Running Tales

Trina Dawkins is a trail and ultra runner - and perhaps more importantly a champion of women in sport. She is passionate about women's safety in the running world, and recently ran at the Kielder Marathon - despite being injured - on behalf of the She Runs Free initiative. Operating in partnership with Altra and BOLDI , She Free Runs aims to promote confidence and security for women runners, espec...

Daniel Garner was a sporty child, but his life was turned upside down when his mum sadly died from cancer when he was just eight years old. His parents had already been in the process of a divorce, and Daniels' father left not long afterwards. Although he was able to grow up in a loving family, with his sister and her partner bringing him up, Daniel's loss changed him. He felt he was missi...

It's one of the leading athletic clubs in the Midlands, but the success of Rugby & Northampton Athletic Club goes far beyond the gongs it and its athletes win. Competing across track and field, cross country and road running, the club has more than 1,000 members ranging from eight years old to those over 80. It has recreational sport written into its very being - or at least, its constitution - an...

Lottie Banks was a keen runner at school, finishing 81st in the Mini London Marathon and winning a bucketload of medals. But when life and work came calling, running took a back seat. It was only in her late-40s that Lottie returned to the sport, taking part in races including the London Marathon, Great Eastern Run, and the Big Half. That last event in London, which was held as recently as Septemb...

Andre Cardin's big running goal is fast approaching. Next week (November 2, 2025), he will take on theNew York City Marathon, one of the most famous road races in the world. But if Andre's New York adventure is inspiring, it is nothing compared to how he get here. Unfit, overweight and unhappy, Andre took a decision to dedicate his life to becoming a healthier, fitter and happier version o...

From crossing paths with farm dogs to shimmying over logs, ultra runner Kim Levinsky faced a plethora of physical, mental and altogether unexpected challenges as she set a new Fastest Known Time (FKT) across New York State’s 358-mile Long Path. Now, a brilliant new feature film, 'The Long Path: A journey of becoming' has been released. It tracks the physical and mental struggle's Kim e...

Andy Goldsby's life was spiralling out of control. Overweight, he was drinking and smoking too much, and it was starting to effect his mental as well as physical health. It was a chance moment that changed his life. Desperate to make a change, he entered the London Marathon on a whim, never expecting to get in. The marathon lottery Gods were smiling on him, and to Andy's shock he was - at...

There isn’t much Sarah Lavender Smith hasn’t done in the world of running. The Colorado resident has run more than 100 ultras and marathons, winning several at the 50k distance and clocking up many thousands of miles during more than 30 years in the sport. In 2019, she won the Grand to Grand Ultra, widely celebrated as one of the toughest races in the world. But Sarah had a ten year itch she neede...

When Emily Moore was just 19 she suffered a knee injury which led to her being told she'd never walk unaided again, let alone run. Now, she's on the edge of taking on the toughest footrace in the world, the formidable Marathon des Sables, in April. After suffering her injury, Emily was determined she would run again, immediately entering the London Marathon. A painful period of rehabilitation foll...

Sho Gray has a big goal in 2024. The professional runner, who is the Tennessee state record holder for the 100-mile distance, is betting on himself to make the US national 24-hour race team. Sho is using his savings to dedicate himself to running in the hope of winning the American 24-hour race championship in November, and in doing so qualifying for the national team. It’s all a far cry from his...

This week's Running Tales Podcast has a somewhat different theme. Our guest is Stan Robertson, the man behind Northampton-based rough sleeper charity Project 16:15. Running Tales is once again backing the 16:15 Charity Run, which will take place at The Racecourse in Northampton, England on Saturday, March 23. The event, which aims to raise awareness of and funding for rough sleepers in the town, w...

Raziq Rauf is the man behind the increasingly popular 'Running Sucks' Substack, a tongue-in-cheek title for a newsletter that looks at the stories of people doing interesting things to further running culture. Raz's newsletter has covered subjects as varied as homelessness, racism, body shaming and alcoholism - all from the prospective of those in the running world. It aims to tell stories that go...

