Tooting Run Club: Chatty Miles

Listen to Julia and Kate chatting about the busy autumn race season, including some amusing tales from the Cabbage Patch 10, before being joined by a guest they met at the England Athletics Regional Volunteer Awards back in September.

Eugene Amo-Dadzie is a world-class sprinter with a unique story, having only started taking athletics seriously at the age of 26. By that time he was already a qualified accountant - hence the nickname ‘World’s Fastest Accountant’! Eugene talks to us about the transition from 9-5 to running his first sub-10-second 100m, as well as some of the less glamorous practicalities of life as a professional athlete. 

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We’re officially now in the ‘ber months and the first of these has been jam-packed! Julia and Kate cover everything from Kate’s wedding (starting off the day with a parkrun, of course!) to various autumn races, including the Big Half and Vitality 10km.

This month the Chatty Miles duo are interviewing Minreet Kaur. Founder of Asian Women Run and an advocate for breaking down barriers and inspiring movement, particularly in the Asian community. Minreet’s enthusiasm is truly infectious and when we learn about her parents, it’s clear to see where this zest for life comes from. Tune in to listen to us chat about the origin of Asian Women Run, Minreet’s new role as an Outreach Ambassador for parkrun, running the London marathon with her mum and how she balances all of this alongside being a carer. 

If you’re interested to find out more about Asian Women Run, you can check out their website and socials:

https://asianwomenrun.org
@asianwomenrun

Minreet is also looking for people, especially from diverse communities, who enjoy being active but don’t participate in parkrun as part of her parkrun outreach role. If you would be interested in getting involved in the focus group Minreet is running in October, you can email her: [email protected]

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Episode 8 of Chatty Miles focuses on the build up to the Big Half and other upcoming autumn events, including the wedding of our very own co-host, Kate! 

This month’s interview segment features Trojan Gordon, one of the co-founders of Emancipated Run Crew. ERC is a running community that champions diversity and inclusion, and is built on the belief that running should be accessible and welcoming for everyone. Trojan talks to us about the importance of finding your tribe and how ERC supports black and brown runners to meet their fitness goals, whilst also celebrating their culture and heritage.

If you’d like to find out more about ERC, you can check out their website:

https://www.emancipatedruncrew.com/

or Instagram account: @emancipatedruncrew

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Episode 7 of Chatty Miles was recorded shortly after the emails landed with the results of the ballot draw for the 2027 London Marathon double event (spoiler: neither Julia nor Kate were successful this time). Alongside discussing their disappointment at the lack of marathon places, Julia and Kate cover how their training for the Big Half is going, Julia’s recent holiday running in France and Kate’s newly acquired ankle injury.

This month’s exciting guest is Nikki Sturzaker from Herne Hill Harriers: a European Masters Champion and multiple national title holder. What makes her story especially inspiring is that she’s been running some of the best times of her life since turning 50. Though let’s be honest, a 5km time of 17:42 is something most of us can only ever dream of! Currently rehabbing following a hamstring rupture, Nikki has loads of great tips to share, as well as some nail-biting tales from her racing career.

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Episode 6 of Chatty Miles was recorded in the midst of a brutal heatwave, with Julia and Kate both appearing incredibly sticky and dishevelled (luckily for everyone, this is a podcast with no accompanying video). We cover tips for running in a heatwave, and share some helpful suggestions from TRC members. Kate also shares more on her Blenheim Palace triathlon experience, and we discuss the exciting news of a confirmed 2 day London Marathon event for 2027!

Our guest this month is none other than Kate's dad, Charles Green! Accountant by weekday and parkrun tourist by weekend, Charles has visited almost 600 different parkrun events over the years, and has racked up over 700 total parkruns with over 300 volunteer credits. He sat down to chat with us about how he first got into running, what training plans were like pre-internet, how he first discovered parkrun, and what life looks like as a dedicated parkrun tourist!

