Runbelievable

What happens when running becomes more than something you do, and starts becoming part of who you are?

Oli Jones has spent much of his life around running. He's founded a run group, coached runners, worked with young athletes and spent five years telling other people's stories through the Local Legends in Running podcast.

But after years of consistent running, the last three have brought injuries, a marathon DNF and the possibility that his fastest days may already be behind him. Along the way, Oli has had to reconsider what consistency, success and even being a runner actually mean.

This is a conversation about what remains when you strip away the PBs, coaching, podcasts and everything else we've built around running... and ask why we'd still choose to run.

In this episode:

• Growing up with running and walking away from it
• Endless injuries after almost a decade injury-free
• Accepting that another PB may never come
• Why consistency sometimes means doing less
• Finding community through running
• What five years interviewing runners has taught Oli
• Balancing running with coaching, teaching and family

🌏 Episodes, community, and all things Runbelievable:

http://runbelievable.au

🎧 New episodes drop every Wednesday; hit follow so you don't miss a lap!

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About Runbelievable

Runbelievable is the podcast for every runner. From your first parkrun to your 100th marathon, from walk-run intervals to dabbling in trail running, every runner has a story worth telling. Through honest conversations with runners from all walks of life, Runbelievable explores the challenges, achievements, setbacks, and experiences that connect us through running and shape who we become.

What if the person most intimidated by a run club is exactly the person it should be built for?

Cam Smit wasn't always a runner. He started in his late twenties, hated his first 2.7km and was too intimidated to join a run club himself. Years later, he created Cam's Run Club... the kind of running community he wishes had existed when he started.

The first session, literally nobody showed up. Today, 20–40 runners regularly join a community built around one simple idea: nobody runs alone.  

If you've ever worried you're too slow, too inexperienced or simply not “runner enough” to join a run club, this conversation might change how you think about belonging in running.

Follow Cam's Run Club: https://www.instagram.com/camsrunclub/

In this episode:

• Why nobody came to Cam's first run-club session
• Building a club specifically for slower and newer runners
• Why nobody at Cam's Run Club runs alone
• The importance of finding a “third space” as an adult
• Cam's own journey from struggling beginner to sub-3:30 marathoner
• Why the term “only a 5K” should disappear from runners' vocabulary
• What Cam would tell someone who's still too nervous to show up

🌏 Episodes, community, and all things Runbelievable:

http://runbelievable.au

🎧 New episodes drop every Wednesday; hit follow so you don't miss a lap!

☕ Enjoying Runbelievable?

If the show has kept you company on a run, you can help keep the stories coming:

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About Runbelievable

Runbelievable is the podcast for every runner. From your first parkrun to your 100th marathon, from walk-run intervals to dabbling in trail running, every runner has a story worth telling. Through honest conversations with runners from all walks of life, Runbelievable explores the challenges, achievements, setbacks, and experiences that connect us through running and shape who we become.

Can running make a new city feel like home?

When Alex Narang moved from Manchester to Sydney, she knew very few people. Less than 12 hours after landing, she joined Coogee Run Club; and within weeks, running had given her friends, community and the beginnings of a new life.

Six months later, Alex badly broke her jaw in three places on the way to run club. Suddenly, the people she'd only recently met were taking her to hospital, organising her care and making sure she never had to recover alone. Eleven weeks later, she somehow made it to the Sydney Marathon start line... and the result was even more staggering! 

If you've ever found friendship, belonging or something completely unexpected through running, Alex's story is a reminder that sometimes the people we meet along the way matter far more than the kilometres.

Follow Alex's journey: https://www.instagram.com/justalexercising/

In this episode:

• Moving to Sydney and finding a run club within 12 hours 
• Breaking her jaw in three places on the way to training 
• How Alex's new running community rallied around her 
• Fighting her way to the Sydney Marathon start line 
• Learning to experience a race instead of chasing the clock 
• The moment Alex realised running had built her life in Sydney 

🌏 Episodes, community, and all things Runbelievable:

http://runbelievable.au

🎧 New episodes drop every Wednesday; hit follow so you don't miss a lap!

☕ Enjoying Runbelievable?

If the show has kept you company on a run, you can help keep the stories coming:

https://buymeacoffee.com/runbelievable

About Runbelievable

Runbelievable is the podcast for every runner. From your first parkrun to your 100th marathon, from walk-run intervals to dabbling in trail running, every runner has a story worth telling. Through honest conversations with runners from all walks of life, Runbelievable explores the challenges, achievements, setbacks, and experiences that connect us through running and shape who we become.