Helen Ramwell didn't always wants to run, despite coming from a family that loved the sport. It was only as a teenager while celebrating New Year that she was provoked to take part in a race, after a family member said she would never be able to complete a half-marathon. The challenge was too much to resist and Helen's running career was underway. It has since taken in a host of marathons and ultr...

Liz Fraser has been a passionate runner since a young age, when her mother - who coached youngsters at the Oxford City Athletics Club - introduced her to the sport. Running has been her constant companion ever since, through the highs of many a 5k, 10k and half-marathon to helping her cope with mental health issues. A writer, broadcaster and best-selling author, Liz's memoir 'Coming Clean' tells t...

Denny Krahe is an ultra runner and coach who runs one of our favourite podcasts about the sport: Diz Runs. We first caught up with Denny just over a year ago, when we chatted to him about his own running career and his life as an injury prevention specialist. With changes on the way at Diz Runs, we thought it was a good time to talk to Denny again and to see how he is getting on with some of his r...

Colin Kirk-Potter grew up running on the fells and a career as a Royal Marine meant fitness was always going to be central to his life. Back when he joined the Marines, a day on Dartmoor involved brutal training but these days he loves nothing more than to run around its trails and fells - to the stage where he's even written a book about the best routes. Colin's running has seen him take on extre...

Donato, aka Twitter's Poet With Pace, hasn't always been a runner. Indeed, he didn't even start running until he was in his mid-50s and only took to the sport to raise money for charity. But once he started, there was no stopping him. Since completing the Birmingham Half-Marathon in 2015, Donato has gone on to break a Guinness World Record for running the fastest marathon dressed as a hospital pat...

Running has transformed Russell Watkin's life since he started training for next year's London Landmarks Half-Marathon. When his journey began, Russell was overweight, suffering from high-blood pressure and battling depression, all while dealing with the effects of Long Covid. He told Running Tales that before he started running, he had never stuck with anything in his life - but that has all chan...

Jason Bahamundi is an ultra runner who lives by the motto 'all gas, no brakes,' but he only started running when he was 'voluntold' he would be doing a half-marathon for charity. His first training run left him gasping for breath, but Jason was hooked. Running became a habit that led him to longer and longer races and ever bigger challenges, including completing Western States, the Rocky Racoon 10...

Natasha Swartley wasn't particularly sporty growing up - and running certainly didn't feature on her to do list. Even after she joined the US Navy at just 18, fitness was a punishment for being 'sarcastic' with push-ups and squats proving particularly unpopular. But Tasha slowly developed a love of fitness and eventually running, ending up being responsible for training 3,000 men under her watch....

Rohan Kallicharan, a sub-three hour marathoner, is on the verge of something extraordinary. With more than 80 marathons - including 10 in 10 days - already behind him, the man dubbed by friends as 'Ro Farah' is aiming to reach 100 marathons before he turns 50 next June. But that achievement will barely touch the surface of Rohan's story. Over a 15 year period, starting when he was a teenager, he s...

Christopher McDougall wasn't even a runner when he came across the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico. He'd been told he was too big. He'd be better off guarding the President or riding a bike than running. But what he found not only changed his life, but those of thousands of runners across the globe. In 2009, Christopher published his now famous book on the Tarahumara, 'Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Su...

Anthony Swain has always been active, with martial arts and karate his first love. But, after suffering from asthma as a child, running was never on his to do list. That all changed during the coronavirus pandemic, when with contact sports off the menu and an aggravating back injury requiring him to keep moving, Anthony decided to try running again. He's not stopped since. A resident of Japan, Ant...

After a particularly troubled end to a family holiday, Richard Wilcox's wife gave him an ultimatum: 'Change or we're finished'. The former Army man was overweight - his five four inch frame carrying 18 stone. He was suffering from mental health issues and going nowhere fast. It was then he chanced upon a documentary about ultra running that changed his life. Inspired, Richard declared he would run...

The Marathon des Sables had always been on Nigel Watson's bucket list. But with his plans to tackle the six day, 250km ultra marathon through the heat of the Sahara Desert barely underway, Nigel was rocked by a diagnosis of prostate cancer. An experienced runner with several marathons under his belt and a history of tackling triathlons that included representing Great Britain for his age group, Ni...