Runner's World Podcast

In a slight format twist, Ben and Rick chat to Sophie Raworth about her time at UTMB and then Sophie talks to her friend Sabrina about her race and how she had to be airlifted off the course with what was later diagnosed as exertional rhabdomyolysis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joining us on the podcast this week is Coach Bennett, Nike Global Running Coach, the voice of NRC and now an author. We talk about his passion for running, how it has shaped his life and why he believes runners can help make the world a better place. We get into his attitude to coaching, why time goals are only a small part of the journey, the much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GB sprinter Zharnel Hughes joined us ahead of the European champs to talk about his passion for athletics growing up, his drive to win an Olympic medal, his love for flying planes, motivational chats with Linford Christie and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fresh from her RW cover shoot, Jenni Falconer joins Rick and Rachel to talk about her lifelong love of running. From chasing PBs, overcoming injuries, why she loves to train and how she wants to never stop doing it, we cover off all areas of her running and discover she's still got speedy aspirations! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ben Shepard joins Rick and Ben to talk about his 16 year hiatus from marathons after an injury stopped him running, how he managed the fear of re-injury and started training again, why he continues to want to prove to himself he can do hard things and why running continues to his happy place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fresh from her record breaking performance of setting a new FKT for the Via Alpina, ultrarunner Sophie Woods joins Rick and Ben to talk about this monumental run, what motivated her to do it, how it helped her fall back in love with trail running and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the first time ever, the European Athletics Championships are coming to the UK, continuing a fantastic summer of track and field. To guide us through the event, Lloyd Kempson joins us once again and makes us all feel very excited about the event and why it's bigger than just what happens on the track (although that will be excellent too). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's one of those phrases that pops up in running and seems to cover off a multitude of different things relating to training and injury, so we got Dr Richard Blagrove to come back on and explain all. We're talking hamstrings, glutes, calves and also a whole load of other muscles and how to train them for running. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just incase anyone is missing a trick and not trail running, Rick and Ben chat through the best ways to take the plunge and start running off-road. We discuss kit (it's the same kit you have already), why trail running is good for your soul and other non-performance based metrics like having fun. We do also think it makes you faster, but it's mainly just because it's nice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Running isn't for everyone, we get that, but we also think it can be brilliant and we wouldn't want anyone to miss out for any of the benefits. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rick, Ben and Rachel travelled to Leicester to meet the Kasabian front man, go for a run and record a special podcast where he talk about when he found running, how unexpected it was and why it's such an important part of his life now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BONUS EPISODE and our guest is London Marathon boss, Hugh Brasher. Hugh joined Rick and Rachel for a special chat about the upcoming two-day London Marathon, how the idea became a reality, the logistics around the race, why it'll just be a one time thing and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rick and Ben break down Rick's sterling performance at the Spine Sprint North race, where he finished in 6th place (much to his and everyone else's surprise). There's some tips about preparing for an ultra, my tech matters, some hydration mistakes and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joining Rick and Ben this week is journalist and author James Witts, who has just written the book, Dope: How the cheats stay one step ahead, and what's being done to stop them. We discuss the ongoing threat of doping in running, the measures being taken to stop it (and whether they're working), what the future of the sport looks like with gene therapy and AI aiding dopers, the Enhanced Games and much more . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paralympic royalty joins Rick and Ben this week as Richard Whitehead MBE came in for a chat. We talked about how he continues to get faster with age, how is training is continually evolving and the key thing all runners need to do to keep improving. Plus we talk about the 2012 legacy and how he wants nothing more than for people with disabilities have access to the joys of movement and sport. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joining Rick and Ben this week if Death Cab for Cutie frontman, Ben Gibbard. An accomplished ultra runner as well as a musician, Ben's journey into running is a fascinating one and he's so into it, he's even designed his own running shoe! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joining Rick and Ben this week is Sam Tomlinson, a runner who has completed some of the biggest races in the world, yet he's also DNF'd and DNS'd them all too. In the podcast this week, we talk about "failure" in running and why it's so important, misunderstood and treated with shame rather than as part of the natural process of improving. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author and comedian Paul 'Tonky' Tonkinson joins us on the podcast this week to talk finding his running mojo again, why he needed to race the MdS (and what he thinks about the race), training incidents with dogs, writing his new book, why running will always be part of his life and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

