Dirt Church Radio Trail Running (Matt Rayment)

This week on the podcast: A trailer in which hosts Matt Rayment and Eugene Bingham discuss what Dirt Church Radio will be, and the features that will run each week. And there's a special cameo from Matt's faithful running companion, Rigby. Interesting conversations with interesting runners (and dogs) - Dirt Church Radio.

Paul Charteris chats about his life, changes to his popular race, and his Greatest Run Ever. Hosts Matt and Eugene talk WUU2K in Stuff You Should Know, and bring you two listeners' Greatest Run Ever.

Fiona Hayvice, Wellington, NZ-based Salomon athlete, talks about running success, the things you learn when things don't go quite so well, volunteering, and how her design business and running fit together. Matt and Eugene talk controversy, and share two runners' Greatest Runs Ever.

Matt and Eugene turn it up to 11 and break off the knob with Altra New Zealand’s Grant Guise. We talk about Hardrock, Punk Rock, and Grant’s beginnings running track and cross country in Riverton. We lurch though his ten years spent chasing winter across the globe, discuss his journey to becoming an elite ultra marathon runner, and the travails of being self employed in the outdoors industry (while your wife is at medical school). We have two ripper Greatest Runs Ever, and a thoughtful Stuff You Should Know - about drugs. Dirt Church Radio - interesting conversations with interesting runners.

Joining us for our fourth episode of Dirt Church Radio we have the most excellent Mel Aitken. Mel is based down on the West Coast of the South Island where she is an Inspector in the New Zealand Police and holds the role of area commander. When Mel doesn’t have her hands full with being responsible for 23,000 sq km of rugged bush and coast, Mel crushes trails with a blithe aggression that belies her modest and personable nature. There are two brilliant Greatest Runs Ever submissions, and we salute 261 Fearless. www.dirtchurchradio.com

This week we have the distinct pleasure of speaking to Dawn Tuffery, who alongside her roles as mother and video producer is also the 3 x NZ 100 km champ and the current New Zealand 24 hour champ (and the person who ran the farthest in the 2017 competition overall). We speak to Dawn about her varied approach to running, life, and how telling stories in different mediums is Dawn’s main love. Of course we talk about the 24 hour champs and the 100km, but we also discuss stilt-walking, what indeed exactly a Carnie is, and when is the ideal time to put woolie socks over your five fingers. We ask Dawn what her Greatest Run Rver is and reflect that, as a parent, sometimes you just have to run up the mountain at three in the morning. We have two amazing Greatest Run Ever listener contributions and a special appearance from Rigby the Dog. www.dirtchurchradio.com

Kia Ora Whanau. This week we speak to Brad Dixon, of Everfit Coaching and ENDURObeet about his journey from triathlete to trail and ultra runner, physio to coach, and why living an integrated life full of joy and balance is key to fulfillment. We discuss Brad’s approach to training, and how he will forgo quality over quantity and process over goals every time as he strives to be the best he can in his main roles as husband and father. Rather than preach or set what would be for most unattainable goals, Brad lays it down when discussing his love for cold water swimming, a plant-based diet, his approach to role modeling as a parent and his love for getting amongst it on the trails and Brad’s burgeoning love of ultra distance events.  As ever, we discuss Brad’s Greatest Run Ever and were left alternately shaking our heads grinning and holding our fists in the air. This conversation was a straight up whirlwind. Both Matt and Eugene came away stoked and reinvigorated after talking to Brad and we are sure that you will be after listening. Did we mention Brad’s infectiously joyous nature? In fact, we feel like we need to put a warning on this episode - PMA AHEAD!!! We dare you not to be stoked.

Kia Ora Whanau. We are super excited this week to talk to our first international guest and a man who is a giant in our culture, Mr Dean Karnazes. Over a 25 year career Dean has run more ultramarathons that one can count, set various endurance records, gained 11 one day buckles at Western States Endurance Run and has been a previous Badwater winner. Dean is a best-selling author, having written four books detailing his life and adventures whilst running, including his epic 50/50 - which detailed Dean running 50 Marathons in 50 states of the USA in 50 days and The Road To Sparta, which details his odyssey leading up to and including the Spartathlon in Greece. Perhaps what Dean is best known for is his unrelenting positivity, advocacy, and love of running, activity and inspiring others to move and challenge what they thought possible. We spoke to Dean about his journey to this point and where he sees the future heading, his ongoing and evolving love of running and humanity. Engaging, candid, and generous, we were absolutely blown away by the chance to talk to someone who has engaged so many for so long. Thank you, Dean! Enjoy!!

Kia whanau. This week’s interesting conversation with an interesting runner is a bit different. Eugene sits down with All Blacks doctor Tony Page who gives us an insight not only into the world of high performance sport but also his own accomplished running career. He’s completed 10 Keplers, four Coast to Coasts, and competed in the tough Two Oceans ultramarathon in his homeland of South Africa. He talks about growing up in the apartheid era of South Africa, before deciding to move his family to New Zealand where they settled in Opotiki on the East Coast. It was there his love of Kiwi trails began. Tony started out as a GP before doing a Fellowship in Sports and Exercise Medicine, a career switch which has seen him be a team doctor in AFL and rugby. Tony talks about the latest in sports science thinking around hydration, as well as running the morning after the World Cup final in 2015. Delightful, thoughtful and insightful, this is a conversation we hope you’ll learn something from as well as enjoy.

Kia Ora Whanau. This week Eugene and Matt sit down with Mal Law, a man who has made, and continues to make, an indelible mark on the New Zealand trail running community. In addition to Mal’s love of adventure and story-telling, perhaps what he is best known for is his ongoing advocacy and fundraising efforts for mental health, having raised to date over $800,000 for the NZ Mental Health Foundation. We talk with Mal about what life is like post High 50, what the future holds for him, including his next big project. We talk about the awesomeness and the travails of  Wild Things NZ, the online trail running community that Mal has established which has garnered Mal a wide ranging and loyal following. As ever, Mal is generous with his time and we were super excited to speak to a man who has been central to the NZ trail and ultra running community for a large number of years. Enjoy!

Kia Ora Whanau. This week Eugene and Matt have the immense pleasure to sit down with the one and only Jeff Browning. Jeff is a phenomenon in the trail and ultra running world. With over 30 100 mile finishes over the course of his career and a massive string of triumphs lately, including a top five or better placing at the last three Western States Endurance Runs, the record for the WSER-Hardrock double, AND the 2018 Hardrock victory. Jeff talks to us about his history in the sport, as well as his approach to competition and diet. All being family men, we discuss the balance of (for Jeff) high level competition when family and other commitments take precedence. We discuss his 2018 Hardrock Victory, and how a wrong turn nearly scuttled his second place, just as he found out he was in first. As always on DCR, we end our conversation with Jeff’s greatest run ever. Enjoy!!

Kia Ora Whanau. This week we have a real treat for you. Shaun Collins, the head of Lactic Turkey events, the Running Beast himself, one of the first two people to run the iconic Hilary Trail, and the only person to have completed a triple Hillary trail in one shot. We have an engaging and detailed conversation about the implications that a council-imposed ban on entering the Waitakere Ranges (to combat Kauri Dieback) is having on Shaun’s iconic Hillary Ultra, and the courageous decision to call the race off this year, out of respect for the rāhui that was put on the ranges by Te Kawerau Ā Maki, the mana whenua of the area. We discuss Shaun’s triumphant return to racing ultramarathons and trail events, his triple Hillary (or Trillary) and how he escaped with his faculties more or less intact. We talk about Wild Auckland, Shaun’s new trail series in lesser known trails in the greater Auckland area, and how opening people’s eyes to new trails is only a good thing. We discuss Shaun’s history as an orienteer/adventure racer and also what the future holds. As always, we spring the “Greatest Run Ever” question on Mr Collins, and generally  have a whale of a time. Enjoy!!!

Kia Ora Whanau. This week Eugene and Matt have the distinct pleasure of our first two-on-two podcast, as we speak to Andrew Glennie and Steve Tripp, the gentlemen behind the Crush The Cargill 24 Challenge. Billed as “the longest 24 hour race in the world”, Crush the Cargill takes place in Dunedin, racing up and down Kapukataumahaka (or Mt Cargill) for 24 hours to benefit the Valley Project, which is a community led initiative focussing on the wellbeing of the residents of the North East Valley suburbs of Dunedin, focussing on healthy homes, a sustainable environment and a sense of belonging for all. The marketing and approach that Steve and Andrew have taken to promoting Crush the Cargill has been informal, entertaining and irreverent, frequently hijacking other forums on social media with the now infamous hashtag #Crushingit, informing top flight international runners that they have won complimentary entries (the race entry is by Koha, or donation) and disqualifying others. This approach sits with the grassroots ethos of Crush the Cargill and whilst appearing blithe, it soon becomes apparent that both Steve and Andrew care very much about the event that they have started, and the cause behind it. As for the men themselves? Those clowns who showed up to Northburn in Lucha Libre masks with a Crush the Cargill flag, well... they are crushing it in their own right. Steve Tripp is a doctor, who teaches at the Otago School of Medicine, having previously moved to Cambodia as a missionary with his family and began human rights monitoring. He also runs Justees, a T-shirt company which supports at-risk young men in the Cambodian slums. No slouch when it comes to events, Steve has a 6:44 Kepler PB. Andrew Glennie is a community mental health worker, who works with at risk youth and in his spare time is the current Aotearoa/New Zealand 24 hour champion and the current holder of the Slam of the Damned (all four 100 mile events in New Zealand in a calendar year). We’re stoked to bring you this highly entertaining and freewheeling conversation with the enfants terribles of our trail and ultra running scene.

Kia Ora Whanau. This week Eugene and Matt have the pleasure of speaking with Majell Backhausen. Majell is the global content and community manager for Salomon running. Yes, that Salomon. Majell talks to us about his journey, from his beginnings playing Australian rules football in his hometown of Red Hill, in the state of Victoria - to his current base of Chamonix in France, via putting in countless hours learning the craft and discipline of running in the United Kingdom (perhaps a move that puts him at odds with the majority of the Australasian diaspora). Majell tells us about hitting pause on his career as an engineer and project manager to become a sponsored athlete, a switch which has now led him to a role where he has responsibility to shape and influence the culture of trail running. Majell wears his values on his sleeve, and believes deeply in the pursuit of kindness and the authentic expression of enthusiasm. He talks about the running scene in China where he filmed at a race - oh, and about having breakfast with Kilian Jornet. As with all our guests we ask what his Greatest Run Ever has been so far - unlike all our guests, his involves leeches.

Kia Ora Whanau. What were you up to when you were 22? Possibly (probably) not coming third at Western States Endurance Run and travelling the world exploring, running for Salomon, and espousing your passion for a plant-based diet like our guest this week, Lucy Bartholomew. Lucy joins us for a wide ranging conversation about her history with the sport, her ongoing successes and her beliefs that truly social and positive media can enhance experience, enjoyment and connection for young women rather than take away from it. Lucy is candid about her watermelon intake (how much is too much?), her love of running with her Dad (whilst at the same time putting the old boy to the sword), her podium finish at Western States, and her hopes for her future in the sport. At 22, Lucy has a boat-load of experience, running her first 100 km at 15. We are beyond stoked, like to the max, to have the privilege to engage with an athlete of Lucy’s calibre and we were blown away by her knowledge, generosity, and candor. Enjoy!!

Kia Ora Whanau. At the end of 2017, Vibram trail athlete and Christchurch boy Scotty Hawker had every right to expect that with continued hard work and focus 2018 would be a year of stellar results. Having come 11th at UTMB and taken the victory at Ultra Trail Cape Town, Scotty was prepped and ready to go. Sometimes though, even the most well thought-out plans do not go exactly how we want and that has certainly been the case for Scotty in 2018. A string of injuries and stomach issues put a serious dent in his racing this year, including having to drop at UTMB with 20 miles to go whilst sitting in 5th place. Scotty and his family are back in his hometown of Christchurch for the next couple of months and we jumped at the opportunity to talk to him about his year and so much more. This is certainly an episode that running heads (and non running heads for that matter) will love as we were stoked as all get out to “go deep” with Scotty on a number of topics including as ever his Greatest Run Ever. Enjoy!!

Kia Ora Whanau. When Nancy Jiang was five, she moved with her parents from China to New Zealand. One of her first memories was noticing the other children in her street and at school tearing about in bare feet. Nancy immediately thought “I want to do that” and quickly adapted to the largely barefoot childhood that many New Zealand children enjoy. Nancy’s burgeoning love of running started at school during PE and cross country, she joined her local Waitakere city athletic club and applied herself diligently to training in her early teenage years. This put Nancy at odds with her grandparents and parents, who perhaps took a more traditional view of the path that a young Chinese woman should take. “Chinese people don’t run” they told her, “what, you think you are going to represent New Zealand?”. Nancy’s family clearly wanted her to focus on academic achievement first, and so she did, giving running away for several years whilst she attended university. Fast forward university and Nancy is living in Hamilton and has started to run socially and completes her first marathon as a bet with a coworker to see who could run it the fastest. Needless to say, Nancy won the bet. Several years of marathons followed this, before Nancy finally found herself in France, nursing a few “niggles” (as she tells it) and curious as to just how one runs up mountains….. It seems off-road running suits Nancy, as he has recently came 5th at the 57 km OCC in France (part of the UTMB festival) and has just returned from Europe where she placed 15th at the world mountain running champs. We have the pleasure of being the first to speak with Nancy regarding her running and it was a total blast.. Enjoy!!

