The Sunday Plodcast

Joined by EP 3 guest, Jenny Nesbitt, we preview the domestic action for the coming weekend. We chat through the leading entries for the senior men's and women's races at the English National Cross Country Champs at Parliament Hill, as well as the fields for the World Indoor Trials in Birmingham. Enjoy!

With the National Cross Country Champs just round the corner, we had to get 1981 national winner, Julian Goater, on the podcast this week. Julian won the senior men's race by the largest ever winning margin, 1 minute and 55 seconds, and we spoke to him all about the race. Julian talked to us about his preparation going in, the race itself, and what he describes as 'the art of running faster'. Enjoy!

For this bonus EP, we review some of the Brits in action over the past weekend, including Marc Scott's 12:57, Neil Gourley's 3:35, and many more. In terms of meets, we focus on the PUL 5K in Battersea Park and the BU Valentine meet over in the US. Enjoy!

This week, we spoke to 1:46 800m, and 3:35 1500m man, Neil Gourley. Neil is having a great indoor season this year, having run PB's of 7:48 in the 3K and 13:34 in the 5K already. We chatted with Neil about his plans to compete at as many major champs as possible this year, as well as his recent move to Under Armour, and much more. Enjoy!

For this bonus EP, we preview the elite men's and women's fields for this Friday's PUL 5K in Battersea Park. Leading entires include Jack Rowe, Phil Norman and Mahamed Mahamed for the men, and Charlotte Arter, Lauren Heyes and Hannah Irwin for the women. Enjoy!Use code SUNDAYPLOD10 for 10% off at SportsShoes.com

For this week's episode, we spoke to the Chair of UK Athletics, Ian Beattie. Former Chair at Scottish Athletics, Ian spoke to us about the transition to UKA and how he got the role, as well as discussing how UKA functions and what it's key focuses are. Hopefully this pod can help to clear up some of the confusion that surrounds UKA and their role within the sport. Enjoy!

For this bonus EP, we preview the athletics action happening this weekend, as well as chatting through some British performances from the past week. This includes the New Balance Indoor Games, BUCS Cross Country, DNA Athletics, and much more! Enjoy.

This week, we welcomed 4-time World Champion, Hellen Obiri to the podcast. Hellen spoke to us about her recent move to ON Running; including what she likes about the brand and how they're looking after her. We also chatted with Hellen about her illustrious career that's seen her win world titles indoors, outdoors and in cross country. Enjoy!Use code SUNDAYPLOD10 for 10% off at SportsShoes.com

This week, we spoke to 'Cottage Relocated' coach, Mark Lloyd. Mark heads up the Cottage group that meets in Battersea Park every Tuesday night and he spoke to us about the nature of the group and the manner in which they train. Groups, such as Cottage, who bring together athletes from a large variety of more traditional athletics clubs, might well be the future of the sport. Enjoy!

For this week's episode, we spoke to British U20 1500m Champ, Ben Reynolds. It's not often we get to chat with a guest who's currently at the start of their NCAA journey, so it was great to speak with Ben after his first term at the University of Oregon. The 3:46 man talked us through how he ended up at Oregon in the first place, the training he's experienced under coach, Ben Thomas, his goals for the future, and much more. Enjoy!

This week we spoke, we spoke to coach and agent, Dale King-Clutterbuck. Dale coached his partner, Revée Walcott-Nolan, to the Olympic Games in Tokyo, he's a director at Forte Sports Management, and a 3:38 1500m himself from 2015. Enjoy!

For this week's episode, we spoke to 15:52 5K and 32:33 10K runner, Phily Bowden. As well as chatting to Phily about her success on the track, that's seen her make GB teams and run in the NCAA at the University of Oregon, we also spoke to her about her experiences of disordered eating. This is something that Phily has recently spoken about in an article published in the Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/athletics/2021/11/30/confided-had-eating-disorder-told-lose-three-pounds/) and we wanted to help raise some awareness of this further. If you want any more information or resources around disordered eating, please try the attached link (https://red-s.com/athlete/where-find-support/), that Phily recommended to us. We hope you enjoy the episode.

In this special bonus EP, we welcomed EP 31 guest, Kevin Ondrasek, back to the podcast. The three of us had a discussion about how the sport of Athletics makes money. We chatted about the differences between the US and the UK, the impact that this money has on fans and athletes, the ways in which we think the sport could develop further, and much more. Enjoy!