He's written a book about ageing and running, so Damian Hall is back on the podcast to encourage us all to keep going as we age. We chat around the health benefits, but also how to continue to be competitive, the best approach to training, why the right attitude to age can make all the difference and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the podcast, Rick and Ben are joined by Hugo Fry, a running influencer who brings a much lighter and entertaining side to the world of 'runfluencing', whilst also being an undeniably fast runner. We chat about Hugo's route into running, his training, the best way to cook rice, why running is just a hobby and shouldn't be that serious and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A moment in history happened at the 2026 London Marathon as Sabastian Sawe became the first person to run a sub-2 hour marathon. Rick and Ben chat about this incredible run, the history behind this moment and what it means for the future of distance running, especially now that Yomif Kejelcha has also broken the two hour mark. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rick and Ben are joined by Rachel and Joe and between them all, they've run quite a few marathons, so they're sharing all they know about about what to do and what not to do when it comes to running 26.2 miles successfully. We've got advice on how to fuel the race, why the heat can make all the difference, how to navigate the expo, supporting advice and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Actor, James Norton, joined Ben and AT (from Men's Health) for this special joint podcast to talk all about his prep ahead of running his first marathon at London Marathon at the end of the month. We chatted training, how he structures it all around filming, why we need to bring back those mini trampolines from the 90's, how he manages his T1D with training and much, much more. James is raising money for Breakthrough T1D, a charity that helps young people with Type 1 diabetes. Here is his JustGiving page Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest this week is Dr Miranda Layton aka Dr_Mimi_Runs, a running influencer who is also an actual doctor, using her platform to try and stop the spread of misinformation for runners online. She's also got a marathon PB of 3:03, so we chat about her taking about that, how she started running and much, much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fresh from reclaiming his 3000m crown, Josh Kerr joined Ben and Rachel for a special bonus episode to talk about his comeback from some career lows, why he sees rivalry as a healthy part of the sport, his upcoming mile world record attempt, one day winning a major and why his beard is always so immaculate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joining Ben and Rick this week is Kevin Quinn. Kevin's route into running wasn't typical, but he showed real talent regardless. All of this came to halt when 10 years ago he found out he needed major, emergency heart surgery. Since then, Kevin has been chasing the elusive dream of running a sub 2:20 marathon and this year at the London Marathon, aged 46, he's hoping to do just that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rick and Ben are joined by sports psychologist, Dr Josie Perry, to discuss that all-important brain-body connection, how to focus on goals and offers some practical advice and cues that all runners can use to unlock their potential. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author, writer, academic, composer and proponent of the joys of nature, Robert Macfarlane joins us this week to discuss how running helps his creative process, the need for everyone to experience nature, why running near a river will always improve a run and why eating chillis might be the next great nutrition hack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You might have seen, but Harry Styles is going on the cover of our May issue of the magazine (on sale April 1st) and so we thought we'd sit down and chat about this momentous moment and what it means for us, for running, why it's significant and much more. You can pre The May issue of Runner’s World with Harry Styles is on sale April 1st. Pre-order it here to secure your copy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Writers and authors of 'Ultra Women: The Trailblazers Defying Sexism in Sport', Emma Wilkinson and Lily Canter join Rick and Ben to talk about the book, what it unearthed for them as runners, a celebration of women doing incredible things and what more needs to done about sexism in the sport. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest this week (and cover star of the April issue of the magazine) is comedian, podcaster and now running influencer, Josh Widdicombe. A champion of running for the sake of running, Josh chatted to Ben and Rick at the cover shoot about why he started running, what it does for his physical and mental health, his sobriety, why he'll never sign up for a marathon and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

RW columnist, Lisa Jackson, joined Ben and Rick to talk about her new book, "Still Running After All These Tears", which Lisa wrote after not only losing her husband to cancer, but her father and sister too. They three talk about grief, the power that running gives us to do hard things, companionship and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Considered the greatest Traitor ever to do it, Harry Clark won the show when he was only 22. However, as he explains to Rick and Ben, life wasn't going to plan and it's only now that he can look back on that time and reflect. Taking on the London Marathon to raise money for the Duke of Edinburgh' Awards, Harry talks about his love/hate relationship with running, his desire to push himself, discovering a sense of self, his faith and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The coach and running shoe expert discusses her new book – and the simple steps runners can take to build speed, strength and confidence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From how to start running, the kit to wear, how to pace those initial efforts to taking on your first race, Tom Craggs (top running coach), shares his wisdom and advice for newbie runners or those returning to the sport. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ultrarunner Sabrina Pace-Humphreys joins Ben to talk not just about her new book, 'Start Where You Are', but a whole host of things about running including why she wants to get more women running, why 2025 was such a big year, her DNF at UTMB and how to move on from a race that doesn't go to plan, making future plans and much more. If you want to join the Runner's World Club event that's taking place on Feb 7th, then click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two stalwarts of the game, winners of the race and a course record holder, Damian Hall has been running the race since the third edition and Jasmine Paris won the race outright in 2019 and set a course record whilst expressing breast milk for her 13-month-old child. Both chat about the draw of the race, their experiences running it and what makes it so unique, plus offer up some expert advice for anyone interested in taking on long races. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's January and for a dedicated few and come keen dot-watchers, it can only mean one thing - The Spine Race. Quite possibly the toughest race in the UK, the Spine is a 268 mile race up the Pennine way and as Phil reveals, the 2027 version is going to get tougher! We talk the evolution of this amazing race, why runners are attracted to such extreme races and how the Spine community might be one of the nicest in running. Hosts: https://www.instagram.com/the_rick_pearson/https://www.instagram.com/benhobson/ Wellness video producer: https://www.instagram.com/chelia.batkin/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Angus Read graduated from university in July and, like any adventurous 22-year-old, wanted to go travelling. His plans grew, as did his desire to do something to not only better himself, but also raise money for charity, so he planned to do it all - a solo trip where he'd make his way across Europe, running a marathon in as many countries as he could, fund raising for Cancer Research. He's just finished this four month long trip and joined us to discuss the planning of such a trip, why running solo across Europe was the best experience he could have hoped for and how a rogue pizza in London nearly scuppered the whole experience.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's been a bumper year for running, from mass participation at an all time high to elite sprints at the marathon, Rick, Ben, Rachel and Jen discuss some of the highlights and chat about their own personal moments too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Not only did she set a new world record at Big's Backyard ultra this year by running close to 400 miles over four days, but Sarah Perry also recently won a race called 'The Hill', which saw he run over 1 1/2 times the height on Everest in 48 hours. Rick and Ben spoke to Sarah about her amazing performances this year, what's so special about backyard ultras, the joy of running with dog and why running still needs to be fun. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mick Duplock is truly remarkable. A season ultra-runner and Comrades finisher, he developed retinitis pigmentosa (aka tunnel vision) in his fifties, leaving him unable to see. Did it stop him from running? Not likely. Instead, at 82, he says he's never been more passionate about it. 'There are lots of things that I can't do,' he says, 'but I can still run.' If you're visually impaired and want to find a guide runner, visit: englandathletics.org/take-part/programmes/findaguide/ If you're interested in becoming a guide runner, visit: https://www.englandathletics.org/take-part/programmes/findaguide/become-a-guide-runner/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joining Ben and Rachel this week is former GB athlete and now supreme running coach, Jo Wilkinson. We chat about what it means to train hard, the different versions of this and what the main goal of any running that requires a lot of effort should be. We only mention David Goggins once. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We sat and down and thought, "What do we need to invent to make running better?" and here is what we came up with! Set a new PB using the FuelDrone or continue to run whatever the weather with ClimaBubble. These and many more semi-useful inventions that smarter people need to make. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ben and Rick speak to James Greenwell, a former elite pentathlete who is now finding gold medal success in the fast-paced world of biathle, aged 50. We talk training methods to cope with the need for speed, but avoiding injury, why swimming helps absorb some of the training load and how backing yourself to win is the greatest defensive against getting slow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

He got fourth place in a stacked field, on debut at a major, but who is Patrick Dever? We had a chat with Patrick to talk about this stand out performance, why he chose New York for debut, his training, the appeal of the marathon, the Olympic dream and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author, writer and journalist Duncan Craig joins Rick and Ben to talk about his recent attempt to race his younger self. 24-year-old Duncan ran the London Marathon in a time of 3:23, but 25 years later, can he beat that time? Well, you'll have to listen to find out, but more importantly (as with most running challenges) the lessons learned getting to the start line was much more significant than the end result. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Freshly crowned with not only a gold medal but also a world record from the 24 hour World Championships in Albi, France, Sarah Webster joined us to talk about her incredible performance, winning gold, what it takes to run for 24 hours, how a dislocated shoulder nearly ruined her build up, what it's like to hit your running peak in your forties and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Taking a punt at listing some of the hardest races out there, Rick and Ben are joined by Rachel to discuss the criteria of what makes a race hard and what races should be on your bucket list if all you want to do is really suffer! There are of course some ultras, but what about a 2K race with 1000m of elevation? Yeah, that kind of thing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever heard someone say something like, "the marathon begins at mile 20" and thought that simply isn't true? Us too. Rick and Ben discuss running's greatest fallacies, most being just daft things people say, some are a bit troubling or dismisses and others are fundamentally wrong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices