Academia Award Winner and we reference her incredible acceptance speech, which you can view here, including a tale of her adrenaline fuelled (and not strictly legal) bridge jumping experiences in New Zealand!

You can find Rowan on Instagram @rowanbrookes

Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review if you're enjoying the podcast. Thank you.

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We’re excited to bring you Episode 14 of the Into the Wee Hours Podcast and this really interesting chat with Rob Saunders.

In this episode we talk to Brisbane based, Rob Saunders - the man behind the heartfelt documentary - In the Footsteps of John Stuart. This short film is currently touring in Australia with the Wild film festival.  It covers Rob’s incredible, personal and historical journey to find his great uncle John’s grave in an unrecorded location on a Tasmanian mountainside, following a tragic climbing and exploration expedition in 1956 which ended in John’s death. 

We would certainly encourage you to check out the film - you can view a trailer of In the Footsteps of John Stuart here.

We mainly focus on the development and making of the film, which involved a challenging expedition into the wilds of Tasmania for Rob and a select team of friends. We chat to Rob about many aspects of what a remote bushwalking and climbing adventure like this entails; not to mention the comparison between wilderness adventures for his Great Uncle in the 1950s, compared to now. 

We also chat about the logistics behind filming your own adventure, and touch briefly on Rob’s recent trip to k’Gari (previously known as Fraser Island) and his aspirations to create another adventure based film. As is becoming the case with many of the awesome everyday adventurers we chat to, we barely scratched the surface of Rob’s adventure knowledge and experience! 

We also have some big news! We’ve launched an Into the Wee Hours Podcast Patreon account. As much as we’re doing this for fun, podcasting certainly doesn’t come without its own financial costs - and we would be sooooo grateful if any of you listening would be inclined to throw a few dollars our way. There’s absolutely no pressure, but if you’re curious you can check us out on patreon - https://www.patreon.com/intotheweehourspodcast

We would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land and seas where this podcast is being recorded. The land of the Gubbi Gubbi people on the sunshine coast. We pay respect to their elders past, present and those emerging. 

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Following Episode 10, where Kristen interviewed Sarah about her upcoming bikepacking trip in Outback Queensland, this is the post trip wrap up!

Sarah talks broadly about the experience of her ten day adventure, including how her route changed from the outset and how her trip mantra became “Make good choices, there are no rules”. She talks of the kindness of strangers; gratitude for her body; the challenges of being solo in a remote, Outback environment, including water management and camping around wild dogs. Sarah also touches on the idea of "wherever you go; there you are" and the deep presence found on these endurance missions. 

Sarah travelled 2000km in her van; over 600km on her bike, Celeste; hiked 43km in her Teva sandals and spent 9.5 hours on the Spirit of the Outback train to complete her loop from Emerald to Longreach and back.

Sarah references her dynamo hub system on her Curve GMX+ which is an Australian built KLite set up. 

For a daily breakdown and images of the trip, you can visit Sarah’s Instagram account @allthegearnaeidea 

The annoying popping sound made a return for this one - we're so sorry. We think we've sussed it now and hope it never returns again! Thanks for bearing with us. 

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Episode 23!

What a fun conversation this was - Kirra Molnar is a world rated, pro longboard surfer with roots locally on the Sunshine Coast, in Noosa. We dove straight into this conversation with everything that Kirra does for work as she hustles to make her passion her lifestyle.

Growing up having moved to the Sunshine Coast, Kirra now calls the waves in Noosa her home, surfing the iconic points at Noosa National Park when she is not traveling. Kirra not only travels the globe competing in high-level surf competitions through the World Surf League (WSL), she is rated number 25 in the world amongst other female longboarders! Kirra is the first female president of the Noosa World Surfing Reserve which aims to protect her home shores; works at Pro Movement; does personalized programs through her own company, KM Surf Coaching; interviews top surfers at OZ Longboarding; while balancing everything else that life throws at her!! 

We really appreciated Kirra opening up about some of the struggles in a (yet another) male-dominated sport. She is stoked to see that it is changing for the better, but acknowledges we need to continue to do better for equality for all genders financially and inclusivity. 

