Everything Endurance

Al Ruddock is a physiologist at Sheffield Hallam University with a wealth of experience in sport science. He has has worked with a range of individual athletes and teams from FIFA World Cup referee Howard Webb to the Commonwealth games medal winning England Table Tennis team.

He is also something of an expert in what Will refers to as 'The Punchy Men.' Alan has worked extensively within Boxing at the highest level, having a huge influence on Kid Galahad's British, Commonwealth and European Title wins and most recently Kell Brook's IBF welterweight world title victory.

In this high-brow, science based podcast Kris and Will almost entirely fail to maintain their professionalism. Luckily Alan's massive knowledge more than make up for our co-hosts' hijinks. Have a listen as we discuss over-training, recovery techniques and torture.

On the first weekend in April there was a very special event in Crawley.

On the 400m athletics track at the K2 Leisure Centre, the Freedom Leisure British Ultrafest 24hr Running Championships took place. A field of 30 runners competed in an event where they would each push to run the greatest distance they were able in a 24hr period. More still came to run 12 and 6 hour versions of the same event.

That's 6, 12 or 24 consecutive hours running around the same track. As endurance events go this is uniquely challenging. It is a cutting back of endurance to a matter purely of running ability and the strength of mind to persevere with almost no distraction from noon one day until noon the next.

In a special edition outside broadcast, Will talks to the runners and organisers to find out why these athletes take on this massive distance.

Featuring, among others, Dan Lawson of Team GB, William Sichel, a multi-record holder and the first Brit to finish the world's longest footrace within 52 days, and Abichal Sherrington who has completed that same race among dozens of others from marathon to 1000 miles.

In this episode Kris and Will get to chat to somebody totally inspirational. Elise Downing wasn't an elite athlete or even a regular runner when she decided to set off alone and run all the way around England, Wales and Scotland!

Along the way she met some amazing people, saw some beautiful views and ate an awful lot of cake. She also pushed through some dark days and in doing so displayed an awesome ability to endure hardship and find a way to enjoy even the most difficult times.

Beyond the Ultimate's resident media guy and Everything Endurance co-host, Will (aka @baldlygo), recently completed the Ice Ultra in Swedish Lapland. After making his way through 230km of Europe's last remaining wilderness we thought it might be a good idea to have him tell you about what he learnt on the other side of the arctic circle. So here is a special one off podcast of Will's Top Ten Tips for surviving on the Ice. Here he discusses arctic admin, Ice Ultra cuisine wilderness fashion essentials and much more.

Head to the Beyond the Ultimate YouTube channel to watch the videos and take a look at some of the kit he's describing!

In this episode Kris and Will get to chat to one of Will's heros. The absolutely marvelous Mimi Anderson!

Mimi is a multiple Guinness World Record holder, multiple course record holder and has appeared at Beyond the Ultimate events all over the world. You won't find a more determined runner. Mimi holds the world records for running Lands End to John O'Groats and for running the length of Ireland. Her Double-Badwater and 6633 Arctic Ultra times are unbeaten to this day.

Take a listen as a starstruck Will and Kris chat to a living legend.

Shane Benzie of Running Reborn is a Running technique coach and movement specialist. Think of him as the Indiana Jones of the coaching world, scouring the Earth looking for treasures of lost athletic lore. He has scientifically studied the art of running in such far flung places as the Peruvian rainforest, the frozen tundra of northern Sweden and the plains of Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda in search of the perfect model for efficient running.

In his first few years of running, Robbie went from his first marathon to competing for Great Britain in the 24hr Running Championships and finishing 3rd in the World. He is currently living and training in Chamonix, France where he also hosts running training camps. He really loves big hills.

Warning - There is some, shall we say, colourful language.