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PODCAST

The Back Straight Podcast

The Back Straight Podcast

A fortnightly podcast based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Join Daniel Squires and Michael McKnight along the "Back Straight" as they discuss the running scene in the Isle of Ireland and shine a light on great stories domestically as well as abroad. We"ll throw our running hats into the ring and talk gear, training and racing often in the company of studio guests. Contact us at our email address thebackstraightpod@gmail.com, on our Instagram @thebackstraightpodcast or tweet us @thebackstraight

sports running

All Episodes

01:16:40

Ep. 80 - Luke Dinsmore Interview - Belfast Half...

The Back Straight Podcast ·

2026/09/30

I know we say this every time, but there sure has been a lot on running-wise the past two weeks! In episode 80 we have a great interview with Annandale Strider's Luke Dinsmore fresh off a brilliant Half Marathon debut in Copenhagen. In addition that we packed the episode full of results and talking points from all of the great road racing and off-road events that have occurred since we last released. Not an episode to be missed, thanks for being here! If you are interested in checking out the

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01:05:21

Ep. 79 - Ultimate Champs Recap - New ANI XC League -...

The Back Straight Podcast ·

2026/09/16

Plenty on for episode 79 of the Back Straight! We begin with some great results from the Laganside 10k, Derry HM, Dromiskin 5k before moving to a preview of the Belfast Half marathon this weekend! Alongside these great discussions we get chatting about the Ultimate Championships in Budapest, the new ANI XC league for 26/27 as well as preview the Irish contingent at the World Road Running Championships this weekend in Copenhagen. Plenty in there to satiate the hungry athletics ears, we hope you

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01:47:35

Ep. 78 - Antrim Coast Half - Coleraine Campus 5k -...

The Back Straight Podcast ·

2026/09/02

It's a really long format episode this week so bear with us! We had lots to go through including all of the main talking points from the local road racing action at the Antrim Coast Half Marathon as well as the Colerain Campus 5k + more! In part 2 we welcome friend of the podcast, Stephen Connolly, on to chat about his trip to the Zurich Diamond league where he was able to get up close and personal with the athletes and provide some brilliant insights! The sport is on fire in such a good way at

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01:02:44

Ep. 77 - The European Championships catch-up ft....

The Back Straight Podcast ·

2026/08/19

The title says it all! In this week's episode Michael is joined by Conor Curran, friend and frequent contributor to the podcast, for a catch-up on all the action from the European Championships! The fellas go deep on all of the major highlights with specific focus on the key Irish performances from the meet. In addition that we have some chat about the recent road racing and what is coming up on the Isle! Until next week hooroo!Check out Precision Fuel and Hydration if you want to level up your

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00:54:56

Ep. 76 - European Champs 2026 - Comm Games Recap -...

The Back Straight Podcast ·

2026/08/12

The Back Straight hosts might be trotting across the globe a bit currently but that is not going to stop the show from going on! In this episode we recap Dan's 2nd place at the Fjällmaraton 100k, some local results from the Carlingford 5k and Feile 10k, the Commonwealth games as well as some impressive track performances in GB as well as Europe. The episode then rolls into a full recap of the distance events at the European Champs thus far where Michael was in attendance to see the return of the

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01:13:39

Ep. 75 - Nick Griggs - Irish National Champs - London...

The Back Straight Podcast ·

2026/07/29

Welcome to episode 75 of the Back Straight Podcast! This episode is a real cracker as we are joined by Nick Griggs for a chat prior to him competing at both the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the European Championships in Birmingham. Nick is always a great guest and one of our favourites, we wish him well! In addition to the interview we have a full run-down of the distance results at the Irish National Track and Field Championships and a cap of the London Diamond League where Dan was there in

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01:28:19

Ep. 74 - Jasper McDowell Interview - Cork City &...

The Back Straight Podcast ·

2026/07/17

Big old episode this week with a tonne of results from Cork City Sports, Morton Games, Watford BMC, Prefontaine Classic and the Monaco Diamond League! We round out part 1 with some speculations of what might happen in the London Diamond League. In part 2 we are joined by 2.19 marathoner and winner of the Rathmullan 5k for 2026, Jasper McDowell! Jasper has a very interesting story and he chats us through his Northern Irish roots, his running career so far being based in Geneva and what he thinks of

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01:00:14

Zak Hanna on the Back Straight

The Back Straight Podcast ·

2026/07/08

This week's interview features one of Ireland's leading mountain runners, Zak Hanna. Zak hails from the edge of Slieve Croob, is a Newcastle AC athlete, and sponsored runner for New Balance and Precision Fuel and Hydration. Zak talks us through how he got into running, the journey it has taken him on so far and the specific training requirements for his discipline. This was a great interview and we thank Zak for his time! If you have another athlete you want us to chat to, let us know! Keen

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01:12:19

Ep. 73 - James Gormley Interview - Local Results and...

The Back Straight Podcast ·

2026/07/03

Another great interview on the Back Straight! This week we have James Gormley from Carmen Runners to chat about his career in running which has led to his selection for the mile at the Commonwealth Games. James breaks down his journey through the sport, how he trains, his coaching set up and what he hopes to achieve in the future! In addition to the brilliant interview we recap a bunch of local road races as well as some action internationally on the track and in the Diamond League circuit. As

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01:08:14

Emmett Dunleavy on the Back Straight

The Back Straight Podcast ·

2026/06/24

We are stoked to be joined by Emmett Dunleavy for an interview on the Back Straight this week. For those that aren't familiar with Emmett, he is one of Ireland's leading coaches and has a roster of athletes competing the very pinnacle of the sport. Emmett chats to us all about coaching; how he got into it, his philosophies and where he hopes it leads Athletics Ireland as we rocket towards LA 2028. In addition to the great coaching chats, Emmett shares is boundless knowledge on lactate

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01:22:48

Ep. 72 - Diamond League Reviews (ft. special guest) -...

