Young Hearts Run Free Podcast

Neil Walker joins us this week to recount a memorable day spent on the Rob Roy Way. Drymen to Pitlochry. Come on and dive in to hear all about it. Neil takes us through his recent attempt to grab the Fastest Known Time on the famed Rob Roy Way Trail. He chose the tougher of the two route options, just shy of 90 miles with almost 11k feet of vertical ascent. Neil, who previously repped for Scotland cycling in the Commonwealth Games, starts by giving us his running story. What from his cycling background he's used in the world of ultra running and how the goalposts moved rapidly for him on how far and fast his legs could take him. A sense of togetherness and camaraderie is plentiful as Neil leads us through his attempt, from planning, logistics, and prep before getting on to the day itself. Support crew, we speak about tons, Neil had quite the epic backing in his attempt from his pals. A hearty band of adventurers compiled of his running pals. We cover the route and Neils highs and lows as he strived to reach the finish line before the Chippy shut up shop. Did he make it? Did he bag the chips? Neil finishes up challenging others to have a bash at his FKT, even offering a hand to support anyone doing so. The spirit of ultra runners is strong in this one, enjoy! Read Neils story of his FKT attempt plus some great pics captured from the day here https://fastestknowntime.com/fkt/neil-walker-rob-roy-way-2024-08-03 The Auchterarder Running Festival 2024 is almost upon us and we've a competition for a DOUBLE DARE spot in this week's episode. Last remaining race entries are avail here https://www.entrycentral.com/ARF2024

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE!!! In this week's episode we're joined by winner of the 2024 Jungle Ultra Ben Harrison. Taking us straight into the danger zone from the get-go Ben's take on his memorable time in the Amazon rainforest is both inspirational and appetite whetting. How does a lad from Tenby conquer a jungle ultra in Peru? Listen into find out. A captivating character Ben holds nothing back to give us an amazing insight into his 230km journey. It's epic stuff. Ben also covers his own why, powered on by his own personal inspirations, how did he come to complete Beyond the Ultimate's Global Race Series? Learning how to tackle, and indeed thrive, in different environments he's become a master of race management and problem solving on the hoof. Packed full of those treasured golden nuggets we so love you'll adore this chat. Adventure, travel and massive achievement with a top top fella. Come hack your way through the jungle with Ben and the lads.

We said we’d be back to unpack our Lakeland 100 weekender, let’s go! Dusting ourselves off after another everlasting weekend in the Lake District John, Stevie Boy and Mel Sykes sit down for the big debrief! We’ve plenty to cover. It proved to be a tough race for both John and Mel as the course threw all it had at them. Their outcomes differed with John battling injury and Mel battling the downright rude terrain. We get tore into in typical warts n all fashion.  Kicking off with pre-race vibes, meeting pals old and new, and start line feels. Who forgot what? Did John leave his world-famous undercarriage obliterators at home?!? Then we’re onto the main event, 105 miles of Lake District paths awaited. How did it pan out for our intrepid duo? What weather curveballs got chucked their way? How did they cope with the arduous terrain? Did they come a cropper and end up on the DNF bus back to basecamp? There’s hunners of tails from the trails to cover before we reach what is a best-in-class finish line back in Coniston. The fun doesn’t stop at the finish line though, no no no, this last weekend in July has turned into quite the spectacular for us so we can't not make time to have a good old blether about some memorable post-race celebrations. Whether you’ve ran, plan to run or even if we’ve even peeked your interest in either the Lakeland 50 or Lakeland 100 our chat will have you laughing and a bit greety all at the same time. These are the halcyon days we’ll look back on, now mon in and let us share our weekend adventuring with you!

