Dirt Church Radio Trail Running

There is nothing we enjoy in Aotearoa more than two little Latin words: per capita. We may not have the economy of scale, or GDP or any of those other things that big countries have, but by hokey me, per capita, we’ve got the goods. This is especially true in the elite trail running space, which is pretty cool if you think about it. You practically can’t swing a dead cat in some parts of NZ without hitting a Terrex Athlete. That’s not to say it’s easy to cultivate relationships with professional athletes, but in this case, with Dan Jones it very much is. The Champ returns to DCR for our favourite chat yet. We talk to Dan about that DNF at Western States, the success of the rest of his season, Dadlife, GPT vs GPT, and where you’d rather have more clout, on the trail or in the cloud. We ponder what’s led to the popularity of backyard, and if DJ will ever do one. There follows a discussion about chasing SICK prizes in China, the value of calling your shot, what’s ahead, and what being a professional athlete has to teach Dan. All this and so much more; we hope you enjoy it.

Dirt Church Radio – Best Enjoyed Running.

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Episode Links

Daniel Jones Instagram

Adidas Running

Fenixlight

Suunto

Precision Fuel and Hydration

AG1

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Further Faster New Zealand

The Spectacle

Enjoy!

Music and editing by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

This week, Ali and Andrew run (ha!) down the notion that suffering in something you choose to do may not even be suffering at all. They peer into one leg of the ultrasphere's bifurcation and decide that, whilst looking fun, and all, Backyards may not be their thing. Influencers get a dishonourable mention, and as a bonus we’ve got interviews from Ali’s stint crewing the Vanilla Gorilla at the River Run Backyard this weekend—all this and more at the AidStation.

Dirt Church Radio – Best Enjoyed Running.

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Further Faster New Zealand

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Music and editing by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

I think we understood how epic the Crater Rim was, but we didn’t know it. This weekend changed all that—my Goodness, this was an incredible weekend of excellent trails and trying times. Some of us hurt ourselves, and some of us went to Taupo and rekindled our love for trails. For your pleasure, we also bring you the 2026 Crater Rim Live Show, all the way from Further Faster. Matt and Ali bring you a rollicking journey through the back alleys of DCR and speak with Chris Pike and Jules Christie from Further Faster about the race’s history, grassroots activism, and what it takes to bring such an incredible race to the community, for the community. Dirt Church Radio. We hope you enjoy it.

Dirt Church Radio – Best Enjoyed Running.

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Episode Links

Crater Rim Ultra

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Further Faster New Zealand

The Spectacle

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Music and editing by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

This week on the AidStation, our heroes gather once again to dissect the thorniest issues in the ultraphere. For some of us, strictly following doctor’s orders is the go; for others, it’s all coming up fondue, or fon-don’t, as it were. Beyond that, we’re pondering why you’d cancel a 240-mile race or even start one; we’ve got cold opens, hot takes, and dramatic music to boot—all this and more at the AidStation.

Dirt Church Radio – Best Enjoyed Running.

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Further Faster New Zealand

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Music and editing by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

Corrine Malcolm aspires to be trail running's biggest super fan. She’s also been described as a Swiss Army knife of knowledge about the sport and culture. You’ll have heard her on countless live streams at massive races such as Western States. Corrine is part of the Freetrail family and the Trail Society Podcast. With a background in winter biathlon that led to top-tier trail and ultramarathon running, coaching, and mentorship.  Corrine is a force to be reckoned with and is a fierce advocate for inclusion and equity in racing. Ali speaks to Corrine about her journey in the sport, the joys, challenges, and beyond on this most excellent episode of Dirt Church Radio. We hope you enjoy it.

Dirt Church Radio – Best Enjoyed Running.

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Episode Links

Corrine Malcolm Instagram

Corrine Malcolm Twitter

Corrine Malcolm Home

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Further Faster New Zealand

The Spectacle

Enjoy!

Music and editing by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

This weekend was about love. Love of the trails, Love of the sport, Love of grassroots events (Yes, CTC, we mean you too) and love of the people who dream up these foolhardy endeavours. 

