English For The Long Run: Recent Episodes

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Today's guest is Shay Eskew from Nashville, Tennessee (USA).

His life is so unbelievable that if you would see a movie about it, you’d probably say NO WAY this would happen in real life.

His life is stranger than fiction.

At the age of 8 the trajectory of his life changed forever. Shay was accidentally set afire when playing with a girl from the neighborhood.

As a result, 65% of his body is covered with burn scars and he has endured over 40 surgeries in 40 years.

The doctors said he would never be competitive in sports again.

But guess what?

Shay didn’t really care what the doctors said. He wanted to reclaim his life and be considered a "normal" kid.

So he worked hard. Harder you can ever imagine.

He is a 42x IRONMAN 70.3 athlete, 4 x member of Team USA and ranked top 1% of Ironman worldwide 6x, and has competed in 14 triathlon World Championships, including the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.

Overcoming all odds and perseverance define his story.

Equally impressive, he’s a husband and father of 5 teenage kids.

During our chat he shares his impressive and powerful mindset with us.

What we talk about:

• What happened to him at the age of 8
• Why burn trauma is a lifelong trauma that never goes away
• The side effects of burn scars
• Why every obstacle is a great opportunity in disguise
• How he was introduced to the world of triathlons and Ironman
• The piece of advice he gives his children and applies to everyone

His book recommendation:

"Endurance, Shackleton’s incredible voyage" by Alfred Lansing

More about Shay Eskew:

• www.shayeskew.com
• His book (a must read): What the Fire Ignited, How Life’s Worst Made Me Achieve My Best. Instagram: mrshaysq

Shay's inspirational thoughts: There is so much in life we have no control over, and we can’t lose sleep over those things. But if we commit 110 percent effort to changing the things we can control, life takes on a new meaning.

Huge Thank You to Shay Eskew for sharing his inspirational story with me. 😍

If you want to find out how you can improve your English, listening or reading about running stories, visit my web page and hit the subscribe button: https://englishforthelongrun.com

Bye for now and enjoy English for the Long Run!

Living Life by Scott Holmes Music

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This time, together with Chema Martínez Pastor, I have the honour to chat with Veronique Bourbeau.

Chema is a runner, running coach and co-host of the popular Spanish running podcast A tu ritmo. He told me about Veronique and her mind-blowing running adventures, so I decided to try and get her on the podcast.

And she said yes!

Veronique Bourbeau is a native of Quebec City, Canada, who (currently) lives and trains in Australia.

She is the founder of the non-profit organisation Run for Humanity, an Ultra Runner Adventurer, Public Speaker, and author of the book Fearless: One Woman’s transformational journey from a treadmill to running the African Continent.

We talk about dreaming BIG, helping others, and celebrating life while running CRAZY amounts of kilometers and having loads of fun.

Some amazing facts about Veronique:

• She has run well over 30 ultra marathons and completed several 250 k races
• She ran across Japan (3010 km, a marathon a day for 72 days)
• She is the overall winner and record holder for the 444 km C2C Ultra in Malaysia

Otherwise, she calls herself a “normal” working mom of two children who unexpectedly became an endurance athlete after buying a secondhand treadmill, giving the “run walk” method a try. 😉

In 2024, Veronique will be running 13.000 kilometers from Alexandria to Cape Town, the entire African continent from the North to the South to provide as many people as possible with water filters for safe water.

Her inspiration: Terry Fox, the amputee athlete who ran across Canada to raise money and awareness for cancer research

Her foundation where you can support her: Run for Humanity '' Where we change the world by providing clean and safe water to remote parts of the world, 1km at a time!''

More info:

https://www.veroniquerun.com/ Instagram @veroniquerun https://givebutter.com/AxpvNd https://www.veroniquerun.com/

Her book (A great read!!): https://www.amazon.com.au/Fearless-transformational-journey-treadmill-Continent/dp/B0BLXZXJ2D/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3MPO037NHGKUY&keywords=fearless+veronique+Bourbeau&qid=1682567068&s=books&sprefix=fearless+veronique+bourbeau%2Cstripbooks%2C265&sr=1-1

Muchas gracias to Chema for telling me about Veronique and for coming on the podcast and huge Merci to Veronique for being such a heart-warming beacon of hope for humanity!

If you want to find out how you can improve your English, listening or reading about running stories, visit my web page and hit the subscribe button: https://englishforthelongrun.com

Bye for now, and enjoy English for the long run!

