Plenty to chat about in episode 54 as we have some great action on the roads of Armagh and in the fields of Comber! In addition to that we get chatting about Chicago Marathon and the main stories there as well as the upcoming Dublin Marathon that always produces some great results. Rounding out the episode we look towards the Autumn XC International and the Galloper Thompson 5k this coming weekend. Finally, we share our thoughts on training and racing over the muck and what to consider when looking for a running coach. We hope you enjoyed this episode, we certainly did! Hooroo.
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Savage guest on the pod this week, Irish international and recent representative at the Tokyo World Champs, Darragh McElhinney! We are delighted to have Darragh on the pod as he talks us through his origin in the sport and bumpy road in the lead up to the Tokyo World Champs. Agonisingly close to making the final in the 5,000m, Darragh still made Ireland proud with his efforts and we look forward to seeing where his career takes him next. Thanks for listening and cheers Darrragh for giving us the time. Until next time, hooroo.
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Episode 53 of the Back Straight Podcast revolves around two interviews with some local champions over the half and 10k distance on the roads of Belfast and Bangor. In the first half of the episode we recap the results from the Belfast Half Marathon where over 7,500 people took part. Top of the podium in the women's race was Dearbhla Cox from Annandale Striders so we called her up for an interview - thanks Derv! In part two of the episode we recapped the Seaton Classic 10k in Bangor, and, similar to part one, we called upon the man of the moment, Craig McMeechan, to join us for an interview after his emphatic win. Lots of other tidbits in this episode as well, we hope you enjoyed it!
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Michael and Danny are delighted to welcome Davey Seaton onto the Back Straight to chat about his impactful career in Northern Irish Athletics as both as a brilliant runner and top-class administrator. The Seaton Classic is looming on the calendar and Davey helps us understand the main players in this years iteration of the race named after him. In addition to the great chat we have with Davey, we also get some results and previews of some local races out and a good segment on the World Champs which has been drama-filled! Thanks for listening and share the episode round if you enjoyed it! Hooroo.
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Brilliant to welcome Newcastle man Patrick Sheridan onto the podcast after the breakout season he has had on the track. Patrick talks so us all about his return to running after a decade pursuing football and how his self-coached approach has yielded fantastic results so far. We talk all about Patrick's mindset for his focus event in the 800m and his goals for the future. In addition to all we discussed with Patrick we recap a load of results on the roads and track, this is not an episode to be missed!
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Great to have Caitlyn and Noel back on the podcast for a 50th episode! We get a full catch-up with both of these local legends on how their year has been thus far and what is on the agenda in the lead up to Dublin Marathon. Noel and Caitlyn talk to us all about the Roadrunner night of the races, how the group is going, coaching plans and their nutrition sponsor that has come on board. On top of this thorough catch-up we then go into some results from the local and international track scene and then preview the NI and Ulster Road Relays and a short piece on the Antrim Coast Half Marathon. Another great episode and a big thank you to Noel and Caitlyn for joining us, hooroo for now!
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Danny is out, Conor is back! Big thank you to the man from North Belfast for jumping on the podcast and chatting all things National Championships, road running results and upcoming meets! We hope you enjoy this insightful episode with Michael and Conor!
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Big title for a big episode! You read that right, this episode we are joined by none other than Northern Ireland's 16th person to break 4 minutes for the mile, Lughaidh Mallon! Lughaidh chat's to Michael about his rise in the sport and running in Belfast as well as his move to competing for DCU. Lughaidh has many great races ahead of him and we wish him well in the future. In part 1 of the episode we get chatting about the European U23 championships in Bergen, Norway, where there were 5 medals by Irish athletes in total! Adding to this we cover some of the big stories from the Morton Games and Cork City Sports track meets. We finish off the first half with a chat about Ruth Chepnegetich's doping ban and how we see the sport currently. Thanks for listening, we will see you soon!
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Lots has been happening on the track since you last heard from us here at the Back Straight! We go into all the results from France, Tullamore, Eugene Diamond League, Irish Milers Crusaders, Ards Half-marathon and the group selected to represent Ireland in Bergen, Norway! Part 2 of the episode (42 mins) we get chatting to the new Aussies in town, Zoe Toland and Thomas Elfenbein from Adelaide! These two have been tearing it up since arriving in Belfast and we are super stoked to have them on the podcast. Until next time, hooroo!
