Kia ora e te whānau. Out the gate with a bonus episode recorded with Lazarus Lake and Shaun Collins on the last night of Laz’s stay. Gary ‘Lazarus Lake’ Cantrell is a self described “Hillbilly from Tennessee” who for the better part of 40 years has been quietly putting on the most difficult foot races on the planet. On good form and ready to wax lyrical about the fellowship of miles, the peculiarity of regional dialects, the importance of the collective, and the intrinsic worth of every athlete, this is a great conversation that we couldn’t wait to bring you. Best enjoyed whilst running. 

Episode Links 

Riverhead Relaps 

SCOTT Running 

Julbo Eyewear 

UltrAspire

irunfar

Dirt Church Radio on Instagram

Dirt Church Radio on Twitter 

Dirt Church Radio on Facebook 

Dirt Church Radio on Patreon

Ciele

Further Faster New Zealand

Kia ora e te whānau.Majell Backhausen is many things to many people. To Eugene and Matt Maj is, was, and always will be the 13th person ever to come on Dirt Church Radio. Speaking to Majell is always such a pleasure, like that time we bumped into him just below Wentworth Falls at UTA, all suffused in golden light, or that time we ran into him and Martin Gaffuri at the Redwoods (again, suffused in golden light..there is a theme) Majell has an energy about him, and a love of the trails and our world that is both inspiring and encouraging. Majell talks to us about his new role at Patagonia, encourages you to cheat on us with other podcasts (we’ll allow it) and discusses his new project An End to An End, about the efforts to stop logging in the Great Forest outside of Melbourne.As with most of our conversations with Majell he is warm, engaged, and attentive, dropping knowledge from a position of deep love of our sport.  As with most of our episodes this is a conversation with an incredible runner about everything but running, whilst at the same time being all about running. How’s THAT for an emancipatory praxis?  Enjoy.

Episode Links 

Majell Backhausen on Instagram 

End to an End on Youtube 

The Great Forest Campaign 

Yvon Chouinard on surfer’s journal

SCOTT Running 

Julbo Eyewear 

UltrAspire

irunfar

Dirt Church Radio on Instagram

Dirt Church Radio on Twitter 

Dirt Church Radio on Facebook 

Dirt Church Radio on Patreon

Ciele

Further Faster New Zealand

Kia ora e te whānau. You can learn a bit about a person from standing on a finish line with them through the night, and we were super lucky to have had that experience at TUM with Martin Gaffuri.  We are so unbelievably stoked to bring you this conversation. It’s been a minute in the making and is well worth the wait. We spoke to Martin on the shore of Lake Hāwea, in the cradle of the mountains, with a man who is a veteran of our sport on both sides of the tape, being intimately involved in the highest echelons of trail running in performance and business. We learn about Martin’s history, the intricacies of just what it takes to put on a little race like UTMB, how Martin lost and found his love of the sport, the mental game of ultrarunning both from the performance and contractual side, with a side bonus of what his old mate R. Croft of Stillwater, West Coast, is up to. Uplifting, wise, and informative, Martin is the real deal. Enjoy.

Episode Links 

Martin Gaffuri Instagram 

Martin Gaffuri Twitter

Vert.Run  

SCOTT Running 

Summit Coffee

OUT TRAILS

Julbo Eyewear 

UltrAspire

irunfar

Givealitle for Kerry’s Rehab 

Dirt Church Radio on Instagram

Dirt Church Radio on Twitter 

Dirt Church Radio on Facebook 

Dirt Church Radio on Patreon

Ciele

Further Faster New Zealand

Kia ora e te whānau. Not to gush, but if Eugene and Matt did ever start a DCR book club, the first book in the curriculum would be Feet In The Clouds by Richard Askwith. For years we discussed inviting Richard on, but never had the courage to do so, until by happy chance we were prompted by a DCR listener. As well as being an author, Richard is a runner, journalist, and writer. He’s most famous for Feet in the Clouds, a gorgeous book about the fell-running scene in the United Kingdom, but he’s published so much brilliant writing on running - Today We Die a Little about Zatopek is one of Eugene’s favourite books of all time. His latest book is The Race Against Time, about ageing and running. Eugene and Matt caught up with him at his home where he was quite bemused about the fact a trail running podcast down here would want to chat with him.   Enjoy.

