Dirt Church Radio Trail Running
Episodes
Our quads are shaking already: Taking on the Furber Steps in a Blue Mountains challenge
19 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Furber Steps are an iconic part of the UTA course in the Blue Mountains, more than 900 stairs that make up the only path to the finish line. This ...
The origins of trail running and other great yarns with Roger Robinson
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau! This week on the podcast Eugene speaks to returning champion and one of the most impressive human beings we’ve had the pleasur...
Northburn100 BONUS POD with Gareth Morris!!! The Race Where Suffering is the Prize
29 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau! Enjoy this cheeky little bijou podcastette from this year’s Northburn 100. Llaingholm’s favourite son, Episode 33 alumni, an...
Backyard ReLaps and Northburn and Barkley Marathons Special – A Weekend For The Ages
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau! WOOOOO some weekends in the calendar just stack up don’t they? This weekend certainly didn’t disappoint with the fourth runn...
Suzanne McFadden: How Sandy Barwick set a record which took 34 years - and Camille Herron - to break.
22 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kiwi Sandy Barwick ran 549 miles in six days back in 1990, establishing a world record that stood for 34 years, until Camille Herron broke it, running...
Ali Pottinger - The future of Trail Running for Women in Australasia
12 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau! Our friend, fellow MC, and DCR away game co-host Ali Pottinger sent us a message wanting to talk about what the trail running co...
Of surgery and stuff: A quick catch-up with Kerry Suter
08 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Just before Tarawera we caught up with Kerry Suter and Ali Pottinger from Squadrun for our annual pre-race preview. Days later, as he told us, he was ...
Polly Taylor, unbroken: Hit by a car, she's back chasing her UTMB dream.
27 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau! She’s 90 lbs soaking wet and with a personality 150 feet tall: Polly Taylor is a force to be reckoned with. A guide in the M...
Tarawera Bonus: Caravans of Courage and Curated Content
23 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We went to Tarawera Ultra-Trail in 2024 and it was incredible. Moments so surreal you question reality. Simple pleasures, mundanity, joy, filth, pride...
Tarawera Ultra-Trail 2024 Special
18 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau!! Holy Hecka ... the four-day three-ring circus that is Tarawera Ultra-Trail has rolled into town for 2024, and we couldn’t wai...
Robyn Lesh – Putting the Puzzle Together: Life as a Pro Trail Runner
13 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. Throughout this episode, Robyn Lesh talks about puzzles. From working out how not to drop a single point in her community colleg...
2024 Tarawera Ultra Trail Preview with Kerry Suter and Ali Pottinger
30 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. The Big Friendly is rushing up again and Eugene and Matt have the privilege of being joined by their fellow MC’s, friends, and...
Bonus Ep: Our new AidStation podcast
26 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
AidStation 001 – Insert Something Cliche About Processes. A special taste for DCR listeners of our new subscriber-only AidStation podcast. We didn’...
David Haunschmidt - Life Is Short, So Live it.
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. When David Haunschmidt was racing his brothers over the beaches of Westray in the Orkney Islands, he never dreamed that his life...
A running masterclass with Zachary Friedley and Eric Orton, Born to Adapt
02 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. For our first podcast of 2024 Eugene and Matt have the pleasure of speaking with Zachary Friedley and Eric Orton. Zach is a retu...
2023 Dirt Church Radio Christmas Live Special!!
19 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. Gosh, it’s been a year, right? Do they get shorter and longer as we get older or is that just us. Fresh from Coviduszko, Thr...
Ali Pottinger and the 2023 Ultra-Trail Kosciuszko Special.
12 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. *We acknowledge the Monero Ngarigo people, the traditional custodians of the land that this podcast was recorded on, and pay res...
Kristian Morgan: Southbound Appalachian FKT.
05 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. Running is often seen as a solitary endevour, however we are always buoyed up by those around us. For those of us who attempt fe...
