This week, Sam & Katie chat with up-and-coming triathlete Jack Caldwell.

After playing a range of sports growing up, Jack began racing Sprint Triathlons throughout high school. Earlier this year, he claimed the Men’s Junior Title for the Oceania Region in Devonport—clocking a blistering 15:15 5K off the bike. He also boasts a 14:56 PB from a Sydney workout, and fondly recalls defending his Panboola Wetlands parkrun course record.

Jack was all set for World Tri in Wollongong, but a pair of stress fractures and other setbacks have forced some recovery time. He’s now building back gradually, with eyes on moving to the Gold Coast in 2026 to train full-time.

Katie hits 3 x 1K off 90s (3:20 splits) plus some 400s off a 200 float. She’s taking a weekend off with suspected iron deficiency, rounding out at 63 km for the week.

Sam clocks 43 km running across four sessions and 105 km cycling on the off days.

Jack shares a look at a massive training week from when he was fit—30 hours total, including 30 km swimming, 63 km running, a 5K PB, plus gym and cycling.

Japanese U-Turn

ASICS Metaspeed Ray

Heavy Lifting

Matt Hauser — for taking out the World Triathlon in Wollongong

Reds Backyard Ultra — huge props to everyone clocking some wild distances out there!

This week, Sam & Katie sit down with the incredibly inspiring Taya Mae. Fresh off a huge PB streak — 42:51 for 10K at Shellharbour and a 3:20 marathon in Melbourne just last weekend — Taya shares her unique journey through running, bodybuilding, and powerlifting.

Having dabbled in running during high school and more consistently in 2023, Taya spent much of 2024 focused on bodybuilding, backing her running with serious gym strength. However, a recent ramp-up in running volume has brought on a battle with shin splints.

What makes Taya’s story even more remarkable is her resilience in the face of multiple health challenges, including celiac disease, degenerative joint disease, and fused joints in her lower back. Yet despite it all, she never stops moving and continues chasing big goals. Up next? The Husky Half Marathon and a Hyrox event later this year.

🏃‍♂️ Training Talk:

☕ Café Kit of the Week:

🗞️ Round the Clubs News:

Sam catches up with past guest Rede Carney, who’s turned 2025 into a PB-fest: 16:55 at a KJ track night, 34:42 through 10k at Sutho2Surf, 1:18 for the half — then a surprise 2:46 at Sydney Marathon (9-minute out-performance on the day) and a 2:51 for 2nd at Shellharbour on tired legs. We talk training density, racing with family, and rebuilding with a conservative approach that still totals 16–18 hours between swimming and gym.

Training diaries: Katie joins late with a week of track, Hyrox, and her longest post-injury run (21km). Sam’s mixing three runs with cycling & swimming, and sneaks in a gravel session in Bega for JPM CC — splits trending the right way.

Café Kit of the Week: Pinnacle Podiatry insoles, Saucony Endorphin Pro, and the humble K-mart singlet.

Sam & Katie sit down with Karla Maganto, co-founder of the DK Society Run Club alongside Toby Upton. Karla shares how running has completely transformed her lifestyle — from thinking she’d never run a half or full marathon to now balancing Hyrox workouts, strength training, and swimming. She’s passionate about movement, recovery, and building community in Canberra, investing serious time in compression, sauna, and structured training. Looking ahead, Karla’s got her eyes on a few shorter events and potentially a triathlon in the near future.

Training Weeks

Katie continues to train smart, holding herself back just enough with descending intervals — from 3:30–3:40/km reps down to 36s 200s.

Sam braves the cold on his NZ travels, starting his return-to-run sessions and sneaking in some early pace work.

Karla fits in a massive week of double sessions, mixing running, Hyrox, and even Salsa dancing.

Café Kit of the Week

OG Nike Sports Bra

Dr Hydrate

I Love Ugly Half Tights

News & Shoutouts

Huge results from Run Shellharbour last weekend, capped off by Rhys Thorpe’s 2:41 marathon debut — solo effort in hot conditions.

