Tales from the Valley Podcast

TFTV ft. Flynn Addicott

In this episode, Sam and Katie chat with Flynn Addicott, a recent arrival to the Bega Valley who moved from Melbourne to take on a paramedic role at Bega Hospital. Flynn boasts impressive personal bests, including a 16:05 for 5K on the track and a 2:56 marathon. His running journey began in high school, where he tested his limits in cross country before developing a structured training routine. Notably, Flynn is known for his ability to run while holding his phone, even managing to switch songs during hard efforts.
Katie shares her strong lead-up to the Noosa Half Marathon, highlighted by a 36:10 at the Sydney 10. Meanwhile, Sam battles through illness during a down week but still completes two solid sessions. Flynn, despite a hectic schedule as a paramedic, unintentionally clocks a half marathon personal best during a Tuesday tempo run on the rolling Merimbula Bike Path, maintaining his 110km weekly mileage.
Café Kit of the Week:
SIS Beta Fuel Gels
Precision 90g Gel
2XU Running Gloves
Green LSKD Half Tights
Round the Club Shoutouts:
Ethan Tierney – Kembla Joggers
Bridie Temple
Jackson Addicott

TFTV ft. Mel Jefferis

In this episode, Sam and Katie catch up with Mel Jeferris. Mel, based in Narooma, has been in impressive form lately, recently running a marathon personal best of 3:08:06 at Ballarat. Mel began running in 2015, completing her first marathon that same year in Melbourne. After taking a break to have two kids, she returned to running with structured training from her brother, Greg Frost, in 2020. Since then, Mel's progress has been consistent, with key workouts like 8x1km repeats, long tempos, and Sunday long runs with kickdowns alongside the Narooma Run Club. As she prepares for the Melbourne Marathon later this year, Mel plans to add strength training to target a sub-3-hour finish.
Katie recovers from her longest run in a while, following it up with spontaneous track intervals (1200, 800, and 200 meters) and a strong threshold workout: 20 minutes at 3:43 pace, plus two 5-minute efforts at 3:32 and 3:22 pace. Meanwhile, Sam logs 95km for the week, still shaking off the remnants of last week’s sinus infection but successfully completing his 400s session and threshold workout.
Café Kit of the Week:
Maurten Gels
Narooma Run Club AS Hoodie
Skins Compression Arm Sleeves
Round the Club Shoutouts:
Amy O’Halloren – Wollongong Track Club
Marie St-Germain – Narooma Run Club
Joshua Binks – Kembla Joggers

TFTV ft. Stefan Deane-Smith

Sam & Katie catch up with Stefan Deane-Smith. Stefan boasts PBs ranging from 1:53 for 800m through to a 70 minutes flat for the half marathon on a hilly Auckland course to come 3rd in the NZ Half Marathon Champs. Growing up in New Zealand, he ran competitively after starting out in a variety of sports through school. At his peak, he logged 160–200 km per week before stepping away from the sport for a time. After moving to Australia, Stefan gradually returned to high-level running and is now focused on the marathon—with the Gold Coast Marathon on the horizon and Valencia later this year.
Training HighlightsKatie hit the track for a 7 x 1k session, progressing from the high 3:30s down to 3:15/km, then backed it up with a tough threshold session in windy conditions later in the week—totaling 125 km.Sam struggled through sessions with a sinus infection but took confidence from an effortless 2-hour long run at 4:26/km pace, finishing the week with 95 km.Stefan recovered from last week’s Ballarat Half Marathon with steady running and a strong hilly tempo around Lake Illawarra, clocking 103 km for the week.
Café Kit of the Week
Nike Vomero 18
BlackSheep Running Tee
Clif Bloks Energy Chews
Round the Club Shoutouts
Craig Turner – Kiama Running Club
Phoebe Adams – Narooma Run Club
Georgia Deane-Smith – Wollongong Track Club

TFTV Ballarat Marathon Recap ft. Dane Ottesen & Greg Frost

Join us for two incredible stories from the Ballarat Marathon! Dane Ottesen shares his inspiring marathon debut, clocking a remarkable 2:46, while Greg Frost reflects on his 2:28 finish—achieving a lifelong running goal.
Get a feel for the course, the atmosphere, and why this event should be on your radar for 2026. Whether you're chasing a PB or your first marathon finish, this episode will get your heart pumping.

