This week, Mark breaks down his Valencia Marathon experience: the pre-race maranoia, the heat, the fade, and the lessons he's taking into 2026.

Logan is officially back running after his Achilles injury and he talks honestly about shockwave therapy, the mental grind of cross training and the moment he knew he was back.

A huge thanks for all the support so far after the first episode. Keep the messages and icks coming!

Don't forget to follow or subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss the next episode.

Merry Christmas from all of us at Sportlink!

Snail & Pace is the honest, unfiltered running podcast hosted by Mark Armstrong and Logan Smith - two very different runners with one obsession: the stories behind the miles.

Each episode dives into real training updates, the highs and lows of chasing PBs, the chaos of niggles and maranoia, life inside Sportlink Running Shop, shoe reviews, influencer chat and what’s actually happening in the UK running scene.

Expect proper running insight, plenty of laughs, and conversations you’ll want to take on your long run, commute, or recovery day.

If you love running, real talk, and hearing how everyone from 5-hour marathoners to sub-elite racers get it done - this is your podcast.

Follow, share, and leave a review to help Snail & Pace grow.

Welcome to the very first episode of Snail & Pace - the official Sportlink podcast!

Hosted by Sportlink Brand Manager Mark Armstrong and elite Norfolk marathon runner Logan Smith, this show dives into everything happening in the world of running - from our own training journeys to race chat, XC carnage, local running news, shoe talk and weekly “running icks”.

In this opening episode we introduce the show, talk through what’s coming next, and set the tone for a fun, honest, behind-the-scenes look at life as two very different runners sharing the same passion.

If you love running, coaching insights, gear talk, or just feeling part of the Sportlink community — this one’s for you.

A real privilege to have former British middle distance athlete Rod Finch on the podcast this week.

An absolute speedster over 5K in his prime, Rod talks us through his journey from outside ‘the system’ to become one of Europe’s top runners over 5K.

He talks us about how he dealt with the loss of his wife during his career with the help of his coach whilst raising a daughter trying to become the next Jessica Ennis.

From speaking to Rod it’s clear not only was he a driven, tenacious athlete - he’s also a lovely bloke as well.

John gives us his training tip of the week and Hijinks with John is an absolute ripper…

Let us know what you think of the latest podcast and please like and share as much as possible.

An absolute pleasure to be joined by two-time Boston Marathon winner Geoff Smith on the podcast.

From starting out as a firefighter to reaching two Olympics, Geoff is a fascinating guy to listen to.

Whilst his face didn’t always fit with some selectors, he used that adversity as inspiration to become of the UK’s all-time great marathon runners.

If your marathon training plan is kicking in this week then this is well worth a listen.

Let us know what you think of the latest episode and please like and share.

The Sportlink podcast is joined by one of the fastest 800m runners the UK has produced in Jenny Meadows.

Jenny went to an Olympics, won a World Championships bronze medal and was a former Diamond League winner during her illustrious career.

She reveals how changing her mindset kickstarted her career in her late 20s, which catapulted her to greater success.

Mark Armstrong and John Downes are joined by the UK’s second fastest ever female marathon runner in Mara Yamauchi.

The two-time Olympian has a fascinating running story - combining a career as a British diplomat with an athletics career which would see her win a Commonwealth Games medal and win the National Cross Country Championships.

Mara talks about how she started running and how she kept the running fire alive whilst working in Japan before coming back to the UK and becoming an elite runner.

Sportlink TV - episode 33 - Shaun Creighton

This week Mark Armstrong and John Downes speak to one of Australia’s finest ever runners in Shaun Creighton.

Shaun was an international runner from the 1500m all the way up to the marathon, competing at cross country world championships, Commonwealth Games and the Olympics.

We speak to Shaun about how he managed to maintain such a high level of performance through those range of distances and how he’s kept his motivation having recently broken the Australian Over 50s Masters Marathon record.

John dishes out another training tip of the week and ‘Hijinks with John’ is certainly not one to miss this week when John didn’t exactly draw praise despite just finishing second in a race.

Let us know what you think of the latest episode and please like and share away!

In-depth feature with British middle distance runner Julian Goater.

Julian was part of the golden era of British athletics, boasting personal bests of 13:15 for 5K and 27:34 for 10K whilst also winning the National Cross Country Championships by almost two minutes in 1981.

Julian rubbed shoulders with many athletes considered athletic royalty in this country and he reveals what it was like to compete against them and more importantly beat them on many occasions!

An in-depth chat with one of the most versatile runners in the history of running. We talk to Rod about his bronze medal at the 1972 Olympics in the 1500m, his regret over that fourth-placed finish in the 5000m in 1976, and his win at the New York Marathon in 1973 - arguably the greatest run marathon of all time.