Chasing the Finish

The countdown to the Birmingham Black Country Half Marathon is officially on....whether Mike's legs are ready is another story. This week, we chat about race preparations, the excitement (and slight panic) ahead of the big day and the not-so-glamorous reality of recovering from those annoying running injuries that always seem to appear at the worst possible time. We also put each other through a q...

This week on Chasing The Finish, the lads cover absolutely everything... apart from staying on topic. Ben reveals the bizarre prank calls he's been receiving and attempts to convince the rest of us they're real. We break down our very different experiences at the Two Castles 10K, featuring personal triumphs, questionable pacing decisions and the mystery of the missing medal. Was it ever there? Has...

This week on Chasing the Finish we're celebrating a huge milestone, one whole year of podcasting! Join us as we look back at where it all began, revisit our very first episode, and marvel at how we've somehow managed to keep talking about running for 12 straight months without being banned from Spotify. We also recap our trip to Shustoke for the Centurion Summer Pub Run 10K, where the running was...

LIVE: Centurion Running Club ParkRun Cup Draw! The moment you’ve all been waiting for is here! Join Ben, Jake & Mike LIVE as the fixtures for the Centurion Running Club ParkRun Cup are drawn on air. Ben and Jake are together at the draw venue, pulling the all-important numbers out of the hat, while Mike takes on the role of fixture master, revealing the match-ups as they happen. Who will face who?...

This week on Chasing The Finish, Ben explains the chaos behind his handicap-style Parkrun Cup — where maths, pacing and pure luck somehow all matter at the same time. Meanwhile, Mike continues the quest of “just trying to run consistently” without his legs filing a formal complaint. We also take a look at the rapidly stacking running calendar, with races, parkruns and questionable recovery decisio...

In this episode, we chat about the incredible Mental Health World Cup at Watford FC — a brilliant event showing the power of football, community, and talking openly about mental health. Expect heartfelt moments… quickly interrupted by the usual nonsense. We also officially launch CTF Running Bingo Season 2 — because apparently normal running wasn’t chaotic enough. More challenges, more questionabl...

This week on Chasing the Finish, we attempt to piece together what actually happened on Ben’s stag do in Amsterdam… with mixed success. Expect questionable decisions, hazy memories and at least one story that definitely didn’t need to be told on a podcast (but was anyway). We also (briefly) regain some professionalism to chat about the upcoming charity football tournament at Watford FC, where athl...

This week… things get shaken up. Ben grabs the mic and takes over hosting duties (power has officially gone to his head) Ben & Mike have a chat about Babbs Mill - heartfelt, real, and important. Mike opens up about switching up his lifestyle and running routine (goodbye bad habits, hello… slightly less bad habits) And of course, the lads wrap things up with another chaotic game hosted by Jake beca...

This week on Chasing the Finish it's less "elite athletes" and more "enthusiastic blokes slightly out of breath"... Mike is chasing the mythical sub 40 5k (spoiler: his legs have other ideas), Mike makes his long awaited run club debut (nerves? yes, stretching? debatable.) and we spiral into a full blown existential crisis over... which parkrun to do this weekend? Expect: - Questionable pacing str...

Welcome to the running podcast where three mates from Birmingham swap miles for mics and share more than just blisters! Ben Blakeman, Jake Ramsey & Mike Duffy, a trio at very different points on their running journeys, but all equally skilled at dodging training plans and telling a good story. Lace up, because this episode is basically a three-course meal of running chaos. Mike takes on the Lincol...

Welcome to the running podcast where three mates from Birmingham swap miles for mics and share more than just blisters! Ben Blakeman, Jake Ramsey & Mike Duffy, a trio at very different points on their running journeys, but all equally skilled at dodging training plans and telling a good story. Fresh off the pavements of Victoria Embankment, the lads lace up to debrief a parkrun that was equal part...

Welcome to the running podcast where three mates from Birmingham swap miles for mics and share more than just blisters! Ben Blakeman, Jake Ramsey & Mike Duffy, a trio at very different points on their running journeys, but all equally skilled at dodging training plans and telling a good story. In this episode of Chasing The Finish, we take a closer look at the Wolverhampton 10K a race that promise...