Living Life by Scott Holmes Music

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Nicole Linke is a 38 year-old ultra runner, writer and kettlebell instructor who currently works and lives in Berlin (Germany). At this moment she is training for the Race Across Scotland, a 215-miler ultra marathon. Today she feels strong in body, mind and spirit. But that has not always been the case: in her teens and early twenties she experienced bullying both at school and at home: she was made fun of because of her looks. Therefore she struggled for years with body image issues and low self-esteem. She was shy and afraid of people because of embarrassment and anxiety. At a certain point she was extremely skinny and felt weak and tired. But when an acquaintance told her that she looked "so fragile", Nicole had a light-bulb moment: she knew that something had to change. She changed her desire for being skinny for being strong. This didn't happen overnight, it was a long and complex process that took time. Now, in 2023, she's on a mission to help other women to feel happier, stronger and fitter through kettlebell training. In this episode she talks about: - Bullying and its consequences- Becoming the top student of her class (out of fear)- Her light-bulb moment (skinny vs strong)- The huge benefits of kettlebell training for runners - The Berlin Wall Race - Her upcoming athletic goal (Race Across Scotland)Her book recommendations: - "Enter the kettlebell" by Pavel Tsatsouline- "The Alchemist" by Paulo CoelhoKettlebell geniuses she loves: - Pavel Tsatsouline and Steve Cotter (check them out on Youtube)Her best advice to her younger self: "Trust your intuition"Nicole's web page: www.nicolelinke.com. Nicole Linke also writes for Medium, an open platform where readers find dynamic thinking, and where expert and undiscovered voices can share their writing on any topic.Huge Thank You to Nicole for opening up about bullying and sharing her life story with me. 😌If you want to find out how you can improve your English, listening or reading about running stories, visit my web page and hit the subscribe button: https://englishforthelongrun.com Bye for now, and enjoy English for the long run! Living Life by Scott Holmes Music

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Today's guest is Kike Nieto. I met Kike virtually on the A Tu Ritmo podcast, a very popular Spanish running podcast. Kike usually contributes with great anecdotes from the running world. He shares remarkable stories of everyday runners and talks about the human being behind the legend in the case of professional athletes. Kike is a 45-year-old dedicated amateur runner who worked as a Spanish teacher in London and who has been teaching English at a secondary school in Madrid since 2006. Impressively, Kike has taken part in 120 races, of which 50 were half marathons and 19 full marathons. Last Sunday, April 23, he ran the Madrid Marathon for the 12th time. What we talk about: - Why he loves the Madrid Marathon and what has changed over the years- The beauty of marathon running and the "nirvana moment" he experiences around kilometer 35 - Why he thinks his students are not impressed by his running achievements- His Less Is More approach towards social media and running gadgets Some great thoughts: - Talking about running marathons being a privilege, he uses a Shakespeare quote: "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers" - "The appeal of the marathon is that it's out of your control."- "The more difficult it is, the sweeter it is when you get it."Two great running books he recommends: - Today we'll die a little (about Emil Zatopek) by Richard Askwith- The Perfect Mile by Neal Bascomb The BBC documentary he talks about: - The Real Mo Farah Huge Thank You to Kike for sharing his time and running experiences with me. 😍If you want to find out how you can improve your English, listening or reading about running stories, visit my web page and hit the subscribe button: https://englishforthelongrun.com Bye for now, and enjoy English for the long run! Living Life by Scott Holmes Music

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I'm a runner with a reading problem, or a reader with a running problem. Fact is that I can't imagine what my life would look like without a good amount of running or reading. So today's episode is more about reading than running. I have the pleasure to talk with another book lover and language enthusiast, Oriana Domínguez. She is the founder of the Book Club Chronicles, an online book club for introverted women who want to improve their English. Oriana studied English and Spanish Philology at the University of A Coruña, Spain, but lives in Ireland now and has been working as an English teacher for the past six years. Oriana loves languages and has studied a lot of different ones over the years, from English to Galician, French, Italian, Japanese, Irish and Portuguese. We have a conversation about the power of reading, what a book club can do for language learners but also about being an introvert in a world that can't stop talking. So if you have ever wondered what an introvert exactly is, and what link there might be between introversion and running, have a listen. The books Oriana mentions and recommends: - Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono- When the coffee gets cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (I loved it!!)- Men without Women by Haruki Murakami- Winnie the Pooh by Allan Alexander Milne - The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S Lewis - The shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón- Circe by Madeleine Miller The publishing houses of graded readers she recommends: - Penguin Random House- Olly Richards The books I mention: - A Runner's High, Older, slower, stronger by ultra runner Dean Karnazes- Quiet, the power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking by Susan CainHuge Thank You to Oriana for sharing her love of books with me! 😌You can find Oriana on Instagram (@thebookclubchronicles), she posts regularly great tips about language learning and reading. If you want to find out how you can improve your English listening or reading about running stories, visit my web page and hit the subscribe button: https://englishforthelongrun.com Bye for now, and enjoy English for the long run! Living Life by Scott Holmes Music