Kia Ora whanau. We’re back, refreshed after our one week break and storming right out of the gates with the indefatigable Dylan Bowman. Dylan has many fans in Australasia, having won Ultra Trail Australia and being a two-time Tarawera champion (and second fastest finisher of the original course behind Jim Walmsley). Dylan spoke to Eugene and Matt from his home base of Colorado and we went deep into his history with the sport, his current period of rebuilding, how he chooses to engage with others to affect change and of course, his love for German Shorthaired Pointers.We even learned about Lacrosse. We just had to ask which direction he prefers his Tarawera, and also why he has such an affinity for the 100 mile distance. As always, we spring the “”Greatest Run Ever” question on Dylan and are blown away by his answer. We were stoked beyond belief to get to spend time with Dylan, who was generous, engaging and candid. Enjoy!

Kia Ora whanau. This week, Eugene and Matt have the pleasure to sit with Marianne Elliott, for what really is an interesting conversation with an interesting runner. Like most of us, you won’t find Marianne topping any podiums or with a laundry list of sponsors to fund her globetrotting lifestyle, however Marianne’s story is no less interesting in terms of using running to engage with others, perhaps more so. Marianne is the Author of Zen Under Fire, which details her work as a head of the UN mission in Herat, Afghanistan. In her writing, and wider life, Marianne focuses on narrative to foster engagement. The more we engage with each other, rather than ascribing set presumptions to a viewpoint, the more we see the complexity, subtly, and humanity of the other. This fosters understanding, which can only be a good thing, right? In addition to being an author, Marianne is a human rights lawyer, advocate for mental health, restaurateur, entrepreneur, yogi, and also curates Wilder Running, a series of retreats in the USA that combine writing and running. In addition to Afghanistan, Marianne has worked in Timor Leste and the Gaza Strip. AND, she runs trail, having completed multiple ultramarathons and other trail events. We spoke to Marianne from her home base of the Aro Valley in Wellington in what was an enriching and wide ranging conversation that covered all the things we’ve just written about and more, including how Marianne is training to run her fastest 1600m ever. This conversation truly is a gem, and we’re thrilled to bring it to you.

Kia Ora whanau. Something different for you this week (and us, actually)!! Eugene and Matt bring you the first ever DCR live show, from inside Thomson Whisky Distillery at Hallertau Brewery. Nestled in amongst the copper stills were our hosts, an audience, a bunch of tasty beverages, and our guests- Dr James Kuegler and Mr Andrew McDowall.

James Kuegler is a well established running coach, under his eponymous brand. James is a Dr of Chiropractic, and has represented New Zealand at the Oceania Trail Running Championships. James has a slew of other top results, being a previous Tarawera 60km winner, having a top ten finish at Kepler, and currently holding the course record at Total Sports brutal West Coaster adventure run. Currently, James has been “hanging out at athletics tracks” with his focus shifting more to junior athletes and his work with Papakura Athletic and Harrier Club. Having been veterans of several James Kuegler talks we were super excited to get James on to share his wisdom. As always, James is engaging, confronting, and entertaining, discussing the challenges and celebrations of the New Zealand trail running scene, how at the end of the day, we’re all just runners, and his favourite New Zealand events.

Andrew McDowall went from a man who did the Rotorua Marathon on a whim with friends and subsequently moonwalked the last 10km of the Kepler challenge after demolishing his quadriceps, to being 5th at the Tarawera 100 mile endurance run and 4th at Northburn 100 mile 34 days later. Oh, did we mention that Andrew is just off to Taiwan to represent New Zealand at the Asia/Oceania 24 hour championships. Andrew is not a professional runner however, but a professional musician, having a degree in film score composition, owning his own studio, Digibake, and being a veteran of several bands, including playing trumpet for the globe striding Aotearoa reggae band Katchafire. Oh, and he also set up our live sound. Andrew is, to put it plainly, a good bastard.

In fact, both our guest firmly fulfill the “good bastard” criteria, and you’ll be able to hear that as you listen to this freewheeling live conversation - complete with audience interaction, beer being spilled (thanks, Tom and Thee Dave), along with various other diverse alarums and excursions.

We’d like to formally thank both Thomson Whisky and Hallertau Brewery for their enthusiasm for the idea and their boundless generosity. We had a blast doing it and we hope you’ll have a blast listening. Enjoy!

Kia Ora Whanau. For our 20th installment of DCR we bring you our coverage of the 31st iteration of the FreshChoice Kepler Challenge. Eugene and Matt travelled to beautiful Te Anau, also known as the Chamonix of Fiordland, to take part in the Kepler proceedings. It would be Eugene’s first time competing and Matt’s third. Whilst there we were planning to engage in a live podcast, our second in two weeks and then run the next day. This podcast proves that whilst, yes, we did indeed start a live podcast at race registration,  and whilst, yes, we did indeed both line up on the start line, that sometimes the universe can indeed dictate proceedings. And when that happens you gotta scramble. But here we are, with it smoking in our trembling hands, and despite the trevails and several re-thinks, this week’s episode is a straight up banger. We’ve interviewed Steve Norris, who for 20 years has been involved with the Kepler Challenge and has been race director for the last 12. We speak to Grant Guise of Altra (our first returning guest) about his 6th Kepler, his success in the 2019 Hardrock ballot and his thoughts on the Kepler committee engaging a ballot system for next year’s race. We also speak to Martin Walker of Christchurch’s Further Faster about his first Kepler attempt, and what will from now on go down in Kepler lore as the incident known as “Rocky’s Rocky Point Rebellion”. Finally, it’s down to an exhausted Eugene and Matt recounting their very eventful time on course (and off) during the 2018 race. Safe to say, Matt and Eugene both love Kepler a whole lot, and cannot wait to try their hands in next year’s ballot! Enjoy!

Kia Ora Whanau. The year is screaming to an end but still we are bringing you the hits. For our 21st go around the podcast microphone Matt and Eugene find themselves ensconced in the luxurious environs of DCR acres and speaking with the force of nature that is Ruth Croft. West Coast (of the South Island of NZ, not like THE West Coast) native Ruth came to running through family adventure and a competitive drive that saw her undertake tertiary studies in Portland Oregon on a track and XC scholarship that became blighted with injury and a sense of disillusionment. Finding herself in Taipei teaching English, Ruth took a well deserved (and needed) break from running and well, if we let you know what happened, you could just read this and not listen. Spoiler Alert: Ruth is slaying it. Fastest woman at Speedgoat 50 km this year, winning the OCC at UTMB, winner of the Salomon Golden Trail Series, Scott athlete Ruth is making her mark on the international trail running scene. Focusing on shorter (relatively) events #nopoles has further reignited Ruth’s love of competition and we get to talk about all this and more in a wide ranging and generous conversation that we are delighted to share with you. Also in this episode (in no particular order): The difference in Matt and Eugene’s show prep, horse kissing, haiku, and the soul-crushing reality of being passed in a race by a man dressed in a nun suit. This one was super fun and we hope you like it. Enjoy!

Kia Ora whanau. This week Eugene and Matt speak with Scott Worthington, co race director of The Revenant. This race, which bills itself as an Ultra Adventure Run will be taking place between the 18th-20th of January at Welcome Rock, which is 45 minutes south of Queenstown, Otago, will comprise four loops over 190 km and 16,000m of vertical ascent. A 60 hour cut off time, navigation only by map and compass (no GPS or other timekeeping) and a myriad of other challenges make this race undoubtedly the toughest in New Zealand and one that is even tougher to get into, with an application process and individual engagement of each competitor by the race directors. They want this to be hard, unachievable even. It’s a perfect storm of the worst excess of the North American race directors that are consistently pushing the limits of what is possible and a laconic standpoint that typifies the toughness of the lower South Island of New Zealand. Think of it as Sir Edmund Hillary putting on the Barkley Marathons. This is a fantastic insight into the rationale and care behind an event that Scott does not expect, indeed they would be satisfied if, no one finished. Oh, and also, the definition of a Revenant? Someone who returns from a long absence, presumably from the dead…. Enjoy!

Kia Ora Whanau, Meri Kirihimete and welcome to Dirt Church Radio’s Christmas special, or Dirchmas as we like to call it. It’s been a roller coaster ride for us since we started off waaaaaaay back in July this year and we thought we’d look back with a fond eye on the happenings for the year, the standout performances, the scandals (well, scandal) and also recap with the greatest of our guest greatest runs ever! You’ll hear from Paul Charteris, Fiona Hayvice, Brad Dixon, Dylan Bowman, Majell Backhausen and Lucy Bartholomew.  Oh, yeah, and we officially throw our hats in the ring behind Brook Van Reenan, as he sets out next year to run Te Araroa trail to raise money for the Mental Health Foundation. Recorded in the sweltering main room at Little House of Savages (Matt’s lounge) after an amazing trail run, we rip through our 2018 with a nostalgic eye, whilst keeping the other eye firmly fixed on the horizon. We’re not slacking off through the new year though, so stay tuned. From us though, we wish to express our gratitude to you all for listening and getting in touch, we feel an intense privilege holding this space and can’t wait to keep bringing the heat for you all. We wish you and your loved ones a holiday season filled with light, love, and joy. We hope foremost that adventures are had, and your ankles all get rather muddy. Thanks again. Aroha Nui and enjoy!

Kia Ora Whanau, Welcome back!! To paraphrase Run The Jewels, when we started this podcast we didn’t have no arc, no plan, and certainly no expectations. Every week it seems that we are staring over the microphone at each other, shaking our heads at the pearls of wisdom that each person we are privileged enough to speak with drops on us. Courtney Dauwalter is no exception. Although perhaps she is an exception as we were both the most nervous we’ve ever been talking to anyone on DCR. Like, ever.  Last year, Courtney’s performances transcended the niche world of trail and ultra (and ultra ultra ultra) running and burst onto the mainstream. Courtney garnered extensive coverage in the New York Times, and had an intimate chat with Joe Rogan on his podcast (don’t worry, we had to google him too). Courtney is the current 2018 Western States, UTMF, Sean O’Brien 100k, Squamish 50 mile AND Tahoe 200 mile champion (finishing 2nd overall at that race) however is probably best known for her utter domination of the Moab 240 mile in 2017 and finishing 2nd overall at last year’s  Big Backyard Ultra, running 279.168 miles. We talk about all this, sort of, Courtney’s philosophy on competition, distance, and training and much more (including, but not limited to, Fargo, Prince, Nordic Skiing, Funny Accents, Animal Jokes, and, most importantly for Matt, Lord of The Rings) in this wonderful conversation. We are beyond stoked to be back for 2019 and beyond beyond stoked to start off with such an amazing human as Courtney. We must give thanks to Mark from Tailwind NZ for facilitating the conversation. Thanks brother! Lastly, look out for Courtney at the Tarawera 102 km this February, where no doubt Courtney will be in hot contention for the win. Enjoy!

Kia Ora Whanau. Anna Frost is arguably the most successful trail and ultra running export New Zealand has produced and the person Eugene and Matt both had at the top of their “must talk to” lists from day one. Anna burst onto the scene in what was the first wave of the professional ultra athlete, running for the mighty Salomon team. Going from spending weeks travelling around Europe partying and sleeping in the back of a station wagon to pulling on the white strip and racing for a European giant, Anna was catapulted into the media at the same time as other famous names such as Anton Krupicka, Scott Jurek,Geoff Roes and others. International success came however with not an inconsiderable amount of challenge for Anna. Fast forward ten years and Anna is now running for Merrell and co owns Trail Run Adventures with her husband, which brings people to beautiful parts of the world for trail running trips. We spoke to Anna via phone from her home town of Dunedin, where she is enjoying a much welcomed rest and awaiting the arrival of the couple’s first baby. Anna talks candidly, openly, and movingly  about her journey with running, the successes and costs, and her abiding love for the sport. This was a true highlight for us and we are thankful for having the opportunity to speak to one of the legends of our sport. Enjoy!

Kia Ora Whanau. This week Matt and Eugene have the privilege and great joy to have a conversation with Vajin Armstrong. Vajin has been consistently at the top of the Aotearoa/New Zealand trail and ultra running standings for the last nine years, with three Kepler Challenge victories, multiple Tarawera Ultra podium finishes (including victory at the 62 km event in 2018) and a slew of impressive results in Europe over the last several seasons. And you know what? Those results are impressive, but they are by no means the reason we wanted to speak with Vajin. After an engaging and enlightening meeting at last year’s Kepler Challenge, Eugene and Matt were very excited to speak to Vajin about his life and journey from a medal obsessed disillusioned track running teen living in Christchurch (which, to be fair, in the 1990’s was not a hub of esoteric spirituality) to a disciple of Sri Chinmoy, music shop owner, and lover of process, connection, and transcendence. Warm, engaging, and knowledgeable, whilst maintaining an air of utter humility, Vajin was a real treat to speak with and this is a most excellent and entertaining conversation. This also happens to be the longest podcast we’ve done to date, and the Greatest Run Ever at the end left both Eugene and Matt speechless. Enjoy!

