Running Tales

Suzanne Smith began running seriously when she tragically lost her twin son Jamie in childbirth.

As she told me, she started running and just hasn't stopped - it has become therapy for her.

Suzanne told me Jamie is on every run with her, and he's inspired her to half marathon PBs - and race wins - multiple marathons and even ultras.

I talked to Suzanne about everything running related, from coping with Covid and the joys of parkrun to her unique marathon diet...

 

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Michael Aldridge is one of Northamptonshire's most talented athletes.

From 5km all the way up to the marathon distance, he is one of the best around on the British Masters circuit.

A superb 2019 was topped off by victory in the Milton Keynes Marathon and Northampton Half.

I spoke to Michael about how he swapped rugby for running, his training methods and how some surprising news has meant he may have to hang up his racing shoes for good...

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For some people, one marathon is a lifetime's dream.

Others get the bug and go back for more, while the more hardy - and some would say foolish - push on into ultra races or towards the 100 Marathon Club.

Steve Edwards, the self-styled Man Inside The Machine, takes all that to another level.

He has already run 903 marathons, and is aiming to reach the 1,000 mark.

As if that isn't impressive enough, Steve only counts official races - no virtual runs for him, doesn't count marathons he has to walk in and is aiming to get to his goal with an average time of less than three hours and 30 minutes per marathon.

Unsurprisingly, he's set a host of world records along the way, including becoming the youngest person to reach 100 marathons and the most marathons run in a year.

I spoke to him about how and why he started out on such an enormous task, and how he manages to stay fit when running so much...

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The answer to the question in our episode title is Ovasinax. In this bonus episode of the Running Tales podcast, we've taken a slight detour from our normal format to meet a Canadian couple who've come up with a unique sport all of their own.

Jerome and Lucy are the creators of Ovasinax, and got in contact after hearing the efforts of Northampton runner Chris Lamb in the UK wife-carrying competition (go and have a listen to episode 14 of Running Tales if you haven't already).

Combining gymastics with a game show feel and set in a swimming pool, it's a unique game to say the least. I caught up with with Jerome to try and find out a little bit more about it...

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It's not every week you get to speak to a two-time Olympian and Commonwealth Games bronze medal winner.

Liz Yelling is one of the very best long British long-distance runners of the last 20 years.

She finished 25th in the marathon at the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004 and 26th at Beijing 2008, but her greatest moment came in Melbourne, Australia when she finished third in the Commonwealth Games.

Liz's other achievements include holding course records at Bath and Reading half-marathons.

At Bath, she clocked a half-marathon PB of one hour, nine minutes and 28 seconds; while her marathon best is a superb two hours 28 minutes and 33 seconds, recorded at the London Marathon in 2007.

Not only has she competed against the very best, but she was the long time training partner of one of the greatest runners of all time, Paula Radcliffe.

It might come as a surprise then, that she didn't even make the starting line at one of her earliest races - nice to know it can happen to the very, very best of us!

Liz had some great tips for all runners out there, so I'd encourage everyone to listen to this very special episode.

 

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Guide runner Simon Elliott has helped visually-impaired runners complete everything from 5km parkruns to marathons, and even cross-country ultras.

It was something he only took up after his wife volunteered him to help twin girls complete the Daventry parkrun course, but it's become a huge part of his life since then.

As well as talking about what it takes to be a good guide runner and how people can get involved, I spoke to Simon about some of the things he's been doing during the coronavirus lockdown to help visually impaired people stay part of the running community.

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Kettering's popular Wicksteed Park is in trouble - and that is, in my eyes, worth a special emergency podcast.

The 99-year-old attraction is struggling financially due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, leading to a huge fundraising effort.

One man raising money for the park is Ben Currington and earlier today (Saturday, June 20) he ran from Northampton parkrun's Racecourse home to Kettering parkrun, which takes place at Wicksteed Park itself.

I spoke to him at the end of his 15 mile run..

 

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Brendan Rendall loves a challenge.

He's currently running a half-marathon every day in June, to be followed by a marathon a day in July and - on August 1 - he'll take on the 35 miles from Salford Quays to Chester Zoo.

It's all to raise money to save the zoo, which is struggling financially due to the impacts of the coronavirus.

You can sponsor him at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/brendan-rendall3

This is not the first time Brendan has taking part in an incredible series of runs. From completing the Jogle (from John O'Groats to Lands' End) to running across Africa, he's put some miles in his (several pairs of) trainers.

His greatest challenge, though, may have been ditching drink and drugs for a life pounding the world's pavements.

There was certainly plenty to catch-up with him about...

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If your looking for someone who makes the most of everything running has to offer, Chris Lamb is your man.

A British Masters athlete he recently completed 5kms in an impressive 16 minutes 16 seconds, while his marathon times take some beating as well.

Chris isn't one of those super serious running types though. When he's not travelling at speed, he can usually be found taking place in some bizarre race or other, from the UK wife carrying championships to putting on his own Quirky Races.

Meanwhile, as a coach, Chris helps train other runners through his successful Parklands Jog and Run group. Safe to say we had plenty to talk about...

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Eric Xiocca likes a challenge. When he turned 40 he decided to run a marathon every month for each month of his 40th year.

He enjoyed it so much he's kept going, and as he approaches 43 his next big goal is to run a marathon in every US state before he turns 50.

Even Covid-19 hasn't stopped him, although it has at least delayed his hopes of running in three of the world's biggest marathons: Boston, Chicago and New York.

He's hoping that dream can still be realised, but in the meantime we had plenty to talk about; from dietary preferences to keeping an eye out for bears during training runs...

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