On this episode, Tomi speaks with local legend Guy Bracken!

Guy runs for Morpeth Harriers and competes in anything from 1500 to 10K. He holds multiple world records in different age categories over different distances and he's not done! Still full of goals and ready to get more world titles and records, Guy is getting back from a huge injury, with winning on his mind.

Guy shares what got him into running and what his journey has been over the last 11 years. Guy got into the sport quite late, but that hasn't stopped him from fulfilling his potential through hard work and consistency.

Today, Guy tells us what training is like, what competing around the world is like and how it feels to still be able to race against and beat many younger men.

A true inspiration and hard worker, is Guy.

We hope you learn something, we hope you get inspired and we hope you Find Your Fire.

On this episode, Tomi speaks to special guest from Episode 38 - Carl Mowatt.

On 27th September, Mowza set out to complete an unthinkable challenge - 8 half marathons in one day! The point of this challenge was to raise money for Guide Dogs - a charity, very close to Carl's heart that provides blind people with guide dogs.

At the time of this recording, Carl has raised more than £15,000 with the help of everybody who has generously donated.

Carl takes us through every half marathon he ran - from 1 am all the way to the end. He shares the routes, the people he ran with, his thoughts and feelings and what kept him motivated in the hard times.

Out of this is event the birth of a yearly Super 8 Relay event - stay tuned to find out how you can get involved!

Truly an amazing feat and so inpiring, is what Carl has done.

If you'd like to donate to Guide Dogs, here's the link:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mowza100miles

If you're interested in more of Carl's story, check out episode 38!

We hope you learn something, we hope you get inspired and we hope you Find Your Fire.

On this episode, Tomi speaks to Gateshead Harriers coach Lee Morgan. Lee coaches young athletes at North Shields Poly and Gateshead Harriers and has been coaching for the last 10 years. Before he was a coach he was a strong 5 and 10k runner at Wallsend Harriers as a junior, but after a few years out of the sport, he returned as a coach and has regained his passion for the sport of athletics.

Today, Lee shares his experiences as a coach and the things he's learnt over the years. He shares the highs and lows, the best and worst moments but what is evident is his passion for the athletes he gets to lead.

Lee reveals his mindset as a coach and what makes coaching so fulfilling in his eyes. He talks about learning from great coaches and about what he finds to be the most important thing to know and do as a coach.

Lee puts such an emphasis on community and camaraderie and he explains why today.

Lee's Ardent passion and zeal for what he does and who he does it for shines through on today's episode so if you want to be inspired, listen all the way to the end!

We hope you learn something, we hope you get inspired and we hope you Find Your Fire.

On this episode Tomi speaks with Lucas Sutherland. Lucas is from the North East, he runs for Gateshead harriers and is coached by John Stephenson.

Lucas is an ex-football player turned long distance runner, who has seen massive improvements in his running over the last two years of training.

Today Lucas tells us about his training, and he highlights the value of training with  a team. He also shares his race experiences - good and bad (🤣) and he takes us into his mindset of wanting to get better and push himself.

Lucas is focusing on 5 and 10ks for now, but has dreams of competing in marathons around the world. Today he tells us what he needs to do to get there and shares advice from experience to help you too, improve your running.

We hope you learn something, we hope you get inspired and we hope you Find Your Fire.

On this episode, Tomi speaks with Garry Reay, a long distance athlete who runs for Jarrow & Hebburn.

Garry was an athlete as a young boy, but as he entered adulthood and started working, running took more of a backfoot, until it eventually faded out of his life.

Recently, Garry has started running again - after 38 years! He's loving it and is improving rather rapidly.

Today Garry talks about running as a junior athlete, he talks about his hiatus, working at Nike along with Brendan Foster and the process of gettin back into running.

Garry's return is full of goals, but has been plagued with injuries, however the injuries have not dimmed a light on his goals, that he's looking forward to going after!

Garry's unique story inpires. It shows us that no matter how long you've been out of sports, you can make your way back by just taking the first step.

We hope you learn something, we hope you get inspired and we hope you Find Your Fire.

On this episode, Tomi speaks with U20 National Silver Medallist in the 3000m Steeplechase, Luca Minale.

Luca is from London, but lives in Newcastle, while studying animation at Northumbria university. He runs for Gateshead Harriers, is coached by John Stephenson and focuses on the middle distance events.

Luca talks about training with his group in Gateshead and how that compares to training in London. He also shares his racing experiences and lessons learnt from the good and the bad races.

Luca tells us about the ups and downs he's faced in getting to national level. He talks about injuries, losing motivation, getting re-motivated and keeping the inspiration.

Despite all the injuries and setbacks, Luca has always managed to bounce back and never give up - the true mark of a champion.

We hope you learn something, we hope you get inspired and we hope you Find Your Fire.

On this episode, Tomi speaks about the Great North Run!

Oh the pain, the fun, the joy, the almost tears, the struggle and thr accomplishment.

I take you through, mile by mile, thought by thought, what was going on in my head and legs, so you can live through the pain with me.

I'd definitely do it again, but man that hurt! Enjoy my stories and complaints about my first long distance race - the Great North Run!

I hope you learn something, I hope you get inspired and I hope you Find Your Fire.

On this episode, Tomi speaks with Josh Blevins, a young athlete running for Gateshead Harriers, coached by John Stephenson and specialising in the middle distance events.

With a 1500m PB of 3:54 at the age of 16, Josh is always racing older boys up and down the country, even getting to represent England and compete nationally!

Josh talks about his journey so far in athletics. He talks about running from the age of seven, winning English Schools and competing nationwide.

He shares his best and worst racing stories, and shares how he has improved over the last few years.

His training is a big part of that, so we discuss what sort of work goes into producing fast times at a young age.

Josh inspires by sharing his goals and dreams for his future athletics career and he's certainly going in the right direction!

His love for the sport shines through in this episode, so make sure you listen all the way to the end!

We hope you learn something, we hope you get inspired and we hope you Find Your Fire.

On this episode, Tomi speaks with Alexis Dodd of Jarrow and Hebburn.

Alexis has been running for J&H since 2019 and has rapidly reached a high level, winning local and regional events and even getting to represent England and Team GB.

Today, Alexis shares how she got into running and how she has improved rapidly.

She talks about her races, good and bad, and how she has improved consistently.

Alexis talks about the training that got her to this level. Alexis breaks down a standard training week and shares what her favourite and least favourite sessions are. She talks about her training group and how community motivates her and is so prevalent at Jarrow and Hebburn AC.

Alexis talks about why self belief is so important for her and is looking to build this over the off season.

Make sure you listen to the end to hear her tips!

We hope you learn something, we hope you get inspired and we hope you Find Your Fire.

On this episode, Tomi speaks with Andy Ball - a member of Elswick Harriers, who runs 5k to half marathons.

Andy shares his running journey; what got him into it and how he has progressed. He talks about how his half marathons especially have improved and what sort of training he has done to see these results.

Andy is very big on not putting pressure on himself and he shares his goal setting strategy, offering another perspective on how to see goals and improvement.

Beyond the physical aspect of running, though, Andy has a very big passion for the mental side of it - mindset and mental health. He shares his thoughts on why athletes should care more about mental health and what clubs and club members who don't struggle so much with mental health can do to look out for those who do struggle with it.

Andy has a big focus on removing the stigma of mental health, so that people can come forward without worrying about how they sound and confidently, knowing they can get help.

Lots to think about in today's episode.

We hope you learn something, we hope you get inspired and we hope you Find Your Fire