Peak2Soon

Stromlo Running Festival was born out of the ashes of the 2003 Canberra Bushfires, and is the brain child of Marathon Legend Robert De Castella, who did much of his training in the region throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

The first run in 2009 was unlike any other running event held in Australia and was centred within the developed world-class facilities of Canberra’s Stromlo Forest Park.

The festival has gone from strength-to-strength under Director Mel Bingley, who I enjoyed chatting with about her journey as a self confessed 'plodder', and how she takes her own experience on the trails, and brings that to life as a Race Director. 

**Trigger Warning**  This piece discusses suicide and suicidal ideation. 

For help in a crisis call 000. If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact Lifeline 13 11 14, or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.

Running for Resilience is a project in Canberra that recently set out the goal to have the Nation's Capital suicide free by 2033.

It's Founder Matt Breen is one of the most optimistic people you'll ever meet, but the death of his father to suicide and then his mother's cancer diagnosis in 2019 rocked him.

The group saved me in a tough time and I'll forever be grateful to Breeny and the crew for that, this wasn't an easy conversation, but one I think is as important as any I've had so far.

One of Australia's most respected politicians Dr Andrew Leigh was recently crowned Australia's fittest politician.

For those that live in Canberra it would come as no surprise, as if you're up early enough you'll catch Dr Leigh running on the trails somewhere between Mount Ainslie and Mount Majura.

Dr Leigh shares his wisdom in this podcast, and a journey that's seem him run sub three hours in all six marathon majors, and most his running took him to South Africa's Comrades Marathon. 

But, it hasn't always been easy, injuries and an aging body have led to different challenges, but as Dr Leigh explains, sometimes it's not about racing our younger selves, the journey is much more satisfying than that.

Each year a run takes place for the Bravery Trust charity called 'The Bravery Trek'.

This year Ambassador and Veteran Murray Bruce and Canberra running Icon Singh Talwar took part in this year's edition, which was 4 marathons in 4 states in 44 days.

This podcast takes on a lot of their wisdom and gives you an insight into The Bravery Trek and why they both take part. If you'd like to support them you can do so here.

It's not often you get to sit down and chat with the founder of a shoe company, but Sam Burke is not only a passionate Co-Founder of Tarkine, he's also a passionate runner.

I really enjoyed getting an insight into what it takes to get a shoe company off the ground, and what Tarkine has in the pipeline, with some incredibly exciting projects not that far away.

I hope you enjoy this chat, about an Aussie Shoe Company punching well above it's weight.

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Just a shortie this week, first time by myself on the podcast. I think everyone was absolutely mindblown by Big's Backyard Ultra this past week, so I do a little recap with some stats from the race.

I also provide an update on what's coming up, but mainly it's just to say hello and g'day and give a shoutout to some friends running Bondi to Manly tomorrow! 

The Ultra Mediocre Runners of Canberra, is one of those run clubs you feel has been around for ever, but it might surprise you to learn that the club is just a few years old. 

Born out of a couple of mates running together during the pandemic, the club now boasts over 50 members, which includes a couple of national champions, and the club also hosts the country’s toughest backyarder, The Gumby. 

I enjoyed this chat with a handful of the club's members after they recently introduced two new races to the Canberra Trail Running Scene, in BRuTUS and The Knife.

You can check them out at www.ultramediocre.run.

If you want to support the course you can at here and don't forget you can support the pod for just $2 a month at the Patreon.

Donna Urquhart is about to undertake the run of a lifetime, hoping to run 1,300 kilometres in Antarctica.

She's also on a mission to educate and empower young girls and women to develop a love of sport and discover what is possible for them through the integration of mental and physical skills.

In this chat she details how she hopes to over come a number of challenges she'll face during the run. You can follow her incredible journey at runantarctica on instagram or at her website at  www.runantarctica.com.

If you want to support the course you can at here and don't forget you can support the pod for just $2 a month at the Patreon.

Happy, limitless and free is Tanya Bottomley's motto and it's early in this conversation I learn why that is.

From depressed, down and almost out, to conquering mountains and so much more.  Tanya's story is one of pure inspiration, from finding the trails to becoming the first woman to attempt the Southern Seasons Miler Challenge, Tanya's story is one of perseverance and courage.

This was a lot of fun, and shows that sometimes just going out and taking on a challenge can be enough to fill one's heart. As a mindset coach Tanya also gives some interesting insights into the mental game behind her achievements, a must listen for anyone who is into adventures.

Don't forget you can support the pod for just $2 a month at the Patreon

The world of ultra running changed when Big's Backyard was introduced into the mix, and since then it's seen hundreds of different iterations of the race format take place across the world.

One of Australia's best at the format is Jessica Smith, who was the first woman in Australia to break the 275km mark in the backyard format, which involves running 6.71km on the hour every hour until you can't go anymore.

But she's so much more than her achievements in backyard ultras, Jess is a fantastic ambassador for the sport of ultra running, and like me enjoys talking about what fantastic things are happening in the sport.

You can follow all of her adventures at jess.on.the.run