Trail Tales with Tara and Bryce

Raimundo is a Research Fellow at the School of Health Sciences at UQ where Tara works and is a keen trail runner.  His research delves into how to accurately measure trail running courses so they are as close to apples for apples in the races that qualify you for events.  This is especially relevant as we try to make trail running an Olympic sport in the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.  He...

Jon is an accomplished trail runner and has the added advantage of being very tall.  He has been running since he was a child and loves it.  We chat about night running, head lamps, sweat tests, knee injuries and how trail running helps, mentally, phsycially and emotionally.  Jon's dad and immediate family are all great runners, so he has a wealth of insights and experience to share...

Mark Stone is about to run in the coveted Western States Ultra Marathon in California. We chat about this iconic race and how he managed to get a ticket. Mark is philosophical about running and success and is in the process of writing his first book "The average runners guide to ultra Marathons" A more humble and likeable guy would be hard to find. Listening to this chat will do you good!

Madison joins us at Whites Hill for a terrific chat about all things pregnancy and trail running. Madison is a midwife and a trail runner and so has wonderful insights into both. Bryce even gets a hug as practical example of how oxytocin works.

Bryce and Tara participated in the Gotcha Backyard Ultra at Rocks River Park the other weekend.  Tara ran just over 7 "yards" which is 50ks and Bryce ran 6 loops which is 40ks.  Our buddies Dominique and Kristen both completed 10 "yards" which is 67k and it was fun to share this day together as a team.  We all chat about the day and what we learned and then we catch up with our frie...

If you have entered a trail running event in Queensland like the Guzzler, Ross Barton has probably taken a photo of you - not in a creepy way - but as the official photography team that captures your finish line magic moments. Ross chats with Bryce and Tara at Whites Hill and shares about his running journey, his photography experiences and the many wonderful insights he has into trail events and...

Nichole McKilliam - better known as Nic Nok is a seasoned ultra marathon runner and recently completed a Spartan obstacle race which is nothing short of extreme!  Her journey has not been without it's challenges as she suffered a rare and scary spinal stroke which left her unable to walk and in extreme pain.  She is a inspiring and delightful human and I'm sure you will enjoy hearing her...

Tara and Bryce wander through Whites Hill while waiting for Cyclone Alfred to hit and catch up with each other and share what about our first year of podcasting together and the events we are planning for the next few months.  The Noosa trail event, Backyard Ultras, Bryce's 61st birthday run, a Multi day ultra and even a Goggins challenge are all on the radar.   This podcast survive...

Heather Hawkins is a woman of two lives - from an everyday mother battling Ovarian Cancer with an unknown future to conquering the world of extreme marathons and adventures.  Heather chats with Bryce and Tara about her extraordinary life and the minset and courage that has enabled her to achive what most of us consider to be impossible.  She is humble, personable and inspiring.  It...

Kelly is an absolute energiser bunny - a pocket rocket of joy, zest for life and one of the best ultra-Marathon runners around.  Her achievements include 3rd placed female recently in the Dusk till Dawn 12 hr ultra and Completing the gruelling 100k Blackall trail.  She has a slew of 21k and 50k events under her belt and is a gym instructor, fitness and running coach specialist and one of...

Peter Hallahan did a Geography degree late in life and is currrently working on his PHD on the topic of running and place. Tara and Bryce Chat with Peter at Whites Hill about how running is so much more than the big events and the medals. It's about the land we run on, the people we run with, the health benefits and the way we feel inside our bodies when we move.

Tara chats with her colleague and friend Associate Professor Saul Villeda from the University of California San Francisco about his groundbreaking work on exercise and brain rejuvenation.

Tara and Bryce chat with Yana McBride about her amazing year of ultra running, focusing on the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) series.

Tara has a before and after chat with Bryce about his 800k Camino De Santiago adventure in Spain.

Today Kristen and Tara get their VO2Max measured by exercise physiologist Professor Jeff Coombs. We chat with Jeff about this metric and what we can do to increase it.

In this episode we chat about our runcation to the stunning Blue Mountains, where Kristen, Rowena and I headed down for a cheeky girls weekend away to check out the UTA50 course.

In this episode we delve into the world of multi-day ultra running with Rowena Fraser. Rowena is passionate about this race format and has so far completed 5 of these grueling events! She is an absolute legend who is very generous with her time and advice and inspires others to achieve their running goals.

In this episode we chat to Travis Ireland, founder of Run the World. Run the World is an incredible initiative that has the goal of uniting runners and walker from all walks of life, creating a global community that embraces diversity and inclusivity. To read more about Run the World: https://www.runsoftheworld.com/ #TrailRunning, #Trails, #Fitness, #Health, #Exercise, #Community

Tara interviews Professor Jeff Coombes, Exercise Physiologist from the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences at the University of Queensland. His research focus on determining the optimal exercise prescription for improving health. To read more about Jeff's research: https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/908

Toohey Forest is home to the Brisbane Trail Runners Toohey trotters, a weekly trail run every Wednesday morning at 5:45am.  Today we chat about the what being part of this amazing, supportive group means to us and the history of the reserve. To learn more about the history of Toohey Forest Reserve: https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/clean-and-green/natural-environment-and-water/bushland-reserves...

We all know that exercise is good for us, but most of us do not understand how it can change our brains! Tara and Bryce discuss how exercise affects the brain. Tara also interviews Dr Daniel Blackmore, a research scientist from The Queensland Brain Institute, about his fascinating research into how exercise affects cognition during ageing. To read more about Dan's research: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm...

After repeated assaults on women at Mt Cootha - the Reclaim the Trails event was organised to show solidarity and support. Tara Chats with Virginia after the event, but was on a flight home from the USA at the time it took place, so Bryce went along and had a chat with some of the organisers and participants who attended.  

In this episode we discuss all things Guzzler. The Guzzler is an annual SE Queensland trail race (10km, 21km, 50km or 100km). Tara and Bryce chat about the race with Jayme who completed the 50km and David who had a very tough day out on the 100km course.

In this episode we discuss Backyard Ultras and interview the amazing Sean Lyons. Sean is a big fan of this unusual race format and has had a lot of success in the last few years. His PB is 37 laps (hours) which is a mind-boggling 248km!!.

We have a chat with Geoff Russell, current president of TRAQ as we wander the paths at Whites Hill. He is a mate who runs with us both regularly and who takes the lead on great trail running initiatives like Safety for Women and a bid to make trail running an Olympic sport.