The Pace Invader

Matt hasn’t run since August last year — and today, he came back.

We catch up after Weymouth Parkrun at the end of June 2025. In this honest and often funny conversation, he shares what it took to get there. We talk illness, motivation, mental health, community, and the tiny victories that mean everything. There’s no dramatic finish line moment here — just a quiet, powerful comeback.

In this episode, I talk with Ray—66 years old and running for the joy of it. He shares how he got back into running thanks to a neighbour, and why he values going solo, a steady pace, and peaceful surroundings over personal bests.

We reflect on running as therapy, the beauty of simply moving forward, and the memory of a lost loved one who now inspires every run.

A gentle, thoughtful conversation about what running gives us—and why we keep coming back to it.

In this debut episode, I talk with Bev—marathon runner, music lover, and proud plodder—about how running unexpectedly became part of her life. She opens up about starting out with no fitness, finding community through a mental health group, and the marathon that still makes her proud.

We chat about the highs (literally finishing with a beer), the lows (threshold runs in super shoes), and the playlists that define each training block. From her thoughts on solo runs to race-day emotions and her running superpower (endless plodding), Bev’s honesty and humour make this a story every runner—or future runner—will relate to.