Young Hearts Run Free Podcast

Ello! it's only our Yorkshire correspondent, Mel Sykes! She's been in the news a bit lately; she's been front page news to us for much much longer. Since we last spoke to Mel a fair bit of water has passed under the bridge. Mainly being that her ultra-marathon standing has flourished. We cover plenty ground, much like Mel does most weekends. We kick off looking back at a memorable day at last year's Lakeland 50 right through to her recent outing the Manchester to Liverpool 50 ultra. A day that turned out to be equally as memorable for a host of reasons. Mel was caught up in some controversy that day, as result her 4th place finish was subsequently upgraded to 3rd place. If it's a witch hunt you want though you've come to the wrong place. Mel's much too braw a lassie to get hauled into that malarkey. Instead, we speak about the race and subsequent events from Mel's perspective. We look ahead too at what's coming up, be prepped for a double take on what Mel's planning the next few months. Safe to say she's been well and truly bitten by the ultra-marathon bug. If you need a reminder of how keeping your approach and mindset simple, not over complicating your training or prep and just enjoying our sport for the feel-good factor of moving then Mel is an essential listen. And it's all done with humbleness and a serene fashion we should all get on board with. Oh, there's some fruity language in this week's dialect dictionary and there might be an unexpected appearance from a penis cushion. Intrigued? Now come on in and get yir lugs roond this!

Right guys, we’re not even joking, this week we’re joined by John Kelly. That doesn’t stop us having our usual weekly round-up though, even ultra-running royalty doesn’t stop that! John then dials in from Tennessee and we give him the full Young Hearts Run Free going over. John treats us to an hour of chat as we delve into his running story, talk about his time in the UK covering all sorts of running and non-running topics.  Of course it’s Barkley Marathons that fills most of our airtime, and why the hell not? Frozen Head State Park is John’s local hood, the trails a familiar place. We get never heard insight from the legendary two-time Barkley Marathons finisher. We cover the enigmatic Lazarus Lake, interloopal fuelling/sleeping, navigation, weather, playing tour guide, race tactics, lessons learned and find out about John’s ‘disaster prevention mode’ in action. John is way to gracious with his time, we seize the opportunity to unearth a multitude of golden nuggets, the chance to pick his brain and listen to his wisdom was an absolute treat. Turns out he’s a heck of a guy too, the Irn Bru swigging Tunnock teacake munchin’ dude even promises a return appearance, we’ll hold him to that! Your boys are striking gold at the mo and boy will we keep prospecting. Enjoy y’all. Give John a follow on his socials for lots of musings and entertainment INSTAGRAM and TWITTER

Jump on in, it’s only our season 8 opener. And yip, we’re still bouncing after last weekend’s Manchester success story! So, who better than to invite to the party to get our new season off to a flyer than the fella with the 2nd best mohawk in running, the one and only Damian Hall. After our usual intrepid intro Damo joins us and we cover plenty enough to get yir lugs tingling with glee. From his first foray into running right through to his most recent adventure at the Barkley Marathons. We get to the bottom of his running story; you did know he ran his first mara dressed as a toilet, right? With time spent on discovering ultras and the realisation that his body was capable of much much more than he first imagined. Damo lets us in on how he found adventuring ultra-addictive, bimbling along often with pals soon becoming his preferred leisure pursuit. Spine Races, the Barkley Marathons take centre stage for our middle segment before we move on to more important matters like bendy bodies, favourite trail snacks and of course his wee bromance with the tea dodger John Kelly. Lastly, yet most importantly Damo discusses his role within the Green Runners movement and shares his concern about environmental matters that he works so hard to raise awareness of and seek action against. It’s something we can all do a little (or a lot) to help with even if that’s just sharing a lift to the next race you’re running. It feels over in a flash, and yet we have so much more to chat about. They’ll be a part II to this one at some future point, we’re only getting started with this tea loving, mohawk donning legend. Find out more about Green Runners and sign up here THE GREEN RUNNERS Sponsor Sam Miller undertaking his epic 300 mile cycle from Warrington to Perth here Sam Cycles Just Giving Page

It’s season finale time! Manchester was the ultimate destination last weekend. The start line to John’s personal quest for a sub 4-Hour marathon awaited. We get a full blow by blow lowdown on the hoedown in this epic episode. Johns on the ceiling, Steven tries his best to scrape him off to dissect what literally just happened. Come find out how your favourite guy rolled the dice as we unearth his pre-race rituals, his in-race tactics and of course we’ve all the finish line feels imaginable. From suits of armour, putting action plans into motion and how you, the listeners helped fuel his burning desire. Playlists, run rewards and the race photo of your dreams, step on into this stonker of a race recap as a fully trained and coached Mr John Cassidy relives his Manchester Marathon experience in full. High doh levels may have just reached a new peak. Buckle up. It’s emotional, it’s inspirational, it’s downright unmissable. This is the feel-good shit you just gotta get your lugs roond. Reach out to John’s coach Fiona through social messages here FACEBOOK or INSTAGRAM Alternatively drop Fiona an email to fivestaractive@gmail.com to enquire.

Hud the bus, what's this? Episode 19.5, wtf? Well, it is a big week for one half of your hosting gang, JC is Manchester bound! We take time out to capture John's final thoughts as he finishes up his taper and gets himself psyched for his big outing this Sunday morning. He's been dedicated to his training plan for 16 weeks, how's he feeling? Greeting, excited, emotional.....all these things? We take a meander through his approach to race-day talking weather, outfit choices, playlists, high-doh levels, race numbers and ultimately finish up on confidence levels. Our discussion will pique your interest, if you too are tapering it'll maybe even help steady those nerves a little. John's invested heavily into this journey, now it's time to press play and let it all come together. Come on in, it's time to find out how ready and raring John is to blooter that sub-4 hour marathon holy grail. The Manchester Marathon awaits. This is the one.

