Running Tales

By the time this episode goes live on Tuesday, April 25, Colin McCord will hopefully have completed the London Marathon on Sunday - what will have been his fourth out of five marathons in as many weeks.

With the Great Welsh, Magna Carta and Manchester Marathons also behind him, Colin will complete his challenge next week by taking on the 26.2 mile distance for one final time in April - only his opponent then will be the dreaded treadmill!

Colin is taking on this very personal challenge to raise money for Dementia UK. His mum, Susan, was diagnosed with mixed dementia in 2018 and Colin is fundraising to help Dementia UK provide information, support and Admiral Nurses to those with dementia and their families.

Running Tales also spoke to Colin about how running has helped him cope with PTSD, something he has suffered with as the result of a traumatic robbery.

Embracing the sport and the running community - including his friends in the Running Punks - has helped Colin with his mental health, and now given him the strength to run for his mum.

 

 

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You can sponsor Colin to run five marathons in five weeks for Dementia UK here: https://2023tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/5in5

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Pete Moor is a stalwart of the local running scene in Northamptonshire.

With approaching 250 parkruns to his name, the Northampton Road Runner is a regular at events up and down the county - as well as in neighbouring Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes.

Pete is a real all-rounder, taking on races from 5k to ultras with 15 marathons to his name.

But it's not just local events that attract Pete, who combines his love of travelling with that of running.

He's completed three - Boston, Chicago and London - of the six marathon majors, with Berlin, Tokyo and New York firmly on his wishlist.

And despite having the pace to qualify for Boston, he once finished dead last in a gruelling Faroe Islands ultra which took place on landscape, he says, only the resident old ladies could cope with!

Running Tales spoke to Pete about not being able to sleep at Endure 24, his love/hate relationship with marathon running and why he loves being a Northampton Road Runner...

 

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Trail runner Kim Levinsky is preparing to take on the biggest challenge of her running career - the 358-mile Long Path.

Starting from the 175th Street Subway Station in New York City, crossing George Washington Bridge and running across the Catskills all the way to Albany, the Long Path combines woods, a series of 2,900 foot peaks, and trails that pass lakes and streams - it is a beautiful and challenging route.

Kim, an experienced trail and ultra runner who recently completed the Tahoe 200, is hoping to achieve a fastest known time on the route.

Running Tales spoke to Kim about everything from nutrition to why she is taking on the challenge, as well as her role as a race director with Sassquad Trail Running...

 

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You can find out more about Kim and the challenge on her personal Facebook and Instagram pages, while the Sassquad Trail Running group is on the same platforms - Facebook here and Instagram here.

You can find more details about, and donate to, Kim's charities for the Long Path FKT at:

Bigger Than The Trail Fundraiser:

https://biggerthanthetrail.networkforgood.com/projects/160786-kim-levinsky-s-fundraiser-to-provide-free-counseling

 

New York-New Jersey Trail Conference Fundraiser:

https://www.nynjtc.com/supportkim

 

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Ady Pendred was a latecomer to the world of running, but he has gone on to complete several sub-three hour marathons and find a love of trail and ultra marathons.

In recent years, he has stopped chasing times and learned to enjoy running for fun - not that it has slowed him down.

Running Tales spoke to Ady about how time isn't his be all and end all, his love of Lidl trainers and how his body didn't shut down at 50 as we was being told to expect...

 

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Ali Hall first started running when she was at boarding school, finding a love of the sport while escaping mental health challenges.

It's a passion she has never left behind, competing in everything from adventure racing to ultra marathons and moving in to the world of coaching with Pyllon.

Along the way, Ali has formed a number of running communities, including setting up a group putting on city running tours and the hugely successful Cani-Sport Edinburgh.

This latter endeavour combined her love of dogs with running - and did her 5k time no harm at all either!

We spoke about everything from sports psychology and the mental health benefits of running to her dream of finishing a 100-mile race...

 

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Back in 2015, Mike Harley decided he wanted to raise money and awareness for Invest in ME, an independent charity which funds research into what is a severe and debilitating illness.

Mike was inspired by one of his oldest friends, Ian, who has been suffering from ME for over 15 years, and instead of simply running a local marathon he decided to combine his love of travelling with a growing desire to run, and complete a marathon in every member country of the European Union.

Ultimately - thanks to a Mr B Johnson and a certain referendum - that ended up being one less race than he had intended, but it still meant completing 27 marathons in places as varied as Cyprus, Estonia and France.

Running Tales spoke to Mike about why he took on the challenge, the logistics of doing marathons across Europe, his favourite races and how he was inspired by talking to people with ME in the cities he visited...

 

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You can learn more about Mike's challenge at his Mike's EU Marathons website, about the Invest in ME Research charity on their website, or sponsor him at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mikeseumarathons

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Every day, in every part of the world, women are being harassed and abused by men while out running.

 

A recent survey commissioned by Adidas and taking in 9,000 people from the US, Mexico, UK, France, Germany, United Arab Emirates, China, Japan and South Korea, found nine in 10 women are concerned about their safety while running.

 

The list of issues women can face ranges from cat calling, body shaming, wolf whistles, verbal abuse and heckling to indecent exposure, sexual attention and physical contact.

