Runner's World Podcast

From how to start running, the kit to wear, how to pace those initial efforts to taking on your first race, Tom Craggs (top running coach), shares his wisdom and advice for newbie runners or those returning to the sport. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ultrarunner Sabrina Pace-Humphreys joins Ben to talk not just about her new book, 'Start Where You Are', but a whole host of things about running including why she wants to get more women running, why 2025 was such a big year, her DNF at UTMB and how to move on from a race that doesn't go to plan, making future plans and much more. If you want to join the Runner's World Club event that's taking pl...

Two stalwarts of the game, winners of the race and a course record holder, Damian Hall has been running the race since the third edition and Jasmine Paris won the race outright in 2019 and set a course record whilst expressing breast milk for her 13-month-old child. Both chat about the draw of the race, their experiences running it and what makes it so unique, plus offer up some expert advice for...

It's January and for a dedicated few and come keen dot-watchers, it can only mean one thing - The Spine Race. Quite possibly the toughest race in the UK, the Spine is a 268 mile race up the Pennine way and as Phil reveals, the 2027 version is going to get tougher! We talk the evolution of this amazing race, why runners are attracted to such extreme races and how the Spine community might be one of...

Angus Read graduated from university in July and, like any adventurous 22-year-old, wanted to go travelling. His plans grew, as did his desire to do something to not only better himself, but also raise money for charity, so he planned to do it all - a solo trip where he'd make his way across Europe, running a marathon in as many countries as he could, fund raising for Cancer Research. He's just f...

It's been a bumper year for running, from mass participation at an all time high to elite sprints at the marathon, Rick, Ben, Rachel and Jen discuss some of the highlights and chat about their own personal moments too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Not only did she set a new world record at Big's Backyard ultra this year by running close to 400 miles over four days, but Sarah Perry also recently won a race called 'The Hill', which saw he run over 1 1/2 times the height on Everest in 48 hours. Rick and Ben spoke to Sarah about her amazing performances this year, what's so special about backyard ultras, the joy of running with dog and why runn...

Mick Duplock is truly remarkable. A season ultra-runner and Comrades finisher, he developed retinitis pigmentosa (aka tunnel vision) in his fifties, leaving him unable to see. Did it stop him from running? Not likely. Instead, at 82, he says he's never been more passionate about it. 'There are lots of things that I can't do,' he says, 'but I can still run.' If you're visually impaired and want to...

Joining Ben and Rachel this week is former GB athlete and now supreme running coach, Jo Wilkinson. We chat about what it means to train hard, the different versions of this and what the main goal of any running that requires a lot of effort should be. We only mention David Goggins once. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We sat and down and thought, "What do we need to invent to make running better?" and here is what we came up with! Set a new PB using the FuelDrone or continue to run whatever the weather with ClimaBubble. These and many more semi-useful inventions that smarter people need to make. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ben and Rick speak to James Greenwell, a former elite pentathlete who is now finding gold medal success in the fast-paced world of biathle, aged 50. We talk training methods to cope with the need for speed, but avoiding injury, why swimming helps absorb some of the training load and how backing yourself to win is the greatest defensive against getting slow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

He got fourth place in a stacked field, on debut at a major, but who is Patrick Dever? We had a chat with Patrick to talk about this stand out performance, why he chose New York for debut, his training, the appeal of the marathon, the Olympic dream and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author, writer and journalist Duncan Craig joins Rick and Ben to talk about his recent attempt to race his younger self. 24-year-old Duncan ran the London Marathon in a time of 3:23, but 25 years later, can he beat that time? Well, you'll have to listen to find out, but more importantly (as with most running challenges) the lessons learned getting to the start line was much more significant than t...

Freshly crowned with not only a gold medal but also a world record from the 24 hour World Championships in Albi, France, Sarah Webster joined us to talk about her incredible performance, winning gold, what it takes to run for 24 hours, how a dislocated shoulder nearly ruined her build up, what it's like to hit your running peak in your forties and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Taking a punt at listing some of the hardest races out there, Rick and Ben are joined by Rachel to discuss the criteria of what makes a race hard and what races should be on your bucket list if all you want to do is really suffer! There are of course some ultras, but what about a 2K race with 1000m of elevation? Yeah, that kind of thing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoic...

Ever heard someone say something like, "the marathon begins at mile 20" and thought that simply isn't true? Us too. Rick and Ben discuss running's greatest fallacies, most being just daft things people say, some are a bit troubling or dismisses and others are fundamentally wrong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rick, Ben and Rachel sit down and critique the spotify marathon playlist and discuss whether the songs would make it onto their own running playlist, plus they offer up a song each that really gets them ready to run! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The RW team discuss the 18 top road-running shoes they've been testing over the past few months. From PB-smashing supershoes to reliable daily trainers, we cover the full gamut of what's currently out there. 310baac894a292188e912c7a54b43bc3fac3935f Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joining Ben and Rick this week is Levi Moore aka The Mummy Physio. Following childbirth, the return to running for many mums can be a huge physical and psychological undertaking, so Levi explains how to approach a return to running without fear, explaining what can happen to the body and how best to make that comeback. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Running is rife with issues of etiquette; some obvious and some utterly made up. Most are made up tbh, but that won't stop us from trying to figure out what is ok and not ok when it comes to running behaviour. The episode also features/deviates more into a pop quiz, but we try to stick to task. Sort of. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rick and Ben are on the road this week and recorded a few special interviews live from The Great North Run. Their guests are Minah and Alexander from the hit TV show Traitors, Joe Wicks aka The Body Coach and running royalty, Dame Kelly Holmes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fresh (perhaps not so fresh) from the trails and podium of the UTMB, we chat to Tom Evans and Ruth Croft in this extra special bonus episode. Like and subscribe etc etc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, Anya Culling reveals how she slashed two hours from her marathon time. She talks about the importance of community, enjoyment and self-belief when it comes to marathon training – and offers advice to others looking to get the best from themselves over the distance.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have we reach peak saturation for big ultrarunning challenges? With more and more people running more and more miles over more and more continents, has the normalisation of going massive devalued what are incredible feats of endurance? Well, Ben, Rachel and Ali have a rambling chat about it and try to figure it out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode, in the company of RW’s senior writer, Rachel Boswell,  we discuss the pros and cons of solo running vs group running, looking at what the latest science says.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices