To close out the year, I wanted to package up the ultimate gift! The 12 Days of Runmas brings together 12 "gifts" from past Run With It guests – short reflections, recommendations and ideas that have stayed with me since the podcast began. I’ve gone back through the archives and chosen a mix of voices spanning elite sport, advocacy, media and community (and I'll do another bunch next year). 

You’ll hear from:

Ed Goddard (Episode 12)

Grace Tame (Episodes 30 & 31)

Marcus Brown (Episode 18)

Gen Gregson (Episode 23)

Avish Sharma (Episode 3)

Brit de Groot (Episode 14)

Jaryd Clifford (Episode 15)

Izzi Batt-Doyle (Episode 2)

Mitch Dyer (Episode 11)

Calli Hauger-Thackery (Episode 28)

Haftu Strintzos (Episode 26)

Lucy Bartholomew (Episode 29)

Each clip is a small piece of a much longer conversation. If one resonates, I really encourage you to head back and listen to the full episode it came from.

Finally, a genuine thank you for listening to Run With It this year. Thank you for the kind words, the shares, the reviews, and for making time for these conversations. This episode felt like a simple, uplifting way to finish the year, and I’m really grateful you’re here.

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Graphic design by Kate Scheer

Alice and Elise are back on Sole Sisters with a very important update: Alice Baquie is now a sub-3 marathoner! AB ran 2:58:33 at Valencia Marathon last Sunday, and it was tough going but she gritted it out all the way to the blue carpet.

A potted history of race week includes hours spent perusing Aldi (apologies for harping on about this throughout the pod), stolen race shoes and elite-level commitment to carbohydrates both before and during AB’s stellar run. This episode is a fun-filled debrief of a gutsy marathon day, plus all the lessons you learn only once you’ve survived 42.2km. Enjoy!

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Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom

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Newly crowned Australian marathon record holder Jess Stenson joins Elise to unpack her stunning 2:21:24 run for fifth place in Valencia. Jess takes us through her lead-up and race week in Spain, the mental tools she relied on out on the course, and all the feels from that iconic blue-carpet finish. It’s also a story about self-belief – and the people who helped her find it, including husband Dylan and coach Adam Didyk.

Graphic design by Kate Scheer

Alice checks in from Valencia in the final stages of her prep for the marathon this weekend. She’s full of steam (colourless carbs) and mixing with some of Australia’s best marathoners over there. Meanwhile, Elise continues to move through the world in a state of brain fog. The pair are upbeat and full of optimism for Alice’s sub-3 marathon attempt, and predict the stage is set for some big elite performances too, despite some warmer than ideal conditions! 

Caitlin Adams is living a full Hannah Montana double life – high school teacher by day, emerging marathon star by… also day. In this episode, Caitlin joins Elise to unpack a year she almost fell out of love with the sport, how she found her groove again on the roads, and her latest achievement: winning her debut marathon at Melbourne.

She takes us inside the juggle of teaching and why she had to completely rework her training week to protect her energy, mental health and her love for running. From three progressively faster half marathons (Melbourne, Launceston, Gold Coast) to a marathon block built around long-run pick-ups and 3:30/km “cruise” reps, Caitlin explains how she and long-time coach Adam Didyk (plus fiancé and coach-in-waiting Lachy) set up a first crack at 42.2 km.

Caitlin also lifts the curtain on race day in Melbourne: the nerves that had her vomiting the night before, being chaperoned by a killer pacing crew, the moment at 30 km when she finally let herself believe she could win, and what it actually feels like to run into the MCG knowing the tape, the flames and the roar are all for you.

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Caitlin Adams is a two-time Australian representative at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships, and came 12th in the 5k at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga in 2023. She placed second in the Australian Half Marathon Championships on the Gold Coast earlier this year (1:10:26), and just won her debut marathon in Melbourne (2:30:26).

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Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom

Sinead Diver speaks about her Olympic heartbreak in Paris 2024 after she was forced to pull out of the marathon 1.2km into the race. In this candid conversation with Elise Beacom, Sinead shares her experience of the stressful Australian marathon team selection ahead of the Games and how that turmoil impacted her.

Sinead takes us through the days before the Olympic marathon, when she was managing plantar fasciitis, all the way up to marathon day itself, and the moment she knew something else was majorly wrong. We talk about the subsequent negative commentary and unfair assumptions made in the media and online, and Sinead’s long process of healing ever since.