Carly Webber from Runners NZ - The WHY
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. Some of running’s biggest truisms are also the most tried and tested clichēs. And if you think about it, they are cliche for ...
Scott Bougen - From local races to toeing the line with the best in the world.
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. The phrase “from out of nowhere” is overused, and largely inaccurate in the sense that everyone, and indeed everything,came ...
Amy Whitehead - Adventure for Dementia and the Pipeline of Pain.
24 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. Amy Whitehead’s Auntie Joan had dementia. And it killed her. Like most illnesses that effect the brain and function, the serio...
Sarah Pendergrass: Light to Light in Scotland
10 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. Sarah Pendergrass has changed. I mean, we all do, right? But Sarah’s journey has taken her from being a self-confessed “pom ...
The Blue Lake 24 Hour Challenge 2023: Mud and Mayhem.
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. This year, Matt was back at it at the Blue Lake for (what was supposed to be) 24 hours of challenge and excitement in the best w...
Cath Wallis: Find your Adventure
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. Cath Wallis lost herself in the midst of a career and the focus of raising family. Standing at the threshold of middle age, Cath...
Naseby: A great race, great distances, and lessons learned from a DNF.
29 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. This week we feature the great, the good, and the not so good from the Great Naseby Water Race. This event has been an Aotearoa ...
Andy Carruthers: Tararua S-K, the movie and the magic
15 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. This week Matt has the pleasure of speaking to Andy Carruthers, Wellington adventure lover, runner, and creator of the Tararua S...
Ash Bartholomew: Wrong Turns, Redemption, and being Lucy's Dad
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. This week by popular demand Eugene and Matt speak to Ash Bartholomew, who triggered a worldwide explosion of “it’s suddenl...
Dan Jones, Living the Dream: From Whakatāne to Western States.
18 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. This week Eugene and Matt have the extreme pleasure of speaking to returning champion Dan Jones about his incredible 5th place f...
Sam Harvey, Never Surrender: The psychology and physiology of running for 101 hours
04 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. This week Eugene and Matt sit down to speak with Sam Harvey fresh off his return from Dead Cow Gully. Sam was competing at the A...
George Murray: How a “Weekend Warrior” became the UTA 100 Champion
20 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. This week Eugene and Matt speak to UTA 100 Champion George Murray. Originally from the South Island town of Blenheim, George has...
Alex Bezzina, The Lost Hobbit: How to take on Te Araroa (and become Lord of the Rings)
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau.This week Eugene and Matt speak with Alex Bezzina who has completed the FKT for the northbound Te Araroa Trail – 3000km in 60 d...
Sophie Power: Taking it Back
23 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. This week Eugene speaks with Sophie Power. Sophie is an ultrarunner who has recently been announced in the Great Britain team fo...
UTA 2023 Special: 15 years of Blue Mountains Goodness
16 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. *We acknowledge the Gundungarra people, the traditional custodians of the land that this podcast was recorded on, and pay respec...
Erchana Murray-Bartlett: Tip to Toe
09 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. Running a marathon is difficult, be it a PR, a grind, a failure, or in training, 42.2km is a distance the demands respect. Imagi...
Malcolm Law: The Wild
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. Mal Law is one of the best known names in the Aotearoa trail running. Mal has raised just shy of a million dollars for charity w...
Lazarus Lake - Barkley Marathons, Big’s, and Beyond.
14 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. Out the gate with a bonus episode recorded with Lazarus Lake and Shaun Collins on the last night of Laz’s stay. Gary ‘Lazaru...
Majell Backhausen - An End To An End
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau.Majell Backhausen is many things to many people. To Eugene and Matt Maj is, was, and always will be the 13th person ever to come ...
Martin Gaffuri - Athlete, Commentator, Coach: For the love of the sport.
28 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. You can learn a bit about a person from standing on a finish line with them through the night, and we were super lucky to have h...
Richard Askwith - Fell runner and author of Feet In The Clouds on the race against time.