What does Australia's largest parkrun know about building community that the rest of us don't?

When Joanne Watkins first arrived at Albert Melbourne parkrun in January-2012, around 30 to 50 people would turn up each Saturday. The first time attendance reached 100, they celebrated because they genuinely thought the event had peaked.

Nearly 15 years later, Albert Melbourne parkrun can attract more than 1,000 runners, walkers and volunteers. But the remarkable part isn't simply its size... it's how Joanne and her team have tried to grow something enormous without losing the connection that made those early Saturday mornings special.

That means two timekeepers, dozens of volunteers, an extraordinary double finish funnel. But it also means noticing the newcomer sitting alone, remembering people's names, shared ownership... and extraordinarily... Joanne “firing” her entire run-director team every year.

In this conversation, Joanne shares what nearly 15 years at Albert Melbourne has taught her about running, volunteering, leadership and human connection; and why people might come to parkrun for five kilometres, but stay because they've found somewhere they're seen, known and connected.

If you've ever wondered why running communities can become such an important part of our lives, this episode is for you..

In this episode:

• What Albert Melbourne parkrun looked like with just 30–50 participants. 
• Why Joanne believes people don't really come to parkrun just for the 5K. 
• Building systems designed around simplicity, redundancy and collective ownership. 
• How Albert Melbourne grew dramatically following Melbourne's COVID lockdowns. 
• Deliberately making newcomers feel noticed, welcomed and connected. 
• How the famous double funnel handles enormous numbers of finishers. 
• The catastrophic accident that left Joanne needing to learn to walk again. 
• How the parkrun community supported Joanne throughout her recovery.

🌏 Episodes, community, and all things Runbelievable:

http://runbelievable.au

🎧 New episodes drop every Wednesday; hit follow so you don't miss a lap!

☕ Enjoying Runbelievable?

If the show has kept you company on a run, you can help keep the stories coming:

https://buymeacoffee.com/runbelievable

About Runbelievable

Runbelievable is the podcast for every runner. From your first parkrun to your 100th marathon, from walk-run intervals to dabbling in trail running, every runner has a story worth telling. Through honest conversations with runners from all walks of life, Runbelievable explores the challenges, achievements, setbacks, and experiences that connect us through running and shape who we become.

Can running give you somewhere to belong... especially if belonging has never come particularly easily?

Since October 2025, Josh Rischin has encouraged other runners to open up about their lives, identities and the role running plays in them. Now, it's his turn.

In this one-off special, good friend and previous guest Shona turns the microphone around. And she doesn't go easy on him; questioning whether Runbelievable might also have provided Josh with a rather convenient place to hide.

Growing up, Josh rarely felt like he fitted in. Persistent bullying, a deep desire to be accepted and years spent searching for the next achievement, career, interest or place left him wondering where (if anywhere) he actually belonged.

Running initially became another pursuit to "master". First came parkrun, then a running club, PBs, races and eventually five marathons. But somewhere along the way, getting faster became less important (let's be honset, he kind of no choice!).. with the people around him becoming the focal point.

In this conversation, Shona explores Josh's complicated relationship with belonging, why he trained for months before feeling 'ready' to attend his first parkrun, what happens when the PBs stop coming, the origins of Runbelievable, and why running may finally have given him something he spent much of his life searching for.

In this episode:

• Growing up with bullying and struggling to feel accepted. 
• Searching for belonging through achievement, career and new challenges. 
• Training for months before feeling brave enough to attend his first parkrun. 
• Joining a running group for one reason: to get faster. 
• Realising that the running community mean more than performance. 
• How the original idea for Runbelievable emerged from curiosity about other runners. 
• Why other runners' stories have helped Josh better understand himself. 
• Finally finding a community he doesn't feel an urge to leave.

🌏 Episodes, community, and all things Runbelievable:

http://runbelievable.au

🎧 New episodes drop every Wednesday; hit follow so you don't miss a lap!

☕ Enjoying Runbelievable?

If the show has kept you company on a run, you can help keep the stories coming:

https://buymeacoffee.com/runbelievable

About Runbelievable

Runbelievable is the podcast for every runner. From your first parkrun to your 100th marathon, from walk-run intervals to dabbling in trail running, every runner has a story worth telling. Through honest conversations with runners from all walks of life, Runbelievable explores the challenges, achievements, setbacks, and experiences that connect us through running and shape who we become.

