Peak Pursuits

In this episode Vlad and Sim sit down with Britt Harriden to get to know her journey into running. Achieving an incredible 3rd at this years short trail champs while conducting research for her PhD and working full time, Britt has plenty of stories to share about her unconventional training pathway into trail running that explain why her endurance is so good now! Also get an update from Vlad on wh...

Billy Curtis returns to the pod for a deeper conversation with James on the path that has taken him from rugby league and hiking in Tassie to becoming one of Australia’s most exciting trail runners. We talk through Billy’s early sporting background, how he found trail running almost by accident, and why he chose to learn the sport through shorter, competitive races before stepping further into the...

In this episode of Peak Pursuits Jess and Brodie sit down with Mikey Dimuantes to talk through his recent move to Turkey, his races so far in Europe, and his big goals for CCC. Jess and Brodie then talk through the wild events that went down at Western States including Holly Ransons incredible 15th place, before recapping the Aussie results of the week.  Results: World Masters Mountain Champs...

In this episode of Peak Pursuits Sim, Brodie and James sit down to deep dive their current training, discussing the phase, mindsets, and sessions that they are doing right now.  Then hear some WSER predictions and Broken Arrow results before we recap some awesome racing around Aus over the weekend! Results: Broken Arrow Skyrace Surf Coast Trail Marathon (VIC) Mt Baranduda Trail Run: RTRS Roun...

In this episode Jess and Sime sit down with Holly Ranson to walk through her journey towards Western States which is now just two weeks away. They talk through her approach to training and racing, her incredible 3rd place finish at UTA50k in the lead up, and how Holly feels being in America preparing among some of trail running's greatest athletes.  News items include a brief preview of Broke...

In this episode, James sits down with Nigel Preston from Singletrack Events for a rare behind-the-scenes look at what it actually takes to build, grow, and deliver some of Australia’s biggest trail running events. Nigel shares his journey from growing up in Bendigo’s cross-country scene, to working in events and sponsorship, before helping launch Singletrack Events out of the chaos of COVID. From...

This week on Peak Pursuits, Vlad and Jess are joined by WA trail runner Ben for a big episode covering training updates, national champs news, European racing, and what is happening in the West. We chat through AUTRA’s announcement of the EOI for the 2027 National Championships, with trail, long course, mountain running and 100-mile racing all potentially coming together for the first time in one...

In this episode brought to you by Erniold, Brodie and James sit down with Bridget Lunn to cover her amazing 2026 season so far, including representing Australia at the World University Cross Country Championships, 2nd at Buffalo 20km and 1st at the recent UTA 22! The group then discuss a recent instagram post from Ruth Croft, diving into the topic of junior/youth participation in ultras, before Br...

In this episode Sim and Vlad sit down with Beth McKenzie fresh off her second pace at UTA 100 to hear how her last 12 months have been and a recap of how the race went down. Beth also answers a question about balancing training and family, before Vlad gives a brief rundown of his 50k race and poses the question of whether the elite field should be allowed external support.  Keep listening for...

In this episode Jess and Brodie are joined by Blake Turner to recap all things UTA, including what went into Blake's 3rd place in the 50k and Jess' 4th place in the 22 plus all the other incredible runs of the weekend!! The crew also recap all the other local results of the weekend plus the wild times run at Zegama.  We hope you enjoy! Join us on Patreon HERE Results: UTA (NSW) West Macs Mons...

In this episode of Peak Pursuits, Sim and James are joined by Nicole Paton to recap her win at Margaret River Ultra and update us on how her season so far has gone.  The chat then turns to the ITRA and UTMB ranking systems as we still try to figure out exactly how it all pieces together, before recapping the very high highs and very low lows of Cocodona 250.  Keep listening for some fina...

A race that breaks people — and this year, some new challengers. Lin Chen and Antonina Iushina headline a women's race that is shaping up as a genuine international showdown, with UTA veterans like Steph Austin and Emma Timmis ready to make it a fight. On the men's side, Piotr Babis has Brodie convinced he could win the whole thing. He’s up against Aleksei Beresnev and Aleksei Tolstenko, both havi...

The marquee race. With a field that matches the hype. Guidu Qin and Guomin Deng headline the international men's field fresh off the Hong Kong 100, but Mike Carroll, Matt Crehan, and Michael Dunstan won’t let them have it easy. On the women's side, can the up-and-coming Meg Sinclair and experienced Beth McKenzie take on international stars Katarzyna Dombrowska and Emily Mann? James and Brodie go d...

