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Hello and welcome to another 
episode of Run Till You're Done.

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This week's guest is not only a 
runner, but the founder of Blast

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Running Events. 
She is one of the most 

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supportive members of the 
Scottish running community and 

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beyond, and we couldn't be 
happier to have her on the show 

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today. 
So welcome to the show, Kat 

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Bruce. 
Hello. 

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Thanks for having me on. 
Thank you. 

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Thank you. 
And we'll get straight in and 

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start how we always start. 
The question we ask everybody is

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how did you first get into 
running I? 

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Didn't first get into running so
I I ran at high school. 

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I was one of the weird kids that
liked cross country even at that

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age. 
So I did 8 hundreds in cross 

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country for school. 
I can't say I loved it, but I 

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loved it more than other people 
and went off to university in 

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Glasgow and I didn't really run 
there but I was the part of this

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Strathclyde university's first 
ever female rugby squad. 

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So we did quite a bit of fitness
with that and I really so just 

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I've just always enjoyed being 
fit as I suppose. 

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Graduated in 2000, moved down to
London and joined the gym 

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actually and kind of gave up 
running for a wee bit. 

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But London can get really hot in
summer and I do remember 1 

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summer just thinking why am I 
going to the gym to run on 

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treadmill, just get get outside 
again. 

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So I started running again and 
in 2002 a place came up at the 

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last minute for the Great North 
Run I So I ran as Julie Backley,

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Steve Backley, Chapmosaurus 
sister and I don't it was so 

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2002. 
It's before Strava, it's before 

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Garmin's, even before probably 
online results. 

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I have no idea how we did, but I
kind of got the bug I and just, 

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yeah, I've just pretty much run 
since then. 

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So I joined running club and 
that got me into 5 case, 10 case

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halves marathons and just, yeah,
been along that lovely little 

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trail, you know, the little 
ladder that you go on and just 

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did that for the next few years.
So yeah, I've just, I feel like 

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I've just always run. 
I've just always enjoyed it. 

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I don't think we've had anybody 
on that's played rugby before or

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they they might have not meant 
to. 

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Be taking it. 
I think that's even that's being

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a bit. 
If my husband could hear me, I 

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didn't really play. 
I, I, I love the training. 

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We did one, we trained all year 
and we did one tournament at the

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end of the university year at 
Stirling. 

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And I've never been as 
frightened in my life. 

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I'm 5 foot two, I may about 8 
and a bit of stone. 

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And there were girls and other 
squads that literally had tape 

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around the foreheads. 
They had the black, you know, 

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the black kid. 
I don't want to put up a black 

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makeup on their face. 
And I think 1 thigh was bigger 

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than my whole torso. 
I was, I was, I don't even think

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I touched the ball. 
So when you say play rugby, I 

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was on the squad. 
I was on the squad. 

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Let me rephrase the question. 
You you trained to play. 

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Rugby. 
How how does the training for 

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rugby fit into running and do 
you still do that type of 

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training? 
I suppose it's just cross 

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training really. 
And yes I do. 

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I'm I, So I got injured about 3 
years ago and probably injured 

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because I'd stopped the cross 
training. 

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I, I was upping my ultra mileage
and I've got, I was training for

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the cataran way, the 90 
kilometer one which I did, but 

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during training probably 
probably niggled a ligament in 

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my foot and probably during tore
the ligament in my foot. 

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And so that was May 23 and I, I 
didn't really start running 

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until January this year. 
So three years really of three 

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surgeries during that time. 
And so I suppose going back to 

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your question, I'm the good 
thing about being injured for a 

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long time, because if you're 
only off for a few weeks, then 

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you just dream of going back to 
running and you just start 

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again. 
But I think because I've been 

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injured and not really run 
properly for about 2 1/2 years, 

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I started going out on my bike. 
I bought a Peloton and I started

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swimming and my physio, which I 
should name check Jill Stephen 

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with Ascent Fitness. 
She does amazing. 

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She's a hill runner and a 
European hill runner herself. 

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And she does these online 
strengthening auditioning 

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classes that you can just I just
do from Dropbox. 

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So in your own time, it's all 
about kind of single leg lunges,

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just a lot of single leg 
strength. 

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So that when I've started 
running again, I really bridges.

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I'm trying to think all the 
different things, but a lot of 

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it is about Euglutius medias and
it's the one thing as I used to 

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be. 
I'm sorry I'm rambling a bit 

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here, but I was an orthotist. 
So my my degree was prosthetics 

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and orthotics. 
And latterly I was 18 years in 

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the NHS and latterly in the 
NHSI, did sports bio mechanics 

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in a private clinic. 
And a lot of my runners had 

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problems with feet, ankles, 
knees, hips. 

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And an easy test was getting 
them to show me how they were, 

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how they did on a single leg 
squat. 

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And but I'm I'm doing funny 
things from the hands here. 

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But basically that's me looking 
at their pelvis. 

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And so many of them, when they 
did the single leg squat, their 

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pelvis dipped to one side 
because the gluten need wasn't 

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firing. 
And so, so many of runners 

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issues come from lazy bums, lazy
glute muscles. 

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And so a lot of Jill's stuff 
actually is all about getting 

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those glutes firing. 
And so I really feel that my 

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comeback, which is another 
story, has been made easier 

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because I've been doing Jill's 
classes for about 3 years 

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regularly. 
Because I saw it as my physio 

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for my foot. 
I did it barefoot, barefooted, 

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because I really wanted my foot,
which I was having problems 

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with, to regain its balance 
again and, and its little 

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strength and intrinsic muscles. 
So I think I've gone so far off 

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your question. 
Cross training is really 

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important. 
That's basically. 

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And so now that I'm back 
running, I'm, I deliberately set

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myself a challenge this year. 
So I turned 50 at the end of the

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year. 
I know you can't believe it. 

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I, I am and I realized in 
January that I've got about 50 

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weeks and I thought, well and 
I'm so determined to keep cross 

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training and not go down that 
rabbit hole of just run, run, 

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run, run, run again. 
So I am, I've set myself up 50 

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triathlons before I turn 50. 
Now when I say triathlon and I 

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have, I'm up to #14 I think 
tomorrow I'm as long as I so it,

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it can be very, very mini. 
So when I, when I was first 

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starting back, I was only doing 
kind of 2K run, you know, these 

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are many, but it's my rules, you
know, So as long as I run, swim 

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and cycle that one day as, as my
triathlon and that's me counting

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as triathlon. 
So I, I do a triathlon every 

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Monday. 
I just to make sure that I don't

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just go back to being a only 
running because I think it's so 

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important. 
There you go. 

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That was a very long, that was a
very long Wednesday time. 

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Before you finish that answer 
question that I've got is your 

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glutamus gluteus maximus? 
Is your bum muscle? 

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What's your gluteus medium? 
Ah, it's, it's also your bum 

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muscle. 
So your glutamine, your gluteus 

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gluteus maximus is your big 
round, peachy one. 

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The big fire is your biggest 
muscle in your body, but the 

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glutamine lies underneath it and
it's just so it is you will fire

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it when you're so we think a lot
of single leg stuff, basically 

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I, I and it's it stops. 
So if you're doing a single leg 

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squat, if your glute meat is 
weak, your knee will go into the

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middle. 
That makes sense. 

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It's harder for you to keep your
knee in in line with your your 

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hips and your feet because your 
glute, your glute meat helps to 

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add adduct. 
Abduct AB Abduct your hip away 

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from the midline. 
And how is that different from 

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your performance? 
Oh gosh, I'm not. 

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I don't know. 
You've reached my level of 

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understanding. 
It's a muscle that I keep 

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hearing runners say it's. 
Even deeper, it's even deeper 

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and it it gets and it's a very, 
very difficult 1 to get into to 

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massage and to and to relieve as
well. 

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But yeah, it's yes, it's a 
smaller muscle, but it's in 

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among it's in amongst the same 
group. 

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OK, Yeah. 
See and because of that answer I

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know simultaneously have my 
coach and my physio saying This 

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is why we tell you to do 
strength. 

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Yes, exactly. 
Exactly. 

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So you because it's important. 
It is. 

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It is. 
And for for injury prevention, 

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really it is. 
Yeah. 

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So the next question that we did
have on the set that you've 

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answered was what was your first
race, which was the Great North 

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Run? 
So I'm going to slightly tweak 

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that now. 
So you mentioned about the 

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catheter and we want to jump on 
that. 

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How did you progress from your 
10 kids, half Madison's, 

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Madison's from your, in fact, 
let's even go back again. 

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Who's your club that you run 
with and are you still with 

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them? 
Yes, so, well I've, I've gone 

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through three clubs, but this is
over 30, about nearly 30 years. 

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So when I was living in London 
it was Beckenham Rd. 

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Runners I and they were my first
ever club and they were, they 

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introduced me to the social 
importance of a running club. 

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So we met in a Cricket Club, you
know y'all, you know, coming 

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from work, you went out and did 
all your different sessions and 

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you came back and the huge part 
of it was you would then go into

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the Cricket Club for a drink and
it's all about just the chat 

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afterwards. 
And I'd never thought that 

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that's what a running club could
be, you know, I think I just 

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always thought it was much more 
just about sport or just about 

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the training. 
So that introduced me to that 

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side of things and the 
importance of the social element

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of running. 
And then when I moved up back to

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Fife, I joined Carnegie Harriers
for, oh, I think maybe two or 

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three years actually, I'm, but 
when I moved over to Edinburgh, 

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I just couldn't make it across 
the training I and it just 

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didn't make sense anymore. 
And my sister by that point was 

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HBT. 
And so I've been HBT for about, 

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oh, 10 or 12 years probably. 
Again, don't get too much 

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training and they're a very 
sociable club. 

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Yeah. 
Have you got a brown T-shirt? 

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Oh yeah, were yesterday, yeah. 
So the question that I had, the 

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question I had initially in my 
head was how did you go from 

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your 10 KS half marathons, 
marathons to Katherine and Trail

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Ultra as I would imagine, how 
did you go from that to Ultram 

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Running I? 
Bounced a wee bit. 

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So so my Great North Run was 
2002 as Julie Backley and then I

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did London as Katrina McCracken,
my my maiden name in 2003. 

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And 4:00 and 5:00 because I was 
living in London and it was dead

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easy kind of to get into London 
Marathon at that point. 

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I don't know if I've got this, 
you know, roast tinted glasses 

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on, but I do remember that if 
you wanted to run, you could. 

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I don't think I'm I at the same 
time, I did run. 

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My mum had multiple sclerosis 
and I've generally have always 

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run for a charity. 
So maybe that's why I was 

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getting in as easily as I could.
And maybe they had they didn't 

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have as many people asking for 
places, but I just didn't 

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remember this huge ballot and 
huge will I won't I get in thing

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that there is no. 
Anyway, so was London, Londoning

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another little marathons? 
Oh, other little marathon, she 

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says, like Chicago 2000 and 
4005. 

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But at the same time a flatmate 
of mine was doing the Caledonian

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Challenge. 
So that was a 54 mile from Fort 

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William down to a. 
Now what would it be 54 miles 

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from Fort William down to the 
Loch down to pass the wigwams? 

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The name of. 
Bean glass farm. 

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Octa Tyre farm. 
About it there. 

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Yeah, we'd. 
Be Octa tyres. 

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It was at the ferry, it was at 
the very tip of the Loch. 

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That'll be bean glass. 
Right. 

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So have you heard of the Cali 
challenge? 

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Yeah, it's, yeah, it's been off 
the calendar for a wee while 

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now. 
It was, it's generally most 

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people. 
It was a 24 hour challenge aimed

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actually at teams of four, 
mostly walking and you'd have 24

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00:13:56,560 --> 00:14:00,080
hours to do it, but there were a
few teams that ran it. 

223
00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:03,080
And I, I, because I was marathon
training at that point and also 

224
00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:05,200
just hate Midgie's. 
I just thought I don't want to 

225
00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:09,600
be out for too long in May 
because it's always the, it was,

226
00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:11,840
it was always the longest day of
the year. 

227
00:14:12,880 --> 00:14:18,720
So I suppose I actually did 2. 
I did that 2004 and 2005. 

228
00:14:18,720 --> 00:14:22,560
So I'd kind of already started 
that little ultra thing back 

229
00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:27,160
then, dabbled in it, move back 
up. 

230
00:14:27,160 --> 00:14:29,200
I don't know, I get a bit hazy 
about what I did then. 

231
00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:32,360
And yeah, I've just always 
enjoyed racing, so I'm sure I 

232
00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:34,200
did lots of other races in 
between. 

233
00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:40,360
I had children and went back to 
my Rd. marathons in my early 

234
00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:44,720
40s. 
So did 6 marathons this decade. 

235
00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:47,560
I and P beed. 
I couldn't believe that P beed 

236
00:14:47,560 --> 00:14:51,840
in at age 44 beat my 27 year old
self. 

237
00:14:52,360 --> 00:14:58,120
I PB in London 2021. 
I got shall I can I can I boast 

238
00:14:58,640 --> 00:15:01,960
boasting for me. 
I got 3/21/01. 

239
00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:04,920
I was delighted with myself. 
Yeah, yeah, delighted with 

240
00:15:04,920 --> 00:15:09,200
myself. 
So then got on my then got a bit

241
00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:12,080
silly and thought, oh, if I get 
a coach, I could maybe get under

242
00:15:12,080 --> 00:15:14,840
320. 
So I got a coach and I went off 

243
00:15:14,840 --> 00:15:18,160
to Boston and I completely 
messed Boston up. 

244
00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:23,680
I was on for 3/17 until I wasn't
limped over the line and into 

245
00:15:23,680 --> 00:15:27,520
the medical tent at 3:34. 
But there you go. 

246
00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:31,480
Yeah, I just, you know what it's
like. 

247
00:15:31,480 --> 00:15:35,120
I just, I had it was I put too 
far, too much pressure on 

248
00:15:35,120 --> 00:15:37,320
myself, started off far too 
quickly. 

249
00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:40,680
And yeah, so I think there was 
that and my ego took quite a 

250
00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:42,280
bashing. 
I was annoyed with myself how 

251
00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:45,840
badly I took that actually, and 
just told myself, do you know 

252
00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:47,160
what? 
You don't? 

253
00:15:47,920 --> 00:15:51,600
I wanted to step away from pace 
and so thought, what do you 

254
00:15:51,600 --> 00:15:54,240
enjoy about marathon training? 
It's the long. 

255
00:15:54,280 --> 00:15:56,720
I do enjoy the long runs. 
So I thought, well, I've been 

256
00:15:56,720 --> 00:16:00,520
listening to podcasts young, 
sorry to mention another podcast

257
00:16:00,520 --> 00:16:02,240
on this podcast, but young 
hearts run free. 

258
00:16:02,240 --> 00:16:04,960
They'd inspired me to go right, 
OK, let's do some ultras. 

259
00:16:05,280 --> 00:16:09,600
So I wondered about the West 
Highland way, but just didn't 

260
00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:11,520
know if I actually would enjoy 
that distance. 

261
00:16:11,520 --> 00:16:14,400
So, and I also know that you've 
got to, you know, you can't just

262
00:16:15,280 --> 00:16:17,880
again say, I want to do it and 
you're able to get in. 

263
00:16:17,880 --> 00:16:20,560
You've got to show that you've 
run certain distances and 

264
00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:22,960
certain elevations. 
So I thought well, so I started 

265
00:16:22,960 --> 00:16:28,080
so I did Catran we and I did I 
did the Lochaber 80, which was 

266
00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:34,160
part of the Skyline series from 
Kinloch leave in in 20. 

267
00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:39,920
I can't remember 22 maybe that 
was I think they only had it on 

268
00:16:39,920 --> 00:16:42,480
the the calendar for a couple of
years at Lochaber 80. 

269
00:16:42,480 --> 00:16:44,920
I don't know either of you did 
it or no. 

270
00:16:44,920 --> 00:16:46,280
It was wonderful. 
I loved it. 

271
00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:51,880
Then moved up to 90 with Kataran
and then had my eyes on 100. 

272
00:16:52,160 --> 00:16:55,280
But my foot had fallen apart by 
then. 

273
00:16:55,520 --> 00:16:57,440
But it did make me realize that 
I'm not. 

274
00:16:58,320 --> 00:16:59,640
I don't want to run through the 
night. 

275
00:16:59,640 --> 00:17:03,320
And I do that probably 100 Ki 
think would be my would be my 

276
00:17:03,320 --> 00:17:06,720
limit of enjoyment. 
Yeah. 

277
00:17:07,200 --> 00:17:13,079
Well, at, at one point the 
Catherine Trail, we, we put on 

278
00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:16,760
a, a special, say a special 
edition we're on for three 

279
00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:21,280
years, which was running in One 
Direction starting on the Friday

280
00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:24,800
night and then running it the 
same direction as the race. 

281
00:17:24,800 --> 00:17:28,319
So it was the double cat around 
it was 110 miles. 

282
00:17:28,319 --> 00:17:30,520
So it would have been what? 
Oh my goodness. 

283
00:17:31,760 --> 00:17:35,960
So I I I ran it the first year 
and won it and then I race 

284
00:17:35,960 --> 00:17:38,080
directed at the next two years. 
Right. 

285
00:17:38,520 --> 00:17:41,560
Wow. 
Race directed the the special 

286
00:17:41,560 --> 00:17:43,520
kind of edition to do it both 
ways. 

287
00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:46,280
Gosh. 
It was on at the same time as 

288
00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:50,240
the normal race, so Karen, who 
was the race director at the 

289
00:17:50,240 --> 00:17:53,840
time, she was too busy doing 
that so I took on the duties of 

290
00:17:53,840 --> 00:17:56,960
doing the the double. 
The double, wow, I'm just 

291
00:17:56,960 --> 00:18:01,080
thinking because that final 
descent, I'm thinking of your 

292
00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:03,720
first ascent. 
Yes, we we went up. 

293
00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:05,400
Really tough. 
Yeah. 

294
00:18:06,080 --> 00:18:08,120
Really tough. 
I mean, it was a that the final,

295
00:18:08,360 --> 00:18:09,840
yeah. 
I mean, you've then got a lovely

296
00:18:09,840 --> 00:18:14,600
long descent, which was my 
horrible final ascent. 

297
00:18:15,200 --> 00:18:17,960
Well, I did love the cataran. 
I really did. 

298
00:18:18,120 --> 00:18:21,840
Even just like the youth hostel 
side of things, bunking up with 

299
00:18:21,840 --> 00:18:26,000
other girls the night before, 
meeting people in awe of people 

300
00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:30,040
that would camp and then just 
get up about every time it was 

301
00:18:30,040 --> 00:18:31,640
in the morning and go and run 
90K. 

302
00:18:31,640 --> 00:18:35,680
That was incredible. 
I was very happy to have a bunk 

303
00:18:35,680 --> 00:18:40,000
bed inside. 
But it was a great event. 

304
00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:43,520
I loved it, Yeah. 
It started out, there used to be

305
00:18:43,520 --> 00:18:46,760
a hotel, you know, as you come 
down to the bottom of the hill 

306
00:18:46,760 --> 00:18:51,440
there was a hotel there and this
of the later you were in the 

307
00:18:51,440 --> 00:18:54,600
race, you used to come down the 
hill and everybody had been in 

308
00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:57,320
the pub having a few pints. 
So you came in the door and you 

309
00:18:57,320 --> 00:18:59,120
got the biggest reception. 
Ever amazing. 

310
00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:03,560
Yeah, that's yeah. 
Yeah, I think the there was 

311
00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:06,520
rumours of it being a insurance 
job. 

312
00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:10,800
The hotel doesn't exist anymore,
but will not speculate on that. 

313
00:19:13,360 --> 00:19:15,360
Oh well, it still felt special. 
It was still. 

314
00:19:15,680 --> 00:19:18,840
Yeah, it was even just using the
youth hostel still people around

315
00:19:18,840 --> 00:19:20,000
and it was great. 
Yeah. 

316
00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:21,920
I really enjoyed it. 
I would recommend it to anyone. 

317
00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:25,000
It was tough, but really good. 
Yeah. 

318
00:19:25,040 --> 00:19:26,880
I. 
Think was it not on this weekend

319
00:19:26,880 --> 00:19:28,520
it. 
Was indeed, yeah. 

320
00:19:28,560 --> 00:19:30,560
Oh, I suppose, yeah. 
Me, yes. 

321
00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:33,520
Yeah, it would have been there. 
Yeah, I think under Rocket. 

322
00:19:33,840 --> 00:19:36,080
Eventually. 
Yeah, yeah. 

323
00:19:37,320 --> 00:19:41,240
When I did it, there were two 
organizers and one was oh, I 

324
00:19:41,240 --> 00:19:42,600
told you I was rubbish with 
names. 

325
00:19:43,160 --> 00:19:44,400
He's. 
Going. 

326
00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:48,640
No Aussie, no Australian. 
Oh, Keith. 

327
00:19:49,040 --> 00:19:51,360
Keith Hughes, who's the previous
guest? 

328
00:19:51,680 --> 00:19:52,440
Yeah. 
Oh, is he? 

329
00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:55,520
I Well, he was, he was. 
We did a role reversal last 

330
00:19:55,520 --> 00:19:59,720
weekend and he was he took part 
in the Fife Thogenway Ultra, so 

331
00:19:59,840 --> 00:20:03,720
it was nice. 
To Richie Cunningham and Keith 

332
00:20:03,840 --> 00:20:08,120
Hughes took it on for a year 
after Karen and George used to 

333
00:20:08,120 --> 00:20:10,080
do it. 
They did it for 10 years and 

334
00:20:10,080 --> 00:20:13,680
then Bill Ayers took it on as 
part of rocket events. 

335
00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:16,680
Not that I know anything about 
ultra history in Scotland. 

336
00:20:19,120 --> 00:20:21,240
As well. 
I'm glad it, you know, I'm glad 

337
00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:24,600
it has carried on, you know, You
know, it's always good to see 

338
00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:27,440
these things carry on. 
That was interesting. 

339
00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:29,960
I got, I think I got a bit of a 
history lesson there for all the

340
00:20:29,960 --> 00:20:32,720
newbies that are in the all 
these post COVID runner. 

341
00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:37,960
But the Cataran's definitely on 
my tech list. 

342
00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:45,520
We'll see how the fling goes. 
So getting back to, you said 

343
00:20:45,520 --> 00:20:50,680
about your running, but you've 
you've changed to or maybe you 

344
00:20:50,680 --> 00:20:52,720
still run as well. 
You've added. 

345
00:20:52,720 --> 00:20:56,800
In addition, you support other 
people's running by setting up 

346
00:20:56,840 --> 00:20:59,920
an events company yourself. 
Blast running. 

347
00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:02,440
Yes, yeah. 
Tell us a bit about that. 

348
00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:09,800
So that was really bad timing. 
It was the end of 2019, but it 

349
00:21:09,800 --> 00:21:14,600
was also good timing. 
So the reason I set it up was I 

350
00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:16,920
thought, you know, big advocate 
of Park run. 

351
00:21:16,920 --> 00:21:19,000
That was great. 
That and I live in Cramond so 

352
00:21:19,000 --> 00:21:21,680
I'm, I'm pointing over my 
shoulder here, but basically the

353
00:21:21,680 --> 00:21:25,200
Cramond Park like park run is 
half a mile from my door. 

354
00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:28,600
And at that point there weren't 
many other Edinburgh ones. 

355
00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:30,880
So we'd, you know, we'd 
regularly see 6-7 hundred people

356
00:21:30,880 --> 00:21:33,600
come down and do Cramond Park 
run on Saturday morning. 

357
00:21:34,440 --> 00:21:37,000
And I personally thought I love 
5K, but actually I think I 

358
00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:40,240
prefer a 10K and wouldn't it be 
good to have a regular 10K that 

359
00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:45,320
you could come along to as well?
So we started actually with that

360
00:21:45,320 --> 00:21:47,760
in mind that it would just be a 
regular 10K. 

361
00:21:47,760 --> 00:21:51,200
But I offered, I did offer a 5K 
as well and a two mile option. 

362
00:21:52,360 --> 00:21:56,240
And it, it, it, it started off 
obviously tiny. 

363
00:21:56,240 --> 00:22:00,800
I think I was, you know, I'd get
single figures of people turning

364
00:22:00,800 --> 00:22:02,280
up. 
I don't know how I had the the 

365
00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:06,840
the confidence that just keep on
going, but I did. 

366
00:22:06,840 --> 00:22:11,360
I just kept I just kept turning 
up and people just it just 

367
00:22:11,400 --> 00:22:16,240
trickled through. 
I suppose I'm I am, but but then

368
00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:20,840
obviously COVID hit and things 
just it was just down tools for 

369
00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:25,800
everyone, wasn't it? 
I'm however, I kind of it worked

370
00:22:25,800 --> 00:22:29,560
well for me in a sense in that 
for a good few months, I was the

371
00:22:29,560 --> 00:22:34,400
only race in Scotland because 
Edinburgh Council let me re 

372
00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:38,160
crack classify as an outdoor 
fitness class. 

373
00:22:38,680 --> 00:22:41,600
So because it because I kept, I 
kept saying to council, listen, 

374
00:22:42,520 --> 00:22:45,360
there's military fitness classes
going on and there's whatever 

375
00:22:45,440 --> 00:22:47,040
personal training going on in 
the park. 

376
00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:49,560
Why can't I just have third? 
You know, at that point they 

377
00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:51,280
said, well, you can have 30 
runners. 

378
00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:54,360
It has to be more of a kind of a
time trial. 

379
00:22:55,400 --> 00:22:59,760
So you know, we'd all turn up 
with our masks, the Meadows and 

380
00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:02,640
the runners had to register 
online 1st and they had to tell 

381
00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:04,680
me what time they thought they 
would do their 5K in. 

382
00:23:05,120 --> 00:23:10,280
And so the fastest estimated 
time would be #1 up to #30 and 

383
00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:13,120
every two 2-3 seconds, I would 
blow a whistle and the next 

384
00:23:13,120 --> 00:23:16,200
person would go. 
But we had to do that for 

385
00:23:16,200 --> 00:23:19,680
months. 
It was a funny old time, wasn't 

386
00:23:19,680 --> 00:23:20,760
it? 
So I suppose. 