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David Harvey is a 39-year-old ultra runner from the UK who has done around twenty 100 to 250 mile races and numerous shorter ultras and marathons.On April 2nd he finished first at the Tunnel Ultra, a 200 mile ultramarathon that takes place inside the Combe Down Tunnel (Bath, UK). Participants must complete the challenge in under 55 hours and are not allowed to listen to music, use headlamps or have a conversation with fellow tunnel runners. David finished first in 48 hours and 50 minutes. What we talk about: - How he transitioned from party animal to ultra runner- How he mentally and physically prepared for the challenge- His strategy, thoughts and experience inside the tunnel- Obsessions, hallucinations, Metallica and mental health- His upcoming running goalSome of David's inspirational thoughts about the Tunnel: "The prospect of failure is very tempting""The only people that are going to finish are the people that keep their head in the game""Life starts out of your comfort zone"David's film recommendation (a must-see):- Skid Row Marathon A film by Gaby and Mark Hayes about a Los Angeles Judge who starts a running club on Skid Row and helps its members get a second chance at life as they battle their addictions.Huge Thank You to David Harvey for sharing his story with me! 😊 You can find David on Instagram (@Bigshanky) and on Strava. If you want to find out how you can improve your English listening or reading about running stories, visit my web page and hit the subscribe button: https://englishforthelongrun.com Bye for now, and enjoy English for the long run! Living Life by Scott Holmes Music

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Today's guest is amazing Tjarda Struik from the Netherlands. Tjarda is skilled in many different areas, a so-called Jack of all trades. She is actively involved in local politics, runs her own company and is a motivational speaker. In addition to that, she has two young children and a passion for running, skiing, indoor cycling and Pilates. Due to a progressive eye disease, Tjarda is also almost blind. She shares her inspiring outlook on life on her social media where she raises awareness as a blindfluencer with a great sense of humour. On TikTok alone over 180.000 people watch her videos to find out what it is like to be blind. What we talk about during our conversation: - How she is able to participate in road races and run (alone!) in nature - The importance of having fun, making jokes and laughing when life gives you lemons- Her experience as a blind mother - Her goal of becoming the first female blind Mayor - Why she can't imagine life without her iPhoneHer book recommendation: "Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki Tjarda's inspirational thought: - I hate the sentence 'you cannot do that'. I will always try and find a way to do it anyway. Huge Thank You to Tjarda Struik for sharing her inspirational story with me. 😍Instagram: @tjardastruikTikTok: tjarda struik Web: https://www.tjardastruik.nlIf you want to find out how you can improve your English, listening or reading about running stories, visit my web page and hit the subscribe button: https://englishforthelongrun.com Bye for now, and enjoy English for the long run! Living Life by Scott Holmes Music

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To me, polyglots are the ultra runners of language learning. They go the extra mile(s) and seem to be able to do the absolute impossible. Luca Sadurny is one of them. He is a passionate language learner able to communicate in 8 languages (English, French, Spanish, Romanian, Brazilian-Portuguese, German, Neapolitan and Italian). However, in school, he never thought that he was good at languages. With English he felt particularly frustrated: after studying it for 13 long years he was still unable to have a basic conversation. Convinced of not being specially talented for languages, he had a revelation while learning French on his own: he discovered that there are no bad learners, only bad learning methods. From that moment on, he started experimenting and trying the most effective techniques and tools to learn languages in a smarter way. He is the co-founder of Mosalingua, a language learning app that is used by more than 12 million users from all around the world. What we talk about: * What Mosalingua is and how it works * What differentiates Mosalingua from other language learning apps * Why you should aim at reaching a strong B2 level in your target level* Treadmill running vs running outside * The future of language learningHis book recommendation: Atomic Habits by James Clear More info about Mosalingua: https://www.mosalingua.cominstagram: @mosalingua Huge Thank You to Luca for sharing his story with me!! 😌If you want to find out how you can improve your English, listening or reading about running stories, visit my web page and hit the subscribe button: https://englishforthelongrun.com Bye for now, and enjoy English for the long run! Living Life by Scott Holmes Music

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Adam Gorlitsky is a 36-year-old athlete who lives in Greenville, South Carolina (USA). At the age of 19, he was involved in a single person car accident which left him paralyzed from the belly button down with a spinal cord injury. His doctors believed he would never walk again. Fortunately, ten years later, he was given the opportunity to try out a ReWalk robotic exoskeleton – a groundbreaking device that would allow him to eventually participate in over 50 road races and set the Guinness World Record for Exoskeleton Marathon Racing. Shortly after doing his first road race, Adam founded I Got Legs, a non profit organization dedicated to ReEnabling athletes with physical challenges and supporting improvements to life changing technology. One of their main goals is to turn Exoskeleton Racing into a Paralympic and collegiate adaptive sport. In the interview we talk about the importance of goal setting, exoskeleton racing, overcoming adversity and Adam's professional and athletic goals for the near future. More info:https://www.igotlegs.org/instagram: i_got_legsHuge Thank You to Adam for sharing his powerful story and mindset with me! 😌If you want to find out how you can improve your English, listening or reading about running stories, visit my web page and hit the subscribe button: https://englishforthelongrun.com Bye for now, and enjoy English for the long run! Living Life by Scott Holmes Music