This week, we spoke to two-time Olympian and Commonwealth Games Bronze medallist, Zane Robertson. Zane's holds PB's of 13:13 in the 5000, 27:33 in the 10,000, and 59:47 in the Half-Marathon. We covered it all on this episode; from Zane, and his twin brother Jake's, move from New Zealand to Kenya aged just 17, to his current training setup, and everything in between. Enjoy!Use code SUNDAYPLOD10 for 10% off at SportsShoes.com

This week, we spoke to GB international 1500m runner, Sarah Mcdonald. Sarah holds PB's of 1:59 in the 800 and 4:00 in the 1500, and we spoke to her about her recent move across the pond to join New Balance Boston. Enjoy! Use code SUNDAYPLOD10 for 10% off at SportsShoes.com

For this bonus episode, we preview tomorrow's European XC Championships! We cover the Senior Men's and Women's races, as well as the U23 age group events. Big thanks to Niki Faulkner (@NikiFaulkner on Twitter) for providing us with some statistics about the start lists - make sure you check out his Twitter thread on the champs. Use code SUNDAYPLOD10 for 10% off on SportsShoes.com

This week we welcomed 13:46 5000m man, Andy Heyes, to the podcast. Andy's the current chair of the UKA athlete commission and we spoke to him about the importance of this role, as well as his running career to date. Enjoy!

For this bonus episode, we reviewed the European Cross Country Trials that were held in Liverpool on Saturday. We chat through the senior men's and senior women's short course and long course races, as well as the British team that was selected for the event. Enjoy!For 10% off and free delivery on SportsShoes.com, use code SUNDAYPLOD10 at checkout.

This week, we spoke to Welsh distance runner, Charlotte Arter. Charlotte holds PB’s of 15:26 in the 5K and 31:30 in the 10K, and we spoke to her about it all. From her collegiate career at New Mexico in the NCAA, to her current setup in Cardiff under coach, Chris Jones, and everything in-between. Enjoy!

Kicking off season 2 of the pod, we spoke to Irish athletics journalist, Cathal Dennehy. Cathal recently went out to Kenya to watch Eliud Kipchoge and his training group in action and he talked us through his trip. We cover how they train, their mindset, and much more. If you haven't seen it already, make sure you check out Cathal's twitter feed, where he reports on all sorts of distance running news, including his visit to Kipchoge's camp @Cathal_Dennehy. Enjoy the podcast and make sure you listen out for a discount code for SportsShoes.com!

Season 2 of The Sunday Plodcast, presented by SportsShoes.com, will air on Sunday 21st of November. Enjoy!

For our 50th EP, we spoke to Olympic bronze medallist in the 1500m, Josh Kerr. Josh ran a PB of 3:29 when he picked up his Olympic medal in Tokyo this year, and we talked through his career so far. We covered it all; from his NCAA achievements at New Mexico, to signing for the Brooks Beasts out of college, and then performing on the biggest stage of all this past summer. Enjoy!

For this bonus episode, we discussed some of the distance running news from the past few days. Including, the British Athletics funding announcement, the Great South Run and the Cardiff X Challenge. Enjoy!

This week, we spoke to distance coach, Andy Hobdell. Andy has coached multiple athletes to the Olympic Games; including 1500m runner, Andy Baddeley, and more recently, marathoners, Paul Pollock and Kevin Seaward. We spoke about how Andy's coaching has developed over the years, training for a marathon, Baddeley's famous Parkrun WR, and everything in between. Enjoy!

This week, we spoke to Commonwealth Games Bronze medallist, 1992 Olympian, and now head coach at the Run Yard, Matt Yates. Matt talked us through his own career as an athlete and his transition into coaching. We also spoke about some current issues in the sport; including agents, sponsorship, selection polices, shoes, and much more. Enjoy!

For this bonus episode, we reviewed Sunday's London Marathon. We cover both the men's and women's races, whilst also discussing the potential British Athletics marathon team for next year's world championships. Enjoy!

One week out from the London Marathon, we spoke to 2:10 man and Team New Balance Manchester athlete, Jonny Mellor. Jonny gave us his perspective ahead of one of the biggest races on the calendar, as well as talking through his career so far, and much more. This was a fascinating episode, as Jonny covered some of the highs and lows of competing at the elite level; including what it was like to miss out on Olympic Selection and how he's bounced back to take on new goals. There's lessons and advice in here for athletes at all levels. Enjoy!

For this week's episode, we spoke to 1:44 800m man, Jamie Webb. Jamie's a 2-time European indoor medalist and a world championship semi-finalist in the event. We spoke to Jamie about his 2021 track season, his thoughts on the art of 800m running, his plans for the future, and much more. Enjoy!

For this week's episode we've got a two part special! In part 1, Matt and Oli review the 2021 summer track season; covering everything from time trials to the olympics, and everything in between. For part 2 (1:04:39), we were joined by EP 19 guest, James Thie, to get a coaches perspective on the season. JT went out to Tokyo as a British Athletics coach and he shared his experiences from the games, and much more. Enjoy!

