Run With It

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. -- 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. -- 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. -- 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

53: Sarah Billings – Years in the Making, But Just Getting Started

Sarah Billings is on fire! As we wait for Australia’s 2026 Commonwealth Games team to be announced, the Aussie middle-distance runner is well and truly in the mix for selection. Sarah sits down with Elise to discuss her recent form, including two massive PBs – a 3:58.81 in the 1500m at the Shanghai Diamond League, and a 1:57.61 in the 800m in Rabat, which is the second fastest time ever run by an Australian woman! But these results have been a long time in the making. Starting her career as a sprinter before moving into middle-distance in her junior years, Sarah has always been an excellent runner. But in her first years as a senior athlete, Sarah felt like she wasn’t getting the performances she had hoped for. Then the injuries hit. They hit hard. And repeatedly. When Sarah was able to finally break that injury cycle, she could at last string some good consistent training together and sought the help of a performance coach to work on her mental approach to racing. She said it’s made all the difference. We talk about what she learnt during those tough injury-riddled years, her breakout 2024 season, and how her persistence, mindset and consistency is now paying dividends in the results she is seeing on the track. -- Sarah Billings has represented Australia multiple times, including at World Juniors in 2016 and the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in 2025. She is currently coached by Nic Bideau at Melbourne Track Club, and is sponsored by New Balance. -- Subscribe to Run With It wherever you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss a thing! -- Follow us on Instagram: @sarahbillings @runwithit.pod @elisebeacom -- Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom Graphic design by Kate Scheer

52: Winning Two Marathons While Pregnant – Catch Up With Calli Hauger-Thackery

British athlete Calli Hauger-Thackery didn’t even know she was pregnant when she ran (and won) Honolulu Marathon in December last year. She uncharacteristically vomited during the race, which she later realised was morning sickness! Calli then went on to win Houston Marathon in 2:24:17 in January. But only she and husband Nick knew she was carrying a plus-one through the tape! Most recently, while 22-weeks pregnant, Calli ran Boston Marathon in 2:43:58, despite needing to stop four times (to release a pinched nerve and to pee). Boston especially captured the attention of so many people around the world, inspired by what Calli has been able to do during her pregnancy. It was an absolute joy to have Calli back on the podcast to discuss her pregnancy in detail, the planning process for athletes trying to start a family and to debrief the three marathons she’s now run with baby Evan on board. If you’d like to learn more about Calli’s story (she’s the 2nd fastest British woman of all-time over the marathon distance by the way!), go back to episode 28. -- Subscribe to Run With It wherever you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss a thing! -- Follow us on Instagram: @callirianne @runwithit.pod @elisebeacom -- Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom Graphic design by Kate Scheer