Kia ora e te whānau. Four years has simply flown by. We both feel such privilege to be part of this community and experience the wonder of how great running can be and the amazing things that this community can accomplish. We loaded in to Hallertau Brewery with the GOAT Andrew McDowall for a celebration of DCR in front of a live audience. We were joined by two people who, whilst being vastly more academically qualified than us, could also smash us in a race, Katie Wright and Will Hayward. We spoke about their running, Big’s Backyard, Hong Kong being Wellington on steroids for running, and the general madness of the last couple years. We then turned the argon bite of questioning on ourselves with a listener mail bag which included OUR Greatest Runs Ever.  We also got to give away some awesome race entries to Tarawera Ultramarathon, Kepler Challenge, and Hallertau Riverhead Rampage and some sweet Ciele kit. Honestly, this gig is the best. Thank you all for listening and here's to many more years. Enjoy. 

Episode Links 

Katie Wright on Instagram

Will Hayward on Instagram 

CurraNZ

SOS Hydration

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 rare that at 16, you could be considered a veteran of the trail and ultra-marathon scene, but that’s certainly the case with Sebastian Salsbury. Sebastian took to the trails with his father and sister as a wee young fella at the Born to Run Marathons and cracked out his first 100km at the Black Canyons at the ripe age of 13.  Since then, Sebastian has done a bunch more, including his Rim to Rim at the Grand Canyon accompanied by none other than Max King. This is a runner with his head screwed on, coached by Hayden Hawks, and someone you get the sense is really going somewhere. No matter how old - or young - you are, you’ll get something out of this conversation for sure. One thing that Eugene and Matt have ALWAYS SAID is that the West Coast is the Best Coast, and Ms R Croft of Stillwater, Greymouth, has proved that by only bloody well going and winning Western States!! That tasty little tidbit is just the tip of the iceberg as we run down all the amazing racing action, bang out a most grateful Greatest Run Ever and desperately try to give away another TWO Tarawera entries via the medium of coming to our live show and/or submitting a Greatest Run Ever. Why not?!?!? Enjoy. 

Episode Links 

Sebastian Salsbury 

Salomon

Naked Sports Innovations

Squirrels Nut Butter

CurraNZ

SOS Hydration

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. Eugene and Matt spoke to New York Times Best Selling Author Christopher McDougall, and it ruled. Far from a traditional conversation, this one veered all over the map, with McDougall just having returned from a run to the hardware store for things to pack up his house pending his imminent move to Hawaii.  We discuss the impetus for writing the follow-up to Born to Run with coach Eric Orton. In a fever Matt offers violence, Christopher talked about drinking one’s own urine, and Eugene put it out there  that whilst not everyone might, he certainly always has a little bit of mule inside him*. There is a cameo from Lola, Matt’s 15-year-old daughter, and a general trove of amazing conversation about movement, the search for authenticity, and just the remarkable fact that we were all coping in such whacky times from the man who brought us Born to Run, Natural Born Heroes, and Running With Sherman. This conversation is at once funny, disarming, poignant, and surreal. Also this week on the show we give away ONE of our Tarawera entries, encourage you all to submit a Greatest Run Ever to win ANOTHER entry and run down the news, races, and details about our 200th episode live show. Enjoy. 

*Perhaps as a Patronus? We’ll never know. 

Episode Links 

Christopher McDougall Home 

CurraNZ

SOS Hydration

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.This week Eugene and Matt speak with Jo Ryder and Sarah Haerewa from Trailblazers Aotearoa. Trailblazers is a volunteer-led initiative that uses activity and trail running as a vehicle for young people to overcome the impact of adversity. Jo founded Trailblazers after having significant interactions with young people in schools through her work as a police officer. Jo realized that the positive effects of physical activity and trail running in particular had tangible benefits to the rangatahi in this country. The programme curriculum is designed based on neurobiology and traumatology. The focus of Trailblazers is on healing, and you will hear that throughout our conversation with these two inspirational runners. Trailblazers Aotearoa now has programmes in Christchurch and Porirua and is looking to spread further afield. Both Jo and Sarah are avid trail runners and lining up this year at Taupo 100. We dive into their background in sports and the impetus for taking on this challenge. You will love this conversation and be inspired in ways that you may not expect. We also announce details of our Tarawera Ultra giveaways – yes, plural – and the Greatest Run Ever is a gem. Enjoy! 

Episode Links 

Trailblazers Aotearoa 

SOS Hydration

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. The statement that women are not just smaller men sounds QED, however it is one that has been largely ignored by the academic and sporting establishment. This week Eugene and Matt have the distinct pleasure of speaking with Dr Stacy Sims. Stacy is an exercise physiologist and nutritionist, someone who is a world leader in pushing the boundaries - and the boundaries of knowledge - for women in sport and life. She’s also an author - she published Roar about three years ago and has a new book called Next Level. Stacy has been a highly competitive rower, hockey player, Ironman athlete and ultra marathon runner,  she has a Ted Talk entitled Women Are Not Small Men and has appeared on numerous podcasts and television shows including The Oprah Winfrey Show. This is a fact-filled, fun-filled conversation with an awesome human being.  We also bring you another cracker GRE, mind-blowing results from Sydney featuring Beatles chat, and a guest appearance from Daniel Jones with a quick update on his epic US racing and training mission. Enjoy!

