Helen-Ann Hartley is the current Bishop of Newcastle and, as a member of the 'Lords Spiritual', has a seat in the UK House of Lords.

She's also about to take on her first ultramarathon, the 43 mile Sprint Summer North race.

She joins me and Matt to cover her running journey to this point and how her life and work have influenced and cemented her love of running, particularly as a large portion of the Spine course passes through her parish in the north of England.

So please join us for a very interesting episode where we find out about her friendship with Keith Dunn - the voice of the Barkley Marathons on Twitter - her experience at the London marathon in 2026 and more surprising facts about this inspiring woman.

Thanks again to all of you for listening. If you have a moment please, like, subscribe and if you have a few seconds more, perhaps write a short review.

It's all a great help to us in growing the audience and is very much appreciated!

Jay and Matt

Episode 103

We were lucky enough to grab an hour with 4 x Leadville Trail 100 winner and coach Ian Sharman ahead of the release of his much anticipated first book 'The Art of Ultrarunning'.

We chat about the highs and lows of his long running career and why mistakes are such and important part of the journey in endurance sports.

Ian's book will probably become a bit of a running bible in short order as he weaves a narrative of his own experiences and that of some of the most successful runners of the past 15 years to create a treasure trove of knowledge that runners of all levels will gain something from.

We also discuss common runner problems such as why obsessing about equipment maybe isn't the best plan and what runners should focus on instead.

You can find Ian at: www.sharmanultra.com

The Art of Ultrarunning is available to pre-order here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Ultrarunning-Strategies-Long-Distance-Runners/dp/1718252439

and for social media follow:

@sharmanain

As always, once we hit record the time flies by so we hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it.

Thanks again to all of you for listening. If you have a moment please, like, subscribe and if you have a few seconds more, perhaps write a short review. It's all a great help to us in growing the audience and is very much appreciated!

Jay and Lewis

Episode 102 Sha Khan

Visually Impaired Ultra Trail Runner

Imagine you're taking on the Arc of Attrition.

Wild weather, technical trail, hundreds of other runners all moving at different speeds and all funneling down the narrow coast path with you.

Now imagine all of that and you're visually impaired!

Meet Sha Khan, a visually impaired ultra trail runner who took on and completed this year's Arc of Attrition 12 by UTMB in January.

In this episode we dive into the story of how Sha, who wasn't a runner before losing his eyesight, discovered purpose and freedom through trail running.

I'm joined again by Matt Whyman, friend and author of 'Failure is not an option' , as Sha explains the nuts and bolts of how running tethered to a guide works, from learning to walk, to a 5k, to the Arc.

There's no stopping him now as he'll soon be taking on the mountain trails around Mt. Blanc on MCC!

Inspiring, brave and brimming with energy, I hope you enjoy this chat with Sha and if YOU fancy being part of his attempt on the Arc 100 in 2027 listen to learn how to get involved as a running guide!

Thanks again to all of you for listening. If you have a moment please, like, subscribe and if you have a few seconds more, perhaps write a short review. It's all a great help to us in growing the audience and is very much appreciated!

Jay and Lewis (and Matt)

Episode 101

I'm joined on this episode by Danny Stokes, founder of TrailFam, and my friend and author of 'Failure is an option' Matt Whyman as co-host.

What fires someone up enough to launch a charity? Danny's experience of lockdown vs. his students' experience was the catalyst to set about bringing change in how access to green spaces and nature is provisioned for young people.

We dive into the nuts and bolts of how this inspiring charity helps young people increase their fitness, explore the outdoors and also improve their future life pathways.

We also chat about the future of the charity and its new expansion to my home county of Cornwall as well as plans beyond 2026.

Thanks again to all of you for listening. If you have a moment please, like, subscribe and if you have a few seconds more, perhaps write a short review. It's all a great help to us in growing the audience and is very much appreciated!

Jay and Lewis (and Matt)

For our 100th Episode I had the pleasure of chatting to the super talented Mercedes Siegle-Gaither.

