Snail & Pace: A Sportlink podcast

Mark gets more than he bargained for after agreeing to pace a friend at the Bure Valley 10, while Logan is deep into another big training block ahead of the Manchester Half Marathon. There’s plenty to unpack from Mark’s 10-mile race, including the slight problem of agreeing to pace someone to a time based on fitness he might not currently possess. Meanwhile, Logan talks through another sizeable we...

The Round Norfolk Relay has a habit of finding you out. This time, it was Mark's turn. In Episode 20 of Snail & Pace, Mark talks through a rather painful Stage 2 from Hunstanton to Burnham Overy Staithe - starting too hard, discovering just how different racing quickly over trails is to running on the road, and eventually staggering across the finish having completely emptied the tank. Logan, mean...

Run Norwich delivered again - and this one deserved its own episode. In this special edition of Snail & Pace, Mark sits down with Logan to go through his remarkable battle with Jonathan Escalante-Phillips at the front of the 2026 race. Logan talks us through the race almost kilometre by kilometre: the pre-race mind games, taking it on from the gun, trying to break Jonathan on the climbs, the decis...

Run Norwich week is here - although Logan’s preparation hasn’t exactly gone to plan. In Episode 19, Mark and Logan look ahead to Sunday’s race as Logan tries to shake off an illness while deciding, perhaps unwisely, that continuing to run is still the best course of action. Before that, there was some seriously encouraging training, including two 5Ks in one session and a 15:14 parkrun. Mark is als...

Mark and Logan are back in the Sportlink cupboard for Episode 18 - and there’s plenty to catch up on. Mark relives a rather painful night at the Colchester 5K, where a 3:30 opening kilometre helped turn a sub-18 attempt into an 18:41 lesson in pacing. There’s also Monster versus Red Bull, Butlin’s training, preparations for Run Norwich and the Round Norfolk Relay, and the important question of whe...

Mark and Logan are finally back after a slightly extended break - caused partly by holidays, partly by conflicting diaries and partly by Logan apparently prioritising Sorrento over the listeners. In episode 17, Mark reflects on a strong 38:38 at the Ipswich Twilight 10K and looks ahead to his attempt to break 18 minutes at the Colchester Friday Night 5K. Meanwhile, Logan talks through the realitie...

The lads are back in the cupboard for episode 16! Mark and Logan look back on their training since the Wroxham 5K, with Logan breaking down another huge 88-mile week featuring some brutal Norwich Distance Squad sessions, while Mark discusses managing his Achilles, racing the Ipswich Ekiden and building towards the Ipswich Twilight 10K. They also chat Will Percival’s English Schools 800m title, Mic...

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...