DCR AidStation

Kia ora e te whānau.

We had a particularly nice time on this week’s AidStation podcast, celebrating one year of Ali and Andrew jumping on board. Matt had the opportunity to ask them a mix of longer-form and quick-fire style questions about the last 12 months, and what they were looking forward to in the next 12 months and beyond.

Kia ora e te whānau. Mistakes were made. The first of many in this week’s episode of the AidStation was Andrew McDowall describing Matt as having a “water off a duck’s back” mentality. This is not true. Especially when the water is the wider response to the Joyline Chepgnego doping saga.That water really sank in. The duck was soaked. Ali, Andrew, and Matt discuss this thorny issue and where responsibility for supporting athletes accused of doping sits, and is the response from sponsors and the wider bodies in the sport is up to scratch. Furthermore, do the systems that drive these athletes to chase greater riches and fame provide adequate support and guidance to avoid potential pitfalls? This (of course) leads to a conversation about why Andrew would race David Bain in a half-marathon and not Lance Armstrong. Do age group wins count? How long could a post-race funk reasonably extend? What even is Sunnyvale Baked Bean Syndrome? We touch on how running can be as much of an addiction as the next thing, and how being lubed for bear in civilian clothes when your plans change quickly feels transgressive. As a parting thought, there is some comfort in that we were probably never going to get sponsored by Salomon anyway. Also, check out our show notes for a great article in iRunFar on the subject written by Eszter Horanyi.Excellent stuff.

Kia ora e te whānau. We make no bones about it. Dirt Church Radio is, was, and always will be Ruth Croft Positive. Over the (at least) 7 times Croft has appeared on DCR, there has always been one constant- a focus on moving forward. Ruth is on par with the best to take the gig, a wonderful human being, and an asset to our sport. The only criminal elemen…

Kia ora e te whānau. It’s that time of year when we start to see the end of winter and the earliest glimpses of spring. Thoughts turn to the new year, big events, and the lead-up to those events. Does one size fit all when it comes to peak months and loading during the macrocycle? This doesn’t even begin to touch on the double-edged sword of Strava and …

Kia ora e te whānau.This week, Ali Pottinger and Andrew McDowall sit down with the one and only Phil Gore. You’ll know Phil from his two epic showdowns with our very own Sam Harvey at Dead Cow Gully — both times pushing themselves to the ragged edges of what we thought humanly possible.

A complete psychological breakdown is rarely captured on a heatmap. Yet here we are.

Kia ora e te whānau. I mean, the co-hosts of your third favourite trail and ultrarunning podcast haven’t gotten together for a chinwag for a while, and, if the universe has had a say in 2/3rds of our days, things are bound to get chaotic. …

Kia ora e te whānau. This week, Ali and Matt sit down with the legendary Sage Canaday. Since turning pro in 2012, Sage has been a defining presence in the trail and ultrarunning world. With a strong background in road racing and tidy marathon times, he helped usher in a new era of professional athletes in trail running.

Kia ora e te whānau. This week, we’ve got another special edition of the AidStation for you. Ali and Andrew caught up with Australian endurance legend Maree Connor to talk about her amazing ultramarathon career. From the iconic Spartathlon to the punishment of Badwater 135 to the World 24-Hour Championships, Maree has conquered some of the most incredib…

Marianne Hogan – The Will to Endure | Dirt Church Radio 335

Ali Pottinger catches up with the mighty Marianne Hogan after her epic third-place finish at this year’s Western States Endurance Run, cementing her as one of trail running’s top talents. We first tried to record before Tarawera Ultra, but life intervened, so we’re thrilled to bring you this conversation now. Marianne shares her journey back from injury, her resilience and grit through setbacks, and what it truly means to endure in this week’s Dirt Church Radio.

Kia ora e te whānau. This week we’ve something super special for you. Ali and Matt had the chance to catch up with Dan Jones about his third consecutive top-five finish at the Western States Endurance Run. We talk about the day that was,…