14 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. Not to gush, but if Eugene and Matt did ever start a DCR book club, the first book in the curriculum would be Feet In The Clouds...
Nancy Jiang - What it took to win Tarawera and the Golden Ticket
28 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. Last time Eugene and Matt spoke to Nancy Jiang was way back in 2018 on DCR #16. Way back then Nancy was beginning her trail runn...
Ryan Montgomery - Gunning for the Golden Ticket.
21 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. Eugene and Matt had the privilege of speaking with Ryan Montgomery from Park City, Utah, whilst he was at the Tarawera Ultramara...
Tarawera Ultramarathon 2023 Special: If this isn’t nice, we don’t know what is.
14 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. HOLY HECKA we’ve got a stacked show for you this week. From the shores of Lake Okataina (literally) to the village green where...
Daniele Danesin - Don’t be Like an Apple Tree
07 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. An elite mindset is transferable across all ventures. Just ask Daniele Danesin. This week, Eugene and Matt sit down to talk with...
Top Tips to Help (Safely) Complete A Trail Race with Dr Tom Reynolds (re-release)
02 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is a DCR special bonus repeat episode. Back in Episode 126 we caught up with Dr Tom Reynolds, part of the medical team at the Tarawera Ultra. Now...
Kerry Suter and Ali Pottinger and the ultimate 2023 Tarawera Ultra preview
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. It’s fair to say that Eugene and Matt are getting super excited about Tarawera coming up. And this week, they are super grat...
Matt Bixley - Old Man Wisdom
24 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. We’re BACK!! This week Eugene and Matt speak to Matt Bixley, a South Island trail running legend. Matt went from the couch to ...
DCR Summer Edition - Dr Stacy Sims
17 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. Welcome to the third and final week of the 2023 DCR Summer Editions. And what a way to finish up. Dr Stacy Sims is a powerhouse...
DCR Summer Edition - Christopher McDougall
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. Welcome to the second week of the 2022/23 DCR Summer Editions. This week we bring you the amazing conversation we had with New Y...
DCR Summer Edition - Ruth Croft via Between Two Beers Podcast
03 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. We’re taking some time off as 2022 has been a whole mood (as the youth say). So for the next few weeks we’ve got our annual ...
The 2022 DCR Kirihimete Special - With Andrew McDowall
20 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. This week, Matt and Eugene make the trek from Nor’ Westland into the wilds of the wilds of suburbia to join the Dwight to ou...
Dave Franks - Behind the other side of the tape
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. This week, Eugene speaks to Total Sport General Manager Dave Franks about his 17 years with one of the biggest event companies i...
2022 Kepler Challenge Special
06 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. This week, Eugene and Matt head to Te Anau for our fourth live show from the iconic Fiordland Lobster Room at the Te Anau Events...
Ben St Lawrence - The Boy From Bullaburra
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. This week, Eugene and Matt have the distinct pleasure of speaking to the legendary Ben St. Lawrence. Ben is one of the greats of...
Anna McKenna: The Long Haul.
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. This week Eugene and Matt speak to Anna McKenna, the 2022 Ultra Trail Australia 100km champion. This is a brilliant conversation...
Vlad Shatrov - The Road Back
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. The first time we engaged with Australian running legend Vlad Shatrov was way back at Dirt Church Radio number 91. Matt caught u...
Mel Brandon - Hanging Tough (and getting faster)
08 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau.This week Eugene has an epic conversation with Mel Brandon. Mel is a runner, WUU2K record holder, and road marathon speedster. Th...
Ultra-Trail Australia 2022 - International racing, local wildlife, and heaps of yarns
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. This week Eugene and Matt take a sweet as tiki tour into the backblocks when we jump on a waka rererangi (airplane) and head ove...
Damian Hall - We Can't Run Away From This
25 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. This week Eugene and Matt have the pleasure of speaking to returning champion (and actual champion) Damian Hall about his new bo...
