When starting my running facebook group I have people answer the question 'what got you into running?'. A surprising number of members answered 'to help with mental health'. I needed at least one runner to come forth and share their experiences with mental illness. Thankfully I found Kelly Griffiths who was more than happy to share in order to help others who may be following a similar path.

In 2015 my next guest became the first women in the world to accomplish 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days! Completing the world marathon challenge came at a price & conquering adversity which set Marianna aside from the rest of the world.

Andy Raynor is the popular FOD runner on youtube. What began as a way to 'challenge himself' exploded into a passion of trail running and documenting his runs along the way. Learn about the forest of dean as well as some fantastic tips for trail running.

This week Heartland Running goes Down Under. Crystal has the chance to hang with Brodie Sharpe. Brodie is the host of an Australian running podcast called Everyday Running Legends. We have a fun conversation about his experience here in North America and how it resulted in him turning to the world of running. We cover why he blames his sister for everything. We discuss injuries. And of course we talk kangaroos!

Darren Smith was 39 when he first got into running, 6 years later he is slowly but surely conquering the running world. Including 40 half marathons, 23 Marathons, 2 ultras and countless others. He may not be the fastest but the shear experience of Darren AKA Runners Knees leaves an interview jam packed of wisdom.

This episode we have Naresh Kumar who grew up in India and later in life chose to leave and live a simple, free lifestyle. He set his sights on New Zealand and ran the entire length in his sandals. This interview is one of exploration and human spirit.

Maria & Serge are married and grew up in Russia. After climbing to the elite level of polyathlon & biathlon they were looking for something different. They since moved to Australia and took up adventure racing & rogaining races. Their impressive race resume leads to some amazing insights you cannot miss.

Ever have that arrogant friend that brags about how many marathons they have completed? My next guest is taking this rivalry to the next level and is secretly completing 12 marathons in 12 months to put the competition to rest once and for all. Listen to the lengths he has gone to in order to go undetected as well as some handy marathon running tips!

John Jacoby grew up competing in multisport and adventure racing events. After attending a few kayaking marathons his mates would ask if it was harder than a running marathon. John couldn't answer this because he had never attempted one and he decided to train for one. Listen in on his impressive marathon attempts and learn a thing or two about adventure racing with one of the world's best.

Shayla was involved in a car accident in 2007 where she sustained an acquired brain injury. She had to re-learn how to walk and talk which was a painfully slow process. Through a lot of determination Shayla rebuilt her strength from the ground up and discovered her love for running along the way. She set sights for the comrades marathon which in itself, presented with its own downfalls and triumphs.