387
00:23:20,760 --> 00:23:22,760
And, and so I ended up having 
waves. 

388
00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:26,000
I had a 10:00 wave of 30 
runners, a 10:30 wave of 30 

389
00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:30,320
runners and 11, you know, so by 
the time I think we were like 

390
00:23:30,320 --> 00:23:34,000
mass starts again by May 21, I 
think was the first kind of mass

391
00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:39,720
start again. 
I don't know, without COVID and 

392
00:23:39,720 --> 00:23:44,120
that kind of nice little. 
I've seen that. 

393
00:23:44,120 --> 00:23:45,680
Yeah, yeah. 
A little introduction for some 

394
00:23:45,680 --> 00:23:47,360
people to blast running. 
I don't know if it would have 

395
00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:51,000
ever progressed from, you know, 
the tiny, tiny numbers I was 

396
00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:57,560
getting in 2019. 
But yeah, we, we did keep going.

397
00:23:57,560 --> 00:23:59,800
And yeah. 
So that's seven years. 

398
00:23:59,800 --> 00:24:02,920
I suppose the September would be
we'll be going and we now do 

399
00:24:02,920 --> 00:24:06,440
about 2025 events a year of our 
own. 

400
00:24:06,640 --> 00:24:10,640
I but I bought from the very 
beginning I wanted to do my own 

401
00:24:10,640 --> 00:24:13,320
chip timing. 
So I know just so just this 

402
00:24:13,320 --> 00:24:15,760
morning I was timing a race for 
someone else. 

403
00:24:15,800 --> 00:24:19,520
I have time for about 10 other 
events now as well and just love

404
00:24:19,520 --> 00:24:21,040
it. 
I absolutely love it. 

405
00:24:21,040 --> 00:24:24,960
I my tagline has always been 
your race, your pace. 

406
00:24:25,040 --> 00:24:28,520
I I it doesn't. 
I was going to say I don't care.

407
00:24:28,520 --> 00:24:32,000
That sounds really bad, but I 
don't care what pace you do, you

408
00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:35,080
know, I just want you to come 
along and enjoy it and I, I, 

409
00:24:35,240 --> 00:24:39,240
yeah, I will support you whether
you're doing your 15 minute 5K 

410
00:24:39,240 --> 00:24:42,400
to a 4550 minute 5 Ki really 
don't mind. 

411
00:24:42,800 --> 00:24:44,600
It's just about coming along and
taking part. 

412
00:24:45,800 --> 00:24:49,800
One of the 1st events that I 
turned up to of yours as we were

413
00:24:49,800 --> 00:24:53,680
discussing just before we 
started recalled them was 20 

414
00:24:53,680 --> 00:24:57,400
along the 4th. 
And what I really enjoyed about 

415
00:24:57,400 --> 00:25:00,560
that, and I've never heard of 
another race doing this was as 

416
00:25:00,600 --> 00:25:05,360
you mentioned there the waves, 
so was wave 1 the slower 

417
00:25:05,360 --> 00:25:08,200
runners. 
And then I thought that was AI 

418
00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:12,040
think that's a great idea. 
Because yeah, it's, it's just 

419
00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:14,640
nicer for everyone. 
Yes, yeah, yeah. 

420
00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:17,320
And the finish line just feels a
bit more inclusive as well. 

421
00:25:17,320 --> 00:25:20,320
And you've not got. 
Yeah, because there's the longer

422
00:25:20,320 --> 00:25:24,120
a race gets, then the more 
disparity there is between your 

423
00:25:24,120 --> 00:25:25,800
first runner and your last 
runner. 

424
00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:29,480
I mean, even even last weekend I
had my 5 Pilgrim way. 

425
00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:34,120
There was 8 hours between my 
first runner and my last runner.

426
00:25:34,280 --> 00:25:35,960
Yeah. 
But if you, but if you bring 

427
00:25:35,960 --> 00:25:39,960
that down to a 5K, you can still
have half an hour between your 

428
00:25:39,960 --> 00:25:42,040
first and your last. 
So a 20 mile hour you can. 

429
00:25:42,040 --> 00:25:43,080
Yeah, you can have up to kind 
of. 

430
00:25:43,480 --> 00:25:44,440
Yeah, we are. 
Yeah. 

431
00:25:44,440 --> 00:25:47,960
We've, it's about 2 1/2 hours. 
We generally go. 

432
00:25:48,600 --> 00:25:50,520
It's just the last two years 
we've had people breaking the 

433
00:25:50,520 --> 00:25:55,640
two hours and we generally our 
last runner comes up in about 4 

434
00:25:55,640 --> 00:25:58,080
1/2 hours. 
So it's still quite a long time 

435
00:25:58,080 --> 00:26:00,160
and it's just nice. 
I so the reason I did it was, 

436
00:26:00,360 --> 00:26:04,400
yeah, just one logistically, 
actually for my Marshalls, it 

437
00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:06,200
means that they're out for a 
shorter time. 

438
00:26:07,680 --> 00:26:11,560
But also I just feel it's 
always, well, actually some 

439
00:26:11,560 --> 00:26:15,600
runners had come to me and said 
I just, I don't want you hanging

440
00:26:15,600 --> 00:26:18,040
around for too long. 
Kind of start off a bit early 

441
00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:21,160
and I just naturally actually 
just kind of went from there and

442
00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:24,520
thinking, yeah, why not? 
And it does just create and 

443
00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:28,920
where people cross. 
So where the fast runners, the 

444
00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:33,400
wave three who start an hour 
later than that very first wave,

445
00:26:33,400 --> 00:26:36,840
there's three waves. 
So there's a 8:30, a nine and a 

446
00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:40,000
9:30. 
The 9:30 fast days generally 

447
00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:43,080
catch up with the first ones on 
the 4th row bridge. 

448
00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:45,960
So there's this big, lovely, big
kind of, and it's wide enough 

449
00:26:45,960 --> 00:26:50,320
and A and just, I suppose 
dramatic enough where you can 

450
00:26:50,320 --> 00:26:53,600
have lots of overtaking and high
fives on there. 

451
00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:55,320
Yeah. 
It's, it's, it's good. 

452
00:26:55,880 --> 00:26:58,480
Yeah. 
And another bit of history that 

453
00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:03,760
Nikki probably didn't know, the 
Highland Fling used to do tiered

454
00:27:03,760 --> 00:27:08,480
starts where I think it was the 
older runners, the Super vets or

455
00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:13,120
whatever it was 6:00 in the 
morning, females at 7, males at 

456
00:27:13,120 --> 00:27:15,840
8:00, and then they used to have
a relay at 9:00. 

457
00:27:17,840 --> 00:27:20,480
And do that, does the fling not 
still do an early start? 

458
00:27:21,320 --> 00:27:23,320
They they introduced it last 
year. 

459
00:27:23,320 --> 00:27:25,680
So they've got 5:30. 
No. 

460
00:27:25,840 --> 00:27:28,480
Is it half five? 
No, I think it's 5:00. 

461
00:27:28,520 --> 00:27:31,800
I think it's an hour before. 
Is that not for? 

462
00:27:31,800 --> 00:27:33,440
You can choose to do it rather 
than. 

463
00:27:33,440 --> 00:27:36,880
It used to be this category went
at that time. 

464
00:27:37,120 --> 00:27:40,480
I think there's a stipulation. 
If you don't think you're going 

465
00:27:40,480 --> 00:27:43,880
to realistically finish it 
within the time, you've got that

466
00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:46,800
extra where it's not just an 
early start because you want an 

467
00:27:46,800 --> 00:27:49,600
early finish, it's, you know, to
give people. 

468
00:27:49,600 --> 00:27:53,520
That yeah, that that is the 
difficulty actually, because 20 

469
00:27:53,560 --> 00:27:57,400
long the 4th I I I try my best 
to make that clear as well. 

470
00:27:57,400 --> 00:27:59,760
It's not just because you need 
to get to your whatever your 

471
00:27:59,760 --> 00:28:01,920
grams or your friends BBQ that 
afternoon. 

472
00:28:01,920 --> 00:28:05,280
It is. 
And every year someone, every 

473
00:28:05,280 --> 00:28:11,240
year someone who is too fast for
the 8:30 wave goes in the 8:30 

474
00:28:11,240 --> 00:28:12,600
wave. 
And I don't know, you know, I 

475
00:28:12,600 --> 00:28:14,240
don't know how many times I have
to say it. 

476
00:28:14,480 --> 00:28:18,080
You will be running by yourself 
because you're too fast for that

477
00:28:18,080 --> 00:28:20,440
group. 
You'll get to the Marshalls way 

478
00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:21,680
too quickly. 
You're going to, you know, 

479
00:28:21,680 --> 00:28:25,160
'cause the team a bit of 
anxiety, like, oh God, we've got

480
00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:26,480
a mark. 
We've already got a runner on 

481
00:28:26,480 --> 00:28:28,920
the bridge and you know, they're
not due for another hour. 

482
00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:34,320
You know, it causes causes it 
causes nothing major, but I just

483
00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:38,720
generally the runner who's done 
it comes in very embarrassed and

484
00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:41,600
says, I get it now. 
You know, I'm really sorry. 

485
00:28:41,600 --> 00:28:44,880
I just didn't get it. 
And that's, you know, it's fine.

486
00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:47,000
It's fine. 
But it's just there's reasons 

487
00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:50,320
for Jet. 
Yeah, we, we, we we're also not 

488
00:28:50,320 --> 00:28:53,360
on the choice. 
It is on and we're very much 

489
00:28:53,360 --> 00:28:55,640
this. 
This group is for your 1516 

490
00:28:55,640 --> 00:28:58,920
minute milers. 
You know you will If you're 

491
00:28:58,920 --> 00:29:03,040
faster than that, you'll be so 
obvious in a way I. 

492
00:29:03,080 --> 00:29:07,560
I would probably be too harsh on
people and say if you start 

493
00:29:07,560 --> 00:29:09,720
early you're not eligible for a 
price. 

494
00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:13,200
Oh well, they're not eligible 
for prizes because it's done on 

495
00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:17,280
chip time, so they won't. 
Even if they've crossed the line

496
00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:22,040
first, by the time the the 
people even faster than them 

497
00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:26,120
cross the line, they they 
generally aren't the fastest 

498
00:29:26,120 --> 00:29:31,160
person. 
But their chip time is excluded 

499
00:29:31,160 --> 00:29:32,360
from the prizes. 
I would say oh. 

500
00:29:32,920 --> 00:29:35,360
I see. 
Yeah, absolutely. 

501
00:29:35,840 --> 00:29:38,800
Yes. 
Well, you're harsher than me, 

502
00:29:38,800 --> 00:29:44,400
Mike. 
But the seed has been planted I.

503
00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:49,760
Know in theory, in theory I 
could be that harsh, but 

504
00:29:49,760 --> 00:29:52,080
actually in reality, yeah, I'm a
bit of a softy. 

505
00:29:54,720 --> 00:29:57,480
So you've got about 20 to 25 
events now. 

506
00:29:57,880 --> 00:30:00,640
Have you got a favorite one 
personally that you like to 

507
00:30:00,640 --> 00:30:04,320
organise? 
It probably still is 20 along 

508
00:30:04,360 --> 00:30:06,160
for it. 
It was my initial one. 

509
00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:07,920
It was before Blast Running 
actually. 

510
00:30:07,920 --> 00:30:13,520
So I started that in March 29, 
sorry 2019 because I was running

511
00:30:13,520 --> 00:30:18,360
London Marathon for the Ms. 
Society and memory of my mum and

512
00:30:18,360 --> 00:30:21,280
I needed, I needed to raise 
money for the charity. 

513
00:30:21,280 --> 00:30:25,720
So I'm, and when I did my first 
3 London marathons, I was living

514
00:30:25,720 --> 00:30:29,440
in London, There was always a 20
mile or somewhere, I don't know.

515
00:30:29,440 --> 00:30:31,040
Again, I don't know if I'm 
thinking with roads, tinted 

516
00:30:31,040 --> 00:30:34,240
glasses, but that was my memory 
that I could quite easily find a

517
00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:40,040
20 mile or within the right time
frame for your, your coach, for 

518
00:30:40,040 --> 00:30:43,240
your, your training cycles. 
So I looked around, looked 

519
00:30:43,240 --> 00:30:46,080
around and the only one I could 
find was in Northumberland, I 

520
00:30:46,080 --> 00:30:48,640
think about 5 or 6 weeks before 
London. 

521
00:30:48,640 --> 00:30:50,720
So I just thought, well, bye. 
And I know there is Edinburgh to

522
00:30:50,720 --> 00:30:53,880
North Berwick, but that's more 
timed at Edinburgh Marathon. 

523
00:30:54,240 --> 00:30:56,760
It's, it's too late for London 
Marathon. 

524
00:30:57,040 --> 00:30:58,600
So I just thought, well, I can't
be the only one. 

525
00:30:59,520 --> 00:31:04,680
And so that first year we had I 
think it was 37 runners and my 

526
00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:08,520
husband was a stopwatch and but 
the route's the same now and 

527
00:31:08,520 --> 00:31:12,000
we're up to, we're at over 800 
entrance this year. 

528
00:31:12,960 --> 00:31:14,240
There's always people that don't
turn up. 

529
00:31:14,240 --> 00:31:17,360
So I think we had 700 actually 
take part. 

530
00:31:17,360 --> 00:31:20,240
But the 4th row bridge has said 
we can go up to 1000 people. 

531
00:31:20,240 --> 00:31:27,040
So that's, yeah, I would love 
that because it it is, they're 

532
00:31:27,040 --> 00:31:29,680
the only one in Scotland and it 
is, I know it's maybe, well, 

533
00:31:29,680 --> 00:31:33,400
there's, there are other, it's 
aimed at London, but there are 

534
00:31:33,400 --> 00:31:36,760
the spring marathons that can 
absolutely fit into as well. 

535
00:31:37,440 --> 00:31:40,120
Well, Manchester is popular for 
as well. 

536
00:31:40,160 --> 00:31:41,960
That one springs to mind as 
well. 

537
00:31:41,960 --> 00:31:43,680
Because they're just a week 
apart, aren't they? 

538
00:31:43,680 --> 00:31:45,360
That's right. 
And I think this is European. 

539
00:31:45,360 --> 00:31:46,400
It's not. 
Is it Paris? 

540
00:31:46,400 --> 00:31:47,760
I can't think it was Paris too 
early. 

541
00:31:47,800 --> 00:31:50,680
Possibly there was another, 
there was another European one 

542
00:31:50,680 --> 00:31:52,520
that it fits in well with as 
well. 

543
00:31:52,520 --> 00:31:57,000
But no, I think just a 
connection to, yeah, my mum. 

544
00:31:57,040 --> 00:31:58,640
I suppose it's really what it 
comes down to. 

545
00:31:58,640 --> 00:32:01,360
There it was. 
It's the Ms. Society and it's 

546
00:32:02,400 --> 00:32:04,440
they, they generally there's a 
charity, always want to come 

547
00:32:04,440 --> 00:32:08,080
along because every race I do 
has a charitable element to it 

548
00:32:08,480 --> 00:32:10,640
and I choose lots of small 
charities. 

549
00:32:10,640 --> 00:32:14,960
I suppose the Ms. Society is one
of my biggest ones, but not all 

550
00:32:14,960 --> 00:32:18,520
charities kind of turn up or 
they just, you know, and that's 

551
00:32:18,520 --> 00:32:19,800
fine. 
You know, there's no, I have no 

552
00:32:19,800 --> 00:32:22,320
problem with that. 
But I just love that the Ms. do 

553
00:32:22,360 --> 00:32:24,960
the site it do come along and 
they want to be involved and 

554
00:32:25,280 --> 00:32:28,400
they want to give T-shirts out 
and yeah, it's just really nice.

555
00:32:28,520 --> 00:32:30,560
Yeah. 
Oh yeah. 

556
00:32:31,360 --> 00:32:35,360
You say you could have up to 
1000 people in that race 2 Two 

557
00:32:35,360 --> 00:32:37,480
questions. 
Is that your most popular one 

558
00:32:37,840 --> 00:32:42,040
and do you have plans on how to 
get 1000 people signed up? 

559
00:32:45,040 --> 00:32:47,200
It depends what you mean by most
popular. 

560
00:32:47,320 --> 00:32:50,840
Yes it's the one that I get most
people to. 

561
00:32:51,600 --> 00:32:58,920
But I took over the West the the
water of leaf half it was sales 

562
00:32:58,960 --> 00:33:01,280
out. 
In about 5 minutes, doesn't it? 

563
00:33:01,360 --> 00:33:03,280
Exactly, Nicky, that's what I'm 
saying. 

564
00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:05,520
Depends what you mean by 
popular. 

565
00:33:06,320 --> 00:33:08,480
Your interpretation. 
Yeah, exactly. 

566
00:33:08,480 --> 00:33:12,960
I would say water relief is 
probably the most popular in 

567
00:33:12,960 --> 00:33:15,920
that sense in that it's so fun 
to watch. 

568
00:33:15,920 --> 00:33:20,560
I just, I, I open, open it and I
just have the, the spreadsheet 

569
00:33:20,560 --> 00:33:22,480
and it just populates. 
You just see all the Ding, Ding,

570
00:33:22,480 --> 00:33:24,560
Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, 
Ding, Ding. 

571
00:33:25,080 --> 00:33:28,520
I because when I took that one 
on it, it's gone through so many

572
00:33:28,520 --> 00:33:33,440
different owners or you know, or
caretakers, custodians and the 

573
00:33:33,440 --> 00:33:39,000
current custodian and it's gone 
from running clubs to just a few

574
00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:41,360
people to any. 
So a couple of friends of mine, 

575
00:33:41,360 --> 00:33:44,960
Angus Thompson and Andy Whitney 
had been doing it for quite a 

576
00:33:44,960 --> 00:33:49,400
few years and they asked me to 
come along and time it, which I 

577
00:33:49,400 --> 00:33:51,480
did. 
And then they actually said, 

578
00:33:51,480 --> 00:33:55,880
would you just take it from us, 
please, which I did, which is 

579
00:33:55,880 --> 00:33:59,360
good and bad because I enjoy, I 
used to enjoy taking part in the

580
00:33:59,360 --> 00:34:01,480
water lead. 
So there's I've been learning 

581
00:34:01,480 --> 00:34:03,000
that thing. 
I've got to say no to some 

582
00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:05,640
things because it definitely 
means that I can't do it 

583
00:34:05,640 --> 00:34:07,720
anymore. 
But yeah, I would say the water 

584
00:34:07,720 --> 00:34:10,199
lead is the most pop is the most
popular for that. 

585
00:34:10,280 --> 00:34:14,120
Yeah, it just, it has. 
And it's also handicapped in 

586
00:34:14,120 --> 00:34:21,560
that, but that's more for it's a
narrow path. 

587
00:34:22,480 --> 00:34:28,440
There are, it's, it's kind of a 
little bit, what's the word? 

588
00:34:28,440 --> 00:34:31,960
Not wild, but the road 
crossings, you know, you're 

589
00:34:31,960 --> 00:34:34,679
popping, you're, you might be on
the water of Leath and lovely 

590
00:34:34,679 --> 00:34:38,880
little leafy path, but then you 
pop up socket and skate, skate, 

591
00:34:38,920 --> 00:34:41,880
skate park and have to cross, 
cross quite a busy road. 

592
00:34:42,080 --> 00:34:43,800
And then you're back down onto 
the river again. 

593
00:34:43,800 --> 00:34:47,199
And then you pop out at 
Stockbridge on a Sunday morning 

594
00:34:47,199 --> 00:34:50,440
when the market's on, you know, 
and you're having to cross a 

595
00:34:50,440 --> 00:34:53,760
crossroads with buses and taxis 
and it's a bit feral. 

596
00:34:53,760 --> 00:34:57,960
That's it is a bit feral and I 
don't think we could have many 

597
00:34:57,960 --> 00:35:01,800
more than I think we've gone up 
to about 200 or so for that. 

598
00:35:02,040 --> 00:35:04,560
So I think for that reason, it 
keeps it very popular as well 

599
00:35:04,560 --> 00:35:07,400
that, you know, that there's 
only a limited amount of spaces.

600
00:35:08,920 --> 00:35:11,000
Yeah. 
I think people enjoy the 

601
00:35:11,040 --> 00:35:14,760
exclusivity of it because you 
know, like if you know 

602
00:35:14,760 --> 00:35:18,040
something's going to sell out 
really, really fast, you're 

603
00:35:18,240 --> 00:35:22,480
you're very much aware of that. 
Like two other races that come 

604
00:35:22,480 --> 00:35:25,920
to mind for me like that is the 
Otter of the Chili Trail that 

605
00:35:25,920 --> 00:35:29,960
sells out really fast now. 
Yes, black. 

606
00:35:29,960 --> 00:35:32,200
Rock black. 
Are you going to see Black Rock?

607
00:35:32,320 --> 00:35:33,840
Just absolutely yes. 
Like. 

608
00:35:33,960 --> 00:35:38,400
Within So what of leaf? 
Like how I say 5 minutes? 

609
00:35:38,400 --> 00:35:40,400
Is it literally as fast? 
As that. 

610
00:35:40,720 --> 00:35:42,680
Yeah, about 20 minutes. 20 
minutes, yeah. 

611
00:35:42,960 --> 00:35:43,640
Wild. 
Yeah. 

612
00:35:44,160 --> 00:35:50,440
It's incredible, I know, because
if you, if you did it last year,

613
00:35:50,680 --> 00:35:54,040
then you get a little e-mail, a 
little e-mail that tells you 

614
00:35:54,040 --> 00:36:01,520
when it's going to open. 
So you get a little window and 

615
00:36:01,520 --> 00:36:03,800
then it goes live to everybody 
else. 

616
00:36:03,920 --> 00:36:07,920
So yeah, it's just good fun. 
I mean, I'd, I'd love all the 

617
00:36:07,920 --> 00:36:11,880
races to run to, to sell out 
that quickly, but I think in 

618
00:36:11,880 --> 00:36:15,200
general people are taking longer
to sign up to things. 

619
00:36:15,200 --> 00:36:19,720
It's generally happening much 
more closer to, to dates, the 

620
00:36:19,720 --> 00:36:21,160
race dates. 
So you just have to hold your 

621
00:36:21,160 --> 00:36:24,480
nerve and to answer your 
question, like, I have no idea 

622
00:36:24,480 --> 00:36:26,080
how to get more than up to 1000 
people. 

623
00:36:26,080 --> 00:36:30,400
I'd love it. 
I, I, I, it's really hard. 

624
00:36:30,400 --> 00:36:33,480
I use social media quite a lot, 
Instagram, Facebook, I'm not on 

625
00:36:33,480 --> 00:36:37,280
TikTok. 
I'm not that kind of It's not 

626
00:36:37,280 --> 00:36:40,680
for me. 
I've got 12,000 people on my 

627
00:36:40,680 --> 00:36:43,800
mailing list, people that have 
come along to the races before. 

628
00:36:43,800 --> 00:36:46,880
I let them all know what we're 
up to, but I don't know how else

629
00:36:46,880 --> 00:36:49,440
to let people know about it. 
I mean, I suppose I could 

630
00:36:51,120 --> 00:36:53,080
occasionally. 
I contact all the running clubs 

631
00:36:53,080 --> 00:36:55,400
and ask the secretaries to pass 
the information on. 

632
00:36:55,400 --> 00:36:57,280
I've no idea if they do it or 
not. 

633
00:36:58,680 --> 00:37:02,240
It's a hard 1. 
I don't know if you've got any 

634
00:37:02,240 --> 00:37:04,680
ideas. 
Well, I. 

635
00:37:04,920 --> 00:37:07,840
Think well, you're obviously 
advertising on the the best 

636
00:37:07,840 --> 00:37:10,520
podcast in Scotland. 
Absolutely, absolutely. 

637
00:37:10,520 --> 00:37:12,560
So I'm trying to think of the 
date next year. 

638
00:37:13,360 --> 00:37:16,520
It's something like the 23rd of 
March, whatever the Saturday, 

639
00:37:16,640 --> 00:37:19,520
Saturday is something like I've 
not got my diary with me just 

640
00:37:19,520 --> 00:37:22,640
now. 
But yeah, it's not open yet, but

641
00:37:22,640 --> 00:37:25,120
it will be soon. 
I think I need to get on that 

642
00:37:25,120 --> 00:37:28,560
bandwagon. 
I, I generally didn't open races

643
00:37:29,600 --> 00:37:31,840
too far in advance. 
I certainly didn't do it a year 

644
00:37:31,840 --> 00:37:35,240
in advance, but I think there 
are two types of runners and 

645
00:37:35,240 --> 00:37:38,600
they're definitely runners who 
want to plan so far ahead. 

646
00:37:38,600 --> 00:37:41,680
They want to absolutely get the 
races in a year in advance. 

647
00:37:42,640 --> 00:37:45,080
And I get that for your big 
races, you do you need you need 

648
00:37:45,080 --> 00:37:49,680
to really pinpoint your your 
goals, But you also got other 

649
00:37:49,680 --> 00:37:53,280
runners that are very much kind 
of sign up on the day to a six 

650
00:37:53,280 --> 00:37:55,920
hour ultra, which I have 
happened every year at sunset. 

651
00:37:56,440 --> 00:38:00,520
I'm like, who can turn them up 
just to to decide on the day? 

652
00:38:01,640 --> 00:38:04,080
Not that I know. 
You know you guys can, but you 

653
00:38:04,080 --> 00:38:08,640
know not everyone can I. 
Don't even know if I could make 

654
00:38:08,720 --> 00:38:14,040
it. 
Well, but, yeah, so it's, it is 

655
00:38:14,040 --> 00:38:17,120
hard as an, as an event 
organizer to plan sometimes even

656
00:38:17,120 --> 00:38:20,000
just medals, you know, how many 
medals do you order? 

657
00:38:21,360 --> 00:38:23,320
Because I hate waste. 
That's my issue. 

658
00:38:23,320 --> 00:38:26,360
I hate waste T-shirts and 
medals. 

659
00:38:26,360 --> 00:38:28,960
I don't, I don't want to have 
all these things that just are 

660
00:38:28,960 --> 00:38:34,200
no use to anyone. 
So that's, yeah, that's, that is

661
00:38:34,200 --> 00:38:36,760
one of the tougher things to 
organise because I suppose it 

662
00:38:36,760 --> 00:38:38,520
doesn't really matter how many 
people you have in the course. 

