Run With It

Physio, runner and friend of the pod Sam Slykhuis joins Elise for a whistle-stop tour of one of the most dreaded words in distance running: stressie! Using Elise’s own grade one tibial stress reaction from last year as a case study, Sam breaks down what bone stress actually is, why it happens, the warning signs runners should never ignore, and how to approach rehab without losing your mind. There is plenty of practical gold in this one, including tips on lifting heavy, how plyometrics can support bone health, and why uphill running is not always the safe rehab option people think it is. Plus: Aqua jogging survival tips, treadmill myths, why runners need deload weeks, the problem with chasing numbers on Strava, and the very real danger of skipping long run progressions and then jumping straight back in. A must-listen for any runner. -- Sam Slykhuis is a practicing physiotherapist, runner, surfer and co-owner of Marna Physio in Armstrong Creek and Belmont Physiotherapy Centre in Geelong. With a special interest in running-related injuries, Sam works closely with athletes to help them manage niggles, recover from injury and return to full training. Sam also offers VO2 max and lactate threshold testing to help runners better understand their training zones. He completed his Physiotherapy degree with Honours at Monash University, is a qualified ASCA Strength and Conditioning Coach, and is currently studying a Master’s of Sports Physiotherapy through the University of Bath. -- Subscribe to Run With It wherever you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss a thing! -- Follow us on Instagram: @runwithit.pod @elisebeacom -- Marna Physio website -- Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom Graphic design by Kate Scheer

Julia Paternain joins Elise to talk about the kind of year that changes everything. In 2025, Julia went from marathon debutant to World Championships bronze medallist, thanks to a stunning run in Tokyo where she surprised even herself. In doing so, Julia also became the first Uruguayan athlete to win a medal at a World Champs EVER! In this episode, Julia takes us inside that extraordinary rise, from her debut 2:27 marathon to the chaos, disbelief and pure emotion of crossing the line for bronze in Tokyo. We hear how she handled the brutal conditions, why she focused so hard on running her own race, and what was actually going through her mind in those now-ICONIC finish line moments. We get to know Julia’s love of naps, fizzy drink and flat roads. There’s also plenty on her fascinating international story – born in Mexico, raised in England, with Uruguayan roots and now representing Uruguay on the world stage. Julia shares why making the switch felt right, what that bronze medal meant for her family and country, and why returning to England for the London Marathon later this month feels especially full-circle. -- Julia Paternain is a distance runner who represents Uruguay and is sponsored by Saucony. She won a bronze medal in her second marathon ever at the World Championships Marathon in Tokyo in 2025. She holds the national record in the marathon for Uruguay (2:27:09), which she ran on debut. Julia grew up in the UK and moved to the United States in 2018 to study and run for Penn State University before transferring to University of Arkansas. She is now based in Flagstaff, Arizona with professional running group, McKirdy Trained. Julia is set to run London Marathon at the end of this month. -- Subscribe to Run With It wherever you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss a thing! -- Follow us on Instagram: @juliapaternain_ @runwithit.pod @elisebeacom -- Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom Graphic design by Kate Scheer

Izzi Batt-Doyle is back for a chat! And she’s been really busy since she and Elise last spoke. Between running two Australian records on the roads, competing at the Olympics, running a few marathons (all within 40 seconds of each other), getting engaged, buying a house and becoming a dog mum – Izzi certainly hasn’t been twiddling her thumbs! We cover all those things, and go in depth on her Nagoya Marathon and Valencia Marathons, including the Australian Record pressures, Izzi’s reflections on a big year of training and racing, and the overtraining hole she was in at the end of 2025. We then turn our attention to Boston Marathon, where Izzi will line up on 20 April, and the appeal of not racing for a fast time, but running free instead. We hear how training is going, including ramping up strength and nailing her carb intake. Always a pleasure to catch up with IBD! -- If you liked this conversation, go back and listen to Episode 2 of Run With It for more Izzi action. Subscribe to Run With It wherever you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss a thing! -- Follow us on Instagram: @izzibattdoyle @runwithit.pod @elisebeacom Watch Izzi's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IzziBatt-Doyle -- Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom Graphic design by Kate Scheer

