Episode 305: Mainland

Three hundred episodes in and still finding brilliance in the strangest corners of sport, Distant Pod is the weekly podcast where Elis James, Mike Bubbins and Steff Garrero bring you the best clips, books and documentaries they’ve found.

🎟️ Watch us live in Hackney:

https://www.hackneyempire.co.uk/events/the-socially-distant-sports-bar-live

🎤 Mike is on tour in 2026:

https://mikebubbins.com/

❤️ Donate in memory of podcast legend Tops Off Vic:

https://www.justgiving.com/page/kelly-bubbins-2?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=EM&utm_campaign=020

🎧 PART 1

Mike kicks things off with Tiger vs Boulder, a clip that perfectly captures the unpredictability (and occasional absurdity) of nature meeting sport.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUTUF39EfBb/?igsh=MXg0NmdidHQzYWprZg=

Elis brings a nostalgic gem — “And Ninian Park looks more like the San Siro!”

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ny-Za-ryGuk

Steff rounds out Part 1 with a pair of clips from Canada

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUyT1FQDtoX/?igsh=dzdrZGx3enQycmx6

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/naGpZhyJP0s

🔒 Subscribe to Distant Pod Bonus Club on Apple Podcasts for early, ad-free Parts 1 & 2 — plus Part 3 as exclusive bonus content every week.

🛍️ NEW MERCH ALERT

We’ve launched a brand new merch store — mugs, hoodies, prints and more!

If you fancy supporting the pod that way, head here 👇

🛒 sdsb2025.myshopify.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Pint-Sized Distant Pod.

We’ve been back through our archive of episodes and picked out some of our favourite stories, anecdotes, and funny bits.

If you’re new to the pod, these are a perfect way to dip your toe in and then dive back into the full episodes from our early days.

Come and see us LIVE in London in April https://www.hackneyempire.co.uk/events/the-socially-distant-sports-bar-live

🛍️ NEW MERCH ALERT

We’ve launched a brand new merch store — mugs, hoodies, prints and more!

If you fancy supporting the pod that way, head here 👇

🛒 sdsb2025.myshopify.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Still gloriously obsessed with the brilliance and absurdity of sport, Distant Pod continues to explore the clips, stories and ideas that make sport endlessly fascinating.

🎟️ Hackney tickets:

https://www.hackneyempire.co.uk/events/the-socially-distant-sports-bar-live

🎤 Mike tour:

https://mikebubbins.com/

❤️ Tops Off Vic fundraiser:

https://www.justgiving.com/page/kelly-bubbins-2?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=EM&utm_campaign=020

🎧 PART 2

Elis’s documentary pick is Jim Mills: Jacko’s Sporting Almanac, a deep dive into one of sport’s great collectors and chroniclers.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b08qggc1?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile

Steff’s book this week is Good Coach, Bad Coach by Simon Harling, exploring what separates effective coaching from the rest — and what really drives performance.

https://store.simonharling.blog/

🔒 Join Distant Pod Bonus Club on Apple Podcasts for early access, ad-free listening, and Part 3 every week as a bonus episode.

🛍️ NEW MERCH ALERT

We’ve launched a brand new merch store — mugs, hoodies, prints and more!

If you fancy supporting the pod that way, head here 👇

🛒 sdsb2025.myshopify.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Three hundred episodes in and still digging up gold from sport’s strangest corners, Distant Pod is the weekly podcast where Elis James, Mike Bubbins and Steff Garrero bring you the best clips, books and documentaries they’ve found — from elite performance to absolute chaos.

🎟️ Watch us live in Hackney:

https://www.hackneyempire.co.uk/events/the-socially-distant-sports-bar-live

🎤 Mike is on tour in 2026:

https://mikebubbins.com/

❤️ Donate in memory of podcast legend Tops Off Vic:

https://www.justgiving.com/page/kelly-bubbins-2?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=EM&utm_campaign=020

🎧 PART 1

Elis brings a brilliant reality check with real people attempting marathon pace, a reminder of just how extreme elite endurance really is.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SRYtn0j5ccA

Steff shares a deceptively simple but strangely gripping clip simply titled “Stairs” — one of those bits of internet sport-adjacent content that becomes oddly compelling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bHT_jZvQDs

Mike rounds things off with Rhys Carré, showcasing the power and personality of the Welsh rugby star.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVj19MfDMV5/?igsh=NzUzb2JjY2lqZWp3

🔒 Subscribe to Distant Pod Bonus Club on Apple Podcasts for early, ad-free Parts 1 & 2 — plus Part 3 as exclusive bonus content every week.

🛍️ NEW MERCH ALERT

We’ve launched a brand new merch store — mugs, hoodies, prints and more!

If you fancy supporting the pod that way, head here 👇

🛒 sdsb2025.myshopify.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Pint-Sized Distant Pod.

We’ve been back through our archive of episodes and picked out some of our favourite stories, anecdotes, and funny bits.

If you’re new to the pod, these are a perfect way to dip your toe in and then dive back into the full episodes from our early days.

This is from 193: His Guts Split Open And It Was The King Of Spades

Come and see us LIVE in London in April https://www.hackneyempire.co.uk/events/the-socially-distant-sports-bar-live

🛍️ NEW MERCH ALERT

We’ve launched a brand new merch store — mugs, hoodies, prints and more!

If you fancy supporting the pod that way, head here 👇

🛒 sdsb2025.myshopify.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

🔒 Subscribe to Distant Pod Bonus Club on Apple Podcasts for early, ad-free Parts 1 and 2 — plus Part 3 every week as exclusive bonus content.

Over 300 episodes deep and still gloriously sidetracked, Distant Pod is where Mike, Elis and Steff explore the brilliance, nostalgia and absurdity of sport through the clips, documentaries and books that caught their attention this week.

