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Get in touch with Ultrarunning Sam here ⬅️ In this episode I'm joined by Kris Jones! Kris recently won the Arc of Attrition by UTMB 50 and he shares his experience at this years mud-fest! This is Kris's first appearance on the Home Trails Podcast, so we obviously start with the obligatory Superhero Question. Kris comes from a background that combines world class orienteering with world class track and road running. Which clearly is the perfect combination, because he seems to win and set course records at every trail and ultra race he enters! Kris talks in depth about his approach to training which prioritises fitness first, before moving into specific race phases. Something I will take home is his point about fitness trumping all other factors. He believes that if he's half marathon fit, then he's ready for most races, longer or shorter! So time to dust off those road shoes and get the intervals and tempo runs flowing again! HT @ultrarunning_sam @hometrails_ http://www.youtube.com/@ultrarunningsam

Get in touch with Ultrarunning Sam here ⬅️ Sarah Page is officially here!  With her recent 1st place and 3rd overall at Challenger  South, Sarah has firmly put her stamp on the Winter race on just her first attempt at Britain's Most Brutal! She finished the race in 29 hours and 3 minutes, to put her on the overall podium in 3rd and take the win in the women's race. Unfortunately due to the bad weather diversions, this time doesn't count as a new course record. But we all know what this performance means for her credibility as a top level runner. Sarah is a very humble and down to earth runner, who at times IMO doesn't seem to understand just how good she is! Something I back up with the fact that she beat the now legendary 'other Sarah' - Perry, by over 2 and a half hours!.....which is no small accomplishment! We talk about her route into ultra-running through road marathons by means of the now infamous 'Superhero Question'  and we find out what she has lined up for the rest of the season.  Get to know Sarah, because she is one to keep an eye on this year and in the years to come! HT @ultrarunning_sam @hometrails_ http://www.youtube.com/@ultrarunningsam

Get in touch with Ultrarunning Sam here ⬅️ Podcast favourite - Charlotte Fisher returns for yet another episode!...by this point we've both lost count of how many times! We chat about her experience at this years Arc by UTMB which delivered the aforementioned attrition in bucket fulls! With a DNF rate of over 60% this wasn't a race for the fainthearted. But Charlotte battled her way to a strong 2nd place. We talk about her storming away from the pack, before a fall in wet conditions ultimately slowed her down. But this didn't stop her from keeping her place on the podium and securing a sub 24 hour coveted black belt buckle! Something that Charlotte has had her eyes on for a few years. We also talk about the cough that she thought was going to get her pulled from the race on medical grounds towards the end of the race and how it seemed to be a small epidemic for those unfortunate to DNF the race. As always, we end with a shoutout to HOKA to finally get the paperwork drawn up for her before she starts to look to other sponsors for that illusive contract!!! HT @ultrarunning_sam @hometrails_ http://www.youtube.com/@ultrarunningsam

Get in touch with Ultrarunning Sam here ⬅️ Robin the Running Accountant joins Sam as the cohost on this one. Firstly to quiz him about his Spine Challenger South DNF story......warts n all!  Then, we round up all the action from all of this year's Spine races, including an in depth conversation about Jon and Damo holding hands during the Sprint North. Just how bad the conditions were for everyone. The outstanding performances from all races and how Double Deckers don't qualify as race nutrition? We also reveal the winners from all 9 categories of this years (last years) TURA Awards! There are lots of winners and notable mentions, so listen up as you might have been mentioned! HT @ultrarunning_sam @hometrails_ http://www.youtube.com/@ultrarunningsam

Get in touch with Ultrarunning Sam here ⬅️ I catch up with Cammy for a quick chat before this years races kick off. We chat about changes to how the media team operate over the week of racing. How the weather is affecting the race and what's new from the media coverage. Cam is obviously very busy manning the helm of the media team this year, since Will Roberts is absent for 2026. But we managed to have a chin wag about my favourite race none the less! HT @ultrarunning_sam @hometrails_ http://www.youtube.com/@ultrarunningsam