TFTV ft. Sinead MacCana (RISE&RUN BALI)

Sam and Katie chat with Sinead MacCana. Sinead is the founder of RISE&RUN Bali, a thriving community running group based in Canggu, Bali. Her running journey began alongside her career in Personal Training in Australia, where she also completed her first marathon.
Presented with a unique opportunity, Sinead took on the Bali Hope Ultra — an 84km charity ultramarathon. To prepare, she made the bold decision to move to Bali, start a run club from her home to fundraise, and then complete the event. After the ultra, Sinead chose to keep the run club going, which has since blossomed into a vibrant community of almost 100 expats gathering each week for a group run in Canggu, along with a hill interval session every Thursday.
Sinead also shares her best tips for running safely in Bali, including:
Being cautious of stray dogs
Navigating scooters and traffic
Safety tips for female runners
Finding a supportive running community upon arrival
She also walks us through her typical training week, which during the recent RISE&RUN Bali Retreat, included a full roster of running sessions, strength training, and fun activities across Bali. The retreat capped off with a Sunday Half Marathon — and a 50km long run for Sinead!
Meanwhile, Katie faced a rough trip back to Australia, losing a day in transit and battling some knee swelling post-flight. Despite the setback, she pieced together 82km for the week, including some strong threshold work. Sam put in a solid and social 88km week, with his key session — 4 x 8-minute threshold reps — integrated into the Wollongong 10k, navigating through a busy race environment.
Café Kit of the Week:
MapleRoo Gels
LSKD Tights and Shorts
Voltaren Cream
Hirudoid Cream
Round the Club Shoutouts:
Cameron Bailey – Four Endurance
Reece Nikitaras – Your Local Run Club
RISE&RUN Retreat Attendees
Find out more about RISE&RUN Bali here:
https://www.instagram.com/riserunbali/
 

TFTV ft. Sarah Reiter (Boston Marathon Recap)

Sam and Katie catch up with Sarah Reiter, Tracksmith athlete and longtime friend of Katie’s from college. Sarah’s resume is stacked with personal bests ranging from 16:21 for 5,000m to 2:31 for the marathon. Most recently, she placed 24th at the Boston Marathon, clocking a solid 2:33 on a course that chewed up many.
Sarah gives us an inside look at her peak training week, logging 85 miles (~137km) with plenty of hills and a mix of threshold, marathon pace, and anaerobic sessions. This was one of eight intense weeks during her marathon build. She walks us through her taper, mental approach, and how she pulled off a near-perfect day in Boston—running a controlled, even effort with just a one-minute positive split in the challenging second half.
Then, Sam shares the story behind pulling out of the Christchurch Marathon and skipping the New Zealand trip. Instead, he jumped into the Canberra Half Marathon, where he powered through a tough course before bouncing back quickly the following Saturday with a 30-minute tempo, including parkrun.
Katie rounds out the episode with her own racing update, taking 4th overall at the Run the River Half and clocking a strong 1:23. She’s stringing together some consistent work and looking sharp.
Café Kit of the Week ☕️
Tracksmith Gloves 🧤
Nike Trail Apparel 🏞️
Depop for Secondhand Running Gear ♻️

TFTV CTMF Race Recap ft. 2025 Winner Myles Gough

Myles Gough re-joins the podcast after his 2nd win at Canberra Marathon last weekend in 2:30:08
Myles walks us through his training block as well as his taper and exciting race recap.
 
It was a tactical day out and an exciting race, this ones a must listen!

TFTV ft. Adam Brill

With Katie back in the US, she and Sam are taking the next few weeks to catch up with some of our amazing international listeners. This week, they’re joined by Adam Brill, a passionate runner based in Boston, former colleague of Sam’s, and long-time listener of the show.
Adam shares his unique running journey, which began after his professional golf career didn’t quite hit the heights he had aimed for. Determined to keep chasing goals, he set out to run the New York Marathon—his debut coming in around 4 hours 20. Since then, Adam has gotten serious, joining track groups and bringing structure to his training. His hard work has paid off: he ran a 3:21 at the 2023 London Marathon and is now laser-focused on a Boston Qualifier (3:10) to earn a start in his hometown race. With 7 weeks to go until London, Adam is putting in his biggest training weeks yet, including a full slate of Yasso 800s and a tough 20-mile long run.
🏃‍♀️ Training Updates
Katie kicks off her week flying back to Richland, feeling some tough—but normal—side effects from a recent iron infusion. Despite a shaky track session, she rebounded well with a strong tempo and strung together 100km for the week.
Sam drops his volume slightly to 80km, but still clocks a solid, controlled parkrun at 3:37s, one week out from his upcoming half marathon. While he’s struggling to turn the legs over quickly, his aerobic base has him feeling confident to give his PB a crack.
Adam matches Sam with 80km, his biggest week in years, highlighted by his Yasso session and a gritty 20-miler. Momentum is building as London looms.
☕ Café Kit of the Week
Perene Custom TFTV Race Singlet
Bob Baby Stroller
Iron Infusion
📣 Round the Club Shoutouts
Luke Whiddet – Your Local Run Club
Rhys “Lightning” Thorpe – Wollongong Track Club
Elizabeth Brill