Episode Links 

Richard Askwith 

SCOTT Running 

Summit Coffee

OUT TRAILS

Julbo Eyewear 

UltrAspire

irunfar

Givealitle for Kerry’s Rehab 

Dirt Church Radio on Instagram

Dirt Church Radio on Twitter 

Dirt Church Radio on Facebook 

Dirt Church Radio on Patreon

Ciele

Further Faster New Zealand

Kia ora e te whānau. Last time Eugene and Matt spoke to Nancy Jiang was way back in 2018 on DCR #16. Way back then Nancy was beginning her trail running story, having just carved it up at the CCC and coming 15th at the world mountain running champs. Fast forward five years and we find the 2023 Tarawera 102km champion finally in a place where she’s not continuously hungry, and her feet aren’t throbbing, having just taken it home at the big dance and punched her Golden Ticket for the Western States Endurance Run. We speak to a human being who is standing in her power, training effectively, consistently, and coming off the big red ‘S’ to focus more time getting after it with solid intention. We talk about being busted by her coach (his lordship Jono Wyatt) mid-run, to her strategy and approach to Tarawera and how finally her parents have come around to the fact that maybe Chinese people can run.  Enjoy.

Episode Links 

Nancy Jiang on Instagram 

La Sportiva NZ

Let’s Get Nancy Jiang to WSER!!!

SCOTT Running 

Summit Coffee

OUT TRAILS

Julbo Eyewear 

UltrAspire

irunfar

Givealitle for Kerry’s Rehab 

Dirt Church Radio on Instagram

Dirt Church Radio on Twitter 

Dirt Church Radio on Facebook 

Dirt Church Radio on Patreon

Ciele

Further Faster New Zealand

Kia ora e te whānau. Eugene and Matt had the privilege of speaking with Ryan Montgomery from Park City, Utah, whilst he was at the Tarawera Ultramarathon by UTMB 102km. Born and raised in the misty Pacific Northwest, Ryan is a lover of outdoor spaces. Ryan ran his first marathon at 15 years old and was immediately inspired by long-distance running. Since his debut ultra marathon in 2016, he has run races such as the Wasatch Front 100, Badwater 135, and Tahoe 200. He placed 2nd at the 100-mile USATF National Championships in 2019, qualified for 24-Hour Team USA in 2020, and received a Golden Ticket for Western States at the Javelina Jundred in 2021. As a queer, gay runner, Ryan is passionate about creating community for LGBTQ+ athletes out on the trails. Ryan is the co-founder of Out Trails, an opportunity to bring queer together in outdoor places. This is an amazing conversation with an amazing human being at the height of his athletic prowess who is flying the flag (literally and figuratively) for true inclusion for all in the outdoor space. In addition to our conversation with Ryan we offer our aroha to the community so badly affected by the recent cyclone and share with you a remarkable Greatest Run Ever.  Enjoy.

Episode Links 

Ryan Montgomery on Instagram 

Altra Running

Ultimate Direction 

Suunto

Gnarly Nutrition

SCOTT Running 

Summit Coffee

OUT TRAILS

Julbo Eyewear 

UltrAspire

irunfar

Givealitle for Kerry’s Rehab 

Dirt Church Radio on Instagram

Dirt Church Radio on Twitter 

Dirt Church Radio on Facebook 

Dirt Church Radio on Patreon

Ciele

Further Faster New Zealand

Kia ora e te whānau. HOLY HECKA we’ve got a stacked show for you this week. From the shores of Lake Okataina (literally) to the village green where we interviewed a galaxy of this sport’s brightest stars, Tarawera Ultramarathon by UTMB always brings the goods and this year was no different. Eugene and Matt were on MC duties from Saturday evening until Sunday morning, and in between they managed to catch up with 10000 people, record a podcast, go for some sweet runs, share the stories and emotions with a tonne of athletes and sit down to talk with Hayden Hawks, Caitlin Fielder, Ryan Montgomery, Zach Friedley, Troy Sachs, Lucy Bartholomew, and Zach Miller. You can thank us later, we’re off to bed.  Enjoy.

