Michael Jones - Ultra Trail Snowdonia and the UTMB World Series

Get in touch with Ultrarunning Sam here ⬅️ In this episode I speak to both the male and female winners of the 2023 Montane Dragons Back Race! Hugh Chatfield was 1st male in 47:38 and Robyn Cassidy was 1st female and 3rd overall in 54:25! Robyn and Hugh give me the lowdown on what it takes to win the DBR. We talk about the weather, the route and their individual approaches to training, route recce-ing, nutrition and race plan execution. This was a great chat to two great runners and it’s a m...

21 Sep 20231h 5min

Get in touch with Ultrarunning Sam here ⬅️ On this episode of the podcast I speak with Mike Stocks from Team Hour 7. Mike is a 24 hour specialist who has broken age category world records amongst other great things. He is the man behind Team Hour 7, which is attempting to bring elite style support to top level ultra athletes. On the podcast we talk about how he got into running in his 30’s, his struggles with chronic pain and how he’s managed to keep coming back for more, despite bein...

20 Sep 20231h 4min

Get in touch with Ultrarunning Sam here ⬅️ On this episode I speak to the super talented Tom Joly. Tom was highest placing Brit at this years UTMB in 16th place. We talk about his performance at the biggest ultra-trail race in the world and how he’s set his sights on becoming the best ultra distance runner he can be. We dive into his year in races so far and how he prepares mentally for running at such a high level. Tom runs for Team Hour 7 and they provide him with top level athlete suppor...

18 Sep 20231h 2min

Get in touch with Ultrarunning Sam here ⬅️ At the ripe old age of just 20 years old, Owen has defied the odds to not only finish the Dragons Back, one of the UK’s most infamous multiday events, but to finish it strong in 23rd place. Not only did he do this, but he did it despite only starting to run this year! We talk about his previous races, of which there are only two 50 milers earlier this year and how he prepared by mostly relying on his previous fitness from mountain biking and his 30...

14 Sep 202350min

Get in touch with Ultrarunning Sam here ⬅️ On this episode of the podcast I speak to Charlotte Fisher. Charlotte has had a whirlwind 6 months. Going from high heels to trail shoes in as many months. After running a 50k guided trail run last year on ZERO training and swearing she would never run again, she thought she would have another crack at running ultras. She got herself a coach and entered the Isle of Wight challenge. 106km around the beautiful island just off the Dorset coa...

15 Aug 20231h 10min

Get in touch with Ultrarunning Sam here ⬅️ On todays episode I speak to Lake District runner and NorthFace sponsored athlete, Josh Wade. Josh first caught my attention when I saw him win the 2022 Spine Challenger South. This time I speak to him a week removed from his 3rd place podium position at the Eiger Ultratrail in Switzerland. Josh has built up an impressive CV in ultra-trail running over the past 4 or so years that he’s been competing. He has wins and podium places to his name in all ...

3 Aug 202343min

Get in touch with Ultrarunning Sam here ⬅️ On this episode we speak to Alan Bateson. Alan is an incredibly interesting guy who has had a colourful past in his lead up to becoming not only a great ultra runner, but also a shining example of overcoming childhood abuse to become an ambassador for various charities that help young people and adults to live their lives after the trauma of living through abuse. We talk about his misspent youth in and out of correctional facilities. His ...

28 Juli 20231h 14min

Get in touch with Ultrarunning Sam here ⬅️ In this episode I speak to Mel Sykes about her recent win at the Spine Challenger South. Mel shot to media attention when she inadvertently took 3rd place at GB Ultras Manchester to Liverpool race, due to cheating. Not her cheating obviously! You may recall the story made the national news when a prominent international ultrarunner decided to take a car journey during the race. The runner then accepted the trophy for 3rd, only to be calle...

7 Juli 20231h 7min