663
00:38:38,520 --> 00:38:42,920
You've got the same Marshalls 
and the same water stations. 

664
00:38:42,920 --> 00:38:45,360
I suppose you might have to have
more water at the water 

665
00:38:45,360 --> 00:38:48,640
stations, but all those things 
stay the same. 

666
00:38:49,080 --> 00:38:51,560
But there are definite things 
that I have to pay for 

667
00:38:51,560 --> 00:38:56,880
beforehand and it's just really 
hard to just say stay confident 

668
00:38:56,880 --> 00:39:01,840
that build it and they will come
sort of attitude, especially 

669
00:39:01,840 --> 00:39:05,080
when there are more and more 
that I do feel that event 

670
00:39:05,080 --> 00:39:07,840
calendar is burgeoning just now 
and it's great for runners but 

671
00:39:07,840 --> 00:39:09,600
it's not so great for event 
organisers. 

672
00:39:10,840 --> 00:39:15,200
Yeah, but with your with your 
Marshalls, we're talking about 

673
00:39:15,200 --> 00:39:17,680
the water of leaf half, for 
example, if they were 

674
00:39:17,680 --> 00:39:20,720
marshalling at that, would they 
have first dibs on a place? 

675
00:39:20,840 --> 00:39:23,040
The following year, yes, 
absolutely. 

676
00:39:23,040 --> 00:39:25,360
That's the only one to do that 
with because it's the only one 

677
00:39:25,360 --> 00:39:27,600
that really sells out. 
But yes, if you Marshall, yeah, 

678
00:39:27,640 --> 00:39:31,920
if you offer to Marshall, then 
you get a free place the year 

679
00:39:32,080 --> 00:39:34,560
after. 
Yes, I am far too soft and. 

680
00:39:37,160 --> 00:39:39,720
Yeah, mate, could just offer the
place and you would be happy 

681
00:39:39,720 --> 00:39:44,080
with that. 
Yeah. 

682
00:39:44,760 --> 00:39:50,800
So you said about the sunset 
ultra, which is 6 hours. 

683
00:39:50,800 --> 00:39:53,520
I actually was ignorant 
forgetting that as an ultra 

684
00:39:53,520 --> 00:39:56,520
because I thought the one that 
you had last weekend, so the 

685
00:39:56,520 --> 00:39:59,360
other weekend was the Faith 
Pilgrim where I thought that was

686
00:39:59,360 --> 00:40:02,440
blast first ultra. 
Well, I know it kind as funny, 

687
00:40:02,440 --> 00:40:05,520
isn't it? 
Officially, I've had the sun, so

688
00:40:05,520 --> 00:40:08,920
the sunset running festival has 
been going for this is at six 

689
00:40:08,920 --> 00:40:15,000
year and two years ago I thought
to myself, well, some of them 

690
00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:18,000
are so the the the you can it's 
down at the prom. 

691
00:40:18,640 --> 00:40:20,600
It's lapsed. 
And now that I know about 

692
00:40:20,600 --> 00:40:22,920
backyard ultras, it's pretty 
much a backyard ultra. 

693
00:40:22,920 --> 00:40:25,360
It's four point something miles 
of loop. 

694
00:40:26,520 --> 00:40:30,960
So you can either do 1 yard, but
it's not a backyard of so you 

695
00:40:30,960 --> 00:40:33,720
can do 1 loop, 7 K. 
You can do it three times to 

696
00:40:33,720 --> 00:40:36,320
have 1/2 marathon, 6 times to be
a marathon. 

697
00:40:36,320 --> 00:40:38,280
And that's where I stopped 
originally. 

698
00:40:38,680 --> 00:40:40,960
But I had people that were 
taking six hours for a marathon 

699
00:40:40,960 --> 00:40:42,840
and I thought, well, I'm here 
for six hours anyway. 

700
00:40:43,480 --> 00:40:47,880
There will be people, there will
be people be able to just offer 

701
00:40:47,880 --> 00:40:51,240
it and they will come who will 
want to see how many laps they 

702
00:40:51,240 --> 00:40:54,200
can do in six hours. 
And we're up to something like 

703
00:40:54,200 --> 00:40:56,760
50 people this year want to come
and see how many laps they can 

704
00:40:56,760 --> 00:40:59,680
do in six hours. 
So yeah, you might still only do

705
00:40:59,680 --> 00:41:01,440
a marathon only, you know what I
mean. 

706
00:41:01,440 --> 00:41:03,560
You might only still do a 
marathon in that six hours. 

707
00:41:03,560 --> 00:41:07,360
But most people that have 
entered have have gone past that

708
00:41:07,360 --> 00:41:11,920
marathon in the six hours. 
And I haven't looked at the 

709
00:41:11,920 --> 00:41:15,720
stats recently. 
I think we're up to 18 laps as 

710
00:41:15,720 --> 00:41:18,080
our. 
Yeah. 

711
00:41:18,160 --> 00:41:22,520
Would that be right in six hours
about before. 

712
00:41:22,520 --> 00:41:24,280
I can't do the maths. 
I would have to go back and look

713
00:41:24,280 --> 00:41:25,640
at spreadsheet. 
But yeah, we're up. 

714
00:41:25,840 --> 00:41:28,560
We're up to. 
There's some, yeah, some really 

715
00:41:28,560 --> 00:41:31,720
good runners come along now. 
So, yeah, suppose so. 

716
00:41:31,760 --> 00:41:34,040
I suppose officially that's my 
first ultra, but I didn't really

717
00:41:34,040 --> 00:41:36,800
see it. 
I don't see it really as an 

718
00:41:36,800 --> 00:41:42,480
ultra because it's not a point 
to point and my runners are at 

719
00:41:42,480 --> 00:41:46,720
most 2 miles away from me. 
So as a as a as an event, as an 

720
00:41:46,720 --> 00:41:52,760
organizer, it feels a very 
self-contained and safe ultra. 

721
00:41:53,400 --> 00:41:56,920
But that's why it's taken me 
quite a long time to organize 

722
00:41:57,160 --> 00:42:00,080
the Fife Pilgrim Way Outro, 
which happened for the first 

723
00:42:00,080 --> 00:42:02,120
time on the 2nd of May. 
And that's taken two or three 

724
00:42:02,120 --> 00:42:09,400
years of, of research. 
We did a recce with a group of 

725
00:42:09,400 --> 00:42:12,400
runners last year and then the 
real thing this year because it 

726
00:42:12,400 --> 00:42:20,120
felt much more just a bigger 
challenge logistically and for 

727
00:42:20,120 --> 00:42:21,280
the health and safety of the 
runners. 

728
00:42:21,280 --> 00:42:22,880
I really didn't want to take it 
a nightly. 

729
00:42:22,880 --> 00:42:25,680
I wanted to really make sure 
that I'd thought everything 

730
00:42:25,680 --> 00:42:28,640
through because it's, it's a 
long wait and bad, you know, 

731
00:42:29,400 --> 00:42:31,280
shit can happen. 
And I just want to make sure 

732
00:42:31,280 --> 00:42:33,360
that I had contingency plans for
that. 

733
00:42:33,480 --> 00:42:35,600
So it's the first time I've ever
GPS tracked runners. 

734
00:42:36,240 --> 00:42:38,280
So that was exciting. 
A dot watch I've never had 

735
00:42:38,400 --> 00:42:42,000
because I've never had a dot 
watch really before because my 6

736
00:42:42,000 --> 00:42:44,600
hour ultra, they were, they were
just either 2 miles that way or 

737
00:42:44,600 --> 00:42:49,760
two miles that way. 
That's you don't have to don't 

738
00:42:49,760 --> 00:42:52,400
watch that one. 
But you know, a chip time 

739
00:42:52,400 --> 00:42:54,920
people, but that a chip isn't a 
tracker. 

740
00:42:55,120 --> 00:42:57,680
It won't. 
It's an RFIDA radio frequency 

741
00:42:57,680 --> 00:43:00,520
device. 
So it only knows where you are 

742
00:43:00,520 --> 00:43:04,840
when you go over that mat. 
It's just an absolute place and 

743
00:43:04,840 --> 00:43:08,880
time where it's GPS you're yeah,
it's satellite track. 

744
00:43:09,760 --> 00:43:13,200
At least with the chip time or 
the the diber or whatever you 

745
00:43:13,200 --> 00:43:16,720
want to call it, you know that 
the person is between this 

746
00:43:16,720 --> 00:43:19,440
checkpoint and that checkpoint. 
Yes, yes. 

747
00:43:19,440 --> 00:43:21,480
So. 
It is a way to track them down. 

748
00:43:22,120 --> 00:43:23,640
Yeah, true. 
Yeah, Absolutely. 

749
00:43:24,200 --> 00:43:28,880
Yeah. 
I've got some questions that we 

750
00:43:28,880 --> 00:43:32,720
used to ask before Nikki joins 
the podcast. 

751
00:43:32,920 --> 00:43:36,600
This was the questions directed 
at race directors, so I've 

752
00:43:36,600 --> 00:43:38,560
looked them up. 
I don't think we've asked these 

753
00:43:38,640 --> 00:43:42,560
since, so I'll ask you now. 
Feel privileged because it's 

754
00:43:42,560 --> 00:43:44,000
been over a year since they've 
been asked do. 

755
00:43:44,000 --> 00:43:49,000
You feel privileged. 
Out of all your races, do you 

756
00:43:49,000 --> 00:43:50,840
have one that you wish you could
do? 

757
00:43:52,880 --> 00:43:55,760
As in you could run. 
Yeah, if I fucking wait. 

758
00:43:58,160 --> 00:44:03,320
That was the easy one. 
Yeah, that would be the one. 

759
00:44:03,800 --> 00:44:08,280
I'm thinking about them all. 
There's another new one coming 

760
00:44:08,280 --> 00:44:10,160
up, supposed. 
To say your ultra that you've 

761
00:44:10,160 --> 00:44:12,880
just ran last week. 
Yeah, the five people will be 

762
00:44:12,880 --> 00:44:13,560
ultra. 
That's it. 

763
00:44:13,560 --> 00:44:16,480
Yeah, I would love to do it. 
I have done it. 

764
00:44:16,480 --> 00:44:18,160
I've done it all on a bike. 
I did it. 

765
00:44:18,160 --> 00:44:21,640
I did it on the recce last year.
But it's a it's a great route, 

766
00:44:22,040 --> 00:44:23,880
Yeah. 
It's like choosing your favorite

767
00:44:23,880 --> 00:44:25,240
child. 
You're supposed to say you love 

768
00:44:25,240 --> 00:44:30,840
them all equally. 
Well, I do like them all, I feel

769
00:44:31,040 --> 00:44:34,760
yeah, I mean, because as a 
runner, because people often ask

770
00:44:34,880 --> 00:44:37,360
or have been asked before what 
my favorite distance is. 

771
00:44:37,360 --> 00:44:42,800
And I find that really difficult
because I do enjoy, you know, 

772
00:44:42,800 --> 00:44:47,440
kind of a type 25KS and I do 
enjoy ultras, you know, they're 

773
00:44:47,440 --> 00:44:50,200
just very different, as you 
know, and a 5K can be harder. 

774
00:44:50,480 --> 00:44:54,440
Seriously, I think you'll maybe 
maybe agree than A90K or 100K. 

775
00:44:54,560 --> 00:44:59,360
I've only gone up to 90, but 
going flat out for 5K is bloody 

776
00:44:59,360 --> 00:45:04,720
hard. 
Whereas ultras for me were never

777
00:45:04,720 --> 00:45:07,440
about being at the sharp end. 
Ultras for me were definitely 

778
00:45:07,440 --> 00:45:10,280
get the distance done as well as
I could, but it wasn't about 

779
00:45:10,280 --> 00:45:12,280
racing. 
So just a very different 

780
00:45:12,280 --> 00:45:18,480
experience and just, yeah, so I 
suppose in the same sense, I've 

781
00:45:18,480 --> 00:45:22,400
tried to then put on different 
races in our calendar that, you 

782
00:45:22,400 --> 00:45:25,320
know, we we didn't put it on 
this year, but we've got the 

783
00:45:25,320 --> 00:45:27,600
Scottish mile, which gets the 
people that just want to come 

784
00:45:27,600 --> 00:45:29,440
out and just, you know, it's 
point to point. 

785
00:45:29,920 --> 00:45:31,800
It's quite good fun. 
It's down at the prom. 

786
00:45:32,000 --> 00:45:34,440
The prom is windy. 
So we choose on the race day 

787
00:45:34,440 --> 00:45:37,640
which direction you're going in.
So I can't promise that you'll 

788
00:45:37,640 --> 00:45:39,920
have a tailwind, but I can 
promise that you're not going to

789
00:45:39,920 --> 00:45:43,440
have a headwind. 
So that's a good fun one for 

790
00:45:43,440 --> 00:45:46,320
just right how because you don't
often get to do that. 

791
00:45:46,320 --> 00:45:48,560
I think there's a lot of people 
that their shortest distance 

792
00:45:48,560 --> 00:45:52,560
they ever race is 5K. 
They don't ever race one mile. 

793
00:45:53,080 --> 00:45:58,080
So it's quite, it's good fun. 
And then obviously do all the 

794
00:45:58,080 --> 00:46:01,640
different distances and add a 
trail in as well, just because I

795
00:46:01,640 --> 00:46:04,840
like variety. 
So I'm, yeah, just thought 

796
00:46:04,840 --> 00:46:06,160
that's what I'd offer to other 
people. 

797
00:46:06,240 --> 00:46:10,000
But yeah, the Fife Pilgrim way I
think I am. 

798
00:46:10,000 --> 00:46:15,760
I hail from Fife and it's a so 
part of it is trip down memory 

799
00:46:15,760 --> 00:46:17,120
lane for me. 
I go to all these different 

800
00:46:17,120 --> 00:46:20,120
villages that have different 
memories of childhood. 

801
00:46:20,480 --> 00:46:25,720
But it's a lovely it's 70% 
trail, 30% tarmac. 

802
00:46:27,600 --> 00:46:30,800
It's it is undulating, but it's 
not, you know, it's only it's 

803
00:46:30,880 --> 00:46:34,600
1200 meters. 
It's not ridiculous, but it's 

804
00:46:34,600 --> 00:46:37,960
not flat. 
So it's, and you're sometimes in

805
00:46:37,960 --> 00:46:41,360
little coal mining villages, 
you're sometimes in the woods. 

806
00:46:41,560 --> 00:46:43,360
It's just a really, there's 
something to see. 

807
00:46:43,560 --> 00:46:48,560
And we, we got a lot of a lot of
the runners were from Fife And 

808
00:46:48,560 --> 00:46:51,720
what they, the feedback I got 
from them was it was so nice 

809
00:46:51,720 --> 00:46:54,640
that their granny or their 
children could be on the course 

810
00:46:54,840 --> 00:46:56,960
and come and meet them. 
And they don't get that if they 

811
00:46:56,960 --> 00:47:00,640
go up to Kinnock leave and or, 
or these other or West Island 

812
00:47:00,640 --> 00:47:03,440
way, they don't they their kids 
or their, their parent or their 

813
00:47:03,440 --> 00:47:05,840
children or the parents, they 
don't see the runners. 

814
00:47:05,840 --> 00:47:09,400
So that was really nice. 
It's a very accessible route for

815
00:47:09,400 --> 00:47:14,000
for supporters, yeah. 
And focusing on Pilgrim way. 

816
00:47:14,360 --> 00:47:16,480
Yeah. 
Is there anything that you can 

817
00:47:16,480 --> 00:47:19,800
think of that you would change 
or improve for next time? 

818
00:47:21,440 --> 00:47:26,080
I've been asked a few times 
about relays and I've given it 

819
00:47:26,080 --> 00:47:30,040
quite a lot of thought. 
Would it be an improvement or 

820
00:47:30,040 --> 00:47:33,360
would it be another offering? 
And I think I'm going to stay 

821
00:47:33,360 --> 00:47:36,440
purist. 
Don't kill me, people, but 

822
00:47:36,920 --> 00:47:42,320
having been part of so I helped 
out at the not the devil the 

823
00:47:43,680 --> 00:47:46,000
what's the other one the. 
Fling or the West? 

824
00:47:46,000 --> 00:47:47,840
End the Fling. 
I helped out at the Fling last 

825
00:47:47,840 --> 00:47:50,720
year, so I was there at the 
start line getting all the bags 

826
00:47:50,720 --> 00:47:55,200
for a backdrop and I went to 
Balmaha and I was there giving 

827
00:47:55,200 --> 00:47:59,240
out the bags. 
But I've also I supported my 

828
00:47:59,240 --> 00:48:02,720
friend Emma Peverell on her West
Island Full help West Island 

829
00:48:02,720 --> 00:48:06,480
Baila 2 two years ago last year.
I can't remember. 

830
00:48:06,920 --> 00:48:11,240
I just saw how many cars are 
involved in that coming to small

831
00:48:11,240 --> 00:48:15,320
places and logistics of that. 
And as I say, I've just said, a 

832
00:48:15,320 --> 00:48:21,000
lot of the Fife villages are 
small and I don't think could 

833
00:48:21,000 --> 00:48:24,000
actually cope logistically with 
with a relay. 

834
00:48:25,440 --> 00:48:28,600
So I think I'm just going to 
what you say, put your something

835
00:48:28,600 --> 00:48:33,200
on a tree or pin your flag to a 
post and just say sorry, but 

836
00:48:33,200 --> 00:48:38,400
this, this is a 90K solo effort.
What could improve? 

837
00:48:42,280 --> 00:48:45,040
There's always things that you 
you can think of and it's too 

838
00:48:45,040 --> 00:48:46,840
close to it just now. 
At the moment, it's just all a 

839
00:48:46,840 --> 00:48:50,600
perfect bubble. 
But I'm sure, I'm sure there'll 

840
00:48:50,600 --> 00:48:52,840
be things I can think of to 
improve on it. 

841
00:48:53,040 --> 00:48:59,440
More runners. 
That was a nice start with 121, 

842
00:49:00,120 --> 00:49:02,680
but 130 sign up and 121 took 
part. 

843
00:49:02,680 --> 00:49:06,280
And actually as my first go, I 
was really delighted with that. 

844
00:49:06,280 --> 00:49:09,000
It felt contained. 
It felt like a really nice 

845
00:49:09,000 --> 00:49:12,680
number of people that I could 
keep easily keep watch on. 

846
00:49:12,960 --> 00:49:16,200
And we did have to phone a 
couple to say you can of course,

847
00:49:18,000 --> 00:49:23,600
a couple of times. 
But actually I, I, I it could 

848
00:49:23,600 --> 00:49:28,600
handle more and it was lovely. 
We started at a nice hotel at 

849
00:49:28,600 --> 00:49:30,600
North Queensbury. 
So it was a really good feedback

850
00:49:30,600 --> 00:49:35,120
for that was kind of five star 
registration, no portaloos, 

851
00:49:35,440 --> 00:49:39,200
coffee on tap. 
And that was that was lovely. 

852
00:49:39,200 --> 00:49:42,680
And then we finished. 
OK, yeah, improvement. 

853
00:49:42,680 --> 00:49:45,080
I would improve my finish. 
The problem is I don't know how 

854
00:49:45,080 --> 00:49:47,000
much I can improvement improve 
it. 

855
00:49:47,760 --> 00:49:50,800
The finish line is the, is the 
ruins of the Saint Andrews 

856
00:49:50,800 --> 00:49:55,640
Cathedral, which is on a Rd. 
And yeah, it's a slightly wider 

857
00:49:55,640 --> 00:49:58,160
pavement in front of it. 
But you can't, I don't know how 

858
00:49:58,160 --> 00:50:00,280
well you know St. 
Saint Andrews, but you run up, 

859
00:50:00,280 --> 00:50:01,840
your final kind of half mile is 
up. 

860
00:50:01,840 --> 00:50:06,040
Saint Anne is up South St. which
had a market on. 

861
00:50:06,040 --> 00:50:08,080
So the runners were saying, oh, 
it wasn't great, you know. 

862
00:50:08,080 --> 00:50:11,520
Well, people weren't, they 
weren't aware that we just run 

863
00:50:11,880 --> 00:50:14,120
90 kilometres. 
We don't actually have the 

864
00:50:14,120 --> 00:50:17,680
wherewithal to be dodging in 
amongst food stalls. 

865
00:50:18,720 --> 00:50:21,440
But I, you know, I can't do, 
there's no space for me to do 

866
00:50:21,440 --> 00:50:23,280
the red carpet. 
Not that I would want to do the 

867
00:50:23,280 --> 00:50:26,280
red carpet, that's done 
elsewhere, but I'd like to have 

868
00:50:26,280 --> 00:50:34,400
some better, bigger fanfare. 
You have just run the 90K you've

869
00:50:34,400 --> 00:50:37,080
run across Fife. 
It's incredible. 

870
00:50:37,480 --> 00:50:40,120
Rather than a, you know, I did 
put a, you know, I got a special

871
00:50:40,120 --> 00:50:43,280
banner printed and we put it on 
the fence and we had our flags, 

872
00:50:43,280 --> 00:50:50,000
but it didn't feel enough. 
We did have the church hall 

873
00:50:50,000 --> 00:50:53,600
where we had the fudge, 
doughnuts, chocolate milk, 

874
00:50:54,240 --> 00:50:56,400
lasagna. 
You know, we had all of that. 

875
00:50:56,400 --> 00:50:59,520
And people could come and get 
changed and then sit down and 

876
00:50:59,520 --> 00:51:02,400
just have some really nice kind 
of social element afterwards. 

877
00:51:02,400 --> 00:51:07,600
But I'm, yeah, I don't know, 
suggestions on a postcard how I 

878
00:51:07,600 --> 00:51:11,320
could improve the actual finish 
line when I don't have much 

879
00:51:11,320 --> 00:51:12,960
space. 
What do? 

880
00:51:13,920 --> 00:51:18,960
They, Nikki was saying earlier 
that her, I think it was pre 

881
00:51:18,960 --> 00:51:22,400
recording her favorite race is 
Devil of the Highlands and back 

882
00:51:22,400 --> 00:51:26,240
in back in the olden days about 
I don't know how long ago before

883
00:51:26,240 --> 00:51:30,080
John Duncan took it on. 
We used to finish as you come 

884
00:51:30,080 --> 00:51:35,280
into Fort William on the road, 
there was a line and chalk drawn

885
00:51:35,280 --> 00:51:37,200
on the pavement and that was 
your finish line. 

886
00:51:38,240 --> 00:51:40,840
Yeah, John Duncan, I was 1 up 
from that. 

887
00:51:42,120 --> 00:51:44,880
They've they've moved the 
location, you come in a 

888
00:51:44,880 --> 00:51:48,400
different direction and it is 
the red carpet now. 

889
00:51:48,560 --> 00:51:55,680
So it's, it's a different event.
It's it takes away or adds to 

890
00:51:55,680 --> 00:52:00,920
whichever way you see it it, it 
used to be a very, very low key 

891
00:52:00,920 --> 00:52:04,280
event and it was, as I say, 
lining on the pavement. 

892
00:52:04,520 --> 00:52:06,960
You finish and get out of the 
way. 

893
00:52:06,960 --> 00:52:08,360
The car is coming in the car 
park. 

894
00:52:08,360 --> 00:52:10,440
I. 
Know right. 

895
00:52:11,240 --> 00:52:16,120
It was a little bit like that. 
Oh, I don't know somewhere in 

896
00:52:16,120 --> 00:52:18,040
between. 
I mean because there's something

897
00:52:18,040 --> 00:52:21,680
very special about finishing at 
the cathedral. 

898
00:52:22,240 --> 00:52:27,080
The the the mayor S did come up 
to us or the mayor, the female 

899
00:52:27,080 --> 00:52:30,240
mayor came up at the end and she
hadn't actually been aware of it

900
00:52:30,240 --> 00:52:33,880
going on and she did say listen,
tell, you know, get in touch. 

901
00:52:33,880 --> 00:52:36,520
We'll get a Pipe Band. 
We'll do much more of a bonanza 

902
00:52:36,520 --> 00:52:39,040
for next year. 
So that'd be brilliant, but I 

903
00:52:39,160 --> 00:52:43,040
suppose a pipe gun band can't 
play for 8 hours, you know, so, 

904
00:52:43,720 --> 00:52:48,240
but maybe, you know, even like 
because tourists aren't allowed 

905
00:52:48,240 --> 00:52:53,320
into the the grounds of the 
ruins, I'm would they allow 

906
00:52:53,360 --> 00:52:55,720
those hallowed grounds open? 
I don't know. 

907
00:52:56,200 --> 00:53:01,360
I think, I'm not sure if they 
would or not, but I'd like, 

908
00:53:02,480 --> 00:53:04,320
yeah, just something a bit more 
for the runners. 

909
00:53:04,320 --> 00:53:08,160
I think somewhere in between. 
I maybe don't need such a huge 

910
00:53:08,160 --> 00:53:13,800
thing as as the red carpet or 
the OR a Pipe Band, but just 

911
00:53:13,840 --> 00:53:15,640
something a wee bit more I think
would be good. 

912
00:53:16,200 --> 00:53:21,640
There are races that they've got
a solo piper and they can see 

913
00:53:21,640 --> 00:53:24,400
the runner coming from quarter 
mile away. 

914
00:53:24,480 --> 00:53:27,240
They can start playing. 
That's a good idea. 

915
00:53:27,320 --> 00:53:28,920
That's a great idea because you 
can. 

916
00:53:29,400 --> 00:53:31,040
You can. 
You can see them coming up South

917
00:53:31,040 --> 00:53:33,360
St. 
That's. 

918
00:53:33,360 --> 00:53:36,720
Almost announcing to the crowd 
there's somebody coming. 

919
00:53:37,080 --> 00:53:40,160
I love that idea. 
That's a good idea, yes. 

920
00:53:40,320 --> 00:53:42,200
And I could roll. 
You know it doesn't have to be 

921
00:53:42,200 --> 00:53:45,240
the same piper for 8 hours. 
You can have that one for free. 