This week, we welcomed athletics commentator and 1984 Olympian, Tim Hutchings, to the podcast. We spoke to Tim about his own career, broadcasting in athletics, the 2021 season, super shoes, and much more! Enjoy!

For this week's episode, we welcomed Canadian Steeplechaser, Matt Hughes, to the podcast. Matt's got a PB of 8:11 and he finished 6th at the Tokyo Olympics this summer. As well as discussing his newfound passion for West Ham United, Matt told us about his career so far; including growing up in Canada, moving to the US to compete in the NCAA, training in the Bowerman Track Club, and much more. Enjoy!

This week, we spoke to 1:59 800m runner, Ellie Baker. Ellie's based in Brighton with coach, John Bigg, and she finished 4th at the British Olympic Trials in June. We spoke to Ellie about her fantastic 2021 season that's seen her win 10 races and dip under 2 minutes for the first time, along with much more. Enjoy!

For this week's podcast, we spoke to British Steeplechase record holder, Lizzie Bird. Lizzie talked us through her fabulous 2021 track season; that's seen her break the British record twice and finish 9th at the Olympics. We discussed her training setup, chasing the Olympic standard, the Games itself, and much more. Enjoy!

For this week's podcast, we spoke to two-time Olympian and 1:43 800m runner, Elliot Giles. Elliot told us about his experiences in Rio and Tokyo, his training setup with coach, John Bigg, his attitude towards racing, and much more. Enjoy!

For the last EP of our Tokyo Bonus series, we welcomed 2:13 marathoner, Josh Griffiths, back to the podcast. We reviewed the last race of the Tokyo Olympics, the men's marathon. Enjoy!

For this week's podcast, we review the Tokyo Olympic Games. We discuss your winner predictions, the best of the British performances, our overall thoughts on the games, and much more. Enjoy!

On day 9 in Tokyo, we sat down with EP 3 guest, Jenny Nesbitt, to discuss the distance action. We covered the men's 1500m final, the women's 10,000m final and the women's marathon.

On day 8 in Tokyo, we caught up with EP 17 guest, and 13:35 5000m man, Jack Rowe. We discussed the men's 5000m final and the women's 1500m final. Enjoy!

On day 7 in Tokyo, we review the men's 1500m semi-finals, where we saw three Brits make the Olympic final. Enjoy!

Joined by Tokyo Olympian and EP 6 guest, Zak Seddon, we reviewed day 6 of the athletics at the Tokyo games. We cover the women's 3000mSC final, the women's 1500m semi-finals and the men's 800m final. Enjoy!

For our day 5 recap at the Olympics, we caught up with EP 13 guest and 3:34 1500m man, James West. The three us reviewed the women's 800m final, the men's 1500m heats and the men's 5000m heats. Enjoy!

Day 4 review of the distance events at the Tokyo Olympics. We recap the women's 5000m final, the men's 3000mSC final and the women's 1500m heats. Enjoy!

In our day 3 recap, we discuss the men's 800m semi-finals and the women's 3000mSC heats at the Tokyo Olympics. Enjoy!

For this week's episode, we spoke to GB 800m runner, Adelle Tracey. Adelle has a PB of 1:59 and she's a European finalist and World Championship semi-finalist. We spoke about her career so far; including working with her coach, Craig Winrow, her 2021 season, her plans for the future, and much more. Enjoy!

On day 2 of the Athletics at the Tokyo Olympics, we bring your reviews of the women's 800m semi-finals and the men's 800m heats. Enjoy!

For this bonus episode, we review day 1 of the distance events at the Tokyo Olympics. We cover the men's 10,000m final, the women's 5000m heats, the women's 800m heats and the men's 3000mSC heats. Enjoy!

For this week's episode, we welcomed European Indoor Bronze Medallist, Verity Ockenden, to the podcast. We spoke to the 15:03 5K, and 31:43 10K, runner about all things running. Verity talked us through her career so far; how she got into running, competing in the NCAA at Lamar University, her 2021 season, and much more. Enjoy!

Not long to go now until the Athletics kicks off at the Tokyo Olympics! We're going to bring you daily content about all the distance events throughout the Games. Keep your eyes peeled for our first episode in the series, airing on July 30th.

This week, we welcomed the Tokyo-bound, Jake Heyward, to the podcast. Jake holds personal bests of 3:33 in the 1500 and 3:52 in the Mile and he spoke to us about life at Oregon Track Club, his preparation for the Olympic Games, and much more. Enjoy!

For this week's episode, we spoke to the Head of Athletics at Leeds Beckett University, Andy Henderson. Andy works with a vast group of top distance runners up in Leeds (including former plodcast guests, Alex Bell and Phil Sesemann) and he told us about how he got into coaching, how his group has evolved in recent years, and much more. Enjoy!