This episode of The Checkpoint podcast is sponsored by The North Face®.

Amira is a 29-year-old Muslim British Indian woman, originally from Bolton who now lives in the beautiful Lake District, here in the UK.

Amira is an adventurer, a changemaker, activist and – for thousands of people who follow her on social media – a truly exceptional human being who, through sharing her adventures, inspires us to get outside.

It was in 2020, during the Coronavirus lockdowns, that Amira founded The Wanderlust Women Group – a hiking and adventure community for Muslim women. And in 2021, after deciding that she wanted to fully immerse herself in all things outdoors, she made the decision to move from her hometown of Bolton to The Lakes and became an outdoor walking leader.

Amira’s aim is to break down the barriers and stereotypes of the niqab and to break down misconceptions of Muslim women through her personal work and that of her thriving community.

So, without further ado, let’s dive deep into this conversation and find out more about her past, present, and future plans.

Follow Amira on Instagram

Follow The Wanderlust Women on Instagram

The Wanderlust Women Website

This episode of The Checkpoint podcast is sponsored by The North Face®. In episode 30, Marcus and Sonny talk to Sara Hall, who has represented the United States at the World Indoor Athletic Championships and the World Cross Country Championships. Earlier this year she claimed the US half marathon record, and has been selected to represent the US in the marathon at this year’s World Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

Sara talks to Marcus and Sonny about her training, her motivation and the longevity; she was 39 when she set the US half marathon record of 1:07:15, at the same Houston weekend as 37-year old Keira D’Amato claimed the US marathon record. She also talks about the work of the Hall Steps Foundation (set up with her similarly US half marathon record holding husband, Ryan), her faith, and her multi-ethnic family of four adopted daughters.

Follow Sara on Instagram @sarahall3, and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaraHallASICS

Additional links:

The Hall Steps Foundation: https://www.facebook.com/TheHallStepsFoundation/, https://www.thestepsfoundation.org/?fbclid=IwAR3d-yk-ydoZFdns50e-3eiQLIKi81i8B5DUc_ONLIobF6WCinrOeMZp69I

2022 World Athletics Championships: https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-championships/oregon22

This episode of The Checkpoint podcast is sponsored by The North Face®. In episode 29, Marcus and Rachel talk to Kelly Smith, adventurer, built environment enthusiast & navigation guide.

Kelly holds an undergraduate degree in Project Management for Construction and a masters in Flood Risk Assessment, Modelling and Engineering. Kelly swims in the pool, lakes, and sea, cycles with TWR, hikes with Black Girls Hike and has started running with Black Trail Runners. Kelly hopes to be a beacon of light to get more people from diverse backgrounds into multi-sport events and Kelly also has a big project on the horizon, which we get into on the podcast. Look out for a film coming later this year!

Kelly answers navigation questions submitted by members of the BTR community and shares lots of useful tips on map-reading and route-finding. We talk about Kelly’s inquisitive mind towards all things related to sustainable development as well as their passion for the outdoors. 

Additional links:

This episode of The Checkpoint podcast is sponsored by The North Face®. In episode 28, Sabrina and Sonny speak to Aneela McKenna – a Scottish Asian rider with Pakistani heritage -  a trailblazer and a pioneer in the world of mountain biking.

Voted in 2021 as Single-Track Magazines ‘Most Outstanding Human’, Aneela works tirelessly in her campaigning for more diversity and inclusion in the world of mountain biking.

For over 20 years Aneela has worked in the Scottish parliament as Diversity and Wellbeing Inclusion Manager and, alongside this – with her husband Andy - co-founded a cycle tour company ‘Go Where Scotland’, where she leads on the Mor Diversity widening participation in cycling programme.

Aneela’s professional and personal passion for ensuring all feel welcome shines through in all she does and in her first short film – After the Storm - she shares her lived experience of growing up, experiencing racism, and how a series of particularly disturbing long running racist episodes with a work colleague almost broke her. The film, which we will discuss more later, is a must watch.

Listen to the hosts deep dive with this amazing, most outstanding human.

Instagram: mrsgowherescotland / gowherescotlandmtb

Mor Diversity: www.mordiversity.com

After The Storm Film: https://kendalmountainplayer.com/programs/two-wheeled-tales?cid=2524384&permalink=after-the-storm-1-c38438

This episode of The Checkpoint podcast is sponsored by The North Face®. In episode 27 we take you behind scenes at the trail taster event which took place 27 November 2021 at Epping Forest.

There was a group of more than 20 runners, including a contingent from our friends Emancipated Run Crew, many of whom were running on the trails for the very first time.

We were hosted by Camino Ultra and Orion Harriers Running Club. Regis Martin from Camino gave a map-reading and navigation workshop, focused on the route we would later run. Darren Strachan from Camino shared trail running kit advice.

Then it was out into the cold of late November for a run along the grass and leaf-strewn trails of the largest ancient woodland in the south of England, with views across London from Pole Hill, 91m high on the Greenwich Meridian. So much fun was had that some of the group went out and ran the route again, finishing with some night-running practice!

In this conversation we share firstly some of the key learnings from the workshops that you can apply. And secondly you can listen to some of the great conversations we had on the trails.

