No Finish Line

Today’s guest is no stranger to extremes. Meet Daragh Morgan — adventure athlete, endurance junkie, and open sea swimmer with a serious love for the wild waters around Ireland. From triathlons to 100km ultra runs, Daragh’s racked up an awe-inspiring list of challenges: swimming Galway Bay not once, but three times, running from Mizen to Malin — 625 kilometers on foot — and cycling hundreds of kilo...

In June 2023, Jason Williamson set a record by running the length of Ireland on 'The Ireland Way' in just 14 days, 9 hours, 26 minutes, and 23 seconds. Originally from Australia, Jason now lives in Co. Cork, Ireland. He was a cross-country runner in school, but life took him away from running. In his 40s, he decided to reconnect with his passion and push his limits. As he approaches his 50th birth...

Sorcha Loughnane's progress has been remarkable over the last few years. Since her first Marathon she has gone on to represent Ireland in the 50Km European Championships finishing 6th in a time of 3:26:46. She has won the 50Km National Championship title twice and currently holds the Irish National 50Km Record with a time of 3:18:04. This time is also a World Age Group Best performance for O45. Sh...

In this episode I'm joined by Barry Loftus, a recent finisher of the Marathon des Sables, a 250Km Stage Race in the Sahara Desert. The MdS is a race that has always been popular with runners from Ireland and it's one that I get asked a lot of questions about. My knowledge of the race is fading and I used this opportunity to ask questions that help with anyone planning to take on this or an...

Laois boasts some of the most scenic hiking and running trails in Ireland. It offers a diverse range of routes for all experience levels, making it a true haven for outdoor enthusiasts. In this episode of No Finish Line I'm joined once again by Ellie Berry of Tough Soles. Ellie has walked all of the Waymarked Trails of Ireland and she speaks fondly of her experiences in the Slieve Blooms and surro...

Carla Molinaro is a record breaking ultrarunner, adventurer and running coach. Carla has represented Great Britain at the 50Km & 100Km World Championships and in 2023 she won the IAU 50Km World Championships while also leading the Great Britain Women's Team to Team Gold. She has also earned two Gold Medal's at Comrades (the oldest and largest ultra marathon in the world) and set a World Record for...

Wayne Spies is an Australian International Ultrarunner. He is famed for his serial participation in South Africa’s iconic Comrades Marathon. What's more, for a man who never showed much athletic talent during his formative years, his achievement is made even more remarkable by the fact that he broke three-time champion and Olympian Vladimir Kotov's 11-year-old Masters record of 05:48:12 on...

You may not have given much thought to your Marathon Recovery but in this episode we talk about why you should plan beyond that finishers medal. Matthew Collins is an Irish International Ultra Runner and seasoned Marathon Runner with over 40 quality Marathons completed with the past 10 years. He has gone from a 3:20 finish to his most recent sub 2:30 in the Dublin Marathon 2023. He shares the less...

Professional data analyst Prof Barry Smyth, has tapped into the deep reserves of marathon data available online. His findings identify the common pitfalls that derail so many recreational runners – and the best ways to avoid them. In this episode we discus some of his findings. This episode will be of benefit to runners of all distances Prof. Barry Smyth on Medium Twitter

Alex O'Shea has paced Marathons in Cork, Longford, Waterford, Wexford and London with times ranging from 3hrs to 3:30. Alex shares his experience and offers advice to anyone planning to run a Marathon. Alex has a Marathon PB of 2:34:23 and in 2018 he set himself a challenge of running 32 Marathons within 16 days. I've asked a few questions based on my own experience of Marathon Pacing which dates...

In this episode I discuss the Marathon Taper with guest Noel Carroll from Noel Carroll Running. Noel is a very experienced runner and coach who has been involved in athletics for over 20 years. He has competed as a long distance runner on the road, track and cross country, competing at Provincial, National and International level. Noel has a Marathon PB of 2:29 using his experience he now coaches...

I don't really know how to introduce this episode as I hadn't heard of Aoife until her recent win in the Dublin Half Marathon (2023). I expected to be talking about training and racing but that was just a small part of the conversation. Running is what she does but it's only a small part of who she is. I think there are a lot of useful takeaways from this conversation that just came ou...

In this episode I talk to Stephen Murphy about his journey from trying to run 5K to finishing an IronMan Triathlon. This happen in a relatively short space of time and he has now shifted his mindset from trying to finish to wanting to win. Most recently he has won the Connemara 100 Mile race and set a new course record in the process. We talk about his journey and how he shifted his focus and harn...

