Tales from the Valley Podcast

Sam & Katie sit down with rising talent Cate Giason, who works at Run Havoc and has just wrapped up school with plans to study something in the sports world. Cate already owns some incredible PBs — 4:53 (1500m), 10:16 (3000m) and 7:08 (2000m steeple) — and she’s not slowing down anytime soon.
Cate shares how she first got into running through her family and Kembla Joggers at age eight, her first ever track race in Year 8, and how she now balances training for Triathlon under coach Ben Bell.
She takes us through a full training week:• 2k threshold efforts• Jogging & cross-training• Track workouts• A Sunday long run• Plus her hit-out at the GONG5000
Sam puts together his best 543215 session yet, DNF’s the GONG5000 at 3km due to chest tightness, and then redeems the week with a strong Sunday long run. Katie is officially back — 91km, track reps, and her debut Mona Fartlek (5.3km).
Café Kit of the Week• Foam Roller• Neo Vista 2• Asics Megablast thoughts• Zooper Doopers

Inspired by the vulnerability of our past guests, Sam, Stefan Deane-Smith, and Rohan Laurendet sit down for a raw and honest conversation about their own mental health challenges — and how running has both supported and complicated those experiences.
Rohan also hosts The 11th Hurdle podcast, where he explores mental health and performance with incredible depth and empathy. You can check it out here: https://open.spotify.com/show/3PhiwHspaGGke77HEkYca4
This episode includes discussion of distressing mental health themes, so please take care while listening and consider whether it’s the right time for you to tune in.

Sam and Katie catch up on the podcast and dive into fresh ideas for the new year — including the expanding partnership with Run Havoc. It’s shaping up to be a big 2026 with more episodes, more collaborations, and some new concepts brewing behind the scenes.
Katie drops a huge training update with an 83km week, highlighted by a brutal 12 × 200m on / 200m float session and some smooth, controlled tempo work on Friday.
Sam checks in with a 58km week, featuring 6 × 1km on gravel at 3:30–3:40 pace, plus an 18km long run alongside Jack Ratz, rolling the Run Shellharbour course and getting a feel for the terrain ahead.
Café Kit of the Week
Cans of Energy Drink 
A vintage Tempo Training article from the 80s

Sam sits down with Riley Kilham for the first instalment of our new monthly segment.Riley has generously thrown in a $100 Run Havoc voucher for one TFTV listener each month — absolute legend 🙌
This month we dive into Riley’s training week — including some spicy continuous track work and pacing his mate to a 1:25 half at Husky. 
Shoe of the Month:Nike Vomero Plus (early contender for shoe of the year 👀)
Nutrition of the Month:Pillar Performance Triple Magnesium
Apparel of the Month:Never Running Race Singlet
Big thanks to Riley and the crew at Run Havoc for the support 💥

Sam catches up with Hamish “Kerns” Simpson, fresh off 30 loops at Reds Backyard Ultra (203.7km).
Hamish has lined up at Reds three years in a row, but this year looked different — after linking up with super coach Barry Keem, he’s built consistency, structure and serious momentum. The results speak for themselves with PBs across the board this year, including 17:58 for 5k and 3:08 for the marathon.
Hamish breaks down the physical, emotional and nutritional demands of Backyard Ultra racing, and how he’s refined his training across multiple attempts. There’s no time to feet-up though — he’s rolling straight into the Kosciuszko 100-miler in just four weeks.
He also shares a peek into a peak week featuring:
Backyard simulation loops
32km Kiama Coastal Trail long run
Hard 3km effort + 6km tempo
Sam recaps his own week logging 57km, nailing the workout but battling through the long run.
Segments this episode
Café Kit of the Week
Vomero Plus review
City Cave magnesium float
Round the Club shoutouts
Run Huskisson podium recap
And of course — huge shoutout to Barry Keem.

This week, Sam & Katie chat with up-and-coming triathlete Jack Caldwell.Hailing from Eden on the Far South Coast of NSW, Jack has been training from a young age. A naturally strong swimmer who also shone in school cross country, Jack eventually combined both strengths—adding cycling into the mix—to discover his talent in triathlon.
After playing a range of sports growing up, Jack began racing Sprint Triathlons throughout high school. Earlier this year, he claimed the Men’s Junior Title for the Oceania Region in Devonport—clocking a blistering 15:15 5K off the bike. He also boasts a 14:56 PB from a Sydney workout, and fondly recalls defending his Panboola Wetlands parkrun course record.
Jack was all set for World Tri in Wollongong, but a pair of stress fractures and other setbacks have forced some recovery time. He’s now building back gradually, with eyes on moving to the Gold Coast in 2026 to train full-time.
🏋️‍♀️ Training Weeks
Katie hits 3 x 1K off 90s (3:20 splits) plus some 400s off a 200 float. She’s taking a weekend off with suspected iron deficiency, rounding out at 63 km for the week.
Sam clocks 43 km running across four sessions and 105 km cycling on the off days.
Jack shares a look at a massive training week from when he was fit—30 hours total, including 30 km swimming, 63 km running, a 5K PB, plus gym and cycling.
☕ Café Kit of the Week
Japanese U-Turn
ASICS Metaspeed Ray
Heavy Lifting
🏆 Round the Club Shoutouts
Matt Hauser — for taking out the World Triathlon in Wollongong
Reds Backyard Ultra — huge props to everyone clocking some wild distances out there!

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

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