The hottest weather might be behind us, but there are big events coming up where the temps could spike and throw a wrench into race day. There’s a lot to dive into with heat training and heat adaptation, and we’re very fortunate to have Dr. Trent Stellingwerff join us to share his incredible insights. Trent is currently the R&D Director for the Women’s Health, Sport & Performance Institute (WHSP) in Boston, and the Chief Performance Officer at the Canadian Sports Institute Pacific in Victoria. Talk about a busy guy! He’s a great storyteller and has some amazing tails of supporting elite Canadian athletes in the most extreme temperatures, including Olympic Champion Decathlete Damian Warner! We hope you get as much out of this conversation as we did!

More on Dr. Trent Stellingwerff:

https://whspinstitute.org/team

https://www.csipacific.ca/team-members/trent-stellingwerff/

The Rundown - upcoming races and events:

Sept 12/13 - Finlayson Arm 28K/50K/50M and Double (50M and 28K) – https://www.coastlineendurancerunning.com/finlayson-arm-races/

Sept 13 - Tall Tree 10K - Elk/Beaver Lake in Victoria - https://www.talltreehealth.ca/talltree10k

Sept 14 – Terry Fox Run – various locations – https://terryfox.org

Sept 20 – Monster Marmot 5K/10K – Mount Washington - https://raceroster.com/events/2026/138146/the-monster-marmot

The Island Miles Podcast wants to hear from YOU! Got a topic idea? Know someone doing something cool that should be celebrated? Email us: islandmilespodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram: @islandmilespodcast

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For a while Jamie has been intrigued with the quirkiness of Backyard Ultras, which have continued to blow up all over the world. A last person standing event where competitors run a 6.71km loop on the hour, every hour? Who wouldn’t want to take on that kind of torture?! He finally got the chance in late July with the Comox Valley Roadrunners Backyard Ultra, and in this episode he shares his experience, gratitude for the great running club that hosted it, and the cool people he met along the way. How did he do? Did his body hold up, or crash out?

The Rundown - upcoming races and events:

Aug 15 – Island Trail Series - Cobble Hill 12/27K - https://www.islandtrailseries.ca/races/cobble-hill-cobble-hill-mt/

Sept 13 - Tall Tree 10K - Elk/Beaver Lake in Victoria - https://www.talltreehealth.ca/talltree10k

Sept 12/13 - Finlayson Arm 28K/50K/50M and Double (50M and 28K) – https://www.coastlineendurancerunning.com/finlayson-arm-races/

Win your way into the race of your choice at Finlayson Arm with our Instagram contest! https://www.instagram.com/p/DbdoIW8IlXk/

The Island Miles Podcast wants to hear from YOU! Got a topic idea? Know someone doing something cool that should be celebrated? Email us: islandmilespodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram: @islandmilespodcast

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ParkRun is a free 5K race that happens every Saturday at 9am, all over the world. You sign up once, and you’re ParkRun ready. It’s that simple! Vancouver Island recently got a new addition to our collection, with Beban Park in Nanaimo joining races in the Comox Valley, Shawnigan Lake and Victoria! On this episode the boys chat with Race Director Charlotte Taylor and volunteer Nikki Scott, who share their experience building and launching a ParkRun, and the great community of people it has pulled together. Find the race here: https://www.parkrun.ca/beban/.

Other links:

Chris Sundby in support of Jacob’s Well: https://www.jacobswell.ca/chrisruns2

Jason Kirsch’s Mindfulness Miles: https://eurekasupportsociety.ca/mindfulness-miles/

The Rundown - upcoming races and events:

July 29 – Sunset Run x Dream Mile – PISE in Victoria - https://raceroster.com/events/2026/138385/sunset-run-x-dream-mile

Aug 4 – Nautical Days 4 Miler – Comox Valley - https://cvrr.ca/events/nautical-days-4-miler-2025/

Aug 15 – Island Trail Series - Cobble Hill 12/27K - https://www.islandtrailseries.ca/races/cobble-hill-cobble-hill-mt/

The Island Miles Podcast wants to hear from YOU! Got a topic idea? Know someone doing something cool that should be celebrated? Email

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James Kwinecki lost his vision 10 years ago, which meant basically re-learning many of life’s realities. For some, that might have been reason enough to stop reaching, but not for James, who has played blind baseball, rowed with the National team, and eventually, became a passionate runner. He has now run five marathons, including smashing Boston in 3:11. But he hasn’t done it alone, and on this episode James and his guide Mo Mannoe talk about their shared running journey and friendship.