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Andrew Thompson? Who is he? How is he running 1.46 in his second year competing in the event? What is his link to Northern Ireland and what led him to signing with North Belfast Harriers? The man from Carrickfergus shares it all in this bonus episode. We hope you enjoy it!
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*PRE-ORDER YOUR BACK STRAIGHT MERCH NOW - Link in bio on Instagram!* Big interview this week Back Straight gang! We have the brilliant Rebekah Osborne in the house to chat about how Faith Kipyegon is going to take down the legendary 4-minute mile barrier! Plenty of great insights for every runner out there on how to get the most from your races and training. Big thanks to Rebekah for giving up her time and we look forward to seeing how Faith gets on in Paris. We also get stuck into some race results from the BMC Belfast (hint, Griggs is back!), some other BMC and Diamond League results, Lisburn 10k and half marathon, Comber 10k, Downpatrick 5k and the BCM Women's 10k! We hope you enjoyed this episode, let us know if there is anything you want us to include in future episodes. Until then, hooroo!
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It's a slightly shorter episode this week (we will explain later hopefully!) but we have a great guest and some good chat about some local performances! First off we recap recent results like the CS Lewis 5 Mile and some international performances before we are joined by Mark Kirk for a thorough BMC Belfast preview ahead of the meet this coming weekend. We hope you enjoyed this episode, let us know if there is anything you want us to include in future episodes. Until then, hooroo!
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Another jam-packed episode this week for number 44! We have got a tonne of great results from the Newells 5k and 10k, Newry Half Marathon and 10k as well as some brilliant performances on the track both near and far. In part 2 of the episode we are joined by Nick Griggs. Nick is a superstar runner and we are very lucky to have him on the pod as he shares his story of the comeback from a pretty nasty injury at the end of last year. It is great to hear that Nick is back in good form and the worst is hopefully behind him, we can't wait to see how he goes in upcoming races. Until next time, hooroo!
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Episode 43 of the Back Straight stays very local to Belfast with all the results from the Belfast City Marathon 2025 and the Belfast Irish Milers Meet (in association with Tripadvisor of course)! There were some brilliant performances in the home marathon and Eamonn Christie's Milers Meet never fails to bring the great weather and fast times. In part 2 of the episode we are joined by GB international and superstar pacer, Jack Gray. Jack, alongside his friend Josh Carr, started Flycarb to bring high quality bicarbonate supplements to market which are being used extensively in the UK and abroad. If you have questions about bicarb and how to use it, this episode is for you! Until next time, hooroo.
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Welp, it's the final episode of the Road to Belfast series! In the last episode of the series we get to hear from Gladys and Stephen on how they went in the race and all of the drama that unfolded on the day! Spoiler alert, they both went great and we reflect on this as well as the lead up to the race and what is to come next. Until the next road to series, thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this series please share it around and give us a Spotify rating or even a follow on Instagram to keep up to date with all the action on the Back Straight.
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It's race week and both Stephen and Gladys are locked and loaded! In this episode we reflect on the training blocks that were and how they are going to approach the race on Sunday. From race tactics to nutrition, this is a true insight into how Stephen and Gladys are going to take control of their races and get the most out of themselves. Make sure you get down there on Sunday to support our two superstar athletes, we will see you there!
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Big few weeks of marathoning both close to home and fairly far! In the first half of the episode we go over some action from London Marathon and then preview the BCM for 2025. In part 2 we are lucky to be joined bu Eamonn Christie to go over the finer details from the IMC on 10th of May. It is shaping up be a great race, see you there!
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Things are starting to settle on the running front for Gladys and Stephen as they set their sights on the big race. This week on the R2B we do the usual weekly training week recap and then get stuck into some chat about tapering for race day. Not long left until we are lining up at Stormont, thanks for following along.
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G'day mates, Dan is away in Australia for the week so we are changing things up and releasing a podcast we recorded with Leevale AC athlete Niamh Allen. Back to the usual scheduling next week so we will see you then! Hooroo.
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Great episode this week featuring our superstar guests Gladys and Stephen. We are three weeks out from the marathon and therefore we just go over some random topics before diving into the taper week in the next episode! Gladys is fresh off a big win in Larne and Stephen has been taking crowns down in Galway. Thanks for giving it a listen, see you next week!
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