Runner's World Podcast

RW's very own Rachel Boswell ran a PB at Tokyo marathon and secured her Six Star medal, so we sat down to ask her about the secret sauce she uses that has allowed her to consistently run sub-3 over the course of four years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the April 2025 issue of the magazine, we've made a list of 50 game changers in running and we thought we'd randomly choose some of the amazing people and chat about them and why they're of significance. You can either agree or disagree, that's the wonderful thing about lists! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meet Rudy O'Halloran, the former drug dealer who discovered the power of exercise (and reading) when in prison and came out determined to make a difference to his life and the lives of others. We spoke to the founder of ROCUP running club about turning his life around, what it means to him to try and help others and how running can make all the difference. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...

Physio Tom Goom joins Rick and Ben to discuss running and cadence. Often touted as a golden metric that can transform your running and prevent injury, we discuss if there is a magic number that can solve all problems, what do metrics like ground contact time and stride length have to do with it and if runners need to worry about their step rate. Rick mentions a study in the intro, this is it - Lea...

Breaking out the crystal ball, Ben and Rick are joined by Ali to discuss a few of the trends that we're seeing in running gear and tech in 2025, plus what the future might hold (carbon plated super sandals etc). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If, like many runners, you've battled overwhelming pre-race anxiety, this is the episode for you. On it, renowned sports psychologist Steve Magness discusses the new book, Win the Inside Game, which offers exert advice on how to reframe failure and learn to harness pressure in the right way. Win the Inside Game is out now: waterstones.com For more on Magness, visit: stevemagness.com Learn more abo...

It’s rare in running that a training approach comes along that is genuinely innovative. But that’s the case with the ‘easy interval method’, pioneered by Dutchman Klaas Lok. A decorated middle-distance runner, Lok used this method to great success as a runner and, more latterly, as a coach. If you feel like your running has plateaued, or you’re just looking to shake things up, give this episode a...

Hill training is an excellent way of improving power, technique and mental tenacity. But how best should you fit it into your week? And what are some of the best hill sessions to try? On this week's episode, running coach Fiona English offers a masterclass in hill training. Think of it as your steep learning curve. For more from Fiona English, visit her website: englishruns.com Learn more about yo...

Complex, divisive and subject to misinformation, sports nutrition is an area desperately in need of clarity. On this week's episode Renee McGregor, leading sports dietitian and RW columnist, cuts through the noise to offer your practical, science-backed advice on how to fuel your training and racing. McGregor has distilled her two decades of knowledge as both a sports dietitian and ultrarunner int...

On this week's episode, we speak with Damian Hall at mile 160 of the Spine Race. Damian talks about the likely winners, the appeal of the race and how on earth you do about training for 268 miles along the Pennine Way in midwinter. thespinerace.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Unless you spent 2024 hiding out in some remote Tennessee woods, you're probably aware that Jasmin Paris became the first woman to complete the Barkley Marathons. But what kind of mentality does it take to achieve the seemingly impossible? In this week's episode, Paris talks about her formative childhood experiences, never taking other people's opinions as fact and why she hopes her achievements w...

She started running at 41 and has gone on to run over 1000 marathons (and countless other races too). Meet the cover star of our first issue of 2025, Collette O'Hagan. We chat about her love of running, the joy she gets from it, the stories she has from so many races, how she stays motivated, her life as a foster parent, what training looks like, her ultimate nutrition plan (chips and wine) and mu...

The Paris Olympics, The Hardest Geezer, Jasmin Paris: 2024 has not been short of its miraculous running moments. This episode, we round up what we believe to be the top eight achievements in 2024. Do you agree or disagree? Give it a listen and let us know at podcast@runnersworld.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some people run one marathon in their lifetime. Some run one a year. Some energetic types might even run a marathon a month. But rare is the runner who runs a marathon every day for a year. Yet that is exactly what James Cooper has done. It helps that he’s fuelled by the motivation to raise money for Samaritans, following the death by suicide of his uncle. Listen to him speak about training, recov...

We all know strength and conditioning (S&C) is important. Various studies have shown it can improve running economy and there's also some evidence it can reduce the chances of injury. But what should it look like for runners and how should you fit it into a busy running week? S&C leading expert Dr Richard Blagrove, senior lecturer in physiology at Loughborough University, offer his advice to runne...

Back pain affects millions of people across the UK. But a new study suggests running may be able to help chronic lower back back pain. It comes off the back of some previous research showing that running doesn’t seem to harm the back and may actually be good for spine health. Running physio Tom Goom discusses these studies and offers some general advice for any runners currently suffering from bac...

Founder of Soar Running, Tim Soar, join us to talk about launching a premium running brand and how running (and the kit) has changed since then. We talk expensive vests, the design process, how discount culture has ruined consumers shopping habits, the environmental impact of producing kit, why he'll always pursue that perfect garment and how material science is only getting more fascinating. Lear...

It's rare that someone combines both elite-level marathon running with elite-level humour – but Phily Bowden is the glorious exception to the rule. Having run 2:25 at the Berlin Marathon, her sights are now on the LA Olympics, all while creating amazing content for her ever-growing online following. Check out Phily on YouTube: youtube.com/c/PhilyBowden Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megap...

In certain running circles, "walking" can be a dirty word. But it needn't be that way. The run-walk method can, in fact, be an effective and enjoyable racing strategy for runners of all speeds. On this episode, the chief training officer at Galloway Training Programs in Florida, offers his expert insight on the art of run-walking. To find out more, visit jeffgalloway.com Learn more about your ad c...

10,000 miles, 16 countries and over £1 million raised for charity. Russ Cook (aka "Hardest Geezer") pushed himself to the limit to become the first person to run the length of Africa. He's distilled the adventure into an amazing new book, Hardest Geezer: Mind Over Miles, and comes on the podcast to discuss some of the highlight and lowlights of his African odyssey. Follow Russ on Instagram: @harde...

Over the past few years, Jonny Davies has amassed a huge online following by documenting his running and setting himself a series of increasingly difficult running challenges. His latest, Run the Capitals, saw him run to the capitals of the UK and Ireland – a distance of 960km that he completed in just over 11 days. Here him talk about his training, injury-prevention routine and what motivates him...

We entered into the rarified air of the Altitude Centre in London to talk to lead performance specialist James Barber about altitude training and why it's not just for those who want to run up mountains (but it does help with that too) and heat adaptation and why that's relevant to racing in the UK as well as abroad. Then Ben spoke to Montane adventurer and ultrarunner Katy Parrott about her exper...

Imagine running more than 30 miles a day for two months. That's what this week's guest did on his Big Tour of England, which saw him visit every cathedral city in the country. In the process, Frank raised thousands for children's charity The Brathay Trust. Hear him talk about the challenge and the advice he has for other people looking to run seriously long distances. Useful links: Frank's JustGiv...

On this week's episode of the Runner's World podcast, we speak with author and 2:20 marathoner Michael Crawley about his new book, To the Limit, which explores what endurance means in cultures around the world. Listen to Crawley talk about the importance of playfulness, running to feel and the lessons he learned running with everyone from the Raramuri in the Copper Canyons of Mexico to ultrarunner...

Endurance athlete, social media star and recent author Josh Patterson is on the front cover of the latest issue of Runner's World's, which focuses on mental health. In his new book, Fortune Favours the Brave, Patterson opens up about his own mental health challenges and offers advice to others who may be going through something similar. As you'd expect from a man who once ran 76 marathons in 76 da...