Bendere Oboya joins Elise to talk about her transition from Olympic 400m runner to 800m athlete, and why she is now building something even bigger than her own career. Bendere reflects on representing Australia at the Tokyo Olympics, the Commonwealth Games and World Championships, the rapid rise of her early career, and the courage it took to step away from the 400m and back herself in a new event. She tells us about changing coaches, briefly retiring from the sport, and finding new purpose in athletics. We also dive into Bendere’s upbringing after moving to Australia from Ethiopia as a young child, the sacrifices her family made, and how those experiences have shaped her drive to create more opportunities for others. At the heart of this episode is the Oboya Foundation, Bendere’s new initiative aimed at removing financial barriers to sport and creating safe, inclusive spaces for young people to belong, move and dream bigger. She shares why representation matters so deeply, how the foundation is already taking shape, and why this work has given her own running a whole new meaning. Plus: Returning to the 400m for the domestic season, life in Melbourne, fashion off the track, embracing her voice, and running with joy in 2026. -- Bendere Oboya is an Australian 400m and 800m runner. She has represented Australia in the 400m at the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and World Championships, and holds a national record in the 600m. In recent years, Bendere has switched her focus to the 800m event. She trains with On Athletics Club Oceania and is coached by Craig Mottram. Bendere has recently launched the Oboya Foundation, which provides free weekly athletics coaching, with additional needs-based financial support available to cover competition fees, uniforms and essential equipment for families facing financial, cultural or social barriers. Oboya Foundation: https://oboyafoundation.org/Run Girl documentary (stream on SBS): https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-program/run-girl/2052085315730 The Good Gratitude: https://www.thegoodgratitude.com/shop -- Subscribe to Run With It wherever you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss a thing! -- Follow us on Instagram: @_bendere @runwithit.pod @elisebeacom -- Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom Graphic design by Kate Scheer

Do you know how to twizzle?! Neither do we! Alice and Elise settle in for another chat, with AB sporting a numb lip, and Elise coming off a filthy cold and a truly rude crook neck. Neither have been doing anything dangerous on the snow or ice, but there’s a heap of Winter Olympics chat – the injuries, the drama, the sizzle, the Aussie pride. It’s a very surface-level summary focusing on memes, ill-placed declarations of love, violent crashes and why on earth someone created a sport that involves skis AND guns. AB and EB compare the injuries on the slopes to the injuries we face on the roads/trails/track. There is a lot of chat about the advent of bone stress injuries and the online commentary surrounding them. Rest, sleep, nutrition and load management are all your best friends here, and the social media comparison trap is NOT IT. There’s also hype building as we come into marathon season, with loads of Australians lining up at Osaka, Tokyo, Boston and London! Truly love this time of year! Make sure you come along to our free International Women’s Day event with Love the Run next Sunday 1 March at Collingwood Athletics Track from 3:30pm. There’ll be a run, some pilates and a panel discussion with Australian race walker and Olympic medallist Jemima Montag, four-time World Championships marathoner, Sarah Klein, and the one and only Alice Baquie, with Elise Beacom on the mic. Can’t wait to see you there! Register here: https://www.lovetherun.com.au/iwdrunning-- Subscribe to Run With It wherever you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss a thing! -- Follow us on Instagram: @runwithit.pod @alicebaquie @elisebeacom -- Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom Graphic design by Kate Scheer

Morgan McDonald (aka “Chicken Boy”) joins Elise to talk through a change in coaching, his return to racing at the World Cross Country Championships, and how he’s approaching training and competition in 2026. Morgan unpacks representing Australia in Tallahassee, the chaos of a feature-filled cross-country course (yes, including the alligator logs!), and what it meant to wear the green and gold again. He also opens up about the tough decision to step away from the On Athletics Club to take a more individualised approach to his training. Now reunited with college coach Mick Byrne, he shares why trust, patience and a more collaborative training model are central to this new phase, guided by the mantra “start early, progress slow.” We also dive into NCAA glory days in Wisconsin, injury setbacks, why he’s gone a little anti-Strava in 2026, as well as and some big goals ahead, including the Commonwealth Games and the road to the LA Olympics in 2028. Plus: coffee orders, book club scheduling sagas, adventures with partner Sinta, double threshold chat, and an elite lunch recommendation. A fun-filled chat to kick off the year! -- Morgan McDonald is an Australian distance runner originally from Sydney, and now based in Boulder, Colorado. A former NCAA champion at the University of Wisconsin, Morgan won the NCAA cross-country title in 2018 and completed the rare indoor 3000m/5000m double in 2019. He has represented Australia at the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and World Championships, and is a regular member of national teams across track, road and cross-country. Known affectionately as “Chicken Boy,” Morgan co-hosts The Coffee Club Podcast with Olli Hoare and George Beamish, and has his own YouTube channel.-- Subscribe to Run With It wherever you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss a thing!--Follow us on Instagram:@morganmcdonald__@runwithit.pod@elisebeacom Check out Morgan's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/MorganMcDonaldisaloser The Coffee Club Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/coffee-club-a-running-podcast-about-nothing/id1587508622 --Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom Graphic design by Kate Scheer