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Episode 5 of Chatty Miles sees Julia and Kate discuss upcoming races including Kate’s Blenheim Palace Sprint Triathlon, as well as the first ever Run South London half marathon in the diary for March 2027. Julia shares more about the Welsh parkruns she visited on a half-term trip across the border, while Kate chats about her 500th parkrun celebrations – which were slightly upstaged by Darren Wood’s 1000th parkrun on the same day!

Our guest this month is the wonderful (Dr) Simon Gallacher, a local runner, regular volunteer and key part of the marshalling team at Tooting Common parkrun. Simon has also started volunteering with TRC more recently, so we loved hearing about how he first got into running, what motivates him to keep showing up to volunteer each week, and to hear his take on the power of community running. Fun fact: Simon’s volunteer to run ratio at parkrun is a whopping 4933%!

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@sgallacher65

On episode 4 of Chatty Miles, Julia and Kate cover the last couple of weeks of Julia's London Marathon prep (spoiler: she ran a strong race and got a PB!), as well as the mental games that can come with marathon training. As usual, there's plenty of chat on parkrun tourism, with Julia's recent tour of Ireland providing 3 new parkrun opportunities, and Kate having visited a couple of fast flat courses recently too.

Our guest this month is the wonderful Sophie Austen, a day 1 TRC runner who qualified as a nutritionist last year. Sophie works with her clients to provide evidence-based, practical advice to help them feel and perform their best, both in sport and in regular day-to-day life too. Sophie shares her top fuelling tips with us, and busts a few common nutrition myths along the way. Her Instagram page is full of advice on building healthy habits and incorporating balance, and we're so pleased she joined us on Chatty Miles to share her knowledge!

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@sophs.balanced.life

On episode 3 of Chatty Miles, Julia and Kate share what Tooting Run Club members have been up to lately, from LonDONE parkrun adventures to the results of the club's annual Birthday Bake Off. The kilometers versus miles debate heats up further, and the long-awaited results of the club poll are shared... with a landslide victory for one particular metric.

This month, we're thrilled to be joined by our latest podcast guest, Pete Cooper. Pete is a local Tooting runner, mental health advocate, dedicated marathoner, and founder of the running app, Coopah. Pete's running journey is so inspiring; we loved sitting down to hear a bit more about the story behind how Coopah came about, and to discover how their work in the local running community is changing lives.

Tooting Run Club members can get a 2-week free trial of the app, and 20% off if you decide to continue, by using the code TOOTINGRUNCLUB when you sign up to Coopah.

One of our members, Eleanor, is running the London Marathon later this month and is fundraising for TRC. If you have a few pennies to spare, we'd be really grateful for any donations, which will go towards keeping the club free and continuing to support members of our amazing community: https://www.justgiving.com/page/elle-trc-lm2026

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@petecooperc

@coopahruncoach

Episode 2 of Chatty Miles kicks off with Julia and Kate catching up on recent runs, testing the boundaries of how many Havant parkrun puns one podcast can take, and thought-provoking debates around the pronunciations of Saucony and Lululemon. Julia also puts Kate in the hot seat with the same quick-fire questions we'll be asking each of our guests throughout the series.

Joining us this month is Joanna Rowsell, former Team GB cyclist and double Olympic gold medallist. Joanna shares how she first got into cycling, her journey to representing Great Britain at the Olympics, and the achievement that stands out most from her incredible career. We also chat about returning to fitness after having a baby, and how her mindset around training and sport has evolved over time. An inspiring and honest conversation, packed with practical takeaways for runners and cyclists alike.

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@joannarowsell

Episode 1 of Chatty Miles sees introductions from Julia and Kate, with some chat about upcoming races, 2026 running goals, and recommendations for local running routes and the all-important post-run coffee and cake spots.

The main event is our guest segment with Geoff Jerwood, a former GB athlete turned coach at Herne Hill Harriers. We discuss how Geoff got into running, his incredible 2:17 marathon PB, and his passion for coaching the next generation of athletes. Stay tuned for some of his invaluable coaching insights and tips for both seasoned and new runners!

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@geoffjerwood