Kirra has such an infectious energy about surfing, and we loved the perspective of a pro athlete who also leads an everyday adventurer life, and again we are so grateful for Kirra's time! If you want to follow Kirra, best way is to find her on Instagram @kirramolnar .

Thanks again for listening, we hope you enjoy!

Kirra would like to acknowledge her sponsors :

Classic Malibu Surfboards 

Huey's Surf Wax 

Salt and Daughters Bikinis

Surf Flow Wetsuits 

As ever, if you're keen to support us and keep the lights on, please check out our Patreon page.

We are SUPER grateful for all of your support and if you've recently signed up and haven't heard your name mentioned yet, trust us, it's coming! 

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Episode 38 is here!

We're stoked to bring back a good friend of the show, and previous guest, Luke Pryor. If you haven't listened to Luke's original episode, jump back in the catalogue to Episode 7, where we chatted to Luke all the way back in August 2021.

After securing a much coveted place at Western States Endurance Run (WSER) through the fiercely competitive lottery process, Luke joins us in the week before he flies across to the US to race to give us an update on his lead up to this iconic 100 mile footrace. 

Luke openly shares his journey to the start line, including:

• his qualifying race, in Europe, Ultra Trail Lago d'Orta
• taking on a coach, North American world-class ultra runner, Zach Bitter
• making significant dietary changes after working with Dan Plews, to overcome ongoing fatigue issues and lab testing which has supported these changes and are guiding his fuelling strategy for race day
• Navigating injury during training and a reframe of mindset and expectations
• his thoughts on tackling snow in a race for the first time! 
• his mental preparation for the event

Luke also mentions books he's reading currently including:

• Endurance Perfomance in Sport, Pyschological Theory and Interventions, edited by Carla Mejen
• Think Like a Warrior, Darrin Donnelly 

Wishing you all the best for the big dance Luke and we look forward to checking in post race! 

If you'd like to reach out to Luke, you can get in touch via Instagram on @littlemadrunner

If you are keen to help keep the lights on for this podcast, you can support us on Patreon, or you can leave a review on whatever platform you listen to podcasts on like Apple or Spotify.

Thank you for the continued support from all of our listeners and patrons - we love and appreciate you all!

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Our first ever remote podcast interview! In this episode we have a lively conversation with the awesome everyday adventurer, Oregon based, Hannah Russell.

Hannah is in fact Kristen's sister. Not only is she a really interesting human; she was also a great tester for trying out our remote interview set up; not to mention one of few people who we'd ask to sit in a closet in 40 degree heat for the sake of sound quality - thank you Hannah! The quality improves after the 15 minute mark so please bear with it!

At 27, Hannah has been on some epic international adventures with her partner, Chris, and a solid crew of friends, snowboarding and surfing all over the world. As our first US guest, we also talk a little about how COVID has impacted life across the pond, including remote working for Patagonia. 

Adventure themes like "failed" adventures; the importance of "showing up" to kick start adventures, in addition to managing injury (especially as Hannah was a week out from a recent ankle surgery), all form a part of this fun conversation. 

The book Sarah references is Yvon Chouinard's "Let my People Go Surfing".

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Episode 41!

Today's episode is a cracking conversation with Melbourne based, April Drage. April recently returned from taking part in the grand depart of the iconic Tour Divide - a 4000KM+ mountain bike route stretching from Banff, Alberta, Canada to the New Mexico border at Antelope Wells. April completed the route on "Miles" her Curve Cycling, XS Big Kev. If you're interested in a different perspective on the route, on Episode 12 we talked to Toby Lukins about riding the same route, outside of the grand depart, on a bike he made of wood. 

We barely scratched the surface in this hour long chat, but a few of the discussions you can look forward to - all accompanied by April's genuine and infectious enthusiasm for riding bikes and her witty storytelling:

• hearing about April's origin story and how she came to love riding bikes - and after years as a social worker, now even working in the bike industry for Curve Cycling
• Using bikepacking as a means to work through emotions and explore herself, including riding significant bikepacking races and routes including Race to the Rock, Rhino Run, Kudlila Rally, Karnu Rally, Mallee Blast 1000, Munda Biddi and many Mawsons!
• becoming a Curve ambassador in 2021 and truly integrating herself in the bike/bikepacking community
• Riding Tour Divide 2023 and "finding the sweetspot between enjoyment and efficiency"
• Racing versus adventure and "April's holiday" riding through nights and completing the route in a seriously competitive time at just over 18 days (or just under 19 - in April's words!)
• The awesome women's field - albeit low representation still; a hugely significant representation in the top 30 - and how taking part in niche activities means you have alot in common with fellow riders
• The iconic Brush Mountain Lodge experience! 
• Solo versus shared adventures - and bikepacking with kids
• plus April trains (commuting with pumpkins on her bike), including a shout out to Alice Marsh at @mtb_bods ....
• and more!

