57: Jessica Stenson – 36 Weeks Pregnant and the Fire Is Back

57: Jessica Stenson – 36 Weeks Pregnant and the Fire Is Back

When Jess Stenson last joined Run With It, she had just broken the Australian marathon record in Valencia. Eight months later, she’s back – 36 weeks pregnant, with baby number three kicking away as we record! After Valencia, Jess expected to feel fired up. Instead, the motivation faded and she wasn’t really “feeling it” in training. It took Haftu Strintzos’ Australian record on the Gold Coast, followed by a brilliant Commonwealth Games viewing experience, to bring it back. Jess talks about the Glasgow performances that brought the spark back, from Rose Davies and Jess Hull’s unforgettable finish in the 5,000m, to seeing Australian athletes succeed together in the green and gold. We also discuss the dwindling opportunities to represent your country as a marathoner on the world stage. Literally weeks away from birth (it's a girl btw!), Jess talks us through training during her third pregnancy, the lessons she’s carried from her first two, and why she’s far less concerned about losing fitness this time. With three kids soon in the mix, the bigger questions are around sleep, extra support and the logistical puzzle of fitting training in. Jess has also documented her pregnancy and training in Room for Growth, a YouTube series created to support athletes, coaches and families navigating exercise during pregnancy. Check it out on Jess' YouTube channel: youtube.com/@Jessica_Stenson  Absolutely loved this chat with Jess and can’t wait to see her fire up towards some big goals in her post-baby come back! --  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 Jess' YouTube channel:  youtube.com/@Jessica_Stenson [https://www.youtube.com/@Jessica_Stenson] Follow us on Instagram: @jess_tren @runwithit.pod @elisebeacom -- Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom Graphic design by Kate Scheer

56: Ed Marks – Fastest Australian Half Marathon Debut on the Gold Coast

It’s been a breakout year for Australian distance runner Ed Marks. And while you’re used to seeing him race in his Glenhuntly club singlet, you might see him sporting a new kit very soon... Fresh off becoming the fastest Australian man ever to debut over the half marathon (60:57), Ed joins Elise to unpack his recent race on the Gold Coast. We chat about the mindset shift behind a breakthrough season with shiny new PBs in the road 5k (13:37) and 10k (27:57), and 10,000m on the track (27:54), why he's thriving as a self-coached athlete, and the meticulous planning that helped him execute that half marathon so damn well! We also discuss how Ed’s his recent performances have caught the attention of major running brands, with a new athlete representative behind him, and sponsorship opportunities now firmly on the table as his career reaches an exciting new level. We dive into his love of cross country, balancing engineering with elite running and why he believes Australians can run world-class times on home soil. -- 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: @marks_ed @runwithit.pod @elisebeacom -- Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom Graphic design by Kate Scheer

55: Haftu Strintzos (Rerelease) - Resilience and Big Transitions in Life and Running

Meet your new Australian Record holder in the marathon!!!! Haftu Strintzos ran 2:06:20 on the Gold Coast last Sunday to break Andy Buchanan's previous record by two seconds. In case you missed it, this episode recorded in 2025 is essential listening and gives context to Haftu's incredible result over the weekend.  -- Haftu Strintzos spent the first years of his life as a shepherd in mountainous Tigray in northern Ethiopia. He cared for sheep and cows and played hopscotch (the Tigrayan version) with the other shepherds. Now an Asics-sponsored athlete, with his sights on representing Australia in the marathon, Haftu has the most incredible story brimming with resilience and perspective. But to understand how he got from A to B, you’ll just have to listen to this episode. Haftu talks about some defining moments of his athletic career so far, including running for Villanova University in the US, finishing first Australian across the line at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Serbia, winning the 10,000m at the 2024 Oceania Athletics Championships and achieving silver in the 5,000m. After his half marathon debut in Melbourne last year (62:24), Haftu followed up with a blinder in Marugame in Japan, where he ran 60:36 and asserted himself as a real contender on the roads. Unfortunately, Haftu’s marathon debut was foiled by an injury that popped up just before Hamburg Marathon earlier this year. We discuss how he’s dealing with that injury setback, how training has changed since he transitioned to Adam Didyk’s Team Tempo and what Haftu’s big goals for the future look like. -- 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. -- Follow us on Instagram: @haftustrintz @runwithit.pod @elisebeacom -- Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom Graphic design by Kate Scheer

Sole Sisters – 26: Crewing Molly Seidel at Western States

Alice is fresh off a whirlwind few weeks - surviving a New York heatwave, dancing all night at Phily Bowden's wedding, and crewing for Molly Seidel at the prestigious Western States 100 off barely any sleep. She takes us behind the scenes of one of the world's toughest ultramarathons, tactics to combat debilitating chafe and what it took for Molly to get to the finish line after 24 hours on the trail, even when her body was saying "HELL NO." Meanwhile, Elise spills the tea on an injury that sprang up following Copenhagen Marathon, and how she's doing mentally while not running (she's totally fine btw). Plus, the pair celebrate Australian records from Cam Myers and Sarah Billings and preview Gold Coast Marathon weekend, including a STACKED women's half-marathon field. -- 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 @alicebaquie @elisebeacom -- Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom Graphic design by Kate Scheer

54: Milly Clark – “There’s More to Me Than a 2:26 Marathon”

Content warning: This episode includes in-depth discussion about eating disorders, which may be distressing for some listeners. -- Running has helped Australian Olympian Milly Clark endure and conquer some of her life’s biggest challenges. Running helped her make new friends when she and her family moved to Germany and Indonesia during her school years. And most importantly, it helped Milly recover from a devastating eating disorder, which she developed while she was at college in the United States. In this conversation with Elise, Milly shares some of the highs, lows and experiences that have shaped who she is as a person today. We talk about her incredible performance at the Rio Olympics in 2016 where she was 18th across the line in 2:30:53 and her PB of 2:26:59 at the Nike Melbourne Marathon. She speaks about getting bitten by a snake in the US (despite living in Tasmania which is home to some the world’s deadliest snakes), and why her debut marathon in Amsterdam was so memorable (2:29:07, 3rd place). We also cover some darker times when Milly was in the grips of loneliness, sadness and an eating disorder, which she was able to overcome with much love and support from her family and inner circle. Now fresh off the back of a 1:12:37 at Launceston Half Marathon, Milly tells us about her plans for this year, which includes lining up for Gold Coast Marathon in a week’s time! We can’t wait to see how she goes! -- Milly Clark is one of Australia's most accomplished marathon runners and represented Australia in the marathon at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, where she was the first Australian woman across the finish line. Since making her marathon debut in Amsterdam in 2015, Milly has become a consistent force on the Australian distance running scene, winning the 2021 Nike Melbourne Marathon in a personal best of 2:26:59 and earning multiple national team selections. Milly is a qualified sports dietician and currently works as a school teacher in Tasmania, Australia. -- Resources and support: If this episode raises concerns for you, support is available. * Contact the Butterfly National Helpline on 1800 33 4673 or visit org.au [https://butterfly.org.au/] * Visit the InsideOut Institute at org.au [http://insideoutinstitute.org.au/] or the National Eating Disorders Collaboration (NEDC) at nedc.com.au [https://nedc.com.au/] for information and support. * If you're in immediate danger or need urgent help, call 000 or Lifeline on 13 11 14. -- 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: @millyjane14 @runwithit.pod @elisebeacom -- Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom Graphic design by Kate Scheer