Alice and Elise are back on Sole Sisters with a very important update: Alice Baquie is now a sub-3 marathoner! AB ran 2:58:33 at Valencia Marathon last Sunday, and it was tough going but she gritted it out all the way to the blue carpet. A potted history of race week includes hours spent perusing Aldi (apologies for harping on about this throughout the pod), stolen race shoes and elite-level commitment to carbohydrates both before and during AB’s stellar run. This episode is a fun-filled debrief of a gutsy marathon day, plus all the lessons you learn only once you’ve survived 42.2km. Enjoy! -- Subscribe to Run With It wherever you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss a thing! -- Follow us on Instagram: @runwithit.pod @alicebaquie @elisebeacom -- Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom Graphic design by Kate Scheer

Alice checks in from Valencia in the final stages of her prep for the marathon this weekend. She’s full of steam (colourless carbs) and mixing with some of Australia’s best marathoners over there. Meanwhile, Elise continues to move through the world in a state of brain fog. The pair are upbeat and full of optimism for Alice’s sub-3 marathon attempt, and predict the stage is set for some big elite performances too, despite some warmer than ideal conditions! --Subscribe to Run With It wherever you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss a thing!--Follow us on Instagram:@runwithit.pod@alicebaquie@elisebeacom--Intro/outro music by Dan BeacomGraphic design by Kate Scheer

Sinead Diver speaks about her Olympic heartbreak in Paris 2024 after she was forced to pull out of the marathon 1.2km into the race. In this candid conversation with Elise Beacom, Sinead shares her experience of the stressful Australian marathon team selection ahead of the Games and how that turmoil impacted her. Sinead takes us through the days before the Olympic marathon, when she was managing plantar fasciitis, all the way up to marathon day itself, and the moment she knew something else was majorly wrong. We talk about the subsequent negative commentary and unfair assumptions made in the media and online, and Sinead’s long process of healing ever since. We also discuss Sinead’s current comeback after many injury setbacks over the past year, and cover some incredible highs of her career, including her Australian record-breaking performance at Valencia Marathon in 2022 and her 10th place in the Tokyo Olympic Marathon. -- Sinead Diver is an Irish-born Australian marathoner and national record holder in the marathon (2:21:34). After taking up running in her 30s, Sinead quickly ascended as one of Australia’s best distance runners. She made her Olympic marathon debut in Tokyo in 2021, finishing 10th, which was Australia’s best Olympic marathon result in over three decades. Sinead has also represented Australia at the World Athletics Championships, the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and has finished top eight in three Abbott World Marathon Majors (London, 2019 and 2020, and New York, 2019). As a 48-year-old mum of two and a part-time IT professional, Sinead continues to redefine what’s possible in distance running. -- Subscribe to Run With It wherever you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss a thing! -- Follow us on Instagram:@runwithit.pod@diversinead@elisebeacom -- Intro/outro music by Dan BeacomGraphic design by Kate Scheer

