This week we have the honour and privilege of hosting 2nd place female from our favourite race: The Lakeland 50/100. Placing 2nd in the 50 in such a competitive and highly popular race is a magnificent achievement and Alice's story is as engaging as it is inspirational. Alice's love for running and the social element that comes with the sport is clear, and this conversation seemed to flow and fly by! Alice's journey has been no means easy and as she continues to flourish in the running world, we are so pleased we could be the first podcast to interview her and see where her incredible mileage takes her... Perhaps a future legend of UTMB
Instagram: @alicebournee
Intro Music: Dakota - Stereophonics
In this episode The Brig Boys talk to the fantastic Sonny Peart and recount his journey into running from the first marathon experience, taking on London Marathon to wild future plans including the Mountain Ultra - taking on approx 200km of terrain in Kyrgyzstan - a far cry from the canals of London. Sonny is the co-founder of Black Trail Runners and gives us great insights into the experiences of People Of Colour within trail running, how and why it was created, and what we can do to as allies to support. The story of the creation of BTR is worth a podcast episode on its own and the growth of the club is fantastic to see.
Sonny's Insta: @runny.sonny
Black Trail Runners Insta: @blacktrailrunners
The Brig Boys got together with Speed Project extraordinaire and former Commonwealth athlete, Holly Stables for a chat around all things speed, strength and suffering. We dive deep into the highs and lows of her incredible effort in The Speed Project - an ultra endurance event covering well over 300 miles where each individual has one aim - get from A to B as quick as possibly on foot. Holly talks through the road to recovery from injury and the importance of strength work when it comes to achieving your speed goals. An amazing insight to a truly special athlete.
Meryl's rich history in sport comes apparent in this episode where we learn from one of Scotland's finest trail runners and coaches. From a background in football - once playing (and partying) with Diego Maradonna - to her current fantastic running streak as part of Team GB. Meryl has been all over the world and her fitness journey most recently took her to the home of mountain running - Chamonix in Switzerland, shortly after winning the Swiss Alps 100km in an amazing race in tough conditions. From Snowdonia, Chamonix, Transgrancanaria and Dubai - Meryl's elite ultra story is one worth sharing.
Keswick is home to some of the UK's most talented runners and Jacob is no exception. After smashing a lifelong ambition of following in his grandfather's footsteps to complete an impressive Bob Graham round, he has a rich history in fell running and his love for both the sport and the landscape comes across clearly in this interview. Jacob rose to fame through the short movie George; both heartbreaking and heartwarming telling the story of Jacob's struggle before and after his diagnosis of Crohn's to discovering his 4 legged best friend. Check out the movie and listen to Jacob as he recounts his running history and epic tales of the fells in the beautiful Lake District.
We've followed Mel's journey for a while now and love her attitude, sense of humour and incredible athletic performances she continues to show on a daily basis. Mel is one of the first names on the team sheet for Lakeland 100 and she proves why in this frank and open discussion. Mel is genuinely inspiring and only 2 years ago discovered she needed treatment for Chiari malformation (a rare neurological condition) - since then she has returned to the trails stronger than ever, completing The Winter Spine in January 2025 as well as smashing her Lakeland 100 times. Mel runs on feel, negating the pressure of checking the watch every mile - there's a lot we can learn from this proper Yorkshire lass as we delve into her history and future in the sport we love.
Instagram: @mellywellywoo
Join us this week in an exclusive episode with Lakeland 50 outright winner and Inov8 sponsored athlete: Lewis Bowness. There's no slowness when it comes to Bowness as he cruised into Coniston in a cool 7 hours and 52 minutes, knocking over 2 hours off his 2022 time. At just 23 years old, he speaks with a maturity beyond his years and has an exceptionally bright future ahead. The tale of the victory is awe-inspiring and it was fantastic to see a local lad take home the trophy in 2025.
The Brig Boys are BACK together and spend some time unpacking this year's fantastic Montane Lakeland weekend. Once again - we had a great time in Coniston and on the course. In this episode we breakdown the course, nutrition and the performances at this year's event. Will you be in the ballot for 2026?
Running won't save you. But you already knew that... Our guest this week is author, athlete and coach; Allie Bailey. This episode flew by after covering a range of topics surrounding the world of ultra running, addiction and attitude towards 'grindset mindset'. Allie demonstrates her core values better than most and is admirably honest about her past in her quest to help people enjoy the adventures of life (with some pretty impressive running achievements in the mix). We absolutely loved this conversation, she really doesn't give a f*ck.
As part of our 'Countdown To Coniston' when nerves, niggles and nutrition are at their peak - we wanted to speak to veteran of the trails and physiotherapist Danny Brunton. Danny has completed a Lakeland 50 and no less than FOUR Lakeland 100s - in search of the elusive slate on his fifth visit to Coniston this year. Danny gives us advice on coping with injuries, some key exercises and guidance on how to win the head game and get round over 100 miles of trails in a single run. We appreciate Danny taking time away from his punditry to dig into his fantastic running career... See you in Coniston!