Danger Zone ye say? Mon then. Our eyes are on the Lake District this week as we turn ALL our attention to what is set to be another tumultuous weekend in Coniston. Yip, the time has come for our John to hit go on his latest adventure as he looks forward to taking on the Montane Lakeland 100. Joining us is fellow LL100 2024 starter, our esteemed Yorkshire correspondent Mel Sykes. Stevie Boy leads the questioning as we whet the appetites ahead of the big dance. Training blocks, race plans, expectations, scran plans, kit checks along with all the nerves we can muster. Are they even running a 100 miler if they aren't a wee bit sh*tting it?? It's a magic look inside the minds of 2 of yir all time fav people in the days immediately before they toe the race start line. We'll be back next week to recap just how their weekend played out, make sure to tune back in for that, it's guaranteed to be a sensation. Bawbag and Yorkshire, we feel the need, the need for speed..... Chart John and Mel's progress over race weekend on the tracker here https://live.opentracking.co.uk/24lakeland100/

This week we're over the moon to chat with a guy who's made a monumental impact in the sport of trail and ultra running. Dylan Bowman joins us for another landmark episode of the Young Hearts Run Free Podcast. Hot off a heavy schedule covering race weekends the length and breadth of the USA Dylan blows the lid off in our recap of his running career, his Freetrail media journey and gives us a wee sneak peek at what's next. A self-proclaimed 'Trail Running Evangelist' his infectious passion for the sport easily rubs off on all who have the pleasure to cross his path. Who hasn't consumed the escalated coverage of some of the world's top races with Dylan (and his sidekick Corrine Malcolm) giving unprecedented insight into the sport we love? Bringing races such as the Western States 100 into our living rooms, our laptops, our devices using an innovative approach has opened a whole new platform for the sport to grow. Dbo uncovers the huge team effort it takes to get that content to us all, the logistics, the tech and of course the caffeine intake, we cover all the bases. Quick to play down his own glittering career as a top class ultra trail runner it's no surprise to hear Dbo regale the thing that's thrills him most. Meeting new people, taking the sport to new places and making those magical relationships. That's where the magic happens, right? We've had loadsa pinch ourselves moments since we started the podcast, in truth that happens weekly, snagging a blether with one of our all-time favs is another one to add to that growing list. Enjoy our chat with the legendary DBo, our mate. Take a dive into the Freetrail universe Give our pal DBo a follow on insta

Jarlath Mckenna had an absolute belter of a day this year on the West Highland Way Race. Snatching that coveted first place with aplomb. Yes...Jarlath entered the danger zone, but how did he react, how did he deal with it? We've got all of the answers and more as he joins us for a race debrief. We don't just speak about the WHW though, we cover Jarlath's early days of running and his transition to ultra marathons which followed a rather tasty period running marathon distance. It's in ultras though that Jarlath has made a real breakthrough in the last few years. From winning the Green Man Ultra in consecutive years (2016 & 2017), to setting a new course record on Lakes In A Day (record still stands) to winning 1st place at the Anglo Celtic Plate in 2023, his list of achievement keeps growing. We do get to talking about his experience on 22 June 2024 on the way, his pre-race tribulations and also how he's been since, and of course we talk about what's next for Jarlath. A fascinating chat with the humblest of fellas, Jarlath was a pleasure to talk to. This is the listen you've been waiting for. Enjoy.

Who would run 60 miles over Wales toughest Mountains, and then turn around and do it all over again? This weeks guest Ajay Hanspal did exactly that on his way to setting a new Double Paddy Buckley Round FKT. What is the Paddy Buckley round? Ajay gives us the details, but in summary it covers 132 miles, with 58,500ft of elevation and includes 94 summits! Phew... Previous guest Nicky Spinks was the first to complete the challenge in 2019 and held the previous record of 57hrs 27mins, come on in to find out how Ajay got on. Ajay is a passionate guy, passionate about running and testing himself, passionate about the planet we live on (founder member of the Green Runners) and passionate about life in general. We talk about food, we always talk about food, Ajay's calorie burn on the Double Paddy Buckley was in excess of 30,000 calories, maybe the highest we've ever heard about! And...have you ever been scary fit? What does scary fit feel like, Ajay explains all. As happens with a lot of our guests, it feels like Ajay is just getting started, we are indeed watching this space... Ajay's Double Paddy Buckley on Strava

