Tales from the Valley Podcast

TFTV ft. Tayamaefitness

This week, Sam & Katie sit down with the incredibly inspiring Taya Mae. Fresh off a huge PB streak — 42:51 for 10K at Shellharbour and a 3:20 marathon in Melbourne just last weekend — Taya shares her unique journey through running, bodybuilding, and powerlifting.
Having dabbled in running during high school and more consistently in 2023, Taya spent much of 2024 focused on bodybuilding, backing her running with serious gym strength. However, a recent ramp-up in running volume has brought on a battle with shin splints.
What makes Taya’s story even more remarkable is her resilience in the face of multiple health challenges, including celiac disease, degenerative joint disease, and fused joints in her lower back. Yet despite it all, she never stops moving and continues chasing big goals. Up next? The Husky Half Marathon and a Hyrox event later this year.
🏃‍♂️ Training Talk:Sam slots in 3 runs and 3 rides this week, highlighted by a spicy 543215 session (off 1-minute walk recoveries) with paces from 3:57 down to 3:23/km. Katie’s week includes sharp 82-second 400s, a strong 4x5 min @ ~3:35/km, and her biggest week back post-injury — 87km total!
☕ Café Kit of the Week:
LSKD 4-inch shorts
ICE sleeve for shin relief
Waterdrop Hydralite Microlite
🗞️ Round the Clubs News:
Liam Manton smashes the GC50 50km in 9th place
Gong5000 hits the track on Nov 15
Husky Marathon Festival lands the first weekend of November

TFTV ft. Rede Carney

Sam catches up with past guest Rede Carney, who’s turned 2025 into a PB-fest: 16:55 at a KJ track night, 34:42 through 10k at Sutho2Surf, 1:18 for the half — then a surprise 2:46 at Sydney Marathon (9-minute out-performance on the day) and a 2:51 for 2nd at Shellharbour on tired legs. We talk training density, racing with family, and rebuilding with a conservative approach that still totals 16–18 hours between swimming and gym.
Training diaries: Katie joins late with a week of track, Hyrox, and her longest post-injury run (21km). Sam’s mixing three runs with cycling & swimming, and sneaks in a gravel session in Bega for JPM CC — splits trending the right way.
Café Kit of the Week: Pinnacle Podiatry insoles, Saucony Endorphin Pro, and the humble K-mart singlet.Round the Clubs: Shoutout to Lea and the Carney clan after a big Shellharbour weekend; plus past-guest updates from Melbourne, and a Valencia roll call (Russ Dessaix-Chin, Mitch Ryan, Josh “JOSH10” Engel, Stefan Deane-Smith, Greg Frost, Jacob Foster).Event plug: GONG5000 — Nov 15 at Unanderra Crit Track. Multiple seeded 5k races. Enter via Run Havoc / Wollongong Track Club IG or Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/gong5000-tickets-1767755667789

TFTV ft. Karla Maganto

Sam & Katie sit down with Karla Maganto, co-founder of the DK Society Run Club alongside Toby Upton. Karla shares how running has completely transformed her lifestyle — from thinking she’d never run a half or full marathon to now balancing Hyrox workouts, strength training, and swimming. She’s passionate about movement, recovery, and building community in Canberra, investing serious time in compression, sauna, and structured training. Looking ahead, Karla’s got her eyes on a few shorter events and potentially a triathlon in the near future.
Training Weeks
Katie continues to train smart, holding herself back just enough with descending intervals — from 3:30–3:40/km reps down to 36s 200s.
Sam braves the cold on his NZ travels, starting his return-to-run sessions and sneaking in some early pace work.
Karla fits in a massive week of double sessions, mixing running, Hyrox, and even Salsa dancing.
Café Kit of the Week
OG Nike Sports Bra
Dr Hydrate
I Love Ugly Half Tights
News & Shoutouts
Huge results from Run Shellharbour last weekend, capped off by Rhys Thorpe’s 2:41 marathon debut — solo effort in hot conditions.