Episode Links 

Dr Stacy Sims 

Women Aren’t Small Men TEDx

Kerry Suter and Ali Pottinger on Sunday

SOS Hydration

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. With his mental health in tatters and at his lowest point, Jake Malby stood literally on the crossroads of life and death. Intuition and timely action by his brother, Australian ultrarunner Ben Malby, contributed to Jake making the choice to continue in this existence and to move towards healing. Proof that our trauma can inform us, not define us, Jake has moved from his first 25 kilometre race into a running machine committed to the miles, his wellbeing, and creating a space where others can heal and share as well. Undertaking 31 marathons in 31 days and building towards an 850km trip from the Sydney Opera House to Burleigh Hill, Jake continues to raise awareness, advocate, and embrace a life of wellbeing assisted by running. This is a raw, honest, and beautiful conversation with a human being who has endured and overcome some powerful struggles. We also offer you a challenge this week to listen to this week’s Greatest Run Ever and not suddenly find that there must be dust in the room or something. #Jetthebordercollie Enjoy!

Episode Links 

Jake’s Kidsline Challenge 

Jake Malby on Instagram 

Hoka Australia

Coros Australia 

Spring Energy Australia 

Salty Backs Balancing 

Kerry Suter and Ali Pottinger on Sunday

SOS Hydration

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

Kia ora e te whānau.This week Matt has the privilege and pleasure of sitting down over a cup of (virtual) tea for a conversation with the mighty Marty Lukes. The term “legend” gets bandied about a fair bit these days, but Marty more than qualifies for this criteria. This is a deep dive into the history of Aotearoa trail and road ultramarathon running with one of the true leaders of our sport. Marty has a three-peat at Kepler from 2007 to 2009, 6th at the 100km world championship in 2006 plus a slew of other accolades. But this conversation is more than running down Marty’s achievements, it’s a glimpse into the golden age of trail running in Aotearoa and a cast of epic characters and incredible races. Marty looks back on lessons learned, and brings it right back to the beginning, when he came down from the mountains for love. Enjoy!

Episode Links 

The SK 

BSR Canterbury

The Bob Graham Round

The Craigieburn Round

The Speed Freaks Odyssey House

SOS Hydration

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. This week on the podcast Matt and Eugene call California to catch up with Marcus Rentie … a resident of LA where he grew up loving all sorts of sports including stunt roller-blading - yes, that is a thing - and started running, then found the trails and hasn’t looked back. One of the reasons we wanted to talk to Marcus was about the non-profit organisation he has founded called Trail Folx which aims to provide opportunities for underprivileged and underserved youth in Los Angeles. The goal is to increase representation in outdoor sports. We talk to him all about this, as well as the weekly trail runs he hosts in the Los Angeles hills, how spreadsheets and the running scene in LA intersect, and this trail dog named Batman! We also cover off some of the weekend’s racing including course records Down South. Enjoy!

Episode Links 

Trailfolx website

Tralifolx on Instagram

Marcus Rentie on Instagram

Batman on Instagram

SOS Hydration

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. This week on the podcast Eugene and Matt speak with ultramarathon runner, physiotherapist, and PhD candidate Emma O’Loughlin about her groundbreaking study into periodizing recovery around, well, women’s periods. We also discuss Emma’s history of Gaelic Football, why women are more prone to ACL injury, The Race Across America, and why if you work with your hands it’s better to injure yourself skiing not snowboarding. We cover Emma’s love of trail running, the WUU2k, strength work and so much more in this epic conversation. Enjoy!

Episode Links 

Emma’s ACL Recovery Study 

Emma on Instagram 

Emma on Twitter

Locker Room Story

Otago Publications Page 

SOS Hydration

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..This week on the podcast Eugene speaks with Hayden Hawks. Hayden is  a professional runner based in Utah who famously won the first trail ultra he entered, the Speed Goat 50km in 2016. For those that know, this is not just any race. Hayden has a clutch of other races including JFK 50 Mile in a course record in 2020, Black Canyon 2020, UTMB CCC in 2017 in a course record. He recently won the Coastal Challenge in Costa Rica too. Apart from life as a professional athlete, Hayden is an exercise science graduate, loves to go on riding adventures, and is a father and husband. Eugene had a deep dive into his training methods - and, importantly, recovery - we talked about the idea that US male athletes seem to have a thing about UTMB, which Hayden pushes back on quite strongly. Importantly, too, (for Matt) they discuss whether Hayden will be rocking his mustache when he lines up at Western States in June to get some revenge for last year when he was running in second until mile 92 until things went south. Enjoy!

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Episode Links 

Hayden Hawks Home 

Hayden Hawks Instagram 

Hoka 

Coros 

Unived

SOS Hydration

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