The Cape Wrath Trail. It's almost mythical. It certainly presents a danger zone. This week we welcome the quite magnificent Tom Rainey to tell us all about it. Tom recently tackled the North to South version of the Cape Wrath Trail in pursuit of the Fastest Known Time. 240 miles of arduous terrain, it turned out to be quite the adventure! We're unsure if we've ever had a guest who's been quite as excited to appear on the podcast than Tom. He's a wonderfully infectious human being, fun, candid and to the point. Just our cup of tea. And did he achieve his goal? How do you train for, prep logistically for and then actually undertake a huge challenge like this. Tom tells us all, in glorious detail! A meticulous planner. An obsessive thinker. The Cape Wrath Trail captured his imagination. His story will capture yours. Come on in for a delicious episode with some eye watering moments. Tom entered the danger zone and loved telling us all about it! Catch Tom's immense film covering his row from New York City to the UK (discussed in the episode) here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMROkulwKU8

It's the 2024 YHRF summer special bonus episode 110 miles up the Pennine Way, a few months after a brain operation, is this even possible? It is if your our Yorkshire Correspondent Mel Sykes. Mel chats with us about the kit list, the terrain, the rain, what it takes to complete this demanding long distance event. Did we mention the rain? Did we mention the feet photos? What lessons did Mel learn from the same event in 2023, did she eat proper this time? The whole story is regaled in Mel's no holds barred fashion, including describing maybe the best honesty box ever just outside Thornton in Craven! And what of the people? 33 hours along the Pennine Way your gonna meet some people right? Mel spent a lot of it with Jason Oliver, who in Mel's own words will now be a lifelong friend. Jason was raising money for a cancer charity that is helping his family, Jason and Mel chummed each other along to a quite emotional finish, where Mel took 2nd female spot. It takes grit, determination and resilience (and other stuff) to complete a challenge such as this. It's tough, but it's nowhere near as tough as our Yorkshire Correspondent. Donate to Jason's Fundraiser

Welcome to season 11 episode 1, welcome to the Danger Zone! Let's talk iconic Scottish trail races, let's talk Scottish running icons, let's talks West Highland Way race, let's talk to Fiona Rennie. Fiona started running in the early 1980's and has covered a fair few miles since! 103 ultra marathons...so far! Fiona's first ultramarathon was the Speyside Way and her results from that race were posted to her with a wee note from race director Don Ritchie. How times have changed! Proud to wear the Carnegie Harriers (Fiona was the first female member) vest, it's a familiar sight at many iconic race across the land, none more so than the West Highland Way Race, which Fiona has completed 17 (SEVENTEEN) times. Also an ever present at both the Glenmore 24 and Loch Ness Marathon events, the miles have been racked up...and then some! Fiona's first experience of the West Highland Way Race was supporting her twin sister Pauline, and somewhere along the way (in 2002 specifically) Fiona felt inspired to give it a go herself in 2003. We hear openly from Fiona about health issues and treatments which she has suffered and recovered from, explains how messages and support the ultrarunning community meant so much to her and what inspired her to get back out running again. They make 'em tough in Fife ye know! Fiona wakes up with a smile every day, and shares her inspirational story of 'getting back to being me' after major surgery. Maybe grab a wee hanky for this bit! Where would you keep 17 (SEVENTEEN) West Highland Way Race goblets? We find out about that, and a decanter too, and they aren't just for display, which we love! And another decanter for running over a 1,000 miles around the course at Glenmore, jeezy peeps man. Fiona posts a message each year on the Facebook West Highland Way Race Family page, we discuss this and so many other glorious memories and inspirational messages from a woman who lights up Scottish Ultra Running by simply being who she is without compromise. To quote Fiona, running is an 'enjoyable celebration of being alive' There are tips aplenty for both runners and support crews in this episode, and who better to deliver them than our pal and yours Fiona Rennie. Young Hearts Run Free YouTube Channel subscribe ken