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Enrique Criado Navamuel is a 41-year-old runner from Madrid who is currently the Consul General of Spain in Frankfurt am Main (Germany). He is also a lawyer, writer, Real Madrid fan and an amateur footballer himself. On top of that he has two young children who grow up in a multilingual environment (German, French, Bulgarian, Spanish and English). Enrique ran his first ever marathon last October in Frankfurt am Main and it didn't go exactly as he had in mind. What we talk about: * Expectations vs Reality The three crises he suffered during the race and the most important lesson he learned * Football and former footballers who run marathons Raising two little polyglots * Books, writing and why reading is a must if you want to be a writer* The extraordinary life lesson he learned from the Congolese as a young diplomat in the CongoHis running book recommendation: What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by the great Haruki Murakami Some of his own books we talk about: - Cosas que no caben en una maleta, vivencias de un diplomático novato en el Congo (Aguilar, Penguin Random House, Colibrí)- El paraguas balcánico (Aguilar, Penguin Random House)- Muchas vidas y un destino (Sial Pigmalión)The book he was inspired by: The Innocent Anthropologist by Nigel Barley You can find him at the Consulate General of Spain in Frankfurt am Main, on twitter (@ECriadoNavamuel) and, probably, at the starting line of some half marathons in Germany. Huge "Danke schön" to Enrique Criado Navamuel for sharing his story with me! 😊If you want to find out how you can improve your English, listening or reading about running stories, visit my web page and hit the subscribe button: https://englishforthelongrun.com Bye for now, and enjoy English for the long run! Living Life by Scott Holmes Music

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Megan Cassidy is back on the podcast! Megan is a 41 year-old runner, originally from Ohio (Cleveland), who currently lives in Orlando (Florida) and her favourite distance is the marathon. In December 2022 she set herself the goal of running a "50k Every Day" in order to break the Guinness World Record of ultra marathons in a row and raise money for two charities. She talks about this experience but also about safety on the run, recovering after long runs, low heart-rate training and running in freezing temperatures. Megan raised money for the following charities: www.innocenceproject.org (to help get innocent people out of prison)www.happytrailanimalrescue.com (a non-profit animal shelter)She is currently reading The Art of Resilience by Ross Edgley and absolutely LOVES it. You can follow Megan on instagram as @thefeistyrunnerHuge Thank You Again to Megan for sharing her ultra marathon-story with me. 😌If you want to improve your English, listening or reading about running stories, please visit my web page and hit the subscribe button: https://englishforthelongrun.com Bye for now, and enjoy English for the Long Run! Living Life by Scott Holmes Music

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Bailey Quinn, a 29-year-old endurance athlete from Florida, finished the NYC Marathon in 9 hours and 19 minutes and was the happiest person on planet earth. She wore a rainbow tutu and ran for a charity called Team Kids and a video of Bailey doing the marathon went viral around the globe. For a couple of weeks she was the talk of the day on social media. I was intrigued by her grittiness and enthusiasm and wanted to get to know her better, so I invited her for this podcast. And she said yes!! 😃What we talk about: - Doing something Big and set Huge Goals- Being Afraid of Trying (me) vs Giving Yourself Permission to Fail (Bailey)- Being a Plus Size Athlete & Back of the Pack Runner - The Charity she ran for (Team Kids) - Her Injuries and Addison's Disease- Her Professional and Athletic Goals for the FutureThe swimmer she mentions is Sara Thomas (English Channel crosser and breast cancer survivor). Some powerful quotes: - "The ultimate failure is never trying."- "People are angry when you are not ashamed of what they were taught to be embarrassed of. I'm free, I'm happy."Huge Thank You to Bailey Quinn for sharing her inspiring story with me. 😌If you want to find out how you can improve your English, listening or reading about running stories, visit my web page and hit the subscribe button: https://englishforthelongrun.com Bye for now, and enjoy English for the long run! Living Life by Scott Holmes Music

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Magdalena Sznigir is a 30-year-old Polish endurance sports fan (triathlon, mountaineering and ultra running). She lives both in Armenia and Sao Miguel (one of the Azores Islands) because this way she's close to her beloved Caucasus mountains and the ocean. She speaks a bunch of languages: Polish, English, Russian, French and Armenian and in 2023 she wants to get fluent in Portuguese as well. In July 2022 she set a Fastest Known Time record (FKT), the very first one in Armenia. She ran-walked 200 kilometres around Lake Sevan in 1 day, 11 hours and 29 minutes. It was a huge challenge, but worth it. Extremely tough, but life-changing. What we talk about: * How she manages to live in two different parts of the world Languages and some great language learning tips * Her Fastest Known Time (FKT) Record * How friends and beers were all she needed when things got complicated 😉 The lessons she learned from those 200 km running around Lake Sevan Some of her recommendations: Races: MIUT Madeira (Trail running)IronKing (Triathlon around Lake Sevan)Epic 110 (Trail Run Azores Sao Miguel) Running books: Can't Hurt Me and Never Finished by David GogginsEat & Run by Scott JurekAny book written by Kilian Jornet or Emelie Forstberg Podcast she mentions:Freetrail with host Dylan Bowman You can follow Magdalena on Instagram (The Magdalorian) and, of course, on Strava.Huge thank you to Magdalena for sharing her passion for ultra running and endurance sports with me. 😍If you want to find out how you can improve your English, listening or reading about running stories, visit my web page and hit the subscribe button: https://englishforthelongrun.com Bye for now, and enjoy English for the long run! Living Life by Scott Holmes Music

