Tales from the Valley Podcast

TFTV ft. Harry McGill

Sam, Mitch & Katie speak with Harry McGill. Harry has had an extremely exciting year being a big part of Jess Hull’s Olympic Campaign joining her workouts during her Europe training season. Harry talks us through how that arrangement came about and shares some of the experiences from being a part of the group. After recapping some of Harry’s PB’s they are even more impressive factoring in he did them the day after training sessions (14:16 for the 5km is one of them). He also shares a funny story how his mate said he’d give him $10 for every minute he ran under 3 hours for the marathon on a casual Sunday long-run.
Mitch takes the win in the community NSW state 3k this weekend in 9:43 this week, though wont be caught dead celebrating. Sam nails both sessions this week but his shin is presenting some signs of discomfort so backs things off and hits the bike rather than jogging. Katie gets down to the track for some fast 800s and 400s on Tuesday and then hits the sand dunes for some sprints later in the week. Harry eases back into training with his sites on a fast 1500m early in 2025, though may be a cameo at the next GONG5000 event on November 30th.Tune in for lots of familiar names, great coastal running stories from a lot of races this weekend.

TFTV ft. Alex Seal

Sam, Mitch, and Katie chat with Alex Seal. Alex competed in college for Boston University and walks us through his move from Australia. He ran 4:01 three times in a row for the mile, but unfortunately never broke the 4-minute barrier, though he boasts a range of impressive personal bests. Since moving back to Australia, Alex took a break from running but returned early last year. Since then, he’s run 30:40 at the Sydney 10k this year and 1:11 at the Wollongong Running Festival. Alex is currently managing an Achilles injury but is keen to increase his mileage and work toward a sub-30-minute 10k in the coming year.
Katie keeps piling on the kilometers, determined to beat Sam at the WTC 5k on November 30th, clocking 109 km this week. Mitch logged 102 km, training with Liam Manton, Rhys Thorp, and Josh Engel on the track, and stepped out of his comfort zone with an all-terrain race. Sam had a good week down in the Bega Valley Shire, including a parkrun and a long run with Tunnaz, Frosty, and Pete.

TFTV ft. Jack Tidd

This week we’re joined by Jack Tidd who ran 2:58 at Melbourne marathon last week to wrap up his sub 3 journey. Coached by previous guest and Ironman Italy winner Chris Beckmans Tiddy has seen rapid improvement in the marathon, running a sub 90 half only 12 months ago.Tiddy loves the routine of running and the community, and seems to be gravitating to longer distances as he gears up for Kosciuszko 100k in December.

TFTV ft. Marc Bergmeier

Sam and Katie chat with Marc Bergmeier. Marc grew up in Wagga and played AFL during his junior years but gravitated toward running a few years after finishing high school. He works on the farm back in Wagga intermittently, but when he doesn't, he lives in Wollongong. This year, he has been training with Liam Mahoney and Brendan Smith, and all three of them reached their lofty goal of running sub-3 hour marathons. Although Marc didn’t have the best day at the Gold Coast earlier this year, he made up for it in a big way by running 2:54 at Sydney, taking the pressure off and just running to feel.
Katie logged 95 km of mileage this week, although she had a tough long run at the end of last week. Sam is battling through the flu but manages to maintain his routine of two sessions and a long run. Marc is starting to recover post-Sydney Marathon and is ready to inject some intensity back into his training program now.

TFTV ft. Renee Placek

This week Sam and Katie chat with Renee Placek who has been winning lots of local races including Shellharbour 10k. Renee has run 10:21 for 3km, 18:36 for 5km, 38:50 for 10k, 1:25 for the half and 3:38 at New York Marathon 10 years ago. Renee has had a long running career being into middle distance as a junior and completing her first marathon in her mid 20s. Over the last couple of years after Renee has returned to running after having 2 kids and has focused on structured training, nutrition and regular racing with Kembla Joggers. Renee’s recent form has been unbelievable and her experience and knowledge makes it obvious why.
Katie deals with ‘Bali Belly’ off the back of her holiday, so dials back the intensity on sessions and jogs this week fuelled only with bread and flavourless Mi Goreng. Sam tapers for a race, but picks up a stock standard taper flu 2 nights before the race so pulls the pin and chalks it up as a down week. Renee recovers from her win in the Shellharbour 10k last week and picks up covid so is recovering from sickness. We discuss our approach to training when we are sick fittingly and when it’s appropriate to keep training and when to hang up the trainers.

Tales from the Valley Podcast ft. Brendan Smith

Sam and Mitch chat with Brendan Smith, who has run 2:55 at both the Sydney and Gold Coast Marathons this year. Despite only training intentionally for a short period, Brendan has improved rapidly from his 3:33 marathon debut in Sydney last year. He has benefited from the Never Lazy Run Club’s inclusivity and structured training. With a competitive nature and disciplined work ethic, Brendan shows us that a lot can be achieved in just a few months if you put your mind to it.
Mitch is back into solid training after Sydney, stringing together 96 km despite missing a day. Sam runs his first 5k race at Shellharbour post-injury, finishing in 18:36 on a hilly course. A solid rust buster, he secures 4th place after being dropped from the podium in the last 100 meters. Brendan balances travel and work as he gears up for the Melbourne Marathon, with a short turnaround after Sydney.

The Russell Dessaix-Chin Wag - Sydney Marathon Recap

Welcome back to the Russell Dessaix-Chin Wag! Mitch and Russ recap their Sydney Marathon experiences. Mitch, despite less-than-ideal preparation, makes his debut with a 2:54 finish, picking up momentum in the final 10 kilometers. Russ, initially planning to pace only until 30 kilometers, missed a drink at the halfway mark, falling 30 seconds behind the group he was pacing. However, he rallied and surged past with a mile to go, finishing in 2:32.
Tune in for a few Wollongong shoutouts, two outstanding performances, and a verbal breakdown of the course. And, of course, we’ll discuss the massive poster of Russ from the expo, which has now found a new purpose as a doona cover!

Tales from the Valley Podcast ft. Brad Dryburgh

Gear up for a packed episode this week as Sam and Katie chat with Brad Dryburgh. Brad hosts his own podcast, A Lot to Talk About, but today we focus on his running journey.
Brad shares his experiences living with cystic fibrosis, which didn’t hinder him too much until he was 18, when he began to experience lung-related effects. His distance running journey started with the Active Boys (the previous name of Never Lazy Run Club), where he completed a month of 5km runs. Afterward, he had a health episode and found himself in the hospital. Determined to complete a marathon and raise funds for cystic fibrosis research, he launched 42forCF, preparing for his first marathon in just a few months. Brad started running four times a week and hitting the gym twice a week. However, another episode occurred a month before the race, forcing him to begin an early taper.
On race day, Brad completed 42.2km in 4:17, an unforgettable achievement for him and his family. He continued with 42forCF, completing multiple marathons and raising over $100,000 for cystic fibrosis research and development, while also improving his marathon time to 3:55 at the Melbourne Marathon in 2022.
Sam has returned from New Zealand after an exhausting week spent in four different cities. He feels he has turned a corner, with his pacing improving. He completed his Sunday long run in Taupo, logging 102km for the week, along with a gym session and 27 holes of golf.
Katie also caught the travel bug and has been in Bali. Now back, she’s resumed treadmill sessions while battling the humidity, totalling 70km for the week and showing a lot of positive signs.
Brad was gearing up for the Shellharbour Marathon this week, but due to issues with gout, he is now planning for a marathon in early to mid-2025. He discusses his typical training structure and considers whether he should introduce speed work into his routine to further improve his personal best.