Young Hearts Run Free Podcast

EPISODE 200! It's a whopper!! We lay out the red carpet for the return to the podcast of the indomitable Jasmin Paris. It's the most fitting of season finales. We've a single-minded agenda as Jasmin leads us through her historic Barkley Marathons finish. Her achievement rightly became global news but how exactly did she manage her time out on the toughest of ultra-marathons? How did she prep for such a monumental endeavour? How did she build up the enormous self-belief that she could achieve the impossible dream? Oh, we've a ton of questions for Jasmin and she enlightens us to them all plus spades more. In relaxed and reflective mood Jasmin treats us to a glimpse inside her Barkley Marathons 2024 story. The highs, the lows, the aftermath and everything in between. This is sensational, Jasmin's account of her final lap and finish is powerful, dramatic and emotional. It's guarenteed to have you entranced. And how do you top being the first ever female finisher at Barkley? Jasmin hints at what's next....it may not be what you'd expect! Season 10 has been quite the epic, it's flown by, now steel yourselves cos in Season 11 we're off into 'The Danger Zone'.....thank you for listening, back soon y'all. Podcast Art Photo Credit: David Miller Photography

This week we're joined by two-time Scottish Anglo Celtic Plate Team member Catherine Cowie. You'd think that would top the bill for our discussion, you thought wrong. Catherine first leads us through her own running odyssey and of course we spend a good while chatting all things ACP and the memorable events that took place on the North Inch in March 2024. However, Catherine has been a busy lass, her recent undertaking of the gruelling Hardmoors 110 on the Cleveland Way National Trail dominates our chatter. Catherine gives us an inspirational take on her last year that started with an ankle break in June 2023 and ended on a magnificent Hardmooors 110 finish line. Bouncebackability at its finest. We are privileged to hear about her training, find out about her coach and Catherine is brim-full of sharing tips andlessons learned. An extra special review of her fav kit and gear will give you some food for thought. Oh, talking about food we also give airtime for some discussion on one of our fav topics! Be ready to get googling new races a plenty as Catherine lets us know what's up next, there's no stopping this remarkable human-being. She's keeping it lit!

Magical things happen on the West Highland Way. We know that. This week's guest Elsey Davis does too. Hot off a phenomenal performance at the 2024 Highland Fling where she took the win and set a new course record Elsey joins us to chat about her career. From an iffy first marathon wearing her Dad's ill-fitting socks to chipping her marathon time down to elite standard her running has been on upward trajectory from the off. We hear how injury, and a global pandemic opened the door for Elsey to find a voracious appetite for trail running. And so that upward trajectory ski rocketed. The North Face athlete talks us through her triumph at The Fling. How much did she enjoy that world-famous red-carpet experience? With a treasured golden ticket for the iconic Western States 100 earned we get a glimpse of how Elsey's build up is going ahead of flying out to the States for the race of her life. We've offered tae carry her bags of course! Elsey was an absolute star to catch up with, she's packed heaps in already to her relatively short time on the trails. But we can't wait to see where the future takes her. Before Elsey arrives to brighten our week we have a fair old discussion on the clusterf*ck that was the Edinburgh Marathon Festival. Emotions were stirred! Give Elsey a follow on her braw Insta account here https://www.instagram.com/elseydavis/?hl=en

We're off berry picking this week, the good news? You're invited along! We were thrilled to welcome Andy Berry back to the podcast for a catch-up with a focus on his recent outing at UTS by UTMB. A 2nd place well-earned on race weekend but we want to know more, much more, and Andy is open to tell us all. The rugged Welsh mountains provided the backdrop for an epic weekend of racing, with the British summer deciding to arrive and under a dreamy celestial show from the Aurora Borealis how did our Andy fare? Like his last appearance after his magical win at the Lakeland 100 last July Andy dishes out a race recap full of personal learning, golden nuggets and honesty. Did he go off way too fast like a dickhead? Of course he did! We cover off all the important nooks and crannies of his training and race management. Touching on his competitors, his support crew and skirting some UTMB controversy along the way. We find out what's up next for Andy as he gears up for a truly memorable 2024. Between coaching, training racing and living he has a busy agenda on the cards! We found a love for Andy last year, it's difficult not to get on board with a lad who is as open and honest as they come. This episode is a breath of fresh air, just like the man himself. You'll lap this up! We take a moment in the intro to laud our official songsmith's new album. Beluga Lagoon The Slug's Bunnet is oot now and a masterpiece LISTEN HERE

