Conversations About Running
Hosted by Gavin and Callum from Kenya Experience, this podcast features conversations with guests from across the running world, with a focus on those connected to the Kenyan running scene. From elite athletes and coaches to content creators and local voices in Iten, we explore the culture, training, and stories behind the Home of Champions. Whether you are a runner, coach, or fan of the sport, join us for insights and inspiration from the heart of distance running.
Episodes
Lloyd Kempson - Training in Kenya
In this episode, we sit down with Lloyd Kempson to talk about his recent trip to iten with Kenya Experience - diving into what it was like to train at altitude, immerse himself in Kenyan running culture, and step away from the usual routine. Lloyd shares honest reflections on his time at camp, what surprised him most, and the lessons he brought home.
We also take a deep dive into the UK running s
Matt Seddon | Coach, Broadcaster, Podcaster
In this episode of Conversations About Running, Callum and Gavin chat with Matt Seddon - Coach, Broadcaster and Podcaster. Matt is co-host of the popular Sunday Plodcast, as well as Head Coach of the Oxford University Athletics and Cross Country Team. Over recent years he has also become a familiar voice at domestic and international running events as the on course commentator.
Along with co foun
Callum & Gavin | Ruth Chepngetich Marathon WR, Parenthood and Diet
In this episode of Conversations About Running, Callum & Gavin discuss all manner of topics, from parenthood, to diet and cases of mistaken identity, all through the lens of their perspective and experience as runners.
At 40:30 the topic does eventually turn to a more serious running subject, with some meaningful and thought provoking discussion around the recent marathon World Record ran in
Jake Barraclough | Ran to Japan
In this episode of Conversations About Running, Callum and Gavin speak to British marathon runner, Jake Barraclough, otherwise known as the man behind the Ran to Japan YouTube and Insta channels. In 2023, Jake packed his bags and moved to Tokyo with a single goal of seeing how far the Japanese approach to distance running could take him. So far, the results are mightily impressive with Jake having
Callum & Gavin on Paris2024 and Renato Canova
Welcome to another episode of Conversations About Running. In this episode Callum and Gavin catch up after the Paris Olympics, discussing their favourite events, in particular digging into the men's 1500m.
We also take a close look at both marathons which leads nicely into Callum asking Gavin about his time coaching alongside Renato Canova, who coached Emile Cairess to 4th place at this summ
Philipp Hagel | Performance Running Product Management Lead at On
Welcome to another episode of Conversations About Running. In this episode we are joined by Philipp Hagel, the Product Management Lead for Performance Running at On. Philipp is responsible for overseeing the development and launch of On's performance running shoes, from design and testing through to product rollout. We chat with Philipp about what it takes to create a competitive shoe in today
Conversations About Running with Gavin & Callum
In today's episode of Conversations About Running, Callum and Gavin catch up in another in-house episode. After being briefly side tracked by Eminem lyrics Callum and Gavin catch up on all things running, revisiting Callum's bold marathon prediction claims, discussing the selection debacle that embroiled the announcement of Team GB selections for the Paris Olympics, and the latest super sh
Cari Hughes - OAC Europe
In this episode of Conversations About Running Callum and Gavin are joined by British athlete, Cari Hughes. Cari is a middle and long distance runner who competes for OAC Europe, one of On's professional distance running teams 🏃 Dividing her time between Saint Moritz, Dullstroom and her native Wales 🏴 Cari talks us through the journey of a professional athlete and gives us some fantastic ins
Mads Tærsbøl - The science behind threshold training
In this episode of Conversations About Running, we chat with Danish running coach Mads Tærsbøl. Known for his scientific and data-driven approach to coaching, Mads has been instrumental in guiding his athletes to achieve remarkable performances. Notably, he coached Victor Smångs to a stunning victory at the Trafford 10k, where Victor clocked an impressive sub-29-minute finish at the age of 38.
Jo
Callum & Gavin talk Marathon Training
In this episode of Conversations About Running there is no special guest from the world of running and instead we stay in house for a chat with Callum and Gavin. We chat about various aspects of marathon prep, specifically delving into the recently published training schedule of Emile Cairess, who is coached by Gavin's former colleague, Renato Canova, asking whether this type of training is approp
Callum Elson - The Distance Project
In today's episode of Conversations About Running we are joined by British elite middle distance athlete, Callum Elson. Callum is a 1500m specialist with a personal best of 3.35, who tasted his first global success at the inaugural road running world championships in 2023 where he took the silver medal behind Hobbs Kessler. Callum has enjoyed a spectacular rise up the ranks of British middle dista
Tom Boardman - Running Coach
In this episode of Conversations About Running we stay 'in house' with a trio of our own Running Trips team members.
Usual hosts Callum and Gavin are joined by, Tom Boardman, an experienced and highly skilled running coach who works with runners of all levels. Tom brings a wealth of experience to the team with more than 2 decades in the sport where he has excelled as both an athlete and coach. As
Amy-Eloise Neale
In this episode of Conversations About Running we are joined by professional On Athlete, Amy-Eloise Neale.
Amy is a British middle to long distance runner with an impressive track record, including a European Indoor Championship Gold medal 🥇 and multiple British track and field championship medals. Her podium finishes are backed up by some seriously fast times too, including 14.56 over 5000m and
Jordan Donnelly - Inside On
In this episdoe of Conversations About Running we are excited to be joined by Jordan Donnelly - Athlete Product Creation Lead at Swiss sportswear brand, On.
Jordan leads the Lightening Team at Zurich based On Labs, and his remit is to help On deliver the best possible shoes, apparel and performance environment for their elite athletes.
Jordan talks to us about the specifics of his role includi
Narve Nordås - How to Run a 3.29 1500m
Norwegian middle distance runner, Narve Nordås, recently became part of history at the Bislet Games, running in potentially the highest caliber 1500m ever seen, with 8 men running under 3.30.
In finishing 8th in 3.29, Narve became the second fastest Norwegian 1500m runner of all time behind his former training partner Jakob Ingebrigtsen 🇳🇴
He joins us on Conversations About Running to talk us
Victor Smångs on the Double Threshold System
In Episode 33 of Conversations About Running we chat with Swedish elite distance runner, Victor Urquhart Smångs. 🇸🇪 Victor started running at the beginning of 2019, and in just 4 years of training brought his 10km time down to 29.30 and his half marathon time to 66 minutes. In the podcast we talk about the Norwegian double threshold system and how Victor's quick progression can be attributed to fo
Episode 32 - Ben Felton
Ben Felton (also known as Ben_in_Running on his social channels!) recently travelled to Iten, Kenya 🇰🇪 to join our team for a Kenya Experience camp. He returns to Conversations About Running Podcast for a second time to chat about his experience of high altitude training in the Home of Champions, how it compared to his expectations, and some of things he will now implement into his own program bac
Adelle Tracey
In Episode 31 of Conversations About Running we chat with international middle distance runner, Adelle Tracey, from her high altitude training camp in Iten 🇰🇪 Her current training camp and reasons for heading to Iten feature heavily in this episode and we delve into some of the do's and don'ts of altitude training. We chat about her charity work with the British Dyslexia Foundation and Dementia UK
Marathon Maverick - Jake Smith
In episode 30 of Conversations About Running Gavin & Callum talk to professional athlete for Nike and NN Running Team, Jake Smith. Jake is the 3rd fastest British Half Marathon runner of all time with a PB of 60:31 set when finishing 18th in the world championships in 2020.
He has been running at an elite level for a number of years now, but shot to mainstream recognition when he won the Cheshire
Emelia Gorecka
In Episode 29 of Conversations About Running we chat with Emelia Gorecka, 2x European junior XC champion, European Junior 3000m champion, and World junior bronze medalist over 3000m. Her 5000m pb is 1507! Emelia talks to us today about her success in athletics from a young age, the realities of signing a pro athlete contract as a 16 year old, and allows us a unique insight into her retirement from
Ben Felton - YouTube & Fast Running
In this Episode of Conversations About Running we are joined by professional YouTuber, content creator, and fast runner - Ben Felton, perhaps more commonly known as Ben_is_Running! We chat with Ben about his extremely quick progress from relative beginner to 67 minute half-marathon runner and discuss some of the training methods that have led to this improvement 📈 We also look ahead to Valencia Ma
Simen Halle Haugen Pt. 2
Simen Halle Haugen, one of the top Norwegian distance runners, joins us for part two of our discussion on the Norwegian double threshold training system. We suggest listening to part 1 before this episode if you haven't already done so. In this episode we go into more detail about how to implement double threshold work into a training program, the type of runners it might be suitable for, and wher
Simen Halle-Haugen on The Norwegian Training System
In this episode of Conversations About Running, Gavin and Callum are joined by one of Norway's top distance runners, Simen Halle-Haugen. Simen has a personal best over 5000m of 13.37 and has represented Norway at numerous international competitions, both on the country and track. Included among his accolades are team gold at the European Cross Country Championships and individual gold at the Great
Episode 25 - Coach Hugo
We are joined again by world renowned coach and ex-pro marathon runner, Hugo van den Broek, this time to answer some questions sent in by our listeners. How should training be adjusted for master's athletes? What is the best way to approach strength and conditioning for improved running performance? What are some of the key differences in the lifestyle of top performing athletes that allow them to
Episode 24 - Kevin Seaward
Join us for Conversations About Running with 2x Olympian, Kevin Seaward. Kevin is a full time assistant principal and a 2h10 marathon runner who represented Ireland at both the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Despite competing at a world class level and running upwards of 120 miles per week, he puts his career as a full-time educator first and foremost and describes himself as an educator f
Episode 23 - Coach Hugo van den Broek
In this Episode of Conversations About Running we are joined by regular guest Coach Hugo van den Broek. Hugo is the Head Coach at Kenya Experience camps and has decades of experience both as a professional marathon runner himself, and as a coach to runners of all levels. In this episode, Coach Callum and Coach Hugo discuss some of their training principles and philosophies and share insights into
Episode 22 - Coach Hugo van den Broek
In this Episode of Conversations About Running we are joined by regular guest, Coach Hugo van den Broek. Coach Hugo is the Head Coach at Kenya Experience camps and has guided some of the best runners in the world along their path to success during his time as a professional coach, including Gladys Chesir who in 2015 set the fastest 10k time in the world under Hugo's direction. Today we catch up wi
Episode 21: Tom Evans - Ultra Runner
In this Episode of Conversations About Running we are joined by professional ultra marathon runner, Tom Evans. Tom is a former captain in the British Army and kicked off his career as an ultra-runner in 2017 when he finished 3rd in the Marathon des Sables, despite only entering as a bet! He quickly established himself as one of the best ultra runners in the world when he went on to win the Ultra-T
Episode 20 - Coach Hugo van den Broek
In this episode of Conversations About Running your hosts Gavin and Callum are joined once again by regular guest Coach Hugo van den Broek. Together we share our thoughts on the recent disappointing news from Bowerman Track Club of Shelby Houlihan's failed drug test, before moving onto more positive topics such as the training and racing of one of Coach Hugo's former international team mates - Sif
James Thie - Running Coach and Sub 4minute Miler
In this Episode of Conversations About Running we chat with elite running coach James Thie. James is a lecturer and the Director of Athletics at Cardiff Met University, where he coaches a team of runners including 2018 Commonwealth Games athletes Tom Marshall and Ieuan Thomas and the 3rd fastest British half marathon runner of all time, Jake Smith. In this episode we chat about some of the challen
Matt Bergin - Elite Runner and Physiotherapist
In this Episode your hosts, Gavin and Callum are joined by Matt Bergin, elite runner and physiotherapist. Matt has represented his country on numerous occasions and has a personal best over 5km of 13.47. He also trained as a physiotherapist at the highly regarded Witty Pask & Buckingham Physiotherapy Clinic, where he continues to work and treat runners of all levels, from international athletes to
Coach Hugo - Mentally Preparing to Race
In this Episode of Conversations About Running we are rejoined by Head Coach of Kenya Experience camps, Hugo van den Broek. After a quick catch up and a chat about an American football player attempting the US Olympic trials 100m qualification time, we turn our attention to what is quickly becoming a very relevant topic in the domestic running world - how to mentally readjust to racing. Many runne
Myles Edwards - on Running in Kenya
This part two of our Conversations About Running with Myles Edwards, elite middle distance runner from Scotland who spent many months training in the Home of Champions and later set up a successful charity, the Gathimba Edwards Foundation, who's aim is to help provide children and families in Kenya with better lives and opportunities. In this episode, we talk about the journey that led to Myles se
Myles Edwards
In this Episode of Conversations About Running we introduce our very first special guest - Scottish senior 1500m champion and founder of the Gathimba Edwards Foundation, Myles Edwards. In part 1 of this 2 part podcast your usual hosts, Gavin Smith and Callum Jones chat to Myles about his training during lock down and how he has approached a year of running without races. Like many other runners ac
Kenyan Approach to Training
In this episode of Conversations About Running we follow up on our ramblings about 'How the Kenyans Really Train'. In our last episode we spoke with coach Hugo van den Broek (who lives and coaches in Iten, Kenya) about the typical Kenyan training program. This time we take a closer look at how most Kenyan athletes execute that plan and their philosophy and attitude when it comes to training. If yo
How the Kenyans Really Train
One of our most popular episodes of Conversations About Running so far is Episode 3: Myths of Kenyan Training, where we discussed some common misconceptions about Kenyan training methods. Of course, that begged the question, " so how do the Kenyans really train?". In this episode your usual host Gavin Smith, along with Kenya Experience coaches Hugo van den Broek and Callum Jones, discuss the typic
Don't believe the hype part 2: Running Form
In the last episode of Conversations About Running we discussed some of the things we believe are over hyped in the running community, but forgot to mention one the biggest contenders in this category: running form. Online and on social media you can find dedicated running form coaches and even entire companies dedicated solely to helping runners 'improve' their technique. But we believe this has
Don't Believe the Hype
Running is a sport that you can get the most out of by really nailing the basics. Yet many runners turn their attention to the 1%'s, the small details which, while they can help you to become a better runner if done correctly, pale in comparison to consistently executing the fundamentals. In this episode of Conversations About Running, the team behind the Kenya Experience running camps discuss the
Valencia Records, Professional Contracts and Super Shoes
Join coaches Callum Jones and Hugo van den Broek alongside founder of the Kenya Experience running camps, Gavin Smith, for more Conversations About Running. In this episode we chat about the record breaking performances in Valencia which, of course, led to the hottest topic in running right now - shoes! We said we wouldn't dwell on it, but with new players in the game, the topic is just too irresi
Is there a 'Best' Intensity?
In this Episode of Conversations About Running the team behind the Kenya Experience running camps follow on from episode 8 and discuss how their own training fits with various theories and models. Gavin gives some insight into his most important weekly training runs and talks about why his key workout is designed to be comfortable and controlled 🤔 Hugo sheds some light on different types of thresh
The 80/20 Method: 80% Nonsense, 20% Truth?
Could the 80/20 method be holding you back? In this episode of 'Conversations About Running', distance coaches Hugo van den Broek and Callum Jones, along with founder of the Kenya Experience running camps, Gavin Smith, dissect the highly popularised 80/20 training method. Many amateur runners have heard about and even practice the 80/20 method and the theory of polarised training but very few have
Running With The Norwegians
Join us, the team behind the Kenya Experience running camps, for episode 7 of Conversations About Running.
In this episode we look back on some exciting races that have taken place in recent weeks, including Joshua Cheptegei's incredible 5000m world record. How much help was the new LED peacemaking system when going for a world record attempt? And how on earth do you find pacers who can keep up
Racing with the Kenyans
Join the team behind the Kenya Experience running camps for episode 6 of Conversations About Running. In this episode Hugo, Gavin & Callum chat about their experiences of racing in the distance running capital of the world 🇰🇪 before this podcast we each chose a photo that we would use to help describe our most memorable race, you can find our photos on our Instagram page (@the_kenya_experience) an
(Vapor)Flight or Fight: Embracing or Rejecting Carbon Fibre Shoes
How is new shoe technology changing our sport? Are athletes training harder and longer as a result of better shoes? Is this a new era of racing? Can we compare today's race performances to those before the dawn of Vaporfly Technology? In this episode of 'Conversations About Running', Callum, Gavin & Hugo get stuck into conversation about the pros and cons of carbon fibre plates in shoes and discus
The All-Important Questions
Join us for episode 4 of the 'Conversations About Running' podcast where Gavin, Callum & Hugo put each other on the spot with some thought provoking (mainly running related) questions. Hear about Gavin's experiences of running a business while training as an athlete, Hugo's thoughts on modern tech in the running world, and why Callum feels somehow disheartened and inspired when training with elite
Myths of Kenyan Training
In episode 3 of The Kenya Experience Podcast Gavin, Callum and Hugo debunk some common misconceptions that many westerners have about the way Kenyan athletes train. In particular we take a look at the well known workout 'Kenyan Hills' and why they have probably been given the wrong title. We discuss a type of recovery run which has become known as a 'Kenyan Shuffle' and why this should not be the
Taking Control of Your Motivation
Join Gavin and Callum for a chat about the latest in athletics, including the 'Ingebrigtsen 5km road race' and what differences the latest running shoes make to performance. In their own training Callum attempted a solo 10k time trial later to find out he had just edged inside Gavin's pb of 31.06. It looks like a race might be on the cards 🤔 Gavin discusses his return from injury and the fluctuati
Running during a global pandemic
Show Notes:
The world is in the midst of a world-wide pandemic, and in this, the first episode of The Kenya Experience podcast we discuss what it's like to be a runner during this time of uncertainty. Gavin and Callum discuss their experiences as athletes in the UK during 'Lockdown' and Hugo joins us live from Iten, where he updates us on the situation in Kenya and how coronavirus is effecti