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I "met" Ozkan Mehmet on Linkedin. He posted a photo with a pile of books I fell in love with. I saw titles like "Chi Running", "The Science of Running" and was intrigued by them. I also liked something he wrote: A marathon is not a challenge. It is the way. What we talk about: * Leaving Cyprus for Australia at the age of 19 * Some great races in Australia At what age he started running * The sunrise to sunset Marathon around Lake Hovsgol in Mongolia Why running slow marathons is the best Huge Thank You to Ozkan for sharing his story with me. 😌If you want to find out how you can improve your English, listening or reading about running stories, visit my web page and hit the subscribe button: https://englishforthelongrun.com Bye for now, and enjoy English for the long run! Living Life by Scott Holmes Music

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Gina Little is a 77 year-young runner from Greenwich, London. A couple of weeks ago she became the oldest female runner to finish all six Abott World Marathon Majors and earned the six-star finisher medal. (FYI: the Abbott World Marathon Majors is a series of six of the largest and most renowned marathons in the world: Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York City.)Gina has run the Berlin Marathon 31 times and the London Marathon 38 times (the most ever by a British woman).In 2021, she finished third in the 75 to 79 age category at the Abbott World Marathon Majors Wanda Age Group World Championships.She ran her Personal Best (3.26) at the age of 48. So far, she has run 602 marathons and on December 3 you'll find her on the starting line of the Lanzarote International Marathon. What we talk about: - What inspired her to run her first London marathon in 1983- What running and the running community mean to her - Her fitness routine (sooo much more than running)- Marathon number 600 - Her goals and dreams for the future Huge THANK YOU to Gina Little for sharing her passion and running wisdom with me. 😌She is not a big fan of social media, but you can find Gina (of course) on Strava. If you want to find out how you can improve your English listening or reading about running stories, visit my web page and hit the subscribe button: https://englishforthelongrun.com Bye for now, and enjoy English for the long run! Living Life by Scott Holmes Music

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Today's guest is Lola Guindal, a multipassionate woman, a so-called "jack of all trades". She is a translator, interpreter and English language trainer, but also a fervent Real Madrid fan, a loving wife and a mom of three.

BTW: she is the first guest on this podcast who is not a runner! She tried to get into running several times in the past but she just could not keep motivated.

So running maybe not her thing, but this doesn't stop her from talking about some fascinating similarities between running and language learning.

What we talk about:

• Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo (from a language learning perspective)
• Similarities between running and language learning
• Motivation and the benefits of allowing yourself to be a beginner
• Conversation classes: why they don't work and why they are a waste of time
• Some powerful interpreter training techniques that actually do work
• Good Enough vs Perfection
• Lola's number 1 tip to improve your English that is, curiously, also American long-distance runner Des Linden's mantra while running!

The book Lola has on her night stand: - "Beginners" by Tom Vanderbilt

The other books she recommends: - "The Motivation Hacker" (Nick Winter) - "Atomic Habits" (James Clear)

The TEDTalk she talks about: - Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are (Amy Cuddy) - fake it till you make it

You can find Lola Guindal on Twitter: @lapiedrarosetta Web: www.lapiedrarosetta.com

HUGE THANK YOU to Lola Guindal for sharing her knowledge on language learning from an interpreter and lifelong learner's perspective. 😌

If you want to find out how you can improve your English, listening or reading about running stories, visit my web page and hit the subscribe button: https://englishforthelongrun.com

Bye for now, and enjoy English for the long run!

Living Life by Scott Holmes Music

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Today I have the pleasure to chat with Michael Crawley.

Michael is a social anthropologist from Scotland who spent 15 months living and training with Ethiopian athletes.

He wrote an insightful book about it called "Out Of Thin Air: Running Wisdom and Magic from Above the Clouds in Ethiopia" (Bloomsbury, 2020). It has already been translated into Japanese, Taiwanese, Italian, Hungarian and is about to be published in Czech as well.

"Out of thin air" is his brilliant account of living for 15 months in Addis Ababa with a group of Ethiopian athletes; he is there as a social anthropologist but also as an international-level runner.

Michael gets up at 4:30 am, 6 days a week, and runs with some of the best young athletes of Ethiopia.

He learns the Amharic language, hangs out with the runners after training and tries to get as much research done as possible. By doing this, he discovers a completely different approach towards running but also builds a strong bond with the group.

Some Ethiopian Running Wisdom Takeaways he shares in his book:

• Try to keep your running routine as creative and adventurous as possible
• Leave your GPS Watch at home more often. Don't depend too much on data
• Be patient and consistent
• Train with a group because energy is shared and seen as something trans-bodily
• Train on different surfaces, avoid asphalt as much as possible and get off the beaten track to keep things fun and enjoyable

You can find the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Out-Thin-Air-Running-Ethiopia/dp/1472975324

I read the kindle version but the printed version is a work of art. The cover is a wonderful drawing of artist Eliza Southwood (https://www.elizasouthwood.com/) and in the book you find great colour photos of Michael's time in Ethiopia.