Ellie Berry of Tough Soles has set a new record for climbing every mountain in Ireland. This list of mountains, the Vandeleur-Lynams, is an island-wide challenge, taking in all the most prominent mountain ranges and totalling to 275 summits. Ellie’s time from the 1st summit to the 275th summit, was 50 days, 5 hours, and 45 minutes. The previous record was 56 days. Between 2017 - 2019 Ellie and Car...

In this episode I'm joined by Jon Shield, an Ultra Runner living on the Shropshire/North Wales border. Relatively new to the sport, Jon has won some of the most extreme races on the Ultra Running calendar and wish list with the most notable being Beyond The Ultimate's Highland Ultra, Ice Ultra and Jungle Ultra. There are many other races in his trophy cabinet and in this podcast we talk about the...

In this episode I talk to John Belton about his recent experience in the Jungle Ultra, a 230km self-sufficient ultra marathon through the Amazon Rainforest. As well as talking about the race we also focus a lot on the before and after including our thoughts on preparation, mindset and resilience. I'll update with John's Kit List Further information on the race available from Beyond the Ult...

The Trans Sahara Marathon is a 150Km 4 day multi stage race held in the Sahara Desert. This year (2023) Sinead Kane was one of the competitors taking part. During the first day Sinead had an accident that should have finished her race but she continued. This podcast turned into a conversation about mindset, resilience, teamwork, goal setting and a lot more than just running in the Desert. We also...

This is a rough recording from a hotel in Marrakesh. I’ll do an updated version on my return home.

Damian Browne is a former professional rugby player, traveler and adventurer hailing from Galway, Ireland. After a sixteen year career battling on the rugby pitches of The Celtic league, English Premiership and French Top 14 Championship, injury forced his hand and he made the tough decision to retire. During his down time from the intensity of professional sports Damian indulged his passion for t...

Keith Lane won the Kerry Way Ultra 2022 in a Course Record time of 21:18:31.  This was Keith's third time taking part and his third time on the Podium with an ever increasing time from the application of lessons learned from his training and racing. In this episode we talk about Keith's training to include the mental as well as the physical and discuss how he takes his training from the lab to the...

Scott Jenkins is a Welsh male Ultra Runner, motivational speaker and philanthropist. He favours races of 200 Miles or longer and has finished 15th out of the 227 finishers at the Moab 240  in Moab, Utah, behind winner Michael McKnight. Jenkins's finish was the fastest on record for a British finisher. Scott has Raced and Crewed at some of the most challenging Races out there and in this podca...

Irishman Keith Russell claimed second place in the gruelling Race of Champions Backyard Masters in Germany. The race began last Saturday morning and participants had to complete a 6.7km lap every hour, running it as fast or as slow as they wanted, while ensuring they were back at the start line on the hour mark to go again. Any runner who failed to finish a lap recorded a DNF (did not finish). In...

Coach John Belton talks about his experience in the Ice Ultra. During the conversation we discuss the Arctic Environment and the hazards hidden by its beauty. We talk more about what can happen during a race like this rather than just this race. Cold weather injuries and strategies for survival also get a mention. What is the Ice ultra? It’s a 230km race split into 5 stages taking in Arctic tundra...

Ed McGroarty an Irish International Ultra Runner from Lifford, Co. Donegal. Ed is the Irish 24hr Record holder with a distance of 256.570Km set in Belfast Victoria Park in October 2021 and he also holds the 24hr Indoor Record with a distance of 249.761Km set in Espoo Finland in February 2020.  He also holds the Record for the FKT (Fastest Know Time) for running the length of Ireland starting at Ma...

SHAUN IS A MULTI-SPORT ATHLETE CURRENTLY COMPETING IN SINGLE AND MULTI-DAY ADVENTURE RACES AND TRAIL RUNNING RACES THROUGHOUT IRELAND AND INTERNATIONALLY. IN 2018, SHAUN WAS CROWNED NATIONAL ADVENTURE RACE CHAMPION WITH A STRING OF VICTORIES IN THE IRISH ADVENTURE RACE SERIES. ALONG SIDE THESE RACES, SHAUN ALSO TAKES ON PERSONAL ADVENTURES IN COLD AND MOUNTAINOUS REGIONS. www.shaunstewart.com Inst...