You can find April on Instagram at @aprilawol

April also shares some great writing on Curve's Blog.

If you are keen to help keep the lights on for this podcast, you can support us on Patreon, or you can leave a review on whatever platform you listen to podcasts on like Apple or Spotify.

We appreciate the support of all of our listeners! 

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Episode 40! 

We welcome back Luke Pryor, along with his partner, Kara Landells to talk all things post-race Western States Endurance Run (WSER). Firstly, a huge congratulations to Luke for absolutely crushing and taking out a silver buckle at his first WSER; completing the course in just over 23 hours.

It was great to bring Luke back onto the show post race, and to not only hear his experience of running 100 miles in the 50th year of this iconic race, and also to share the conversation with Kara, who did an incredible job of solo crewing Luke along the way over the course of almost 24 hours. 

We cover:

• arriving at WSER and the pre-race experience including celebrity moments, staying on the same street as the GOAT Courtney Dauwalter
• Luke's expectation that he'll be getting fist bumps from Sally McRae at every race from now on
• Injury/foot niggles and how Luke, his crew and the volunteers managed these along the way
• Luke's celebrity pacer, in the form of the one and only Dean Karnazes and how that experience came about and played out on the day
• The escarpment, snow running - fun and frustration!
• The realities of crewing 100 miles 
• The highlights of this incredible 2023 race
• Plus the many, many emotions and experiences that came up on the day!

For the WSER fans and anyone curious about both running and crewing an epic race like this, this is not to be missed.

You can also check out Luke's original appearance on the podcast - Episode 7 - and his pre-race episode Episode 39.

Luke is on Instagram @littlemadrunner and Kara is @coach_karalandells 

LittlemadNess also makes a few feature appearances in this episode after taking a well earned break from podcasting, but she does mainly settle down after the initial barks, so hang in there; it's worth it! 

If you are keen to help keep the lights on for this podcast, you can support us on Patreon, or you can leave a review on whatever platform you listen to podcasts on like Apple or Spotify.

We appreciate the support of all of our listeners! 

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Episode 16! We have a wonderful conversation with the determined and passionate, Stanthorpe based, Emma Rhymer, about how she discovered mountain biking as a teacher at a school camp in her early 40s and was immediately hooked. 

This discovery sparked an amazing journey from rookie mountain biker to a dedicated Masters endurance athlete, working with the support of her husband, Dylan, and a dedicated coaching support team from skills coaching to dietician to movement coach, in her pursuit of competition and growth, successfully racing 24 Hour MTB championships, amongst other shorter cross country races and her first bikepacking experience at the BrisDivide in 2021. 

Emma is transforming her day to day life around mountain biking including moving towards relief teaching while growing her coaching expertise and is a real inspiration to us to follow your passions. We talk all things that come with getting into a new sport "later in life", including skill development, training, injury and balancing work/family/mountain biking, as well as the value of a very supportive bike community and the self-confidence and new learnings that a journey like this can bring. 

Amongst others, Emma makes reference to Dylan Cooper at rideTECHNICS, Aus Cycling, Ride Sunshine Coast, i-Ride Bikes Toowoomba, Matt Wilkins of Mountain Bike Coaching Australia, her current coach Anna Beck, Jodie Willet, Jess Douglas and Rod Hickey.

Emma also references kicking off her racing at the Wild West XCO series, plus 24 hour racing the Merida 24 Hour at Hidden Vale Adventure Park, the 3 hour MTB race Chicks in the Sticks and taking part in the SEQ bikepacking event, the BrisDivide.

You can find Emma on Instagram at @emma.rhymer.mtb

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Episode 44 is here! 