You can find Michael Crawley on Strava, Instagram (Mikecrawl) and on Twitter (@mphcrawley).

Huge thank you to Michael Crawley for sharing his story with me! 😊

If you want to find out how you can improve your English, listening or reading about running stories, visit my web page and hit the subscribe button: https://englishforthelongrun.com

Bye for now, and enjoy English for the long run!

Living Life by Scott Holmes Music

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Today I'm joined by Claus Henning-Schulke, better known as Bottle Claus. He is a 56 year old German amateur triathlete who became famous last Sunday, September the 25th, during the BMW Berlin Marathon.

Claus took care of handing over Eliud Kipchoge's bottles at every aid station.

I'm sure you have seen videos of him, handing over the bottles to the flying Kenyan, celebrating the moment and then jumping on his bike to the next aid station.

Claus has provided this service for Kipchoge on three occasions, including during his previous 2018 world record.

We talk about what it means to be the official bottle hander for the Greatest of All Times (GOAT), how it actually works and what can go wrong (TONS of things).

Claus' enthusiasm is contagious and when you listen to our conversation I'm sure he will put a smile on your face!

We also talk about the triathlete and marathoner behind Bottle Claus and his own sports achievements and upcoming adventures.

Eliud Kipchoge said the following about Claus in 2018:

"My biggest remembrance of Berlin is the guy who was handing me my bottles, still my hero up to now. The way he was handling and acting and talking was unbelievable". Wow!

Huge thank you to Claus for giving a glimpse behind the scenes of how important and exhausting the job of a Bottle hander really is. 😊

You can find Claus Henning-Schulke aka Bottle Claus on instagram: Bottle_Claus

And on Youtube there are several great videos of his performance, like this one "Best Moments of Bottle Claus": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MSoP4Z4z7o

If you want to find out how you can improve your English, listening or reading about running stories, visit my web page and hit the subscribe button: https://englishforthelongrun.com

Bye for now, and enjoy English for the long run!

Living Life by Scott Holmes Music

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Veronika Haas (Vroni) is a 36-year-old competitive ultra runner, who grew up in Fels am Wagram in Lower Austria.

She holds two PhDs, one in Philosophy and one in Latin but, surprisingly, she made her student job, as an Aerobic and Fitness trainer, her main job.

She got married in 2021 and she became a mom, but this did not stop her from running and only 3 months after the birth of her daughter she ran her first half marathon!

She lives in Austria and Israel where she participated in several competitions and even won some of them this year.

Three words express her life pillars: Motivation, Movement and Goal setting.

We talk about language learning, Philosphy and running, her love for very long runs, the best races in Austria and Israel, her job as a fitness trainer and finding a balance between being a mom and an ultra runner.

The races she recommends in Austria: Ötscher and Großglockner: https://www.oetschermarathon.at/ https://www.ultratrail.at/ and another race in Austria, is the very traditional Wolfgangseelauf: http://www.wolfgangseelauf.at/

The races she recommends in Israel https://www.marathonisrael.co.il/event_location/israel/

You can find Vroni on Instagram: vroni.run FB: Veronika Haas homepage: www.vroni.run

Huge Thank You to Vroni for sharing her story with me! 😌

If you want to find out how you can improve your English, listening or reading about running stories, visit my web page and hit the subscribe button: https://englishforthelongrun.com

Bye for now, and enjoy English for the long run!

Living Life by Scott Holmes Music

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Mara Yamauchi (1973) is one of UK's fastest female marathon runners of all time, with a Personal Best of 2:23:12. She is also a two time Olympian.

She was born in Oxford but lived in Kenya until she was eight years old.

Mara joined the British Foreign Office in 1996, but she kept on running and won the English National Cross Country Championship in 1998.

From 2003 to 2006 she started working part-time as a diplomat, while doing serious training and trying to become a world class athlete.

In 2006, she became a full-time athlete at the age of 33, first in Japan, then in London.

After retiring, she has been working as a commentator, coach and writer.

This year her book came out: Marathon Wisdom, An Elite Athlete's Insights on Running and Life. I absolutely LOVED it and read it twice in one week! 💙

Marathon Wisdom offers 42.195 valuable insights, all backed up by Mara's experiences as an elite marathon runner. It is also good read for non-native speakers of English: the chapters are short and the language is straightforward.