TFTV ft. Dan Dreher

Sam & Katie welcome their first official guest from Canberra — Dan Dreher. Dan has some seriously fast PBs, including 14:33 for 5k and 29:53 for 10k, all achieved off relatively low mileage and a relaxed, body-aware approach. He sees himself as a 5k/10k specialist, rarely running further than 21km, but with a strong emphasis on speed across his career. Dan shares his journey through Canberra’s running groups — from training under Gerard Ryan to now being part of Philo Saunders’ squad.
Training Weeks
Katie is flying on the track, hitting some sharp 400m splits and building consistency.
Sam continues to manage his shin with cross-training, including a 100km bike ride to round out his week.
Dan had a quiet week while under the weather, but finished strong with a broken km session of 600m reps off 400m jogs.
Café Kit of the Week
Goggles that actually keep water out
SIS Gel
Coles Baby Beetroots
Shoutouts & News
Jared Clifford & Angus Hincksman
Shellharbour Run this coming weekend
Katie’s recap of the World Champs

TFTV ft. Mark Langley

Episode Summary
Sam & Katie chat with Mark Langley, who moved to Wollongong late last year and quickly made his mark by winning the Run Wollongong Marathon in 2:36 earlier this year. Mark’s road PBs include 15:57 for 5K and 2:32 for the marathon, but his range stretches further — he also claimed victory in the Manly to Bondi Ultra.
Mark only began running in 2019, debuting with a 3:27 marathon. When Covid hit, he used the lockdown period to steadily build his fitness, eventually turning his daily work commute into high-mileage weeks.
Training-wise, Katie is back into consistent running, logging 61km while mixing in yoga, Hyrox workouts, and some track sessions. Sam managed 40km with the treacherous “Shinjury” returning, but still got through a couple of decent workouts alongside plenty of cycling. Mark is easing back into longer runs after taking 10 days off post-Sydney Marathon.
Café Kit of the Week
Runners Knot
Winners Gels
Vomero 18 (Black & White)
Round the Club Shoutouts
Back of the packers
NSW Half Marathon Champs at Olympic Park
Sarah Carli & Jess Hull at World Champs

TFTV ft. Ben Bell

Sam and Katie sit down with Ben Bell, a versatile athlete with an incredible story. After years of rowing, Ben moved into triathlon at age 35 — and what followed is nothing short of remarkable.
Ben has run a 70-minute half marathon (2019) and a 2:36 debut marathon. He recorded strong showings at the M7 half marathon and marathon, often finishing just outside the prize money. He is also a Hawaiian Ironman finisher, with 1st and 3rd place age group finishes, and was runner-up at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships.
In this episode, Ben shares his journey through running and triathlon, the highs and heartbreaks of racing, and reflects on the end of Sydney’s M7 marathon era.
Training weeks:
Ben ran every second day and alternated swimming or cycling on the off days.
Katie logged 54 km, mixing in Hyrox workouts and a 5-4-3-2-1 interval session.
Sam managed his shin splints and walks us through his plan to incorporate more cycling into training moving forward.
Café Kit of the Week:A sandbag for weight training, the Brooks Glycerin Max, the Asics Metaspeed Ray, and a good pair of undies.
Round the Club Shoutouts:Luke Jones and Scott Ashcroft from IAS.

TFTV ft. Jeff Chaseling

Episode DescriptionSam and Katie sit down with Jeff Cheso to dive into his impressive running journey. Jeff shares his standout personal bests—8:56 for 3k, 15:17 for 5k, 69:39 for the half marathon, and 2:29 for 3rd place at the Canberra Marathon—while reflecting on how his sporting career began with rugby league before shifting to competitive running. He credits consistency and a touch of healthy rivalry with fellow runners like Russ as key to his success. The conversation traces Jeff’s evolution from a talented young athlete to a competitive masters runner, highlighting both his achievements and the challenges of sustaining performance with age.
Training WeeksCheso runs over 100km this week with 2 tempo sessions below 3:40 pace and a solid long run featuring 26km at 4:05 pace. Katie continues to work through her achilles tendinitis, but manages a few wins in the Hunter Valley and gets in two 6km runs. Sam starts to feel the effects of intense training and backs things off with an 85km week, though still nails 3:20–3:35 per km paces in his 2 x 2k, 2 x 1k, and 2 x 500m session on a very windy morning.
Cafe Kit of the WeekTennis ball, Thailand knock-off Nike split shorts, OG Saucony trainers, Scraper.
Round the Club ShoutoutsThis week’s spotlight is on Xavier Wilson, a vision-impaired runner who sits at the very top of his category and is the reigning Australian Cross Country Champion. Sam also rattles off some strong local results from the Sydney Marathon, celebrating standout efforts across the community.

Ep 3 - Down the Track ft. Chloe Pateman

Sam sits down with Chloe to unpack her recent racing success. Chloe reflects on her breakout 5K at Sandgate parkrun, where she surprised herself with a 16:26, boosted by the energy of 800 runners and a smooth staggered start. She also shares the story behind her win at the Sunshine Coast 10K in 34:40, a race where she focused on keeping a steady rhythm and delivered a performance she’s proud of.