We speak to bubbly, super adventurous Bright based adventurer, Elise Marcianti just a couple of weeks out from her huge 300KM multiday self-propelled mission through the Australian Alpine region. 

Elise chats to us about this upcoming adventure, running an ultramarathon to the highest point of Australia - Mt Kosciuszko, before hiking 250KM solo along the Australian Alps walking track back to Bright. We hear about her planning; her hopes for the journey and her "why' for undertaking such a big challenge. 

Elise also shares with us her mission to fundraise along the way for Eating Disorder Families Australia, an organisation close to her heart after being diagnosed with an eating disorder nine years ago. 

Content warning: this episode includes conversation around eating disorders and eating disorder recovery. We're highlighting this so you can make healthy decisions about how and if you should consume this podcast content.

Elise is a fellow podcaster and you can check out her podcast: Explore Your Core.

Elise's fundraising page can be found here if you'd like to donate.

You can follow Elise (and check out her incredible high-lining videos!) on Instagram: @elisemarcianti 

Quick shout out to Elise's sponsors: Take the Lead Apparel, Koda Nutrition, and Bright Brewery.

Thanks as ever to our fantastic listeners, we appreciate you!

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Episode 35! 

We welcome back our Episode 31 guest, Jemma Purandare, to (finally!) run us through her trip to Europe and her experience of a long time in the making dream, running - UTMB's CCC, lining up to take on 100kms of brutal trail running through the Alps. 

When we spoke to Jemma last, she was on the brink of flying from Australia to Europe to toe the line at this huge race, after months of prep - while also juggling day to day life including work, a PhD and her Law studies. If you haven't listened to Jemma's pre race episode, we highly recommend you jump back to Episode 31 to hear more about Jemma as a person, and specifically her journey to qualifying for CCC.

We're not going to give it all away in the show notes but, things didn't exactly go to plan, and altitude sickness and cut off times played a major role in that. If you're curious about what it takes to take on a major mountain race like this, and how it feels when you well and truly hit the pain/altitude sickness/tunnel vision cave - tune in to hear more.

Since this experience, Jemma has jumped right back in with her running (with an incredible research/work trip to Mexico thrown in there for good measure) and has raced Ultra Trail Australia 50km, amidst other trail runs. Her determination to keep on keeping on; to learn from her CCC experience and to build into a year of solid 50km races, while also showing enthusiasm to step back onto that CCC start line again is inspiring! 

To see beautiful mountain images and to read Jemma's reflections, you can find Jemma online on Instagram at @littlegoatjem

If you are keen to help keep the lights on for this podcast, you can support us on Patreon, or you can leave a review on whatever platform you listen to podcasts on like Apple or Spotify.

Thank you for the continued support from all of our listeners and patrons - we love and appreciate you all!

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Episode 30.

We welcome our good friend, Meagan Brown aka "Brownie" back onto the show to hear the inside scoop on her first 100 mile run at none other than one of the most iconic ultra runs in the world - the Western States Endurance Run. If you didn't listen to her on Episode 21, make sure you revisit that one too!

We're so grateful to Meagan for sharing the laughs and the huge highs and lows of this enormous undertaking. We talk training and preparation; the race experience surrounded by legends of the sport; eating rice balls made by Scott Jurek (who apparently also has lovely hair) and the wild hallucinations, including thinking a tree was her husband and pacer, Sammy... spoiler alert. 

Meagan also shares the importance of crew (shout out Jemma, Hilly and Sammy); community and why going longer might not always be better in the endurance world.

We're super proud of you Brownie. Thanks for so honestly sharing your incredible journey with us. 

We can't wait to see that wild wee picture... Meagan's Instagram handle is @megatron_brown

Also, for all of the niche Nessie fans, Ness has a few things to say on this one but she does quieten down...

Thanks again to all of our listeners and our incredible Patreon patrons who help us keep the lights on. If you're keen to support us please check out www.patreon.com/intotheweehourspodcast Thank you!

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Episode 22! In this week’s episode, we speak with Central Queensland based, Genevieve Birch.

Genevieve and Sarah met while mountain biking but as she shares with us, Genevieve’s background is very much in music, both personally and professionally, working as an Instrumental Music Teacher. 

