Stimulate Run

If you hear the name Percy Dunn you might have an idea of who is being spoken about. If you then say the man who used to run Comrades in the Licorice allsorts outfit you will be certain of who is being spoken about. An amazing history in the sport of running and so much to share about how it all came to life. Enjoy what is a small snippet of this journey.

Road to Comrades Episode 4 is in the peak phase of training. Marnie is in to the real meat of her maiden comrades voyage doing over 200km and embracing the challenge. Wayne is in camp with the nedbank happy bunch. They have just ticked off a 300km week and next week head to altitude to put the final topping on the cake. He is feeling confident heading into his favourite direction. Irwin debriefs his two oceans experience. Up run route description https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNjdQ0gRR7E&pp=ygUNdGVhbSBhc2h3b3J0aA%3D%3D

Marnie, Wayne and Irwin are back as they tick off another month towards Two Oceans and Comrades 2024. Marnie speak about how she has really started to incorporate hills into her training and her body has reacted well. Wayne has had another great month and reacted well coming off the 100km. He speaks about his plans to head to camp next month which was a positive experience last year. Irwin in in the Taper a week out from two oceans. The panel then also discuss some nutrition - general, long run and also race specific nutrition.

Johan Botha - international cricketer at test and odi level. On this episode we begin by speaking about his cricket career, the experiences and his move into coaching. We also speak about his new sport which is running in particular backyard ultras. Johans goal is to make the Australian team at this years satelite champs.

Don Wallace is a name not many will know but his history in Australian running is worth noting. Woold 100km rep, Multiple Comrades (including a gold medal), 2:20 marathon and the current course measurer for Sydney and Gold Coast Marathon. Have a listen to Don retelling some of his experiences in running, his methods for training and also takes us into the world of a course measurer.

Marnie, Wayne and Irwin and back to recap February. Marnie ticked off her goal of consistent strength training and is on the path to lifting the kms in March. Wayne speaks about his debut 100km race where he won the Australian title and came away positive about starting his Comrades build. Irwin is looking to finishing of the final month of training towards two oceans with some decent back to back long runs. The panel speak about hill running, what type of elevation people should look at doing and the long run.

New year, new panel. Welcome to the Road to Comrades 2024 with Marnie, Wayne and Irwin. Marnie and Wayne will be heading to Comrades 2024 and Irwin towards Two Oceans 2024. This series will follow their journeys and an episode will be recorded every month in the lead up. Follow along their journeys on strava and for more info follow the stimulate run social media pages (Instagram and Facebook). Enjoy episode 1.

Marnie Ponton, started her running dreams like most people with a poster of people she aspires to be on the wall. She now holds the Australian 50km female record, balances running with family and work like the everyday person and is gearing up for a big 2024 by locking in Comrades as her goal. We chat about her journey in running, what type of athlete she is, her interest in knowing why she is doing something and the future. You can find out more about Marnie on Instagram or also on her strava.

Raf Baugh is a name well known around running circles. We chat about Raf as a child and his love for sport. He moved into being a world class duathlete, studied physiotherapy and now heads up Front Runner Sports Management. Raf shares some of the important lessons he has learnt along the way, what has formed his beliefs and what pillars he has built his business and also coaching ethos around. We touch on it taking time and enjoying that journey. Being comfortable only being concerned about what she are aiming to do and escaping the thoughts of others.

Andrew Leigh, a member of the Australian Federal Labour Party and runner. During my chat, we delve into his pathway into politics and also his journey through running. He speaks about some of his experiences and what he has learnt along the way.

Piet Wiersmas profile had a meteoric rise from June 2023. It was at this point he took on the defending Comrades champion in the final stages of the Ultimate human race and made Tete really earn the title and record. Piet has since then had many choices to make regarding his future as an athlete and also on his journey towards his thesis. We discuss his background in running, his methods, the challenges a semi professional runner faces and what the near future looks like

Nick Bester or the Yster Man (Iron Man) is a life long endurance athlete. You name it in the endurance world he has done it - Comrades, Triathlon, Dusi Canoe, Argus cycling and much more. In this chat we speak about his endurance ability, his mental toughness and where it stemmed from. We talk about the change he made to his diet and advice for current day athletes

From Janaury we have been tracking along the journey of 3 amazing people towards Comrades 2023. On this episode the panel are back to take us through their big day. Caitriona had an amazing day to finish in 5th, Wayne smashed his PB and masters record and Murray as he said got his Bill Rowan. Thank you to all the listeners, supporters and families for their support this year. We all appreciate the kind words, messages and feedback. If you enjoyed the series please leave a review on apple/spotify or where you listen so others can get out of it what you did. Enjoy the downtime and maybe see you all at Comrades 2024.

The pre race episode for Comrades 2023. Caitriona, Murray and Wayne do their usual month recap and then we take a more in-depth look at the course itself. Murray shares what prep he is making when it comes to preparing to tackle the course on race day. Wayne takes us into the Nedbank camp.

Barry Hollands record in running and particularly comrades and two oceans speaks for itself. Attempting his 49TH consecutive comrades in 2023 he is a wealth of knowledge. We discussed his thoughts on training and how they have changed over the years. We spoke about having realistic goals and how to execute them. He gave course advice. Most importantly he explained planning your race and racing your plan.

Nell Rojas is a professional runner born in Boulder Colorado. On this episode we chat about her history in the sport from childhood in Boulder to now as a professional who hopes to qualify for Paris. We discuss experiences (her trip to Kenya), goals and her relationship with her dad who is also her coach. For those who haven’t check out the sweat elite video with Nell and her dad and you will see his true emotion for her running.

Allirra Jennings greet up and still lives in the Northern Territory of Australia. In this episode she shares her journey in running which started with taking a few steps all the way to completing the 6 world majors. Allirra is the first female t to complete the 6 star. We discuss her heritage and some of the social issues the has come across and currently taking place.

The panel is back for the April episode. Murray is being as consistent as ever, Caitriona has started her Comrades build with a great month and heading to the USA for a race and Wayne tells us about Two Oceans and his time in camp. A listener question to finish about training by time.

78 days to Comrades 2023 and the panel are back to tell us about how their last month has gone. Caitriona is balancing work/life and running. Murray is settling in to his new structure and increasing milage and Wayne is preparing for a big month ahead with plenty of excitement. We tackle a few listener questions about shoes, goals and changing surfaces through the week. If you have any questions please shoot them through via the social channels. If you enjoy what you are hearing - share it with your running mates, friends or colleagues you like to annoy about running. A review wherever you listen would be great to as it gets in the ears of other like minded people looking for something to enjoy. Thanks for the support Irwin, Caitriona, Murray and Wayne

Caitriona, Murray and Wayne are back for episode 2. On this episode we discuss the dangers of comparing against what others are doing. We speak about running on effort vs pace. We delve into qualifiers and what chasing a faster qualifier comes with just to save a few minutes at the start or for a better seeding pen. If you are enjoying the series please share it among your running network and also drop a review where you get your pods.