It's here, you've asked in your bucket loads, we've listened, we've responded. It's John's Highland Fling recap for your listening pleasure. We do love having guests, we also love the odd episode where we get a good blether with each other! John has hot footed back from his hols just in time for this week’s recording, and boy is he full of beans. When a normal deep dive isn't enough what dae ye dae? Ye take a stylish swallow dive into a race day that promised so much and didn't fail to deliver. In every department. Making a triumphant return to the first half of the West Highland Way John fills us in on how his day played out. As you'd expect with JC there are laughs a plenty, a few wee happy tears along with a fare smattering of golden nuggets. What did he have in his drop bags? What did he scavenge from the leftover table? How did he adapt as the temperatures soared? Stevie Boy asks the questions people want to know, how many pre-race jobbies were had??!! And what of that sensational red-carpet finish, it's a blow-by-blow account of a day that will be etched in John's memory forever. With hunners of pals met along the way this episode is a quintessential YHRF offering, the story spun through John's unique and lovable lens. Enjoy this walloper of an episode and gear yourself up to swallow dive into your own personal little adventure soon!

Running. It's an addiction, eh? This week's guest knows all about it. Boab Keenan is that man and we're glad to have him along to to tell his tale of recovery. A chronic alcoholic at the age of 21. Hooked on drugs. Down with the gang culture. Life was unravelling at a rapid rate of knots for Cumbernauld based Boab. Then running became his life saver. As powerful an episode as we've ever published, Boab's honest, straight talking (sweary warning is activated) and charm exude throughout. The underlying message is how Boab found a path out. How a refocus of his purpose aided him to a lifestyle he now adores and how he's helping others try to do the same. He's no slouch with the trainers on either and we zoom in on a running high experienced at last month's Manchester Marathon, 'one of the best days of my life'. Strap yourself in for this one, Boab's infectious story telling will have you greeting and laughing at the same time. It was a pleasure to speak with Boab, we're a hunner % sure you'll enjoy the listen! Affected by the content in this episode? A few links to help find guidance Alcoholics Annonymous WEBSITE Cocaine Annonymous WEBSITE

Come plunge yourself into an hour of unadulterated self-indulgence, this week we welcome non-runner Andrew O'Donnell tae the YHRF sofa for all the chat. Andrew, ya know, is the official Young Hearts Run Free Podcast songsmith. Better known as Beluga Lagoon his tunes have fuelled many a mile in the hills n glens. The soundtrack to our running adventures! We briskly take Andrew through an alternative line of questioning as we get filled in on his story, the origins to his musical project and find out what inspires his craft. At first, he seems bemused to have been asked on a running podcast, but as you know we're no normal running podcast and soon we get tore into it with Andrew happy tae come along for the ride. With his captivating nature Andrew catches the imagination regaling his tale, almost surprised by the furore (it's just what he likes dain after all) as his gigs and music explode in popularity. Our whistles are wetted with talk of his hotly anticipated new album (The Slug's Bunnet out 23.05.2024) and high doh levels are ramped up as Margo & Barry enter the fray! We touch on his filming projects and find out who else contributes to the success of Beluga Lagoon before getting back onto more familiar ground with talk of scran, dialect dictionary and an epic song choice! This uber-talented likeable lad loves the outdoors, loves his art and loves his country. With a knack for entrancing us with his story telling lyrics and melodic hooks Andrew's music inspires, it fits, it sets the scene perfectly to the backdrops we love tae explore. We were helluva excited to speak with Andrew, Scotland has something very special in Beluga Lagoon. Go get yir lugs aroond it!! We've curated a spotify playlist of our Beluga Lagoon favs here BELUGA LAGOON WALLOPERS Give the superb Beluga Lagoon website a visit here (merch store is a must!) BELUGA LAGOON WEBSITE Give Andrew a follow on INSTAGRAM and X/Twitter