Get in touch with Ultrarunning Sam here ⬅️ In this episode we speak to returning guest Alice Kershaw! Alice is no stranger to the podcast and no stranger to the Spine. Having been on the podium on 4 separate occasions. Including wins at the Sprint and Challenger South. This time Alice is taking on the full winter Spine and for those of us in the know, she is tipped to do really well. She talks about her new approach to racing which includes the wise guidance from non other than Damian Hall himself! Although Alice still approaches all of her races with her characteristic smile, she seems to be stepping up with her approach to this years race. She freely admits that she wanted to cover all bases in the lead up to Britain's Most Brutal race! Listen/watch the full interview to hear Alice talk about this years race. HT @ultrarunning_sam @hometrails_ http://www.youtube.com/@ultrarunningsam

Get in touch with Ultrarunning Sam here ⬅️ In this episode of the podcast we talk to returning guest Jon Shield. Jon talks about the year he's had since he was forced to drop out of Challenger North last winter with a calf injury. He talks about his successes and failures in between and how he now feels ready to put down a strong performance at the Sprint North race next week. Obviously, Jon quite rightly called me out on my comment during my interview with Damo where I may or may not, have said that I favoured him for the win!  We also talk about Jons addiction to White Monster Energy Drinks and how they could be a new sponsor for the podcast.......lol. HT @ultrarunning_sam @hometrails_ http://www.youtube.com/@ultrarunningsam

Get in touch with Ultrarunning Sam here ⬅️ Jack returns to the podcast to talk about Spine South this coming weekend. Jack broke with his tradition of radio silence prior to big races, in favour of a more relaxed approach to media. Is this a new version of Jack?  Possibly so it seems...... Jack previously stayed away from the media prior to the Spine to stay in his zone mentally. But now Jack is a bit older and a bit wiser its seems and has learned to switch off his mental game prior to races and only dip into it when its really needed.....like when he's racing the likes of Mark Darbyshire and Dan Weller up the Pennine Way to chase down the course record! We dive into what he's been up to in the last year. How he's prepared slightly differently this time and what he expects to put down in the race if the conditions are favourable.  We also talk about his coaching business and his big secret plans for this coming summer!  Listen/watch the episode to find out more! HT @ultrarunning_sam @hometrails_ http://www.youtube.com/@ultrarunningsam

Get in touch with Ultrarunning Sam here ⬅️ James returns to the Home Trails podcast to talk about his historic double winter Bob Graham Round record! Running a total of 132 miles, with 54,000 ft of ascent in 42 hours and 56 minutes! Going anticlockwise first, before switching to clockwise for the second round. This betters the previous time set by Caspian James, by nearly an hour. In the podcast, we talk about his approach to training for, and completing a feat that has never been accomplished before. James is known for his winter rounds in harsh conditions and this double round was no different. The recent cold snap that James had been tracking leading up to the attempt, gave perfect winter running conditions underfoot. We talk about his approach to kit, short rests and his support crew. We also look into his training, including a recent heat acclimation block that included running almost every day of his 3 week holiday in Thailand and coming home to continue the heat in sauna sessions designed by his coach Kim Collison. What will James do next? Watch/listen to the episode to find out! HT @ultrarunning_sam @hometrails_ http://www.youtube.com/@ultrarunningsam

Get in touch with Ultrarunning Sam here ⬅️ The Trail and Ultra Running Awards are back agin for 2025! In this joint podcast....Ultrarunning Sam, Kate from RunUltra and Robin The Running Accountant discuss this years potential winners and who did what this year in 2025. We've simplified the voting this year so there's no option to pick from a list, the choice is yours and the winner of each award is the one with the most votes....Simples. So follow the link to vote and be in with a chance to win the ever growing prize bundle! https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/57TKUX/ @ultrarunning_sam @hometrails_ http://www.youtube.com/@ultrarunningsam