Kia Ora Whanau. This week, Weston Hill and the No-Plan-Plan. Eugene and Matt speak with Weston Hill, who tore it up in Europe last season following his nose and the No-Plan-Plan. Weston first came to our attention as the young kiwi ripper who paced Grant Guise at his 2017 Hardrock attempt, then came 13th out of 1900 runners at one of Europe’s premier races. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves here..Rewind a couple years and Weston was working as an engineer in Christchurch. He had to make a decision between a stimulating and structured career path vs. taking his chances to follow his dream of racing in Europe. After sage advice from an older head at work, Weston was off to the USA, to tour around in a cheap van, eating scrambled eggs, top and tailing with Majell Backhausen, and running with Ricky Gates on his transamericana run. Oh yeah, Weston then went on to work out a hamstring injury by hiking for 30 days in Nepal on his way to 13th place at the 102 km CCC at the UTMB festival and 3rd at the Leye China 100 in 2018. Weston takes on a  ripping yarn in every sense of the word and we’re certain that this is a young man who has a massive future on the international running scene. Weston embodies the adventurous spirit that we celebrate in our community, and is well and truly grabbing life by the scruff and giving it a good shake. Oh, yeah, the kid can write too…. Bastard. Enjoy!

Kia Ora Whanau. So often in trail running, the quality of adventure is measured by us stepping outside of our usual surrounds. Somehow, a hill that we’ve not climbed before takes on more meaning than one we have, or a sunrise somewhere else becomes more epic than our own domestic sunshine. Tim Sutton knocks that paradigm on his head with his focus on Adventure as something that you do where you are. We can’t underscore the importance of this message: Adventure where you are, on your own terms. No matter what you do or where you are, you can always push your limits. Tim exemplifies this approach in spades. Hailing from Wellington, Tim spends the majority of his time running local trails and surrounds, heading off on monthly adventures into the Tarawera ranges and has completed multiple iterations of the Schormann- Kaitoke traverse. This 77-82 km traverse with 6800m of elevation was first conceived in 1963 by trampers as a 7 day traverse, now being knocked out several times under 24 hours by Tim and his fellow Tararua adventurers. Having a reputation for being as fast as he is adventurous, Tim was amongst the first group of competitors to take on The Revenant. We discuss this, his journey from multisport to trails, to adventure, to family man, and much much more on this week’s episode of Dirt Church Radio. Enjoy!

Kia Ora Whanau. This week’s episode of Dirt Church Radio is pretty much the complete package. Big call, we know.. but whakarongo mai whilst we break this down... A little race happened on the weekend, heard of it? Yeah. Tarawera, and by all accounts it slayed, being the biggest and most successful iteration of the race yet. We have a quick catch up with the men’s 100 mile winner Jeff Browning, aka Bronco Billy, aka The Finisher, aka the star of DCR #10 about his win against the indomitable Camille Heron, which included wrong turns and a phenomenal effort from Jeff in the last 40km. As a bonus bonus we speak to Jeff’s over-friendly concierge (Malkmus 1997) Grant Guise, who in addition to having the best tache in the game, placed 3rd overall in the 100 miler and was the second man home. So for the deep dark dank running heads we have the ephemera in spades. You want splits, catch ups, fuelling strategies? We got that for you.

Moving to parts that are more philosophical in nature, our main conversation this week is with Kelton Wright. Kelton is an author, trail runner, and cyclist from Topanga California. Kelton is also the Editorial Director of Movement and Sport for Headspace, the mindfulness and meditation app currently taking the world by storm (a calm storm, though). Being present and being able to sit with our thoughts rather than become caught up in them is universally beneficial, both within our lives as runners, and without it. So often our training, approach to competition, the manner we deal with injuries, and the way that our relationships in this community resonate within us can be negatively affected by our attachment to thought. Mindfulness, which, as Kelton points out has been in an out of vogue for at least 3000 years in one form or another, can help us to be the best us we can. We speak with Kelton about her journey with mindful practice, and how this practice can benefit the wider community. We discuss Kelton’s journey with Headspace and the exciting shift in performance based focus towards a more mindful approach. To Eugene’s horror talk shifts to Mountain Lions and we consider just how in the moment you would need to be if you had to strangle one to death if it attacked you. Kelton’s generosity and candor is wonderful and we truly appreciated being able to speak to someone who integrates a mindful approach into performance and a trail runner who, for what feels like a first on DCR, is not training for an ultra marathon. Go Kelton! Enjoy!

Kia Ora Whanau. This week Matt speaks to Dr John Onate, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences at the University of California Davis. John is an accomplished ultra runner, speaker at Rob Krar’s trail running camps, the Western States Endurance Run and UTMB. John is also the medical lead at the Devil’s Thumb aid station at Western States. John was in New Zealand to run the Shotover Moonlight Marathon and Matt had the pleasure to host John in the mighty Riverhead Forest and the repair back to Matt’s whare for a beer and a chat. And what a chat it was, it was an absolute pleasure to discuss mental health and running with a mental health professional. We discuss the benefits and challenges of running in regards to our mental health. We discuss John’s journey in both running and medicine and then proceed to veer all over the map touching on topics relating to running and mental health, concierge medicine, and just what makes us tick, in this entertaining and interesting conversation. Enjoy!

Kia Ora Whanau. Camille Herron sucks the marrow out of the long bones of life. The Comrades Champion and five-time world record holder ( 50 and 100 miles on the road, 100 miles, 12 hours and 24 hours on the track) was involved in a car accident days before she was to fly down to Aotearoa/New Zealand to compete in the 2019 Tarawera 100 mile endurance run. Emerging from the upside down wreck of her car shaken and bruised, Camille’s determination to live was further enhanced. Good fortune, excellent genes and a resolute attitude saw Camille in Rotorua a matter of days later with her beloved husband Conor where she drank the beer, ate the Burger Fuel, and tore Tarawera to pieces, leading outright until Jeff Browning caught her on the last technical aspects of the 100 mile, as Camille discussed “I’m still learning” about trail running having come from a road background. Heavens-to-betsy what Camille will be like when she feels she’s mastered technical running? And for reference, ask Zach Marrion, who destroyed himself in a vain attempt to chase Camille down. Gosh..where do you start with such a story? After triple shot long blacks, hearts beating like hummingbird’s wings, Eugene and Matt sat down with the joyful and mighty Camille to talk about all this and more; her journey towards track and ultra success honed practicing basketball in the heat till she passed out AT SEVEN YEARS OLD, Just why gender doesn’t matter in terms of competition, how many IPAs is too many in a hundred mile race ( and can you be scientific about it?). Above all, during this most glorious chat Camille reinforced again and again and again that our lives are fleeting, and we have the most wonderfully capable bodies, so do all the things, move a lot, drink all the beers if it works for you (and others), have a taco, and above all else, LIVE. This was a true privilege and even now that the 3SLB has worn off we’re still completely and utterly stoked. Enjoy! And here’s to life.

Adharanand Finn is the British author of Running with the Kenyans, Way of the Runner, and his new book Rise of the Ultra Runners: A Journey to the Edge of Human Endurance. Running with the Kenyans was the Sunday Times Sports Book of the Year, won Best New Writer at the British Sports Book Awards, and was shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book Award. Adharanand is also an editor at the Guardian and a freelance journalist. He is also a former junior cross-country runner and now competes for Torbay AC in Devon, where he and his family usually live. For the first two of his books, Adharanand transported himself to Kenya and Japan to immerse himself and his family within the wider culture that he was documenting. For Rise of the Ultra Runner, Adharanand transformed himself from a traditional marathon runner into an ultra distance athlete, ultimately competing in the UTMB in France. We speak to Adharanand from his home in Totnes, Devon about his journey towards UTMB, the many things that he learnt along the way and just what makes elite athletes like Zach Miller tick. Adharanand has a wealth of knowledge about Kenyan athletes and his discussion on just why top flite Kenyan athletes have been reluctant to compete at ultra distance trail events is fascinating. Enjoy!

Kia Ora Whanau. With Matt out the weekend after Riverhead Rampage, Eugene took the reins and steered the ship into shore (ummm?) with an incredibly interesting conversation with Gareth Morris. Gareth is an elite athlete in his own right, winning a silver medal at the 21st Commonwealth Games in 2018 as part of the Queen’s Prize Pairs rifle event for Team Cymru. Gareth is no slouch on the trails either, completing numerous road and trail marathons and this year coming 14th at the Tarawera 100 mile endurance run with a time of 23:33:49. Can an elite mindset translate from the range to the trails? Gareth and Eugene discuss this and more, including Gareth’s history with both sports, his love of the trails and his approach to  planning, presence, and de-constructing the whole into component parts to achieve success. Gareth fits the bill of interesting runner to a tee and was of the first people we both thought of on our original list of people we wanted to speak to for DCR. Sorry we were so slow off the mark, Gareth! We also break down the weekend’s racing, and as always we’ll have our Greatest Run Ever and Stuff You Should Know segments (now with added sting!). We discover how tired Matt needs to be to suffer amnesia on waking, and just what was making that terrifying noise in the den of awfulness at Riverhead Trig.  Enjoy!

Kia Ora Whanau. This week we have the pleasure of speaking to Christchurch’s Sam Manson about his journey from precocious trail running talent to elite multi-sport athlete. Sam, who by his own admission does not come from a sporting background, decided one day that he would win the Coast to Coast multisport race. To this day, he doesn’t know why, however, in classic kiwi style he set about knocking the bastard off. On the way he’s also completed an Xterra trail series championship, Hillary Trail FKT, and a period of time adventure racing in China. With several podium finishes Sam finished Coast to Coast in second place this year and is looking forward to going one better in 2020. Sam talks about his process in journeying from 1B5 toting enthusiast to reluctant elite, how listening to your body is ultimately important for successful training, and how eating a cheese croissant in a kayak is fraught with peril. We also discuss Sam’s imminent return to trail running when he takes on the Routeburn Classic next month. Oh yeah, did we mention that Sam Manson loves Riverhead Forest? He really does, and that’s alright with us. As usual we’ll bring you results, Stuff you Should Know and an epic Greatest Run Ever. Enjoy!

Kia Ora Whanau, this week we have the distinct pleasure of speaking to Holly Page. Holly is far from a regular runner in the sense that she is the current Migu Run Skyrunning World Series champion. Holly very much is a regular runner in that she won said world series with a full time job, no major sponsorship, and perhaps a less than concrete manner of getting from race to race (read: hitch hiking). Holly has a refreshing take on running, where it fits in her life and how she refuses to make it the central thing in her life, at the expense of adventures, spontaneity, and flexibility (in the wider sense, not personal flexibility. as we find out, Holly can’t touch her toes). We speak to Holly from the Canary Islands, where she is attending a training camp for her new sponsor, Adidas. Beer in hand and fresh from an assault on the buffett, Holly regaled us with tales of adventure, why she will never not run up a mountain if she feels like it, and that a clean (ish) sock is a perfectly acceptable means of ensuring one doesn’t miss out on one’s daily coffee. We also talk about sky running (sort of), training (sort of), Holly’s near death experience on Mt Blanc and the exploits of her equally intrepid brother. This is an exceptionally good conversation and we can’t wait to share it with you. Enjoy!

How often does it seem within our running culture that more is more? And how often has this approach been ruinous to our physiological and psychological wellbeing? Luke McCallum is a man who knows this to be true. A massage therapist employed by Sports Lab (who also has a tidy 70 minute half marathon pb) Luke spent two months on a working holiday in Iten, Kenya. Whilst in Iten Luke worked and trained at the camp run by marathon legend Mary Keitany and gained an insight into what constitutes the life of an elite distance athlete. Now home, Luke sits with us and shares his insights on wellbeing, his own journey towards peak performance and, in how many ways, less is indeed more. Along the way, a shambolic Matt (battling what he is sure is Smallpox) and a calm (if not long-suffering and paint-splattered) Eugene bring you the regular DCR goodness of Greatest Run Ever, Stuff you Should Know and our rapture about a little race that happened in Tennessee. We even manage to draw our Ciele competition, despite confusing a Random Number Generator with a Random Name Generator. Enjoy!

Kia Ora whanau, this week Eugene and Matt have the distinct pleasure of speaking with Roger Robinson. Emeritus professor at Victoria University Wellington, Roger taught English for over 30 years, in that time writing several books both on running and literature. Roger is an acclaimed commentator for TVNZ  and stadium announcer at the Christchurch and Auckland Commonwealth Games. Running is deeply embedded in Roger’s history, present, and future. A runner for both England and New Zealand at world level and a man who, at 44 years old set a master’s record at the Boston Marathon. He splits his time between Wellington and New York State, where he lives with his wife Kathrine Switzer (yes, that Kathrine Switzer). This conversation is a joy. We speak to Roger from New York State, before he and Kathrine head off to the Boston Marathon about his life, from running the skyline trail in Wellington (before it was the skyline trail) to how running truly connects us in times of strife and terror, and a multitude of other topics that we lack the skill to describe here.  You will just have to listen to fully appreciate how special this episode is. We do speak about Roger’s new book, When Running Made History, which is a lovingly documented history of running in the 20th and 21st centuries and a must for any student of running. We regard this conversation as epochal and are very thankful that Roger made time to speak with us. Enjoy!

