Running Tales

Trail runner Kim Levinsky is preparing to take on the biggest challenge of her running career - the 358-mile Long Path. Starting from the 175th Street Subway Station in New York City, crossing George Washington Bridge and running across the Catskills all the way to Albany, the Long Path combines woods, a series of 2,900 foot peaks, and trails that pass lakes and streams - it is a beautiful and cha...

Ady Pendred was a latecomer to the world of running, but he has gone on to complete several sub-three hour marathons and find a love of trail and ultra marathons. In recent years, he has stopped chasing times and learned to enjoy running for fun - not that it has slowed him down. Running Tales spoke to Ady about how time isn't his be all and end all, his love of Lidl trainers and how his body didn...

Ali Hall first started running when she was at boarding school, finding a love of the sport while escaping mental health challenges. It's a passion she has never left behind, competing in everything from adventure racing to ultra marathons and moving in to the world of coaching with Pyllon. Along the way, Ali has formed a number of running communities, including setting up a group putting on city...

Back in 2015, Mike Harley decided he wanted to raise money and awareness for Invest in ME, an independent charity which funds research into what is a severe and debilitating illness. Mike was inspired by one of his oldest friends, Ian, who has been suffering from ME for over 15 years, and instead of simply running a local marathon he decided to combine his love of travelling with a growing desire...

Every day, in every part of the world, women are being harassed and abused by men while out running.  A recent survey commissioned by Adidas and taking in 9,000 people from the US, Mexico, UK, France, Germany, United Arab Emirates, China, Japan and South Korea, found nine in 10 women are concerned about their safety while running.  The list of issues women can face ranges from cat calling, body sh...

Rachel Heley is a self-proclaimed fun runner. While the sport has been with her for most of her life, she's always fell tantalisingly short of any goals - but loved it nevertheless. However, you are more likely to find Rachel, a born adventurer, in the water. She discovered wild swimming - or as she simply calls it 'swimming' - during the pandemic, but has always been at home in the water, includi...

Gary Shaughnessy has done a lot in the world of running, from completing 40 marathons to raising thousands of pounds for charity. But perhaps his greatest achievement came in finishing the Arch to Arc Triathlon, dubbed the hardest triathlon in the world. Starting at Marble Arch in London and heading to the heart of Paris and the Arc de Triomphe, the event consists of an 87-mile run, swimming the E...

Running Tales first spoke to Steve Edwards back in July 2020, shortly after he had completed an incredible 903rd marathon. Steve only counts official races towards his astonishing total - no virtual runs for him - doesn't count marathons he has to walk in and is aiming to get to his goal with an average time of less than three hours and 30 minutes per marathon. We caught up with Steve - who has no...

After being diagnosed with breast and ovarian cancer, Allyson Kent was determined to take the disease on. In 2021, she turned to walking to boost her physical and mental health, eventually completing the marathon distance 52 times in as many weeks. Gripped by the fitness bug, Allyson has now found Beverley Westwood parkrun - and with it a sudden and unexpected love of running. Running Tales spoke...

Running coach, personal trainer, podcaster and ultra runner - Michael Nielsen wears a few hats when it comes to his running journey. As a coach and through his Runner's Resource podcast, Michael is eager to share his knowledge of a sport which he has enjoyed a life-long relationship with. On his podcast, Michael has not only talked to a succession of runners with fascinating stories, but also shar...

Rachel Ann Cullen has run a host of marathons, including London six times, but can now be most often found trail running across Yorkshire. It's part of her ever evolving running story, which started at 18 when she turned to running to get over a break-up, and later saw the sport transform her life completely. Suffering from bi-polar disorder and struggling to find her place in the world, Rachel fo...

Ken Posner has run more than 100 marathons and ultra marathons, including the gruelling 295-mile Badwater Double. As if that wasn't enough, he does a lot of his running barefoot. He's a self-proclaimed minimalist who eschews many of the modern comforts of running. Running Tales also spoke to Ken about his role as the race director for Shawangunk Ridge Trail, a 70-mile ultra that takes place just o...

Dr Ashley Morgan has been running for more than 30 years, but until she found the Running Punks she kept the sport as very much a solitary pursuit. These days she's very much part of that inclusive community, leading runs on Sunday mornings and taking part in an active online community that talks about everything from posh bog selfies to record reviews (with some running thrown in on occasion!). D...

Triathlete Mario Massarelli is a 20 times IronMan finisher, with his best performance having seen him qualify for the World Championship in his over 50's age group. But for Mario, it is the joy of triathlon and the valued time he gets to spend on and with himself that makes running, cycling and swimming - whether in one event or together - such enjoyable pastimes. Mario has now expanded his love o...

Running Tales spoke to Tony Collier towards the end of last year. Diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer, Tony - whose running achievements included completing all six marathon majors and the 55-mile Comrades Ultra Marathon in South Africa - had been determined to keep on running. You can listen to that conversation on Series 2 Episode 26 of Running Tales. Since his diagnosis, Tony has completed...

Gary McKee has run 9,355 miles so far this year, raising more than £320,000 along the way so far. It's all part of his efforts to run a marathon every day in 2022, fundraising for MacMillan Cancer Support and Hospice at Home Cumbria along the way. Gary is hoping to raise £1m, and is now just 12 days away from completing his incredible challenge. Running Tales first spoke to him back in June. We ch...

Christmas is approaching fast and we're bringing Series 2 of Running Tales towards an end. We're hoping to have one more episode next Tuesday, and then we'll be having a quick break until the New Year. Today, we wanted to look back at some clips from some of our guests from 2022, and forward to our new plans on Substack and social media. If you like the podcast, please give us a positive rating an...

Steve Montgomery has come a long way since taking up wheelchair racing just over a year ago. Despite being in his 50s, Steve has clocked a sub-18 minute parkrun and competed alongside the elite athletes at this year's London Marathon. But Steve's first sporting love is wheelchair rugby. He is a member of the successful Northampton Saints Wheelchair Rugby team which won this year's WR5s Premiership...

Claudia Burrough started running regularly after attending Bushy parkrun as part of a 'This Girl Can' event - but she didn't particularly like it. Over the next year she attended the 5k run every week, gradually improving her time. But it was only when unsteadiness in her legs meant she had to start using crutches, that she began to enjoy the famed parkrun community spirit. As her condition deteri...

Lorna Cullen has recently returned from an incredible adventure run across the length of Scotland, England and Wales. Despite not starting running until later in life to counteract mental health problems, Lorna has been planning an extreme challenge. It was something which came into reality this year in the form of a JOGLE, with a twist. Lorna loved the idea of completing the John O'Groats to Land...

Tony Collier was a late starter when it came to running, but he made up for lost time. Despite being in his 50s, Tony achieved an impressive series of running goals - from sub-20 parkruns to a host of completed marathons, including all six majors. In 2016, he finished the 55-mile Comrades Ultra Marathon in South Africa. And despite originally vowing not to do it again, he was soon preparing to ret...

Denny Krahe is a qualified athletics trainer and running coach, as well as being an ultra runner himself. For Denny, getting one of his clients over the line or seeing them improve their performance is every bit, if not more, important than his own performance. Denny is also a specialist in injury prevention, with the goal to eliminate and prevent those common injuries which plague runners. Runnin...

This week we have some really good news about one of our previous Running Tales guests and the charity he and his family run. Back in October 2020, we spoke to Wayne Chalmers about Team Daisy, a charity formed after his baby daughter Daisy sadly passed away just an hour after being born. It has now been revealed that Northampton Hospital, where Daisy was born, has launched a fundraising appeal for...

After suffering a serious injury to his ankle, Damian Lai's fitness got progressively worse. Overweight, eating the wrong things and constantly out of breath he was given a serious warning when he nearly died after contracting a virus and ending up in hospital. Realising things had to change, Damian joined a beginners' running group at his local club - and his life changed. This weekend he complet...

Simon Hollis has run a lot of miles - but it’s debatable whether or not he's spent more time organising other people to run even more! As the man in charge at Go Beyond Challenge, he is Race Director of a host of events including Northampton Half Marathon and the Shires and Spires Ultra Marathon. Simon spoke to Running Tales about the challenges - and rewards - organising such large scale events r...