In this episode, we dive into the world of adventure racing with Ian Furlong. Ian talks us through one of his most recent 3-day, 450km race in Scotland - complete with sleep deprivation, rough navigation patches, a food-less paddle on Loch Ness, and the teamwork that carried them to a 2nd-place finish. We explore what draws Ian to adventure racing, how he trains to stay injury-free across multiple disciplines, and the mental strategies that help him break huge challenges down to make th...

In this episode, we break down Jon's recent experience running Freedom Racing’s Five Trails Ultra, a beautiful 50k race on and around the South Downs. We talk through his lead-up to the race, the training block that shaped his preparation, and his mindset going into the day. Jon walks us through the course itself - its challenges, and standout moments - and shares how the race unfolded from start to finish. Send us a text Most businesses significantly underinvest in leadership developm...

In this episode, Max Naughton talks us through the unlikely year he ended up getting into both UTMB and Western States (with just one ballot ticket..!). While Western States turned out to be surprisingly runnable, UTMB became a 44-hour grind through storms, snow, and a rolled ankle he picked up two miles in. Max shares how he used a 50/50 run–bike training split to build mountain fitness from the flat Midlands, what gear actually helped (and what didn’t), and how he kept going when thi...

In this week's episode, we speak to good friends James and Kev, who share the story behind James' 40-mile run for Myositis UK - an challenge rooted in friendship and community. Starting at the charity’s Southampton HQ and ending in Sherfield-on-Loddon, the run became a shared journey, with Kev crewing the challenge and joining for the final mile. Kev talks about his experience living with Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM), from the early signs he didn’t recognise to the adjustments he makes now ...

In this episode, we sit down with Adrian Ball, who went from couch to 5k, to completing a 250km ultramarathon across the Jordanian desert - all within just 18 months and at the age of 46. Adrian shares how ultrarunning transformed his life, teaching him powerful lessons about resilience, planning, and mindset that now shape the way he approaches both running and business. Adrian’s story is a powerful reminder that it’s never too late to take on something extraordinary - and that the mental to...

In this episode, Jon shares his first experience of the Original Mountain Marathon (OMM), joined by friends Tim and Sarah. Together, they offer an honest look at tackling one of the UK’s toughest navigational running events. Featuring an audio diary recorded across the weekend, the episode drops you right into the mud, mist, and mindset of the challenge. Jon, Tim, and Sarah reflect on the highs, lows, teamwork, and the unique demands of orienteering in unpredictable mountain terrain. Whethe...

In this episode, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Lara Giusti, co-founder of Veloforte, a brand who bring real-food nutrition to endurance sports. We discuss fueling strategies for optimal performance - before, during, and after events - and the key physiological differences between men and women athletes. From carb targets and recovery tips to the dangers of underfueling and RED-S, Lara offers practical insights for sustainable performance. A must-listen for endurance athletes aiming...

In this episode, we sit down with seasoned ultra-runner Maria Ledesma to explore her remarkable journey through endurance racing, from her first trail race in 2019 to, three years later, completing four 100-mile races in the space of 13 months. Maria shares the highs and lows of two of her most recent challenges - including her decision to drop out of last weekend's Autumn 100 at mile 68 and her philosophy that embraces the grace in stopping. We also chat about Maria's Winter Downs 200 ...

A little mid-week bonus episode, with some recent updates from Jon and Amie, including: kitting out our garage gym on a budgetvolunteering at Centurion's Autumn 100building single leg strengthJon's preparation for the upcoming OMM in the Lake Districthow Amie is managing ongoing knee niggles Learning from Jon's recent appointment with a specialist diabetes sports consultant and nutritionist. We hope you enjoy! Send us a text Support the show

This week, Jon and Amie were delighted to speak to Charlie Hurst, a seasoned multi-day ultra runner. Charlie recently placed 5th woman in the Dragon's Back race, a gruelling 6-day race across the spine of Wales, with 18,000m of climbing, a monumental feat - especially when you add in that Charlie is a type 1 diabetic. This conversation is inspiring for diabetic and non-diabetics alike, about what it takes to plan and execute a multi-day events. As we discuss...it's not all type 2 or 3 fun - i...

