The Big Run

Hello and welcome to this special mid-week episode of TBR

The valencia marathon was just over a week ago and saw a string of incredible times on the super flat and fast course. One of those was from Natasha Cockram who took a massive chunk out of her own welsh record of 2:30:03 by running a 2:26:14. 

She missed the London marathon in October due to a covid hit training build. Her decision to toe the line in Spain has now jumped her from no 30 to no 6 in the all-time UK rankings.

In this conversation, we break down the race, how leading into it she didn’t have the best build-up, how he went off too quick and was worried about what might happen down the line and how it turned out to be one of those races when it all comes together. We look at her training, what lessons she’s learnt from the previous marathon builds and so much more. 

If you are interested in her coaching then head over to @run.to.become 

If you want to join the discussion about the episode and help shape the future of the podcast then head over to our discord. The link to join is in our bio

Photo via @mezzosportmanagement

Corbin Shaw is a British artist based in Bethnal Green, East London. Originally from Sheffield, Corbin explores ideas of masculinity through the medium of textiles, known for his unique take on the St George's cross, where he hijacks the stereotypes associated with the flag with text, sometimes messages of support and love, occasionally satirical takes on the 'Englishman'  when finished, they form a witty take on the ever-recognisable symbol.

In this episode, we track through Corbin's life as a footballer and boxer before he discovered running, his work as an artists and his experience taking on the marathon distance for the first time. 

The first image was shot by @brynley.davies second and third are examples of Corbin's work used with permission by the artist. 

You can follow Corbin @corbinshaww

Hello and welcome back to The Big Run...

This week's guest is Hannah Irwin. Hannah had an incredible run at Highgate back in May which led to a string of incredible opportunities but when it came to toeing the line at the Commonwealth Games in August something didn't feel right she knew the most important thing in that situation was to just get to the line and see what happens. 

In this conversation, we track through her running journey and reflect on the highs and the lows of this year. 

You can follow Hannah @ where you can also find links to her excellent blog as well. 

Photo Credit @markshearman

Welcome to the Manvmiles x Big Run Podcast Race on Feel Experiment.

Myself and Kieran Alger have been on a mission to find out if running without a watch… ditching pacing bands and pacing plans to race entirely on feel might be the best way to bag yourself a new PB.

We guinea-pigged ourselves and embraced the concept of racing entirely on feel, covered our watches and ran free from the pressure of data, no splits, no heart rate, no clocks, and definitely no running power readouts.   We also spoke to elite coach Nick Anderson from runningwithus.com and running anthropologist and author of Out of Thin Air, Dr Michael Crawley, to dive deeper into the science, the pros and cons of running on feel.

Be sure to check out Kieran's brilliant YouTube video over on his channel for his take on the experiment, this podcast tells that story and features extended interviews with our two experts for deeper dives into the science, physiology and anthropological ideas surrounding our relationship with running and data.

If you're looking for coaching and help with your running check out runningwithus.com.  And pick up a copy of Dr Michael Crawley's excellent read Out of Thin Air: https://amzn.eu/d/bIj6Wk0

and a big thank you to Run Through for our race places on the day.

Hello and welcome back...

Today's guest is Matt Stonier. 

An up-and-coming star in middle-distance running. He shocked the field at the Nike Elmsley Carr Mile by taking the win, the following week he was toeing the line at a diamond league meet and headed to Birmingham for the 1500m where he posted a PB of 3.32 an incredible season closed out with him inking a deal with Nike. And he's only just getting started...

Big thank you to Matt for coming on the show. 

Today's episode also features a rapid review of the New Balance SC Elite V3. 

The review gets to the heart of the shoe in less time than it took Matt to run his 1500m. Let me know what you think of the new feature by getting in touch.

The shoe retails at £220 pounds (I said 222 in the review for some reason), has 4mm drop and comes to around 250g in a men's UK Size 10 and is available now @sportsshoes 

Photo of Matt post 5th Ave mile by @jkh_photo

Hello and welcome back to TBR.

Today's guest is Jack Kuenzle. 

The 27-year-old former Navy SEAL may be one of the most gifted runners on the planet. Who, back in September took nearly 30 minutes of Killian Jornet's record for the Bob Graham round. One of the most historic and epic fell routes in the world of mountain running. 

He has been taking chunks out of dozens of FKTs in the UK and the USA after spending time in the military as a member of the U.S Navy SEALS. 

In this conversation, we talk about his journey to the mountains, his training, how heat is the poor man's altitude, why van life isn't all it's cracked up to be, and why Jack writes the funniest race reports. 

This was a fantastic conversation! Thanks to Jack for taking the time. 

Follow him @

Photo by @steveashworthmedia

I run, so you dont have to...

Starts the wildly popular and frequently visited blog of today's guest - Russell Bentley. 

Russell started off as an 800m runner and has moved through the distances as he explores different disciplines and training approaches. 

From time spent in East Africa, to running the mountains of Wales where he and his family have lived since relocating in 2012.  

He has a marathon PB of 2:20 and holds the winter FKT for the Paddy Buckley round 

All of this has led to an extraordinary wealth of knowledge that he shares via his coaching. 

Head over to https://russellrunner.com/coaching/ for more information if you'd like to find out more. 

https://russellrunner.com/london-marathon-2022/ - his take on this years London Marathon and https://russellrunner.com/berlin-marathon-2018/ for the lowdown on *that* Berlin marathon as well.

Hello and welcome back to The Big Run

Todays guest is Carrie Dimoff. Carrie is an American athlete who competed at the World champs in Doha in 2019, she has told the line in multiple Olympic trails, trains with the Bowerman Track Club and holds a marathon PR of 2:31. 

Alongside this, she has been working at Nike since leaving University where she is integral to product development working alongside elite athletes to develop the next generation of cutting edge footwear technology. This has including working with Eluid Kipchoghe whilst developing the first iteration of the Alphafly. 

In this conversation we get into her story, the lessons she's learned, how to juggle work and training whilst also raising a family and why sometimes its ok to care a lot. 

A big thank you to Carrie for taking the time to come on the show.

Photos in order by 

@zhetrick

@nike

@hellobrigit

Hello and welcome back to The Big Run.

Today's guest is Matt West. Matt is a guitarist with the pop-punk band Neck Deep. Together since 2012, they are hugely successful. Touring across Europe and America. 

But along with rocking out to sold-out gigs, Matt has a new passion in his life - running. 

I linked up with him a few weeks ago to learn about where the passion started, finding the balance between running and touring, and how it improved his health and helped his performances on stage. 

You can follow Matt @masshew

Check out Neck Deep @neckdeepuk

A huge thankyou to Matt for taking the time and to Tilly for the intro. 

See you next week for The Big Run

Get the brews on…and join me as I catch up with Rose Harvey, the first Brit home at the London Marathon with a world champs qualifying time of 2:27:59. 

It’s been a busy year for Rose with three marathon build-ups and lots of obstacles, but she continues to impress having come to the sport relatively late after the pandemic gave her a chance to focus on her running. 

We met at the Regency Cafe in London’s Westminster not far from the final mile of the marathon to reflect on that race, her running journey and why she’s enjoying a well-earned break.

Along for the ride was Curated for Runners Arran McCaskill documenting the afternoon, check out his images and all the brilliant work Arran, Jerry and Hafi do over on Curated for Runners.