Run With It

Meet your new Australian Record holder in the marathon!!!! Haftu Strintzos ran 2:06:20 on the Gold Coast last Sunday to break Andy Buchanan's previous record by two seconds. In case you missed it, this episode recorded in 2025 is essential listening and gives context to Haftu's incredible result over the weekend.  -- Haftu Strintzos spent the first years of his life as a shepherd in mountainous Ti...

Alice is fresh off a whirlwind few weeks - surviving a New York heatwave, dancing all night at Phily Bowden's wedding, and crewing for Molly Seidel at the prestigious Western States 100 off barely any sleep. She takes us behind the scenes of one of the world's toughest ultramarathons, tactics to combat debilitating chafe and what it took for Molly to get to the finish line after 24 hours on the tr...

Content warning: This episode includes in-depth discussion about eating disorders, which may be distressing for some listeners. -- Running has helped Australian Olympian Milly Clark endure and conquer some of her life’s biggest challenges. Running helped her make new friends when she and her family moved to Germany and Indonesia during her school years. And most importantly, it helped Milly recove...

Sarah Billings is on fire! As we wait for Australia’s 2026 Commonwealth Games team to be announced, the Aussie middle-distance runner is well and truly in the mix for selection. Sarah sits down with Elise to discuss her recent form, including two massive PBs – a 3:58.81 in the 1500m at the Shanghai Diamond League, and a 1:57.61 in the 800m in Rabat, which is the second fastest time ever run by an...

British athlete Calli Hauger-Thackery didn’t even know she was pregnant when she ran (and won) Honolulu Marathon in December last year. She uncharacteristically vomited during the race, which she later realised was morning sickness! Calli then went on to win Houston Marathon in 2:24:17 in January. But only she and husband Nick knew she was carrying a plus-one through the tape! Most recently, while...

Former pro-cyclist Jimmy Whelan reveals where he intends to run his debut marathon later this year – you’ll have to listen to find out! Dialling in from his home in Barcelona, Jimmy talks about his transition from pro cycling to a brief stint as a triathlete and his newfound status as a professional runner sponsored by Salomon. He’s never been happier as an athlete! And we tap into what that’s all...

Elise and Alice get together to debrief all things Copenhagen Marathon, including the perfect conditions, incredible vibes, some fuelling trials and tribulations, and a surprise encounter with Jakob Ingebrigtsen (his little brother Kristoffer ran 2:29 by the way)! Elise gives a play-by-play breakdown of the race and how she felt finishing her 11th marathon in a city that means so much to her (with...

Elise and Alice are finally back for a chaotic cross-continental catch-up, with Elise in Copenhagen preparing for the marathon this weekend, and Alice living her best semi-Carrie-Bradshaw life in New York. There’s plenty discuss in their usual unhinged way, from Alice’s Boston Marathon game show debut to Elise’s commentary at the Bendigo 5k Frenzy, and Copenhagen Marathon build (including the chan...

Physio, runner and friend of the pod Sam Slykhuis joins Elise for a whistle-stop tour of one of the most dreaded words in distance running: stressie! Using Elise’s own grade one tibial stress reaction from last year as a case study, Sam breaks down what bone stress actually is, why it happens, the warning signs runners should never ignore, and how to approach rehab without losing your mind. There...

Sage Canaday joins Elise for a wide-ranging chat on trail running, YouTube, speaking out on social media, and starting again after major setbacks, including a surviving life-threatening blood clots in both lungs. If you have been running for a while, chances are you are already acquainted with Sage. In addition to his running accolades, Sage is one of the OG running YouTubers with a very successfu...

Julia Paternain joins Elise to talk about the kind of year that changes everything. In 2025, Julia went from marathon debutant to World Championships bronze medallist, thanks to a stunning run in Tokyo where she surprised even herself. In doing so, Julia also became the first Uruguayan athlete to win a medal at a World Champs EVER! In this episode, Julia takes us inside that extraordinary rise, fr...

Elise hosts a special live panel with 2x Olympic medallist Jemima Montag, 4x World Champs marathoner Sarah Klein, and forRunners founder Alice Baquie, who all share honest insights on performance, pressure and finding balance in running/race walking and life. From Olympic medals to sub-3 breakthroughs, the conversation covers: Racing on gratitude vs expectation The mindset shift from needing resul...

