Gladys, Stephen and Dan are back for episode 2 of the Road to Belfast! After a great response to the first episode we thought we had better put out another so here we are. It is the same format this week with Stephen kicking things off by recapping his monster training volume. Gladys goes next where she talks us through her sessions for the week and hints at a big workout she did on the day of recording, stay tuned for that! To round out the episode we hear from both the athletes how they think the Craic 10k is going to go as well as some of their favourite training philosophies. Thanks for joining us for another week, keep those questions coming in! Hooroo.

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Episode 39 is a BEAST! This a two-parter with all the local results in part 1 and then a brilliant interview with the up-and-coming Frank McGrath. Results in the first half focus on the win by the NI lads at the Intercounties XC in Nottingham, Bohermeen Half Marathon, Walled City 10 Miler in Derry as well as some chit-chat about European Indoors. Part 2 we are joined by Frank McGrath who is cementing himself as a force to be reckoned with across a range of events. Frank recently came second in the English National XC at Parliament Hill and he tells us all about that as well his training and life living in London, his hopes and dreams for the future and which spikes he will be wearing on the track this Summer. Big thanks for Frank for joining us and for all of you for listening. Until next time, hooroo!

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Welcome one, welcome all! This is a very special podcast series brought to you by The Back Straight Podcast! Join us as we follow two local sub-elite runners in their journey towards the Belfast Marathon. Gladys Ganiel from North Belfast Harriers and Stephen Connolly from Annandale Striders will be talking us through their preparation for the big race on 4th of May, we can't wait to see how they get on!

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It's a top-shelf two-parter this week! In part 1 we recap the Senior Cross Country that happened in Lurgan Park, Armagh 5k, Irwin Spiers XC, The League, some indoors results and a brief mention of the crazy half-marathon WR that happened in Barcelona. In part 2 we are joined by TripAdvisor's top-dog and brilliant runner in his own right, Justin Reid! Justin takes us for a trip down memory lane for an insight into how today's crop of athletes compare to the 80s and 90s. Justin also talks to us about how running has helped him in business and why he thinks it is so important. We are also stoked to be the platform where TripAdvisor announce they are sponsoring the Belfast Irish Milers meet again for 2025. We hope you all enjoyed this episode and we will catch you in a week or so! Hooroo!

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For the second part of this bonus episode on the Armagh International Road Races we are joined by the 3rd placed man in the 5k, Sebastian Lörstad. Sebastian amazed everyone when he basically ran a time trial in the event leading from the gun and stringing out the race until he was unfortunately passed in the home straight. Sebastian is still happy enough with his 13:36 and unofficial 5k age group work record which surpasses Jakob Ingebritsens previous mark at the same age. Sebastian talks us through his training, coaching set-up, passions outside of the sport and hopes and dreams for the future. We are firm believers that this is only the beginning for this rising talent and can't wait to see what is next. Thanks for listening! Hooroo.

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Off the back of a brilliant iteration of the Armagh International Road Races for 2025 we were lucky enough to be joined by the women's 3k winner, Verity Ockenden. Verity talks us through her set-up in Northern Italy, training methodologies, the Armagh 3k race and what is next! Verity also talks to us about mental health and elite athletics and shares some great insights on this for runners of all levels. We hope you enjoy part 1 of this bonus episode! Hooroo.

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The title basically says it all for episode 37! We have tonnes of results from a plethora of different races that happened recently as well as a few previews of some exciting events on the horizon. Results wise we have two cross country league fixtures to go over, Trim 10 Mile, European Clubs XC in Portugal and some National Records have fallen. On the preview front we will be talking all things Armagh 5k and the NI Senior Cross Country which is almost here. Keep an eye out on our Instagram for some details about the giveaway of two race entries to the Springwell Running Club's Coleraine Campus 5k! Thanks for joining us for another episode, we hope you enjoyed it! Hooroo!

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For episode 36 we are joined by two legends of the local running scene. First up is Vincent Bradley who is a local at the Queen's Parkrun alongside his daughter Meabh. Meabh and Vincent have been turning out every Saturday to Parkrun, rain, hail or shine and have now ticked over the 200 Parkrun milestone. Meabh and Vincent are fantastic ambassadors for running and are loved dearly by all they meet! Vincent talks to us about Meabh's deep love of Parkrun and being involved in the local running community. Meabh truely personifies the inclusivity and accessibility of running, she is a force to be reckoned with! Eamonn returns to the Back Straight for a second time to talk to us about this year's Belfast Irish Milers Meet. There are some big names on the start lists for 2025 and we can't wait to see it all go down in May! Thanks to both of them for joining us and we hope you enjoyed this episode. Hooroo!

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We are joined by none other than Ciara Mageean for our first episode of 2025! Ciara is a true local legend and international running superstar. She is a 5-time Irish record holder and has won multiple medals at a number of championship events such as gold in the 2024 European Champs 1500m. Ciara gives us the full low-down on her move back to Belfast, training set-up, reflections on 2024 and what is to come in the future. This is not an episode to be missed and we hope you enjoy! Hooroo!

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Short snippet of commentary from Rome 2024 world champs was taken from RTE2 and is not property of the Back Straight Podcast.

East Down and now one of Providence's finest athletes, Anna Gardiner, joins us for episode 34 of the Back Straight! Anna is fresh off a bronze medal team result at the prestigious NCAA Cross Country and a stellar performance in Turkey at the Euopean Cross. Anna talks us through the ins-and-outs of American college running, from the cafeteria all the way to private jets! We think Anna is a true icon of the running scene in Northern Ireland with so many great results ahead of her, we can't wait to see what comes next! This is not an episode you want to miss. Merry Christmas y'all! See you in 2025, hooroo.

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