Get in touch with Ultrarunning Sam here ⬅️ SPINE SEASON: James returns to the Home Trails podcast for a third time. This time we talk about his return to the big one! Having dropped out of the full winter race in 2024 with a foot injury, he returned to the race to run the Challenger South with his dad in the epic conditions we saw in January.  This time, back to full health he's on the start line for the full deal again. In this episode we talk about his learnings from the year his foot stopped him, his training and tapering approach and how he is looking forward to finally getting to the finish at Kirk Yetholm and putting the race to bed! James was on Damo's list of podium contenders for this years race and I fully agree with him. James is one to watch in January! HT @ultrarunning_sam @hometrails_ http://www.youtube.com/@ultrarunningsam

Get in touch with Ultrarunning Sam here ⬅️ Spine Season continues! Damo returns to the Home Trails Podcast. This time to talk about his recent Three Solo project that didn't go 💯 to plan....and his plans to return to it in 2026. We dive into how he feels going into the Spine Sprint North race in January, a break from his norm of doing the full race. We talk about the level of FOMO he will be having come January 10th weekend and we talk about his hopes of bettering his time from the test run he did back in January when the race was trialling the new distance. We talk about his predictions for each of the race distances and who he thinks will do well in each of them. Then finally we talk about the changes to the kit list and how he feels about them and the race moving forward. Always a pleasure to have Damo back on the podcast! HT @ultrarunning_sam @hometrails_ http://www.youtube.com/@ultrarunningsam

Get in touch with Ultrarunning Sam here ⬅️ In this episode we meet Arthur Hill for the first time. Arthur recently set a new winter BGR record in 14:54, taking 4 minutes off Gavin Dales record from last year! Arthur was helped during his legs by a host of Lake District royalty, including Kim Collison, Beth Pascal and of course Gavin Dale himself. In our chat we talk about his route into fell running in his early 20's, his obsession with the Bob and his training leading up to this round. Arthur speaks about the close knit community of trail and fell runners that jumped at the chance to support him on his latest attempt.  Arthur is one of the most enthusiastic young runners I've had the pleasure to speak to and it seems certain that this won't be his one and done for the Bob. He is even more obsessed with the round than ever and I'm sure he will be back chasing the summer record when the time is right! HT @ultrarunning_sam @hometrails_ http://www.youtube.com/@ultrarunningsam

Get in touch with Ultrarunning Sam here ⬅️ Non SPINE episode! In this episode I speak to Wozza the running coach. Warren came on the podcast to talk about his amazing recovery from what doctors told him was the end of his running career. Warren defied the odds and made a full recovery, to the point that he started racing again and won the Ultra Trails Wales 50 mile ultramarathon. But before we even got onto the subject of his injury, I quizzed him about his coaching style and some of the mistakes that ultra-runners make during training. We talk about nutrition, strength work and why we shouldn't get carried away with the latest fads in ultra training. For coaching inquiries, hit him up on instagram @wozza_running_coach HT @ultrarunning_sam @hometrails_ http://www.youtube.com/@ultrarunningsam

Get in touch with Ultrarunning Sam here ⬅️ SPINE SEASON! We continue Spine Season with the return of Lindley Chambers, the king of all things kit list related.  Lindley comes on the podcast to discuss everyone's favourite subject...the kit list for the Winter Spine Race. In this episode we discuss the recent changes to the list, controversial items being added/removed and the reasons for it. We discuss the changes to navigation equipment, mapping and checkpoints.  We also talk about some of the issues that keep coming up for first time Spiners and what the race and the course expect from them! We discuss how technology is starting to help with kit checks and how he still gets hundreds of emails asking the same old questions every day. But, as he freely admits, he wouldn't have it any other way. Lindley firmly believes that if you're asking kit questions, then you're thinking about the race seriously, and there's nothing he wants more for this year's competitors! If you're doing any of this year's races then this is a must listen! HT @ultrarunning_sam @hometrails_ http://www.youtube.com/@ultrarunningsam