We also discuss Sinead’s current comeback after many injury setbacks over the past year, and cover some incredible highs of her career, including her Australian record-breaking performance at Valencia Marathon in 2022 and her 10th place in the Tokyo Olympic Marathon.

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Sinead Diver is an Irish-born Australian marathoner and national record holder in the marathon (2:21:34). After taking up running in her 30s, Sinead quickly ascended as one of Australia’s best distance runners. She made her Olympic marathon debut in Tokyo in 2021, finishing 10th, which was Australia’s best Olympic marathon result in over three decades.

Sinead has also represented Australia at the World Athletics Championships, the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and has finished top eight in three Abbott World Marathon Majors (London, 2019 and 2020, and New York, 2019). As a 48-year-old mum of two and a part-time IT professional, Sinead continues to redefine what’s possible in distance running.

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Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom

Alice dials in from downtown Brooklyn, fresh off a five-day hurricane-disrupted mission to New York. She throws herself into marathon week: it’s a slew of brand pop-ups, yoga, late-night track sessions and the electric New York Marathon itself! From Helen Obiri’s savage move in the closing stages, and a sprint-finish in the men’s race, to cheering for the very last finisher long after the roads reopened, Alice paints a picture of what it’s like to be on-the-ground in the city that doesn’t sleep.

Meanwhile, Elise checks in from her little home studio in Geelong, watching the marathon from afar while recovering from her concussion. She talks about the weird mix of FOMO and (reluctant) relief that comes with missing a marathon start line when your body’s not 100%. Alice quietly drops that she’s building (chaotically) towards Valencia Marathon and still dreaming of a sub-3, despite her hectic travel schedule.

Closing out the show, Michael “Osto” Osten, Nike EKIN, joins Elise to share insights into the evolution of running shoes and the thinking behind the new Vomero Premium. He explains how advances in foam and cushioning have allowed Nike to create shoes that offer runners more choice – including the latest in responsive, comfortable designs that make getting out the door even more enjoyable.

Osto speaks about how innovation is shifting from race-day shoes to the everyday pairs runners spend most of their time in. The goal is to help people train more consistently, recover better and find enjoyment in running for its own sake – not just chasing times, but making it easier to show up again and again. Osto also shares his recent race experience at the World Triathlon Age-Group Championships in Wollongong and his training leading into his next Ironman race.

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Thanks to Nike for sponsoring this week’s episode of Run With It. Head to Nike.com to check out the new Vomero Premium now in store.

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Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom

From running back and forth to the letterbox on his family’s farm, to standing on a Paralympic podium, Reece Langdon has already packed a lot into his short para sport career. He’s a world record holder in the T38 1500m and T38 5000m,  he won a silver medal at the World Para Championships in 2023 and a bronze medal at the Paralympics in Paris in 2024.

In this episode, Elise chats with Reece about the sting of finishing fourth in the T38 1500m final at this year’s World Para Champs in New Delhi, racing through plantar fasciitis, and why lining up fully healthy is now his biggest performance goal.

Reece also tells us about the freak virus that changed everything at six years old – strep throat that led to partial paralysis, months in hospital, and doctors warning he might not be a very active kid. He takes us through learning how to walk again, speech therapy, living with ataxia, and the 13-month paper trail it took to be classified as a para athlete. We also chat about the growing depth of the T38 field and his friendly rivalry with fellow Aussie (and friend of the podcast) Angus Hincksman.

Off the track, Reece is a proud new cat dad to Lola (yes, there’s a kangaroo-style pouch to carry her in), a full-time runner with ASICS, and an athlete who’s learning to actually celebrate PBs instead of instantly chasing the next one.

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Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom

Elise explains why she’ll be a DNS (did not start) at New York Marathon this weekend…

Sit back, relax and settle in for a series of unfortunate events and a good ol' yarn.  

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Music by Dan Beacom

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Vanessa Wilson is back for a catch up post her World Championships debut in Tokyo!

Vanessa never expected to be selected for the Australian team. Her husband (and coach) submitted her nomination without telling her, and lo and behold, she got the call up!

More than anything, this conversation is about quiet confidence. Vanessa reflects on "belonging" at this level, the mental side of a late-career debut, and the consistent work behind a performance that surprised even her.

If you want to hear more about Vanessa’s story, including her 2:28 breakthrough run at Berlin in 2024, and how she got into running later in life, go back to episode 16 of Run With It.

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This episode is sponsored by Mikro Coffee Roasters. Head to Mikro.coffee and use code RUNWITHIT10 for 10% off.

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Music by Dan Beacom

Graphic design by Kate Scheer