922
00:53:45,480 --> 00:53:50,600
Thank you, Mike, you. 
You You piqued my interest when 

923
00:53:50,600 --> 00:53:53,160
you said lasagna I. 
Was like, oh, it was so good. 

924
00:53:54,880 --> 00:53:56,960
And yeah, the chocolate milk 
seemed to be a hit. 

925
00:53:56,960 --> 00:53:59,800
And when we did a couple of 
recce runs and asking people 

926
00:53:59,800 --> 00:54:04,840
what one what they wanted on 
checkpoint food, boiled potato, 

927
00:54:04,840 --> 00:54:07,720
salted boiled potatoes. 
Oh my goodness, we we didn't do 

928
00:54:07,720 --> 00:54:09,120
enough. 
Another improvement. 

929
00:54:09,400 --> 00:54:12,600
I didn't realise quite how 
popular they would be. 

930
00:54:12,640 --> 00:54:17,240
Watermelon and A and the lasagna
at the end. 

931
00:54:17,480 --> 00:54:18,920
It was. 
Yeah, it was top notch. 

932
00:54:18,960 --> 00:54:21,600
Yeah, it was really good. 
But because by then, actually, 

933
00:54:21,600 --> 00:54:23,560
as much as we thought everyone 
would want a fudge doughnut 

934
00:54:23,560 --> 00:54:24,720
because the. 
I don't know if you've heard of 

935
00:54:24,720 --> 00:54:28,200
Fisher and Fisher and Donaldson 
fudge doughnuts. 

936
00:54:28,280 --> 00:54:31,320
Oh, right. 
You have to make a pilgrimage. 

937
00:54:31,320 --> 00:54:37,200
It's just just to try one. 
But they're huge and they are 

938
00:54:37,200 --> 00:54:41,040
the pinnacle of fudge doughnuts.
But you've just had a whole day 

939
00:54:41,040 --> 00:54:43,040
of sugar, haven't you? 
Really. 

940
00:54:43,480 --> 00:54:48,600
So actually what you want is 
lasagna or baguette and buttered

941
00:54:48,600 --> 00:54:51,280
or, or even just I've even put 
on my list for next year just a 

942
00:54:51,280 --> 00:54:53,240
toaster. 
I remember at the end of Cataran

943
00:54:53,240 --> 00:54:56,360
way, actually, I just wanted 
toast was a great idea. 

944
00:54:56,760 --> 00:55:01,720
I'm toasting a cup of tea. 
So yeah, that was that was 

945
00:55:01,720 --> 00:55:04,080
another learning actually, what 
do people want at the end? 

946
00:55:05,920 --> 00:55:09,320
Yeah. 
Yeah, I've volunteered for GB 

947
00:55:09,320 --> 00:55:11,560
ultras at the Glasgow to 
Edinburgh one year. 

948
00:55:11,560 --> 00:55:13,680
And you say about the salty 
boiled potatoes. 

949
00:55:13,680 --> 00:55:15,840
That was the first thing we 
don't run out of. 

950
00:55:16,120 --> 00:55:18,000
Yeah. 
We'll checkpoint shortly, 

951
00:55:18,000 --> 00:55:21,480
followed by cubes of cheese or 
the cheese sandwiches. 

952
00:55:22,400 --> 00:55:23,040
Really. 
Yeah. 

953
00:55:23,040 --> 00:55:26,120
People seem to really like 
cheese, as you say, see, because

954
00:55:26,120 --> 00:55:29,840
of, like, the sugar and you've 
got your sugary gels and your, 

955
00:55:30,040 --> 00:55:33,240
you know, sweet drinks. 
I think people like the flavour 

956
00:55:33,240 --> 00:55:36,040
of a cheese sandwich or a bit of
cheese. 

957
00:55:36,200 --> 00:55:38,320
I've done it myself. 
I've I carry baby bell. 

958
00:55:38,560 --> 00:55:40,240
Yeah, Yeah. 
So, yeah, no, I get it, 

959
00:55:40,240 --> 00:55:41,240
actually. 
Yeah. 

960
00:55:41,240 --> 00:55:42,800
It's a good idea. 
Again, noted. 

961
00:55:43,720 --> 00:55:45,440
I'll have to listen back. 
I'll have to listen to this 

962
00:55:45,440 --> 00:55:48,880
podcast. 
I find myself for these good 

963
00:55:48,920 --> 00:55:51,360
ideas. 
And if anyone else listening 

964
00:55:51,360 --> 00:55:56,960
does have suggestions for Cat 
for Ultra suggestions then you 

965
00:55:56,960 --> 00:56:02,240
can either get in touch with us 
or follow follow Cat and one 

966
00:56:02,240 --> 00:56:05,800
part her with the DMS. Yeah, 
yeah, absolutely. 

967
00:56:05,840 --> 00:56:10,040
Yeah. 
During UTMB, what, 50 miles into

968
00:56:10,040 --> 00:56:13,840
the race, 60 miles and they were
serving salami and cheese. 

969
00:56:14,480 --> 00:56:17,760
Continental type food is like 
no, no thank you. 

970
00:56:17,760 --> 00:56:19,200
Oh. 
You were no, thank you. 

971
00:56:19,200 --> 00:56:21,520
Odd. 
It's it's funny, isn't it? 

972
00:56:21,520 --> 00:56:24,240
What you think you'll want and 
then what you end up wanting. 

973
00:56:24,520 --> 00:56:30,120
If I go way back to 2003 when I 
did my first Cali challenge, so 

974
00:56:30,120 --> 00:56:33,160
I was, I don't know, her mid 
20s. 

975
00:56:33,160 --> 00:56:35,840
Let's say I'd done marathon 
training, but I'd never done an 

976
00:56:35,840 --> 00:56:38,680
ultra and my mum and dad were 
supporting. 

977
00:56:38,680 --> 00:56:43,280
So they were at Glencoe and my 
mum had actually, to be fair was

978
00:56:43,280 --> 00:56:46,960
potato, but she'd maybe a really
nice French bean and potato 

979
00:56:46,960 --> 00:56:50,160
salad. 
And I think I pretty much did 

980
00:56:50,160 --> 00:56:52,680
that whole race on Jelly babies.
You know, I just stored Jelly 

981
00:56:52,680 --> 00:56:55,600
beans even I didn't want any 
real food at all. 

982
00:56:55,920 --> 00:56:58,320
But I had all these, you know, I
had them making me pasta. 

983
00:56:58,320 --> 00:57:01,560
And no, you just what you think 
you'll want and actually what 

984
00:57:01,560 --> 00:57:07,280
you do want are different. 
But I do remember 1 I'd phoned 

985
00:57:07,840 --> 00:57:13,520
John Cassidy, Young Hearts run 
free podcast for a wee bit of 

986
00:57:13,520 --> 00:57:17,680
advice on what to put in drop 
back drop bags for. 

987
00:57:17,800 --> 00:57:19,640
Which one was it? 
I think it was Cataran. 

988
00:57:20,320 --> 00:57:22,560
And he said, listen, just put 
something in that you know, that

989
00:57:22,560 --> 00:57:25,440
you'll maybe really can keep you
going. 

990
00:57:26,160 --> 00:57:28,800
Oh, can't wait to get whatever 
that would be. 

991
00:57:29,000 --> 00:57:31,600
And for me it was salt and 
vinegar crisps. 

992
00:57:31,880 --> 00:57:34,680
And it was right. 
I was thinking, Oh yeah, I've 

993
00:57:34,680 --> 00:57:36,120
got a salt and vinegar crisps 
coming up. 

994
00:57:36,120 --> 00:57:38,240
And there was, there was a real 
joy of going and that's what I 

995
00:57:38,240 --> 00:57:40,440
wanted at that point because 
again, you'd had, I'd had enough

996
00:57:41,680 --> 00:57:44,800
tailwind or what was I active 
route, You know, I've had enough

997
00:57:44,800 --> 00:57:47,040
kind of sugary stuff at that 
point. 

998
00:57:47,040 --> 00:57:50,600
I just wanted the the savoury. 
So yeah, it's just you want 

999
00:57:50,600 --> 00:57:52,080
different things at different 
points, don't you? 

1000
00:57:52,760 --> 00:57:55,240
And the the last of the 
questions that you haven't seen 

1001
00:57:55,520 --> 00:57:59,600
is a lot of runners, especially 
Nikki, gets nervous before a 

1002
00:57:59,600 --> 00:58:03,760
race. 
Do you get nervous before a race

1003
00:58:03,760 --> 00:58:07,000
that you're organizing? 
Yeah, I don't sleep very well 

1004
00:58:07,000 --> 00:58:14,320
for a whole week actually, just 
here's the main one. 

1005
00:58:14,880 --> 00:58:20,960
Have I got enough portaloos? 
And the answer is always no, 

1006
00:58:21,800 --> 00:58:24,080
because you can never have 
enough portaloos. 

1007
00:58:24,480 --> 00:58:27,480
And that's why I always go back 
to we all need at the same time 

1008
00:58:27,480 --> 00:58:29,120
in that kind of 5-10 minute 
window. 

1009
00:58:29,120 --> 00:58:31,800
And I can't, if I've got 600 
runners, I can't have 600 

1010
00:58:31,800 --> 00:58:33,480
portaloos. 
So there's always going to be, 

1011
00:58:33,480 --> 00:58:34,680
they're always going to be 
queues. 

1012
00:58:34,960 --> 00:58:38,320
And portaloos are about £100 a 
pop right? 

1013
00:58:38,840 --> 00:58:40,600
Aha, Nicky's eyebrows have just 
gone up. 

1014
00:58:40,600 --> 00:58:46,280
They are a major expense in in 
events my. 

1015
00:58:46,320 --> 00:58:47,720
Eyebrows have just gone up 
though. 

1016
00:58:47,720 --> 00:58:51,400
Cat because see me being snobby 
or just. 

1017
00:58:51,680 --> 00:58:53,880
Rank. 
I'd rather go in the Bush. 

1018
00:58:56,400 --> 00:58:59,720
I feel like it's more hygienic 
going in a Bush because if you 

1019
00:58:59,760 --> 00:59:03,840
go in a portaloo after 20 other 
people have been in front of 

1020
00:59:03,840 --> 00:59:06,480
you, you want to be the first in
that cure. 

1021
00:59:07,880 --> 00:59:10,600
You're lucky if you're #20 try 
#400. 

1022
00:59:12,440 --> 00:59:13,640
I have. 
I mean it's not. 

1023
00:59:13,640 --> 00:59:16,120
Again, it's not. 
I'm not saying that us females 

1024
00:59:16,120 --> 00:59:18,520
don't get the runners trots, but
I do. 

1025
00:59:18,560 --> 00:59:22,120
I'm now to always try and have 
some female only one. 

1026
00:59:22,120 --> 00:59:23,040
I don't. 
Think that would make a 

1027
00:59:23,040 --> 00:59:24,600
difference? 
Yeah, I think you're right, 

1028
00:59:24,600 --> 00:59:25,360
actually. 
I know. 

1029
00:59:25,360 --> 00:59:28,720
I think that's wishful thinking 
on my part, but I know. 

1030
00:59:30,080 --> 00:59:32,120
Yeah, Portuguese keep me awake. 
I'm. 

1031
00:59:32,200 --> 00:59:34,600
And just things like that. 
Have I thought of everything, 

1032
00:59:35,000 --> 00:59:37,880
you know, is everything in 
place? 

1033
00:59:38,120 --> 00:59:40,920
Do I need another arrow there? 
Should there be another Marshall

1034
00:59:40,920 --> 00:59:45,480
there? 
Timings or just yeah, everything

1035
00:59:48,080 --> 00:59:52,160
Edmar counsellor good to deal 
with in that they generally 

1036
00:59:52,280 --> 00:59:55,920
haven't ever said no to me 
applying for a race, but they're

1037
00:59:55,920 --> 00:59:58,360
always a bit last minute. 
And so again, you just have to 

1038
00:59:58,360 --> 01:00:02,880
hold your nerve that they will 
grant you a license because it 

1039
01:00:02,880 --> 01:00:07,200
can be done on the week of. 
And you just have to, yeah, you 

1040
01:00:07,200 --> 01:00:11,480
just have to go with it. 
And I've spoken to them about it

1041
01:00:11,480 --> 01:00:14,080
and I've said, listen, I really 
hope that if you had any queries

1042
01:00:14,080 --> 01:00:16,840
for me that that would be done 
in a, you know, if it's had a 

1043
01:00:16,840 --> 01:00:22,760
red flag, you'd let me know. 
I had, I've only been taken. 

1044
01:00:23,120 --> 01:00:27,360
So I had to go to the licensing 
board last year for race the 

1045
01:00:27,360 --> 01:00:30,080
Tram. 
So this is a new event in our 

1046
01:00:30,080 --> 01:00:34,600
calendar last year. 
And I think they were just a bit

1047
01:00:34,600 --> 01:00:37,480
concerned that was asking people
to run alongside the tram. 

1048
01:00:39,240 --> 01:00:40,840
I'll explain the race of tram in
a minute. 

1049
01:00:40,840 --> 01:00:45,360
But so I had to go to Chamber 
St. to the big licensing board. 

1050
01:00:45,560 --> 01:00:48,120
There's people behind me in kind
of a public gallery. 

1051
01:00:49,160 --> 01:00:51,880
There was someone who was 
organizing the Pride March. 

1052
01:00:51,880 --> 01:00:54,320
So this is the Tuesday race. 
The tram is the Sunday. 

1053
01:00:54,320 --> 01:00:56,720
There was someone organizing the
Pride March on the Saturday with

1054
01:00:56,720 --> 01:00:58,720
say something like I know 10,000
people. 

1055
01:00:58,720 --> 01:01:01,640
There was someone else way 
bigger events than I was there 

1056
01:01:01,640 --> 01:01:04,880
for. 
And I'm thinking surely this has

1057
01:01:04,880 --> 01:01:09,120
to just be a tick box because 
you can't say no on the Tuesday 

1058
01:01:09,600 --> 01:01:13,080
to these people. 
And really all they were worried

1059
01:01:13,080 --> 01:01:14,840
about, the only questions they 
actually asked me was, well, 

1060
01:01:14,840 --> 01:01:17,400
what happens if the tram comes 
along and there's is there too 

1061
01:01:17,400 --> 01:01:18,840
many people for you runners to 
get on? 

1062
01:01:18,840 --> 01:01:20,880
I was like, well, we'll just 
wait for the next tram. 

1063
01:01:20,880 --> 01:01:24,440
I didn't really really get why I
was there. 

1064
01:01:24,440 --> 01:01:29,320
But race the tram is fun. 
It was 2, two or three weeks 

1065
01:01:29,320 --> 01:01:33,560
ago. 
You get on the tram out of town 

1066
01:01:33,560 --> 01:01:36,280
near the airport, it's called 
Edinburgh Park Central. 

1067
01:01:36,680 --> 01:01:40,560
So you all get on the tram there
and the tram goes into town. 

1068
01:01:41,000 --> 01:01:44,680
You've pre chosen what station 
you get off at. 

1069
01:01:44,960 --> 01:01:48,280
So the easiest one is you get 
off at Saint Andrew's Square. 

1070
01:01:48,280 --> 01:01:50,120
So that's the kind of Harvey 
next end of town. 

1071
01:01:50,640 --> 01:01:54,720
And if you get off there you've 
got and it's self NAV. 

1072
01:01:55,080 --> 01:01:58,880
You have to get yourself back to
the original Headland Park 

1073
01:01:58,880 --> 01:02:02,160
Central, and if as the craw 
flies, it's about 5 1/2 miles, 

1074
01:02:03,080 --> 01:02:06,720
the tram that you got off still 
has to go all the way down to 

1075
01:02:06,720 --> 01:02:10,400
the terminus, but it waits for 5
minutes and then comes back up. 

1076
01:02:10,920 --> 01:02:15,480
OK, so you've got 70 minutes, 
right, to do 5 1/2 miles, even 

1077
01:02:15,480 --> 01:02:18,160
though you're self navigating 
and there's no Marshalls telling

1078
01:02:18,160 --> 01:02:21,000
which way to go. 
There's a lot of people that can

1079
01:02:21,000 --> 01:02:25,400
do 5 1/2 miles and 70 minutes. 
So it's, it's pretty given that 

1080
01:02:25,400 --> 01:02:28,760
you're going to beat the tram 
back, but if you get off at the 

1081
01:02:28,760 --> 01:02:34,280
terminus down at New Haven, 
you've only got 50 minutes to do

1082
01:02:34,280 --> 01:02:37,560
7 1/2 miles and it's mostly 
uphill. 

1083
01:02:38,520 --> 01:02:41,160
So there's a bit and there's 
another one in between we added 

1084
01:02:41,160 --> 01:02:43,640
this year. 
So it's a really good fun event,

1085
01:02:43,640 --> 01:02:48,240
but it's it's quite a difficult 
one to to explain on paper. 

1086
01:02:48,240 --> 01:02:50,680
So I think people every year 
think that I'm asking you to run

1087
01:02:50,680 --> 01:02:53,480
on the tram lines. 
I'm not asking you to, you're 

1088
01:02:53,480 --> 01:02:57,440
not racing the tram side by 
side, you're just racing it 

1089
01:02:57,440 --> 01:03:01,760
back. 
And 90 something percent of our 

1090
01:03:01,760 --> 01:03:04,680
right runners made it this year.
But there's they don't all make 

1091
01:03:04,680 --> 01:03:08,120
it. 
I think Mike should do that one 

1092
01:03:08,120 --> 01:03:11,720
and get off at the last stop. 
Yeah, it's good. 

1093
01:03:11,880 --> 01:03:14,320
It's good. 
We had a journalist from Runners

1094
01:03:14,320 --> 01:03:17,960
World asked to come and take 
part this year and it's tiny 

1095
01:03:17,960 --> 01:03:19,760
again. 
I think this is personally, I 

1096
01:03:19,760 --> 01:03:24,000
think it's one of my best ideas.
I'm not getting that many. 

1097
01:03:24,000 --> 01:03:27,720
We had 100 and 120 or something 
this year. 

1098
01:03:27,720 --> 01:03:30,160
I'm like, guys, come on, this is
great fun. 

1099
01:03:30,280 --> 01:03:33,240
It's not chip timed. 
It's just a fun event. 

1100
01:03:34,520 --> 01:03:39,880
And so with journalists seem to 
want to write about it, but I 

1101
01:03:39,880 --> 01:03:41,720
don't know. 
Again, answers on a postcard. 

1102
01:03:41,720 --> 01:03:43,840
How can I get more people along 
to race the tram? 

1103
01:03:44,000 --> 01:03:47,560
Because it's it's brilliant. 
And you finish at a bake, you 

1104
01:03:47,560 --> 01:03:49,800
finish at a bakery. 
Oh, come on Morgan, you have. 

1105
01:03:51,600 --> 01:03:56,040
Us a lot of people say, oh, I 
only ever run to catch a train 

1106
01:03:56,040 --> 01:03:57,800
or something like that, so this 
is the perfect idea. 

1107
01:03:59,360 --> 01:04:01,240
Running for the bus, running for
the tram. 

1108
01:04:01,880 --> 01:04:03,560
That's it. 
I don't know, maybe it is. 

1109
01:04:03,720 --> 01:04:06,240
Maybe it is the fact that it's 
not chip time and it's not got, 

1110
01:04:06,600 --> 01:04:08,400
you know, it's an actual 
distance, No distance. 

1111
01:04:08,880 --> 01:04:10,800
I'm not sure. 
I'm not sure. 

1112
01:04:10,800 --> 01:04:13,840
So I'll give it another go next 
year and see if we can get more 

1113
01:04:13,840 --> 01:04:17,360
people. 
Yeah, you win some, you lose 

1114
01:04:17,360 --> 01:04:21,320
some. 
And next question, I think we're

1115
01:04:21,320 --> 01:04:23,000
back talking about the Pilgrims 
way. 

1116
01:04:24,080 --> 01:04:26,240
How did you come up with idea 
for the root? 

1117
01:04:27,960 --> 01:04:31,760
I, so I grew up, grew up in Mark
Inch, which is in the pretty 

1118
01:04:31,760 --> 01:04:36,320
much centre of Fife and I, I 
don't know, I remember my dad 

1119
01:04:36,320 --> 01:04:39,920
always, my dad was a Walker and 
I'm sure he did the 5 Pilgrim 

1120
01:04:39,920 --> 01:04:42,520
way. 
It maybe wasn't a recognised as 

1121
01:04:42,520 --> 01:04:46,400
it is now route, but I grew up 
knowing about this route and it 

1122
01:04:46,400 --> 01:04:52,560
just came back into my, I don't 
know, vision a few years ago. 

1123
01:04:52,560 --> 01:04:55,760
I can't actually remember how, 
but I picked up a leaflet and 

1124
01:04:55,760 --> 01:04:59,120
looked more into it and thought 
that would be a great ultra. 

1125
01:04:59,120 --> 01:05:02,760
But I bet someone is already 
doing it or thinking about it. 

1126
01:05:02,760 --> 01:05:09,120
And I had a little Google and in
2020 a Carnegie I think it was. 

1127
01:05:09,120 --> 01:05:11,880
Yeah, it wasn't pH pH racing one
of the Dunfermline. 

1128
01:05:12,360 --> 01:05:16,280
There are three Dunferman clubs,
Carnegie Harriers, Betrievi and 

1129
01:05:16,280 --> 01:05:18,960
pH Racing, so I've name checked 
them all. 

1130
01:05:19,240 --> 01:05:20,760
I can't remember which one it 
is. 

1131
01:05:21,400 --> 01:05:24,240
We're going to do it, but they 
were going to do it as a as a 

1132
01:05:24,240 --> 01:05:27,360
relay that year. 
So I contacted the the race 

1133
01:05:27,360 --> 01:05:29,840
organizer because the 
information was still up on the 

1134
01:05:29,840 --> 01:05:33,920
website and just said I don't 
want to step on your toes, but I

1135
01:05:33,920 --> 01:05:35,640
think this would make a great 
ultra. 

1136
01:05:35,840 --> 01:05:39,000
If you're still considering 
putting it on, I will back off, 

1137
01:05:39,280 --> 01:05:43,000
but if you're not, then please 
would, would you mind sharing 

1138
01:05:43,000 --> 01:05:45,320
what you've I found out about it
so far? 

1139
01:05:45,720 --> 01:05:48,080
And, and they were, they were 
brilliant. 

1140
01:05:48,080 --> 01:05:50,200
They were gracious enough to 
send me the information that 

1141
01:05:50,200 --> 01:05:52,400
they'd find out. 
And then it was just a case of 

1142
01:05:52,400 --> 01:05:56,360
going to 5 council, the five 
countryside Trust and doing all 

1143
01:05:56,640 --> 01:06:00,600
the five police and just doing 
all the background checks of can

1144
01:06:00,600 --> 01:06:05,760
we do this at that point? 
Well, there still is a Pilgrim 

1145
01:06:05,760 --> 01:06:11,640
way pastor and they put on 
because it's so pilgrimages have

1146
01:06:11,640 --> 01:06:15,840
got a very historical background
and from the Catholic religion 

1147
01:06:16,360 --> 01:06:21,720
and the so the the front 
countryside Trust had actually 

1148
01:06:21,720 --> 01:06:29,640
employed a pastor to I suppose 
just bring that element to to 

1149
01:06:29,640 --> 01:06:35,520
the way because it will because 
pilgrimages around the world. 

1150
01:06:35,520 --> 01:06:37,640
I think there's a big I think 
there's a really big one in 

1151
01:06:37,640 --> 01:06:43,080
Spain is sorry, I'm just trying.
I'm trying not to my camera's 

1152
01:06:43,080 --> 01:06:44,200
turned off there. 
I'm back. 

1153
01:06:44,200 --> 01:06:45,840
Sorry. 
There's AI can't remember it's 

1154
01:06:45,840 --> 01:06:48,520
called, but there's a big one in
Spain that people now go on. 

1155
01:06:48,520 --> 01:06:54,200
It takes days and days to do and
I'm it and it's now there's TV 

1156
01:06:54,200 --> 01:06:55,520
programs. 
There's a there's another 

1157
01:06:55,520 --> 01:06:57,880
Pilgrims. 
Something de Milo or something 

1158
01:06:57,880 --> 01:06:59,800
like that. 
Yeah, yeah, that sounds right. 

1159
01:06:59,800 --> 01:07:09,000
Can we for the C Camino Camino, 
that's it anyway, the I met up 

1160
01:07:09,000 --> 01:07:12,040
with the pill, the the pastor 
and did quite a few sections 

1161
01:07:12,040 --> 01:07:16,800
with him walking and he was 
really positive because I said, 

1162
01:07:16,800 --> 01:07:20,080
listen, This is why I'm here. 
I'm here to see could I put on a

1163
01:07:20,080 --> 01:07:22,840
race here? 
Do you think, do you think that 

1164
01:07:22,840 --> 01:07:27,120
the the the trails could could 
cope with an event? 

1165
01:07:27,400 --> 01:07:32,880
And and he was explaining how 
churches were very much part of 

1166
01:07:32,880 --> 01:07:36,440
pilgrimages in that people would
often sleep over in the churches

1167
01:07:36,440 --> 01:07:39,360
overnight and that they opened 
their doors to them. 

1168
01:07:39,960 --> 01:07:43,240
And that the Fife, the different
churches along the way are very 

1169
01:07:43,240 --> 01:07:47,480
much wanting to be part of this.
And it's it's all about there's 

1170
01:07:47,480 --> 01:07:50,400
there's also a bit about Fife 
tourism that's bringing more 

1171
01:07:50,400 --> 01:07:52,600
people to Fife and do these 
unsung. 

1172
01:07:53,120 --> 01:07:56,320
There are towns along the way a 
lot Fife to a lot of people in 

1173
01:07:56,320 --> 01:07:59,760
Saint Andrews and and Strother 
and Pitt and Weem and all those 

1174
01:07:59,760 --> 01:08:03,400
lovely little E nuke. 
But there's so much more to Fife

1175
01:08:03,520 --> 01:08:07,200
than meets the eye. 
And but there's also a lot of 

1176
01:08:07,200 --> 01:08:10,560
poverty in in Fife. 
And so bringing tourists to 

1177
01:08:10,560 --> 01:08:14,080
these little mine or X mining 
villages maybe says it all 

1178
01:08:15,040 --> 01:08:19,880
really brings some economy to to
a lot along the route as well. 