Inia Raumati - You Will Finish.
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. This week Eugene and Matt have the pleasure of speaking with Dr Inia Raumati (Taranaki) . Inia works in emergency medicine at Au...
Simon Cochrane - The Claaaaw
11 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. This week Matt speaks to triathlete, strength and conditioning coach, and endurance athlete Simon Cochrane about his epic 34 lap...
Andrius Ramonas – Play, Joy, and Maths
04 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau.This week Eugene and Matt talk to The North Face Australia and NZ athlete, doctor, physiologist, coach, and elite runner Andrius ...
Blue Lake 24 Hour Challenge – Loop that Lake
27 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau.This week Matt runs down the odyssey that was the 2022 Blue Lake 24 Hour Challenge, The atmosphere of this race is like nothing e...
Charlotte Milne – Stronger, Fitter, Faster
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau.This week Eugene and Matt talk to Charlotte Milne of Custom Made Fitness about the importance of strength training and how it rea...
David Kilgore – Alligator Tales and New York trails.
13 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. David Kilgore loves running on the trails in and around New York City. In 15 minutes he can move from The Bronx, where he lives,...
Scotty Hawker - The Journey
06 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. Matt sits down with Scotty Hawker to discuss his 2022 UTMB campaign. From 3rd place in 2019 to 2nd place at CCC last year, Scott...
Chris Lucas - Fitness is For Everyone
30 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. Chris Lucas owned a successful business. He worked very hard. Faced with the prospect of endless grinding because that’s what ...
Andrew Heyden - Running … it’s what we’re meant to do.
23 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau.This week Eugene and Matt take a deep dive into the life lived in movement with Andrew Heyden. Andrew is the current age group ho...
Tessa Chesser - Seize the Day, Sugar Velour, Sending it
16 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau.Tessa Chesser charges. An athlete from a super competitive background playing soccer to now a top-flight trail runner who had a h...
Dougal Allan - Process, Patience, Perspective.
09 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. Dougal Allan is inspired to compete. A professional endurance coach and athlete with victories in road-based events such as Chal...
Brodie Kane - A Bloody Good Yarn
02 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. It’s only bloody well Brodie Kane!!! From territorial soldier to journalist to broadcaster to this season’s Dancing With The...
Nick Ashill - Finish What You Start
26 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. In 2017, Nick Ashill was completing an endeavour that he had long dreamed about. He was running across Route 66 in the United St...
Zachary Friedley - Born To Adapt
19 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. Zachary Friedley has been on a hero’s journey. From his childhood wrestling, to his attempts to gain Paralympic track glory, t...
Ruth Croft - the champion returns, victorious
12 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. Ruth Croft, the Western States Endurance Run champ for 2022. Straight outta the mighty West Coast, Ruth of course is no stranger...
Episode 200 - Live Show with Katie Wright and Will Hayward
05 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. Four years has simply flown by. We both feel such privilege to be part of this community and experience the wonder of how great ...
Episode 199 - Sebastian Salsbury
28 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. It’s rare that at 16, you could be considered a veteran of the trail and ultra-marathon scene, but that’s certainly the case...
Episode 198 - Christopher McDougall
21 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. Eugene and Matt spoke to New York Times Best Selling Author Christopher McDougall, and it ruled. Far from a traditional conversa...
Episode 197 - Jo Ryder and Sarah Haerewa
14 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau.This week Eugene and Matt speak with Jo Ryder and Sarah Haerewa from Trailblazers Aotearoa. Trailblazers is a volunteer-led initi...
Episode 196 - Dr Stacy Sims
07 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. The statement that women are not just smaller men sounds QED, however it is one that has been largely ignored by the academic an...
Episode 195 - Jake Malby
31 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. With his mental health in tatters and at his lowest point, Jake Malby stood literally on the crossroads of life and death. Intui...