The Rundown - upcoming races and events:

July 11 - Devil’s Ladder - Cumberland – room left in the 30K! https://devilsladderultra.com/

July 28 - Buckin’ Hell - 35K/50K and 50K relay - North Vancouver - https://trailrunning.ca/race/buckin-hell/

Aug 15 – Island Trail Series - Cobble Hill 12/27K - https://www.islandtrailseries.ca/races/cobble-hill-cobble-hill-mt/

Sept 20 - Monster Marmot 5K/10K trail race at Mount Washington - https://raceroster.com/events/2026/138146/the-monster-marmot

The Island Miles Podcast wants to hear from YOU! Got a topic idea? Know someone doing something cool that should be celebrated? Email us: islandmilespodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram: @islandmilespodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Imagine having the strength, mental toughness and sheer will to run 250 miles in the Arizona desert, with 12,000m of elevation gain over hot, dusty terrain. That’s what the Cocodona 250 from Phoenix to Flagstaff requires, and this past May, Nanaimo’s Christine Almond crossed the finish line after almost 92 hours, with the support of only her husband and dog. No pacers! Christine joined the show to talk about preparing for this insane event, taking “trail naps” when exhaustion hit, and how it felt to toe the start line with ultra legends, including new course record holder Rachel Entrekin.

The Rundown - upcoming races and events:

Frontrunners Local Legends 5 segment challenge: https://bit.ly/FRLocalLegends

July 5 - Island Trail Series - Ladysmith 10/20K - https://www.islandtrailseries.ca/races/ladysmith-transferbeach/

July 11 - Devil’s Ladder - Cumberland (still room in the 30K!) - https://devilsladderultra.com/

Chris Sundby’s Island Run 2.0 – jacobswell.ca/chrisruns

The Island Miles Podcast wants to hear from YOU! Got a topic idea? Know someone doing something cool that should be celebrated? Email us: islandmilespodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram: @islandmilespodcast

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The psychology around running has always been fascinating – what does this repetitive activity unlock in our brains. What does it do for us, and is it always positive? Dr. Rob Holloway is uniquely qualified to dig into it with us – both as a registered psychologist who treats individuals, couples and families with mental health challenges, and as a dedicated runner with some big personal accomplishments, both on the road and in the trails. We hope you enjoy this conversation about the connection between mental health and running as much as we did!

The Rundown - upcoming races and events:

June 12-13 - Run Saysutchun - Newcastle Island near Nanaimo – https://www.runsaysutshun.com/

Jun 20 - CFB Esquimalt Navy Run - 5K/10K - https://cfmws.ca/esquimalt/esquimalt-navy-run

June 21 - Father’s Day Walk/Run for prostate cancer - Camosun’s Interurban Campus - https://islandprostatecentre.com/fathersdaywalkrun/

Victoria Queer Run Club on IG: https://www.instagram.com/vicqueerrunclub/

The Island Miles Podcast wants to hear from YOU! Got a topic idea? Know someone doing something cool that should be celebrated? Email us: islandmilespodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram: @islandmilespodcast

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If you’re thinking about taking on the trails for the first time, or even if you’re a seasoned vet, it’s always good to get a refresher on preparing for time in the trails and making sure you’re taking care of your own safety. Natalia Filip is an experienced trail runner that loves spending endless hours in Strathcona Park. But she’s also a volunteer with Nanaimo Search and Rescue and joined the show to give us some really valuable information on preparedness.

The Rundown - upcoming races and events:

May 30 - Snowden Trail Race - put on by Foveo Running – 11k and 26k in Campbell River - https://raceroster.com/events/2026/112890/snowden-trail-race

May 30 - Shoppers Drug Mart Run for Women – 5k and 10k at Elk Lake - https://raceroster.com/events/2026/106292/shoppers-drug-mart-run-for-women-victoria-2026

May 31 - Hardy Hustle - 10K and Half Marathon in Port Hardy - https://porthardy.ca/community/recreation/hardyhustle/

The Island Miles Podcast wants to hear from YOU! Got a topic idea? Know someone doing something cool that should be celebrated? Email us: islandmilespodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram: @islandmilespodcast

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We decided to mic up for an easy-paced run in the West Shore and talk about what’s going on in the running world, both on Vancouver Island and beyond! We talk about the cooker of a day at the BMO Vancouver Marathon, a historic Cocodona 250 finish, a new Island ParkRun and lots of other cool stuff. Jamie even shared his most embarrassing running story, which involved passing out mid-stream…

The May 50k Challenge for MS – friend of the pod Lyall Chalmers’ wife was recently diagnosed with MS, and even though she’s not a runner in the least bit, she’s running 50k in May to raise money and awareness for MS – here’s a link to her fundraising page – way to go Amanda!! https://mssp.donordrive.com/participants/Amanda-Chalmers/donate

The Rundown - upcoming races and events:

May 17 - Jay’s Hillbilly Hustle - Nanaimo - 17k, 35k, and 50k - https://www.hillbillyhustle50.com/

May 24 - Oak Bay Half Marathon and 10k – sold out but there’s a waitlist! https://oakbayhalf.com/

May 30 - Sooke Hills 25k and 50k - sold out but would love volunteers! https://sookehillsrunning.com/

May 30 - Snowden Trail Race - put on by Foveo Running – 11k and 26k - https://raceroster.com/events/2026/112890/snowden-trail-race

The Island Miles Podcast wants to hear from YOU! Got a topic idea? Know someone doing something cool that should be celebrated? Email us: islandmilespodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram: @islandmilespodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.