Dirt Church Radio Trail Running

Kia ora e te whanāu. This week, Matt is joined by Stephen Parker, the author of “There Is No Finish – The Backyard Ultramarathon Story”. Compelled to write a book whilst being inspired by a speaker at a conference, Stephen chose to focus on the story of the niche of ultrarunning that he loves the most, the Backyard. Nearly a year later, that book is here and ready to be read.  For those unfamiliar, the Backyard format is 6.76km on the hour, every hour, until there is one person standing. This format seems as old as time itself and also sits at the forefront of the sport in today’s context. Both a gateway to longer distances and a crucible in which human suffering is quantified, the Backyard faces many challenges if it is to grow and stay relevant in today’s culture. Matt discusses all of this, and more with Stephen in this engaging and enjoyable conversation. Dirt Church Radio - Best Enjoyed Running 

Running Forever Home 

There Is No Finish Instagram 

There Is No Finish Facebook 

Buy The Book 

DCR Live Show Tickets! October 29!

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Dirt Church Merch!

The Squadrun 4 Week Training Trial for DCR Listeners!

Inia Raumati Kia Mau Kia Ora 

Dirt Church Radio on Instagram

Dirt Church Radio on Twitter 

Dirt Church Radio on Facebook 

Further Faster New Zealand

Enjoy!

Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

Kia ora e te whānau! On this episode of the DCR AidStation we are back with two of our favourite coaches and the brains behind SQUADRUN, Ali Pottinger and Kerry Suter. The famous saying “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face” rings true with running. In fact, one could argue that 99% of our races have an element of the uncontrollable, but we are not going to talk about this. We are going to focus when we’ve become our own Mike Tyson, and punched ourselves in the face. We rip through the gamut of bugger-ups, from the structural to digital, and how once you’ve dug the hole, jumped in, and covered yourself with dirt, how to drag yourself back out. Dirt Church Radio - Best Enjoyed Running. 

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Episode links:

SQUADRUN

Dirt Church Live show with Inia Raumati!

Dirt Church Merch!

Inia Raumati Kia Mau Kia Ora 

Curranz

Julbo Eyewear 

UltrAspire

Dirt Church Radio on Instagram

Dirt Church Radio on Twitter 

Dirt Church Radio on Facebook 

Ciele

Further Faster New Zealand

Enjoy!

Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

Kia Ora e te whānau! Simply put, Daniel Jones is heaps good at running, so good that at the start of the year he transitioned from being an elite runner supported by a brand to being a professional athlete on an international team. Matt spoke to Dan from his home in Lower Hutt, off the back of his first USA and European season as part of the Adidas Terrex team. We discuss Western States, CCC, just how fast the OCC is, the surprises and challenges of being a professional runner, and his deep and abiding relationship with Hayden Hawks. We also discuss Dan’s newsletter, and the arc of the professional career. Dan Jones rules! And so does this conversation. Best Enjoyed Running. 

Daniel Jones on Instagram 

Lessons from The Long Run 

Adidas Terrex 

Sign up to the DCR AidStation newsletter

Dirt Church Merch!

The Squadrun 4 Week Training Trial for DCR Listeners!

Inia Raumati Kia Mau Kia Ora 

Dirt Church Radio on Instagram

Dirt Church Radio on Twitter 

Dirt Church Radio on Facebook 

Further Faster New Zealand

Enjoy!

Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

Kia ora e te whānau! Where were you when you first heard about the big orange S? On this episode of the DCR AidStation podcast, Eugene and Matt dive deep into the good, the bad, and the (very) ugly that is Strava. Our heroes discuss what they love and love less about the social fitness platform and the positive and less positive impacts it has had on their lives. What brought this topic up was the dawning incredulity that people are hiring Strava Mules to run things fast for them for the purpose of kudos and followers. Oh, and we checked the date and it isn’t April 1st. Minds. Blown. 

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Episode links:

SQUADRUN

Dirt Church Merch!