All roads lead to Coniston and after 2 years of podcasting together, The Brig Boys find themselves once again ready to take on the Lakeland course. With experience over a number of years in both distances, we share our advice, high points and lows. The Lakeland weekend was at our core when launching the podcast back in 2023 and 2 years to the day we return to our favourite topic. This episode is for any budding ultra runners or those in search of advice from people that have been there, done it and worn the t-shirts (size medium).
Will you be in Coniston?
With Lakeland 50/100 weekend fast approaching, we took some time out to speak to ultra distance adventure runner and Coniston connoisseur - Hannah Elizabeth Campbell. With a passion for the outdoors, Hannah has taken on some fantastic feats at a young age including solo running/hiking trips to the Dolomites, The Cheviots and of course her recent completion of the summer Spine Sprint on behalf of Team Montane. Hannah embodies the spirit of ultra running - an incredibly positive attitude, a love of people and of course a passion for living life to the fullest. We'll be seeing her at the Montane tent in Coniston!
Swift by name, Swift by nature. We are joined by local running legend; Dan Swift as he talks us through his relatively short but ultimately impressive running career so far. A staunch member of Rivington Run Club, Dan unpacks his Bob Graham round (well under the required 24 hour membership time!) as well as his Lakeland 100 result, and his plans for the future whether that is supporting others within the club or pushing his body to further limits. A fantastic character with an almost unbreakable mindset and attitude towards life, running & community. It's a rarity that we get to talk to someone with a more northern accent than us - so you're in for a real treat for the ears with this ep.
Instagram: @dannyswift89
Rivington Run Club: @rivingtonrunclub
The Brig Boys: @the_brigboyspodcast
Join us on our latest episode as we talk to Chianti 120KM winner and recipient of the much coveted "Golden Ticket" for Western States Ultra - none other than Fi Pascall. We discuss her consistency and the incredible results she continues to produce across UTMB Europe when it comes to long distance trail running. Fi shares with us some of her top tips for trail and ultra running as well as unpacking her history and where her love for outdoor running came to fruition. If you're down south, Fi also co-owns Trail Retreats - where you can get involved with trail running at any level and learn from the very best.
Fi's Instagram: @fipascall
Trail Retreats: @trail.retreats
As the dust settles on marathon season we wanted to end 'Marathon May' with a bang, as we have a great chat with Welsh International athlete; Olivia Tsim. Not only did she finish a fantastic 2nd place at Manchester in a time of 2:35:43, she did it off the back of giving birth 7 months prior and in her FIRST marathon attempt. Liv is an absolute delight of a person, we could have talked all evening and we can't wait to catch up again. Her insights into training whilst working and being a mother are invaluable and we are excited to see what she can do in the near future!
Insta: Ojt_Runs
On Mental Health Awareness week, we wanted to understand the impact of injuries, tough times and retirement on professional athletes operating at the highest level and how important support is. Bob Beswick is an ex Rugby League player who has represented Ireland at international level. We talk about the transition of young athletes going into a tough sport and the importance of building mental resilience alongside physical prowess. After a fantastic career in Rugby League, Bob moved into a role for Rugby League Cares delivering wellbeing support - that not just players can benefit from. However physically tough you are, focussing on your mental health is paramount - there's a lot of people that care.
The Brig Boys return for a milestone episode to unpack marathon season. Sometimes things don't always go to plan and with over 25 marathons between us, we talk all things strategy, speed, nutrition and training. One of the most important parts of any marathon is to review and learn from the mistakes and figure out what you can take into your next event. With both London and Manchester the same day, we review the weekend races and some of the fantastic performances left out there. 50 not out.
Emma and Hannah (E&H) are more commonly known as "Twice The Health" and join us this week to unpack their fantastic running, swimming and cycling career. We find out how the dynamic duo came to fruition, some racing highlights, future plans and how the world is undergoing changes to make running a much more inclusive sport. E&H's influence on new runners or triathletes has been instrumental in the campaign to see underrepresented athletes get into sport and outdoor activities - these two have done it all and we loved chatting to them!
We all know how important the head game is when it comes to endurance sports, but how much time and effort do we actually put in to cultivating it? We're joined this week by Peak Performance Psychology's very own Ross Preston. We discuss all aspects of mental wellbeing and performance in sports, as well as how the UK competitive model compares against other nations and how do we protect and prepare our young athletes for the future? Insightful and informative, this was a great chat we hope helps on your own journey to self improvement.
"Don't let perfect be the enemy of great"
The Brig Boys utilise the power of Zoom once again to communicate across the Atlantic and dial in Hyrox Hero - Dylan Scott. With some incredible achievements at the North American Open Championships, Dylan continues to impress and go from strength to strength. His unconventional methods and infectious enthusiasm for all things sport, mind and body makes for a fantastic discussion. Show up and get after it!
