It's January and for a dedicated few and come keen dot-watchers, it can only mean one thing - The Spine Race.

Quite possibly the toughest race in the UK, the Spine is a 268 mile race up the Pennine way and as Phil reveals, the 2027 version is going to get tougher!

We talk the evolution of this amazing race, why runners are attracted to such extreme races and how the Spine community might be one of the nicest in running.

Hosts: https://www.instagram.com/the_rick_pearson/https://www.instagram.com/benhobson/ Wellness video producer: https://www.instagram.com/chelia.batkin/

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Angus Read graduated from university in July and, like any adventurous 22-year-old, wanted to go travelling.

His plans grew, as did his desire to do something to not only better himself, but also raise money for charity, so he planned to do it all - a solo trip where he'd make his way across Europe, running a marathon in as many countries as he could, fund raising for Cancer Research.

He's just finished this four month long trip and joined us to discuss the planning of such a trip, why running solo across Europe was the best experience he could have hoped for and how a rogue pizza in London nearly scuppered the whole experience. 

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It's been a bumper year for running, from mass participation at an all time high to elite sprints at the marathon, Rick, Ben, Rachel and Jen discuss some of the highlights and chat about their own personal moments too.

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Not only did she set a new world record at Big's Backyard ultra this year by running close to 400 miles over four days, but Sarah Perry also recently won a race called 'The Hill', which saw he run over 1 1/2 times the height on Everest in 48 hours.

Rick and Ben spoke to Sarah about her amazing performances this year, what's so special about backyard ultras, the joy of running with dog and why running still needs to be fun.

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Mick Duplock is truly remarkable. A season ultra-runner and Comrades finisher, he developed retinitis pigmentosa (aka tunnel vision) in his fifties, leaving him unable to see. Did it stop him from running? Not likely. Instead, at 82, he says he's never been more passionate about it. 'There are lots of things that I can't do,' he says, 'but I can still run.'

If you're visually impaired and want to find a guide runner, visit: englandathletics.org/take-part/programmes/findaguide/

If you're interested in becoming a guide runner, visit: https://www.englandathletics.org/take-part/programmes/findaguide/become-a-guide-runner/

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Joining Ben and Rachel this week is former GB athlete and now supreme running coach, Jo Wilkinson.

We chat about what it means to train hard, the different versions of this and what the main goal of any running that requires a lot of effort should be.

We only mention David Goggins once.

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We sat and down and thought, "What do we need to invent to make running better?" and here is what we came up with!

Set a new PB using the FuelDrone or continue to run whatever the weather with ClimaBubble.

These and many more semi-useful inventions that smarter people need to make.

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Ben and Rick speak to James Greenwell, a former elite pentathlete who is now finding gold medal success in the fast-paced world of biathle, aged 50.

We talk training methods to cope with the need for speed, but avoiding injury, why swimming helps absorb some of the training load and how backing yourself to win is the greatest defensive against getting slow.

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He got fourth place in a stacked field, on debut at a major, but who is Patrick Dever?

We had a chat with Patrick to talk about this stand out performance, why he chose New York for debut, his training, the appeal of the marathon, the Olympic dream and much more.

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Author, writer and journalist Duncan Craig joins Rick and Ben to talk about his recent attempt to race his younger self.

24-year-old Duncan ran the London Marathon in a time of 3:23, but 25 years later, can he beat that time?

Well, you'll have to listen to find out, but more importantly (as with most running challenges) the lessons learned getting to the start line was much more significant than the end result.

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