1179
01:08:19,880 --> 01:08:24,680
So I just find it really 
interesting and thought why not?

1180
01:08:24,680 --> 01:08:30,279
Let's give it a shot So. 
Your description there is names 

1181
01:08:30,560 --> 01:08:33,600
Reverend Simon Hessett. 
By the way, well that's the new 

1182
01:08:33,600 --> 01:08:39,560
yes, the man I met is put myself
on the spot. 

1183
01:08:42,439 --> 01:08:46,399
It's just gone. 
I'm so sorry, but he came along 

1184
01:08:46,399 --> 01:08:55,760
to our our recce last May and he
just sets the tone beautifully. 

1185
01:08:56,319 --> 01:08:58,720
He's not he, yes, he's a man of 
the cloth. 

1186
01:08:59,000 --> 01:09:02,720
I'm not AI, I'm myself. 
I'm not spiritual, spiritual and

1187
01:09:02,720 --> 01:09:09,279
religious, but I find what he 
the the calm that he brings to 

1188
01:09:09,279 --> 01:09:13,359
the start line, the the kind of 
intent that he brings the the 

1189
01:09:13,439 --> 01:09:16,160
start line, he kind of just sets
that intent for the day. 

1190
01:09:16,160 --> 01:09:19,439
And it's not just I kind of felt
that I don't want this just to 

1191
01:09:19,439 --> 01:09:22,479
be another point to point ultra 
where it's just all about the 

1192
01:09:22,479 --> 01:09:27,120
distance and and the time that 
you do it is kind of yeah, let's

1193
01:09:27,200 --> 01:09:30,840
so we, we, we intentionally have
a mile, we call it the 

1194
01:09:30,960 --> 01:09:33,720
reflection mile, where we ask 
people if they want to, you 

1195
01:09:33,720 --> 01:09:35,000
know, you don't have to be 
silent. 

1196
01:09:35,359 --> 01:09:39,760
But that goes back to the pastor
on one of our walks in for this 

1197
01:09:39,760 --> 01:09:42,160
next mile, because I was walking
with a friend. 

1198
01:09:42,560 --> 01:09:45,560
I'd I'd like to invite you to do
it in silence because 

1199
01:09:45,560 --> 01:09:49,279
pilgrimages were done in silence
and actually just been given 

1200
01:09:49,279 --> 01:09:54,040
that kind of invitation and 
space to do that. 

1201
01:09:54,040 --> 01:09:56,800
It was quite difficult, but it 
was also really nice. 

1202
01:09:58,480 --> 01:10:01,560
And so we asked our runners to 
do that too, if they wanted to, 

1203
01:10:01,560 --> 01:10:04,440
even if they're by themselves, 
You know, just to have that mile

1204
01:10:04,440 --> 01:10:09,200
of just reflection in 
pilgrimages. 

1205
01:10:09,200 --> 01:10:11,280
You would also have been given 
when you got to these different 

1206
01:10:11,280 --> 01:10:14,400
churches along the way, you 
would you would carry a little 

1207
01:10:14,400 --> 01:10:18,120
leather pouch and you would also
have each little village would 

1208
01:10:18,120 --> 01:10:21,400
have its own mark. 
And I did think about that and I

1209
01:10:21,400 --> 01:10:23,200
still thinking about it for next
year. 

1210
01:10:23,920 --> 01:10:27,360
And do I, I was looking at like 
having little embroidered badges

1211
01:10:27,360 --> 01:10:30,840
made-up or, you know, do you 
have something that you collect 

1212
01:10:30,840 --> 01:10:32,760
from each of the churches along 
the way? 

1213
01:10:33,120 --> 01:10:40,200
I'm I as a yeah, as a, as a kind
of nod to what pilgrimages were 

1214
01:10:40,200 --> 01:10:41,960
all about. 
I mean, for some people, they 

1215
01:10:41,960 --> 01:10:44,680
were the original naughty step, 
you know, they were used instead

1216
01:10:44,680 --> 01:10:47,600
of been sending someone to jail.
You were sent on a long walk. 

1217
01:10:48,880 --> 01:10:52,240
You were the church would 
sometimes send you. 

1218
01:10:52,240 --> 01:10:54,240
That was your punishment, would 
be you take me sent. 

1219
01:10:57,960 --> 01:11:02,400
Yeah. 
So I hope that and, and no, I, I

1220
01:11:02,400 --> 01:11:05,120
know from some people at the at 
the church hall at the end said 

1221
01:11:05,120 --> 01:11:07,560
that they very much enjoyed that
element to it, that it was more 

1222
01:11:07,560 --> 01:11:09,840
than just a point to point that 
it was. 

1223
01:11:10,000 --> 01:11:12,280
And you know, and you, you can 
bring to it what you want. 

1224
01:11:12,480 --> 01:11:14,720
You know, if, if you're 
religious and you want to see it

1225
01:11:14,720 --> 01:11:17,840
in that way, then absolutely. 
If you just want to see it as a 

1226
01:11:17,840 --> 01:11:20,800
mate dad on. 
But I just want to bring this 

1227
01:11:21,360 --> 01:11:23,760
other side to if you want it to 
be like that. 

1228
01:11:25,040 --> 01:11:28,160
I think that's really nice how 
you talk about reflection Mile 

1229
01:11:28,160 --> 01:11:31,800
and even if you're on your own, 
I think if it was myself and 

1230
01:11:31,800 --> 01:11:34,680
there would be a high chance I 
would be on moan, you know, like

1231
01:11:35,080 --> 01:11:38,680
hopefully in between people. 
But I listen to music quite a 

1232
01:11:38,680 --> 01:11:40,000
lot. 
So at that point I would 

1233
01:11:40,000 --> 01:11:43,080
probably just take, you know, 
your butt out and just, you 

1234
01:11:43,080 --> 01:11:46,400
know, walk, jog, whatever you 
wanted to do in that point. 

1235
01:11:46,680 --> 01:11:48,800
At what point in the race is 
that? 

1236
01:11:49,040 --> 01:11:52,680
You've got 10 miles pretty much 
just or just over 10 miles at 

1237
01:11:52,680 --> 01:11:54,280
that point. 
So you've, you've broken the 

1238
01:11:54,280 --> 01:11:57,680
back, you know you can. 
And you can actually see the 

1239
01:11:57,680 --> 01:11:59,160
sea. 
You can see Saint Andrews. 

1240
01:12:00,400 --> 01:12:05,120
So it's a really nice point. 
There's a very open field and 

1241
01:12:05,200 --> 01:12:07,080
yeah, it's lovely. 
So. 

1242
01:12:07,080 --> 01:12:09,520
And I think just, yeah, just as 
you say, just being invited to 

1243
01:12:09,520 --> 01:12:10,680
do it. 
You don't have to. 

1244
01:12:10,680 --> 01:12:14,600
But even if you're on your own, 
just having a conscious effort 

1245
01:12:14,600 --> 01:12:18,320
of how is it going or why am I, 
why am I doing this? 

1246
01:12:19,760 --> 01:12:21,480
Because I've heard coaches speak
about the why. 

1247
01:12:21,480 --> 01:12:26,000
I think Alice Ross, Beveridge's 
partner, Alice, you've had her 

1248
01:12:26,000 --> 01:12:29,360
on a few times and she's very 
much about knowing your why 

1249
01:12:29,360 --> 01:12:31,440
before you start is so 
important. 

1250
01:12:31,440 --> 01:12:33,520
Because when you are going 
through the pain cave or the 

1251
01:12:33,520 --> 01:12:37,760
tough times, kind of being able 
to draw on that resource of why,

1252
01:12:37,840 --> 01:12:41,800
though, am I doing this to 
myself is it's important. 

1253
01:12:41,800 --> 01:12:44,480
So just reflecting. 
So my tagline originally was 

1254
01:12:44,800 --> 01:12:52,040
find your why along the way but 
I haven't pushed that one but. 

1255
01:12:53,040 --> 01:12:56,000
I can imagine me in that mile. 
Go and ram your why cat. 

1256
01:12:56,320 --> 01:13:03,680
Ram your why, Ram your why. 
Your next, your next, your your 

1257
01:13:03,680 --> 01:13:06,560
checkpoint series is just about 
to come up, so you get your salt

1258
01:13:06,560 --> 01:13:08,840
vinegar crisps or your bog 
potatoes or whatever it is you 

1259
01:13:08,840 --> 01:13:13,360
want at that point. 
You describe two things there 

1260
01:13:13,520 --> 01:13:18,000
that made me think they're going
into each of those villages and 

1261
01:13:18,000 --> 01:13:23,440
you get a different marker from 
each checkpoint. 

1262
01:13:23,800 --> 01:13:26,560
Maybe think of either 
orienteering where you you need 

1263
01:13:26,560 --> 01:13:30,840
to go to a post and you like 
punch a hole in your card to 

1264
01:13:30,840 --> 01:13:34,240
mark that you've been there or 
Barclay marathons where you pick

1265
01:13:34,240 --> 01:13:38,720
a page to say that you've been. 
So that reminds me of that is 

1266
01:13:38,720 --> 01:13:43,840
this is running the was that the
original what this is now? 

1267
01:13:44,120 --> 01:13:48,080
Are we being off as 
philosophical? 

1268
01:13:48,280 --> 01:13:51,720
Are we just doing a pilgrimage 
every time we go out for a run? 

1269
01:13:53,440 --> 01:13:58,760
But and the other thing, did you
say to the pastor that he he 

1270
01:13:58,760 --> 01:14:02,880
described how the pilgrimage 
used to take people into the 

1271
01:14:02,880 --> 01:14:06,600
church at set points? 
That sounds like an ideal 

1272
01:14:06,600 --> 01:14:08,400
checkpoint to me. 
So. 

1273
01:14:08,760 --> 01:14:11,360
Well, that's what I do, yes. 
I use the churches, yes. 

1274
01:14:11,600 --> 01:14:13,760
So that, yes. 
So that's exactly what we do. 

1275
01:14:14,600 --> 01:14:17,200
So we contacted the different 
churches along the way. 

1276
01:14:18,240 --> 01:14:23,440
And so the the first checkpoint 
really is Dunfermline, but at 

1277
01:14:23,440 --> 01:14:24,920
the Abbey. 
But to be honest, you've, you're

1278
01:14:24,920 --> 01:14:27,440
only 9 miles in at that point. 
So it's more just a top up of 

1279
01:14:27,440 --> 01:14:29,320
water and you know that sort of 
thing. 

1280
01:14:30,160 --> 01:14:33,400
And then to be fair, the next 
checkpoint is Loch or Country 

1281
01:14:33,400 --> 01:14:35,600
Meadows. 
It's not a church, but it's a 

1282
01:14:35,600 --> 01:14:39,200
very nice place for a, for a, 
for a, another checkpoint. 

1283
01:14:40,240 --> 01:14:44,960
And then we are at a I'm just 
trying to get my bearings. 

1284
01:14:44,960 --> 01:14:46,360
Mark Inch. 
So my yeah. 

1285
01:14:46,360 --> 01:14:48,960
So your first checkpoint after 
that is Mark Inch. 

1286
01:14:48,960 --> 01:14:52,360
That's at your 32 mile point. 
And some people, actually, we 

1287
01:14:52,360 --> 01:14:54,880
did have a few people go. 
Do you know what I, this is my 

1288
01:14:55,040 --> 01:14:58,360
I've done, I've done my ultra 
and we chose Mark Inch also 

1289
01:14:58,360 --> 01:15:01,880
because it's at a train station.
So it's quite a good one for or 

1290
01:15:01,880 --> 01:15:04,560
maybe it's too easy to say I've 
had enough. 

1291
01:15:04,560 --> 01:15:08,840
There's a train station. 
I'm out here, but it's a bit 

1292
01:15:08,840 --> 01:15:10,040
yes. 
You can either go into the 

1293
01:15:10,040 --> 01:15:15,320
church hall and, you know, have 
an actual sit down rest or it 

1294
01:15:15,320 --> 01:15:18,160
was a beautiful day at that 
point for a lot of people. 

1295
01:15:18,160 --> 01:15:20,960
So we had the chairs outside. 
We've got, you know, the water 

1296
01:15:20,960 --> 01:15:22,840
station and all the food set up 
outside. 

1297
01:15:23,200 --> 01:15:25,560
And you can stay for as long as 
or short as you want. 

1298
01:15:25,840 --> 01:15:29,040
And then the next station is is 
Kenneway, which is another 

1299
01:15:29,040 --> 01:15:32,280
church, and then series, which 
is the village hall. 

1300
01:15:32,280 --> 01:15:34,040
And then we finally finish at a 
church hall. 

1301
01:15:34,040 --> 01:15:37,720
So we've we tried to bring that 
side of things in as well. 

1302
01:15:38,280 --> 01:15:42,120
Yeah. 
Then you mentioned earlier on 

1303
01:15:42,120 --> 01:15:46,080
about you'd had just over 100 
odd entries this year. 

1304
01:15:46,440 --> 01:15:51,600
Yeah, how many finished? 
So of the 100 and of the 100 and

1305
01:15:53,480 --> 01:15:56,640
of the 130 starters, 121 
finished. 

1306
01:15:57,200 --> 01:15:59,080
That's amazing. 
It's good, isn't it? 

1307
01:15:59,480 --> 01:16:04,520
I was really pleased with that I
had asked for so I spoke to 

1308
01:16:04,520 --> 01:16:14,160
Keith Hughes of Cataran Way 
about what would be a fair cut 

1309
01:16:14,160 --> 01:16:17,880
off and we we reckon 15 hours, 
you know, because you've it's 

1310
01:16:17,880 --> 01:16:21,040
basically 2 marathons, SO27 and 
1/2 hour marathons. 

1311
01:16:21,040 --> 01:16:26,480
That's, you know, that's fair 
with you know, it is undulating,

1312
01:16:27,640 --> 01:16:31,080
but also, oh, I'm so sorry, I've
just lost my train of thought. 

1313
01:16:31,080 --> 01:16:34,640
What's the question? 
I'm sorry, how many finishers? 

1314
01:16:34,640 --> 01:16:36,680
But then we were talking about 
cut offs. 

1315
01:16:37,320 --> 01:16:41,720
Yes. 
And we also spoke about whether 

1316
01:16:42,080 --> 01:16:45,400
what people should have done 
beforehand as in could I 

1317
01:16:45,400 --> 01:16:49,360
stipulate you must have done a 
certain distance before you do 

1318
01:16:49,360 --> 01:16:52,200
90K? 
Because I was looking through a 

1319
01:16:52,200 --> 01:16:55,400
look back at the cataran way and
trying to work out and he, and 

1320
01:16:55,880 --> 01:16:58,680
what he was really helpful with 
was saying, well, listen, I 

1321
01:16:58,680 --> 01:17:01,120
think, you know, at least a 
marathon. 

1322
01:17:01,120 --> 01:17:03,720
I can't remember who decided 
this between us, but between us,

1323
01:17:03,720 --> 01:17:08,560
we decided a marathon in the 
last year or an ultra in the 

1324
01:17:08,560 --> 01:17:11,480
last two years. 
And I suppose what I wanted with

1325
01:17:11,480 --> 01:17:15,160
an ultra is you get it. 
You know, you've, you've, you've

1326
01:17:15,160 --> 01:17:18,120
had to train, you've done that 
training, you've got the mental 

1327
01:17:18,120 --> 01:17:21,080
strength or, or you've, you 
know, you've had to go through 

1328
01:17:21,080 --> 01:17:24,080
that marathon. 
I would have preferred to have a

1329
01:17:24,080 --> 01:17:26,760
wee bit more than that. 
But, you know, if you've you, at

1330
01:17:26,760 --> 01:17:30,640
least you've got the fitness in 
your legs and hopefully that the

1331
01:17:30,640 --> 01:17:34,640
psychology gets you through. 
What I didn't ask for was any 

1332
01:17:36,400 --> 01:17:39,640
evidence of what you've done. 
It was very much done in 

1333
01:17:39,640 --> 01:17:42,880
honesty. 
So one of her people that didn't

1334
01:17:42,880 --> 01:17:45,760
manage. 
Now, it's incredible that this 

1335
01:17:45,760 --> 01:17:47,560
guy managed to actually get to 
Mark. 

1336
01:17:47,560 --> 01:17:52,280
And she did do 32 miles, but he 
admitted he'd only done 10K 

1337
01:17:52,960 --> 01:17:55,080
beforehand. 
He done 410 KS. 

1338
01:17:55,400 --> 01:17:57,840
Yeah. 
Isn't that insane? 

1339
01:17:57,920 --> 01:18:02,040
But also insanely awesome? 
I mean, his strength got me 

1340
01:18:02,040 --> 01:18:03,800
through. 
So our back runner was Emma 

1341
01:18:03,800 --> 01:18:06,360
Peverell. 
She's training for the spine, 

1342
01:18:06,360 --> 01:18:08,560
the summer spine. 
So she did it with a big 

1343
01:18:08,560 --> 01:18:12,520
backpack on, and she was 
describing that she had to stop 

1344
01:18:12,520 --> 01:18:14,120
every so often. 
She was stretching out its 

1345
01:18:14,120 --> 01:18:19,800
hammies with them and really a 
lot, a lot of just just chat to 

1346
01:18:19,800 --> 01:18:20,960
get him through to the finish 
line. 

1347
01:18:20,960 --> 01:18:24,040
But he was determined. 
He was a determined guy. 

1348
01:18:24,240 --> 01:18:27,000
So I'm full of awe, but also 
what? 

1349
01:18:27,000 --> 01:18:31,680
Were you? 
Thinking, man, you know, do you 

1350
01:18:31,680 --> 01:18:34,120
not read anything? 
Have you done a marathon or 

1351
01:18:34,120 --> 01:18:36,080
ultra? 
And often 10 Ki can do 90. 

1352
01:18:36,080 --> 01:18:37,240
Yeah. 
No, both me. 

1353
01:18:37,680 --> 01:18:38,920
Yeah. 
Oh, my goodness. 

1354
01:18:39,120 --> 01:18:41,560
Oh, my goodness. 
So there's, there's no 

1355
01:18:41,560 --> 01:18:43,320
accounting for that side of 
things. 

1356
01:18:43,840 --> 01:18:46,160
And I don't know if I want to 
get bogged down with having 

1357
01:18:46,200 --> 01:18:49,040
evidence, you know, I don't 
know. 

1358
01:18:50,760 --> 01:18:54,520
I have all the people that 
didn't finish and including that

1359
01:18:54,520 --> 01:18:57,520
guy. 
Did they stop where there was a 

1360
01:18:57,520 --> 01:19:03,720
train station? 
No, the majority stopped at Mark

1361
01:19:03,720 --> 01:19:07,200
Inch. 
Of those nine, a couple were 

1362
01:19:07,200 --> 01:19:10,320
timed out, but I think I'd made 
the decision series. 

1363
01:19:10,320 --> 01:19:11,680
But they know there's no train 
station there. 

1364
01:19:11,680 --> 01:19:15,960
But they did have supporters 
there that could help them and 

1365
01:19:16,400 --> 01:19:20,640
we did have one who was helped 
off the course by first aiders. 

1366
01:19:21,240 --> 01:19:24,880
Yeah, well, you mentioned 
earlier about would the train 

1367
01:19:24,880 --> 01:19:26,800
station make it easy for them to
stop? 

1368
01:19:27,160 --> 01:19:33,200
So I know, yeah, absolutely. 
I think well in one way it's 

1369
01:19:33,200 --> 01:19:37,800
kind of like my like my 6 hour 
ultra, you can stop every 4 

1370
01:19:37,800 --> 01:19:43,120
miles, you know. 
So I I'm not sure. 

1371
01:19:44,600 --> 01:19:48,640
But you can also fuel and I I 
find the reason why people are 

1372
01:19:48,680 --> 01:19:51,840
slowing down, stopping if it's 
not an injury, injuries, fair 

1373
01:19:51,840 --> 01:19:53,320
enough. 
But a lot of the time it's 

1374
01:19:53,320 --> 01:19:54,640
because they're not fueling 
properly. 

1375
01:19:54,640 --> 01:19:58,120
But if you're doing it like 
passing the checkpoint say every

1376
01:19:58,120 --> 01:20:02,000
4 miles, you're taking taking on
fuel or you can't take on. 

1377
01:20:02,000 --> 01:20:02,760
Fuel. 
Yeah, that's true. 

1378
01:20:02,760 --> 01:20:04,640
So yeah, no, that's absolutely 
true. 

1379
01:20:05,000 --> 01:20:06,600
Yeah. 
You've not got the well, so it's

1380
01:20:06,600 --> 01:20:08,320
maybe it's easier than to talk 
about it. 

1381
01:20:08,400 --> 01:20:10,400
Well, I was going to say like a 
backyard ultra, but that's the 

1382
01:20:10,400 --> 01:20:12,280
same as well. 
You can fuel every hour. 

1383
01:20:14,040 --> 01:20:16,240
Yeah, I suppose so. 
It's really hard if you're if 

1384
01:20:16,240 --> 01:20:19,240
you're feeling rotten at 32 
miles and knowing that's the 

1385
01:20:19,240 --> 01:20:20,680
train. 
There's a there's a way out of 

1386
01:20:20,680 --> 01:20:24,560
here. 
But at the same time, we did 

1387
01:20:24,560 --> 01:20:26,200
have one gent who's it was his 
knee. 

1388
01:20:26,200 --> 01:20:28,600
And he just said, you know, that
wasn't his day, that day. 

1389
01:20:28,760 --> 01:20:32,040
And actually, it was great to 
know that he could stop at Mark 

1390
01:20:32,040 --> 01:20:34,800
and and you know, it meant that 
he wasn't going to pummel 

1391
01:20:34,800 --> 01:20:37,880
himself to get to the finish 
line because he could have, but 

1392
01:20:38,360 --> 01:20:41,080
he didn't really want to because
he knew he'd do himself more 

1393
01:20:41,080 --> 01:20:42,560
injury. 
So I don't know. 

1394
01:20:42,560 --> 01:20:47,400
It comes down to the individual,
doesn't it, If you're using how 

1395
01:20:47,400 --> 01:20:51,320
you use that psychology or how 
you use that tease of a of a 

1396
01:20:51,320 --> 01:20:55,720
train station just to add 
another added element to the 

1397
01:20:55,720 --> 01:20:58,920
psychological warfare that is 
ultra running. 

1398
01:20:59,720 --> 01:21:05,480
But some race directors pride 
themselves in having a high DNF 

1399
01:21:05,480 --> 01:21:07,640
rate because that means that 
their race is hard. 

1400
01:21:07,840 --> 01:21:11,400
So it's not necessarily like 
it's not a victory for you to 

1401
01:21:11,400 --> 01:21:16,040
have 100% success. 
I suppose I'm just, I'm not that

1402
01:21:16,040 --> 01:21:20,280
kind of testosterone. 
Toughest mother shit. 

1403
01:21:21,240 --> 01:21:23,720
That's not me. 
I'd prefer to have 100% of 

1404
01:21:23,720 --> 01:21:25,280
people finishing it and going 
loved it. 

1405
01:21:26,160 --> 01:21:27,200
But. 
Honestly, I mean. 

1406
01:21:27,880 --> 01:21:30,120
Does that mean that you on 
easier races? 

1407
01:21:31,320 --> 01:21:34,080
Do I need to put on easier? 
Races, yeah, your one mile race,

1408
01:21:34,080 --> 01:21:36,760
do you get 100% success 
finishers? 

1409
01:21:37,000 --> 01:21:38,240
Yes. 
So. 

1410
01:21:38,600 --> 01:21:43,400
But my race, the tram, I don't. 
Is that because they got the 

1411
01:21:43,400 --> 01:21:49,160
tram home? 
Yeah, yeah. 

1412
01:21:49,960 --> 01:21:52,040
For for races like that. 
It's a really good point. 

1413
01:21:52,040 --> 01:21:53,600
I don't, I don't know. 
No, I'm not. 

1414
01:21:53,640 --> 01:21:58,120
As I say, I'm not really the 
yeah, I'm not that. 

1415
01:21:58,480 --> 01:22:00,440
That's not how I'm wired, I 
don't think. 

1416
01:22:00,440 --> 01:22:02,280
I don't want to make it too 
difficult for people. 

1417
01:22:02,280 --> 01:22:03,880
I get that. 
There was, there's no faces out 

1418
01:22:03,880 --> 01:22:06,920
there and people want harder and
harder and harder. 

1419
01:22:07,120 --> 01:22:09,440
And if it doesn't sound hard 
enough, then they won't enter 

1420
01:22:09,440 --> 01:22:10,320
it. 
But that's OK. 

1421
01:22:10,320 --> 01:22:14,840
Then you're not my audience, you
know, I think it's very hard. 

1422
01:22:15,360 --> 01:22:17,880
If you say about as well people 
finishing and then them saying 

1423
01:22:17,880 --> 01:22:21,520
at the end, oh, I love that. 
I don't think many people say at

1424
01:22:21,520 --> 01:22:22,960
the end of an ultra straight 
away. 

1425
01:22:23,120 --> 01:22:25,920
Oh, I love that. 
Well, I must admit that this the

1426
01:22:26,080 --> 01:22:34,480
first girl I Izzy, I'm finished.
She was 22 years old, so this is

1427
01:22:34,480 --> 01:22:38,400
something else to talk about. 
The ultras used to be once you'd

1428
01:22:38,400 --> 01:22:42,240
kind of got your mouth and 
you're over 22. 

1429
01:22:42,240 --> 01:22:44,520
I wasn't thinking of doing a 90K
when I was 22. 

1430
01:22:44,760 --> 01:22:48,400
Anyway, she pretty much put her 
hands on her thighs and meant 

1431
01:22:48,400 --> 01:22:56,160
that was a really bad idea. 
She did a 9/08 or 9/06 even and 

1432
01:22:56,160 --> 01:22:58,880
she was 8th overall. 
I mean, she was incredible. 

1433
01:22:59,320 --> 01:23:00,840
What was the? 
Winning time. 