The Back Straight Podcast ·

2026/06/17

Episode 72 is absolutely bursting at the seams with race results from three diamond leagues (including a special guest that attended two of them), local road races, the NI and Ulster Senior Track and Field Championships as well as the European Off-road Championships and a long long trail race in France that Danny had the pleasure of attending as support crew. If that doesn't get you up and about, I don't know what will! Don't forget to check out Precision Fuel and Hydration for some

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00:53:01

Bonus Interview - Emily Haggard-Kearney

The Back Straight Podcast ·

2026/06/10

Hey Back Straight Family! This week we are treating you all to a great interview we recorded with North Belfast Harrier's Emily Haggard-Kearney! Emily is a 4 time Irish Senior Team representative as well as the current 10km National Champion and winner of the 2026 Armagh International Road Races 3k! We really enjoyed this interview with Emily and hope you do too. Don't forget, if you're looking for some top quality nutrition and hydration products make sure to check out Precision Fuel

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01:23:14

Ep. 71 - Luke Kelly interview - Track Results - Dan's...

The Back Straight Podcast ·

2026/06/03

It is a long auld episode this week but with the amount of results and news flying about this past couple weeks we had to cover it all! Add onto that a brilliant interview with Luke Kelly and you've got yourself a tidy episode 71! In this one we get chatting about the recent BMCs, Rabat Diamond League, local athletes abroad, a race recap from Dan and plenty of chat about standards for Comm Games and Worlds next year! Big thanks for Luke Kelly for joining us for an interview, he is certainly on a

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00:58:40

Ep. 70 - Belfast BMC ft. Mark Kirk - Partnership...

The Back Straight Podcast ·

2026/05/22

It might not be what you expected, but it's episode 70 of the Back Straight featuring Mark Kirk! We decided to put this episode together in advance of the Belfast BMC this coming weekend, and since there has been so much happening on the roads and track locally as well as abroad! Mark was a great guest as always and talks us through what to expect at this year's iteration of the Belfast BMC, and then we get stuck into the results and some controversy about the local prizes at the Belfast

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01:15:10

Ep. 69 - Judith Storm Interview - Belfast Classic...

The Back Straight Podcast ·

2026/05/13

In episode 69 of the Back Straight Podcast we keep it pretty simple with a recap of two recent events; The Belfast City Marathon and the Belfast Classic, whilst also featuring an interview with the recent national marathon champion, Judith Storm. The action in the marathon and at the Belfast Classic was unforgettable and it was great fun delving into it together. We also really enjoyed the chat with Judith, someone that we didn't know too much about but are now eagerly watching for all of the

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01:22:31

Road to Belfast - Episode 10 - The FINALE!

The Back Straight Podcast ·

2026/05/08

Well, what can we say! Both Paddy and Dearbhla ran fantastic races and came away with podium places locally! It has been an absolute joy catching up with these legends for the past 10 weeks and I know all the listeners feel the same! In this final episode we get a blow-by-blow recap of how the race played out for both of them, get some questions answered both from the fans and from Danny and hear what is next! Thanks to everyone that has listened and supported Dearbhla and Paddy during the block and

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01:04:35

Road to Belfast - Episode 9 - Race week and...

The Back Straight Podcast ·

2026/05/01

It's race week everyone, get pumped! This episode we get stuck into the taper and how it has gone so far! Paddy and Dearbhla tell us about how they rate their block and what they are looking for on race day. After that we are joined by Precision Fuel and Hydration's Dr. Lindsey Hunt to talk us through the carb load, electrolytes, race day nutrition as well as some listener questions. Thanks to Lindsey for the great chats and as always we hope everyone enjoyed the episode! Make sure to get

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01:07:46

Ep. 68 - Belfast Marathon Preview - London Recap -...

The Back Straight Podcast ·

2026/04/29

Phew, what an episode! Huge agenda this week with lots of marathon chat including a Belfast preview and London recap. After that we are joined by Aaron Beggs from North Down AC who has recently shot to fame with his heroic antics at the Boston Marathon. In part 2 we are joined by none other than the mastermind behind the Belfast Classic - Eamonn Christie! Eamonn chats to us all about the big runners in this year's iteration of the event, new sponsors and what to expect on the day! It is always a

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01:06:46

Road to Belfast - Episode 8 - Marathon regulations...

The Back Straight Podcast ·

2026/04/24

It's episode 8, mate! This is the penultimate episode before the big day and both Paddy and Dearbhla are putting the finishing touches on what has been a brilliant prep! To that end, we chat about race day, the dos and don'ts and how they are going to approach the race. The exact strategies are somewhat vague but glean what you can from the superstar duo and watch it unfold on race day! Thanks for listening, see you next week!Contact us here:Instagram: @thebackstraightpodcastEmail:

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01:09:13

Road to Belfast - Episode 7 - The psychology of...

The Back Straight Podcast ·

2026/04/17

Tick-tock, tick-tock!! The clock is slowly winding down for the big day but there are still plenty of great episodes left with the amazing duo that is Dearbhla Cox and Patrick McColl! In episode 7 we chat about the training weeks as usual and then get the podcasting stalwart and brilliant coach coach that is Michael McKnight on to chat running psychology! We hope you enjoy this episode and we will see you next week!Contact us here:Instagram: @thebackstraightpodcastEmail:

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