Kia ora whanau. In 2015, having ran a marathon whilst dressed as a crayon, Elise Downing decided to set herself a bigger challenge. I mean, if you’ve run 42.2 in crayola cosplay anything else is gravy, right? To cut a long story short, in 2016 Elise ran the entire coast of Britain - London to London. That’s 5000 miles, 301 days, 7 pairs of running shoes, and according to Elise, approximately 987 slices of cake.Undertaking this type of challenge is undoubtedly life-changing and since this, running has become an integral part of Elise’s life. Elise has relayed her experience as a public speaker, motivating other young people to undertake challenges that they may have thought unthinkable. Elise was recently in New Zealand in her role with Breca Swimrun, handling social media and marketing for the company. Flying solo, Eugene met up with Elise in Ponsonby armed with a microphone and ginger slice to talk about Elise’s journey towards running around Britain, how the process has impacted on her wider life, dealing with recognition and how what started as a solitary undertaking exposed Elise to a multitude of people displaying kindness and community. We also ask, because we’ve always wanted too….just what is Swimrun? And how do you have a greatest run ever that isn’t running around a whole country?  Enjoy!

Kia Ora whanau. This week it is Matt’s turn to spread his wings and wobble away from the nest on his solo conversation with the one and only Zach Miller. Exploding onto the ultra scene in 2013 out of nowhere (okay, a cruise ship) with a win at the JFK 50 mile, Zach followed up the next year with a win at Lake Sonoma, has gone on to become the first American man to win CCC and is the 2015 and 2016 The North Face Endurance Challenge champion. Cool. That’s the pro-by-the-numbers part over, as Zach Miller is nothing about Zach that is by-the-numbers. Matt spoke to Zach at Peter Maksimow’s house in Manitou Springs Colorado for an amazing conversation about Zach’s roll at the iconic Barr Camp, life at 10,00 feet, Zach’s love of adventure and the challenges  of training in challenging environments. We discuss managing self imposed pressure, injuries, and a new project that Zach is working on with The North Face that is still under wraps. Oh, and *spoiler alert* Zach’s focus remains on UTMB. This conversation is most excellent and we sincerely hope you like it.  Enjoy!

Kia Ora whanau!! The concept of adventure in our culture is one that is generally associated with the most. The most vert, the most trail, the most difficulty, the most. Mostness. Our conversation with Chris Ord certainly covers this facet of adventure, but also challenges us to think that adventure is something that is individual and that we can intertwine with our everyday lives. But hey, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Chris Ord is the editor in chief of TrailRun Magazine. Which documents trails in a more coffee table/ narrative style than just a dirty running tabloid. He is also the director of Tour de Trails, which provides guided running tours through Australia, Europe, and South Asia.

In the time that we’ve been doing DCR, Chris has been someone that multiple people have reached out to us to have on the show due to his love of trail running, his involvement in the sport for many years, his perspective as someone who has documented the culture exhaustively and because he tells a ripping good yarn. And it was a ripping good yarn. We talk about Chris’ love of adventure (both big A and little a), his first ever “10 km” trail run with a guy named Dean Karnazes, and the genesis of TrailRun Magazine, amongst many other things such as the future of adventure tourism and his role as a consultant in that field. Chris tells us how purposefully misplacing the car keys can lead to an amazing day out. This is indeed a ripping good yarn and we are very thankful to Chris for speaking to us. Heck, we even let him have TWO Greatest Runs Ever because they were such gems. Enjoy!!

Kia Ora whanau!! In 2018 Dr Katie Wright quietly moved to New Zealand. She’d quietly run around the coast of Wales and had quietly completed an Ironman as well as several road marathons. Katie quietly ran her first ultra marathon in October last year, the Taupo 100km, and what better way to back that up than to quietly place second this year behind Camille Herron at the Tarawera 100 mile run in February. Heck, might as well quietly back that up with a fourth at Northburn before quietly winning the 2019 Riverhead Backyard Relaps Ultra Marathon, becoming the first woman in the world to win a Last Person Standing event and gaining a golden ticket entry into Lazarus Lake’s Big’s Backyard Ultra in Tennessee. Katie banged out 201 Km and 5190m of vertical gain to take the title and looked like she could have kept on going. This conversation is special for several reasons. Matt was there, in his capacity as the event director and had the privilege of presenting Katie with the ticket as well as being there to witness most of her laps. It’s special because it’s the first time that a woman has won a LPS and it’s special because it happened in our backyard. Katie was gracious enough to speak with us, even though, by own admission, talking about herself is her least favourite thing to do. We also discuss the event itself, with a Dirt Church Radio Relaps special. This is a simply incredible discussion, with Matt making even less sense than usual and Eugene valiantly steering the ship off the rocks a record number of times. Katie, of course, was amazing.  Enjoy!!

Kia Ora whanau!! After  just missing out on a spot in the New Zealand Junior Development Squad for orienteering Andrew Thompson’s life steered away from running into university and a love of Drum & Bass, frequenting the amazing scene in Wellington in the early 2000’s and quickly becoming a DJ, VJ, and successful promoter and curator of Bass Drop, a popular NZ Drum & Bass forum. It wasn’t until years later, when by chance Andrew found himself out on a trail run with Evan Short of Concord Dawn that the spark for trail running was reunited. Fast forward some impressive results, a harriers club, massive growth as a runner and taking on board a coach and Andrew found himself out in front with 12 kilometers to go in the 2018 trail running champs at the Crater Rim Ultra. Andrew dug in, crossed the line in first with his daughters alongside him and became the Aotearoa/New Zealand and Oceania Trail Running Champion for 2018. Andrew is off to Portugal with the rest of the New Zealand team and is fundraising hard to fund his trip. What!?? I hear you ask. That’s right. The bro has to get himself there. We’d like to do what we can and have included a link below to Andrew’s Givealittle page, anything you could spare would really help. This is a wonderful conversation with an impressive running talent and interesting, grounded, and very choice human being. Thanks for coming on, Andrew!!  A warning though... We hit peak Wellington about 5 minutes in. Hacky Sack anyone?? Enjoy!!

Kia Ora whanau!! This week on the podcast we speak with Peter Maksimow. Peter is an invo8 athlete, a mountain runner who has represented the USA, a connoisseur of fine beer, and the Partnership and Outreach Specialist for the American Trail Running Association, a non-profit organisation that seeks greater engagement, organisation, advocacy, and education around what trail running is and the myriad benefits. Peter’s role sees him engaging with the populations that traditionally are not overly-represented in the majority of trail races. As Killer Mike says, it’s a good thing to hang out with people who don’t look like like you. This is an exceptional conversation, that is at turns funny, poignant, educational, heartfelt, and very honest. It was edifying to sit with a man who has been injured for some time, and struggling to deal with this, whilst existing in a country where big issues like diversity and inclusivity are sensitive to say the least. Peter is the man. And this is great. We are stoked to have him on the show and we hope you love it. This episode is sweet and heavy. Enjoy.

Kia Ora whanau!! This week on the podcast we speak with professional ultramarathon runner Coree Woltering. Coree loves to run, and notes that he will race any distance or any surface. From his start racing 200 and 400 metres at high school Coree then took up swimming and cycling to manage injury and before-you-know-it had qualified twice for the world 70.3 Ironman championships, all the while running on his college 4x400m relay team. Coree’s head was turned to trails when he found himself pacing his friend at the iconic Leadville 100 and universally loved the experience. Fast forward a few years and Coree is now sponsored by The North Face and experiencing life as a full time athlete. Of note, Coree ran a 5:30:15 50-mile PR at the Tunnel Hill 50 Miler, in 2016, which was the 2nd fastest American 50 mile time that year. Coree also has a 2:26 Marathon and podium finishes at the American River 50 and Quicksilver 50K among many notable finishes.

This conversation, as with every DCR episode, veers all over the map...from Coree’s experience at UTMF, where the race was cancelled due to storms and it was so cold that in Coree’s own words “I had to wear pants”. We also discuss the factors he’s learnt to manage and cope with whilst travelling as an athlete, to his love of Colorado, and how even though Coree loves going fast (he is fast) his love of the engagement and interaction at 100 mile event is what makes the sport incredibly special to him. We also discuss the importance of stating your goals, no matter if it makes you nervous. We are firmly Team Coree and can’t wait to see how he goes with a stacked summer of racing. Enjoy!!

Kia Ora whanau!! When Kathrine Switzer laced up her trainers on the morning of April 19th, 1967, there is no way she could have anticipated the seismic shift in world history that she would trigger. Kathrine was the first woman to officially enter the Boston Marathon, which was a male-only event. Kathrine could not have known that one simple act of defiance from a 20-year-old would begin a career which has spanned the last five decades and taken women’s running from something taboo (because, uteruses) to the forefront of mainstream consciousness. But look, we’re gushing, and rightly so. Kathrine Switzer is a legend, and if you are not familiar with her story read on... Kathrine is an iconic athlete, author, Emmy-award winning broadcaster and advocate for sports and social causes, during her Boston Marathon, she was attacked in the race by an angry official who tried to rip off her bib number (#261) and throw her out of the race because she was a woman. She finished the 26.2 mile distance anyway and went on win the 1974 New York City Marathon and to champion women in the sport globally, most notably leading the drive to make the women's marathon an official Olympic event in 1984. To illustrate the importance of this, currently 58% of all runners in the USA are women. To celebrate this social revolution, and to support another on active aging, Switzer ran the Boston Marathon again, at age 70, on the 50th anniversary of her iconic run, finishing only 24 minutes slower than she did when she was 20. This run launched her non-profit '261 Fearless' --named after that famous bib number--which empowers women globally though running. She has been honored widely for her achievements including being inducted into the USA National Women’s Hall of Fame which recognized her for creating positive social change throughout her storied career. And, he’s brilliant. We dare you not to be inspired, empowered, and to catch Kathrine’s contagious joy of running during this fantastic conversation. Enjoy!!

Kia Ora whanau. Josh Komen grew up on the West Coast of the South Island and spent most of his younger years outside with the sky and ridges as boundaries. Josh loved movement and physicality- playing rugby league and running with past and future legends Ruth Croft, Eddie Gray, and Boston Marathon winner Dave McKenzie. Josh, as many people on The Coast do, equated being busy with being happy. So Josh would wake up every morning, put in a 10 hour shift maintaining  the high power lines that link the West Coast of the South Island to the grid, then chop and collect firewood, then he would run. Fast. Josh was one New Zealand’s brightest track talents, heading to the next Commonwealth Games in the 800m when his life changed forever when he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. What follows is the most unalloyed and powerful conversation we have ever had on Dirt Church Radio. We talk about Josh’s journey through two cancer diagnoses, a stem cell transplant, and how in trying to save his life, it was nearly ended.  Josh discusses his darkest times with a disarming frankness and ultimately, this is a conversation about how fear, rage, and despair can be bested by acceptance, connection, and love. It is clear to hear Josh tell it, that these hard learned lessons are absolutely applicable in everyday life. And despite all that Josh has lost, Josh continues to live his life by these values. We are so privileged to have been able to speak with Josh, and are delighted to share our conversation with you. Enjoy.

Kia Ora whanau!! These days with running it can feel that is not just about running, you know? There is always someone around the corner saying that we need to do this, that, and the other thing to maximise our enjoyment of the thing we love the most. Can it be that to enjoy more of what we love, especially as we get older, we need to do other things? Well. Yes. If we take the view that running and movement is something that we  are designed to do and our ancestors did it all the time and were fine, we also need to consider that our ancestors lived an active lifestyle. The notion of running for a strictly pleasurable activity is a relatively new concept, the notion of expecting that an hour a day of activity surrounded by a sedentary existence would be even more of a head scratcher. We need to do things to keep us running well and maximise our running lives. That’s why this week Matt speaks to Mathieu Doré, a strength and conditioning coach based in Albury New South Wales. Originally from Montréal, Mathieu spent some time in Australia before moving back home for a few years and then, as you do, finding his way back down under thanks to the love of a good woman. We discuss Mathieu’s journey from an Ice Hockey player who ran with his twin brother in the off season to a bone fide track runner to adventure racer, ultra marathoner, and everything in between, not to mention is whirlwind Boston 2:45/Marriage/Travel episode...Regardless of the distance and surface that Mathieu is running on, strength training plays a major part in his training and strategy for wellbeing. This is an excellent conversation which focuses on how taking a wider approach to your running wellbeing can enhance and promote your running wellbeing. You also get, for your listening pleasure, Eugene and Matt falling over themselves with excitement at being reunited. You’ll get bonus digression, secret codes, fake news (alleged), Greatest Run Ever, Stuff You Should Know..DIGRESSION, and just who the hell is Glenn Kirby?  Enjoy!!