In this week' episode, Jon and Amie sit down with ultra runner and UESCA running coach, Sarah Searle-Brown. We catch up about Sarah's fantastic performance at this year's North Down's Way 100, placing 4th in the women's race in a time of 22:04. We discuss how this race was the culmination of experience and hard work invested since 2018; Sarah talks about her training, conditioning, false-starts and the journey to an exceptional result, grounded in positive self talk and surrounding your...

This episode is our second in a two-part mini series on the Chiltern Wonderland 50. We had the pleasure of sitting down with Joe Turner, who won the men's race in a new course record time of 6:18:15. We talk with Joe about his year in racing: highlights, learnings from DNFs and the challenge of running your own race. We also chat about Joe's transition from road to trail ultras, his training approach, nutrition strategies, the importance of gender equality in ultra running and what's on...

This is the first in a two-part mini series about Centurion's Chiltern Wonderland. In this episode, Jon and Amie are re-joined by Kevin Brady to reflect on his first experience running a 50 mile race. We talk through the build-up since his marathon in April, what the race is like, the joys of forgetting time pressures and advice for others considering their first event at this distance. Send us a text Support the show

In this bonus episode, we chat about Amie's lessons from months of cross training in the comeback from an injury, and what she'll take forward into long distance training. We also chat about her experience at this weekend's triathlon (the culmination of said cross training), from the initial idea to find a replacement race, to putting high carb training into practice, and the importance of process vs outcome goals. Send us a text Support the show

This week we had the pleasure of speaking to Becky Hodgson, a personal trainer for 10 years, Hyrox world champs qualifier and Cross Country Champion. Becky shares about her experiences as a young athlete, how she lost the love of running, and subsequently re-found passion for the process and for high performance, taking this into Hyrox. We talk about pre-race anxiety, body image battles, the pressure to do it all, nutrition and fueling. Becky has loads of insights to share and we hope y...

In this week's episode we draw on Jon's professional coaching expertise to dive into the concept of 'mindsets': what they are and how each of us can develop and apply them in our training. Using real examples, we cover how you can establish your own mindsets and use them to overcome challenges and enhance your performance. If you'd like more insights on mindsets and the free Chimp Paradox summary, drop us a message or contact Jon at Empowered2. Send us a text Most businesses significant...

In this week's episode, Jon and Amie chat about the impact of running injuries and their place in the process of training and racing. Amie reflects on her most recent periods of injury, what she's learnt and how she's managed each of these differently. We talk strength-building tips, the power of consistent habits, as well as the impact of wider lifestyle factors, fueling and mindset on getting injured and the recovery process - and the importance of looking through a gendered lens. An ...

Jon and Amie recap their experience of the North Downs Way 100 last weekend, Jon's third of Centurion's 100 mile series. They cover how Jon found the race and Amie's experience crewing and pacing. Jon ran all 104 miles with friend Neil, while Hannah and Amie shared crewing duties. Hear about the race prep, the highs and lows of the trail and lessons learned as Jon tried a higher carb and higher insulin strategy, and overcame GI issues which plagued him most of the second half. Plus BONUS inte...

In this episode we had the pleasure of sitting down with Tim Landy to chat about his recent Lakeland 100 attempt and his experience running (and winning) the Barkley Fall Classic. We talk about specificity in training, taking risks in races, the benefit of strides, tips for building quad strength, what can be learnt from a DNF...and a whole lot more. There are loads of actionable insights in this conversation for runners of all abilities. We hope you enjoy! In the episode we reference T...

This week, we sit down with Graham and Daisy to chat about their recent experience running and crewing Race to the Stones 2025. We hear Graham's experience completing the race (...his first ultra marathon) despite the blistering heat, on a day that saw high dropout rates. We talk tips for cooling, fueling and fending off heat exhaustion. Send us a text Support the show