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In this episode I speak to the ball of energy and enthusiasm that is Davy Newell!

Since 2019 Davy has been putting on The LAP in the Lake District, a 47 mile ultramarathon around lake Windermere.

Davy has gradually scaled up the race since its first inception before the pandemic, turning it into one of the UK's most recognised and iconic ultras in the Lakes.

This year Davy has stepped up his media presence and next week I will be the official podcast in residence at the 2025 LAP!

So in this episode, we meet the man behind the race and dive into his eclectic background. To say Davy has been there, done that, got the T-shirt is a bit of an understatement! Hailing from Northern Ireland, he's traveled around the globe from Africa to south America before finally settling in The Lakes to start a family.

His own running was cut short with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, which left him with only partial use of one leg. But that didn't stop him from diving into the events organisation business and breaking Guinness world records!

We talk about his life up until now, how the LAP got started and his plans for it for the future!

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In this episode I speak to returning guest, Scott Jenkins.

Scott was last on the show in 2024, when he became the first Brit to complete the Gland Slam of 200's in the US.

Since then Scott has moved from the the UK to New Jersey in the States. This gives him access to some of his favourite long course ultramarathons, including his latest race, The Arizona Monster 300!

Which as you've guest, is a 300 mile epic ultra across the desert put on by Destination Trails, who recently came under some criticism for how the race was organised and delivered.

Scott gives his firsthand experience of the race and defends the organisers and lets us know what actually happened at the inaugural 300 miler.

So listen up to find out if he had to 'poop in a bucket'!

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This is a solo news episode.

I opine on Northern Traverse results, who's going to Western States, the controversies surrounding Destination Trails race, The Monster 300 and what's being said about it on social media and Reddit.

I also chat about my recent race at Ranger Ultras PB137 and and how I rolled my ankle 3 times, threw up 4 times, but still managed to hold onto 2nd place!

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This episode is an emotional one, so be prepared!

Luke talks about the moment as a 24 year old, that he now says was the end of everything he ever knew to be right with the world. The moment he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Having ignored a nagging pain in his shoulder for nearly 6 months, he finally went to the doctors and found that he had a tumour the size of a mango under his shoulder blade, as well as multiple metastasis in his lungs.

Rather than wallow in sadness, (which nobody could have denied him) he did what he could during his treatment. Cycling on a stationary bike for a hour and walking around Bristol Harbour for an hour. He even managed to start running and somehow ran a half marathon in 80 minutes during his treatment!

After treatment he upped his cardio and cycled from Bristol to Beijing on a tandem bike! (see the film 'A life in tandem")
From there he realised that he had a diesel engine and turned his attention to trail and ultra. Wnning his first ultra in Wicklow Ireland and then a sky running race, all within 2 weeks! From there he has won Golden Trail races, races by UTMB and it seems there's no stopping him now!

Lukes life may have been marred by tragedy, but his upbeat and positive attitude seem to exude from him and you can't help but be inspired!

Good things to come for this lad from the South West!

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In this podcast we speak to returning guest Fiona Pascall.

Fi is back for a third time to talk about her recent success at Chianti by UTMB.

Fi beat some of the best international ultra runners to win the race and secure her golden ticket to the big dance in Auburn for Western States this June.

Although she is undecided about wether to take the ticket to WSER, we all know its probably to most likely outcome as even she admits that it could be a once in a lifetime situation.

We talk about her training leading into the race, how it went on the day and how it didn't feel like a decisive win for her, even with a 19 minute gap over 2nd place.

We also dive into her new project, Trail Retreats, to hear about the long term plan that Fi and her partner Matt have for the running camp that recently came to fruition.

We can't wait to see how she does toeing the line at WSER in just a few short months!

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Instagram Live with Robin the Running Accountant!

We dive into all the action from Barkley Marathons and we chat about what might go down at Chianti by UTMB this coming weekend!

Get in touch with Ultrarunning Sam here ⬅️

In this episode I speak to Dicksy, AKA Simon Dicks.

Simon is a very humble, but also a very accomplished ultra runner. Whose won races in opposite environments. From the jungle and desert, to the snow and ice.
I caught up with him at the end of this years winter Spine Race and we booked to talk about all things Spine Race......But we couldn't make it work until now.
So although we do talk about Britain's Most Brutal race, we mainly talk about his growing business helping ultra runners sort out their running technique and get themselves into the best shape they can for running big races.

Simon talks about the people he's helped and the races he's now done to gain the experience he knows his clients need from him.

To get in touch with Simon to book coaching, hit the below links....

www.focusedrunning.com

Instagram - ultradicksy_coaching

Facebook - Focused Running

TikTok - focusedrunning_coaching

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Get in touch with Ultrarunning Sam here ⬅️

In this episode I speak to returning guest Stu Westfield from Ranger Ultras.

Ranger Ultras hold a special place for me and my racing career, with the PB57 being my first race win back in 2019.
So this conversation is a catch up with Stu and a chat about what we've both been up to over the years since we last sat down for chat.
Stu's races really are representative of what local grassroots ultramarathon's are all about. Low prices, maximum fun and a loyal community of racers. If you haven't done one of Stu's races before then I suggest you look them up!

Stu spent many years as part of the Spine safety team, before setting up his own race company rangerultras.co.uk.
Ranger Ultras delivers financially accessible events in and around the Peak District and Yorkshire Moors.

In line with his ethos of low key, high quality events. Stu felt that trail runners should be able to enjoy the views of the Pennines that the big corporate sponsored multi-day races offer (mentioning no names) but without the huge price tag. This led to the conception of his PB270 and PB137 races in April.
Both fully supported start the clock ultras up the Pennine Bridleway, from Middleton Top near Matlock, to Kirkby Stephen for the 270.
The 137 goes from Hebden Bridge to Kirkby Stephen, starting a day later.

All of the wow factor of a multi-day race along the Pennines, but without the traveling circus and high costs.

Ranger Ultras currently offer the below races throughout the year for you to get stuck into!

PB270 - Pennine Bridleway Challenge
PB137 - Pennine Bridleway Challenge
Yorkshire 3 Peaks
Peak District South and North (1 day or full weekend options)
PB55km Ultra
PB18km Ultra
High Peak 70/100 Ultra
High Peak 18km Trail
As well as the grand slam over the race season.....

Follow the below link to find out more

rangerultras.co.uk

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