 

Worse, women all to often face the daunting prospect of being approached or followed by potential predators, or of being attacked while out running.

 

In the very worst cases, women have been raped or killed for committing the 'crime' of exercising near a man.

 

High profile cases such as those of Ashling Murphy in Ireland and Eliza Fletcher in America, both tragically murdered while out running, have garnered media attention - but is the world any closer to solving the issue, and who's job is that anyway?

 

This roundtable discussion features three women runners who have all experienced abuse and harassment while out running:

 

Michele Heller: From Illinois in the US, Michele is a keen runner who has completed marathons included Boston, Chicago, New York and London. As a mother with a young child, Michele often runs very early in the morning, when it is dark, in order to be ready for the day when the rest of her family wake up.

 

Dr Ashley Morgan: From Cardiff in Wales and AKA The Doc from The Running Punks, Dr Ashley Morgan has been running for 35 years - and has experienced male harassment throughout that time. The Doc is a regular commentator on women's safety and the patriarchy, and one of those behind the Twitter hashtag #changethediscourse, which attempts to get people to think and talk about the issue differently.

 

Angie Skinner: From Chattanooga in Tennessee, America, Angie started running in 2014 for mental health benefits. She is originally from Memphis, close to where Eliza Fletcher was killed, and regularly receives harassment while out running - to the point where she will arm herself with pepper spray and a go guarded ring (a plastic serrated-edge self-defence weapon) for her own safety.

 

In this wide-ranging discussion, we spoke about everything from their own experiences of harassment and abuse, victim blaming, the potential for women runners to arm themselves for protection, whether it is safe to run in the dark, how men should behave towards female runners and what men can do to be an ally.

 

This podcast is aimed at provoking discussion, so we would love to hear your experiences and comments.

 

 

 

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We'll also be producing a series of articles based on this podcast on our Substack newsletter - for just £5/month you'll be able to get full access to all our articles: https://runningtales.substack.com

 

Free subscription offers are also available.

 

Our usual Running Tales podcast episodes, featuring the stories of every day runners who have achieved extraordinary things, come out at 5.30am UK time on Tuesdays.

 

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Rachel Heley is a self-proclaimed fun runner.

While the sport has been with her for most of her life, she's always fell tantalisingly short of any goals - but loved it nevertheless.

However, you are more likely to find Rachel, a born adventurer, in the water.

She discovered wild swimming - or as she simply calls it 'swimming' - during the pandemic, but has always been at home in the water, including taking part in swim/run events.

Running Tales spoke to Rachel about the benefits of cold water swimming, including mood enhancement and muscle recovery - as well as how to take part in the activity safely.

We also spoke about her adventure clothing line, and why she called it Wild Moose...

 

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You can visit Wild Moose at this link, or on Instagram search for wildmoose_uk

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If you like this episode please consider donating to help us keep going: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/stepforward

Gary Shaughnessy has done a lot in the world of running, from completing 40 marathons to raising thousands of pounds for charity.

But perhaps his greatest achievement came in finishing the Arch to Arc Triathlon, dubbed the hardest triathlon in the world.

Starting at Marble Arch in London and heading to the heart of Paris and the Arc de Triomphe, the event consists of an 87-mile run, swimming the English Channel (Gary swapped in a gruelling row for the swim) and 181-miles of cycling.

What makes Gary's success even more remarkable is that it came after he was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2015.

The triathlon was one of a series of incredible challenges, including several marathons and ultra, that Gary has carried out in aid of Parkinson's UK, a charity of which he is the Chair of the Board of Trustees.

In between he even found time to set a new world record for the longest distance ever run three-legged in 24 hours.

He's not intending to stop yet though, with a host of events booked for 2023, including marathons in Newport, Paris and Madrid, cycling from Liverpool to Ukraine, swimming from St Kitts to Nevis, and a team cycle ride from Dover to Barcelona to attend the World Parkinson's Congress.

In a wide-ranging conversation, Running Tales spoke to Gary about everything from health and wellbeing to his role at England Athletics, where he is the Chair of the Board...

 

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You can sponsor Gary Shaughnessy for his 2023 events at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/gary-shaughnessy2 and find more information at https://www.garyschallenges.com/

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Running Tales first spoke to Steve Edwards back in July 2020, shortly after he had completed an incredible 903rd marathon.

You can listen to that episode here: https://runningtales.podbean.com/e/steve-edwards-the-man-inside-the-machine-trying-to-reach-1000-marathons/

Steve only counts official races towards his astonishing total - 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.

We caught up with Steve - who has now surpassed 950 marathons - to talk about his role as an ambassador at Every Run Counts.

The new initiative aims to reward people’s every day activities to make the nation fitter, healthier and improve their mental health.

Running Tales also spoke to Steve about marathon training, nutrition and how to avoid the wall, as well as his plans when he finally reached that 1,000 mark...

 

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Learn more about Every Run Counts on their website, and in our newsletter article on the scheme.

Subscribe to our Substack newsletter at https://runningtales.substack.com

If you like this episode please consider donating to help us keep going: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/stepforward