E92. Right First Time with Rob Richardson, Brittney Stewart and Aum Gandhi

05/15/24 • 116 min

The Knoydart Peninsula is a serious contender for the most beautiful spot in the UK. Remote and tranquil, it's nestled in the West Highlands of Scotland, surrounded on one side by sea-lochs and stunning views across to the Isle of Skye, and on the other by a series of rugged Scottish mountains. The scenery is as beautiful as it is difficult to move through. It's just as well there's a beautiful view to reward the runners at the top of every one of those monster climbs.

In this episode, Will talks to three runners who recently completed the Highland Ultra, Beyond the Ultimate's three-day, 125-km race around that beautiful corner of Scotland. Among the trio of guests are our two winners, both of whom came into this event with very little experience of races of this kind.

There is plenty of useful advice and inspiring positivity from all of these guests so settle back and let them tell you how they came to conquer the Highland Ultra against the odds. If you've signed up for a similar challenge, if you have a mountain in your sights or a massive race to prepare for, and you are starting to worry that you may have bitten off more than you can chew, then listen to this episode and you'll feel like you can do anything.

Aum was running in support of Richstone Family Centre - an organisation dedicated to treating and preventing child abuse and trauma.

Entries for Highland Ultra 2025 are now open. Learn more and enter HERE.

Aum was running in support of Richstone Family Centre - an organisation dedicated to treating and preventing child abuse and trauma.

Entries for Highland Ultra 2025 are now open. Learn more and enter HERE.

Previous Episode

E91. Five Days of Frost | with Alex O'Shea, Tarry Gordon-Bennett and Sia Kindberg

We're back in Arctic Sweden for the 2nd episode in a row, but this time we're exploring the Ice Ultra, a 5-day race across the ice and snow of Swedish Lapland. There are no skis or sledges here, but snowshoes and backpacks. Competitors carry everything but their sleeping bags and camp clothes on their backs throughout, so your ability to select and manage the right kit is a big factor in whether you end up a finisher or a shivery DNF.

In this episode, Will speaks to the 2 winners of the race, and another runner who maximised their time on the course a little more, and digs into the choices they made that carried them across the snow.

Those runners are 1st male and overall winner Alex O'Shea, a record breaking Irish athlete more commonly known as the Running Fireman, 1st female Tarryn Gordon-Bennett of South Africa, and Sia Kindberg who ranks among the most infectiously positive people to chat on this podcast.

Whether you're planning a cold adventure of your own and are looking for detailed advice, or you're curious about what running 230km in the Arctic might feel like, this is the episode for you.

Support Sia's charity page here: https://www.mycause.com.au/p/313604/on-an-ultra-mission-to-rebuild-my-childhood-school-ban-bua-yang-thailand

If you're interested in taking on the Ice Ultra you can learn more and enter here: https://www.beyondtheultimate.co.uk/race/ice-ultra/

Next Episode

E93. Beautiful but Brutal | Jungle Ultra 2024 with Ben Harrison, Jemma Harding and Mark Reilly

The Jungle Ultra is Beyond the Ultimate's 5 day, 230km journey deep into the rainforests of Peru. Runners arrive in the historic city of Cusco, are escorted over the rugged Andes Mountains, and begin their journey in the Manu National Park, one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet. The area is beautiful but the terrain and the climate alone give this event a reputation for arguably being the toughest race on the BTU roster.

Stage 4 in particular is notorious as possibly the hardest stage of any BTU race.

In this episode, Will catches up with the winner Ben Harrison plus two more Jungle legends in the form of Jemma Harding and Mark Reilly. The trio recount the highlights, the challenges and their tips for success in such extreme environments.

Mark was running for Reverse Rett, a charity looking to cure Rett Syndrome, a severe neurological disorder which effects his daughter. Learn more here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-reilly

Jemma was running for Rock2Recovery, a charity that supports the armed forces, veteran, those working in the emergency services, and all their families who are affected by stress. Learn more here: https://sportsgiving.co.uk/sponsor/activity/a-5-day-230km-ultra-marathon-through-the-amazon-jungle/jemma-harding

Congratulations to Noora Hintsa, the winning Female athlete at Jungle Ultra 2024. Noora was unfortunately ill at the time of recording but we will feature her in a future episode!