Izzi Batt-Doyle is back for a chat! And she’s been really busy since she and Elise last spoke. Between running two Australian records on the roads, competing at the Olympics, running a few marathons (all within 40 seconds of each other), getting engaged, buying a house and becoming a dog mum – Izzi certainly hasn’t been twiddling her thumbs!   We cover all those things, and go in depth on her Nago...

It’s been a season of contrasts for Australian middle distance runner Jack Anstey – from a World Cross gold medal, to the disappointment of missing a major championship team. Dialling in from Flagstaff, Jack shares his unforgettable experience at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, including the pressure of a late call-up, and what it was like racing with Olli Hoare, Linden Hall...

Bendere Oboya joins Elise to talk about her transition from Olympic 400m runner to 800m athlete, and why she is now building something even bigger than her own career. Bendere reflects on representing Australia at the Tokyo Olympics, the Commonwealth Games and World Championships, the rapid rise of her early career, and the courage it took to step away from the 400m and back herself in a new event...

Phil Sesemann joins Elise to break down a big couple of years of marathoning – two 2:07 performances (Amsterdam and Valencia), Olympic reflections, and the steady, linear progression that’s taken him from 2:12 to the fifth fastest Brit of all time. For Phil and his coach Andrew Henderson, marathon progress is built block by block (never biting off too much), with incremental gains shaping Phil’s p...

Do you know how to twizzle?! Neither do we! Alice and Elise settle in for another chat, with AB sporting a numb lip, and Elise coming off a filthy cold and a truly rude crook neck. Neither have been doing anything dangerous on the snow or ice, but there’s a heap of Winter Olympics chat – the injuries, the drama, the sizzle, the Aussie pride. It’s a very surface-level summary focusing on memes, ill...

Alice and Elise are back for a very 2026 catch-up, starting with Elise’s birthday done properly: Torquay Run Club, some casual golfing, and a beer mile relay (with Marty’s sculling skills doing the heavy lifting). There’s also zucchini cake (thank you, Jess Stenson) and a rogue veggie-patch “zucchini vandal.” Alice talks about getting the “running ick” post-Valencia, what it feels like when motiva...

Morgan McDonald (aka “Chicken Boy”) joins Elise to talk through a change in coaching, his return to racing at the World Cross Country Championships, and how he’s approaching training and competition in 2026. Morgan unpacks representing Australia in Tallahassee, the chaos of a feature-filled cross-country course (yes, including the alligator logs!), and what it meant to wear the green and gold agai...

To close out the year, I wanted to package up the ultimate gift! The 12 Days of Runmas brings together 12 "gifts" from past Run With It guests – short reflections, recommendations and ideas that have stayed with me since the podcast began. I’ve gone back through the archives and chosen a mix of voices spanning elite sport, advocacy, media and community (and I'll do another bunch next year).  You’l...

Alice and Elise are back on Sole Sisters with a very important update: Alice Baquie is now a sub-3 marathoner! AB ran 2:58:33 at Valencia Marathon last Sunday, and it was tough going but she gritted it out all the way to the blue carpet. A potted history of race week includes hours spent perusing Aldi (apologies for harping on about this throughout the pod), stolen race shoes and elite-level commi...

Newly crowned Australian marathon record holder Jess Stenson joins Elise to unpack her stunning 2:21:24 run for fifth place in Valencia. Jess takes us through her lead-up and race week in Spain, the mental tools she relied on out on the course, and all the feels from that iconic blue-carpet finish. It’s also a story about self-belief – and the people who helped her find it, including husband Dylan...

Alice checks in from Valencia in the final stages of her prep for the marathon this weekend. She’s full of steam (colourless carbs) and mixing with some of Australia’s best marathoners over there. Meanwhile, Elise continues to move through the world in a state of brain fog. The pair are upbeat and full of optimism for Alice’s sub-3 marathon attempt, and predict the stage is set for some big elite...

Caitlin Adams is living a full Hannah Montana double life – high school teacher by day, emerging marathon star by… also day. In this episode, Caitlin joins Elise to unpack a year she almost fell out of love with the sport, how she found her groove again on the roads, and her latest achievement: winning her debut marathon at Melbourne. She takes us inside the juggle of teaching and why she had to c...

Sinead Diver speaks about her Olympic heartbreak in Paris 2024 after she was forced to pull out of the marathon 1.2km into the race. In this candid conversation with Elise Beacom, Sinead shares her experience of the stressful Australian marathon team selection ahead of the Games and how that turmoil impacted her. Sinead takes us through the days before the Olympic marathon, when she was managing p...