Sam & Katie welcome their first official guest from Canberra — Dan Dreher. Dan has some seriously fast PBs, including 14:33 for 5k and 29:53 for 10k, all achieved off relatively low mileage and a relaxed, body-aware approach. He sees himself as a 5k/10k specialist, rarely running further than 21km, but with a strong emphasis on speed across his career. Dan shares his journey through Canberra’s running groups — from training under Gerard Ryan to now being part of Philo Saunders’ squad.

Training Weeks

Katie is flying on the track, hitting some sharp 400m splits and building consistency.

Sam continues to manage his shin with cross-training, including a 100km bike ride to round out his week.

Dan had a quiet week while under the weather, but finished strong with a broken km session of 600m reps off 400m jogs.

Café Kit of the Week

Goggles that actually keep water out

SIS Gel

Coles Baby Beetroots

Shoutouts & News

Jared Clifford & Angus Hincksman

Shellharbour Run this coming weekend

Katie’s recap of the World Champs

Sam & Katie chat with Mark Langley, who moved to Wollongong late last year and quickly made his mark by winning the Run Wollongong Marathon in 2:36 earlier this year. Mark’s road PBs include 15:57 for 5K and 2:32 for the marathon, but his range stretches further — he also claimed victory in the Manly to Bondi Ultra.

Mark only began running in 2019, debuting with a 3:27 marathon. When Covid hit, he used the lockdown period to steadily build his fitness, eventually turning his daily work commute into high-mileage weeks.

Training-wise, Katie is back into consistent running, logging 61km while mixing in yoga, Hyrox workouts, and some track sessions. Sam managed 40km with the treacherous “Shinjury” returning, but still got through a couple of decent workouts alongside plenty of cycling. Mark is easing back into longer runs after taking 10 days off post-Sydney Marathon.

Runners Knot

Winners Gels

Vomero 18 (Black & White)

Back of the packers

NSW Half Marathon Champs at Olympic Park

Sarah Carli & Jess Hull at World Champs

Sam and Katie sit down with Ben Bell, a versatile athlete with an incredible story. After years of rowing, Ben moved into triathlon at age 35 — and what followed is nothing short of remarkable.

Ben has run a 70-minute half marathon (2019) and a 2:36 debut marathon. He recorded strong showings at the M7 half marathon and marathon, often finishing just outside the prize money. He is also a Hawaiian Ironman finisher, with 1st and 3rd place age group finishes, and was runner-up at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships.

In this episode, Ben shares his journey through running and triathlon, the highs and heartbreaks of racing, and reflects on the end of Sydney’s M7 marathon era.

Training weeks:

Ben ran every second day and alternated swimming or cycling on the off days.

Katie logged 54 km, mixing in Hyrox workouts and a 5-4-3-2-1 interval session.

Sam managed his shin splints and walks us through his plan to incorporate more cycling into training moving forward.

Café Kit of the Week:

Round the Club Shoutouts:

Episode Description

Training Weeks

Cafe Kit of the Week

Round the Club Shoutouts

Sam sits down with Chloe to unpack her recent racing success. Chloe reflects on her breakout 5K at Sandgate parkrun, where she surprised herself with a 16:26, boosted by the energy of 800 runners and a smooth staggered start. She also shares the story behind her win at the Sunshine Coast 10K in 34:40, a race where she focused on keeping a steady rhythm and delivered a performance she’s proud of.

In this episode, Sam shares exciting updates for Tales from the Valley — from setting up merchandise (including new crewneck jumpers and a launch discount) to expanding podcast coverage into the Canberra/ACT region and refreshing the club shout-out segment with race updates from past guests. He also talks about continuing the Down-the-Track Feed mini-series to follow up on guests’ progress.

Katie ran 40 km this week while resting her Achilles ahead of upcoming training weeks. Sam logged his biggest week of 2025, hitting 112 km with sessions including a treadmill Moose Fartlek, hill repeats, and a 3k-2k-1k workout on Saturday.

This week’s Café Kit of the Week features Milo products as a go-to fuel for training runs, and there’s plenty of chat about the upcoming Sydney Marathon, including a few locals set to hit the start line.