Why would anyone choose to run 52 half marathons in 52 weeks... for children they'll probably never meet?

Aly Robertson started running because it was cheap, accessible and required little more than putting on a pair of shoes and heading outside.

Then running became something much bigger. After completing 42 half marathons in 2025, Aly decided to attempt 52 in 2026... roughly one every week. But this time, he wanted them to mean something. So he began raising money for KidsCan, supporting New Zealand children living in material hardship.

There was just one additional rule: keep it interesting.

That has meant running a half marathon at midnight while listening to a horror soundscape, drinking litres of milk, consuming wine and cheese, letting dice determine his distance, and even turning the donation of his hair into a 21.1km adventure.

If running has ever started to feel a little too serious, Aly's story might remind you just how much fun you can have with 21.1 kilometres.

Follow Aly's journey: https://www.instagram.com/alyplods/

Learn about KidCan: https://www.kidscan.org.nz/

In this episode:

• Why running appealed as a cheap and accessible way to exercise. 
• The spontaneous first half marathon that changed how Aly saw himself. 
• How a breakup led to a period of “relentless self-improvement.” 
• Raising money for KidsCan and the reality of child poverty in New Zealand. 
• Why every half marathon needs its own concept. 
• Why Aly believes a run is ultimately what you make it. 

🌏 Episodes, community, and all things Runbelievable:

http://runbelievable.au

🎧 New episodes drop every Wednesday; hit follow so you don't miss a lap!

☕ Enjoying Runbelievable?

If the show has kept you company on a run, you can help keep the stories coming:

https://buymeacoffee.com/runbelievable

About Runbelievable

Runbelievable is the podcast for every runner. From your first parkrun to your 100th marathon, from walk-run intervals to dabbling in trail running, every runner has a story worth telling. Through honest conversations with runners from all walks of life, Runbelievable explores the challenges, achievements, setbacks, and experiences that connect us through running and shape who we become.

What happens when you attempt an ultra you’re not quite ready for?

Jess never grew up as a runner. Exercise barely featured in her life, and even when running became necessary for a career change, she did what she needed to do and promptly stopped. Then, in 2024, walking became a way to clear her head. Walking became running. And running escalated quickly.

Less than two years later, Jess found herself on the start line of her first 57km ultra after a preparation that had gone anything but to plan. A traumatic experience, an injured knee, five weeks without running and a badly timed cold had left her questioning whether starting was brave, stupid... or a bit of both!

At around 25km, everything fell apart. Cold, alone and under-fuelled, Jess called her husband and told him she was done. All she had to do was reach the next aid station and withdraw.

If you’ve ever had your mind tell you that you’re done while your body still had something left to give, this episode might make you wonder where your limits really are.

In this episode:

• How walking to clear her head eventually became running. 
• Going from Couch to 5K to contemplating an ultra in less than two years. 
• How becoming a runner changed the example Jess could set for her son. 
• The traumatic experience and injury that derailed her ultra preparation. 
• Why she decided to start despite believing she wasn't ready. 
• Calling her husband at 25km and deciding she was going to quit. 
• How eating, troubleshooting and changing perspective got her moving again.

🌏 Episodes, community, and all things Runbelievable:

http://runbelievable.au

🎧 New episodes drop every Wednesday; hit follow so you don't miss a lap!

☕ Enjoying Runbelievable?

If the show has kept you company on a run, you can help keep the stories coming:

https://buymeacoffee.com/runbelievable

About Runbelievable

Runbelievable is the podcast for every runner. From your first parkrun to your 100th marathon, from walk-run intervals to dabbling in trail running, every runner has a story worth telling. Through honest conversations with runners from all walks of life, Runbelievable explores the challenges, achievements, setbacks, and experiences that connect us through running and shape who we become.

What if your first run happened completely by accident?

For Brookie, running was never part of the plan. After growing up with a complicated relationship with weight and body image, she spent much of her life believing running simply wasn't for her. Then, while out walking on the morning of her daughter's birthday party, she realised she was running late and needed to get home to finish icing the cake... so she ran.

The next day, she tried again. Starting driveway to driveway, roughly 100 metres at a time, Brookie completed the GC50 25km just ten weeks later. Since then, running has taken her through half marathons, Bravehearts 777 and two extraordinary world record attempts combining her new love of running with her lifelong love of football.

If you've ever wondered how far one seemingly insignificant run can take you, Brookie's story might make you think differently about where your own could lead.

