Trail Tales with Tara and Bryce

Andy is an accomplished ultra marathon runner with multiple finishes of Comrades in South Africa and Tarawera in New Zealand. He is in his 70s now and stays fit with bike riding and regular strength training. Andy and Bryce have been mates for over 15 years, in fact Andy got Bryce into running in the first place.

Brett started running in the forest with his dog in Tamworth when he was just 10 years old. He is unique in that he has recorded all of his running over the years on an old school excel spreadsheet and does not have anyone giving him Kudos.

He is a lovely guy with a fabulous range of running and athletic interests such as Javelin and Hyrox.

Amber is one of Tara's research Colleagues who just happens to be an elite trail runner with international experience and phenomenal results. She was born in New Zealand, lived in Chile, the UK and is now based in the USA. At one stage in her life she was sponsored by Adidas and while doing this completed her PHD. Her research is fascinating and she is a delight to chat with.

In this episode Tara takes the opportunity to catch up with her Norwegian colleague Ulrik who is in Australia for work. They chat about the benefits of short intense exercise and how it is really good for brain health. You don't necessarily need a lot of time to gain great outcomes - short bursts of high energy effort will do the trick.

In other news, Bryce is a grandad for the first time and Tara's house got flooded. Of course our wonderful running community was fantastic support for us both!

Check out Tara's new Trail Tales themed car!!

Tara and Bryce catch up after a few epic challenges.
Tara had a crack at the Goggins challenge - 4 miles - every 4 hours for 48 hours and Bryce completed the 50k (Out and back) Noosa Trail Ultra.
We are just your average trail running plodders. Tara did not complete the challenge and Bryce came an impressive 386th out of 421 runners. But he did come 7th his age group. (there were only 7 runners🤣)

Not all trail runs end in glory. The reality of a DNF is a very real possibility when you attempt stuff that you are not sure you can do. Dave and Jon share about this, after a brutal Tarewera 100miler plagued with mud and rain. These guys are epic athletes, full of courage and grit and you can do nothing but be filled with admiration and respect as they share in this episode.

In this episode, Tara chats with Kristen about her epic adventure taking on the Tarawera Ultra-Trail 100 km in New Zealand. Battling tough conditions—including around 45 km of thick mud—Kristen pushed through with determination and, in true Kristen style, kept a relentlessly positive attitude all the way to the finish.

Professor Selena Bartlett is a Neuroscientist and author whose research focuses on brain plasticity and mindset. She is also the host of the Thriving Minds Podcast. In this special crossover podcast Selena and Tara chat about trail running, mental health, and the latest research into how exercise promotes brain health.

Nicole is an elite trail runner with multiple podiums in world class events all over the world, notably the GTP 100 miler and Hut to Hut in Australia along with amazing accomplishments in International races such as 1st Australian Female in the World Trail running championships in Canfrank - Spain.

Chatting to Nicole was a delight as she is personable and relatable. She loves how trail running allows her to see the world and experience its beauty and challenges up close.

In this episode Tara and Bryce debrief about the Glass House Standing Backyard Ultra they did on New Years Eve. Fantastic community, exhaustion, heat, torrential rain storms and lost property all feature.