Snail & Pace: A Sportlink podcast

Mark Armstrong and Logan Smith are back with a special Wroxham 5K debrief episode of Snail & Pace. Recorded the day after one of the biggest nights in the Norfolk running calendar, the pair look back on what went right, what hurt, and why Wroxham once again delivered a brilliant evening of racing. Logan talks through his race-winning run, finishing first in 14:40 and becoming Norfolk 5K County Cha...

It’s Wroxham 5K week, which means Norfolk runners are officially losing their minds. Mark Armstrong and Logan Smith are back in the sweatbox cupboard to talk race week nerves, Wroxham tactics, training confidence, GPS watch chaos and whether England v Congo should really be allowed to clash with the biggest 5K night in Norfolk. Logan reflects on a strong block of training, including sharp sessions...

Logan Smith and Mark Armstrong return with a more upbeat edition of the Snail & Pace podcast. Logan reflects on a busy fortnight of training, including strong tempo sessions, thunderstorms, coffee stops in Holt, stag-do weekends, wedding celebrations and the challenge of balancing life with running. With the Wroxham 5K just around the corner, he discusses whether his form is finally starting to co...

This week Mark and Logan are back in the cupboard to talk hot-weather running, tough sessions, race-day reality checks and a busy weekend at the Alex Moore Relay. Logan talks through a testing spell of training, the impact of the heat, his win with Gangway Run Club at the Alex Moore Relay, and why 5K training is currently testing his patience. Mark reflects on his run at the Hatfield Broad Oak 10K...

You will never look at a bottle of Orangina in quite the same way again… Episode 12 of Snail & Pace is here - and it turns out Logan has a story that completely changes how both of us now view Orangina forever. Alongside that… we dive into a seriously competitive Great Yarmouth 5 Mile, with Logan talking through the tactics, surges and what it was like racing some of Norfolk’s quickest runners aft...

Welcome to Episode 11 of Snail & Pace - coming to you from a slightly different location this week as Mark and Logan swap the usual physio room for the Sportlink shoe fitting area. It’s a busy one. Mark gives an update on life after the Two Oceans Ultra, including his return to running, a testing Holkham parkrun and what comes next with the Great Yarmouth 5M and Wroxham 5K on the horizon. Logan ta...

In Episode 10 of Snail & Pace, Mark Armstrong gives the full lowdown from his Two Oceans adventure in South Africa - from travel, taper nerves and stunning views to the moment a cola-flavoured ice lolly unexpectedly became the real hero of the race. Elsewhere, Logan Smith shares how his training has been disrupted by a frustrating set of niggles… including an ankle roll after a game of chicken wit...

In this episode of the Snail & Pace podcast, the focus is on Mark Armstrong’s final preparations for the Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town as race week arrives and the taper mind games begin. Mark talks honestly about how training has gone, the doubts that creep in at this stage, what he is hoping for on race day, and why this trip is about much more than just the clock. Elsewhere, Logan Smith give...

In the latest episode of the Snail & Pace podcast, Logan Smith sits down with Mark Armstrong to properly debrief his incredible third-place finish at the World 50K Road Running Championships. But as we find out, the bronze medal only tells half the story. Logan talks through the full experience in Delhi - from the build-up and travel to what was really going on behind the scenes before he produced...

Cromer runner Logan Smith joins co-host Mark Armstrong to discuss his upcoming debut for Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the World 50km Road Running Championships in New Delhi. The pair talk about the challenges of championship racing, the tactical nature of ultra-distance events, and how Smith is approaching the opportunity to wear the GB vest for the first time. Also in this episode, Mark...

Logan’s fresh off the Seville Marathon with a 2:21:47 “training run”, and Mark’s been back in the thick of it too - juggling cross country, training blocks, travel chaos and the realities of marathon prep. In this episode we cover: - Logan’s Seville weekend - group trips, shakeout runs, elite bib & bottle pick-up, potholes, cobblestones, toilet stops… and how the 10K progressions actually felt - M...

In this episode of Snail & Pace, Mark and Logan dive into a big few weeks - including Logan Smith’s first-ever international call-up to represent Great Britain & Northern Ireland at the 50K World Championships in India. Logan talks through how the opportunity came about, why he couldn’t turn down a British vest, and how he’s balancing the challenge of a 50K debut with ongoing marathon training for...

