Home Trails Podcast

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On this weeks podcast we speak to Chris Cope.

Chris is a father, GP and type 1 diabetic that is on a roll of crushing Spine Race course records. He recently took nearly 90 minutes off the Challenger South CR, to add to his repertoire of stunning wins at the Spine, from Sprint South to the full summer race.

After a difficult DNF in January on the full winter race, Chris was back for redemption at the summer race.

In this...

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This time on the podcast we speak to the winner of the Summer Spine Race, Jenny Hartley.

Jenny won the women's race and was 8th overall in the summer outing of Britain's Most Brutal Race! 

In this interview we dive into Jenny's superhero story, her experience going into the race and how she originally expected to run the Spine route the week before the race because she assumed she wouldn't get off the start list in time!

We talk...

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This is the full sit down interview I did with Andy before he did the full Summer Spine race.

We talk about his approach to Britain's most brutal race and how his previous history with Cocodona 250 might help him make it 268 miles from Edale to Kirk Yetholm!

We talk kit, bogs and how his social media presence might affect the race and the international eyeballs on it now.

Andy is a great guy and he's always welcome back at o...

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With guest host Charlotte Fisher!

Sam returns to the podcast as a guest this time....to talk about his second place finish at the Spine Race Sprint South!

Sam talks to Charlotte about his running career highlight. How his training went, his preparation and execution of one of his all time best performances. He talks about the highs and the lows of his race and how he had to dig deep to keep 3rd place from catching him in the last...

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In this episode I go solo to have a quick catch up about this years races.

I talk about the contenders for each race, the dark horses and obviously discuss my upcoming mini documentary about Andy Glaze, who is running the full summer race.

I also chat about my race this weekend doing the Sprint South and plans for the podcast for the next few weeks.

HT

@ultrarunning_sam

@hometrails_

http://www.yout...

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In this episode of the podcast we speak to returning guest, photographer - David Miller.

David returns, firstly to bring the listeners back up to speed with what he's been up to since he was last on back in 2023 (can't believe its been that long!)...and also to talk to us about his SPINE photo book project, in collaboration with the race and Vertebrate Publishing.

We discuss his initial apprehension at taking on such an iconic race and the pressure he m...

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It wouldn't be another running of the UTS without an interview with our No1 guest!

Charlotte returned to this years race to better her 3rd place podium spot from last year, which she did with her 2nd place in an all Brit podium!

We talk about the brutal conditions on the race at times, how she almost had her first DNF due to hyperthermia that left her wandering about in a daze not knowing if she was racing or on a dr...

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In the latest episode of the Podcast, we talk to ultra-running legend Sage Canaday!

Sage has been on our screens for over a decade with his YouTube running channel - Vo2maxproductions. He also has a huge social media presence where he openly expresses his opinions on the trail and ultra scene. Which at times gets him into some hot water. 

Most notably recently with his take on a very famous bow hunter-turned ultra runner, who openly admitted to taking subst...

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COACHES CORNER! 

In this episode, coach Wozza (Warren Wrenkel) returns to talk about the latest happenings in the trail and ultra coaching worlds.

We dive into the 1:59.30 marathon world record at London Marathon. Around that subject, we also talk about Joe Wicks fuelling advice, the effect that super shoes has and the progression of road running over time.

We talk about coaching slower runners and how to get them moving faster through drills and plyometrics. We talk about train...

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Exclusive interview with Sam Heward from ULTRA X about buying up the Dragons Back and Northern Traverse!

Sam firstly tells the story of UX and how they came into the fortunate situation to be able to save the two iconic races. He talks about UX 7 year journey to put on world class multi-day events all over the world and how their experience put them in the position to take on DB and NT.

In this episode I lean heavily on the...

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EPISODE 200!!!! 

In this landmark episode I speak to returning guest Damian Hall.

Damo is no stranger to the podcast and has appeared in numerous episodes over the years.....This time however, it's not to talk about The Spine Race or Barkley (although they do obviously get a mention) This time we talk about his new book, RUN FOREVER! "The secret to becoming an ageless athlete" 

We dive into the book and how it came to be. We talk about...

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In this episode I speak with Centurion Race director, James Elson.

James returns to the podcast to talk about his one time only race, Sea 2 Sea. A last minute replacement for the defaulted Northern Traverse by Ourea Events.

If you've been following the ongoing discussions about the demise of one of the UKs biggest names in race organisation, you'll be fully aware of the fact that 2 phoenix's rose from the ashes. One being the Community Traverse and the other being the...

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Charlotte returns as guest/host? were not even sure at this point because she's been on the pod so regularly!

Chalotte returns to give us the low down on her well earned 12th place at Chianti. After doing a pivot from Tenerife Bluetrail that was cancelled due to bad weather, to this race. Charlotte was initially disappointed with placing outside of the top 10.

But on reflection, she now happy to have put down a solid race against some of the worl...

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In this episode I speak to Kitty-Leigh Oxley about the Community Traverse!

