What happens when you attempt an ultra you’re not quite ready for?

Jess never grew up as a runner. Exercise barely featured in her life, and even when running became necessary for a career change, she did what she needed to do and promptly stopped. Then, in 2024, walking became a way to clear her head. Walking became running. And running escalated quickly.

Less than two years later, Jess found herself on the start line of her first 57km ultra after a preparation that had gone anything but to plan. A traumatic experience, an injured knee, five weeks without running and a badly timed cold had left her questioning whether starting was brave, stupid... or a bit of both!

At around 25km, everything fell apart. Cold, alone and under-fuelled, Jess called her husband and told him she was done. All she had to do was reach the next aid station and withdraw.

If you’ve ever had your mind tell you that you’re done while your body still had something left to give, this episode might make you wonder where your limits really are.

In this episode:

• How walking to clear her head eventually became running.
• Going from Couch to 5K to contemplating an ultra in less than two years.
• How becoming a runner changed the example Jess could set for her son.
• The traumatic experience and injury that derailed her ultra preparation.
• Why she decided to start despite believing she wasn't ready.
• Calling her husband at 25km and deciding she was going to quit.
• How eating, troubleshooting and changing perspective got her moving again.

🌏 Episodes, community, and all things Runbelievable:

http://runbelievable.au

🎧 New episodes drop every Wednesday; hit follow so you don't miss a lap!

About Runbelievable

Runbelievable is the podcast for every runner. From your first parkrun to your 100th marathon, from walk-run intervals to dabbling in trail running, every runner has a story worth telling. Through honest conversations with runners from all walks of life, Runbelievable explores the challenges, achievements, setbacks, and experiences that connect us through running and shape who we become.

What if your first run happened completely by accident?

For Brookie, running was never part of the plan. After growing up with a complicated relationship with weight and body image, she spent much of her life believing running simply wasn't for her. Then, while out walking on the morning of her daughter's birthday party, she realised she was running late and needed to get home to finish icing the cake... so she ran.

The next day, she tried again. Starting driveway to driveway, roughly 100 metres at a time, Brookie completed the GC50 25km just ten weeks later. Since then, running has taken her through half marathons, Bravehearts 777 and two extraordinary world record attempts combining her new love of running with her lifelong love of football.

If you've ever wondered how far one seemingly insignificant run can take you, Brookie's story might make you think differently about where your own could lead.

In this episode:

• Growing up with weight and body image struggles.
• The accidental run that started everything.
• Going from 100-metre running intervals to the GC50 25km in just ten weeks.
• Running Bravehearts 777 and discovering she had bilateral stress fractures.
• Why Brookie decided to run a marathon while dribbling a soccer ball.
• Covering 98.2km in 24 hours while dribbling a soccer ball.
• Why, after everything she's achieved, her very first run may still be the one that mattered most.

🌏 Episodes, community, and all things Runbelievable:

http://runbelievable.au

🎧 New episodes drop every Wednesday; hit follow so you don't miss a lap!

About Runbelievable

Runbelievable is the podcast for every runner. From your first parkrun to your 100th marathon, from walk-run intervals to dabbling in trail running, every runner has a story worth telling. Through honest conversations with runners from all walks of life, Runbelievable explores the challenges, achievements, setbacks, and experiences that connect us through running and shape who we become.

What if your biggest running goal was still decades away?

For Nick Dunn, a horrific football injury 25 years ago left him with a broken leg, dislocated ankle and lasting limitations that he still manages today. Years later, after his health and fitness had fallen away, a friend's relentless persistence led him to his first triathlon... and two goals that would change the direction of his life.

More than 100 triathlons later, Nick has represented Australia and achieved the first of those goals. The only one remaining? To still be racing when he's 80s.

In this conversation, Nick shares how triathlon helped transform his life, why he's deliberately training less as he gets older, and how checking in with his 80-year-old self is changing the decisions he makes today.

If you've ever wondered whether becoming a better runner sometimes means doing less, this episode might change the way you think about training for the long haul.

In this episode:

• The horrific football injury Nick is still dealing with 25 years later.
• How struggling to keep up with his daughters became a catalyst for change.
• The friend who finally convinced him to give triathlon a go.
• The two goals Nick set after completing his very first event.
• Why training less could be the key to racing for decades to come.
• What Nick's 80-year-old self is teaching him about the choices he makes today.
• The six-minute story that completely changed how he sees his life.

🌏 Episodes, community, and all things Runbelievable:

http://runbelievable.au

🎧 New episodes drop every Wednesday; hit follow so you don't miss a lap!

About Runbelievable

Runbelievable is the podcast for every runner. From your first parkrun to your 100th marathon, from walk-run intervals to dabbling in trail running, every runner has a story worth telling. Through honest conversations with runners from all walks of life, Runbelievable explores the challenges, achievements, setbacks, and experiences that connect us through running and shape who we become.