Tales from the Valley Podcast

This week, Sam & Katie chat with James Constantine — a well-known face in the running scene as the Digital Marketing Manager for Pont3, the team behind Sydney Marathon’s push for World Major status. James shares insights into the campaign, his personal running journey, and how he’s now balancing training with family life. With standout PBs including 16:06 for 5K (solo lockdown TT) and 2:52 for...

Katie and Sam chat with Liam Henderson, a talented runner with standout PBs including 3:56 for 1500m and 15:11 for 5000m. After a 4-year hiatus, Liam returned to racing with a 32:00 at the Sydney 10 and a 74-minute half at Gold Coast. He shares proud moments from his junior career, including a 3rd place at National XC, and reflects on his time training alongside Olympian Jess Hull in Europe. Liam...

In this episode of Tales from the Valley, Sam and Katie catch up with Darwin-based distance runner Darcy Hennessy, who recently clocked an impressive 1:10:39 at the Gold Coast Half Marathon. Darcy shares his journey from growing up with the Kembla Joggers and being coached by his grandfather Jim Hennessy, to stepping away from running to pursue AFL — and eventually finding his stride again in the...

This week, Sam & Katie catch up with Mel Hodges — founder of the Bermagui Run Club and a passionate community builder on the South Coast. Mel first laced up while working a desk job in Canberra, and since then has completed four half marathons and is now deep into training for her debut Sydney Marathon. We dive into: Her 28km long run from Narooma to Dalmeny How she's balancing strength work,...

Sam & Katie chat with Bridie Temple — a rising star in the trail running scene. Bridie’s already stacked an incredible resume: she won her trail debut at just 17 at the Alpine Summit in Victoria, claimed victory at the Kiama Coastal Classic 21km, set the women’s course record at the 2024 Jabulani Challenge 45km, and finished 2nd in both the UTA22k and Buffalo Stampede 100km. Bridie first found...

Sam & Katie chat with Riley Kilham Riley boasts some impressive PBs including a 16:33 5k at a Christmas Eve parkrun, 34:48 for 10k, and a 1:17:33 half marathon time trial. He got into endurance sports in his late teens after using CrossFit to get healthy and quickly realised he excelled at the running portion. From there, Riley began working with a coaching group via Peter Clifford in the Suth...

Mack has impressive PBs of 17:11 for 5K, 35:16 for 10K, and 1:19:40 for the half marathon—set just a couple of weeks ago at the Wollongong Running Festival. Originally from Canada, Mack moved to Australia nearly a decade ago to begin medical school and now works in the ICU at Wollongong Hospital. He’s on a demanding schedule—one week of 12-hour (sometimes overnight) shifts followed by a week off—b...

Sam & Katie speak with Carl Ernst. Carl has had a long and successful running career, having run 29 marathons including ultra marathons (3-time Comrades Marathon finisher), and impressively will be lining up in a few weeks for his 16th consecutive Gold Coast Marathon. With PBs of 35:45 for 10k, 1:18:30 for the half, and 2:49 for the full marathon, Carl has been performing at a high level for m...

This week, Sam and Katie sit down with the unstoppable Fraser King, who just clocked a blazing 19:51 5K at the Wollongong Running Festival—a huge leap from his earlier 20:47 at Run Wollongong. Aside from running, Fraser is also a standout basketballer and shares how he juggles both sports while staying in peak condition. Fraser opens up about his journey with Autism, the importance of routine, and...

This week, Sam & Katie catch up with rising middle-distance star Isaac Shaw, who’s just dropped a 30:37 PB at the Launceston 10k. While Isaac sees himself more as an 800/1500m specialist — with sharp PBs of 1:54 (800m) and 3:50 (1500m) — his recent form on the road is showing versatility and serious potential. We chat about: His transition from the HIRT squad to Brendan Hince’s Stable Training...

Sam & Katie are joined this week by the dynamic and multi-talented Debbie Bruce — a true one-stop shop for health, fitness, and wellbeing. Debbie recently smashed a new PB at the Noosa Half Marathon, finishing in 1:43, and shares insights into her journey as a runner and health professional. Having taken up running 14 years ago after the birth of her first child, Debbie’s running journey has b...

In this episode, Sam and Katie chat with Flynn Addicott, a recent arrival to the Bega Valley who moved from Melbourne to take on a paramedic role at Bega Hospital. Flynn boasts impressive personal bests, including a 16:05 for 5K on the track and a 2:56 marathon. His running journey began in high school, where he tested his limits in cross country before developing a structured training routine. No...