Episode 194 - Marty Lukes
24 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau.This week Matt has the privilege and pleasure of sitting down over a cup of (virtual) tea for a conversation with the mighty Mart...
Episode 193 - Marcus Rentie
17 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. This week on the podcast Matt and Eugene call California to catch up with Marcus Rentie … a resident of LA where he grew up lo...
Episode 192 - Emma O'Loughlin
10 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. This week on the podcast Eugene and Matt speak with ultramarathon runner, physiotherapist, and PhD candidate Emma O’Loughlin a...
Episode 191 - Hayden Hawks
03 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau..This week on the podcast Eugene speaks with Hayden Hawks. Hayden is a professional runner based in Utah who famously won the f...
Episode 190 - Sam McCutcheon 2022
26 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. This week’s podcast features returning champion Sam McCutcheon. If you don’t know Sam, he is one of Wellington Scottish’s ...
Episode 189 - Jono Lester
19 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. This week Eugene and Matt are joined from a hotel in Taipei by the incredible Jono Lester. Jono is a third-generation race car d...
Episode 188 - Troy Sachs
12 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. When Troy Sachs was inducted into the Australian Sports Hall of Fame, he was one of just a few disabled athletes to have had the...
Episode 187 - Riverhead Backyard ReLaps Ultra 2022
05 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. Put 77 people on a start line with the only caveat that they need to do one 6.7km loop an hour and stir. Continue to stir until ...
Episode 186 - Katie Wright 2022
29 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. Katie Wright has done a lot of cool stuff, probably the coolest thing we think she’s done is being on DCR the most out of anyo...
Episode 185 - Anna Frost 2022
22 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. Exactly 160 episodes ago, when Anna Frost (or Frosty as she is known) came on our show, we gushed in the bio. Oh, how we GUSHED....
Episode 184 - Michael Stuart
15 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. How do you do something that many have considered impossible? And does your thinking change over time from just what is impossib...
Episode 183 - Kerry Suter and Ali Pottinger 2022
08 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. Last week Eugene found himself on a call with Ali Pottinger and Kerry Suter discussing the long, slow, and painful road out of t...
Episode 182 - Charles Amoamo
01 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Charles Amoamo (Whakatōhea) finished his first ultra in November, a 50 km – 11 hours and 22 minutes at the Valley Ultra. And, yeah, it was tough - ...
Episode 181 - Sam Harvey
22 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. Sam Harvey stood toe-to-toe with Chris Bisley in the coral at the 2021 Riverhead ReLaps knowing he was running for true love and...
Episode 180 - Rob Hutchings
15 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. As a young man Rob Hutchings found joy in the suffering of triathlon. A manner to escape an increasingly unhappy and violent upb...
Episode 179 - Rob Bathgate
08 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia ora e te whānau. For those who may be unfamiliar, Wild Things is the popular and successful trail community started by Malcolm and Sally Law in 2...
Episode 178 - Lucy Bartholomew 2022
01 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia Ora e te whānau. This week Matt has the pleasure of another conversation with returning guest Lucy Bartholomew. We last spoke with Lucy in 2018, ...
Episode 177 - Adam Keen 2022
25 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia Ora e te whānau. When you need wisdom, you don’t always find it in a yurt on the shores of Lake Hawea. But sometimes you do, and in this episod...
Episode 176 - Emma Timmis
18 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This Week On The Podcast we talk with Emma Timmis about just what it takes to come back from an injury that lasts years and run the length of New Zeal...
Episode 175 - Summer edition with Scotty Stevenson (2020)
11 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kia Ora e te whānau. It’s hot, eh? This week we’ve got another greatest hit for you. In fact, not that we really pay attention to the numbers, bu...
Episode 174 - DCR Summer edition with Dean Karnazes and Lucy Bartholomew (2018)
04 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
So we were out on a run on the weekend thinking about how best to kick off 2022. We’ve both got a bit on for the next couple of weeks, with some coo...