In the wake of the collapse of Ourea Events, Kitty decided that all that training and money spent getting to the start line of The Northern Traverse couldn't go to waste! Surely there were others in the same situation? The seed of an ideas was born and now we have the Community Traverse!

Support for this event has grown rapidly since its inception and continues to grow. What star...

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On this episode of the podcast we speak to Dan Holder.

Dan completed this years Arctic Spine race, a non-stop 293 mile winter ultramarathon along the Kungsleden Trail in Arctic Sweden.

Dan had to contend with -40 degree temps, 40mph winds, pulling a pulk with all of his survival gear including a tent to sleep in along the way. If you think that the Winter Spine Race along the Pennine Way is difficult...then wait until you hear what Dan had to p...

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On the podcast this week we have Jon and Henriette Albon!

The power couple for 2026? It seems so! They both decidedly won their respective races at TGC, with Jon battling friend of the show - Josh Wade to a hard fought win. Whilst Henriette won her race by over 90 minutes! 

In this episode we dive into what the 'Norwegian Method' really is. We talk about their respective Superhero origin stories and how they came to be the couple that we know...

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ULTRA NEWS!

This week we had the sad news that Ourea Events had ceased trading. OE host some of the UK's most beloved ultramarathons including; The Northern Traverse, encompassing the Lakes Traverse, Dales Traverse and the Moors Traverse. The Dragon's Back Race, Cape Wrath and Skyline Scotland.

This news came as a shock to many of us that have been involved with any of the races they put on. Shane Ohly broke the news in a heartfelt statement just yesterday, whic...

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In this episode of the Home Trails Podcast we talk to our resident coach, Warren Wrenkel.....Wozza!

Subjects on the docket this episode:

* The Norwegian Method for training (includes an example for you to try)

* VO2max - Is it important or not?

* New studies on injuries related to training volume

* Physiology vs zone training 

*  Nutrition - keto/low carb vs high carb for training or longevity 

Lots to unpack in this...

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In this episode of the Home Trails Podcast, I'm joined by by James Nobles and Martin from Kelp&Fern to discuss UTS by UTMB.

James has been very vocal in his criticism of UTS changing the iconic Snowdonia route last minute, especially after selling further places in the race.

UTS has come under heavy fire from some prominent names in the trail and ultra running community. But is this just a genuine landowner/route issue that couldn't have been avoided? Or i...

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Louise returns to the Home Trails podcast for her second appearance. 

The first was as part of a short format Spine Race preview episode, so we didn't dive too much into her life story. In this episode we go right back to her early days, especially her wild days back at uni in Manchester, when she was fully immersed in the early 90's rave scene. 

She talks about going to the legendary Hacienda club in Manchester, how she help Madonna to shi...

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Hayley Wilson - Podcast listener and Home Trails WhatsApp group member, joins me for a run down of whats been happening in the sport over the weekend!

We chat about the results from the 2 separate golden ticket races that were held over the weekend - Black Canyons 100/50k held in the USA and Tarawera 100k held simultaneously down under in New Zealand. Multiple golden tickets were up for grabs in each of the races, so we chat about who won what.

Ob...

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Anna Troup joins the Home Trails Podcast to talk all things Spine Race!

Anna has a long history with the race and this year saw her win the women's race in 109 hours, in some epic weather conditions. Anna talks about her preparations (or lack of) going into this race. Off the back of winning the summer edition of the race, Anna yet again had to deal with reoccurring issues with stress fractures that almost put her out of the race.

We d...

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In this episode I'm joined by Kris Jones!

Kris recently won the Arc of Attrition by UTMB 50 and he shares his experience at this years mud-fest!

This is Kris's first appearance on the Home Trails Podcast, so we obviously start with the obligatory Superhero Question. Kris comes from a background that combines world class orienteering with world class track and road running. Which clearly is the perfect combination, because he seems to win and set course records at every trail and...

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Sarah Page is officially here! 

With her recent 1st place and 3rd overall at Challenger  South, Sarah has firmly put her stamp on the Winter race on just her first attempt at Britain's Most Brutal!

She finished the race in 29 hours and 3 minutes, to put her on the overall podium in 3rd and take the win in the women's race. Unfortunately due to the bad weather diversions, this time doesn't count as a new course record. But we all know what t...

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Podcast favourite - Charlotte Fisher returns for yet another episode!...by this point we've both lost count of how many times!

We chat about her experience at this years Arc by UTMB which delivered the aforementioned attrition in bucket fulls! With a DNF rate of over 60% this wasn't a race for the fainthearted. But Charlotte battled her way to a strong 2nd place.

We talk about her storming away from the pack, before a fall in wet conditions ultimately slowed her...

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Robin the Running Accountant joins Sam as the cohost on this one. Firstly to quiz him about his Spine Challenger South DNF story......warts n all! 

Then, we round up all the action from all of this year's Spine races, including an in depth conversation about Jon and Damo holding hands during the Sprint North. Just how bad the conditions were for everyone. The outstanding performances from all races and how Double Deckers don't qualify as race nutrition?

We also revea...