Inia Raumati Kia Mau Kia Ora 

Curranz

Julbo Eyewear 

UltrAspire

Dirt Church Radio on Instagram

Dirt Church Radio on Twitter 

Dirt Church Radio on Facebook 

Ciele

Further Faster New Zealand

Enjoy!

Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

Kia Ora e te whānau! If, as we posited last week, the collective noun for a group of Fire Fighters is a Calendar then in this episode we’ve got most of the months ticked off!!! First off, we’ve got all the action from day 2 of the Firies Climb for MND. 
Then in the second part of our show  Matt had the pleasure of sitting down at home with Helen Waterworth and Chris Newsome from His & Hers Endurance Events KITS when they swung through from Whangarei on their way to The Great Naseby.

We love these people, they are inspiring, down-to-earth legends who have devoted most of their adult life to serving the community as members of the New Zealand fire service, and now are serving the trail running community with their business, which is essentially to act as your running event concierges, and as event directors, not only with Kings Backyard- where the record for most laps on NZ soil was broken this year, and with Whangārei five one two challenge. 

What’s more, they are no slouches at endurance events themselves, with Chris having won the River run backyard in its inaugural year and Helen just back from a PB of 32 laps at Clint Eastwood in Australia. Best Enjoyed Running 

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Dirt Church Merch!

The Squadrun 4 Week Training Trial for DCR Listeners!

His&Hers Endurance Event KITZ 

Firies Furber Stairs Climb 

Jenny Hirst’s 60km for 60 Challenge

NickrunsAustralia.org.nz 

Inia Raumati Kia Mau Kia Ora 

Dirt Church Radio on Instagram

Dirt Church Radio on Twitter 

Dirt Church Radio on Facebook 

Further Faster New Zealand

Enjoy!

Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

Kia ora e te whānau! We are not going to lie to you, this is a heavy episode, however it is absolutely one that you need to hear. Matt and Ali Pottinger ventured to Scenic World in Katoomba to facilitate this discussion for the Firies Furber Stairs Climb. We spoke to the original Firies Climb Organiser, Matt Pridham, about his personal experience with MND and how this drove him to start an event which raised millions of dollars, We spoke to Professor Dominic Rowe of Macqurie University. A consultant neurologist with a fury to find a cure, and who singley handidly inspired everyone in the room listening, gave pause around how we live our lives, and shattered the F bomb record on DCR. We spoke with Jane Simpson, host of MND Talks, a podcast for those families and people living with MND. Jane is the chair of the MND research collective and shared the loss of her husband to MND. Lastly, we speak to Blue Mountains local, ultramarathon runner, and on-call fire fighter Gavin Clifton, about taking up the torch as the firies climb organiser, and the purpose this brings him, and the mammoth task awaiting him to smash out 24 hours on the Furber Stairs. . Enjoy!!
Sign up to the DCR AidStation 

Episode links:

SQUADRUN

Dirt Church Merch!

Jenny Hirst’s 60km for 60 Challenge

Firies Climb for Motor Neurone Disease.

Inia Raumati Kia Mau Kia Ora 

Curranz

Julbo Eyewear 

UltrAspire

Dirt Church Radio on Instagram

Dirt Church Radio on Twitter 

Dirt Church Radio on Facebook 

Ciele

Further Faster New Zealand

Enjoy!

Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

Kia Ora e te whānau! This week on the pod, Eugene and Matt settle in for a good old chat about Matt’s upcoming 100 mile event and Matt gets the opportunity to chat to one of his running idols (Eugene, and yes, we are leaving that in) about his process and engagement with the distance. Following on from last week’s AidStation when we spoke to coach Kerry and Ali from SQUADRUN, we discuss the where, the what, and most importantly the why around an event that has bludgeoned itself into the running discourse and is more popular than ever. Dirt Church Radio - Best Enjoyed Running 

Sign up to the DCR AidStation newsletter

Dirt Church Merch!

The Squadrun 4 Week Training Trial for DCR Listeners!