Kia Ora whanau!! Say Yes To Adventure is not just the title of the magazine that Hollie Woodhouse put out, it is a defining character trait. The term “Adventurer” gets bandied about a bit these days, anyone with a social media account and a penchant for camera angles can put a claim in but Hollie Woodhouse is the real deal. After growing up in the rambunctious outdoorsy way that is typical for many in the rural South Island, Hollie left the life behind for some years, until sitting by herself on the solo bivouac section of an Outward Bound experience at 28, Hollie wrote herself a letter stating that she would do something that truly challenged her every year. Fast forward 5 or so years and Hollie has completed the Marathon Des Sables, run 240km through the Peruvian Amazon, completed both the 1 and 2 day Coast to Coast events, and Nordic skied 560km across Greenland’s polar ice cap with the Antarctic Heritage Trust. Running remains a part of Hollie’s daily life, and we discuss this and many more things in this brilliant conversation. Disarmingly candid, funny, and down-to-earth, Hollie was an intensely enjoyable pick-me-up at the end of a long weekend. An adventurer and motivational speaker with a full time job? Sign us up. We don’t know if you’ve seen a theme here with our guests, but it appears that good things happen when you just turn up, and Hollie is no exception to this...Perhaps saying yes is the new black?

We’ve packed in the goodness with our other features this week, we discuss Luke McCallum’s post of Low Energy Availability, ramble on about Anna Frost’s new movie, Matt calls Andrew McDowall Andrew McDonald and then walks away in disgust. All this and more on this week’s Dirt Church Radio. Enjoy!!

Kia Ora whanau!! This week we speak to Rachel Grunwell. Rachel is an award-winning journalist, a runner, a yoga instructor, and wellness expert. A long time investigative journalist, she had her head turned by a fitness challenge that she was undertaking for a story and transitioned from (in her words) being an “unfit mum to a multi-marathoner”. Rachel is an ambassador for the Achilles Foundation, guiding runners in New Zealand, and at the New York Marathon. Rachel is a qualified coach and has been instrumental in the change in the Rotorua Marathon’s half marathon course now having a trail component. Rachel has written a book called Balance in which she interviews 30 global experts about health and happiness and we talk about the book, her running journey and so much more on this week’s episode of Dirt Church Radio. Enjoy!! P.S. OF COURSE we go off on one about the phenomenal racing that happened this weekend...We nerd out big time. RUTH CROFT for a million years!!!

Kia Ora whanau!! For our second-ever race special Eugene and Matt took a tilt at the (if-not-by-now) soon-to-be-iconic WUU2K - The Wellington Urban Ultramarathon. The race is the brainchild of Wellington’s Gareth Thomas, a dyed-in-the-wool creative who decided that the trails he and his friends ran in the hills surrounding Wellington would make a pretty decent race if you strung them together and whaddayaknow? Four years ago the WUU2K was born. I mean, gosh…. This race is as brutal as it is beautiful and we had a blast. Eugene and Matt had the best adventure with their multicultural crew of Aukilagi dandies, aaaand got served up the best gut-busting climbs and life affirming descents that the 04 had to offer. It was Triumphal. Epochal. Meeeeean as.

We dive deep into the race, going over the winners and detailing our experiences. Of course we had the pleasure of interviewing Andrew Thompson, the New Zealand Trail Running Champion, about his race at the World Champs in Portugal. We talk to Alex Futterman, who was at the WUU2K from the USA on a writer’s grant, interviewing participants about why they do what they do. We also speak to Gareth Thomas about his life of creativity and running. With Matt having to dip on the prize giving to catch a flight back to The People’s Utopia of Riverhead Eugene spoke to Mel Atiken about her course record in the team race, a destroyed (but happy) Gareth, and Thee Dave Jack, Florida Gentleman, Insta-Dave, and a person who decided that the WUU2K would make a perfect first ever ultra. Enjoy!!!!!!!!

It’s our birthday!! So we are giving you the present of A) Jared Hazen and B) the correct way to say Coconino (COKE-A-NINO). Jared Hazen is the second-fastest person ever to run the Western States Endurance Run, with a time of 14:26:46. Eugene and Matt attempted to do the math on Hazen’s average pace at kilometer 61 of the WUU2k last week and failed miserably, BUT, the man is fast. Bested only by his training partner, and fellow Coconino Cowboy, Jim Walmsley. Jared, at 24, has had a career that many older athletes could only dream of, this being his third WSER. Jared started running ultra marathons at 17 and has dedicated a significant portion of the last 7 years to the study of the sport which he is “head over heels” with. This is a beautiful conversation with a wonderful man..of course we touch on the WSER, but we also go back to the start, and discuss Jared’s early years, the support and challenges he experienced being so young in the sport, and his bond with Walmsley, which in the end, was instrumental in Jared moving to Flagstaff and becoming a cowboy. We couldn’t sit on this banger of an episode any longer and had to get it out. Thanks for helping line it up for us, Logan Austin! Legend! And Happy birthday to us. Enjoy!!!!!!!!

Kia ora Whanau. We would like to thank you for being with us for the first year of Dirt Church Radio. What follows is the live recording of our special at Hallertau Brewery. Eugene, Matt, and a barrell room full of enthusiastic trail runners reflect on the year that was, highlights, more highlights, and an enduring love of sharing interesting conversations with interesting runners. We speak to Andrew McDowall about backing up in the silver fern for the 24 world championships and moving his family to France for 3 months so that he can tackle UTMB. What follows after this is a betrayal of Shakespearean proportions, Matt and Shaun Collins (the problematic step father of trail running and Lactic Turkey head honcho) turn the mic onto Eugene Bingham in a DCR ambush. As you will hear, Eugene is reticent to a fault, and far more comfortable telling other people’s stories rather than his own, and at the risk of him editing this part out as he loads it (DON’T BRO!!!) Eugene has been running for as long as he can remember and spends his life telling important stories. Eugene currently works for as an investigations and special projects journalist for Stuff. His career in journalism has spanned over 25 years in which he has covered a number of roles including producer, editor, and writer. Eugene lives with his wife Suzanne, herself an incredibly talented journalist and broadcaster and our editor Kieran, (which sounds weird until you consider that Keiren is the couple’s son).

Eugene has been running for most of his life and I couldn’t list the number of races that he has taken part of (not that he would tell you). I will tell you this though, his marathon PB is 2:43:46 which he set as part of the gold medal winning team at the national champs. And he still goes under 20 for a five km. We also talk to Dr Katie Wright about her pending Big’s Backyard trip, there are stories, a live Greatest Run Ever, prizes, games, and more. Enjoy!!!!!!!!

Kia ora Whanau. This week, Eugene and Matt have the pleasure of speaking to Jason Koop, the Director of Coaching for Carmichael Training Systems. Jason is one of the premiere coaches in the ultramaraton world, and has coached many professional athletes to high levels of success within the sport. Koop’s roster has included such names as Kaci Lickteig, Dylan Bowman, Mike Foote, Timothy Olson, Jen Benna, Larisa Dannis, Dakota Jones, Missy Gosney, Alex Varner, Ford Smith...Gosh, the list goes on. Jason is known for his ability to convey quantitative data into a qualitative framework, which is especially important when working with athletes that may very quickly get into the weeds when the raw data and technical terms are rolled out (Stand up, Matt Rayment). Jason got his start coaching youth in track whilst himself a teen. Jason not only talks the talk, his personal ultrarunning resume includes two top-10 finishes at the Leadville Trail 100 Run and finishes at some of ultrarunning’s most formidable events, including the Western States Endurance Run, the Badwater 135, the Wasatch 100, and the Hardrock 100. Currently Jason is preparing for Tor de Geants, a 330-plus kilometre self-supported race in Italy’s Aosta Valley. In this conversation we discuss Koop’s upcoming TDG attempt, Relative Perceived Effort, The Hierarchy of Needs for Ultramarathon Runners and the joy of running with dogs. We coined the term “Rigby Perceived Effort” and also discuss food, cycling, and why the state of mental grit is as important as cardiovascular health. As well as Jason’s excellent conversation, this episode sees Matt and Eugene excitedly back together behind the mic, wondering, after two weeks of tours and live shows, why there is no applause. We have all the regular goodness, Stuff You Should Know, Greatest Run Ever and Queen Ruth Croft’s continued domination of Europe. Enjoy!!!!!!!!

Kia ora Whanau. This week, Eugene speaks to Fiona Love, Women’s winner of the 2019 WUU2k 63km. That’s right. The mighty DCR robot had to split into its component flannel shirts for this episode, with Matt on whanau duties Eugene had to bring it on home solo with the mighty Fiona Love. Fiona is relatively new to the ultra marathon scene, heck, WUU2k was her FIRST ONE (for those of you who’ve not run WUU2k forgive the emotion of capital letters, for those of you who have...right???). Fiona and Eugene discuss fitting running around life and not the other way ‘round, Fiona’s peak km’s leading up to WUU2k were around 45 a week with an occasional longer run thrown in. Fiona, who was born in Italy to British parents found her first love in triathlon, rising to the top levels of the sport with a qualification to race Ironman Kona in Hawaii. Fiona came to New Zealand for the Ironman and loved it so much she stayed. Fiona talks about her love of running on all surfaces, her goals for this next stage of racing, including UTMB, and just what Gordon Ramsay (Yes, that Gordon Ramsay) said to her when she blatted by him in a race. As well as this, Eugene and Matt will be bringing you news, results, digression, Stuff you Should Know and Greatest Run Ever. Dirt Church Radio is For the People! Enjoy!!!!!!!!

In 2012 Executive chef Pat Bowring was at the top of his game in the hospitality industry, running several restaurants, and living the relentless and hedonistic lifestyle of a professional chef. It was at this point that he realised that he needed to make, in his own words, some significant changes in his life. So, as most of us do, or have done at one point in our lives, Pat started running. Run by run, Pat found his focus increasing, along with his well being. Fast forward 7 years and Pat is a Salomon and Ciele sponsored athlete, a coach, and an enthusiastic advocate for a life spent moving in the outdoors. Pat still works as an executive chef, however balances this with his family and training commitments. Matt spoke to Pat about all this and more, there were plenty of laughs, ripping yarns, and thoughtful insights into what it means to move, the joy of ultra marathon running and a life spent connecting with others on this week’s Dirt Church Radio. Enjoy.

Kia Ora Whanau. This week Eugene and Matt have the distinct pleasure of speaking to Rod Dixon. Rod is a legend in the sport of running - his highlight reel is simply incredible. Rod won an Olympic bronze medal in the 1972 Olympics in the 1500m and his incredible win at the New York Marathon in 1983 is a masterclass in running your own race, process, tenacity, and geometry. Rod also ran what was then the fifth-fastest 1500m of all time (3:33.89) in 1974 at the Christchurch Commonwealth Games (one of the best track races of all time); came a heart-breaking fourth in the 5000m at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, behind the unmatchable Lasse Viren; took 3rd place at the world cross country champs in 1982; and was a break-out star when road running began to take hold in the United States in the early 80s. Rod was at the vanguard of the move away from the amateur era, advocating for prize money for elite athletes on the circuit. Rod has often been named the world’s most versatile athlete. However, above all the shining light in Rod’s life is the KidsMarathon movement,which he leads with palpable joy. This is an exceptional conversation with an exceptional New Zealander. We talk about how motivating children through running a mile a day has massive flow on effects, we talk about Rod’s Ed Hillary moment, why his Olympic medal doesn’t look like everyone else’s, and that marathon victory. Enjoy.

Kia Ora Whanau. Last time Matt spoke to Dr John Onate, they were sitting in Matt’s lounge in the heat, luxuriating after a beautiful trail run and drinking a cold beer. This time, Dr John is calling in from a sweltering Sacramento and Eugene and Matt are shivering in the Auckland rain. This episode of Dirt Church Radio covers the topics of running and depression. Mental health is an increasingly important topic in both the trail and ultra running world and the world in general, but how much do we really know about depression? and how can running affect it and what are the advantages and challenges of such an approach? Does running really work as well as an antidepressant? And if so, why doesn’t everybody run? This conversation is important and we are very thankful for Dr John for making time to speak with us before he jets off the the UTMB festival to have a crack at the CCC. As Dr John has already been on the show we forgo the Greatest Run Ever for the “Greatest example of you helping someone at Devil’s Thumb during Western States when you were aid station captain”. Just roollls off the tounge doesn’t it? As a bonus, we also speak to Brook Van Reenen just before he sets off for his Te Araroa attempt which we wish him every success with. Brook is also raising funds for the Mental Health Foundation during his endevor. A warning, this podcast does deal with the topic of suicide. Please be aware, and take care of yourself. Thank you and enjoy.

Kia Ora Whanau. This week Eugene and Matt have the utter pleasure and privilege to speak with Nikki Kimball. Nikki is a legend in ultra running, and one of the pioneers of the modern age of the sport. In the 2000’s and early 2010’s Nikki was arguably the greatest female ultra runner in the world, a three time winner of Western States Endurance Run and winner of Run Rabbit Run, Speedgoat, The Bear 100, UTMB, Tahoe 100 and Marathon Des Sables...To name but a few. In this energetic, warm, and unalloyed conversation, Nikki talks about her return from long term rehabilitation, her background of skiing, how this lead to running, and her place as a trailblazer in women’s ultra marathon and the joy and deep frustration that this brings. We also tackled gender equality and how some race directors in attempting to level the field may perpetuate further inequality. Honest, raw, and deeply entertaining, we had as much fun speaking to Nikki as you will have listening to it. Also, Chris McDougall, if you’re reading… The Physios thank you. Enjoy.