What we talk about:

• Mara's childhood in Nairobi (Kenya)
• Her childhood dream of becoming a world class athlete
• How she learned Japanese and the Japanese word "Gaman"
• Distance running in Japan and the lessons she learned from Japanese runners
• Her insightful book
• Her love for Parkrun

You can buy Marathon Wisdom, an Elite Athlete's Insights on Running and Life on Amazon, www.bookshop.org, Waterstones, Meyer and Meyer Sport and via Mara Yamauchi's website: https://www.marayamauchi.com

For more info on Mara Yamauchi: https://www.marayamauchi.com She is also on twitter, linkedin, instagram and facebook

Huge THANK YOU to Mara Yamauchi for sharing her remarkable story with me. 😌

If you want to find out how you can improve your English, listening or reading about running stories, visit my web page and hit the subscribe button: https://englishforthelongrun.com

Bye for now, and enjoy English for the long run!

Living Life by Scott Holmes Music

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Have you ever wondered where to go for a run in Rome?

Or are you about to go there for a holiday or a work trip and want to get the miles in?

If it's a YES, then do listen to today's episode!

Today's guest is Italian Isabella Calidonna. She is a 41 year old tour guide based in Rome who offers unique experiences that combine tourism and history with one of her passions: running.

Isabella has an PHD in Art History and she is an expert tour guide as well as a licensed track and field coach. She is a triathlete and a six-time marathoner who is absolutely passionate about the Eternal City, Rome. ❤️

In 2019 she fused both passions into a dream job: ArcheoRunning (https://www.archeorunning.com).

ArcheoRunning offers walking and running tours around Rome.

Grazie Mille to Isabella for sharing her passion about Rome and ArcheoRunning with me! 😊

If you want to find out how you can improve your English, listening or reading about running stories, visit my web page and hit the subscribe button: https://englishforthelongrun.com

Bye for now, and enjoy English for the long run!

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Today's guest is Adam David Broughton. Originally he is from Nottingham but now he's based in Madrid.

Adam has been an English teacher since 2005, and he loves what he does.

Adam doesn't teach people WHAT to learn in English, he teaches HOW to learn English.

In 2019 Adam wrote a book called How to English. In this book he shows us how we can become independent learners in 31 days.

I read his book during lockdown and I absolutely loved it. Adam has a community and you can subscribe to his weekly Newsletter and check out his web page www.How-to-English.com.

And of course, Adam is also a runner, that's why I decided to invite him.

On this episode we chat about running, language learning, teaching and how runners can use their time on the run to improve their English.

Big Thank You to Adam for sharing his love for teaching and running with me! 😊

If you want to find out how you can improve your English, listening or reading about running stories, visit my web page and hit the subscribe button: https://englishforthelongrun.com

Bye for now, and enjoy English for the long run!

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Chris Finill is a 63 year-old runner from the UK.

He’s actually quite a celebrity because he is one of the 7 men who have run all 41 London Marathons since its inception in 1981.

Those seven men are members of the Ever Present club and are now between 63 and 88 years old.

Chris also holds the Guinness World Record for the most consecutive editions of the same marathon completed in less than 3 hours. He ran 33 years in a row a sub three London marathon.

He’s also an ultrarunner and a USA crosser.

Right now Chris is training for his 42nd London Marathon.

What We Talk About:

• What it means to be an Ever Present

• His Guinness World Record

• His life-changing experience of crossing the USA on foot in 2011

• The Bob Graham round

• His running memorabilia

More info:

Facebook page of the Ever Present: http://www.everpresent.org.uk/

Great video of the Ever Presents at the 40th Anniversary of London: https://www.facebook.com/LondonMarathon/videos/875229886281621/

Documentary The 3000 mile men: The 3000 Mile Men (feature length documentary) by Ben J Southern

Big Thank You to Chris Finill for sharing his love for the run with me! 😊

If you want to find out how you can improve your English listening or reading about running stories, check my web page and hit the suscribe button: https://englishforthelongrun.com

Bye for now, and enjoy English for the long run!

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Gabi Hayes is a producer and filmmaker who grew up in former East Germany. Running gave her a sense of freedom living behind the Iron Curtain.

She met her American husband hitch-hiking after a bus broke down in East Germany, and they dated behind the Iron Curtain for 4 years.

After the Wall fell in 1989, she and Mark moved to the US and settled in Los Angeles. She couldn’t understand why there were so many homeless people in one of the richest cities in the US.

One Sunday morning she was reading the newspaper and saw and article about a criminal Judge who started a running club on Skid Row, the slum of Los Angeles.

Gabi and her husband Mark were intrigued by the story of the judge who ran with former addicts and homeless people to give them a sense of belonging and dignity.

Fast forward to 2017, the result is Skid Row Marathon, a powerful documentary about how one person can make a difference and impact people in a very positive way through running.

Skid Row Marathon has won over 27 festival awards and is one of my favourite documentaries about running.

What we talk about:

• Gabi’s childhood and life behind the Iron Curtain and how she met her American husband (great story)

• The documentary Skid Row Marathon

• Judge Mitchell and his passion for running marathons and helping others through running

• How running changes lives and gives people a second chance

• Gabi and Mark Hayes’ next film

More information:

www.skidrowmarathon.com

skidrowmarathon@gmail.com

facebook.com/skidrowmarathon

twitter@skidrowmarathon

Official trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TSi1FJG_ZQ

Big Thank You to Gabi Hayes for sharing her inspiring story with me! 😊

If you want to find out how you can improve your English, listening or reading about stories from the running community, visit my web page and hit the subscribe button: https://englishforthelongrun.com

Bye for now, and enjoy English for the long run!