In this episode:

• Growing up with weight and body image struggles.
• The accidental run that started everything.
• Going from 100-metre running intervals to the GC50 25km in just ten weeks.
• Running Bravehearts 777 and discovering she had bilateral stress fractures.
• Why Brookie decided to run a marathon while dribbling a soccer ball.
• Covering 98.2km in 24 hours while dribbling a soccer ball.
• Why, after everything she's achieved, her very first run may still be the one that mattered most.

🌏 Episodes, community, and all things Runbelievable:

http://runbelievable.au

🎧 New episodes drop every Wednesday; hit follow so you don't miss a lap!

☕ Enjoying Runbelievable?

If the show has kept you company on a run, you can help keep the stories coming:

https://buymeacoffee.com/runbelievable

About Runbelievable

Runbelievable is the podcast for every runner. From your first parkrun to your 100th marathon, from walk-run intervals to dabbling in trail running, every runner has a story worth telling. Through honest conversations with runners from all walks of life, Runbelievable explores the challenges, achievements, setbacks, and experiences that connect us through running and shape who we become.

What if your biggest running goal was still decades away? 

For Nick Dunn, a horrific football injury 25 years ago left him with a broken leg, dislocated ankle and lasting limitations that he still manages today. Years later, after his health and fitness had fallen away, a friend's relentless persistence led him to his first triathlon... and two goals that would change the direction of his life.

More than 100 triathlons later, Nick has represented Australia and achieved the first of those goals. The only one remaining? To still be racing when he's 80s.

In this conversation, Nick shares how triathlon helped transform his life, why he's deliberately training less as he gets older, and how checking in with his 80-year-old self is changing the decisions he makes today.

If you've ever wondered whether becoming a better runner sometimes means doing less, this episode might change the way you think about training for the long haul. 

In this episode:

• The horrific football injury Nick is still dealing with 25 years later. 
• How struggling to keep up with his daughters became a catalyst for change. 
• The friend who finally convinced him to give triathlon a go. 
• The two goals Nick set after completing his very first event. 
• Why training less could be the key to racing for decades to come. 
• What Nick's 80-year-old self is teaching him about the choices he makes today. 
• The six-minute story that completely changed how he sees his life.

🌏 Episodes, community, and all things Runbelievable:

http://runbelievable.au

🎧 New episodes drop every Wednesday; hit follow so you don't miss a lap!

☕ Enjoying Runbelievable?

If the show has kept you company on a run, you can help keep the stories coming:

https://buymeacoffee.com/runbelievable

About Runbelievable

Runbelievable is the podcast for every runner. From your first parkrun to your 100th marathon, from walk-run intervals to dabbling in trail running, every runner has a story worth telling. Through honest conversations with runners from all walks of life, Runbelievable explores the challenges, achievements, setbacks, and experiences that connect us through running and shape who we become.

What happens when running stops being about you?

For Jess Peil, running quickly became much more than chasing medals or PBs. Inspired by family, driven by purpose, and fuelled by an unwavering commitment to helping others, she's completed the Bravehearts Triple Seven challenge eight times, raised more than $650,000 for charity and become an Australian of the Year Local Hero nominee.

In this conversation, Jess shares how running became a vehicle for advocacy, why community matters more than competition, the emotional highs and lows of running seven marathons in seven days, and the simple mindset that continues to drive everything she does.

If you've ever wondered whether your running could make a difference beyond yourself, this episode might change the way you think about every step you take.

In this episode:

• Why running became Jess's platform for advocacy rather than personal achievement. 
• The emotional reality of completing seven marathons in seven consecutive days. 
• How Bravehearts is helping protect children across Australia. 
• Why community is one of running's greatest superpowers. 
• The surprising emotional crash that follows extraordinary achievements. 
• How everyday runners can create extraordinary impact.

🌏 Episodes, community, and all things Runbelievable:

http://runbelievable.au

🎧 New episodes drop every Wednesday; hit follow so you don't miss a lap!

☕ Enjoying Runbelievable?

If the show has kept you company on a run, you can help keep the stories coming:

https://buymeacoffee.com/runbelievable

About Runbelievable

Runbelievable is the podcast for every runner. From your first parkrun to your 100th marathon, from walk-run intervals to dabbling in trail running, every runner has a story worth telling. Through honest conversations with runners from all walks of life, Runbelievable explores the challenges, achievements, setbacks, and experiences that connect us through running and shape who we become.