Genevieve chats with us about how she came to adventure a little "later" on in life, as a uni student, diving straight in with a huge multiday, guided hike in Kakadu National Park, having never even been on a day hike. She describes her training for this - filling a borrowed backpack with water bottles and walking laps of suburbia - and how this experience really was both initially confronting and ultimately life changing. We have a really fun conversation around how this first hike, inspired by a photo in a magazine in a remote Tassie pub, changed the course of her life and led her to subsequently go on so many adventures, including hiking; offtrack bush walking and mountain biking. 

Genevieve talks openly about the communities she has found through adventure, especially through bushwalking - and the culture around off track exploration and the handing down of knowledge from experienced hikers.

We also hear about Genevieve's love for bikes and how her style of riding has had to change from leaving the singletrack of the Sunshine Coast to now riding in the hot, open plains around Longreach. 

If you’re sitting at home waiting for the sign to give a new adventure or challenge a go, this is your sign.

A few other mentions in this podcast include Genevieve's bike - her Kona Unit; Lamington National Park, and we should get a podcast book club going here across the episodes - with the books, "Where Song Began" (we get the title a little wrong in the audio!) and the Nowhere Child mentioned in this episode

Ness is a wee bit noisy at the start with a plastic cone on her head after being at the vet, but she settles!

As ever, if you're keen to support us and keep the lights on, please check out our Patreon page.

We are SUPER grateful for all of your support and if you've recently signed up and haven't heard your name mentioned yet, trust us, it's coming! 

You can find Genevieve on Instagram at @genevievepaige

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Episode 28, which also marks a year of us podcasting!

This is such a sensational conversation with the wonderful Allie Geddes. The three of us put on our best podcast voices for a fun, thought provoking chat with Allie. 

Trigger warning - this conversation does include discussion of Allie’s experience of cancer. If this is triggering for you - take care of yourself. Jump in and out where you need to.  

Allie talks to us about their journey from living in a “toxic productivity” culture of working long hours as a teacher in London (albeit absolutely still a passionate teacher), to their experience of Brexit and the desire to travel and explore further afield - initially through backpacking around South East Asia. 

Allie also brings us a stark reminder that life can change for us at any time, and very openly shares their experience from discovering a lump in their right breast, through to being diagnosed with breast cancer at the young age of 27. Following treatment, including a bilateral mastectomy, Allie was drawn back into nature, and undertook a solo hike of the famous Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route through northern Spain.

Realising the beauty and the powerful healing nature of this type of movement and adventure, Allie set their sights on “walking the world”, until, reaching Melbourne and (in a nutshell!) on realising that riding a bicycle can significantly increase the efficiency of your grocery shops, and take you further on long adventures, re-considered their adventure aspirations! Inspired by a vanlife and bikepacking post on socials, Allie took on their first bikepacking trip and was instantly hooked on this self-sufficient mode of travel and exploration. Since then, around COVID lockdowns, Allie has been on various huge bikepacking missions around Australia, including a ten day solo crossing of the Nullarbor. 

Assigned female at birth, now identifying as non-binary, Allie talks us through what gender means to them and how this plays out in daily life, as well as their views on gender in the outdoors and solo travel. 

Now aiming to live a zero waste life with their partner, Jimmy Ashby (Allie references Jimmy’s Hidden Athlete podcast episode which is also a fantastic listen), in South Australia, we wish Allie all the very best for the future. xx

We’ve included some references below, from the podcast, and from sources Allie shared with us for anyone keen to understand more around gender and identity. Allie is also supported by Curve Cycling and Ground Effect Clothing. 

You can find Allie on Instagram at @themisadventuresofalice 

References and resources include:

@theyaresam on Instagram

Alok Vmenon on Instagram 

Book: “Women Don’t Owe you Pretty”, Florence Given 

Nemo Hornet tent, Vargo Bot and Sea to Summit gear. Solo Stove. Treadlite bike bags. Kula cloth.

Bike Tow Leash If you are keen to help keep the lights on for this podcast, you can support us on Patreon, or you can leave a review on whatever platform you listen to podcasts on like Apple or Spotify.Thank you for the continued support from all of our listeners and patrons - we love and appreciate you all! Thanks so much for a year of conversation - Happy Podcast Birthday to Us!! 

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