Welcome to the running podcast where three mates from Birmingham swap miles for mics and share more than just blisters! Ben Blakeman, Jake Ramsey & Mike Duffy, a trio at very different points on their running journeys, but all equally skilled at dodging training plans and telling a good story. We ran… and ran… and ran… and went absolutely nowhere! Yes, you read that right. We attempted a 24 HOUR T...

Welcome to the running podcast where three mates from Birmingham swap miles for mics and share more than just blisters! Ben Blakeman, Jake Ramsey & Mike Duffy, a trio at very different points on their running journeys, but all equally skilled at dodging training plans and telling a good story. This week on Chasing the Finish… things get slightly concerning. With our 24 hour treadmill challenge som...

Welcome to the running podcast where three mates from Birmingham swap miles for mics and share more than just blisters! Ben Blakeman, Jake Ramsey & Mike Duffy, a trio at very different points on their running journeys, but all equally skilled at dodging training plans and telling a good story. Ben and Mike lace up their trainers to break down their latest adventure at Evesham parkrun. The highs, t...

Ben, Jake & Mike return with another instalment of questionable pacing decisions, bold race entries, and Mike once again hoping this is finally his quiz-winning week. This week we head back (yes, back again) to Arrow Valley Country Park. There’s also some exciting chatter about Brooks pitching up, the lads trying on fresh trainers before the run, and the confidence boost that only brand-new shoes...

Welcome to the running podcast where three mates from Birmingham swap miles for mics and share more than just blisters! Ben Blakeman, Jake Ramsey & Mike Duffy, a trio at very different points on their running journeys, but all equally skilled at dodging training plans and telling a good story. Mike’s back from Spain… and yes, he did technically run a race. But more importantly: was the Spanish bee...

Welcome to the running podcast where three mates from Birmingham swap miles for mics and share more than just blisters! Ben Blakeman, Jake Ramsey & Mike Duffy, a trio at very different points on their running journeys, but all equally skilled at dodging training plans and telling a good story. Ben, Jake & Mike are back with another chaotic instalment of the CTF Podcast. This week the lads dive int...

Welcome to the running podcast where three mates from Birmingham swap miles for mics and share more than just blisters! Ben Blakeman, Jake Ramsey & Mike Duffy, a trio at very different points on their running journeys, but all equally skilled at dodging training plans and telling a good story. Ben, Jake & Mike are back in your ears (again). Jake and Mike relive their very real, very definitive hea...

Welcome to the running podcast where three mates from Birmingham swap miles for mics and share more than just blisters! Ben Blakeman, Jake Ramsey & Mike Duffy, a trio at very different points on their running journeys, but all equally skilled at dodging training plans and telling a good story. This week, Ben & Mike spill all the tea from their trip to the NEC for the National Running Show, includi...

Welcome to the running podcast where three mates from Birmingham swap miles for mics and share more than just blisters! Ben Blakeman, Jake Ramsey & Mike Duffy, a trio at very different points on their running journeys, but all equally skilled at dodging training plans and telling a good story. Jake’s finally back… sun-kissed, married, and emotionally scarred by a Caribbean cruise that involved del...

Welcome to the running podcast where three mates from Birmingham swap miles for mics and share more than just blisters! Ben Blakeman, Jake Ramsey & Mike Duffy, a trio at very different points on their running journeys, but all equally skilled at dodging training plans and telling a good story. This week, Ben & Mike are joined by Ross Thompson, better known on social media as The Orange Running Guy...

Welcome to the running podcast where three mates from Birmingham swap miles for mics and share more than just blisters! Ben Blakeman, Jake Ramsey & Mike Duffy, a trio at very different points on their running journeys, but all equally skilled at dodging training plans and telling a good story. On this week's episode Jake’s sailed off into the Caribbean sunset on his honeymoon, leaving Ben & Mike u...

Welcome to the running podcast where three mates from Birmingham swap miles for mics and share more than just blisters! Ben Blakeman, Jake Ramsey & Mike Duffy, a trio at very different points on their running journeys, but all equally skilled at dodging training plans and telling a good story. Ben, Jake & Mike return for episode 26, the first of 2026, and the last before Jake swaps running shoes f...

Ben, Jake & Mike took on the Isabel Trail in Staffordshire 🏃‍♂️ The lads ran together, making the most of a flat and fast course from start to finish. Hear their thoughts on how the day went — and find out what they’ve got coming up next Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices