Young Hearts Run Free Podcast

This week we meet Phil Shin and Mark Murphy, they’ve an immense story share with you all. A chance meeting with Steven in Boston last April resulted in us learning about the reason they’d completed the Boston Marathon that very same day. Phil is a 2-time liver cancer survivor. Mark is his liver donor, or as Phil prefers to call him his hero. In our most uplifting episode to date we are lead throug...

Welcome back to Access All Areas. Your one stop shop for all things Lakeland 50 and 100! In Episode 2 your hosts, John and Steven, welcome along the marvellous Nikki Knappet and Morven Walsh to the show. Nikki and Morven are part of the army of volunteers who make the Lakeland magic work. The Chapel Stile checkpoint is located approx. 95 miles into the Lakeland 100, or 40 miles into the Lakeland 5...

How do you follow up last week’s episode with Eilish McColgan then? Ah, we've got just the ticket. This week one half of your hosting team takes centre stage, yip the man, the myth, the legend Mr John Cassidy is our main talking point as we get a mid-term update on his preps for April's fast approaching Manchester Marathon. And we've a special guest join us, John's coach. A familiar face. Who can...

As regular listeners are aware we like to welcome guests from right across the running spectrum on to the podcast. This week that guest is super popular Scottish track superstar Eilish McColgan who joins John and Steven for a chatter. From her early beginnings into running, we get the lowdown from Eilish on all manner of things, the ups and downs, the highs and lows. For Eilish the highs have come...

Well, it’s been a tumultuous week at YHRF HQ. And here comes the icing on the cake as we catch up with Spine Race 2023 finisher and all-round inspiration Aly Caldwell. We cover all 268 miles (and mare) of the Pennine Way with Aly as we dissect her 6 plus days out racing. Yes, like many others we watched her dot shift efficiently to Kirk Yetholm, and now we get the lowdown straight from the horse’s...

Welcome to Access All Areas. In episode 1 of our spin off collaboration with the Montane Lakeland 100 your hosts, John Cassidy and Steven Watt are joined by the super talented Emma Stuart. Emma is well qualified to give us her chat on the Montane Lakeland 100 (and 50) having placed first place female in the 50 in 2021 and the 100 in 2022. John and Steven grill Emma on a variety of (mostly) related...

This week we are joined by man of many talents Daniel Bye. One of those talents is even running related and was in full display just a few weeks ago when he competed in the infamous Montane Spine Challenger Race. We get the lowdown on how that 108 mile jaunt turned out but not after finding out heaps more about Daniel and his long term love affair with running. Now a proud member of Lonsdale Fell...

When someone as awesome as Wild Ginger Running approaches you to have a wee chat on the pod you seize the moment with gusto. This week we’re awfully chuffed to welcome Claire Maxted to the Young Hearts Run Free podcast. Writer. Author. Media entrepreneur. But most importantly, runner. Claire has spent a huge chunk of her life following her passion and in this week’s episode we get the lowdown. Cla...

Is that a week passed already? Just where does January go 😉 We are back to chase away the blues with another corking episode to jangle your senses. We are thrilled to welcome Catriona Bruce to the show, Catriona is the owner of Edinburgh based race organisers Blast Running. She’s also an accomplished and experienced runner herself with multiple marathon and ultra-marathon finishes to her name. We...

Fit like? Proud Aberdonian Ultra-runner David Scott has inspired many people. He’s honest, genuine and isn’t afraid to go that extra mile when the going gets tough. In this week’s episode we meet David to find out about both his own running story and the stories he’s helped create as we delve into Fit Like Joggers and the Brewdog Run. David took up running himself in his mid-30s, like many we spea...

No other way to start a new year than battering out our first episode of 2023. YHRF, we never stop. And we’ve a guest in da house! Joining us for a blether about all manner of things (mostly but not exclusively running related) is Amanda Woodrow. She certainly brings the fun along with her. Of course we kick off with our customary chat where the headline news is the heightening of John’s 2023 plan...

Well, that was 2022! Happy Hogmanay guys! This is a first for a number of reasons! Our first ever ‘Unawards’ AND our first bash at a video edition of the pod. Filmed live and uncut, eeek! We devote this episode to the ton of you who interacted with our social media posts during the month of December.  Our categories were a wee bit different to the norm, here they are in all their YHRF glory -...