🎟️ LIVE SHOW UPDATE

Cardiff and Carmarthen are now completely sold out — thank you so much to everyone who’s coming along.

The only remaining shows on this run are our two nights at Hackney Empire in London on April 7th and 8th, and there are only a handful of seats left.

🎫 Tickets:

https://www.hackneyempire.co.uk/events/the-socially-distant-sports-bar-live

🎧 PART 2

Steff Documentary:

The Toughest Tug of War Team in the World

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rxo3JPdWHXo

Mike Book (chosen by Elis James):

More Than a Shirt — Joey D’Urso

https://amzn.to/3P81qec

🛍️ NEW MERCH ALERT

We’ve launched a brand new merch store — mugs, hoodies, prints and more!

If you fancy supporting the pod that way, head here 👇

🛒 sdsb2025.myshopify.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

🔒 Subscribe to Distant Pod Bonus Club on Apple Podcasts for early, ad-free Parts 1 and 2 — plus Part 3 every week as exclusive bonus content.

Over 300 episodes in and still discovering sporting brilliance in the strangest corners of the internet, Distant Pod is the weekly podcast where Elis James, Mike Bubbins and Steff Garrero bring you the best clips, documentaries and books they’ve found that week. From legendary sporting nostalgia to total nonsense, it’s a fast-moving tour through the world of sport.

🎟️ LIVE SHOW UPDATE

Our live shows in Cardiff (March 20 & 21) and Carmarthen (April 24) are now completely sold out — thank you so much if you’ve already grabbed tickets.

That means the only shows with seats left on this run are our two nights at Hackney Empire in London on April 7th and 8th.

And even those are very close to selling out, with only a handful of seats left in the stalls.

🎫 Grab tickets here:

https://www.hackneyempire.co.uk/events/the-socially-distant-sports-bar-live

🎧 PART 1

Mike: Newport RFC

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUA3QPkCINR/?igsh=MzdpMTY5endzMzRn

Elis: Peter Beardsley

https://x.com/sid_lambert/status/2018588358193062387

Steff: Is that you Maureen?

https://www.instagram.com/reels/DSzyZL3DBEl/

🛍️ NEW MERCH ALERT

We’ve launched a brand new merch store — mugs, hoodies, prints and more!

If you fancy supporting the pod that way, head here 👇

🛒 sdsb2025.myshopify.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Pint-Sized Distant Pod.

We’ve been back through our archive of episodes and picked out some of our favourite stories, anecdotes, and funny bits.

If you’re new to the pod, these are a perfect way to dip your toe in and then dive back into the full episodes from our early days.

This is from 202: Suzi Ruffell & Maisie Adam from “Big Kick Energy”

Come and see us LIVE in London in April https://www.hackneyempire.co.uk/events/the-socially-distant-sports-bar-live

🛍️ NEW MERCH ALERT

We’ve launched a brand new merch store — mugs, hoodies, prints and more!

If you fancy supporting the pod that way, head here 👇

🛒 sdsb2025.myshopify.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Socially Distant Sports Bar is a weekly podcast where Mike Bubbins, Elis James and Steff Garrero explore the funniest, strangest and most brilliant moments in sport through clips, documentaries and books.

🎟️ LIVE SHOW UPDATE

Our live shows in Cardiff (March 20 & 21) and Carmarthen (April 24) are now completely sold out — thank you so much if you’ve already grabbed tickets. We honestly can’t wait to see you all.

That means the only shows with seats left on this run are our two nights at Hackney Empire in London on April 7th and 8th.

There are just a handful of seats left in the stalls, so if you were thinking about coming along to the London shows, now is definitely the time to grab them.

🎫 Get tickets here:

https://www.hackneyempire.co.uk/events/the-socially-distant-sports-bar-live

🎧 Subscribe to the Apple Premium version for an extra episode every week and the full Distant Pod archive.

PART 2

Mike Documentary – Elway

https://www.netflix.com/title/81660046

Elis Book – Road Captain by Luke Rowe

https://amzn.to/4udh7Rl

🛍️ NEW MERCH ALERT

We’ve launched a brand new merch store — mugs, hoodies, prints and more!

If you fancy supporting the pod that way, head here 👇

🛒 sdsb2025.myshopify.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you’re new to The Socially Distant Sports Bar, welcome. Each week Mike Bubbins, Elis James and Steff Garrero bring you the best sporting clips, documentaries and books they’ve found — celebrating the weird, wonderful and occasionally ridiculous world of sport.

🎟️ LIVE SHOW UPDATE

Our live shows in Cardiff (March 20 & 21) and Carmarthen (April 24) are now completely sold out — thank you so much if you’ve already grabbed tickets. We honestly can’t wait to see you all.

That means the only shows with seats left on this run are our two nights at Hackney Empire in London on April 7th and 8th.

There are just a handful of seats left in the stalls, so if you were thinking about coming along to the London shows, now is definitely the time to grab them.

🎫 Get tickets here:

https://www.hackneyempire.co.uk/events/the-socially-distant-sports-bar-live

🎧 For an extra weekly episode plus the full archive, subscribe to our Apple Premium channel.

PART 1

Steff: Keith the Pole Vaulter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8e42UsWr58

Mike: Augie Garrido

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUBnainiSzt/?igsh=YmM5aGZpaW9ia2pl

Elis: Boxing clip

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQ4fH7jjKzK/?igsh=em9tbjB6bm1qbWIy

🛍️ NEW MERCH ALERT

We’ve launched a brand new merch store — mugs, hoodies, prints and more!

If you fancy supporting the pod that way, head here 👇

🛒 sdsb2025.myshopify.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.