1434
01:23:02,040 --> 01:23:05,040
So I, I had asked people what 
they thought they might do it 

1435
01:23:05,040 --> 01:23:11,320
and just to kind of give me a 
bit of prior kind of knowledge 

1436
01:23:11,320 --> 01:23:14,920
of how many people to expect at 
checkpoints at what time ish. 

1437
01:23:15,080 --> 01:23:19,760
You know, I and I had the 
fastest group and you could even

1438
01:23:19,760 --> 01:23:21,120
say you're going to be with sub 
8. 

1439
01:23:21,440 --> 01:23:23,360
And we'd had a few people say 
they would do sub 8 and I'm 

1440
01:23:23,360 --> 01:23:27,080
going, well, the fastest known 
time is over 9, but that was 

1441
01:23:27,080 --> 01:23:29,520
unsupported. 
So I thought, well, maybe, but 

1442
01:23:29,520 --> 01:23:33,760
he did a 748. 
Yeah, Yeah, he was brilliant. 

1443
01:23:33,920 --> 01:23:40,240
I'm, I'm trying to admit. 
Oh, Jack Scott, Thank you. 

1444
01:23:40,840 --> 01:23:44,160
Scott did brilliantly in an 
Yeah. 

1445
01:23:44,160 --> 01:23:50,280
So 748 is incredible, which I 
don't know if it comparable. 

1446
01:23:50,280 --> 01:23:53,160
It's hard to compare because 
obviously elevation is different

1447
01:23:53,160 --> 01:23:58,840
trails versus tarmac. 
So it's about 2/3 trailer to 1/3

1448
01:23:58,840 --> 01:24:02,320
tarmac. 
No huge climbs, you know you're 

1449
01:24:02,320 --> 01:24:06,960
not, but there are very much 
some tough climbs in there. 

1450
01:24:08,200 --> 01:24:10,960
I'm sure a lot of the runners 
would attest to. 

1451
01:24:11,560 --> 01:24:14,200
And it was started off as a as a
very hot day. 

1452
01:24:15,600 --> 01:24:19,840
Midday was sweltering I and then
the heavens opened later on and 

1453
01:24:19,840 --> 01:24:21,400
some very cold runners at the 
end. 

1454
01:24:22,720 --> 01:24:25,040
Not Jack and Izzy. 
I think they were finished 

1455
01:24:25,040 --> 01:24:29,120
before the the rain started. 
But again, so depending on your 

1456
01:24:29,120 --> 01:24:33,080
pace, you can have a very 
different race to others. 

1457
01:24:33,680 --> 01:24:36,080
There was one couple that came 
in and they must have been 

1458
01:24:36,320 --> 01:24:39,440
behind the cloud or behind the 
rain because they've they were 

1459
01:24:39,440 --> 01:24:42,080
the only two that they were. 
They were kind of mid pack, but 

1460
01:24:42,080 --> 01:24:44,200
they were dry. 
Where's everyone around them? 

1461
01:24:45,200 --> 01:24:48,040
I've got wet and they must have 
just been in the sweet spot 

1462
01:24:48,040 --> 01:24:55,000
behind the behind the church. 
Yeah, Yeah. 

1463
01:24:55,000 --> 01:24:56,040
So no, it was great. 
I can't. 

1464
01:24:56,320 --> 01:24:59,440
And so I was saying earlier that
I, you know, I don't normally 

1465
01:24:59,440 --> 01:25:05,280
put open races this early, but I
have I'm 5 program way 2027, 

1466
01:25:05,280 --> 01:25:09,360
first of May next year. 
I just I'd love it. 

1467
01:25:09,480 --> 01:25:11,880
I would love it to go from 
strength to strength. 

1468
01:25:11,880 --> 01:25:14,360
And that for me doesn't mean 
loads and loads of people. 

1469
01:25:14,600 --> 01:25:18,480
I'm not, you know, I'm 
commercial in that I'm not a 

1470
01:25:18,480 --> 01:25:22,960
running club and I'm, you know, 
I'm, this is my job, but I'm not

1471
01:25:22,960 --> 01:25:26,200
in this for all the big bucks. 
You know, I so it's not so much 

1472
01:25:26,200 --> 01:25:28,400
that I want it to be successful.
Loads of people entering. 

1473
01:25:28,400 --> 01:25:31,800
I just want it to be a success 
in that more people, new people 

1474
01:25:31,800 --> 01:25:34,000
and the people that have gone 
done it this year enjoyed it so 

1475
01:25:34,000 --> 01:25:37,400
much they want to do it again. 
I'd love that, yeah. 

1476
01:25:39,320 --> 01:25:42,640
And we know that these events 
can't run without the 

1477
01:25:42,640 --> 01:25:45,680
volunteers. 
So not even just the Faith 

1478
01:25:45,680 --> 01:25:48,480
Pilgrim way. 
If anyone wanted to volunteer at

1479
01:25:48,480 --> 01:25:51,960
any of your events, how do they 
get involved and how would they 

1480
01:25:51,960 --> 01:25:57,160
get in touch with you? 
Well, I do have volunteers, but 

1481
01:25:57,160 --> 01:26:01,600
most of my staff are paid from 
the very outset. 

1482
01:26:01,960 --> 01:26:06,320
I, I looked at park run and I do
volunteer for park run. 

1483
01:26:06,320 --> 01:26:09,280
So I get the e-mail every week 
asking me to go and help and I 

1484
01:26:09,280 --> 01:26:15,280
do, but I thought I don't want 
to be asking people every week 

1485
01:26:15,320 --> 01:26:19,520
to come and help me. 
I'm, and especially as I say 

1486
01:26:19,520 --> 01:26:21,440
I'm, I'm making a bit of money 
out of this. 

1487
01:26:21,440 --> 01:26:23,800
Why should I ask people to come 
and do it for free? 

1488
01:26:24,440 --> 01:26:29,960
I think that's morally wrong. 
I'm so from the outset I've 

1489
01:26:29,960 --> 01:26:31,960
always paid an hourly rate to my
staff. 

1490
01:26:32,520 --> 01:26:35,920
Now there is always a charity 
that we are fundraising for. 

1491
01:26:35,920 --> 01:26:40,000
And so I do get generally it's 
retired people that say do you 

1492
01:26:40,000 --> 01:26:41,280
know what, I don't want to get 
paid? 

1493
01:26:41,360 --> 01:26:43,200
Will you put mine towards the 
charity? 

1494
01:26:43,320 --> 01:26:45,880
More than happy to do that. 
And that's very, very kind. 

1495
01:26:46,360 --> 01:26:49,600
But I have teenagers as they're 
kind of their sat, their weekend

1496
01:26:49,600 --> 01:26:54,160
job to come along. 
I've got parents with parents 

1497
01:26:54,160 --> 01:26:55,720
that come along with some of 
their children. 

1498
01:26:55,760 --> 01:26:58,440
I have retired folk. 
I have all sorts of people from 

1499
01:26:59,120 --> 01:27:02,040
just injured runners, people are
at work for a little bit of 

1500
01:27:02,040 --> 01:27:03,200
time. 
But yeah. 

1501
01:27:03,200 --> 01:27:06,400
So if they, if anyone does want 
to come along, you do get paid. 

1502
01:27:06,640 --> 01:27:10,280
It's above, it's above minimum 
wage and you get paid per, per 

1503
01:27:10,280 --> 01:27:14,160
hour because if you're standing 
out in whatever the weather, 

1504
01:27:14,440 --> 01:27:19,040
then why should I get paid and 
you don't just so that you go. 

1505
01:27:19,520 --> 01:27:24,680
So hello at blastrunning.co.uk. 
So we'll be, we're always 

1506
01:27:24,680 --> 01:27:28,040
looking for more event crew 
depending on the race, but we've

1507
01:27:28,040 --> 01:27:31,640
got a really nice core crew. 
And generally if, if you enjoy 

1508
01:27:31,640 --> 01:27:33,640
being in the water station, then
you get to go to the water 

1509
01:27:33,640 --> 01:27:34,760
station. 
If you enjoy being on 

1510
01:27:34,760 --> 01:27:36,600
registration, then you go on 
registration. 

1511
01:27:36,600 --> 01:27:41,480
So it's, and it's nice that way 
people get to know their tasks 

1512
01:27:41,480 --> 01:27:43,360
and their role and they get 
comfortable in it and they get 

1513
01:27:43,360 --> 01:27:46,360
really good at it. 
And so that makes my life 

1514
01:27:46,360 --> 01:27:49,520
easier. 
Susie who works with me, her, 

1515
01:27:49,520 --> 01:27:52,040
her roles developed into kind of
being my chief of staff. 

1516
01:27:52,040 --> 01:27:55,840
And so she is very much who's 
organizing, how many people do 

1517
01:27:55,840 --> 01:28:00,360
we need for this event? 
Where do they want to go and 

1518
01:28:00,840 --> 01:28:03,600
give the comms to make sure that
they know what they need to be 

1519
01:28:03,600 --> 01:28:06,480
doing? 
Yeah, it's good fun. 

1520
01:28:06,960 --> 01:28:08,320
But you get honestly get as 
much. 

1521
01:28:08,320 --> 01:28:12,440
I really feel you get as much 
out as as working as event and 

1522
01:28:12,520 --> 01:28:13,880
at an event as you do running 
it. 

1523
01:28:14,000 --> 01:28:18,160
You really do. 
You just don't deserve the Dutch

1524
01:28:18,160 --> 01:28:21,160
donut at the end as much as the 
people that have just done 90K. 

1525
01:28:21,560 --> 01:28:23,520
Or maybe you do. 
Food shouldn't be like that. 

1526
01:28:26,080 --> 01:28:32,600
And next question I'm going to 
put a little twist on it is I 

1527
01:28:32,600 --> 01:28:37,320
always say when somebody's 
clueing for me that I want them 

1528
01:28:37,320 --> 01:28:39,760
to look after themselves because
if they can't look after 

1529
01:28:39,760 --> 01:28:41,720
themselves, they can't look 
after me. 

1530
01:28:42,280 --> 01:28:49,280
So as a race director, how do 
you look after yourself when 

1531
01:28:49,280 --> 01:28:52,160
you're race directing? 
How do you, how much do you eat?

1532
01:28:52,920 --> 01:28:56,040
What do you eat? 
How's that differ from when 

1533
01:28:56,040 --> 01:29:01,600
you're running? 
Not that different actually in 

1534
01:29:01,600 --> 01:29:06,760
that I porridge now generally a 
big pool of porridge before a 

1535
01:29:06,760 --> 01:29:08,600
race. 
If I know I'm out for a long 

1536
01:29:08,600 --> 01:29:11,760
day, porridge with some raisins.
And it keeps me and that keeps 

1537
01:29:11,760 --> 01:29:18,240
me going for a long time. 
And I, I suppose then and in a 

1538
01:29:18,240 --> 01:29:20,320
way it's like ultra as well. 
It's just little, little and 

1539
01:29:20,320 --> 01:29:25,440
often just top myself up. 
But I'm not out for that long 

1540
01:29:25,440 --> 01:29:29,640
and I'm not expending the energy
that runners are. 

1541
01:29:29,880 --> 01:29:32,400
So no. 
But I do make, I do make sure 

1542
01:29:32,400 --> 01:29:35,680
that I've got a good belly full 
of barrage in the morning, Yeah.

1543
01:29:37,280 --> 01:29:41,200
I guess it's different for a one
mile race which all the fast 

1544
01:29:41,200 --> 01:29:44,960
guys will be doing it in four or
five minutes, absolutely, as 

1545
01:29:45,120 --> 01:29:49,640
opposed to a six hour ultra 
different. 

1546
01:29:49,640 --> 01:29:50,840
Yeah. 
So yes, we've got. 

1547
01:29:51,000 --> 01:29:53,200
So for the six hour 1, we've got
a tent. 

1548
01:29:53,640 --> 01:29:57,360
And so they can, so that you're.
Yeah. 

1549
01:29:57,360 --> 01:30:02,680
So every basically the paths 
tend to be two 2 miles, but most

1550
01:30:02,680 --> 01:30:06,880
people only stop on the kind of 
clockwise, direct, anticlockwise

1551
01:30:06,880 --> 01:30:10,280
direction. 
And they've got their own, you 

1552
01:30:10,280 --> 01:30:12,840
know, we've got tables set out, 
they've got their own space and 

1553
01:30:12,840 --> 01:30:15,320
they can just go in and grab 
another gel or go and grab their

1554
01:30:15,320 --> 01:30:19,800
own water or what have you. 
And yeah, it is a really handy 

1555
01:30:19,800 --> 01:30:22,880
way of being able to, to fuel 
yourself because I, I agree. 

1556
01:30:22,880 --> 01:30:26,400
I think where I've gone wrong 
with ultras and marathons in the

1557
01:30:26,400 --> 01:30:27,960
past is fueling. 
I think. 

1558
01:30:27,960 --> 01:30:29,800
I think you're right. 
It's the main thing when people 

1559
01:30:29,800 --> 01:30:32,840
go wrong, they just don't take 
enough honour. 

1560
01:30:32,840 --> 01:30:37,040
Taking off take maybe too much 
of the wrong stuff, or yeah, but

1561
01:30:37,040 --> 01:30:42,480
probably just not enough, Yeah. 
And next question is running 

1562
01:30:42,480 --> 01:30:47,000
achievements and this could be 
anything that you want. 

1563
01:30:47,240 --> 01:30:48,760
What is your biggest running 
achievement? 

1564
01:30:50,600 --> 01:30:53,680
Well, I suppose I was. 
I was saying that, you know, I 

1565
01:30:53,680 --> 01:30:56,440
injured my foot in 20 to the 
cat. 

1566
01:30:56,440 --> 01:31:00,000
It was the cat ran in 2023. 
Yeah, I'm getting that right. 

1567
01:31:00,200 --> 01:31:04,240
So I've had a really kind of 
weird few years of not really 

1568
01:31:04,240 --> 01:31:05,560
running. 
I've had a couple of false 

1569
01:31:05,560 --> 01:31:09,560
starts and I thought I was. 
So I started running again on 

1570
01:31:09,560 --> 01:31:11,080
Christmas Eve. 
I went for a run on Christmas 

1571
01:31:11,080 --> 01:31:14,040
Eve and thought, right here we 
go, oh, it's not sore. 

1572
01:31:14,040 --> 01:31:16,000
Oh, I can go, oh, it's up to 5 
miles. 

1573
01:31:16,000 --> 01:31:18,720
Oh, it was up to 10. 
Ki thought, Oh, here we go and I

1574
01:31:18,720 --> 01:31:24,840
was really delighted and I have 
I've mentioned it on my own 

1575
01:31:24,840 --> 01:31:28,640
personal Instagram, but I and to
some people through for blast 

1576
01:31:28,640 --> 01:31:33,760
running a the over Christmas, I 
noticed a bit of blood in my 

1577
01:31:33,760 --> 01:31:38,440
pool and it was a very, very is 
it, isn't it situation really 

1578
01:31:38,440 --> 01:31:43,640
didn't look like much, but I've 
had other people in my so my 

1579
01:31:43,640 --> 01:31:45,760
hairdresser. 
I was going to see other people 

1580
01:31:45,760 --> 01:31:49,400
in my life. 
I had bowel cancer last year and

1581
01:31:49,400 --> 01:31:52,160
he'd been very upfront with it 
with me and I thought, well, 

1582
01:31:52,160 --> 01:31:53,600
he's about the same age as he's 
younger. 

1583
01:31:53,600 --> 01:31:55,240
Actually. 
I'll I'm going to go and get 

1584
01:31:55,240 --> 01:31:59,840
this checked out and off. 
I was sent for a colonoscopy and

1585
01:31:59,880 --> 01:32:04,920
in a February I they said that I
had a 6 centimeter malignant 

1586
01:32:04,920 --> 01:32:08,200
tumor in my colon. 
So it you could have knocked me 

1587
01:32:08,200 --> 01:32:13,880
down with a feather. 
I was feeling fine, absolutely 

1588
01:32:13,880 --> 01:32:16,440
fine. 
Not not I'll in the slightest as

1589
01:32:16,440 --> 01:32:18,320
I say was back running feeling 
good. 

1590
01:32:20,320 --> 01:32:24,840
So 7 weeks ago I had surgery. 
So they they did a bowel 

1591
01:32:24,840 --> 01:32:27,000
resection. 
So they take out the section of 

1592
01:32:27,000 --> 01:32:29,920
bowel that had the tumor in it 
and they had to take out the 

1593
01:32:29,920 --> 01:32:33,160
associated lymph nodes and the 
the blood supply. 

1594
01:32:33,600 --> 01:32:36,120
And that then goes off for a 
biopsy. 

1595
01:32:36,120 --> 01:32:39,120
And unfortunately they found 
some cancer in the lymph nodes. 

1596
01:32:39,120 --> 01:32:44,800
So I'm currently mid chemo. 
So I started chemo 3 weeks ago 

1597
01:32:44,880 --> 01:32:46,320
and I'm on my rest week this 
week. 

1598
01:32:46,720 --> 01:32:49,240
So where I'm going with this? 
You're asking what my biggest 

1599
01:32:49,240 --> 01:32:52,880
running achievement is? 
Well I ran the pennycook 10K 

1600
01:32:52,920 --> 01:32:59,160
yesterday and I it's maybe not 
my biggest achievement but it 

1601
01:32:59,160 --> 01:33:01,800
felt pretty major yesterday for 
me. 

1602
01:33:02,080 --> 01:33:04,360
I am. 
The whole foot thing has gone 

1603
01:33:04,360 --> 01:33:06,160
out the window. 
That wasn't sore at all. 

1604
01:33:06,160 --> 01:33:08,120
I've forgotten that I had a foot
injury. 

1605
01:33:08,400 --> 01:33:16,000
It was more just a faced with a 
faced the big death question 

1606
01:33:16,000 --> 01:33:18,560
this year. 
I've faced it, you know, I've 

1607
01:33:18,720 --> 01:33:20,840
eyeballed it and it's been 
pretty scary. 

1608
01:33:20,840 --> 01:33:24,640
And you know, I've hugged. 
I've got two children, they're 8

1609
01:33:24,640 --> 01:33:28,760
and 13. 
And yeah, it's not been a it's 

1610
01:33:28,760 --> 01:33:33,880
been a bit of roller coaster. 
And so I felt well enough and I 

1611
01:33:33,880 --> 01:33:35,760
just thought, well, why not? 
What? 

1612
01:33:35,760 --> 01:33:38,440
But the bigger question is why 
did I choose penny cooked? 

1613
01:33:38,440 --> 01:33:45,680
It's hard. 
I mean, either Have you done it?

1614
01:33:46,280 --> 01:33:50,080
No, the first smile. 
Oh, man, is that pill. 

1615
01:33:50,960 --> 01:33:53,880
But it's tough. 
No, I chose it because Susie, 

1616
01:33:53,880 --> 01:33:55,840
who works alongside me, is the 
race director. 

1617
01:33:55,840 --> 01:33:59,440
She's a penny cook Harrier and 
she's always spoken about it. 

1618
01:33:59,440 --> 01:34:03,040
And I thought, well, good as 
anyone to try and I didn't. 

1619
01:34:03,120 --> 01:34:06,400
I was one of these people that 
signed up on the day, but I 

1620
01:34:06,400 --> 01:34:09,600
think I've got a good, good 
reason for leaving it to the 

1621
01:34:09,600 --> 01:34:14,040
last minute. 
But I was really, we're not very

1622
01:34:14,040 --> 01:34:15,800
good at saying we're proud of 
ourselves, but I was really 

1623
01:34:15,800 --> 01:34:19,480
proud of myself yesterday. 
Just I didn't do it for the 

1624
01:34:19,480 --> 01:34:21,400
time. 
I did think I'd like to go under

1625
01:34:21,400 --> 01:34:24,120
the hour. 
You know, in my heyday, I've 

1626
01:34:24,120 --> 01:34:27,560
never gone sub 40, but I've kind
of dabbled around that area. 

1627
01:34:27,680 --> 01:34:30,120
But I just thought if I can go 
under an hour, that would be 

1628
01:34:30,120 --> 01:34:33,280
lovely. 
If I could negative split, that 

1629
01:34:33,280 --> 01:34:35,400
would be better. 
And that was more just to make 

1630
01:34:35,400 --> 01:34:38,600
myself hold something back. 
I just thought, I don't want to 

1631
01:34:39,480 --> 01:34:42,080
feel awful. 
So I start. 

1632
01:34:42,080 --> 01:34:45,160
I was the very last start if 
person to start. 

1633
01:34:45,160 --> 01:34:47,600
I started at the back. 
And it's actually a very nice 

1634
01:34:47,600 --> 01:34:50,400
way to race. 
I would suggest that either of 

1635
01:34:50,400 --> 01:34:54,320
you, you get a really good feel 
for just just slowly just 

1636
01:34:54,320 --> 01:34:56,560
picking people off and getting 
your way through. 

1637
01:34:56,560 --> 01:34:59,720
And so, yeah, cross the finish 
line. 

1638
01:34:59,720 --> 01:35:02,720
I was just, I was just really 
satisfied, just really pleased. 

1639
01:35:02,800 --> 01:35:08,440
And I just, yeah, it felt like a
big achievement, Yeah. 

1640
01:35:09,960 --> 01:35:14,280
Having unfortunately been in 
that situation myself, having 

1641
01:35:14,280 --> 01:35:18,160
faced that horrible, yeah, am I 
going to be here tomorrow? 

1642
01:35:18,160 --> 01:35:19,480
Question. 
Yeah. 

1643
01:35:20,080 --> 01:35:21,960
Well done. 
Thank you, Mike. 

1644
01:35:22,400 --> 01:35:25,880
Thank you for sharing it. 
Thank you. 

1645
01:35:25,880 --> 01:35:27,720
I didn't know that you'd also 
been there. 

1646
01:35:27,720 --> 01:35:31,880
So yeah, it's, it's, it's a bit,
it's a bit of a scary place to 

1647
01:35:31,880 --> 01:35:36,040
be and didn't see it coming. 
Did not see that curveball 

1648
01:35:36,040 --> 01:35:39,280
coming this year. 
So, But yeah, here we go. 

1649
01:35:40,480 --> 01:35:41,560
And yeah, I do. 
I think. 

1650
01:35:42,000 --> 01:35:45,360
I'm sorry, Nicky. 
And good on you for being brave 

1651
01:35:45,360 --> 01:35:48,240
enough to go and get that 
checked even when you had that 

1652
01:35:48,240 --> 01:35:50,640
slight bit of doubt. 
Oh, is it is it not? 

1653
01:35:51,160 --> 01:35:52,960
It just tells the story to 
everyone. 

1654
01:35:52,960 --> 01:35:57,520
You felt absolutely fine, and 
thank goodness she did go and 

1655
01:35:57,520 --> 01:35:59,480
get it checked. 
Yeah, thank you. 

1656
01:35:59,480 --> 01:36:02,520
Yeah, I know. 
I just, I used to follow Bow 

1657
01:36:02,600 --> 01:36:07,920
Babe, the Dame Deborah. 
I can't remember surname and 

1658
01:36:07,920 --> 01:36:11,680
again, just such an inspiration 
and I get because I think we 

1659
01:36:11,680 --> 01:36:15,000
always thought bowel cancer was 
for older generations and I'd or

1660
01:36:15,000 --> 01:36:17,800
there'd be much more blood or 
you know, it really or bigger 

1661
01:36:17,800 --> 01:36:20,160
symptoms and it really was 
nothing. 

1662
01:36:20,600 --> 01:36:24,160
I'm glad. 
So yeah, I'm really grateful to 

1663
01:36:24,160 --> 01:36:26,960
her and the hairdresser for for 
them being open about it. 

1664
01:36:26,960 --> 01:36:29,120
And I thought, well, if I can 
then be open about it. 

1665
01:36:29,560 --> 01:36:36,160
I'm so looking back, there were 
symptoms, but very, very small 

1666
01:36:36,160 --> 01:36:37,760
ones. 
And I suppose if there's any, 

1667
01:36:38,680 --> 01:36:43,680
I'm, you know, so I'm, I'm 50 
this year and our generation of 

1668
01:36:43,680 --> 01:36:47,440
women would yes, it's great that
menopause and perimenopause, 

1669
01:36:47,440 --> 01:36:51,120
it's out there, it's everywhere.
But I think the problem is that 

1670
01:36:51,120 --> 01:36:55,160
we're being told that every 
symptom is perimenopause and so 

1671
01:36:55,480 --> 01:36:57,280
urgency. 
Well, I thought it's just 

1672
01:36:57,280 --> 01:37:01,160
because my estrogen levels were 
dropping a little bit of 

1673
01:37:01,160 --> 01:37:03,840
bloating. 
Oh, it's Perry many belly. 

1674
01:37:03,840 --> 01:37:05,200
You know, we give it a cute 
name. 

1675
01:37:05,520 --> 01:37:10,520
You know, all these things just 
symptoms that I honestly had 

1676
01:37:10,520 --> 01:37:13,000
just put down to menopause or 
perimenopause. 

1677
01:37:13,000 --> 01:37:18,320
And I just I do worry that there
because there's apparently 1000 

1678
01:37:18,560 --> 01:37:22,000
perimenopause symptoms. 
I do worry that our generation, 

1679
01:37:22,160 --> 01:37:25,520
because we're now talking about 
it, it's great that we're 

1680
01:37:25,520 --> 01:37:28,480
talking about perimen, 
perimenopause, but it's also a 

1681
01:37:28,480 --> 01:37:31,880
bit worrying that we are just 
allowing all those symptoms to 

1682
01:37:31,880 --> 01:37:36,080
be put under this one barrier or
one this one banner and actually

1683
01:37:36,080 --> 01:37:38,320
we're missing. 
I could have missed, I could 

1684
01:37:38,320 --> 01:37:41,480
have missed it. 
And I'm stage 3, I'm stage 3, 

1685
01:37:41,600 --> 01:37:44,520
you know, and I didn't see it. 
I didn't know because I, I 

1686
01:37:44,520 --> 01:37:46,760
thought it was perimenopause. 
So. 