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Megan Cassidy is a 41 year old runner from Cleveland (Ohio), and she didn’t start running until she was 28 years old.

She has been running for 11 years now and her favourite distance is the marathon.

She ran 41 marathons in 41 days in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record. She was nowhere near that record, but she learned a lot about herself, her mind and her body.

Right now she is training for the London Marathon.

What We Talk About:

• Where she grew up and where she lives now

• Her first ever marathon and how she got hooked on running marathons

• Her attempt to break the Guinness World Record

• The lessons she learned during the World Record attempt

• Her Boston Marathon and her training for the World Age Championship of the London Marathon

• Her favourite documentary: The Last Milestone

• Her nickname “The Feisty Runner” and its meaning

More info:

You can find Megan on instagram as The Feisty Runner

Big Thank You to Megan Cassidy for sharing her inspirational story with me!

If you want to find out how you can improve your English listening or reading about running stories, visit my web page and hit the suscribe button: https://englishforthelongrun.com

Bye for now, and enjoy English for the long run!

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What on earth is a Parkrun ...

It´s a huge global movement and although it initially started in the UK with 13 friends meeting up for a Saturday run followed up by coffee and tea, it has grown to over 2000 locations in 23 countries around the world.

Yes, it´s BIG, it´s for EVERYONE and it´s FREE. And no, Parkrun doesn’t exist in Spain. Yet.

Today’s Guest:

Simon Jones retired in June 2019 and he now works part-time for a local charity. He has been running Parkruns since 2013 and has accumulated over 249 parkruns and 52 volunteer days.

Simon wrote a book about Parkrun (Could Have Happend at Parkrun, Olympia publishers, 2021).

Could have happened at Parkrun is a book of 12 short stories (84 pages) written during Covid lockdown when parkruns were cancelled.

The uniting theme is the Wycombe Rye Parkrun, in Wycombe High, the South East of England. And if you want to know more about Parkrun from an insider point of view, then this is the perfect read.

It´s enjoyable, entertaining, lighthearted and suitable for an intermediate level of English. 😊

What We Talk About

• Why doctors in the UK prescribe Parkrun

• Confusing placename pronunciations (Wycombe, Longborough, Leicestershire etc). Native speakers of English also have no idea how to pronounce those names correctly when they see them for the first time.

• South East England, Wycombe High, Wycombe Rye Park and the Chiltern area

• Why Parkrun is one of the most inclusive global running communities in the world

• The importance of volunteering and the different volunteer roles at Parkrun

• Why the Parkrun web page is a delight for people who love stats

• Our favourite stories from Could have happened at Parkrun

More info:

For more info on Parkrun: https://parkrun.com

If you would like to get a copy of Could have happened at Parkrun, you can find it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Could-Have-Happened-at-parkrun/dp/1800741138

If you want to know more about Wycombe Rye Park and join them for a run, you can visit their webpage: https://www.parkrun.org.uk/wycomberye/

The funny video Simon is referring to: A Spanish comedian talking about Parkrun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcRydDbvg9w

Huge Thank You to Simon Jones, for sharing his time and his love for Parkrun with me.

If you want to improve your English with stories from the running world, please visit my web page and suscribe to the Newsletter: https://englishforthelongrun.com

Bye for now, and enjoy English for the long run!

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Today's guest is Jo Schoonbroodt, a 71 year old marathoner from the Netherlands. On May 8, Jo set a marathon record for the 70 + age group at Belgium's Maasmarathon.

He crossed the finish line in an incredibly fast 2:54:19, beating the previous record. So he is now officially the fastest 70+ marathoner on planet earth.

It was not his first sub-three marathon though, it was number 75.

Jo lives in the neighbourhood of Maastricht, the Netherlands and when he isn´t running, he likes to play with his granddaughter Sterre or explore the Dutch countryside.

And his nickname is The Grey Kenian.

What We Talk About:

• When and why Jo started running (spoiler alert: he is a late bloomer)

• About the previous World Record holders (Ed Whitlock and Gene Dykes)

• How Jo trains for his marathons (and here are some surprises)

• At what pace Jo trains for his sub 3 marathons

• Jo’s cheap alternative for gels

• A marathon called Via Belgica (his 76th marathon)

• His favourite running shoes

And much more.

More info about my guest:

www.jogger.tk www.facebook.com/JoggerJo www.instagram.com/jo.schoonbroodt

http://twitter.com/JoggerJo

And of course, you can find Jo on Strava!

Big Thank You to Jo Schoonbroodt for letting me ask him so many questions.

If you want to find out how you can improve your English listening or reading about running stories, visit my web page and suscribe to the Newsletter: https://englishforthelongrun.com

Bye for now, and enjoy English for the long run!

Living Life by Scott Holmes Music