We have plans in place for more trail tasters events in 2022. We’ll be heading to the Lakes, to Wales, the South Downs and elsewhere. To find out more you can follow Black Trail Runners on Instagram @blacktrailrunners

In episode 26 of The Checkpoint sponsored by The North Face®️, we talk to Laura Gaga.

Laura Gaga is a civil servant, blogger and writer from North West London. She is best known as the host of the Alright Raiders podcast and as a food waste activist.

Laura is a trail and ultra runner, and like most runners pays attention to what she eats. Her Reduction Raider Instagram account shares how she eats well for less, and documents how she has saved tens of thousands of pounds over the last 10 years. Otherwise known as the Yellow Sticker Gal, she shows it’s possible to prepare tasty, nutritious meals without breaking the bank. And with the advent of food sharing apps such as Olio, she shows how we can prevent food going to waste and save money at the same time – effectively eating for free.

In this episode, we talk to Laura about sustainability, food waste and the effect of the pandemic on our eating habits. Oh, and running.

You can follow Laura on Instagram @reduction_raider1. Her Alright Raiders podcast is on Spotify and other podcast services. You can also read her columns in VeganLife Magazine.

In episode 25 of The Checkpoint sponsored by The North Face®️, we talk to Tasha Thompson.

Tasha Thompson started running 21 years ago, initially starting out in the gym on treadmills before deciding to switch to running outdoors and entering races.

Her first race was in 1998 and even at that time she noticed the severe lack of representation of Black women on the start lines. However, being the woman that she is, that didn’t stop her running and she continued to consciously and unconsciously represent at various road races.

Fast forward to 2019 and, after stumbling across a US run club contingent aimed at bringing together Black women to share community through running, the seeds of creating a safe running space for UK based Black women were planted.

In April of that year, Tasha launched Black Girls Do Run UK. The aim being to inspire Black women to run for their health, fitness and mental wellbeing. The group is not about fast times, medals or prize money. Tasha’s community consist of women who work, go to college and are mothers. Women who may feel they run slow. Black Girls Do Run UK is about these women – showcasing them and providing a place for them to be supported and celebrated.

What started out in 2019 as a group consisting of Tasha and a few friends has grown tenfold and continues to attract new face-to-face and virtual members.

So, it gives us great pleasure to welcome to The Checkpoint Tasha Thompson, founder of Black Girls Do Run UK.

Follow Black Girls Do Run UK:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blackgirlsdorunuk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackgirlsdorunuk/?hl=en

More information: https://linktr.ee/blackgirlsdorunuk

In episode 24 of The Checkpoint sponsored by The North Face®️, we talk to Preet Chandi.

Preet is an army officer, physiotherapist, ultrarunner and endurance athlete. She is aiming to complete a solo, unsupported trek to the South Pole, travelling 700 miles, pulling a sledge with all of her kit, in temperatures of -50c. The journey will take approximately 47 days and will be Preet’s first expedition in Antarctica.

Preet has said: “There are only a few female adventurers that have completed a solo, unsupported trek on this continent. It is time to add some more names, diversity and to make history.”

We talk about what it means to Preet, as a woman of colour, to take on this challenge, what strategies she has in place for when things get tough and what her favourite expedition foods are. This was a broad conversation, full of great take-aways and we look forward to tracking Preet’s progress to the South Pole starting next month!

Follow Preet on Instagram @polarpreet

For latest news and more information on Preet visit: https://polarpreet.com/

This episode of The Checkpoint podcast is sponsored by The North Face®️.

In episode 23 we chat to Mosi Smith.

Mosi is a US Naval Academy graduate who served in the US Marine Corps for 8 years.

While at high school, Mosi had his first taste of endurance running when his team coach asked him to run 4 miles which, at the time, was 4 times as long as he had ever run. Since that day, a day that sparked something inside him – a taste for endurance – he has gone on to finish more than 100 + endurance events of marathon distance and longer.

Mosi sits on boards for non-profit organisations and raises money for those that seek to support the physical and mental wellness of veterans. One of his current fundraising campaigns is ‘1 in 10’ – a campaign to enable him and a friend to raise 1 million dollars for the Semper Fi fund through the completion of endurance events.

Whether raising money for veterans, representing for Black athletes in ultramarathons and adventure racing, or just finding new places to explore and ‘be’ while training, Mosi continues to show up and inspire through his professional and personal commitments.

For more information on Mosi visit: https://linktr.ee/therunningsmith

Follow therunningsmith on Instagram, Facebook and Strava.

This episode of The Checkpoint podcast is sponsored by The North Face®️.

In episode 22 we chat to Andrew Alexander King, a one man doer machine.

He is the founder of the Between Worlds Project, working with individuals and non-profits around the world to build a bridge of hope and positive change for tomorrow within nature.

His work looks to combat racism, sexism, climate change, economic limitations and the social and economic barriers that keep underrepresented groups from embarking on life-changing adventures.

A celebrated track and field athlete born into the Detroit projects, Andrew now spends much of his time training to take on grueling mountain climbs and battle big waves on a surfboard. His work and travels take him all over the world and he aims to be the first African American to climb the highest mountain and volcano on each continent.

Follow Andrew’s adventures:

@Andrew_alexander_king

https://linktr.ee/Andrew_alexander_king