Episode Links 

Tarawera Ultramarathon by UTMB

Hayden Hawks on Instagram 

Caitlin Fielder on Instagram 

Ryan Montgomery on Instagram 

Zach Friedley on Instagram

Troy Sachs on Instagram 

Lucy Bartholomew on Instagram 

Zach Miller on Instagram 

SCOTT Running 

Coros NZ

Julbo Eyewear 

UltrAspire

irunfar

Givealitle for Kerry’s Rehab 

Dirt Church Radio on Instagram

Dirt Church Radio on Twitter 

Dirt Church Radio on Facebook 

Dirt Church Radio on Patreon

Ciele

Further Faster New Zealand

Kia ora e te whānau. An elite mindset is transferable across all ventures. Just ask Daniele Danesin. This week, Eugene and Matt sit down to talk with the five-time world champion rower and Olympian about his transition to running trails, his love of endurance, his background growing up in Italy, and what drove him to put down his football boots and pick up an oar. This conversation is an incredible insight into what makes an athlete elite, delivered in one of the most engaging, pleasant, and humble manners. Daniele is not only the current Crater Rim champion, and runner up at Old Ghost Ultra, he is also an award winning brewer with Cassels Brewing Co. We talk about Daniele’s lessons learned, his approach to training, and racing, why it’s better to not be like an apple tree, and how he’d rather run 100 miles than ever use a rowing machine again. Enjoy.

Episode Links 

Hayden Hawks on DCR 

Caitlin Fielder on DCR 

Zachary Friedly on DCR 

Lucy Bartholomew on DCR #1

Lucy Bartholomew on DCR #2

Cassels Brewing Co

SCOTT Running 

Coros NZ

Julbo Eyewear 

UltrAspire

irunfar

Givealitle for Kerry’s Rehab 

Dirt Church Radio on Instagram

Dirt Church Radio on Twitter 

Dirt Church Radio on Facebook 

Dirt Church Radio on Patreon

Ciele

Further Faster New Zealand

This is a DCR special bonus repeat episode. Back in Episode 126 we caught up with Dr Tom Reynolds, part of the medical team at the Tarawera Ultra. Now, in that episode, as well as talking to him about his own incredible endurance feats, we spoke to him about the top tips he has for athletes undertaking trail races of all distances - the things to do and to avoid to make it back home safely. Now, these are tips that apply to all races, but with Tarawera just about upon on us, we wanted to share this conversation with you again because it’s important stuff and it’s worth repeating.

Episode links

Tarawera Ultramarathon 

 The five things to help you during Tarawera (and other races)

SCOTT Running 

Coros NZ

Julbo Eyewear 

UltrAspire

irunfar

Givealitle for Kerry’s Rehab 

Dirt Church Radio on Instagram

Dirt Church Radio on Twitter 

Dirt Church Radio on Facebook 

Dirt Church Radio on Patreon

Ciele

Further Faster New Zealand

Kia ora e te whānau. It’s fair to say that Eugene and Matt are  getting super excited about Tarawera coming up. And this week, they are super grateful to be able to catch up with their MC amigos Ali Pottinger and Kerry Suter. Two absolute legends and the folk behind Squadrun, the coaching and running community phenomena. Ali and Kerry are the chief cheerleaders of trail running in Aotearoa and Australia, they coach and support thousands of people, and you’ll often find them on the mic at races around the country. Kerry was one of the first people associated with Tarawera when Paul Charteris founded it, and he had an extraordinary running career of his own until an awful mountain bike accident last year left him with serious injuries. 

In this week’s episode the gang engages in a  full preview of the races and Kerry and Ali share some of their incredible knowledge about how to take on the Tarawera course. And there are plenty of laughs along the way. Enjoy.

Episode Links 

SCOTT Running 

Coros NZ

Julbo Eyewear 

UltrAspire

irunfar

Givealitle for Kerry’s Rehab 

Dirt Church Radio on Instagram

Dirt Church Radio on Twitter 

Dirt Church Radio on Facebook 

Dirt Church Radio on Patreon

Ciele

Further Faster New Zealand