We're clearly on full Arc of Attrition mode now as we're just 48 hours away from the start of the 100 race and it was so much fun hearing about her prep and chatting too about the race, her entry into the sport and the comparisons between north American and European trails and where the differences are.

We talk about her race at UTS and how she and her kit handled the jagged Eryri peaks and blistering heat during the race.

And we cover burning topics such as who makes the best danish pastries and whether poles are a good idea and how pole etiquette should be mandatory training.

Find out more about Mercedes on her IG feed - @theslimcede

Thanks again to all of you for listening. If you have a moment please, like, subscribe and if you have a few seconds more, perhaps write a short review. It's all a great help to us in growing the audience and is very much appreciated!

Jay and Lewis

#arcofattritionbyutmb

Sabrina Stanley joins me on this episode as we look towards her upcoming participation in the 2026 Arc of Attrition by UTMB.

For Sabrina the podium and quite often first place came regularly from 2016 onwards. A 4th place finish in Leadville was quickly followed by a 3rd place in States in 2017, followed by taking the win at Hardrock the year. After the race world emerged from the pandemic she went onto take another win on her return to Hardrock in 2021.

From thereon European races including a 2nd at UTS 100M became regular occurrences in her race calendar and two top ten finishes, 9th and then 7th at UTMB came in '23 and '24 respectively.

In the midst of preparing for her return to Chamonix to improve that position further came a cancer diagnosis.

After multiple surgeries including a hysterectomy she emerged stronger and closed out her 'worst and best' year by marrying Tim!

Now in recovery, and with her most recent treatment only months ago she's getting back on the horse with her first race, the 100 mile Arc.

We also chat about her sponsorship as an OnlyFans Athlete and how they supported her with their innovative approach to sponsorship and the freedoms that affords her.

I think this runners positive mental attitude will truly astound you and I think she's got her best running still ahead of her.

I really hope you enjoy this episode!

Thanks again to all of you for listening. If you have a moment please, like, subscribe and if you have a few seconds more, perhaps write a short review. It's all a great help to us in growing the audience and is very much appreciated!

Jay and Lewis

Image credit - Phil Mckenzie

Ep. 98 Jamie Stephenson

We're delighted to welcome Jamie back to the podcast.

Well known throughout the Cornish trail running community, Jamie has returned to his home county after a couple of years enjoying the mountain trails of Portugal and after smashing his previous outing on the old Arc 50 and setting many records on the race scene he's now taking on his first 100 miler in the shape of... the Arc of Attrition by UTMB.

As the current champion of the Arc, for a few days more at least, Lewis has a unique perspective to what it takes to top the podium on the new format being the first to win the mens race since the it joined the UTMB World Series in 2025.

We chat about the upcoming race and cover tactics, course changes, and of course kit.

With less than a week to go, the start line looms large now and we find out what goes through the minds of those standing behind the tape at the front of the pack.

Thanks again to all of you for listening. If you have a moment please, like, subscribe and if you have a few seconds more, perhaps write a short review. It's all a great help to us in growing the audience and is very much appreciated!

Jay and Lewis

Ep. 97 Charlotte Fisher

Charlotte joins me to talk about her explosion onto the race scene with podium after podium over the past few years.

With the Arc of Attrition by UTMB 100 her next race it was an ideal time to chat and find out more about her running journey and winning her first EVER race which just happened to be a 100km trail race!

We dive into the tough lessons and successes, the races that have gone to plan and what it takes to grind out a finish when the wheels have fallen off.

Expectation of success is a pressure that can be generated both externally and internally and imposter syndrome is a common trait among many runners at the sharp end and Charlotte talks about this and the steps she's taken to build resilience in this area going forward

Every now and again you can say you've seen the future and after chatting with Charlotte on this episode I'm 100% sure we'll be seeing a lot more from this runner over the coming years.

Thanks again to all of you for listening.

If you have a moment please, like, subscribe and if you have a few seconds more, perhaps write a short review. It's all a great help to us in growing the audience and is very much appreciated!

Jay and Lewis