In this episode, Sam and Katie catch up with Mel Jeferris. Mel, based in Narooma, has been in impressive form lately, recently running a marathon personal best of 3:08:06 at Ballarat. Mel began running in 2015, completing her first marathon that same year in Melbourne. After taking a break to have two kids, she returned to running with structured training from her brother, Greg Frost, in 2020. Sin...

Sam & Katie catch up with Stefan Deane-Smith. Stefan boasts PBs ranging from 1:53 for 800m through to a 70 minutes flat for the half marathon on a hilly Auckland course to come 3rd in the NZ Half Marathon Champs. Growing up in New Zealand, he ran competitively after starting out in a variety of sports through school. At his peak, he logged 160–200 km per week before stepping away from the spor...

Join us for two incredible stories from the Ballarat Marathon! Dane Ottesen shares his inspiring marathon debut, clocking a remarkable 2:46, while Greg Frost reflects on his 2:28 finish—achieving a lifelong running goal. Get a feel for the course, the atmosphere, and why this event should be on your radar for 2026. Whether you're chasing a PB or your first marathon finish, this episode will get yo...

Sam and Katie chat with Sinead MacCana. Sinead is the founder of RISE&RUN Bali , a thriving community running group based in Canggu, Bali. Her running journey began alongside her career in Personal Training in Australia, where she also completed her first marathon. Presented with a unique opportunity, Sinead took on the Bali Hope Ultra — an 84km charity ultramarathon. To prepare, she made the...

Sam and Katie catch up with Sarah Reiter, Tracksmith athlete and longtime friend of Katie’s from college. Sarah’s resume is stacked with personal bests ranging from 16:21 for 5,000m to 2:31 for the marathon. Most recently, she placed 24th at the Boston Marathon, clocking a solid 2:33 on a course that chewed up many. Sarah gives us an inside look at her peak training week, logging 85 miles (~137km)...

Myles Gough re-joins the podcast after his 2nd win at Canberra Marathon last weekend in 2:30:08 Myles walks us through his training block as well as his taper and exciting race recap.   It was a tactical day out and an exciting race, this ones a must listen!

With Katie back in the US, she and Sam are taking the next few weeks to catch up with some of our amazing international listeners. This week, they’re joined by Adam Brill, a passionate runner based in Boston, former colleague of Sam’s, and long-time listener of the show. Adam shares his unique running journey, which began after his professional golf career didn’t quite hit the heights he had aimed...

Sam and Katie chat with Pat Miller, a core member of JT Running. Pat got into running a couple of years ago, initially as a lighthearted challenge to beat his business partner in a race. What started as a gag quickly became a valuable routine for his mental well-being, so he committed to it seriously. He later joined Savvy with a friend and hasn’t looked back since—quickly improving from a 21-minu...

This week, Sam, Mitch, and Katie catch up with Harm Schaap, who boasts some blistering PBs, including 3:51 for 1500m, 8:38 for 3000m, 14:58 for 5000m, and 31:12 for 10K. These times were set a few years ago, and Harm shares his long training journey with Hince’s Horses, moving from Mollymook to Wollongong for university. He recently ran a very minor PB for 1500m—less than a second faster—but it wa...

Sam and Mitch catch up with Matt Johnsen, an impressive runner who grew up in Broulee. After winning numerous national medals in the steeplechase, Matt made the choice to move down to Melbourne to pursue running. Once in Melbourne, Matt's teammates began going to college, and he felt he had the potential to do the same. He achieved remarkable personal bests, including 14:14 for the 5000m and 29:25...

Sam, Katie, and Mitch chat with Paul Gallina and Andrew Kyrie. Paul is currently training for his first marathon in Wollongong at the end of April, while Andrew is an accomplished runner with a personal best of 19:01 in the 5k. Together, Paul and Andrew are the founders and owner-operators of Traak Hats, which offers a unique running hat designed to meet the needs of runners. This hat features a z...

Laura had a stellar 2023, setting impressive PBs, including 18:15 for 5K, 38:50 for 10K, and a 1:26 half marathon—winning the Wollongong Running Festival in the process. She ran her first half marathon in 2016 but didn’t fully commit to running at the time. It wasn’t until recently, after having her two boys, Thomas and William, that she found the consistency to train seriously. Past guest and fri...

Episode Summary Sam, Mitch, and Katie sit down with Morgan Clarke, the driving force behind Your Local Run Club in Shellharbour. What started as a small group of friends meeting for a weekly run has grown into a thriving community, with 50-70 runners hitting the Marina every Wednesday morning. The club welcomes runners of all levels, kicking off from the Shellharbour Ocean Pool, looping around the...