Firies Furber Stairs Climb 

Jenny Hirst’s 60km for 60 Challenge

NickrunsAustralia.org.nz 

Inia Raumati Kia Mau Kia Ora 

Dirt Church Radio on Instagram

Dirt Church Radio on Twitter 

Dirt Church Radio on Facebook 

Further Faster New Zealand

Enjoy!

Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

Kia ora e te whānau! The great questions of our age answered by two of the greatest minds (and Matt and Eugene)!! When it comes to training, how much is too much? Or too little? And do we go by time or distance? And how will we know?!?! The answer? It depends … sort of ... This is a great discussion with SQUADRUN coaches Kerry Suter and Ali Pottinger around the quantitative and qualitative approach to training for your next big event. Matt reminds us how context is everything, Ali refuses to be judged for completionism, and Eugene and Kerry stack big numbers to the sky. Enjoy!!

Sign up to the DCR AidStation 

Episode links:

SQUADRUN

Dirt Church Merch!

Jenny Hirst’s 60km for 60 Challenge

NickrunsAustralia.org.nz 

Inia Raumati Kia Mau Kia Ora 

Curranz

Julbo Eyewear 

UltrAspire

Dirt Church Radio on Instagram

Dirt Church Radio on Twitter 

Dirt Church Radio on Facebook 

Ciele

Further Faster New Zealand

Enjoy!

Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

Kia ora e te whanau! This week Matt has the distinct privilege of speaking to Lee Grabarek. Lee (they/them) is a non-binary person who has been ripping it up on the trails and roads of Aotearoa for the last ten years, after travelling from Connecticut, where they enjoyed a very outdoorsy existence. Matt spoke to Lee about their life growing up, their initial foray into trail running and the sweet, sweet, sweet, transgression of wearing road shoes on the trail. We discuss Lee’s attendance at Out Trails, a trail running retreat for queer and trans people, and the massive impact that this had on their life. Lee, who puts it elegantly, does not “think about my gender every second of every day” so what this conversation is mostly about is running, how unifying this is, and what work there is to do in the space. Lee is here to, in their words, “Send it” and will be competing at this year's Crater Rim 30km. This is a truly interesting conversation with a super-interesting runner. Dirt Church Radio - Best Enjoyed Running. 

Sign up to the DCR AidStation newsletter

Dirt Church Merch!

The Squadrun 4 Week Training Trial for DCR Listeners!

Lee Grabarek- Stronger Than You Think 

Trail Society Podcast with Lee Grabarek

Out Trails 

Firies Furber Stairs Climb 

NickrunsAustralia.org.nz 

Inia Raumati Kia Mau Kia Ora 

Dirt Church Radio on Instagram

Dirt Church Radio on Twitter 

Dirt Church Radio on Facebook 

Further Faster New Zealand

Enjoy!

Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

Kia ora e te whānau! This week we’re joined by DCR favourite guest Gareth Morris as he recounts to us how he knocked off a run he first dreamed of more than a decade ago when he read the DCR favourite book, Feet in the Clouds, by Richard Askwith. The famous Bob Graham Round, a fell running loop in the English Lake District, challenges runners to tackle 42 peaks over a 66 mile course in less than 24 hours. (Bob Graham was the first person to go under that mark, in 1932). Gareth talks all about the history of this famous route, the camaraderie and sacrifice of those who helped him, and how he used the powerful words of legendary runner Nicky Spinks to get him to the end. Even if you’ve never heard of the BGR, or have any intention of running it, you’ll come away from this episode inspired (and with new knowledge about unique English cuisine …) Best enjoyed running!

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Episode links:

Westie Runner on YouTube

SQUADRUN

Dirt Church Merch!

Maree Leith Pledge Me for Finding Her Stride 

NickrunsAustralia.org.nz 

Inia Raumati Kia Mau Kia Ora 

Curranz

Julbo Eyewear 

UltrAspire

Dirt Church Radio on Instagram

Dirt Church Radio on Twitter 

Dirt Church Radio on Facebook 

Ciele

Further Faster New Zealand

Enjoy!

Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake