Run With It

The big names for this week’s Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival have been trickling in, but now the full elite fields are out – and there’s plenty to get excited about. Competition Director Tim Crosbie joins Elise to unpack who’s lining up across the marathon, half marathon and 10km.

From the GOAT Eliud Kipchoge and Jimmy Whelan’s marathon debut to Sinead Diver’s Melbourne Marathon return in a women’s race that’s almost impossible to pick, we explore the contenders and match-ups to watch. Brett Robinson headlines the men's half marathon (with a potential last-minute addition looming large), Georgia Grgec brings recent form from the World Half Marathon Championships, Nedd Brockmann chases a sub-30-minute 10km, and Tim gives us the rundown on the course changes.

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Run With It acknowledges the Wadawurrung People, the Traditional Owners of the land on which this podcast is recorded, and pays our respects to Elders past and present.

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Subscribe to Run With It wherever you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss a thing!

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Follow us on Instagram:
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@crosbietim
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Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom
Graphic design by Kate Scheer

Ellie Pashley returns to Run With It, and she’s got a pretty damn good reason to celebrate. At Sydney Marathon, she ran 2:28:28 to finish 9th overall, claim the Australian Marathon Championship and clock her fastest marathon since 2019.

Ellie joins Elise to rewind a year that included giving birth to her second child Bobby, her first ever marathon win at Ballarat and a near perfect race execution in Sydney that reminded her what she’s capable of. She shares how she handled the moment Caitlin Scott pulled away, why she chose to race without a watch, and how she found her rhythm again after a tough patch midway through the race.

With her confidence back and another PB feeling possible, Ellie talks about choosing races that excite her and why Boston is still calling her name. Such a fun chat with Ellie (good luck with lobbying for the swimming pool)! 

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Run With It acknowledges the Wadawurrung People, the Traditional Owners of the land on which this podcast is recorded, and pays our respects to Elders past and present.

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Subscribe to Run With It wherever you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss a thing!

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Follow us on Instagram:
@runwithit.pod
@ellieopash
@elisebeacom

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Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom
Graphic design by Kate Scheer

Erchana Murray-Bartlett has never been afraid of a big challenge. She ran 150 marathons in 150 days from the tip to the toe of Australia, raised money and awareness for the Wilderness Society, and later ran as an independent candidate in the federal election. Now, her record-breaking journey has been captured in the new documentary 150, directed by filmmaker Ryan Kennedy (who is also Erchana’s husband), and narrated by Australian TV show host and journalist, Osher Günsberg.

Erchana reflects on the physical pain, mental monotony and unforgettable encounters behind her incredible feat, now immortalised on film. She shares how her love for Australia’s wildlife and the wild places that gave the challenge a deeper purpose. We also talk about the coincidental timing of Nedd Brockmann’s run across Australia, Erchana’s path from football to marathon running, life as a new mum and her general tendency to operate on “vibes”.

FILM SCREENING: If you want to see the 150 film and you live close to the Surf Coast, Run With It and Torquay Run Club are hosting a screening (details below):

Bells Beach Brewing, Torquay VIC
Thursday 8th October, 6pm
Live Q&A with Erchana, followed by the film screening
Prize giveaways from Mikro Coffee Roasters, Tarkine and The Running Company Torquay

Tickets available for $12 at fan-force.com/screenings/150-bells-beach-brewing/

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Run With It acknowledges the Wadawurrung People, the Traditional Owners of the land on which this podcast is recorded, and pays our respects to Elders past and present.

--

Subscribe to Run With It wherever you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss a thing!

--

Follow us on Instagram:

@erchana_

@runwithit.pod

@elisebeacom

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Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom

Graphic design by Kate Scheer

Andy Buchanan is back – and he’s the newly crowned Australian marathon champion!

After a challenging year of injuries, marathon withdrawals and a very patient return to running, Andy crossed the Sydney Marathon finish line in 2:10:14 as the first Australian. He joins Elise to debrief the race kilometre by kilometre: the wildly fast opening, an unexpected gee up from one of the world’s fastest 5,000m runners and the brutal final descent that left his quads completely cooked.

Andy also opens up about the difficult year preceding Sydney, including recurring femoral bone stress injuries, learning to fuel his body properly and watching Haftu Strintzos break his Australian marathon record by just two seconds. He reflects on separating identity from results, sharing the less glamorous parts of elite sport and why his coach Scott Westcott sometimes needs to remind him: “It’s not that deep.”

It's always great to catch up with Andy. And let’s wait and see whether he chooses the camera or the car upgrade?!

Content warning: This episode includes a short discussion about body weight and under-fuelling in the context of bone stress injuries (23-25 mins into the podcast).

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This episode is brought to you by Shokz, the leading brand in open-ear headphones. Check out the OpenRun Pro 2 via the Shokz website or with the link below and use code RUNWITHIT at checkout for $15 off your order.

https://shokz.com.au/?sca_ref=11854007.IwZcqoWlB0PjIBs

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Run With It acknowledges the Wadawurrung People, the Traditional Owners of the land on which this podcast is recorded, and pays our respects to Elders past and present.

--

Subscribe to Run With It wherever you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss a thing!

--

Check out Andy’s YouTube channel: youtube.com/@Andy_Buchanan

Follow us on Instagram:

@andy_buchanan

@runwithit.pod

@elisebeacom

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Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom

Graphic design by Kate Scheer

Two days after Sydney Marathon, Caitlin Scott is still using her hands to lower herself onto the toilet (ouch), and she’s got us all wondering how 2:31:11 on one of Australia’s toughest marathon courses could possibly count as just a “pass”?

After finishing third in the Australian Championships on Sunday, Caitlin joins Elise to unpack the early gap that briefly had her dreaming of the win, the hills that turned the final kilometres into survival mode and her surprise at finishing just 45 seconds outside her PB. She reflects on racing with “goals, not expectations”, the marathon experience she is still building and why her dream debut may have been both a blessing and a curse.

It’s already been a huge year for Caitlin, with a wedding, a difficult World Cross Country Championships, an Osaka Marathon she would rather erase from her World Athletics profile – mixed in with spectacular breakthroughs over 10km (31:38 in Launceston) and the half marathon (1:09:08 on the Gold Coast). She talks about now being coached by her husband Lachy, and the December marathon she definitely hasn’t announced.

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Run With It acknowledges the Wadawurrung People, the Traditional Owners of the land on which this podcast is recorded, and pays our respects to Elders past and present.

--

Subscribe to Run With It wherever you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss a thing!

--

Follow us on Instagram:
@runwithit.pod
@caitlinadams__
@elisebeacom

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Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom
Graphic design by Kate Scheer