Kia Ora Whanau. Under the umbrella of mental health, substance dependence has a place that is most often misunderstood, reviled, largely silent. There are judgements, myths, and a largely held view that somehow, substance dependence is a moral failing of the user. These views have been shown to be uninformed, unhelpful, and demonstrably false and ignore the simple fact that trauma, familial dislocation, isolation, socio-economic stress and the effects of post traumatic stress and mental ill health lie as the antecedents to dependence. Odyssey House’s Otautahi (Christchurch) men’s programme provides residential rehabilitation for those who are struggling with substance dependence. The community has begun a novel approach to enhance recovery and well being, a running group, The Speed Freaks, that trains together (with staff) and competes together. Jamie Hawker (Scotty’s dad) gives up his time to volunteer as a coach for the group and the men have taken on several events in Otautahi and are working towards their first trail running event, the Crater Rim 21km. We speak to Stephanie Schnoor, Odyssey House team leader, and Ray, one of the residents, about the programme, how it has benefited the well-being of not just the residents, but the staff, their backgrounds (ultra marathon and track and field respectively) and the challenges and rewards that living a life in recovery entails. Brave, real, insightful, this conversation was a privilege and we are beyond excited to bring it to you. We also issue a call to arms to consider mental health as a wider issue than just “Mental Health”, the way we act and think on many issues can impact on the wellbeing of ourselves and others. It’s beholden on all of us to educate ourselves in how the systems that we operate within can make a positive or negative change to people’s (and our own) mental health. It’s Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori, we celebrate that, the racing results, GRE, a cheeky Stuff You Should Know and of course, a Brook Van Reenen update for the people. This episode of the pod cements that running, at its best, is pro-social, gratification-delaying, peaceful mass participation, and can play such a major role in people’s recovery and well-being. How good is that? Enjoy

Kia Ora Whanau. This week, Eugene has the distinct pleasure of welcoming back to the show Scotty Hawker. Scotty had unfinished business with UTMB this year, after having to pull the pin with 30 miles to go in 2018 in fifth place. Scotty did what elite athletes do, and went back to work, addressing the issues that had ended his 2018 race and built towards 2019 and what would be the standout performance of his career (so far).

Eugene and Scotty talk about the race, the lead up, his struggles, and how he overcame them.

As per the regular, Eugene and Matt discuss the news, Stuff You Should Know, Greatest Run Ever and we catch up with Brook Van Reenen, who is currently in the 09 on his Te Araroa Adventure. Enjoy!!

Kia Ora Whanau. This week Eugene and Matt speak with Lisa Tamati about love, loss, change, and whanau. Lisa’s list of accomplishments is well known, having completed over 140 ultra marathons and being the first Kiwi woman to finish the Badwater 135. Lisa has raced the Sahara and Gobi deserts as well as the Australian outback the himalayas, as well as running the length of New Zealand for Curekids and CanTeen. Lisa is an author, motivational speaker, coach, trainer, and entrepreneur, as well as hosting her own podcast, Pushing The Limits. Oh, yes. Lisa is also the author of three books. And that’s why she joins us this week. To discuss her new book, Relentless, which documents Lisa’s efforts to rehabilitate her mother, after a devastating medical event. Raw, honest, funny, driven, and tenacious, this conversation really pinpoints what is truly important in this world, that it doesn’t matter how far you can run if you don’t have anything to come home to, and that you must always, always, have hope. Lisa Tamati is the Wahine Toa of ultramarathon running and we were so honoured to have her as a guest on the podcast. Enjoy.

Kia Ora Whanau. Fiona Hayvice was the second-ever guest on this-here podcast and this week Eugene and Matt have the pleasure of speaking to her again! Fiona has been busy since we spoke to her last time, coming fourth at the IAU Asia and Oceania 24 hour championships, fourth at the Tarawera 100 miler, fourth at the Tarawera 100km, Ultra Trail Australia 100km and recently setting a course record at the 50km North Range Trio. In addition to these amazing results, Fiona is heading back to the cauldron of 24 hour racing as a member of the New Zealand team taking on the world championships in Albi, France next month. We talk to Fiona about just how one trains to run for 24 hours around a track, the atmosphere of the events and how moving towards 24 hour racing, and 10 km road races, is a new and exciting facet in her journey as an elite runner. For our Wellington whanau, You can Help Fi Fly by attending her movie event on Saturday October 13th a the Penthouse Cinema in Brooklyn. Fi will be giving a talk beforehand, there will be prizes from YOYO Design by Kiwis, Tailwind, Crampfix, and Spring Energy. Link to the event in your show notes! Enjoy!

This week, Matt has the pleasure of speaking to Dr Tim Day, the race director of Tarawera Ultramarathon. It took us a while to complete the set, with Tim’s partner Paul Charteris being our first ever guest on DCR, but boy was this worth the wait! Tim is a private person, who would prefer to let Paul do the talking about the race that they both love, so we thank Tim for his generosity in speaking to us.

Matt talks with Tim about his journey from participant, to his role in the infamous 2014 Cyclone Lusi race, to where he sits today. We talk about the changes and challenges of putting on one of the most well-known ultramarathon races in the world, and the recent changes that the race has undergone, including Tarawera being recently sold to Ironman. We discuss how Tim is deeply passionate about the outdoors, and blending recreation with conservation in a way that is beneficial for ourselves as individuals as well as our environment. Spending weeks in the bush engaged in conservation projects and racking up incredible amounts of vertical metres at the same time. This is a brilliant conversation with a well known, but little heard voice in the international trail running community and we hope you enjoy!

Kia Ora Whanau. This week Eugene and Matt have the pleasure of speaking to Wellington stalwart Sam McCutcheon. Sam loves running, and, whilst Sam would cringe to hear you say it, he is very good at it. Sam has won The Kepler Challenge twice, set the Wuu2k course record, and clinched third place at the Tarawera 102km. Sam has represented New Zealand at the world trail running championships, placed 7th at the CCC, and most recently banged out a 1:08:45 half marathon PB. And whilst, yes, this is all very impressive, Sam’s conversation with us highlights so much more about his world view, and love of travel, the decision to move to Edinburgh with his wife Sarah to work and seek new experiences, throwing himself headlong into the urban trail races in Edinborough, trying his hand at the odd fell race, and of course, we touch on Scottish property law and Eugene cops to a reality tv show dependence. This conversation is excellent, and to be honest, Matt and Eugene were both a bit nervous at the start. Did we tell you Sam was third at Laverado this year? Enjoy!

This week Matt has the pleasure of speaking to Kerry Suter and Ali Pottinger, founders of the coach lead running community SQUADRUN. The pair discuss their inspiration for starting SQUADRUN, and how it has transformed not just the lives of thousands of people, but their own. It’s clear that this is more than a job for Kerry and Ali, who talk openly about the challenges that come with providing a service like SQUADRUN. Far from frustration, it is obvious in talking with them, Kerry and Ali relish the challenges and the community of runners means as much to them as it does to their clients. We discuss Kerry and Ali’s running history, the importance of adventure, what the future holds and, as always, their Greatest Runs Ever. Enjoy!

Kia Ora whanau. Strap yourselves in for the biggest episode of Dirt Church Radio yet. We go all in with a double episode, two full conversations with Katie Wright and Will Hayward, two of the final four left standing at Big’s Backyard Ultra, recently held in Tennessee. This race is the brainchild of Lazarus Lake, the man behind the infernal Barkley Marathons, and is a Last Person Standing event, whereby the competitors take on a 6.7km loop every hour until one person is left standing. Everyone else records a DNF. Both Katie and Will qualified for Big’s by winning a golden ticket entry. Will in Hong Kong at Big Boar’s Backyard and Katie here at home in the Riverhead Backyard Relaps. Both arrived at Big’s Backyard wanting to find and test their limits and it appears both certainly did. Spoiler Alert: Katie and Will were two of the four final competitors, Katie being halted by injury on lap 50 and Will spectacularly timing out on loop 59, thus giving the only other person on course (Maggie Guterl) the victory. What these athletes have undertaken is phenomenal, however what is also phenomenal is the honesty, humility, grace, and insight with which they recount their adventures to us. We’ll let them do the talking. Enjoy.

Kia Ora Whanau. Most of us, at a certain time in our lives will undergo what noted developmental theorist Erik Erikson described as a psychosocial crisis. These happen for us at different stages of our life’s journey however for Damian Hall, it was between the stages of Integrity vs. Role Confusion and Generativity vs. Stagnation. This is commonly referred to as an (ahem) mid-life crisis. Like most people who undergo such a crisis, Damian looked for a change or challenge. In Hall’s case, the journalist trained for and completed a half marathon. I mean, you could construct a very common narrative around that, right? Hiker and football enthusiast trains for half marathon, does well, enjoys self, gets fitter. What is not so common in this story is that from there Hall went on to represent Great Britain at the Trail Running World Championships, completed UTMB four times (placing fifth in 2018) and has numerous FKTs to his name, including the Paddy Buckley round. We discuss Damian’s start in running, how hiking the Kepler fist gave him an insight into ultra distance racing, the contrast between the big European races and more laconic British affairs. We unpick the innocuous word “bimble”, and how whilst sounding like the gerund that one uses to describe how a hamster walks, may actually consist of tearing hither and yon around the moors and mountains. If this isn’t enough we also tackle climate change and how to navigate using your voice as a well known sports person to highlight issues your care about and also how to weather the accusations of hypocrisy having the temerity to fly to overseas races rather than kayak. Finally, and most importantly, we touch on why, and how in so many ways, Blur are a far superior band than Oasis. Shots fired. Enjoy.

Kia Ora Whanau. Run 6.66666667 km within an hour. Then do it again. And again. Every hour. Do it 60 times until you are the last person standing at Big’s Backyard Ultramarathon in Tennessee. Maggie Guterl is that last person standing and the first woman to win at Lazarus Lake’s infamous event. As with our other Big’s conversations, we’ll keep it short here and let the quality of the conversation and what Maggie brings to the table speaks for itself, although some spoilers: We do ask Maggie about the aftermath of Big’s and the media attention, how having understanding colleagues is really important after running for 60 hours and that even though you like Tailwind, like, to the max like Tailwind, after awhile it all just tastes the same. But then wouldn’t everything? Enjoy.

Eugene and Matt talk to Chris Bisley about his Southern Seasons Miler campaign. That is four 100 mile races in the South Island in a calendar year. Those races are Northburn 100, Hanmer 100, Great Naseby Water Race 100 and the Krazie Kapers 100. Chis had, at our conversation won Northburn, Hanmer, and Naseby, and was just tapering to tackle Krazie K’s. Intensely competitive, Chris was chasing the win. We talk to Chris about his days as a high level triathlete (Kona qualifier, anyone?) and the move to ultramarathons after family became a priority. We talk in depth about Chris’ training, his early starts, what drives him, how to come back from the brink of despair during long races, how much Cargill he indeed crushed. We feature our usual news, chat, some talking over each other, a brilliant Greatest Run Ever and a special Stuff You Should Know from Eugene about his documentary Life and Limb, which he recently filmed in Afghanistan. Enjoy.

This week, we speak with Dave Beeche, Managing Director of IRONMAN Oceania. Why IRONMAN, you ask? Because IRONMAN now owns two of the biggest races in our neck of the woods, UTA in Australia, and Tarawera here in New Zealand. IRONMAN are open that they have designs on expanding their trail portfolio. So we thought it would be good to go to the horse’s mouth. This is a no holds barred conversation about Ironman’s intentions in the world of trail, about their own perception, and his insight into where the sport is going. In addition to being the head of IRONMAN in Oceania, Dave’s pedigree in sports administration and management is incredible. Dave is the former honcho of the Queenstown and Hawkes Bay Marathons, past CEO of Triathlon NZ, he headed the ITU world triathlon final when it was New Zealand, and the FIFA Under 20 World Cup. Dave is also a keen trail and ultra marathon runner himself,completing a bunch of marathons, Kepler, UTA, and the CCC at UTMB festival. To top this off Dave’s Greatest Run Ever is an epic you want to hang around for. Enjoy.

Kia ora Whanau. Imagine being able to run because someone told you that was something that you were allowed to do. That running was something that you could do, but only at a specific time, and never with company. The degree of freedom that running would give you would take on a whole new meaning. For many of us, running is a privilege that we take for granted but for Tanya Bottomley, this was her reality. Tanya was in a controlling, violent marriage, at this time, and her journey to where she is now had begun when she completed the Auckland Marathon at the encouragement of her sister in 2012. It would be so convenient, if life were a movie, to say that Tanya found running, quit smoking, over came depression, and ended the relationship with a snap of the fingers, but life is more nuanced and complicated than that. Tanya’s story is incredible, and whilst yes, all that has happened, the journey to get there was an ultra, not a sprint. We speak to Tanya from her new home of Nelson, at the top of the South Island. Tanya is the first woman aiming to finish the Southern Seasons Miler Challenge, having completed Great Nasbey, Hamner, and Krazie K’s. Tanya now has her sights set on Northburn 100 in March. This conversation with Tanya was such a privilege. We discuss her life now, her training, the journey to trail running, and how you train to run four 100 mile ultramarathons in a year whilst also having a “normal” life . Tanya is also fundraising for SHINE (Safer Homes In New Zealand Every day) whilst completing the challenge. Link is below. Enjoy.

Kia Ora Whanau. What a weekend that was! This show was recorded live at the Fiordland Lobster Company meeting room (true story) during registration at the 32nd annual Fresh Choice Kepler Challenge. Parts of it were also recorded in room 212 of the Distinction Hotel (true story) and a small part of this was recorded in Eugene’s bedroom (true story) because as per, we were giddy and fatigued during the intro and forgot stuff. We speak to Steve Norris, the Kepler Challenge race director about the conditions that necessitated the change to the alternative course for the 3rd time in 32 years. We speak to Nancy Jiang, back to defend her women’s victory last year about her year of racing in Europe and the challenges she has faced from injury and crashing her mountain bike (the bike was fine, don’t worry). Three time winner Vajin Armstrong talks to us about his experiences in Africa, including training in Iten and running Comrades ultramarathon, and we bring it on home with Grant Guise, who shares with us his lifelong fascination with Kepler, and his favourite anecdotes from the race’s history. We also share our race experiences and lots more on this bumper Kepler special. Enjoy!

Kia ora Whanau. This week, we speak with chef Billy White about his debut cookbook Eat, Run, Enjoy. The book combines two of Billy’s biggest passions, trail running and delicious food and features such trail running stars as Courtney Dauwalter, Zach Miller, Ricky Lightfoot, Emily Forsberg, Ida Nilsson and Mimmi Kotka. 
Billy White was born in York and has been a chef for over 20 years. Initially buying into the hard living hospitality lifestyle wholesale. Billy worked in the kitchens of various Michelin star and world-renowned restaurants, including St John in London, and then later Fäviken and Restaurant Mathias Dahlgren, in Sweden. Now Billy works as  the head chef at the cafe/restaurant at Rosendals trädgård in Stockholm, a biodynamic commercial garden and cafe.  Billy initially started running for a challenge, completing a half marathon, then accompanied a friend on a multi day adventure through forests and trails across the coast to coast in the UK. Billy recounted that whilst on this multi day run he started eating standard service station fare, but by the end of the week was eating lighter, fresher food.  Billy found himself moving to Stockholm to be with his now-wife over ten years ago and fell into the trail and ultra running scene in one of the most beautiful and challenging environments in the world. 
This discussion with Billy is brilliant, discussing his journey to running, living , working, and cooking in such a profoundly seasonal environment such as Stockholm. We discuss his good fortune spending time with some of the best trail and mountain runners in the world, hearing their nutritional advice and tips, and how these differ from runner to runner. Does Courtney Dauwalter indeed have a bowl of candy on every flat surface in her house and many burritos will Zach Miller eat when he hikes down from Barr Camp?  We also discuss Billy’s own nutrition strategies, how food should be more than just fuel, Matt brings up Refused (of course) and also we highlight that as a non nordic skiing native, just how jarring it can be to witness Swedes zooming about on giant elongated roller blades. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Enjoy.

Kia ora Whanau. This is the first Dirt Church Radio for 2020 and THE DECADE!!!!! 2019 was been a lot..Matt and Eugene find themselves scattered to the four winds this week and phone it in (literally, not figuratively) to run through their best of’s, highs and, well, more highs. We discuss some of the amazing athletes that we’ve spoken to this year and also bring you two interviews this show with Will Hayward, he of second place at Big’s Back Yard Ultra, and Mal Law, Head Wild Thing and who, amongst many other things, is running 1 million feet for mental health. Enjoy.

This week on the podcast Eugene and Matt speak to Matt Rayment...huh? Yes, that’s right. Eugene finally gets revenge on Matt, who, having cruelly ambushed Eugene at the live show last year (in cahoots with Shaun “The Integrator” Collins), was never going to get away without being a guest on the podcast. What unfolds is a conversation much like what you would have heard if you’d ever been on the trails with them - but with less puffing. Matt, mental health nurse, accomplished musician (eg playing with The Sneaks at Big Day Out), former editor of KTR, and, most importantly, husband and father of three delightful kids - yes, Rigby, and an Australian Kelpie - opens up about how running saved his life. He generously talks very candidly about how illness as a child afflicted him, the impact that had, and how he found comfort in hanging out with people who are out of step, just as he feels out of step with the world. The story of his path to running ultra-marathons (beginning with a 200m gravel stretch of driveway) is inspirational. Enjoy.

Kia ora whanau! Eugene and Matt speak to nine-time Formula One Grand Prix winner and all round  legend Mark Webber about his career, a performance mindset, his love of the outdoors, and his new company-Aussie Grit. It’s fair to say that neither Eugene or Matt are racing aficionados so it was a special treat to speak to Mark, who true to his reputation of being “a regular Aussie bloke”, was down-to-earth and generous with our naive questions about what it is like to be strapped into a rocket and drive it around a track at over 300 kph. This conversation is an education about controlling what you can control, the importance of having good people in your corner, and just how important and fulfilling being outdoors can be. We talk to Mark about his love of the trails, be that on foot or two wheels, the Tasmania Challenge adventure race, and the care, dedication, and understatement that goes into every Aussie Grit garment. I mean, apparently we disagree on just what is an appropriate seam length for a running short, with Matt and Eugene both being adherents to the “classique” 3” but we found an oasis of common ground during this wonderful conversation.  Enjoy.

Kia Ora whanau. Whilst down in Te Anau for the Kepler Challenge in December Eugene and Matt had the pleasure of sitting down at Dwight Grieve’s dining room table for a proper Southland yarn. You see, about ten years ago, Dwight was a painter-decorator living in Invercargill, overweight, a bit unhappy, and  wanting to make changes in his life. As you’ll hear from our discussion, he certainly has: Dwight is now one of the local Te Anau Police, has represented New Zealand at the World Mountain Running Championships, and has a 5:29 Kepler PB that he was itching to put to bed last year. Alas, the weather had other ideas, but you’ll hear a brilliant chat about change, motivation, drive, fitting training in around a very busy life as a public servant and in a DCR first you’ll hear a man transcend the sound barrier on live podcast space imitating a large mythical herbivore. Enjoy.

Kia Ora Whanau. This week we come bolting out of the gate with a Dirt Church Radio mega-special of incredibleniscity. Matt and Eugene are reunited in the same hemisphere and same room to run down the plethora of news, Greatest Runs Ever, Stuff You Should Know and also RUTH. FREAKING. CROFT. Matt spoke to Ruth about her triumphant 2019, the importance of looking after yourself and having periods of calm, hiking in Nepal (and unforeseen effects that altitude has on the *ahem* body), and the trifles of coming second at the world trail running champs and qualifying for the world athletics championships with a 2:35:15 Seoul Marathon, and that’s just for starters. As a bonus, and because we all need more Running Beast in our lives, we sneak in a bijou interview-ette with Shaun Collins about finishing the Revenant, his recovery, and how much hallucinating is too much hallucinating... . Enjoy!

This week Eugene sits down to talk with film maker Aaron Smart about Chasing Pounamu, his stunning film about one man’s quest to finish the Tarawera 100 miler. Matt and Eugene also run down a full Tarawera preview, scooching through our hot takes on who’s in to win, the history of the event, just how Eugene will manage his cheese n’ pickle cravings and how many Spring Energy Gels is too much? We also have a musical treat, Stuff You Should Know about the bushfire relief effort and an amazing Greatest Run Ever. Enjoy!

Kia Ora Whanau. To bastardise a Lao Tzu quote, A journey of 100 miles begins with one step, and this week on Dirt Church Radio Eugene and Matt sit down to deconstruct Eugene’s 100 mile success at the 2020 Tarawera Ultramarathon. Talking about himself does not come easily for Eugene, in fact, he hates it so much Matt had to surprise him with an interview at the pair’s one year live show. Despite this, and with his usual humility, reflection, and generosity, Eugene breaks his endeavour down into step-size chunks so that we could fully appreciate the magnitude of what he and others had achieved. It does not stop there, Eugene took our new portable recorder (THANKS PATREON PATRONS!) to Tarawera and like the proud member of the Fourth Estate that he is, held it down after the powhiri capturing interviews with world 100 mile record holder Zach Bitter, Lucy Bartholemew, Kerry Suter and Ali Pottinger of Squadrun, Caitlin Fielder and Paul Charteris himself. This show feels like a lot because it is a lot, it’s the culmination of over 13 weeks of effort for Eugene, his family, and friends. To have him complete the event with such determination, and to have him share this with us on the show this week, is truly special. We know that 3000 of you out there lined up at the big dance this year, and to you, your families, significant others, and supporters, we say Ka mou te wehi!!!  Enjoy!

Kia Ora Whanau. It’s another packed show this week, and one which touches on the losses that inevitably affect all of us in this life. We start by remembering the runner who passed away after his 100 mile attempt, and also South Auckland’s own Naomi McCrae, who was tragically killed in an accident last week. Embracing life, as those two surely did, we drop the news that we will be doing a once-in-a-lifetime live show with the one and only Lazarus Lake on Thursday April 3rd as he makes his way down for the Riverhead Backyard Relaps. We then go through the results of the Shotover Moonlight Marathon (held confusingly in the day) and the Tarawera 21km results. We have a double interview this week, with Eugene continuing to bring the heat with two more brilliant conversations he had at Tarawera, this week, with Adam Kimble and Francesca Canepa. Adam Kimble...Won Gobi March (China) stage race and Desert Ultra (Namibia) stage race, taking 13th overall at Western States in 2018, and finishing 3rd at the Vermont 100-Miler. But he also takes on huge (er?)  adventures,running across America in 2015, and running with his friend Kris King the length of Great Britain from John o’ Groats in Scotland to Lands End in England. The two became the first people to complete a self-supported run the length of Scotland, Wales and England, while summiting the highest peak (Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Mount Snowdon) in each country along the way. He also appeared in a Discovery Channel Show, The Wheel, where contestants had to survive in the South American wilds for 60 days. Francesca Canepa is a former top-level snowboarder, and experimental psychologist, who started running at 40.  Francesca was second at UTMB in 2012, and won it in 2018. She won the Oman by UTMB race in 2019. And she’s twice won the Tor des Geants. In 2014 she was falsely accused by another runner of accepting a ride in the TDG. She took the accuser to court and he was late last year found guilty of defaming her. So the moral of the story is...don’t ever cross an Italian psychologist during a 330km mountain race... Or maybe, don’t accuse someone of cheating when they didn’t….Either way, Francesca Canepa RULES!!. Enjoy!!

This week, Eugene and Matt get the band back together and engage in our first joint conversation of 2020 with the wonderful Lucy Clark. Lucy spent 66 days 7 hours and 8 minutes setting a new female supported FKT on the Te Araroa trail, which runs from Cape Reinga to Bluff. Literally, like, the WHOLE of Aotearoa. Lucy was looking for a challenge and when the idea arose to shoot for the FKT she embraced it, training for 12 months without missing a single session  (let that sink in) and undertaking the journey with her husband, Tommy, a camper van, and a whole lot of best laid plans, which quickly went out the window or underwent major revision. This conversation is an amazing recounting of the challenge, fortitude, joy, fear, adjustment, amazement, and engagement that it took to complete the FKT, and, in the process, carving out a new record by 11 days. We talk about Lucy’s background in running, her readjustment to life post Te Araroa, and just how habit-forming a large block of Whittaker’s chocolate a night can be.

Scotty Stevenson is a broadcaster and journalist best known for his rugby commentary and reporting which makes him automatically one of the most well-known New Zealand TV personalities. He’s a sports journalist with TVNZ, and also works with Spark Sport and Radio Hauraki. He’s also a sports writer, has ghost-written and written a string of some of the best sports books, from Straight 8 about Kieran Read, to Kiwi Pair about Eric Murray and Hamish Bond. Scotty has been previously known by his childhood nickname “Sumo” as, by his own account he was the “fat kid in speedos” at surf lifesaving. But things have changed. If you were to Google Scotty Stevenson, the number one thing that pops up on auto-search is “Scotty Stevenson weight loss”.  It’s because Stevenson has changed. Markedly. He has noticeably shrunk. And for those who’ve been watching closely, he started running. He’s kept very quiet about it, but goodness me, the man is well and truly hooked. Two years ago, he couldn’t run 85m. A couple of weeks ago, he ran 85km, no less, through backcountry New Zealand in the Old Ghost Ultra in just over 12 hours. For those who saw the TVNZ report he did on the event, you’ll know that he found it an extremely emotional experience. We talked to Scotty about that race, his life leading up to running, what sparked his decision to lace up, and the myriad of changes that this has had on his life. Honest, engaging, and unalloyed, this is a fantastic conversation with a broadcasting legend that we are so thrilled to bring you.. Enjoy!