Welcome back to Access All Areas. Your one stop shop for all things Lakeland 50 and 100! In Episode 3 your hosts, John and Steven, welcome along 13 time Lakeland 100 finisher Matt Neale. Matt takes us on a journey through all of his Lakeland experiences, there are golden nuggets aplenty in here for you whether this is your first trip to Coniston or your umpteenth. An early shout-out and a reminder to attend the world famous Sunday presentation ceremony, it's legendary don't you know! You can catch the video version of this episode along with other content on your hosts YouTube platform here: Access All Areas Terry Fox Movie on YouTube

We’re making a good habit lately of speaking with former guests. We do so again in this episode as we welcome back Karen Nicol, she’s been a busy lass since we last caught up. Last time we spoke to Kaz she’d just completed her first Backyard Ultra, she’s done 3 more since and they’ve all been part of a learning experience that’s went much deeper than just running. We hear all about Karen’s race experiences which have seen her not only contribute to Team Scotland’s ‘yards’ but have raised the bar in terms of her own personal achievements. With outings at the Cow Shed Backyard Ultra, the Highlander Backyard Ultra and most recently a notable Rasselbock Backyard Ultra under her belt Karen reflects on her own evolution as a runner. But there’s something more going on too, a change in mindset that perhaps is the secret to her success. Karen has switched up both her training and overall approach as she reveals a drastic volume cut in her weekly mileage, the introduction of simulation weekends and time set aside to invest in her mind and body. It’s quite the story and Karen tells us it all in her (newfound) calm, collective and measured way. There’s a few constants remain though; her support team and Muller Rice consumption need no evolution whatsoever. Enjoy listening to Karen, she makes it sound easy peasy, it’s far from it but you’ll learn a thing or two from her to consider trying yourself. Now where’s those links for the Backyard Ultra sign ups? Rasselbock Running Races sound da bomb, find more out HERE

The Barkley Marathons. From the mind of a genius has spawned a phenomenon. We’ve been lucky to chat to some guests about taking part in Barkley. But what about behind the scenes? We’re joined by Larry Kelley to find out. Larry has the privilege to see the Barkley going-ons through a very different lens than most. He’s part of the extensive event team who together make the Lazarus Lake magic happen. Larry, a seasoned ultra-runner in his own right with multiple finishes on his CV tends to follow his ‘a lot of stupid in me’ moto. This is a man who run all the way across Iowa after all, just the 310 miles! We’re treated to an unprecedented insight as Larry respectfully lifts the lid into not only the Barkley Marathons but also the Barkley Fall Classic. The routes, the characters, the challenges along with some sensational stories from his time supporting the races in Frozen Head State Park. Larry gives us his take on what attributes make a Barkley starter a good candidate to become a Barkley finisher. He dishes out tips and anecdotes galore.  It’s gold. So is Larry who describes the races as magical, is there another race on the planet requires athletes to show aggressive patience??! What even is aggressive patience?!? Strap yourself in. Larry delivers in spades. Warning, after listening you may find yourself checking out ways to get to Tennessee. We know we are!

In this episode we’re joined by returning guest Robbie Britton. We’ve plenty to ask him and, as always, he has plenty to tell us! It’s not every day you break GB records after all! After a chunky opening intro segment covering Twenty Along the Forth, an Anglo Celtic Plate preview and a little bit of empathy for those starting to taper for spring marathons the wee man joins us for high paced run down of what’s been going down since we last spoke. Robbie is back at the very top of his game, his recent outing at the 24-hour race in Torino, Italy testimony to that. He walked away with a freshly baked new GB 24-hour record tucked under his arm and boy does it suit him. We get the full monte low-down on his prep and execution of a spectacular day (and night) in Piedmont. Robbie is super generous with his time and knowledge, we delve into an intricate look at his fuelling, training, and mindset. The record he breeched had stood for an incredible 40 years!! We spend a plenty time just chewing the fat with Robbie and hearing his take on all sorts, mostly but not exclusively running related. The cadence is high, the takeaways are endless. This one might well take you 2 listens. Phew, we’re outta breath even thinking about it, enjoy gettin’ yir lugs roond this! Get the full run down of Robbie’s nutrition plan from his record breaking 24 hour race HERE Keep up with goings-ons over at the Anglo Celtic Plate in Northern Ireland HERE

A big welcome back to the Young Hearts, Run Free podcast. We were thrilled to have the pleasure of catching up with the legend that is Jasmin Paris. She needs little introduction, so we dive right in to find out what brought Jasmin to where she is today, her intro to fell-running and how she found a love for ‘the longer stuff’. Still recovering from her very recent outing at the 2023 Barkley Marathons we’re able to grill Jasmin on her 2nd experience over in Tennessee and just what it took for her to finish 4 loops of the daunting 20-mile (in Laz miles)) course. Whether you’re a Barkley newbie or seasoned Barkley fanatic it makes for compulsive listening! We also chat plenty about Jasmin’s iconic Spine Race course-record as she regales how she found her love for wild places and how she unearthed a world-class knack of moving effectively over tricky terrain. There’s simply no doubting that last statement. Passionate about her role within The Green Runners, a movement she is proud to have co-founded, Jasmin enlightens us all in ways we can contribute to reducing our footprint, as their moto puts it ‘You don’t need to be perfect, just keep improving by putting the planet first when making decisions’. It was a privilege to speak to Jasmin and we can’t wait for you to get your lugs around this. ‘Messieurs, wiz zese bonus episodes you are really spoiling us…..’ Find out more and sign up to a pledge on THE GREEN RUNNERS