The Aussie Runner Podcast

Jez & Damo speak to the inspirational ex-military ultra-running near death accident survivor Rodney 'Rocket' Cottam. Hear how Rod went from an elite soldier involved in a serious motor vehicle accident sustaining several injuries (including spinal nerve damage) to 12 months recovery and ultimately becoming a big run specialist focused on raising awareness for some excellent causes like Invictus & the ZERO600 challenge. Learn about the struggles many involuntary discharged ex-service people face & how this incredibly impactful challenge is helping them & many others too.

Jez & Damo chat with a prolific Aussie legend of the 70s, 80s & 90s track scene, 1500m specialist, 15 year career, dual Olympian, dual world championships, 4 Commonwealth Games & one time Australian 1500m champion. A man with the most sub 4 min miles in Australian history & the only person to have run an all time fastest top 10 mile actually in his home country … a ripper of a top bloke, Pat Scammell!

A chug special! … Jez and Damo speak to Melissa Vandewater, the mastermind behind the Aussie Beer Mile. Explore the collision of elite runners and drinkers, the notorious 11 am Chunder Mile, the 100 Beer week long 100-miler, delve into strategic beer choices, the "dregs controversy" and training your stomach with a watermelon. Hear the essential beer mile do's and don'ts and whether Mel successfully dodged a vomit-propelled-high-velocity meat pie.

Geoff & Neil catch up with local Sydney ultra-runner Chris 'Bullie' Turnbull before he heads off on a once in a lifetime run. They chat all things Vegemite sandwiches, dingo bait and running 'East'. In his time Bullie has put his body through some EPIC adventures from Kayaking across the Tasman to running from Sydney to Melbourne … hear about them & learn how he's now set his sights on a 3940 km 'holiday run' from Perth to Sydney. Learn why, how & when this top Aussie bloke is lacing up his runners & heading East (spoiler:he kicks off next week).

Jez & Damo speak to one of Australia's top 10 fastest marathoners of all time, a man that's also pretty handy at 1500m, 5000m, cross country and landed himself in that top 10 in only his 3rd marathon! … ladies & gents … Andy Buchanan, one of our most exciting prodigious marathon talents, all round top bloke & connoisseur of high-end contemporary Australian bakery. Andy takes us through his training, the recent & genuinely magnificent 2023 World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Jelly Slices & Snot Blocks.

Neil & Geoff talk to avid runner, podcaster, ex Athletics NSW mar-comms guru, Pont3 Digital Marketing Manager & NSW athletics Track favourite James Constantine. The boys get the the inside track on how Pont3 are battling to get the Sydney Mara recognised as a major over the next few years, how they need your help rocketing spectatorship to new levels, go behind the scenes at a few of Sydney's biggest running events, find out why he loves running hills, how volunteering is chicken soup for the soul & why not to use Parkrun as your weekly time trial.

4 years, 1 baby, another on the way & a scintillating Commonwealth Games Gold victory … Jez & Damo once again catch up with Lululemon ambassador, Olympian, mum & proud South Australian running gem, the delightful Jess Stenson. Find out how motherhood has given her running/training an extra edge, hear a fascinating blow by blow trip through her Commonwealth Games Gold medal run, what baby #2 means for Paris & what the future might hold.

It's Australia's biggest trail running festival week! … it's time for the amazing Ultra Trail Australia and Neil & Geoff catch up with a UTA legend Scotty Richmond … 10 x UTA 100km with 3 finishes in the top 10 … but wait, this guy's no slacker … graphic designer, children's entertainer 'Ozzie', YouTube sensation, AFL coach & local Shire boy. Will he add Guinness World Record holder to that list? … find out how he's planning on combining 300km, 43 km a day & dribbling a football to make history, his tips for competing/completing UTA 100 km & the moving reason that keeps him motivated to run & to never give up.

Geoff & Neil speak to a man that's made a name for himself in multi-day, frozen, sled carrying ultras … the kind where your back up plan if things go wrong is you & only you … oh & he's also an high altitude mountaineer, Dad, author, TEDx presenter, nerd, Pharmacist & MBA. Meet Paul Watkins, climber of the major peaks on all seven continents, the second Aussie to finish the 6633 Arctic Ultra & the first to win it. Learn about his most recent race in Lapland, how he manages to train for super-cold races in the Australian climate, how he balances training with the typical family responsibilities and how a average mid-pack ultra runner wins long tough cold stuff halfway around the other side of the world.

He's off!!! Aussie ultra-running's most prolific living legend, Pat Farmer, has kicked off a monster run around Australia … AGAIN … this time he's running to help raise awareness for The Voice referendum and Jez & Damo catch up with him just before he grabs his runners and gets going. Learn what it takes to plan & train for a 14,400 km 6 month multi-day ultra-run, what he's been doing since we last spoke in 2019 (spoiler:a lot), how time & action have become his most important tools, what changes in his training have been driven by age and how the secret to being an ultra-runner is really just 'the ability to keep running while feeling like a bag of dog poop' :-) … and the boys also get an early view on the new Under Armour carbon plated Flow Velociti Elite shoes & some shiny new running gear.