Sam, Katie, and Mitch chat with Paul Gallina and Andrew Kyrie. Paul is currently training for his first marathon in Wollongong at the end of April, while Andrew is an accomplished runner with a personal best of 19:01 in the 5k. Together, Paul and Andrew are the founders and owner-operators of Traak Hats, which offers a unique running hat designed to meet the needs of runners. This hat features a zipper, allowing for a pocket to hold gels during long runs. The idea originated from Andrew's frustration with carrying his car key while running a few years ago.

Andrew and Paul share insights into the manufacturing and design process, emphasizing their commitment to creating products that align with market trends while maintaining a unique brand identity.

Katie discusses her recent victory in the Open Ladies Hyrox competition in Brisbane, completing the event in 1:04. She follows this up the next week with 98 km of jogging and additional Hyrox workouts. Andrew plays tennis with Josh Shoveller, who is humorously house-sitting for Sam, and manages to squeeze in some jogging and hiking. Paul logs solid mileage and uses a stationary bike to support his aerobic training after experiencing some ankle issues. Mitch completes more reverse lane 8 workouts, benefiting from Josh's expertise, and impressively racks up 128 km this week. Sam runs some fast sessions before heading off to Bali, including two 15-minute tempo/threshold sessions at paces of 3:51 and 3:38 per km, and surprisingly completes his 2-hour long run in Kuta, dodging barking dogs and scooters.

Definitely check out the running hats and socks at TRAAK via the links below:

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Laura had a stellar 2023, setting impressive PBs, including 18:15 for 5K, 38:50 for 10K, and a 1:26 half marathon—winning the Wollongong Running Festival in the process.

She ran her first half marathon in 2016 but didn’t fully commit to running at the time. It wasn’t until recently, after having her two boys, Thomas and William, that she found the consistency to train seriously. Past guest and friend Renae Placek played a key role in encouraging Laura to take up running more competitively. Now, she’s a regular at Kembla Joggers' Thursday night track meets, balancing training with a busy work and parenting schedule.

Laura currently runs 3-4 times a week, hits the gym, and stays active at home while looking after the kids. This year, she’s focused on gradually chipping away at her PBs and making up for the half-marathon build she had to abandon due to injury late last year.

Training & Racing Updates

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Episode Summary

Sam, Mitch, and Katie sit down with Morgan Clarke, the driving force behind Your Local Run Club in Shellharbour. What started as a small group of friends meeting for a weekly run has grown into a thriving community, with 50-70 runners hitting the Marina every Wednesday morning. The club welcomes runners of all levels, kicking off from the Shellharbour Ocean Pool, looping around the Marina, and wrapping up with a swim and coffee at Darley St Local.

Morgan is a standout athlete in her own right, with experience in Surf Life Saving Ironman events, triathlons, and even Hyrox. She shares insights into her training, which includes a consistent 50km running week complemented by plenty of gym work. With the Shellharbour Half Marathon on the horizon, Morgan focuses on maintaining fitness and enjoying the sport in 2025.

Training Recaps

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Sam, Mitch, and Katie catch up with NSW 5000m Champion Luke Hince. Luke shares insights into his past nine months of training since breaking 30 minutes for 10K at Sydney10 last year. Despite dealing with minor niggles and work stress, he has maintained consistent training.

He recaps his thrilling victory at the NSW State 5000m Championships, clocking 14:11. After making a bold move to the front at 3K, he was caught with 400m to go but surged back ahead with 150m left to take the win. Luke credits the unwavering support of the Wollongong Track Club for his progress.

This week, he split his time between Canberra for work and Wollongong for the weekend, logging 160km, including solid tempo sessions at Stromlo Forest Park.

Sam, Katie, and Mitch catch up with Jack Ratz. Jack resides in Canberra and runs with the Deagony of Defeat Run Club. However, his partner's family is from Pambula, so he often visits the Sapphire Coast. Jack started running during COVID. He used to play AFL and coaches gymnastics, so he has an impressive power base. He has run some blistering times in a short period, including a 16:10 for 5k and 2:39 for the marathon. Jack trains with power as a metric, with Zaine Upton as his coach.

Katie recaps her week of sickness, missing her heat for her race but managing to get into the community B race, where she runs 17:40 for the win. Mitch runs 16:33 to come in 2nd in the community race after leading for the majority of it. He also gets a bit of a down week as part of his taper. Jack is getting back into the swing of training since Melbourne but still manages to complete an impressive 7 x 1k at a pace faster than 3:30. Sam logs 78km this week and continues to rebuild his mileage positively.