From running back and forth to the letterbox on his family’s farm, to standing on a Paralympic podium, Reece Langdon has already packed a lot into his short para sport career. He’s a world record holder in the T38 1500m and T38 5000m, he won a silver medal at the World Para Championships in 2023 and a bronze medal at the Paralympics in Paris in 2024. In this episode, Elise chats with Reece about the sting of finishing fourth in the T38 1500m final at this year’s World Para Champs in New Delhi, racing through plantar fasciitis, and why lining up fully healthy is now his biggest performance goal. Reece also tells us about the freak virus that changed everything at six years old – strep throat that led to partial paralysis, months in hospital, and doctors warning he might not be a very active kid. He takes us through learning how to walk again, speech therapy, living with ataxia, and the 13-month paper trail it took to be classified as a para athlete. We also chat about the growing depth of the T38 field and his friendly rivalry with fellow Aussie (and friend of the podcast) Angus Hincksman. Off the track, Reece is a proud new cat dad to Lola (yes, there’s a kangaroo-style pouch to carry her in), a full-time runner with ASICS, and an athlete who’s learning to actually celebrate PBs instead of instantly chasing the next one. -- Loved this episode? Subscribe to Run With It, share it with a mate who loves a good 1500m, and leave a quick rating or review to help more runners find the show. -- Follow us on Instagram:@reece_langdon@runwithit.pod@elisebeacom -- Intro/outro music by Dan BeacomGraphic design by Kate Scheer

Vanessa Wilson is back for a catch up post her World Championships debut in Tokyo! Vanessa never expected to be selected for the Australian team. Her husband (and coach) submitted her nomination without telling her, and lo and behold, she got the call up!The 43-year-old teacher and mum finished the marathon in 38th place overall and was the first Australian home on a difficult course in brutal conditions. Vanessa talks through the lead-up navigating work, home renovations and heat prep, which included trips to Queensland, infrared saunas and ice baths. More than anything, this conversation is about quiet confidence. Vanessa reflects on "belonging" at this level, the mental side of a late-career debut, and the consistent work behind a performance that surprised even her. If you want to hear more about Vanessa’s story, including her 2:28 breakthrough run at Berlin in 2024, and how she got into running later in life, go back to episode 16 of Run With It. -- This episode is sponsored by Mikro Coffee Roasters. Head to Mikro.coffee and use code RUNWITHIT10 for 10% off. -- Follow us on Instagram: @runwithit.pod @vanessateacherrunner @elisebeacom @mikrocoffeeroasters -- Music by Dan Beacom Graphic design by Kate Scheer

Lost luggage, sequin bathers, and start-line poses we probably shouldn’t attempt… Elise is home from Italy and Alice is back from Portland and Hood to Coast with a LOT to unpack. From field-event fandom at the World Athletics Championships, to Sydney Marathon’s debut as a Major, to Elise’s short-and-sharp build for New York, this one’s part catch-up, part race recap, and part therapy. Spoiler: trail relays are brutal, you can never have enough cowboy-boot shot glasses, and sunglasses at night might be a thing. If this episode made you laugh, crave tomato salads, or impulse buy a sparkly one-piece, share it with a mate, rate/review the pod, and follow along as Elise builds to New York with AB in tow as number one hype gal. -- This episode is sponsored by Mikro Coffee Roasters. Head to Mikro.coffee and use code RUNWITHIT10 for 10% off. -- Follow us on Instagram:@runwithit.pod@alicebaquie@elisebeacom@mikrocoffeeroasters -- Intro/outro music by Dan BeacomGraphic design by Kate Scheer

Fresh off breaking her own Australian 5000m record at the London Diamond League, Rose Davies is showing she belongs among the world’s best. At just 25, the two-time Olympian talks about racing on the sport’s biggest stages, learning from fellow athletes and why friendships matter as much as the medals. We cover her record run in London, what she took from Tokyo and Paris, and how she’s refined her approach to peak for the right races. Rose opens up about walking away from the sport as a junior after crippling pre-race anxiety and burnout, the road back with long-time coach Scott Westcott, and how she’s learned to keep happiness at the heart of her running - even at the elite level. Rose Davies is one of Australia’s leading long-distance runners, holding the national records for both the 5000m (14:31) and 10,000m (30:34) on the track. After a challenging transition from junior to senior ranks, she broke through with podium finishes at the Zatopek 10,000m in 2021 and 2022, earning selection for the Tokyo Olympics. Since then, Rose has made Olympic and World Championship finals, won Zatopek a third time, broken Australian records, and cemented her place among the country’s top distance athletes. -- This episode is sponsored by Mikro Coffee Roasters. Head to mikro.coffee and use code RUNWITHIT10 for 10% off. -- Follow us on Instagram:@rose.davies@runwithit.pod@elisebeacom@mikrocoffeeroasters -- Intro/outro music by Dan BeacomGraphic design by Kate Scheer