Kia Ora Whanau. John Ellis moved to Hong Kong in 2010 and found himself unexpectedly drawn from the roads onto the city’s expansive network of trails.Since moving from road to dirt, John has stacked up a bunch of wins throughout Asia including Moontrekker, Lantau 70, Green Power and MSIG Hong Kong. He has top 20 finishes at HK100, UTMF and Ultra Trail Australia, as well as winning the China Skyrunning Ultra Series 2016/17 and finishing top 50 at the Ultra Trail World Tour in 2015 and 2016. With his life changing tack somewhat due to parenthood,  John still found time in 2019 to win the Asia Trail Masters series. Not content with merely running and being a stalwart of the Hong Kong scene, John is also a founder of the running brand T8 and the owner of Gone Running, a brick-and-mortar running store in Hong Kong. In this episode we discuss running in times of social unrest and during the uncertainty of Covid-19, the joy of running trails in an urban metropolis, what the Nine Dragons are and which  level of typhoon is too much to run in. We also get the lowdown on the Hallertau Riverhead Rampage 21km winner Tom Hunt’s race, and his buildup to the Tahoe 200 Wowzers. ..Enjoy!

Kia Ora whanau. A week ago when we were speaking to John Ellis about caronavirus in Hong Kong it was in an abstract manner, this week it seems that people worldwide are feeling the effects of travel restrictions and enforced isolation. Here in Aotearoa, we implemented strict travel guidelines regarding self-isolation, which has made journeying to races for many people who live overseas impossible. The guest that we initially had lined up had to postpone due to having to attend to COVID related issues with their business, it just seems ubiquitous at the moment, right?  So what are we to do? We keep going, that’s what (from a safe distance, mind). All it took was one slightly panicked cluster of messages sent from a bus stop for Coach James Kuegler to throw himself into the breach, laying it down for us in regards to a simple and commonsense approach to maximising your wellbeing. We also discuss the raft of cancellations (including our Evening with Lazarus Lake live event) and bring you an exceptional Greatest Run Ever, Stuff You Should Know, all the race results you need and more on this week’s episode of Dirt Church Radio. Enjoy!

Kia Ora Whanau. Andy Good is the New Zealand Mountain Running Champion. And the world has gone mad. New Zealand is in lockdown, and we are bringing this to you from isolation. This week on DCR Eugene speaks to Andy Good, New Zealand Mountain Running Champion. Andy came late to running, and took to it like a duck to water, going from “a couple of runs a week” to representing New Zealand at the world mountain running championships, where he felt a bit of his pelvis break off...um, ewwww. Eugene talks to Andy about his journey back from injury, his love of running, and his life post military. Also ebikes. We also cover That Fecking Virus, seeking consent when using people’s balconies to run marathons, and how soon is too soon to say running is contagious? ...Enjoy!

Kia Ora Whanau. We’ve just weathered our first weekend in New Zealand in lockdown and we are joined by Dr Katie Wright, fresh from her first shift at Blenheim Hospital to talk about her year, how things have changed thanks to COVID-19 (or not) and the etiquette, benefit, and perhaps pitfalls of exercise during a pandemic. We keep it comforting with a Greatest Run Ever, and a Stuff You Should Know. As a bonus you’ll have all the trials and travails of two men, who after living in each other’s pockets for the last year and a half, have not seen each other for ten days. Flying blind!  Enjoy.

Kia Ora Whanau. We’re all going through stuff at the moment, right? Distress, ennui, anger, denial, shock. All of these emotions and more as we continue to navigate COVID-19 and our nation being in lockdown. This week, we have an incandescently good conversation with Vibram athlete, 3rd place finisher at the 2019 UTMB and Christchurch native Scotty Hawker. This conversation is notable for a couple reasons: 1) Scotty discusses in depth and with frank openness how he is navigating being locked down and how this has changed his approach to running and how he is meeting these challenges; 2) this is the first ever DCR/Hawker Skype call where we’ve all be in the same timezone and got it sorted first time! We also discuss Scotty’s desire to “swap places” with his good friend Pau Capell at next year’s UTMB and also we talk about the Run At Home, Run Together event that Scotty and his wife Elizabeth are organising for Anzac Day. Enjoy.

Kia Ora Whanau .Week Three of lockdown and this week we bring you race director extraordinaire Terry Davis. This is a ripping yarn from one of the stalwarts of the Aotearoa trail and ultramarathon community. Northburn 100 bills itself as a race that you don’t complete, you survive, one that despite being so fiendishly, awfully, difficult draws people back year after year. Terry talks about his love of adventure. And how adventure can turn our lives around. Adventure can ignite us, embolden us, and take us to the edge of what we believe that we can accomplish. Now, that sounds cliche, right? Not how Terry tells it. We learn about the best kept secret in Aotearoa trail running, and consider that if a race director hates his own race, why should you even bother doing it? We challenge anyone to listen to this conversation and not come away even a little bit fizzing. We talk about Terry’s beginnings, his struggles with being a “sad arse” (his words) as a young man to finding adventure racing, meaning, and purpose. Terry also drops what Matt perhaps controversially considers the single best piece of advice ever heard on DCR. Taken literally, or metaphorically, it confirms what many people thought: Terry Davis is a prophet. Enjoy.

Kia Ora Whanau. This week from our bedrooms we are joined by journalist and broadcaster Rachel Smalley. One day, as a means of dealing with the stress of deadlines Rachel rummaged through her wardrobe looking for an old pair of trainers to lace up and headed out the door for a run. The rest, as they say, is history. Or indeed herstory, and Rachel’s story highlights her sheer determination, tenacity, and passion for journalism and running, and her engagement with the people whose stories and experiences have impacted on Rachel in so many ways. From Beirut to Brooklyn we veer all over the map with Rachel in this wonderful and very meaningful conversation. Enjoy.

Kia Ora Whanau.We’ve been waiting for this one for a while. No, silly! Not Level 3. Vlad Shatrov!!! Initially we began engaging with Vlad around the time when Australasia went to heck in a handbasket grappling with COVID-19. It’s taken a couple weeks to get our respective water fowl lined up and boy was it worth the wait! Matt and Vlad engage in a wide-ranging discussion around Vlad’s upbringing, philosophy of racing, training, life,and everything in between. Vlad has done it all, track racing, professional triathlon, marathon, now ultramarathon. We discuss how Vlad has had to flex to shift his coaching business from a group-based to virtual-based platform (for now) and his new venture, Trailrunner Pro. We also talk about THAT 100 mile victory at Tarawera in February, his hopes for the future, and where he sees international racing heading in the medium term. In addition to this Eugene and Matt bring you all the hits as usual including Greatest Run Ever, a rundown of the racing that has been happening (ahem) and Stuff You Should Know. Enjoy.

From our bedrooms to your bubbles, we bring you Dirt Church Radio in lockdown. Welcome. This week Eugene and Matt speak to Chris Hope, the founder of Running Calendar, Australasia’s most exhaustive resource for events. We discuss the history of Running Calendar, the current challenges faced by the racing community, plus a deep dive into running trends, just how niche is too niche, and Chris’ own history of running, his love of trail and ultramarathon running, and where he sees the trail community going post-pandemic. As per the regular, we have news, views, Stuff You Should Know, and a Greatest Run Ever. We are also announcing our partnership with Vert.Run as they launch their new Ruth Croft training program. Will Matt win the Mont Blanc Marathon after doing this plan? Prolly not, but it will be fun to find out how he goes with some structured training.  Enjoy.

Kia Ora Whanau. This week we bring you a delightful conversation with Auckland Art Gallery’s Principal Conservator and ultra marathon runner Sarah Hillary. Sarah talks about her love of running the hills of the Waitakere Ranges and the trail that has her family name. We talk about art, ultramarathons, a life steeped in adventure and, her indelible links to Nepal (and Piha while we are at it) and how hopefully, when we emerge from being a nation in lockdown we can continue our (in some cases newfound) affinity for the outdoors. We ask what her father, Sir Edmund, would have made of ultra marathon running and how the spaces that he ventured first have temporarily been returned to their uncrowded best. As per, Eugene and Matt bring you news about races (or lack thereof) and an amazing Greatest Run Ever. And for those of us who are from overseas and not from the village of New Zealand, yes, THAT Hillary. Enjoy.

Kia Ora Whanau. No longer Lockdown Larrys, but Level 2 Larrys, Eugene and Matt remain FOILED by Matt’s sore throat in their quest to podcast in the same room, let alone suburb. But if you had to do it remotely, you couldn’t find a more engaging fellow than two-time Australian Mountain Running Champion Ben Duffus. This conversation goes all over the place from race walking to quantum physics, climate change to Kawerau. Ben discusses his start in the sport, his love of the King of The Mountain race in said Kawerau, coaching, data, why not to burn down cell phone towers, and we ponder if we can all go inside for COVID, how is climate change so hard? We’ve also got TWO greatest runs ever (one from our youngest ever contributor), we implore people not to be a racist on Stuff You Should Know (seems funny to have to say it out loud but here we are) and we also get to report on a real live WORLD RECORD! All this and more on a freewheeling DCR. Enjoy.

Kia Ora Whanau. Together at last. After two months of lockdown, Matt and Eugene are finally able to record in the same room. There’s even a high five. And with just cause. Because this episode includes a remarkable conversation. Matt had the chance to speak to the one and only Dave Proctor, the relentless Canadian ultramarathoner. This is a conversation about running, yes, but it’s mostly about love, determination, how he would run to the end of the Earth for his son. Dave became known to listeners as Fast Dave-Canadian Dave at the after the incredible Big’s Backyard Ultra at Lazarus Lake’s race in Tennessee last year. Talking to him completes the set of the top four, with Maggie Guterl, Will Hayward, and Katie Wright having already featured on DCR. We’ve also got one of the most touching Greatest Runs Ever (with a follow-up email), and tales of hitting the dirt, literally.  Enjoy.

This week on Dirt Church Radio Eugene speaks to fellow South Auckland kid and Ultraman champion Carl Read. Coming from a rugby and cricket background, Carl decided to try his hand at Triathlon in 2007 to make some healthy change in his life. Unlike most people who make healthy changes in their life, by 2012 Carl was a professional triathlete who competed in multiple Ironman (Ironmen?) triathlons around the world. Doing his darndest to run into the biggest fire he could, Carl turned his sights to Ultraman, a hellish three day event which encompasses a 10km swim, 421km bike and an 84km run on the last day. Carl dug deep and won the event in 2018 and 2019 and then turned his sights to ultramarathon (having set the record on the run leg of Ultraman), winning his first 100km race in 8.27 and then having a tilt at the Tarawera 100 miler. You could say that Carl well and truly has the bit between his teeth. Honest about his struggles, infectious in his enthusiasm for the sport he loves, tattoos (he’s got loads) and that mighty flying mullet, this chat with Carl is a ripper.

Kia Ora Whanau. Best laid plans go awry, right? And we’ve certainly found that out more than often of late, but we’ve had a great run, so we aren’t going to complain. Tonight we turn to our saviour Andrew McDowall to discuss his Everesting attempt at Mt Te Aroha in the Waikato. Andrew, Tom Hunt, and Dirty Geoff along for the ride as entertainment/crew chief. This is a ripper of a yarn which highlights how essential adventure is in our lives, how other people can make a seemingly arbitrary task mightily enjoyable, and how fulfilling it is to complete a task where you believe that your aid station chief may indeed need aid. We’ve also got the Greatest Run Ever, Stuffs You Should Know and we find out just how much one Kelpie can disgrace himself on one run. Spoiler Alert - a lot. Enjoy

Kia Ora Whanau. What do you say about Adam Keen? Adam and Katie Wright were the last two people at the Riverhead Backyard Relaps Ultra Marathon and relay. Adam did 17 laps of Mt Cargill in December in 24 hour for the standing record (if Crush the Cargill does records). Adam had a job running the Routeburn track, was in the army for a bit, enjoyed banditing the odd marathon or two, is one of the cabal behind the iconoclastic Crush The Cargill podcast. Adam takes a view on life that wants us to enjoy the process rather than tick tasks off one-by-one. Above all, Adam wants us to be more savage. Which at first pass sounds a lot, right? If you consider it you’ll find out that Adam means that living a sedentary, civilized life certainly isn't the best for you. Move your body in every way and your body will reward you. We discuss his approach to racing, life, coaching, training, and why laying down a 46 minute hot lap 166km into a last person standing event is a most excellent idea. Trust him, your legs will thank you.  Enjoy

Kia Ora Whanau. Joining us this week from the mountains of Italy is Robbie Britton. Robbie loves pushing himself, from constantly running around playing sport as a child, to completing master’s degrees, to coming third at the world 24 hour champs in 2015 and helping his GB team take the gold. Robbie, whose run at Turin clocks in as a DCR first at being two guest’s Greatest Run Ever, radiates enthusiasm and good cheer as he discusses his love of finishing races fast, how he kept the boredom of injury away by signing up for 1000km cycle races, and how he’s coped switching from being an athlete that does a bit of coaching, to a coach who does a bit of athlet’ing. We take a pause to consider Majell Backhausen carrying Robbie’s frozen form across Lake Baikal, and whether Majell looked down at Robbie in a comforting and beatific manner (SPOILER* He TOTALLY would have), as well as Robbie’s FKT in Jordan with the least stoked crew member ever.  We also discuss Yiannos Kurous’es bananna regime, Eugene outs Matt’s bizarre animal phobia, Greatest Run Ever, Stuff You Should Know, and whole lot of excitement  about next week’s 100th episode live show. Enjoy