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Sam and Mitch sit down with Rede Carney, who has some impressive personal bests—all achieved after breaking the three-hour mark at the Sydney Marathon last year. He has run 17:11 at the GONG5000 and placed second at the recent SMC Road Series Half Marathon with a time of 1:19:32.

Rede took up running in his 30s but has prioritized health and fitness since he was 17. Coming from a triathlon background, he considers himself to have a "diesel engine" and has recently incorporated speedwork into his training. As a result, his performances over shorter distances have improved rapidly. Rede shares valuable insights into how he has achieved these times and how he balances running with a busy family and work life.

Sam kicks off his training with a Tuesday track session, featuring fast 400m and 200m reps, followed by a hard 2K effort at the end of the session in 7:03 (did he mention it was 25 degrees?). He follows this up with a tough tempo session and plenty of strength work. Mitch walks us through a challenging 7 × 1K session on Tuesday, though he feels his week was compromised by poor recovery from last week's long run. It’s hard to tell, though, as he still manages to put together another 100+ km week.

Rede had a strong swim and run at the aquathon last Sunday, so he only joins the JT Running crew for the 400m and 200m reps on Tuesday. However, he still completes a tough early-morning treadmill tempo session before heading back to work.

Sam, Mitch, and Katie chat with Holli Betts, the founder of the Narooma Run Club. Despite being relatively new to running, Holli has made remarkable progress. Inspired by Mel Jefferis, she started running regularly and has already completed two half marathons, improving her personal bests (PBs) for the 5k and 10k, including a fresh PB at Wagga Wagga Parkrun last week.

The Narooma Run Club began with just seven women meeting on Sundays to run at Bar Beach, Narooma. However, as interest grew, it quickly outgrew a simple group chat. Holli started promoting the weekly runs on social media, attracting families and local residents who are now regulars. The club fosters an inclusive and fun atmosphere, generating excitement in the local community. Holli shared insights into managing the club and remains eager for feedback. The club’s merchandise and social media feature artwork by local talent Shelly Healy.

In this episode:

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Sam and Katie chat with Maddi Costanzo. Maddi has played soccer at an elite level since the beginning of high school, competing across Europe and the U.S. She was on track to go pro but suffered an ACL injury during a game, requiring extensive rehab. A few years later, after returning to the field and performing well, Maddi experienced another ACL injury. However, she turned this setback into a positive by completing several courses to develop a holistic understanding of health and fitness. Now, Maddi coaches large groups of younger kids in areas such as strength, nutrition, and mental health.

Maddi decided to take up running, heavily influenced by her best mate, Tom Baker, who has been training for marathons for a few years. She is now signed up for the Gold Coast Marathon and plans to rely on her experiences to help structure her training program.

Katie kicks off the week with a solid 123 km of running, leaning on the JT Running Group sessions to keep her paces controlled. Sam covers all bases this week with strong workouts, three strength sessions, and a two-hour long run to round things off. Maddi enjoys a bit of a rest period on the Gold Coast but still manages to fit in a few runs and continues her usual hard work in the gym.

A quick message from Sam on the 1st year of the podcast, followed by Russ and Sam's 'practice' podcast before the original launch. 

Sam, Katie, and Mitch are joined by Chloe Pateman. Chloe is a Wollongong local who has recently moved to the Gold Coast. She boasts an impressive list of personal bests from 2024, including 4:37 for 1500m and 36:37 for 10k. Chloe started running in Year 10 and has been part of several squads, including Vicki McPhillips' group running around Blackbutt and the HIRT Squad. She has now joined GC Run Co, a group she connected with during a training camp in Perisher. Chloe enjoys running as it helps her break up her routine and stay focused on the task at hand.

Mitch kicks off the week with an impressive 20 x 400m session on Tuesday but slightly overreaches during his Friday tempo. His Strava blue bars are looking strong, though! Katie hangs on for 16 of Mitch’s 20 reps, clocks another 121km week, and decides to give up mowing due to the physical demands. Chloe has a stellar week, indicating she’s in shape for more PBs, with three quality sessions, including thresholds in the 3:30–3:40 range and solid 2km reps. Meanwhile, Sam fits in nicely with the JT Running Group, finding a great bunch of people to execute solid track and threshold sessions with.

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