James said it best — he was tingling. The 50K field this year is on another level, stacked on both the men's and women's sides with incredible international runners. Miao Yao. Ruth Croft. Dan Jones. Add most of the best 50km trail athletes in Australia, Demi Caldwell, Kate Avery, Blake Turner, Vlad Ixel (just to name a few), and almost impossible to pick a top three. If there's one race this weeke...

The rematch is on. Last year's men's race came down to the wire, and the two athletes who made it happen are back. Leo Petterson and Ben Duffus both toe the start line, joined by Nathan Pearce and young guns Patrick Clarke and Elijah Gosby. The women's race is just as compelling, with a three-way showdown between Jess Jason, Bridget Lunn and Katinka Von Elsner-Wellsteed. Throw in Chinese runner Qi...

This episode of Peak Pursuits starts with an interview with Alice McGushin to get to know Alice and recap the first edition of Diverge SkyRuns that happened over the weekend (Start - 53min).  Then Sim and Vlad catch up on where their training is at and cover some of the news of the week, including Jim Walmsley returning to WSER and Dragons Back + Northern Traverse being bought by Ultra X.&nbs...

Content warning: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders, sexual assault, self-harm, suicide, psychiatric hospitalisation, trauma, and PTSD. Please take care while listening, and skip this episode if it is not the right time for you. In this deeply personal episode of Peak Pursuits, James sits down with Sim for an open and honest conversation about the story behind the runner many peo...

In this episode brought to you by ASICS,  Jess and James sit down with young gun James Barnett to talk through his impressive results so far. Get to know James and how he approaches training and racing, with the conversation covering mindset, using the bike in training, maximising the terrain you have around you, and some race recaps from James' recent results.  News/topics covered inclu...

In this special preview episode, Brodie takes the reins alongside James to break down Diverge Sky Runs, a new Tasmanian event bringing steep, exposed, rocky and largely off-track skyrunning-style terrain to the Australian scene. The team hear from Lincoln about the 25K and 50K courses, then unpack why this race may reward patience, smooth movement and mental composure as much as pure fitness. They...

https://www.instagram.com/katinkav_/In episode 106 of Peak Pursuits sim and Brodie sit down with Katinka Von Elsner-Wellsteed just before she heads off to China to race the second WMRA World Cup race   Beijing Changping Yanshou Trail Challenge . Hear about Katinka's last 12 months since we caught up with her after her ripper run at KMR 2025, including her first Euro races, a move to the Blue...

In this episode, we sit down with Finn Melanson from Singletrack to talk about where Australian trail running sits in the wider world, why our scene still feels underrated, and what is actually building beneath the surface. From the rise of events like Buffalo, GPT and Kosci, to the athletes starting to break through, this is a conversation about momentum, visibility, and what still needs to happe...

In this episode Jess and Sim are joined by Tasmanian Meg Sinclair to hear a recap of her course record run at KMR 25km. Get to know Meg, including her upbringing in SA and stint in the VFLW before moving to Tasmania and finding trail running. With few races under her belt Meg has already proved her strength with wins at KMR and Triple Tops as well as a 5th place last year in UTA100 her 100km debut...

In this episode of Peak Pursuits James and Vlad sit down with George Knight after his recent win at Buffalo Stampede 100km which was the Australian Long Trail Championships. Hear about Georges journey into running, his approach to training and racing, how his race went down, and so much more.  It's a lighter week on news and results but the crew also discuss an article this Mile and Stone Art...

This week on Peak Pursuits, Brodie Nankervis and Jess Jason are joined by Sarah Ludowici, fresh off 2nd place and first Aussie at the Buffalo Stampede 100km, which also doubled as the Australian Long Course Trail Champs. Sarah takes us through her race day, from training in the lead up to how it all played out on course. We chat through the highs, the tough moments, and how she handled the mental...

In this episode brought to you by ASICS, Sim and James sit down with young gun Ben Butler to hear all about his approach to running and why he has chosen to tackled the longer stuff while still so young. We think many people could learn from his calm, mature mentality and approach to training and hope it takes him far! Then we have a preview of this weekends Kunanyi Mountain Run, focussing on the...