Mark’s been racing (again), Logan’s been the disciplined one as Seville Marathon edges closer… and we’re back with another episode of Snail and Pace - serious enough to be useful, not serious enough to stop us going off on tangents. We kick off with a proper catch-up - including a bit of 2016 nostalgia (Strava beginnings, university drop-out chat, and why Swansea didn’t quite live up to the brochu...

Snail & Pace - episode 3: Seville loading, XC Champs and big 2026 goals by Sportlink

This week, Mark breaks down his Valencia Marathon experience: the pre-race maranoia, the heat, the fade, and the lessons he's taking into 2026. Logan is officially back running after his Achilles injury and he talks honestly about shockwave therapy, the mental grind of cross training and the moment he knew he was back. A huge thanks for all the support so far after the first episode. Keep the mess...

Snail & Pace is the honest, unfiltered running podcast hosted by Mark Armstrong and Logan Smith - two very different runners with one obsession: the stories behind the miles. Each episode dives into real training updates, the highs and lows of chasing PBs, the chaos of niggles and maranoia, life inside Sportlink Running Shop, shoe reviews, influencer chat and what’s actually happening in the UK ru...

Welcome to the very first episode of Snail & Pace - the official Sportlink podcast! Hosted by Sportlink Brand Manager Mark Armstrong and elite Norfolk marathon runner Logan Smith, this show dives into everything happening in the world of running - from our own training journeys to race chat, XC carnage, local running news, shoe talk and weekly “running icks”. In this opening episode we introduce t...

A real privilege to have former British middle distance athlete Rod Finch on the podcast this week. An absolute speedster over 5K in his prime, Rod talks us through his journey from outside ‘the system’ to become one of Europe’s top runners over 5K. He talks us about how he dealt with the loss of his wife during his career with the help of his coach whilst raising a daughter trying to become the n...

An absolute pleasure to be joined by two-time Boston Marathon winner Geoff Smith on the podcast. From starting out as a firefighter to reaching two Olympics, Geoff is a fascinating guy to listen to. Whilst his face didn’t always fit with some selectors, he used that adversity as inspiration to become of the UK’s all-time great marathon runners. If your marathon training plan is kicking in this wee...

The Sportlink podcast is joined by one of the fastest 800m runners the UK has produced in Jenny Meadows. Jenny went to an Olympics, won a World Championships bronze medal and was a former Diamond League winner during her illustrious career. She reveals how changing her mindset kickstarted her career in her late 20s, which catapulted her to greater success.

Mark Armstrong and John Downes are joined by the UK’s second fastest ever female marathon runner in Mara Yamauchi. The two-time Olympian has a fascinating running story - combining a career as a British diplomat with an athletics career which would see her win a Commonwealth Games medal and win the National Cross Country Championships. Mara talks about how she started running and how she kept the...

Sportlink TV - episode 33 - Shaun Creighton This week Mark Armstrong and John Downes speak to one of Australia’s finest ever runners in Shaun Creighton. Shaun was an international runner from the 1500m all the way up to the marathon, competing at cross country world championships, Commonwealth Games and the Olympics. We speak to Shaun about how he managed to maintain such a high level of performan...

In-depth feature with British middle distance runner Julian Goater. Julian was part of the golden era of British athletics, boasting personal bests of 13:15 for 5K and 27:34 for 10K whilst also winning the National Cross Country Championships by almost two minutes in 1981. Julian rubbed shoulders with many athletes considered athletic royalty in this country and he reveals what it was like to comp...

An in-depth chat with one of the most versatile runners in the history of running. We talk to Rod about his bronze medal at the 1972 Olympics in the 1500m, his regret over that fourth-placed finish in the 5000m in 1976, and his win at the New York Marathon in 1973 - arguably the greatest run marathon of all time.

An in-depth chat with 800m athlete Jamie Webb. Jamie is one of the most exciting middle distances runners in the country and we caught up with how he’s feeling ahead of the Olympic trials and what he really thought after seeing GB team-mate Elliot Giles break the 800m British indoor record recently. His favourite sessions, how he fits in his training around his PhD and what he’s currently watching...