Spring marathon season reached it's crescendo on The Mall last Sunday, Stevie Boy was on the ground to witness it all. London Marathon debrief anyone? Step on in. John grills Steven on his weekend in the big smoke. The focus is on his race however the all-important pre-race activities and post-race festivities are also meticulously discussed. From travelling, expo, race day logistics, race execution, dealing with issues and the crucial feel goods after the finish line John covers all the ground in braw detail. The atmosphere and the sense of occasion make London an unforgettable experience, John's questioning and Stevie Boy's responses make for a honest fun-filled account of another memorable marathon major. Run, Run, Run boy........ It's not too late to sponsor Steven who was running the marathon the charity The Rooprai Spinal Trust visit here to throw anything you can into his pot FUNDRAISING LINK

Blow the conch baby and rock on into another belter of an episode! This week our guest is Chamonix based runner & coach Kaz Williams. Living on the doorstep of the UTMB route it's no surprise we start in the Alps finding out why she's also known as 'Mountain Kaz' along the way. Kaz then treats us to a world tour of her running adventures, peppered with golden nuggets a plenty. We find out all about Mettle Running, Kaz's coaching platform is so much more than just plain old run coaching! Having had the pleasure(?) of taking part in the Barkley Marathons it would be remiss of us not to spend some time on that. We also take the oppo to get tore into Kaz's experience at the lesser known but equally as sadistic Vol State 500k Road Race, another from the mind of Lazarus Lake. With another huge race and endeavour coming into sharp focus for Kaz she leads us through her prep, it's a tricky one when you call home the mountains! You'll love this one, you might even need a few listens! We take the oppo in the intro to preview Steven's London Marathon trip, look back at Manchester and Boston Marathon's and there's even been bonus content published for your listening pleasure!! Sponsor Steven as he takes on the London Marathon for the Rooprai Spinal Trust here https://2024tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/steven-watt Listen to John and Steven on the Greenock Glenpark Harriers Pod here or search your fave pod player https://open.spotify.com/episode/5x1MItMKF9qxgiz38onnBB?si=ldzZihV5Q52a8cPYUvtvbA Find out all about Kaz's Mettle Running here https://www.mettlerunning.com/

We are bouncing along in our season of unpredicatability just fine, this week we're being purposely predictable though! Just to twist your melons eh. Joining the fray for a chat is Dougle Selman, the men's 100k winner at the 2024 Anglo Celtic Plate 100k. He's a fella with running in his DNA. We find out how he's moved through the distances from track to road before making the leap to ultra marathon in 2023. With running a way of life for Dougie this blether allows us to home in on how he's taken his track speed, added endurance and found himself at the top of the tree in the 100k distance. We make no apology of covering his glory run on the North Inch, Perth in detail. We're fascinated with the answers Dougie responds with, particularly a blow by blow account of hie final lap. That'll go down in history that one, high octane stuff! With the aftermath still settling down we get Dougie's thoughts on making the grade for Team GB's 100k squad at the World Champs in India later this year. And should podiums in other ultras feel threatened, is Selman ready to batter some other races? We find out in 'What's next for Dougie' And it's not til the very end of the show that Dougie lets us in on his big secret! What could that be then? Please sponsor Steven in his London Marathon attempt for a small charity close to both his and John's heart The Rooprai Spinal Trust here https://2024tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/steven-watt