1687
01:37:47,440 --> 01:37:53,920
And what I do for mobile camera 
videographer work in CT and 

1688
01:37:53,920 --> 01:37:56,880
perform the CT colons. 
And the amount of people that we

1689
01:37:56,880 --> 01:38:02,120
know get through from the over 
50s from the stand up tests of 

1690
01:38:02,200 --> 01:38:06,040
anyone that's had no symptoms, 
not even notice the blood in the

1691
01:38:06,040 --> 01:38:11,080
poor, The amount of lives that 
we are now saving because of 

1692
01:38:11,080 --> 01:38:14,560
that one test. 
And it's not the nicest thing to

1693
01:38:14,560 --> 01:38:16,960
do, but you know what? 
It could save your life. 

1694
01:38:17,640 --> 01:38:20,600
It's not, yeah, yes, it's not 
pleasant, but it's really not 

1695
01:38:20,600 --> 01:38:23,640
too bad. 
Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. 

1696
01:38:24,080 --> 01:38:25,240
I know. 
I don't know if it, I don't know

1697
01:38:25,240 --> 01:38:27,880
if the age should be reduced 
because I wouldn't have got my 

1698
01:38:28,040 --> 01:38:33,240
standard poo test through the 
door till the end of November 

1699
01:38:33,240 --> 01:38:36,880
this year and I'd already got a 
six centimetre growth. 

1700
01:38:37,520 --> 01:38:40,480
They have said it would have 
been growing for about 7 years. 

1701
01:38:41,280 --> 01:38:44,160
I don't know. 
Yeah, yeah, that was the, that's

1702
01:38:44,160 --> 01:38:46,560
what they think. 
And, and who knows? 

1703
01:38:46,600 --> 01:38:50,800
I've, I didn't know whether to 
mention this or not, but two 

1704
01:38:50,800 --> 01:38:55,720
people in the last seven weeks 
have sent me an article with a 

1705
01:38:55,720 --> 01:39:01,680
very, very small link on between
endurance runners and bowel 

1706
01:39:01,680 --> 01:39:04,080
cancer. 
They're not endurance runners 

1707
01:39:04,080 --> 01:39:09,040
per SE, but endurance sports 
because it does put pressure on 

1708
01:39:09,040 --> 01:39:12,320
your digestive system. 
We also are drinking lots of 

1709
01:39:12,320 --> 01:39:14,720
sugary drinks and a lot of 
sugar. 

1710
01:39:15,560 --> 01:39:19,560
I found it quite difficult 
reading those and I felt that 

1711
01:39:19,560 --> 01:39:21,600
they were saying basically it's 
your own fault. 

1712
01:39:21,760 --> 01:39:24,600
Now, of course, that's not what 
my friends were saying when they

1713
01:39:24,600 --> 01:39:28,000
sent me this, but it was really 
hard not to take that kind of 

1714
01:39:28,000 --> 01:39:32,800
cause and effect straight line 
and go, oh God, I've caused 

1715
01:39:32,800 --> 01:39:34,760
this. 
And that's why I was a little 

1716
01:39:34,760 --> 01:39:37,080
bit I and I maybe feel like I 
maybe still shouldn't have 

1717
01:39:37,080 --> 01:39:42,000
mentioned it, but because it was
a tiny study, but they are 

1718
01:39:42,000 --> 01:39:46,120
apparently seeing more and more 
links between the endurance side

1719
01:39:46,320 --> 01:39:49,400
and the effect on our on our 
digestive system. 

1720
01:39:49,680 --> 01:39:52,560
Whether that it always leads to 
bowel cancer, who knows? 

1721
01:39:52,560 --> 01:39:56,080
But or no, of course it doesn't 
because we're all, we're in this

1722
01:39:56,080 --> 01:39:57,480
world. 
How many people do you know 

1723
01:39:57,480 --> 01:40:01,160
without cancer? 
There's many less than less 

1724
01:40:01,160 --> 01:40:07,440
people than more people. 
And yeah, I felt quite defensive

1725
01:40:07,440 --> 01:40:11,680
when I read those articles. 
But maybe it is something we 

1726
01:40:11,680 --> 01:40:16,520
should be talking about that. 
Yeah, I don't know, maybe eating

1727
01:40:16,520 --> 01:40:19,760
all the sugar and. 
Going for long runs, isn't it 

1728
01:40:19,760 --> 01:40:22,080
good? 
I don't know, sorry. 

1729
01:40:22,080 --> 01:40:23,360
It's maybe not the right 
message. 

1730
01:40:23,400 --> 01:40:25,360
I'd I don't know how I feel 
about it. 

1731
01:40:25,880 --> 01:40:27,960
Yeah, I think you've got to 
watch out with that sort of 

1732
01:40:27,960 --> 01:40:31,360
thing because correlation 
doesn't equal causation. 

1733
01:40:31,600 --> 01:40:34,080
And it. 
Could it could be that the sort 

1734
01:40:34,080 --> 01:40:37,200
of people that do endurance 
sports know their body, know 

1735
01:40:37,200 --> 01:40:39,960
when to go to a doctor because 
they know that something is 

1736
01:40:39,960 --> 01:40:41,800
wrong, so they're more likely to
get caught? 

1737
01:40:42,080 --> 01:40:44,840
Completely with you, Mike. 
Absolutely. 

1738
01:40:44,960 --> 01:40:49,240
And the good of exercise 
outweighs so many of the other. 

1739
01:40:49,800 --> 01:40:52,760
It's just, it's just really hard
when and maybe you went through 

1740
01:40:52,760 --> 01:40:56,200
the same thing of, of not 
looking at the cause and effect 

1741
01:40:56,240 --> 01:40:58,480
and trying to work out why not? 
Why me? 

1742
01:40:58,480 --> 01:40:59,640
It's not. 
And oh, why me? 

1743
01:40:59,640 --> 01:41:02,760
It's more just why? 
Because I don't fit the model 

1744
01:41:04,600 --> 01:41:06,120
for. 
I don't eat a lot of red meat. 

1745
01:41:06,120 --> 01:41:08,240
I'm not obese, I don't drink a 
lot of alcohol. 

1746
01:41:08,240 --> 01:41:10,000
You know, all of that, all of 
those things. 

1747
01:41:10,200 --> 01:41:14,840
So why? 
Yeah, but my consultant is just 

1748
01:41:14,840 --> 01:41:16,640
saying, listen, it's just bad 
luck. 

1749
01:41:18,640 --> 01:41:20,400
I don't know. 
But I suppose I just. 

1750
01:41:20,960 --> 01:41:24,600
You don't fit the model because 
normally people that are 

1751
01:41:24,600 --> 01:41:27,440
overweight, that don't do the 
exercise, they're getting found.

1752
01:41:27,440 --> 01:41:31,120
But yeah, as you say, it's bad 
luck you didn't fit the model 

1753
01:41:31,120 --> 01:41:32,320
because. 
Yeah. 

1754
01:41:33,400 --> 01:41:37,080
But one thing that I'll say, and
I'm sure you'll agree with this,

1755
01:41:37,080 --> 01:41:41,880
is if anybody has got any 
doubts, any symptoms, go and see

1756
01:41:41,880 --> 01:41:44,840
your GP because they will not 
say you're wasting their time. 

1757
01:41:45,160 --> 01:41:46,520
They would rather you get 
caught. 

1758
01:41:47,440 --> 01:41:50,800
When I say caught, I mean 
diagnosed, yes. 

1759
01:41:51,760 --> 01:41:55,320
Yes, absolutely. 
I would 100 percent, 100% say 

1760
01:41:55,320 --> 01:41:55,960
that. 
Yeah. 

1761
01:41:55,960 --> 01:41:57,680
And don't be embarrassed. 
Yeah. 

1762
01:41:59,600 --> 01:42:01,320
We're not. 
We're ultra runners. 

1763
01:42:01,320 --> 01:42:03,000
We talk about poo all the time, 
so. 

1764
01:42:03,000 --> 01:42:09,480
Oh my God, I know, I know. 
Yeah, I wasn't. 

1765
01:42:09,480 --> 01:42:12,040
I actually wasn't embarrassed. 
It was gorgeous. 

1766
01:42:12,120 --> 01:42:15,440
Yeah, no, I wasn't. 
As a mother as well, you get 

1767
01:42:15,440 --> 01:42:17,240
used to talking about poo quite 
a lot. 

1768
01:42:18,440 --> 01:42:20,840
So there's an idea for your next
race. 

1769
01:42:21,920 --> 01:42:25,600
At the end, you've got to have 
poo tests. 

1770
01:42:25,960 --> 01:42:27,720
Oh wow. 
Gosh. 

1771
01:42:28,960 --> 01:42:31,520
Well, OK. 
Or or in the portal. 

1772
01:42:32,480 --> 01:42:34,160
Get them to. 
Test the portaloos. 

1773
01:42:34,160 --> 01:42:38,200
We know, we know that somebody 
who used this portaloo has got a

1774
01:42:38,200 --> 01:42:40,440
positive test. 
Which runner is it? 

1775
01:42:41,120 --> 01:42:46,440
We can't do that. 
I am good. 

1776
01:42:46,520 --> 01:42:50,840
Well, it's a very gentle not not
quite as far as that. 

1777
01:42:50,840 --> 01:42:52,800
I'm going to fundraise for the 
bow beam. 

1778
01:42:52,920 --> 01:42:55,120
Do you know actually my second 
thoughts? 

1779
01:42:55,120 --> 01:42:59,840
So when you get taken into the 
the room to get told and you get

1780
01:42:59,840 --> 01:43:04,360
handed a leaflet for the Western
general, my first thought was 

1781
01:43:04,480 --> 01:43:07,400
Oh, shit. 
And the second I think what 

1782
01:43:07,600 --> 01:43:09,760
honestly, I think my second 
thought was I'm going to have to

1783
01:43:09,760 --> 01:43:11,480
run London Marathon dress as a 
Pooh. 

1784
01:43:11,480 --> 01:43:16,720
I'm and I and I've actually 
entered, I've entered the ballot

1785
01:43:17,280 --> 01:43:20,560
and I've entered the Bow Babe 
ballot and I will. 

1786
01:43:21,080 --> 01:43:24,200
I hope to run. 
I hope to run London Marathon. 

1787
01:43:24,200 --> 01:43:26,040
Dress as a poo next year. 
There you go. 

1788
01:43:27,440 --> 01:43:29,560
You heard it here first. 
You heard it here first. 

1789
01:43:31,520 --> 01:43:35,040
And for the 5 Pilgrim way in 
your Windows bag, you will get a

1790
01:43:35,160 --> 01:43:37,760
full emoji. 
Yeah, exactly. 

1791
01:43:40,760 --> 01:43:43,200
Yeah. 
Well, how do we bring this back 

1792
01:43:44,040 --> 01:43:51,080
then, after that bombshell? 
For to lose, I don't know, I 

1793
01:43:51,080 --> 01:43:53,760
know I'm just, I just know. 
Thank you for letting me talk 

1794
01:43:53,760 --> 01:43:56,720
about it. 
I'm trying to keep things as 

1795
01:43:56,720 --> 01:43:59,440
normal as possible for the 
family but also for my business 

1796
01:43:59,440 --> 01:44:01,600
and just keep keeping on going, 
you know? 

1797
01:44:01,600 --> 01:44:03,840
I couldn't. 
So I didn't make it to 20 along 

1798
01:44:03,840 --> 01:44:08,040
the 4th this year I was actually
one day post surgery, but up 

1799
01:44:08,040 --> 01:44:09,760
until surgery I was feeling 
fine. 

1800
01:44:09,760 --> 01:44:13,520
So the races on a Saturday, I 
marked the course on Thursday 

1801
01:44:14,440 --> 01:44:15,840
and I had my surgery on the 
Friday. 

1802
01:44:15,840 --> 01:44:20,120
So I very much felt part of it. 
I just couldn't be there on race

1803
01:44:20,120 --> 01:44:21,400
day. 
And I've got this, as I say, 

1804
01:44:21,400 --> 01:44:24,240
because we've got this wonderful
core team of people that do the 

1805
01:44:24,240 --> 01:44:27,320
same jobs every year at 
different events. 

1806
01:44:28,040 --> 01:44:31,880
I had complete faith in them 
that it would it would be OK. 

1807
01:44:31,880 --> 01:44:34,040
It was difficult. 
It was really difficult not 

1808
01:44:34,040 --> 01:44:36,320
being there, but there was 
actually something very nice 

1809
01:44:36,320 --> 01:44:40,720
about watching it online develop
in people's posts. 

1810
01:44:40,720 --> 01:44:43,360
And no, it was great. 
It was really good. 

1811
01:44:43,360 --> 01:44:47,320
So yeah, I've just, yeah, 
business as usual is what I'm 

1812
01:44:47,320 --> 01:44:50,280
trying to just portray to my 
family, to my B boys as well. 

1813
01:44:50,480 --> 01:44:51,800
That's partly what I did 
yesterday. 

1814
01:44:51,800 --> 01:44:54,360
Mum is fine, you know. 
Yeah. 

1815
01:44:54,360 --> 01:44:56,640
And. 
We wanted to thank you again, 

1816
01:44:56,640 --> 01:44:59,280
Kat, for talking about it 
because there'll be a lot of 

1817
01:44:59,280 --> 01:45:03,000
runners and friends out there 
that will be wondering how 

1818
01:45:03,000 --> 01:45:05,320
you're doing. 
But I'm afraid to send that 

1819
01:45:05,320 --> 01:45:10,040
message in case they overstep 
their mark and oh, it's, it's 

1820
01:45:10,040 --> 01:45:14,520
your business, you know, and no 
people will appreciate you 

1821
01:45:14,520 --> 01:45:16,320
talking about it. 
Yeah, yeah. 

1822
01:45:16,320 --> 01:45:17,400
Well, thanks, Nikki. 
Yeah. 

1823
01:45:17,400 --> 01:45:19,760
I don't know what the next three
rounds will feel like. 

1824
01:45:19,880 --> 01:45:21,640
Chemo's not very nice, but it's 
not. 

1825
01:45:21,640 --> 01:45:25,560
Do you know what I feel like as 
ultra runners we have, I feel 

1826
01:45:25,560 --> 01:45:27,760
like psychologically we're 
pretty good. 

1827
01:45:27,920 --> 01:45:31,280
We're pretty well set up for, 
for this kind of thing where 

1828
01:45:32,120 --> 01:45:38,040
I've felt worse on a run and, 
and I'm in it for the long game.

1829
01:45:38,040 --> 01:45:40,160
And it's like, if we're quite 
good at setting a goal in the 

1830
01:45:40,160 --> 01:45:43,120
future, if I could at just 
mapping out, I can do this bit 

1831
01:45:43,120 --> 01:45:45,320
and then this bit and this bit. 
And there's checkpoints along 

1832
01:45:45,320 --> 01:45:47,880
the way. 
I get a wee break every two 

1833
01:45:47,880 --> 01:45:51,280
weeks. 
And I I it might be a funny way 

1834
01:45:51,280 --> 01:45:54,240
to think about it, but I do 
think my endurance training has 

1835
01:45:54,240 --> 01:45:57,080
really helped, not just 
physically, but mentally as 

1836
01:45:57,080 --> 01:46:00,200
well. 
Physically, it's one of the best

1837
01:46:00,200 --> 01:46:02,080
things you can do. 
It helps you recover. 

1838
01:46:02,480 --> 01:46:09,960
And yeah, it's you. 
I don't even know what I'm 

1839
01:46:09,960 --> 01:46:12,400
saying here. 
Yeah, the the best thing that 

1840
01:46:12,400 --> 01:46:14,960
you can do for your body is be 
fit and healthy. 

1841
01:46:15,440 --> 01:46:18,800
You're saying you don't fit the 
model, but that's because most 

1842
01:46:18,800 --> 01:46:21,160
people aren't fit and healthy 
and that's why they struggle so 

1843
01:46:21,160 --> 01:46:24,000
much. 
So hopefully you won't struggle 

1844
01:46:24,200 --> 01:46:26,440
because you are in the best 
place possible. 

1845
01:46:26,920 --> 01:46:28,080
Yeah. 
Thanks, Mike. 

1846
01:46:28,080 --> 01:46:32,080
Yeah, that's I hope as well. 
Yeah, right. 

1847
01:46:32,080 --> 01:46:34,040
We must. 
We can't finish on a cancer 

1848
01:46:34,040 --> 01:46:34,920
chat. 
Come on. 

1849
01:46:35,520 --> 01:46:37,520
Oh no, we've still got. 
We've still got a few. 

1850
01:46:37,520 --> 01:46:43,520
Questions. 
So following on from. 

1851
01:46:43,800 --> 01:46:46,040
You say why me and things like 
that? 

1852
01:46:46,040 --> 01:46:51,360
Why do you run? 
Why do I run I I mean, it's just

1853
01:46:51,360 --> 01:46:54,840
it's the I think you know, you 
hear it from so many people. 

1854
01:46:54,840 --> 01:46:57,360
I think this answer, but it is 
where I feel free. 

1855
01:46:57,400 --> 01:47:00,120
You know, it is, it's the time 
that I don't have my phone on, 

1856
01:47:00,120 --> 01:47:03,360
but I do have my phone because I
like, I quite like a podcast, 

1857
01:47:03,360 --> 01:47:06,480
but I I have set my phone up 
that I don't get text messages 

1858
01:47:06,480 --> 01:47:08,600
and my watch doesn't interrupt 
me. 

1859
01:47:08,960 --> 01:47:12,520
It is just a really nice time 
just to yeah, just to chip, just

1860
01:47:12,520 --> 01:47:16,000
to kind of zone out. 
And and again, I hear all the 

1861
01:47:16,000 --> 01:47:17,760
time in other podcasts. 
It's the time that you think 

1862
01:47:17,760 --> 01:47:20,680
most, isn't it? 
And just, yeah, it's just that 

1863
01:47:20,680 --> 01:47:23,800
kind of freedom of mind as well 
as well as say, a body. 

1864
01:47:23,800 --> 01:47:25,400
Yeah, yeah. 
Just love it. 

1865
01:47:26,120 --> 01:47:29,840
And the time that you think the 
most, what is it you're thinking

1866
01:47:29,840 --> 01:47:34,920
about? 
Oh, races all the time, always 

1867
01:47:35,120 --> 01:47:38,120
think. 
Race directing, race directing 

1868
01:47:38,120 --> 01:47:42,880
or doing the race. 
Currently, because I'm not I, I 

1869
01:47:42,880 --> 01:47:47,560
still identify as a runner, but 
I am, I feel I'm very out of the

1870
01:47:47,560 --> 01:47:50,320
game at the moment. 
I know I took part yesterday, 

1871
01:47:50,320 --> 01:47:56,760
but I, I, I don't, I, I've not 
got anything that I am even 

1872
01:47:56,760 --> 01:48:00,640
targeting because I haven't been
able to, you know, so even to 

1873
01:48:00,640 --> 01:48:04,440
run 10K pain free yesterday, let
alone, you know, chemo and all 

1874
01:48:04,440 --> 01:48:09,120
of that was, was amazing because
that's not happened for three 

1875
01:48:09,120 --> 01:48:14,000
years, three years. 
That's a long time. 

1876
01:48:15,120 --> 01:48:20,200
So I've not got any. 
Well, I know of our, I've 

1877
01:48:20,280 --> 01:48:23,120
entered the ballot for London 
Marathon, but apart from that, 

1878
01:48:23,480 --> 01:48:27,640
I've not got any hopes and 
dreams for races at the moment. 

1879
01:48:27,920 --> 01:48:34,520
I just want to run pain free and
do my little mini triathlons 

1880
01:48:34,520 --> 01:48:35,880
every week. 
That's it. 

1881
01:48:36,640 --> 01:48:38,320
So. 
By the way. 

1882
01:48:38,600 --> 01:48:40,280
Oh, I'm loving it. 
I'm loving it. 

1883
01:48:41,560 --> 01:48:43,480
But no, I'm always thinking up 
new events. 

1884
01:48:44,320 --> 01:48:46,840
Always thinking up new events, 
and there's just not enough time

1885
01:48:46,840 --> 01:48:50,240
in the calendar to do them all. 
Yeah. 

1886
01:48:51,280 --> 01:48:53,520
I just have a good idea of the 
mini triathlon. 

1887
01:48:53,520 --> 01:48:56,480
I think that's still fabulous 
that you do that every Monday. 

1888
01:48:56,520 --> 01:48:59,120
It's brilliant. 
And it doesn't take, you know, 

1889
01:48:59,120 --> 01:49:01,360
it's, I mean, there's a joy of 
being self-employed. 

1890
01:49:01,360 --> 01:49:04,840
I can just do that. 
But it's, you know, they are 

1891
01:49:04,840 --> 01:49:07,840
mini. 
So it's an hour and a half or 

1892
01:49:07,840 --> 01:49:11,280
so. 
I or tomorrow there's a really 

1893
01:49:11,280 --> 01:49:14,920
nice group at Cramond of they're
officially jog Scotland, but 

1894
01:49:14,920 --> 01:49:19,480
it's just a nice group of pals 
now who run at a very gentle 

1895
01:49:19,480 --> 01:49:20,880
pace. 
So that's been a really nice 

1896
01:49:20,880 --> 01:49:23,440
gentle start back to running. 
So I do my, I do what? 

1897
01:49:24,000 --> 01:49:27,120
That's why I had the confidence 
to do the Pennycook 10K because 

1898
01:49:27,120 --> 01:49:31,200
last Monday I had run 5 1/2 
miles with them pain free. 

1899
01:49:31,200 --> 01:49:33,200
And I thought, oh, actually, I 
know, you know, And that was a 

1900
01:49:33,200 --> 01:49:36,680
real confidence booster that I 
thought even though it was a 

1901
01:49:36,680 --> 01:49:41,040
very kind of 12 minute mile 
pace, I thought, well, I can do 

1902
01:49:41,080 --> 01:49:45,480
it. 
I can do a 12 minute mile 10K no

1903
01:49:45,480 --> 01:49:47,520
bother. 
I, I know I'll be able to do 

1904
01:49:47,520 --> 01:49:49,480
this. 
So that was a real confidence 

1905
01:49:49,480 --> 01:49:50,240
booster. 
So yeah. 

1906
01:49:50,240 --> 01:49:52,840
So yeah, there will be mini 
triathlon starts very gently, 

1907
01:49:53,040 --> 01:49:56,520
but I do enjoy it. 
How do you fit in the logistic 

1908
01:49:56,520 --> 01:49:59,680
of swimming? 
Into that, so I say, so I cycle 

1909
01:49:59,680 --> 01:50:01,080
to the pool. 
Ah. 

1910
01:50:01,200 --> 01:50:04,160
So I know that. 
So again, I'm not doing it in 

1911
01:50:04,160 --> 01:50:06,640
the right way or the right order
because you're meant to start. 

1912
01:50:06,640 --> 01:50:11,680
It's swim, cycle, run, isn't it?
Normally I am generally run, 

1913
01:50:12,080 --> 01:50:16,560
cycle, swim, cycle, but that's 
how I do it. 

1914
01:50:16,880 --> 01:50:22,040
Yeah, that's so. 
Cool, totally inspired that. 

1915
01:50:22,360 --> 01:50:26,400
Oh, good, good because it's it's
such a nice, it's such an easy 

1916
01:50:26,400 --> 01:50:28,520
way in a sense of cross of cross
training. 

1917
01:50:28,680 --> 01:50:29,960
So I know that at least once a 
week. 

1918
01:50:29,960 --> 01:50:32,600
I've I have swum once a week and
I've cycled once a week and it's

1919
01:50:32,600 --> 01:50:34,640
just it's good. 
It's good. 

1920
01:50:36,600 --> 01:50:40,280
And So what is coming up next 
for Blast? 

1921
01:50:40,280 --> 01:50:42,160
What's next on the Blast 
calendar? 

1922
01:50:42,440 --> 01:50:46,320
It's a busy time of year, so 
we've got well, so we've got 

1923
01:50:46,320 --> 01:50:48,720
Meadows race on Tuesday. 
So we used to have a Meadows 

1924
01:50:48,720 --> 01:50:51,080
race every God. 
Well actually it used to be 

1925
01:50:51,080 --> 01:50:54,280
every week, but a few years ago 
changed that to every month. 

1926
01:50:54,920 --> 01:50:57,520
And actually this year it's once
we just got 6. 

1927
01:50:58,720 --> 01:51:01,280
It's a Tuesday. 
It's quite niche, 12:45 on a 

1928
01:51:01,280 --> 01:51:04,880
Tuesday lunchtime, but we've got
80 people signed up for this 

1929
01:51:04,880 --> 01:51:09,600
Tuesday. 
It's the cherry blossom 5K. 

1930
01:51:10,120 --> 01:51:13,240
I'm hoping that the cherry 
blossom at the Meadows is still 

1931
01:51:13,280 --> 01:51:14,720
out. 
It's still out in my garden. 

1932
01:51:16,120 --> 01:51:19,600
I got it wrong last year. 
I went too early. 

1933
01:51:20,040 --> 01:51:22,880
I was April and it hadn't 
actually come out yet. 

1934
01:51:24,040 --> 01:51:28,560
So I looked at back at my photos
and it was still in bloom this 

1935
01:51:28,560 --> 01:51:31,720
time two years ago. 
So I'm really hoping it feels 

1936
01:51:31,720 --> 01:51:33,680
like the blossom came out 
earlier this year. 

1937
01:51:33,680 --> 01:51:38,400
So it's a little bit of A and so
that's, that's on Tuesday. 

1938
01:51:38,400 --> 01:51:43,120
And then we've got the, my 
name's Doddie 5K10K in June, on 

1939
01:51:43,120 --> 01:51:45,400
the 7th of June. 
And we've got the Sunset Running

1940
01:51:45,400 --> 01:51:49,440
Festival on the 20th of June. 
So that's, yeah, we've got, 

1941
01:51:49,560 --> 01:51:52,120
yeah, we've got nearly 600 for 
that one so far. 

1942
01:51:52,680 --> 01:51:55,640
So it's a marathon, It's a 
marathon, it's a qualifying 

1943
01:51:55,800 --> 01:51:58,000
marathon. 
It's a completely flat course. 

1944
01:51:58,480 --> 01:52:02,640
You've got an aid station every 
two miles, a marshals and 

1945
01:52:02,640 --> 01:52:05,480
supporters all along the route 
and you can use it as it's 

1946
01:52:05,480 --> 01:52:08,240
Scottish athletic doesn't 
qualified if you can use it as 

1947
01:52:08,240 --> 01:52:10,520
your time qualifier for one of 
the majors. 