Long story short, we all ran a bunch of loops of Blue Lake, and it ruled. We did a tonne of interviews, and they were great too. It all got very Scottish. Give it a hoon. 

All this and more at the AidStation.

Dirt Church Radio – Best Enjoyed Running.

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Episode Links

Blue Lake 24 Hours

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Further Faster New Zealand

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Music and editing by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

The boundaries between what is possible and what was once thought impossible are crumbling by the day. This is especially true in the ultra space. This week, Ali and Andrew speak to the mighty Katharina Hartmuth about her journey to Tor des Géants, and what she hoped to achieve before her incredible, emphatic win.  Pragmatic, driven and engaging, Katharina has delivered some incredible performances in the past, including the record on the Bob Graham Round. The gang discusses all this and more, including how to navigate injuries and unexpected events during races, such as losing her vision at Hardrock. This is an incredible conversation with an incredible athlete. We hope you enjoy it.

Dirt Church Radio – Best Enjoyed Running.

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Episode Links

Katharina Hartmuth Instagram

Hoka

Leki Trailrunning

Suunto

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Further Faster New Zealand

The Spectacle

Enjoy!

Music and editing by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

Look, we’ve lately taken to welcoming the heat death of the universe, or a comet, to rid us of the continued madness of the ultrasphere. Our dudes, it’s getting bad. We’re in a hectic headspace, and we’re here to chat shit. What’s that alternative to the Sweeny-ness of it all? Can you have your OnlyFans and eat it too? (Sorry). Why is golf? WHILE WE ARE AT IT, what is the furthest you’ve ever walked? And why, as older runners, must we be cognizant that whatever residual strength we had warps and fades? On the positive, we (Matt) love Jeff Garmire and encourage you all to watch his new film. We are also unreasonably excited to all be at 24 hours of Blue Lake next weekend. Circling back to the top, and speaking of chatting shit, is it ever okay if the train goes to brown-town to keep pushing on to your goals, literally and figuratively? All this and more at the AidStation.

Dirt Church Radio – Best Enjoyed Running.

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Episode Links

Rewritten | Attempting the Appalachian Trail

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Further Faster New Zealand

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Music and editing by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

All we are is a collection of stories. As hard as we may try, we scream a narrative. It seeps from our pores. Everything speaks, from our genetics to our blood markers; our history written for us, and the history we make ourselves. We became who we are by telling stories, and at the end of the day, all any of us really want is that sense of excitement, understanding, and connection that a story gives us. Who then, is better to have on the pod this week than Roger Hanney? Ali and Matt speak to Roger about his journey and how being diagnosed as a type 1 diabetic in his early thirties altered the course of his life trajectory and led him to tackle some of the wildest ultra marathons in the world, through to the business of running with Hoka and, later, Mount to Coast. Brilliant, funny, poignant, and wise. This is an excellent yarn, and we hope you enjoy it.

Dirt Church Radio – Best Enjoyed Running.

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Episode Links

Roger Hanney Instagram

Roger Hanney Writing

Mount to Coast

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Further Faster New Zealand

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Music and editing by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

Community gets bandied around too much these days. Everything is a community, even though around us our worlds get smaller, our networks become increasingly online, and our horizons narrow. Even accounting for our jaundiced views, this weekend was a true display of what community can and should be. MND sucks; this has been established. The fight that people like Professor Dominic Rowe, Gavin Clifton, Matt Pridham, and others are waging against this disease, and the advocacy for the community affected by it, are staggering. There are lots of serious discussions in this podcast; however, there is also lightness, hope, humour, and fun. Please enjoy our conversations with the aforementioned above, plus Rob Philpott, Fionn Curran, Sarah Jenkins, and current Firies Climb course record holder Jess. 

Dirt Church Radio – Best Enjoyed Running.

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Episode Links

Firies Climb For MND

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Further Faster New Zealand

Enjoy!

Music and editing by Andrew McDowall, Digicake