Twas the week afore Chrimbo, when aw thru the hoose, no a creature wiz stirrin’ no even a moose. Ye didn’t think we’d let you down and not have a pre-Christmas episode up our sleeves, did you?! Firstly we spin through our weekly intro chit-chat in style, covering the fall-out from Stevie Boy’s Malaga Marathon endeavours (and of course his Twitter food thread!) plus we take a look in the rear view...

It’s beginning to look a lot like………Season 7! We get our new season off to a flyer with a trip to the continent. That’s right, Stevie Boy has been on his travels again and this time he was joined by some big pals of the show. Destination Malaga. Of course we’re ready to take you along and get the inside track on the Malaga Marathon experience. Ever wondered what it’d be like taking on a winter mar...

Welcome back to the Young Hearts Run Free Podcast. Welcome to the Good Life. It’s time for the curtain to come down on Season 6! And as promised it’s a belter! Our season finale is headlined by someone well qualified to do so, we’re thrilled to be joined from Orkney by Scottish running royalty William Sichel. Whilst most of us were either young (and wayward?) or indeed still an apple in our parent...

We’ve no guest this week so you’ve an hour of your host team chewin’ the fat to see you through our penultimate episode of season 6! First up, John makes a sensationally big reveal on his 2023 plans. It’s gonnae provide us some really riveting content, what’s more it’s running related!! After settling down from the fall-out of that we get to some of this week’s talking points as the West Highland...

We like to throw our net far and wide in our search for inspiring guests, this week that net came up trumps yet again! Helen Wyatt joins us to take us (and you!) on a VIP tour of her own running journey all the way from starting out back in 2010 right up to the present day. That present day being the finish line of the Centurion Running Wendover Woods 50 miler just last weekend. In fact it turns o...

Edging towards our season 6 finale now, and in episode 17 we’ve got a treat to get your lugs round. Joining us this week is Ruchill’s very own Lynsey McLaughlin. And she has quite the tale to tell. Before welcoming Lynsey we speak about all sorts of happenings in the world of running in our now customary weekly roundup. Main topic, John’s beard, should it stay, or should it go?! Baby, we will let...

Would you run 500 miles? Greg Lee did. Have you planned and delivered on your own adventure? Greg Lee did. And he's very kindly given us an insight to what inspired him to do so. A number of Greg's extended family have been have been diagnosed with various illnesses which would be categorised under the umbrella of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) We talk about the planning involved, the logistics, the...

We’re closing in on the final quarter of season 6 in style. John Beveridge joins us this week to chronicle his running story.  We take the sharpest focus at his recent trip to Chicago where he claimed his 5th World Marathon major star. We know John well, you’ll have maybe even heard us mention him before, John is after all The Ballingry Bolt. He hasn’t always been jet heeled, we are fascinate...

We're keepin' the episodes rolling and we've another topper for you this week. Were joined by a lad we've got to know well during 2022. Martin Heggie, the pride of Whitburn. We kick off the show with our usual anecdotal review of what's been happening in the world of running. That takes us on a world tour to Chicago via Glasgow with even a hint of Arabia thrown in for good measure. Martin then mak...

We love speaking to folk from right across the running world. This week's guest we discovered by chance. We love chance. Ellis Bland, there's a surname to set expectations for life, kindly took our chance offering to blether to us on the pod. Ellis was raised on the fells, he dipped away from the fells for a bit before they called him back. When they called him back Ellis found renewed vigour, and...

This week we welcome back one of our biggest pals, a lad who helped us set the podcast well on its way, he’s had multiple appearances but we’re well overdue a catch-up with the boy fae Croy himself, James Stewart. And James, as always, indulges us in a chat peppered with inspiration and wisdom. We’ve got plenty content to cover with James who’s hot off an appearance for Team GB at the European 24-...

Earlier this month saw the 7th edition of the Montane Dragon’s Back Race, a multi-day race dissecting Wales. With a distance of 236 miles and an elevation gain of over 57,000 ft it’s a 6 day event not for the faint of heart! This week we get a first-hand, up close, and personal account of just what it takes to complete what is a gruelling route. Our guest Alasdair Meldrum enlightens us with his 20...

The Triple Crown. All 3 footraces run on Scotland’s iconic West Highland Way. All in the same year. A halcyon objective for many an Ultra Runner. This week’s guest not only completed this year’s Triple Crown, she smashed it out of the park. Jacqueline MacIntyre joins us to recount her epic 2022 Ultra Running season. The 53-mile Highland Fling, the 43-mile Devil of the Highlands and the famed 96-mi...