1948
01:52:12,080 --> 01:52:16,440
So you know, so if a big major 
marathon isn't your thing or 

1949
01:52:16,440 --> 01:52:19,680
you're trying to get into one, 
it is it's it's a nice one to do

1950
01:52:20,680 --> 01:52:24,040
It depends if you enjoy running 
in the evening because it's it 

1951
01:52:24,040 --> 01:52:27,760
does start it starts at 3. 
No, sorry. 

1952
01:52:27,800 --> 01:52:30,880
That's for the 1st wave. 
If you think you're going to 

1953
01:52:30,880 --> 01:52:33,400
take over 5 hours for your 
marathon, you start at three. 

1954
01:52:34,560 --> 01:52:36,080
It starts at 5:00 in the 
evening. 

1955
01:52:36,680 --> 01:52:37,560
Yeah. 
Yeah. 

1956
01:52:37,560 --> 01:52:41,480
So it is a sunset festival. 
The first year I put it on, I 

1957
01:52:41,480 --> 01:52:44,080
actually started at sunset and I
was there till 1:00 in the 

1958
01:52:44,080 --> 01:52:47,600
morning, in the morning. 
And there are no lights in the 

1959
01:52:47,600 --> 01:52:50,480
prom. 
So if, you know, I learn things 

1960
01:52:50,480 --> 01:52:54,760
every year. 
So yeah, you start at 5:00, 

1961
01:52:54,760 --> 01:52:57,440
which isn't for everyone, but I 
quite enjoy running in the 

1962
01:52:57,440 --> 01:53:00,160
evening. 
So it's just it's yeah. 

1963
01:53:00,280 --> 01:53:03,840
It's just I know that we're all 
conditioned to run at 9:00 or 

1964
01:53:03,840 --> 01:53:07,160
10:00 for races, but there's 
something quite nice about 

1965
01:53:07,160 --> 01:53:09,240
starting at night. 
Yeah. 

1966
01:53:10,320 --> 01:53:14,320
So yeah, that's the next ones. 
And then I generally, I try not 

1967
01:53:14,320 --> 01:53:18,320
to have races during my kids 
summer holidays. 

1968
01:53:18,920 --> 01:53:21,600
So I've got a couple here and 
there and I'm timing the North 

1969
01:53:21,600 --> 01:53:25,360
Berwick race and I'm timing a 
few other hill races during 

1970
01:53:25,360 --> 01:53:28,880
summer, but I don't generally 
put my own ones on until end of 

1971
01:53:28,880 --> 01:53:30,680
August again. 
Yeah. 

1972
01:53:30,680 --> 01:53:34,160
And then it's Water of Leith 
obviously end of September. 

1973
01:53:34,520 --> 01:53:40,400
But we do have a new one. 
I was asked by the veterans in 

1974
01:53:40,400 --> 01:53:42,880
North Berwick to help them put 
on. 

1975
01:53:42,960 --> 01:53:49,280
We've called it breaking the 
laws and it's a 30K route and I 

1976
01:53:49,280 --> 01:53:53,160
think it'd be really good. 
You can, it can be really. 

1977
01:53:53,200 --> 01:53:56,480
So it's 30 kilometres, You've 
got North Berwick Law and 

1978
01:53:56,480 --> 01:53:59,560
Traprane Law and in between 
you've got the John your way and

1979
01:53:59,880 --> 01:54:03,680
I, I think it'll be fabulous. 
I'm so, yeah. 

1980
01:54:03,800 --> 01:54:06,400
If that sounds good to you, then
come along. 

1981
01:54:07,160 --> 01:54:09,560
That sounds like a great event. 
I think. 

1982
01:54:09,640 --> 01:54:10,720
I think it would be really 
lovely. 

1983
01:54:11,120 --> 01:54:13,080
Are you starting by running up 
the hills? 

1984
01:54:13,720 --> 01:54:18,080
We were going to, we were going 
to, but actually the Countryside

1985
01:54:18,080 --> 01:54:20,720
trusts, we had to go along to a 
safety Action Group for that 

1986
01:54:20,720 --> 01:54:23,480
with E Lothian and they were 
really. 

1987
01:54:23,920 --> 01:54:26,440
So the Countryside Office 
service is obviously very keen 

1988
01:54:27,080 --> 01:54:31,160
on path erosion, you know, 
keeping that to a minimum. 

1989
01:54:31,600 --> 01:54:35,840
And she was quite keen if if we 
started all the runners going up

1990
01:54:35,840 --> 01:54:39,200
North Berwick Law, it would 
spread out too much and the 

1991
01:54:39,200 --> 01:54:43,600
paths just couldn't cope. 
So actually I think it's a great

1992
01:54:43,600 --> 01:54:45,240
idea. 
We're going to start on the 

1993
01:54:45,240 --> 01:54:47,680
flatter section. 
So you've got John Muir wave 

1994
01:54:47,680 --> 01:54:52,160
flat section 1st 10K. 
You can either pass the baton, 

1995
01:54:52,480 --> 01:54:57,760
not a metaphorical baton to your
team, you're next in your team 

1996
01:54:57,760 --> 01:55:00,480
or carry on yourself. 
And then you've got Traprane Law

1997
01:55:01,120 --> 01:55:04,040
and then you're going back, back
along John your way, and then 

1998
01:55:04,040 --> 01:55:07,200
you finish with North Berwick 
Law. 

1999
01:55:08,480 --> 01:55:10,800
So it should be good, should be 
really good. 

2000
01:55:12,160 --> 01:55:16,120
So it's September the 13th and 
it's honouring the Scottish 

2001
01:55:16,120 --> 01:55:18,800
Commando Unit. 
Yeah. 

2002
01:55:20,600 --> 01:55:23,440
And and what what big 
achievement did the Scottish 

2003
01:55:23,440 --> 01:55:28,280
Commando unit have? 
Well, did you watch the 

2004
01:55:28,440 --> 01:55:31,840
programme? 
Oh God, it's set out in the 

2005
01:55:31,840 --> 01:55:35,520
desert. 
Oh, I've told you my memories. 

2006
01:55:35,520 --> 01:55:37,520
I am going to. 
I am definitely am 

2007
01:55:37,520 --> 01:55:41,280
perimenopausal. 
I forget everything. 

2008
01:55:43,520 --> 01:55:47,240
Commando SESSES Commando. 
Did you watch it SES? 

2009
01:55:47,280 --> 01:55:51,160
Who Dale's wins. 
Is it that one or was set out in

2010
01:55:51,160 --> 01:55:53,680
the desert? 
They're basically a commander, 

2011
01:55:53,680 --> 01:55:57,240
you know. 
Oh, Jerry Tiger is my 85 year 

2012
01:55:57,240 --> 01:55:59,320
old friend who lives in North 
Berwick. 

2013
01:55:59,320 --> 01:56:02,520
He is an ex Marine and he will 
kill me for not having all the 

2014
01:56:02,520 --> 01:56:03,880
facts and figures at my 
fingertips. 

2015
01:56:03,880 --> 01:56:08,120
But Blair, Blair, Blair, Blair 
someone. 

2016
01:56:09,560 --> 01:56:12,640
It was one of the original 
Scottish commandos and they wore

2017
01:56:12,640 --> 01:56:15,200
hackles were black hackles in 
their in their berries. 

2018
01:56:15,600 --> 01:56:21,040
And they were pretty much a 
subterfuge unit that during 

2019
01:56:21,040 --> 01:56:26,520
World War 2 ran a so they were 
the government knew about them, 

2020
01:56:26,520 --> 01:56:30,120
but they didn't really exist. 
And it's all about they bombed 

2021
01:56:30,120 --> 01:56:37,400
different in AAM, different 
airports or they bought, you 

2022
01:56:37,400 --> 01:56:40,320
know, they, they were very key. 
They were just Mad Men 

2023
01:56:40,320 --> 01:56:45,360
basically, who were a brave and 
incredible soldiers and would 

2024
01:56:45,360 --> 01:56:50,680
just go out and cause chaos in 
the for the for the enemy. 

2025
01:56:51,080 --> 01:56:55,560
I but IA lot of the training was
with backpacks and we're not 

2026
01:56:55,560 --> 01:56:58,040
asking anyone to run with 
backpacks, but it's, it's just 

2027
01:56:58,200 --> 01:57:02,880
honouring that unit. 
Yes, and there's a, there's 

2028
01:57:02,880 --> 01:57:08,880
quite a strong, a commando and a
veteran unit in North Berwick 

2029
01:57:08,880 --> 01:57:10,960
and they just asked if Bash 
Running could get involved. 

2030
01:57:11,200 --> 01:57:15,440
So we're raising money for the 
Scottish Veterans Housing, which

2031
01:57:15,440 --> 01:57:20,760
is a unit at the bottom of the 
Royal Mile which houses veterans

2032
01:57:20,800 --> 01:57:24,560
who have fallen on hard times 
either psychologically or 

2033
01:57:24,560 --> 01:57:26,680
financially and need somewhere 
to stay. 

2034
01:57:26,800 --> 01:57:29,560
And they've got, I think it's up
to, I think it's up to 100 beds.

2035
01:57:29,560 --> 01:57:32,640
There's up to 60 beds there. 
It's a, it's a, it's a hostel 

2036
01:57:32,640 --> 01:57:35,440
for them or more than a hostel 
somewhere that a place to call 

2037
01:57:35,440 --> 01:57:38,120
home for a while while they need
it when they're going through 

2038
01:57:38,120 --> 01:57:40,640
that hard time. 
So the Scottish Veterans 

2039
01:57:40,640 --> 01:57:43,040
residence, it's who, who it's 
for. 

2040
01:57:43,520 --> 01:57:46,960
Yeah, it would be great. 
And the, I think the person's 

2041
01:57:46,960 --> 01:57:51,440
name that you were trying to 
remember was Lieutenant Robert 

2042
01:57:51,440 --> 01:57:55,760
Blair Hadi Main. 
Yes, Blair Main, thank you very 

2043
01:57:55,760 --> 01:57:56,680
much. 
That's it. 

2044
01:57:56,880 --> 01:58:00,040
And what's the TV program? 
Was it SES? 

2045
01:58:00,040 --> 01:58:01,440
Who dares? 
I don't know that that's a 

2046
01:58:01,440 --> 01:58:03,640
Wikipedia article about the 
actual. 

2047
01:58:05,880 --> 01:58:08,040
The actual commando is not the 
TV programme about the. 

2048
01:58:08,040 --> 01:58:11,120
Command, yes, yes, yeah. 
But well, it's I quite enjoyed 

2049
01:58:11,120 --> 01:58:14,560
the TV programme as well, but 
but I put the two together and 

2050
01:58:14,560 --> 01:58:16,760
thought, ah, that I've watched 
that TV programme. 

2051
01:58:16,840 --> 01:58:18,680
It's really good. 
Yeah. 

2052
01:58:18,680 --> 01:58:20,640
So it's honouring the Scottish 
Commander unit. 

2053
01:58:22,880 --> 01:58:24,320
But yes, you don't have, you 
don't have to. 

2054
01:58:24,320 --> 01:58:26,120
You don't have to wear a big 
backpack. 

2055
01:58:27,120 --> 01:58:30,320
Take part. 
So you might have answered this 

2056
01:58:30,320 --> 01:58:34,520
question already with the London
Marathon, but what would be your

2057
01:58:34,520 --> 01:58:37,920
dream race, or any race on the 
bucket list if you could do 1? 

2058
01:58:40,000 --> 01:58:42,360
It is a really tough one because
I, as I say, I'm not really 

2059
01:58:42,360 --> 01:58:45,160
feeling like, don't feel like a 
runner at the moment. 

2060
01:58:46,040 --> 01:58:51,760
I'm, I, I've done London 6 times
and I love it. 

2061
01:58:52,880 --> 01:58:55,320
One of those was virtual. 2020 
was virtual. 

2062
01:58:56,600 --> 01:59:02,040
I, I've, I, I started London in 
yeah, 22,000 and three, 2014 and

2063
01:59:02,040 --> 01:59:06,440
five. 
And then I did it in 1920 and 

2064
01:59:06,440 --> 01:59:08,320
21. 
I think that's right. 

2065
01:59:09,160 --> 01:59:11,960
And I've ticked off another 
couple of the majors, but I 

2066
01:59:11,960 --> 01:59:14,240
didn't when I started running 
there wasn't Abbott, there 

2067
01:59:14,240 --> 01:59:16,840
wasn't the big majors when we 
London. 

2068
01:59:16,840 --> 01:59:19,200
And when I did London and 
Chicago back in 2004, there 

2069
01:59:19,200 --> 01:59:21,240
wasn't a thing called the the 
majors. 

2070
01:59:21,400 --> 01:59:26,920
So I've done a three of them, 
Chicago, Boston and London. 

2071
01:59:27,960 --> 01:59:31,760
Do I have aspirations? 
I don't know, to go and do the 

2072
01:59:31,760 --> 01:59:33,920
others? 
Maybe, Maybe. 

2073
01:59:34,080 --> 01:59:36,160
I told myself I wasn't going to 
do marathons till I was in my 

2074
01:59:36,160 --> 01:59:38,400
50s again. 
I just wanted to get away from 

2075
01:59:38,400 --> 01:59:41,520
the pace watching and the clock 
watching and just to try and 

2076
01:59:41,520 --> 01:59:45,160
find the love of running again, 
which I did through the ultras. 

2077
01:59:45,240 --> 01:59:49,480
I did find the love of it again.
But I don't actually have an 

2078
01:59:49,480 --> 01:59:52,360
answer to that question. 
I don't, I don't know, I think I

2079
01:59:52,360 --> 01:59:55,880
just want to run pain free for a
while and just see where it 

2080
01:59:55,880 --> 01:59:59,280
takes me. 
Yeah, sorry. 

2081
02:00:00,160 --> 02:00:02,760
Another question that might be 
difficult to answer. 

2082
02:00:02,840 --> 02:00:07,760
It's usually difficult to ask, 
is there anybody that you would 

2083
02:00:09,040 --> 02:00:13,120
love to run with, either 
fictional reel alive or not? 

2084
02:00:14,400 --> 02:00:19,720
It is a really difficult 1 and I
think the answer, as cheesy as 

2085
02:00:19,720 --> 02:00:22,800
it is, but I mean it is, is my 
children. 

2086
02:00:24,000 --> 02:00:27,600
I get real joy that I've really 
tried my hardest not to be a 

2087
02:00:27,600 --> 02:00:30,480
pushy parent. 
And you know, they've grown up 

2088
02:00:30,480 --> 02:00:33,640
with coming to races and they've
grown up with me running. 

2089
02:00:33,640 --> 02:00:37,080
And one of my proudest moments 
was a wee boy when he was 2 and 

2090
02:00:37,160 --> 02:00:39,440
I put trainers on and he said 
mummy running. 

2091
02:00:39,520 --> 02:00:43,360
I was like, excellent, you think
me, you know, you now think 

2092
02:00:43,360 --> 02:00:46,040
trainers mummy running. 
Love it, job done. 

2093
02:00:47,480 --> 02:00:52,680
But actually my 13 year old is 
now showing a little, a few 

2094
02:00:52,680 --> 02:00:54,960
signs of actually mum, I think I
might go out for a run. 

2095
02:00:54,960 --> 02:00:59,600
I feel like I need to let off 
some steam and I'm a wee boy is 

2096
02:01:00,280 --> 02:01:03,280
he's a little sprinter. 
But I think actually at some 

2097
02:01:03,280 --> 02:01:06,720
point being able to run with 
them as a wee family would be 

2098
02:01:06,920 --> 02:01:09,440
amazing. 
With my husband shuffling on the

2099
02:01:09,440 --> 02:01:14,920
back. 
Yeah, so sorry. 

2100
02:01:14,920 --> 02:01:17,960
I think, yeah, I know it's 
cheesy, but that's really a 

2101
02:01:17,960 --> 02:01:20,360
weird one. 
And. 

2102
02:01:20,720 --> 02:01:22,680
Have. 
You got anything booked for 

2103
02:01:22,680 --> 02:01:27,400
yourself later on in the year or
anything like that running wise?

2104
02:01:27,400 --> 02:01:31,040
Have you pre empted anything 
apart from I think you will be 

2105
02:01:31,040 --> 02:01:33,680
doing London Marks and I've got 
a gut feeling to. 

2106
02:01:33,760 --> 02:01:37,080
Get into that. 
I think you might not recognize 

2107
02:01:37,080 --> 02:01:41,000
me peering out between two holes
and a big pile of boots. 

2108
02:01:41,720 --> 02:01:46,440
But no, Because, like, 
literally, I started on 

2109
02:01:46,440 --> 02:01:49,360
Christmas Eve. 
Yeah, I'm on the 13th of 

2110
02:01:49,360 --> 02:01:51,320
February. 
I was diagnosed with cancer. 

2111
02:01:51,640 --> 02:01:55,320
I haven't actually really even 
believed that I'm back running 

2112
02:01:55,320 --> 02:01:56,960
again. 
Yeah, I've literally I have done

2113
02:01:56,960 --> 02:02:02,080
maybe like my mini triathlon and
maybe do 1-2 runs a week. 

2114
02:02:04,160 --> 02:02:08,720
So I'm yeah, I'm just holding my
breath. 

2115
02:02:08,840 --> 02:02:10,680
I'm holding my breath on it. 
I don't know. 

2116
02:02:10,880 --> 02:02:13,200
I don't know. 
I don't I don't even know what 

2117
02:02:13,200 --> 02:02:17,200
star to reach for. 
I don't even know if Path 

2118
02:02:17,200 --> 02:02:21,360
marathon is too far to reach at 
the moment and that's more with 

2119
02:02:21,880 --> 02:02:25,120
the foot. 
I haven't pushed it that far 

2120
02:02:25,120 --> 02:02:30,880
yet. 10K has been has been my 
test yesterday and it went well.

2121
02:02:30,880 --> 02:02:35,080
My legs are OK. 
Thank you Jill Steven for all 

2122
02:02:35,080 --> 02:02:39,280
that physio or single leg 
workout during the last three 

2123
02:02:39,280 --> 02:02:41,400
years. 
I seriously think it has helped 

2124
02:02:41,400 --> 02:02:43,280
a lot. 
Yeah. 

2125
02:02:44,160 --> 02:02:48,160
But just keep on building on it 
and so to speak running with 

2126
02:02:48,240 --> 02:02:53,160
that, Yes, yes. 
Thank you our. 

2127
02:02:53,160 --> 02:02:58,760
Guest on the last episode was 
Sophie Little Fair and we have 

2128
02:02:58,920 --> 02:03:03,440
been getting the guests to ask 
the next guest a question. 

2129
02:03:03,800 --> 02:03:08,440
Right. 
Sophie's question to you was 

2130
02:03:08,600 --> 02:03:13,000
what is your secret weapon main 
as relentless optimism? 

2131
02:03:15,160 --> 02:03:16,920
Yeah, that's pretty good 
actually. 

2132
02:03:16,920 --> 02:03:20,320
I'm, I'm quite a cop puff fool 
kind of girl as well. 

2133
02:03:24,720 --> 02:03:27,640
I would say yeah, I would go 
with that. 

2134
02:03:27,640 --> 02:03:33,360
But also a wee bit of I'm not 
stubborn. 

2135
02:03:33,360 --> 02:03:37,240
It's not that I'm, I'm 
resilient. 

2136
02:03:37,320 --> 02:03:42,480
I'm going to go with resilience.
I'm and it's not to say I don't 

2137
02:03:42,480 --> 02:03:46,520
get knocked down, but I do get 
back up again and yeah, I always

2138
02:03:46,520 --> 02:03:49,640
get back up again. 
So yeah, resilience, I would 

2139
02:03:49,640 --> 02:03:55,400
say, yeah. 
And the last question unless 

2140
02:03:55,520 --> 02:04:02,560
Nikki's got anything else is and
given given our conversation 

2141
02:04:02,560 --> 02:04:05,520
just a minute ago, answers may 
have changed recently. 

2142
02:04:05,840 --> 02:04:10,280
OK, have you ever and interpret 
this how you will? 

2143
02:04:10,280 --> 02:04:13,280
Have you ever felt that you've 
run until you're done? 

2144
02:04:18,640 --> 02:04:28,360
Yeah, when? 
Yeah, because I think, yeah, 

2145
02:04:28,760 --> 02:04:30,480
sorry, I'm trying to work out to
say this. 

2146
02:04:31,400 --> 02:04:34,240
I think, I think I would like I 
say, although I say I'm 

2147
02:04:34,240 --> 02:04:39,480
resilient and I have enjoyed 
ultra running. 

2148
02:04:39,800 --> 02:04:46,520
I think everyone's got a balance
where there's enjoyment versus 

2149
02:04:48,000 --> 02:04:51,120
enjoyment challenge and then 
just tip. 

2150
02:04:51,320 --> 02:04:53,520
It can be tipped too far the 
wrong way. 

2151
02:04:53,920 --> 02:04:56,600
And I think I'd always thought, 
yeah, I could do the West 

2152
02:04:56,600 --> 02:05:02,160
Highland way, but having done 
cataran, but actually it was the

2153
02:05:02,400 --> 02:05:07,960
the Lochaber 80 which finishes 
in Loch leaving and I finished 

2154
02:05:07,960 --> 02:05:13,560
in the dark coming down that the
descent into locally and can 

2155
02:05:13,560 --> 02:05:18,360
locally even in the dark. 
And it will, it will dusk, I 

2156
02:05:18,360 --> 02:05:21,000
suppose. 
And they checked my, you know, 

2157
02:05:21,000 --> 02:05:23,880
they check your bag in the 
morning for all your safety kits

2158
02:05:23,880 --> 02:05:26,880
and they add my torch. 
My head torch had been checked, 

2159
02:05:27,200 --> 02:05:30,360
but it must have been stayed on 
in my bag all day. 

2160
02:05:30,360 --> 02:05:33,200
So I didn't have a head torch. 
So I was coming down holding my 

2161
02:05:33,200 --> 02:05:37,000
phone, going over tree roots and
that sort of thing. 

2162
02:05:37,000 --> 02:05:40,520
And it just, and it made me just
think and I didn't feel unsafe 

2163
02:05:40,520 --> 02:05:43,520
as in I'm in the dark and the, 
the, the bogeyman's going to 

2164
02:05:43,720 --> 02:05:45,360
come out and get me or what have
you. 

2165
02:05:45,360 --> 02:05:48,360
It's not that side of things. 
It's more just, do you know 

2166
02:05:48,360 --> 02:05:49,680
what? 
I don't think I'm having much 

2167
02:05:49,680 --> 02:05:52,160
fun here. 
And I don't know if I want to do

2168
02:05:52,160 --> 02:05:55,000
a race that goes through the 
night and by myself and over 

2169
02:05:55,000 --> 02:05:58,680
tree roots and all the 
hallucinations that you hear of.

2170
02:05:58,680 --> 02:06:03,280
And actually, I, I think I've 
found my balance so fun. 

2171
02:06:03,280 --> 02:06:06,240
So I would have gone up if, and 
I might still, I don't know, 

2172
02:06:06,240 --> 02:06:08,000
because I just don't know how 
I'm a football cope. 

2173
02:06:08,560 --> 02:06:12,480
I, I did think I'd go up to 100K
and I think that's where my 

2174
02:06:14,040 --> 02:06:19,880
personal balance would be struck
of OK, I've pushed myself 

2175
02:06:19,880 --> 02:06:21,880
enough. 
I can do it. 

2176
02:06:21,920 --> 02:06:24,120
But actually I've still enjoy, 
enjoyed it. 

2177
02:06:24,960 --> 02:06:28,280
And I think that sweet spot is 
different for everyone, isn't 

2178
02:06:28,280 --> 02:06:31,280
it? 
Because whatever you've done, 

2179
02:06:32,320 --> 02:06:36,360
someone's gone longer, harder, 
quicker. 

2180
02:06:37,040 --> 02:06:39,560
Done it three times, mate. 
You know, there's, there's, 

2181
02:06:39,600 --> 02:06:43,600
there's always someone. 
So it has to be about your own 

2182
02:06:43,600 --> 02:06:47,320
challenge. 
And so I would love so you're 

2183
02:06:47,320 --> 02:06:49,520
actually saying about what would
there be that one thing? 

2184
02:06:49,520 --> 02:06:52,800
I would love to think that I 
could get fit enough and 

2185
02:06:54,000 --> 02:06:58,240
physically resilient enough to 
get back to ultras because they 

2186
02:06:58,240 --> 02:07:01,600
I really do enjoy it, but I just
don't know if it'll happen or 

2187
02:07:01,600 --> 02:07:02,640
not. 
Yeah. 

2188
02:07:04,080 --> 02:07:06,240
And if it doesn't, I'm OK. 
I actually am. 

2189
02:07:06,560 --> 02:07:10,000
I've done loads. 
I've run my wee socks off. 

2190
02:07:10,040 --> 02:07:11,200
I am. 
I'm grand. 

2191
02:07:11,280 --> 02:07:14,080
If I just have to stick with 
five KS, 10 KS, honestly, I'm 

2192
02:07:14,080 --> 02:07:16,160
fine. 
Yeah, as long as it can be 

2193
02:07:16,160 --> 02:07:17,360
trail. 
I don't. 

2194
02:07:17,360 --> 02:07:19,080
I'm not really a big fan of the 
road stuff. 

2195
02:07:20,080 --> 02:07:25,120
Unless you're racer acting. 
Yes, right. 

2196
02:07:27,000 --> 02:07:28,160
That's the end of our question, 
Sir. 

2197
02:07:30,960 --> 02:07:33,520
Cat, thank you. 
Thank you for coming on. 

2198
02:07:33,520 --> 02:07:37,120
Thank you for being open about 
what what we discussed tonight. 

2199
02:07:38,240 --> 02:07:39,720
Thank you, Nikki for being 
Nikki. 

2200
02:07:39,760 --> 02:07:43,160
And that's it for me. 
Thanks for coming on, Kat. 

2201
02:07:43,800 --> 02:07:46,840
Oh guys, you've been a real 
pleasure to chat to you, thank 

2202
02:07:46,840 --> 02:07:47,760
you so much.