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I catch up with Cammy for a quick chat before this years races kick off.

We chat about changes to how the media team operate over the week of racing. How the weather is affecting the race and what's new from the media coverage.

Cam is obviously very busy manning the helm of the media team this year, since Will Roberts is absent for 2026. But we managed to have a chin wag about my favourite race none the less!

HT...

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In this episode we speak to returning guest Alice Kershaw!

Alice is no stranger to the podcast and no stranger to the Spine. Having been on the podium on 4 separate occasions. Including wins at the Sprint and Challenger South.

This time Alice is taking on the full winter Spine and for those of us in the know, she is tipped to do really well. She talks about her new approach to racing which includes the wise guidance from non other than...

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In this episode of the podcast we talk to returning guest Jon Shield.

Jon talks about the year he's had since he was forced to drop out of Challenger North last winter with a calf injury. He talks about his successes and failures in between and how he now feels ready to put down a strong performance at the Sprint North race next week.

Obviously, Jon quite rightly called me out on my comment during my interview with Damo where I ma...

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Jack returns to the podcast to talk about Spine South this coming weekend.

Jack broke with his tradition of radio silence prior to big races, in favour of a more relaxed approach to media. Is this a new version of Jack? 

Possibly so it seems...... Jack previously stayed away from the media prior to the Spine to stay in his zone mentally. But now Jack is a bit older and a bit wiser its seems and has learned to switch off h...

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James returns to the Home Trails podcast to talk about his historic double winter Bob Graham Round record!

Running a total of 132 miles, with 54,000 ft of ascent in 42 hours and 56 minutes! Going anticlockwise first, before switching to clockwise for the second round. This betters the previous time set by Caspian James, by nearly an hour.

In the podcast, we talk about his approach to training for, and completing a feat that has never been accomplished before. James is known for his...

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The Trail and Ultra Running Awards are back agin for 2025!

In this joint podcast....Ultrarunning Sam, Kate from RunUltra and Robin The Running Accountant discuss this years potential winners and who did what this year in 2025.

We've simplified the voting this year so there's no option to pick from a list, the choice is yours and the winner of each award is the one with the most votes....Simples.

So follow the link to vote and be in with...

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SPINE SEASON:

James returns to the Home Trails podcast for a third time. This time we talk about his return to the big one!

Having dropped out of the full winter race in 2024 with a foot injury, he returned to the race to run the Challenger South with his dad in the epic conditions we saw in January. 

This time, back to full health he's on the start line for the full deal again. In this episode we talk...

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Spine Season continues!
Damo returns to the Home Trails Podcast. This time to talk about his recent Three Solo project that didn't go 💯 to plan....and his plans to return to it in 2026.
We dive into how he feels going into the Spine Sprint North race in January, a break from his norm of doing the full race. We talk about the level of FOMO he will be having come January 10th weekend and we talk about his hopes of bettering his time fr...

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In this episode we meet Arthur Hill for the first time.

Arthur recently set a new winter BGR record in 14:54, taking 4 minutes off Gavin Dales record from last year! Arthur was helped during his legs by a host of Lake District royalty, including Kim Collison, Beth Pascal and of course Gavin Dale himself.

In our chat we talk about his route into fell running in his early 20's, his obsession with the Bob and his training leading up to this roun...

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Non SPINE episode!

In this episode I speak to Wozza the running coach.

Warren came on the podcast to talk about his amazing recovery from what doctors told him was the end of his running career. Warren defied the odds and made a full recovery, to the point that he started racing again and won the Ultra Trails Wales 50 mile ultramarathon.

But before we even got onto the subject of his injury, I quizzed him about his...

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SPINE SEASON!

We continue Spine Season with the return of Lindley Chambers, the king of all things kit list related. 

Lindley comes on the podcast to discuss everyone's favourite subject...the kit list for the Winter Spine Race. In this episode we discuss the recent changes to the list, controversial items being added/removed and the reasons for it. We discuss the changes to navigation equipment, mapping and checkpoints. 

We also talk about some of the issues that keep c...

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SPINE SEASON!

In this episode I speak to Jamie Rutherford. Jamie is one of the original OG photographers on the race and has helped to build the storytelling style of the media team. 

In this episode we talk about his origins as a runner and as a photographer. We talk about his first ventures into race photography and how he was in the right place at the right time to earn his spot on the media team at the race.

...

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Welcome to the Home Trails coverage of the 2026 Winter Spine Race!

We begin our lead up to this years race with a preview from a familiar face, John Kelly! John returns for the 4th time to Britain's most brutal race! He returns to better his race from last year when he was suffering with an attack of the sleep monsters on the first night of the race. John talks about this issue and his approach for this years race, which includes a home...

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In this episode we welcome Holly Stables to the podcast fir the first time!

Holly has had a long career, firstly in competitive marathon running, before she transitioned into trail and ultra. We ask the 'Superhero' question and find out where it all began and where she is now.

Holly talks about the evolution f her training and approaches to feeling and strength. We dive into some of the races that she's won and CR'd over the years. Finally, we talk...