Everything Endurance

John Kelly is an exceptional ultra-runner with a habit of being very successful at running outrageously long distances in difficult conditions. It's little surprise then that his latest effort to break the record for running the Pennine Way resulted in him setting a new fastest time, having covered the 268 miles in 58:04:53.

John originally broke this record in 2020 only to see it smashed again by Damian Hall a week later. We chat about how he beat his first time by more than 6hrs (and Damian's by more than 3!).

There's also a bonus interview with Dr Nicki Lygo who crewed both John and Damian's Pennine Way attempts and just got back from crewing for Damian as he successfully broke the Coast to Coast record.

Support Nicki's End Duchenne JustGiving fund here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/endduchenne

Cover Images www.steveashworthmedia.com

In 2011, avid climber Steve Bate found out he was losing his eyesight and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Though initially rocked by the news, it led Steve to realise that he wanted to make every moment of his life count and he wasn't going to let his condition get in the way.

Since then his journey has taken him up the face of El Capitan making him the first visually impaired person to solo 'El Cap', and then to joining the Team GB Paralympic Cycling team with whom he has now won multiple gold medals and set a world record.

Will and Steve talk about his journey to being a world-beating cyclist and about his upcoming attempt to set a world record for cycling from Cairo to Cape Town.

Learn more about Steve and his adventures at: https://www.stevebatembe.com/

In 2008, at the age of 36, Alex Flynn discovered he had Parkinson's Disease, a degenerative, chronic, and currently incurable neurological condition which, over time, robs sufferers of the ability to move.

Nevertheless, Alex entered the MDS the following year only for circumstances to leave him lost, alone, in the Sahara. Still, Alex continued, eventually conquering the MDS and going on to complete his own '10 Million Metre' challenge, covering 10,000km over the next few years all in support of Parkinson's charities.

He is now preparing for another hard year of racing and mountaineering followed by an attempt to be the first person with Parkinson's to reach the top of Everest.

In this episode, Will and Alex chat about carrying on in the face of adversity, and finding new purpose when your whole life has changed.

Learn more about Alex and his adventures at: https://www.alexflynn.co.uk/

If you are interested in supporting Alex's Everest challenge you can contact him at [email protected]

Tobias Mews is an Adventure Athlete, Journalist and Author with more races under his belt than he can count. A multi-disciplinary adventure, he has run, swam, cycled and generally challenged himself all over the globe.

He has published 2 books, '50 Races to Run Before you Die' and 'GO!' his guide to getting outside and challenging yourself.

In this episode, Will and Tobias talk about the positive attitude he developed during his time in the military, his journey into a life of adventure and how and why we should all be heading outside and challenging ourselves with new adventures.

Learn more about Tobias at: https://www.hardastrails.com/

Learn more about the Highland Ultra: https://bit.ly/3gcBnip

Grab exclusive Resilient Nutrition products: https://bit.ly/3agIJxy

In Part 3 of our series of podcasts with Greg Potter, we continue our deep dive into nutrition with a look at how, what, and when to eat to be best prepared to perform.

We talk through how to train your gut in the few weeks before an endurance challenge to minimise the risk of in-race digestive problems ('danger-pants'), we look at the days before the event and explore carb-loading, before getting into race-day fuelling, and the different needs of the body in extreme environments.

Greg Potter is co-founder of Resilient Nutrition and wrote his PhD about circadian rhythms, sleep, nutrition, and metabolism.

You can find Resilient Nutrition's line of Elite Long Range Fuel at store.beyondtheultimate.co.uk

Stu Westfield is an expedition leader, Race Director, and the man who oversees the safety of all the competitors taking on #BritainsmostBrutal endurance event, the Montane Spine Race.

Whether you are signed up for a Spine event or just looking forward to getting back into the hills after lockdown, this episode will arm you with some of the basic skills you'll need to keep yourself safe so you can get the most out of whatever adventuring you have planned.

From planning to selecting what kit to take with you to spotting and combatting hyperthermia, this episode has plenty for anyone with outdoor exploration in mind.

To learn about the new Spine Race events and Training Weekends head to: https://thespinerace.com/

Learn about Ranger Ultras events and Stu's 1-2-1 Spine Training events: http://rangerultras.co.uk/

Contact Will at: [email protected]

Greg makes his 2nd appearance on the podcast in a month as we bring him back to help build on our earlier podcasts about nutrition.

In episode 40, Kris King talked us through the basics of nutrition so listeners could build a healthy attitude to food and habits which can help achieve our training goals. But, when should you eat particular foods in order to improve performance? What is RED-S and how can it be avoided? What supplements should I be taking? Is Beetroot Juice really useful!?

In today's episode, Greg digs deeper looking into nutritional timing, micro-nutrients and supplements, and RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport).

Greg Potter is co-founder of Resilient Nutrition and wrote his PhD about circadian rhythms, sleep, nutrition, and metabolism.

During her first-ever skydive, something clicked in Holly's head.

That sudden rush of adrenaline started a journey that would see her become the first woman to jump from a plane next to Everest at the height of the summit (see cover image!), participate in the first Mongol Derby horse race, climb Everest as a mountaineer, and set up the conservation charity, How Many Elephants.

In this episode, Will chats with Holly about falling out of planes at inopportune moments, being swept away in a stampede of wild horses, and spending nights in the field with anti-poaching units in South Africa and Zimbabwe.

To support Holly's conservation charity, head to howmanyelephants.org

Greg Potter is co-founder of Resilient Nutrition and a renowned expert on the effects of sleep and nutrition on health. In this episode, we take a deep and detailed dive into what sleep is for, the problems caused by poor sleep, and how to get better sleep. At a time when most of us have experienced a lot of disruption in our day to day routines, we look at how all of us can get the benefit of more and better rest, as well as sleep tactics for those training and racing.

Greg Potter has worked with medal-winning athletes, world record-setting rowers, and even the US Special Forces, and has a self-confessed passion for helping people to live happier and healthier lives.

Resilient Nutrition, the company he co-founded in 2020, make tasty nut-butter-based products enhanced to boost stamina, keep you calm and alert, and bolster resilience. Their brand new range of Elite Long Range Fuels is ideal for endurance athletes or anyone with adventure ahead of them, and can be found exclusively in the BTU store: https://bit.ly/ResilientNut

Matt and Ellie are the founders of Summit Fever Media and have carved a niche for themselves as makers of excellent adventure films. They're often to be found deep in the wilderness, pointing cameras at athletes carrying out amazing feats of endurance. This summer was no exception.

Their latest film, Totally FKT, is out now and tells the story of John Kelly and Damian Hall's exploits on the Pennine Way as they each took on and broke a record which had stood, solid, for 31 years.

As well as the film, Will chats to Matt and Ellie about what goes into covering races and challenges in extreme environments and why they've chosen to make a life out of telling inspirational adventure stories.

You can buy Totally FKT here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/video/detail/B08P3K5GM9/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

Cover Image: Steve Ashworth