Running Tales

This week I spoke to one of favourite people, Leo de Awa. He was responsible for the start of my own running journey, persuading me during a meal in Seville that I could run a marathon. I trained pretty hard for that I can tell you, but nothing like as hard as Leo trains. That's because he's a race walker with his sights set on the Olympic Games. He also makes me laugh. A lot... I hope you enjoy his story. ----------------------------------- If you like this episode please consider donating to

Imagine running almost 90km and then not getting a medal or finishing time because you missed the cut off point by 33 seconds? That's what happened to Deon Ehlers when he took on the gruelling Comrades Ultra Marathon in South Africa. Fortunately for him it wasn't his first go at the race - in all he's officially completed it five times. I spoke to Deon about his numerous Comrades experiences, as well as being a parkrun event director, running for fun and working as a policeman in South Africa during

Carole James was left wheelchair bound after a car accident, suffering from constant pain, PTSD and depression. Her competitive streak wouldn't allow life to keep her down though and before too long she was trying all sorts of wheelchair sports. At first archery proved most attractive, but ultimately it was wheelchair racing that became her passion. Through Northamptonshire Sport and Northampton parkrun, she started to love life again. These days, she's one of the faces of Sport England's This Girl

Mark Kennedy was enjoying the holiday of a lifetime when he suddenly passed out. He was diagnosed with a brain injury that effects his mood, making him tired and anxious. His doctor said contact sport was out of the question, but he might be able to carry on running. Thankfully he could and Mark remains one of the most popular runners at Northampton parkrun and with Northampton Road Runners. Now he's written a book about his experience - entitled 'What the Hell Just Happened' (the reaction of his

Peter Currington is a mental health champion with England Athletics, helping people to confront their problems and giving practical advice. One reason he is so good at that is because Peter has been there. He overcame drink, drugs and a spell in prison to get his life back on track. These days he gets his endorphins from running rather than any other kind of drug. Peter is brutally honest about his own journey and how he still has to work on his mental health. I also spoke to him about how he

When Catherine Hickford first started at Northampton parkrun she was more than 21 stone, running at the very back of the field and piling on more weight under the pressure of taking a degree. These days, she says running has turned her life around. Catherine has lost more than eight stones, been honoured at Northamptonshire Sports Awards, completed not only her degree but a Masters and made new, valued friendships. She's truly inspirational - and a lovely person. Who better than Catherine to have my