This week on Tales from the Valley, Sam is joined by Harm Schaap to talk fast running, big training weeks and QK Running’s growing presence in Australia.

Harm takes us behind the scenes of the Sydney Marathon Expo, from the popular “I hate running” wall to the logistics of building the stand—and how his partner Jess’s engineering expertise came in handy. We also chat through QK’s expanding range, including quick-drying MasterWick singlets, sunglasses and marathon editions.

We give an honest review of the Elastic Monster Men’s Max Pocket Running Half Tights, covering fit, comfort and how the pockets handle gels, a phone, keys and other essentials on the run. We discuss getting the sizing right, whether everything stays secure without bouncing, and how they stack up on value.

On the running front, Harm reflects on his recent 10km PBs, including a sharp 30:32 at Lorne, and talks us through a 119km week despite illness and four missed runs. We unpack his training with Coach Hints, balancing speed, threshold, hills and doubles as he builds towards a summer racing block.

There’s also a clear target for the GONG5000: break 15 minutes—and get the better of Nathaniel.

We round things out with a Melbourne Marathon weekend recap, covering the marathon, half marathon and shorter races, including Jimmy Whelan’s aggressive start and some big breakthrough performances.

Check out QK Running and use Harm’s discount code SCHAAP10 at checkout.

🛍️ Shop QK Running: qkrunning.com 📸 Follow QK on Instagram: @qk_running

🎧 Tune in for training talk, race rivalries and an honest look at the gear making its way onto Australian start lines.

This week on Tales from the Valley, Sam and Russ are joined by Georgia Weir, founder of Deadly Runners.

Georgia takes us through her own running journey, with PBs ranging from 19 minutes for 5km to a 3:23 marathon on the Gold Coast. She shares how Deadly Runners began and its growth across Australia, along with her experience as head coach for Sydney Marathon and helping one of her athletes through this year’s race. We also hear about her long-distance trail adventure in Canada earlier in the year.

With Russ and Georgia coming off illness and surgery, Sam runs us through his 95km training week, including a very solid Tuesday track session with all reps well under 3:30/km pace.

In Café Kit, ASICS dominates the conversation. Russ is looking forward to trying the Superblast 3 on his first run back, while Georgia is stockpiling as many GT-1000s as she can before they become unavailable. Sam also shares his carb-loading hack: pretzels!

We round out the episode with a chat about Reboot Bermagui, which hosted its first 10km and half-marathon events with great success.

Find out more about Deadly Runners: deadlyrunners.com.au

This week on Tales from the Valley, Sam welcomes back co-founder and familiar voice Russ for a catch-up covering surgery, recovery and the local running scene.

Russ opens up about the sciatica that disrupted his running for more than a year, including a painful 2:38 marathon in Valencia, and the spinal fusion surgery that followed. With the nerve pain now gone, he shares the challenges of taking recovery slowly, swapping big training weeks for daily walks and working towards an eventual return to running.

Sam recaps an unconventional 5K inside the Canberra Outlet Centre, where hot, stuffy conditions and slippery corners made for a memorable race. There’s also a nostalgic long run around Canberra, training updates, shoe chat and a look ahead to GONG5000.

The pair round up the Run Shellharbour results across the marathon, half marathon, 10K and 5K, celebrate local performances, and finish with shout-outs to the Marathon Time Integrity Unit and Athletics NSW.

An honest catch-up about setbacks, patience and staying connected to running—even when you’re watching from the sidelines.

This week on Tales from the Valley, Sam and Karen are joined by Josh Hammann from The Herd Run Club to discuss how a casual gathering of mates grew into one of the Illawarra’s friendliest running communities.

Josh shares the story behind The Herd, which now attracts more than 50 runners each week, and explains how rotating routes, milestone beanies, birthday coffees, beacons and sweepers help create a club where walkers, pram-pushers and runners of every pace feel welcome.

The crew also checks in on their own training. Karen is building towards the Melbourne Marathon after incorporating the Sydney Half into a dramatic 28-kilometre long run, Josh is chasing a sub-20-minute 5K at the Gong 5000, and Sam reflects on a big 105-kilometre week.

There’s also plenty of chat about gym work for runners, shoe choice and managing calf and Achilles load—before things inevitably descend into a critique of tucked-in singlets, manufactured running communities and influencers jumping into races without bibs for content.

Follow The Herd Run Club:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_theherdrunclub/

This week on Tales from the Valley, Sam and Karen are joined by Adam Bezzina — the unofficial president of The Valley Run Club — to chat about his running journey and the growth of one of the Illawarra’s thriving local running communities.

Adam shares how the 75 Hard Challenge helped kick-start his running, beginning with 20-second run-walk intervals before progressing to a 50km lap of Lake Illawarra and his first official marathon at the Gold Coast, where he finished in 3:56. He also talks through his PBs, including a 46:51 at Run Shellharbour and a 1:39:38 half marathon, while offering practical advice for beginners looking to build their confidence and distance.

The conversation explores the origins of The Valley Run Club, which meets every Thursday morning at 5:45am, and how it has grown from around 10 runners to more than 20 regular attendees through winter. Adam explains the club’s community-first approach, its flexible 6km route, recent collaborations with other local clubs and businesses, and plans to make its successful monthly 10km social run a regular fixture.

They also discuss the infamous “Bottlebrush U-turn” Strava segment, the club’s new apparel, an upcoming shop run with Elite Supps and Stone Valley Bakehouse, and the possibility of forming a committee to help guide the club’s continued growth.

Karen provides an update on her Melbourne Marathon preparation following a huge 36km long run at Cronulla, averaging 4:38/km. With race day approaching, she breaks down her taper, target pace and nutrition strategy, including Precision Pure and SIS gels alongside Dr. Hydrate electrolytes.

Adam talks through his current training routine of Tuesday track sessions, Thursday club runs, Saturday long runs and regular gym work, while Sam recaps a 103km week and the ongoing management of his shin. The group also dives into recovery boots, sauna tents, heart-rate straps, gels, supplements and the added nutritional considerations Adam faces as a runner with coeliac disease.

To finish, the crew tackles the important issues: overused race-photo poses, the frustrations of tracking shoes properly on Strava, and whether Adam should line up for a 5km time trial or the Gong 5000.

A big shoutout to Jase Quigley, Elite Supps, Bean Roasted Café, Anytime Fitness, Limitless Custom Apparel and everyone helping make The Valley Run Club such a welcoming part of the local running community.

📲 Follow The Valley Run Club on Instagram

Michael Rixon joins Sam and James Tunbridge after smashing the sub-2:50 barrier with a 2:48:42 at the Sydney Marathon.

Michael breaks down how he progressed from 2:57, despite beginning his marathon build with zero mileage after an Achilles injury. He shares the conservative pacing strategy that allowed him to negative split Sydney, run his fastest 5K between 30K and 35K, and finish strongly when others began to fade.

The boys also discuss Michael’s 700g-per-day carb load, race-day fuelling, the benefits of strength and Hyrox training, and whether he can back up for a 2:45 attempt at Melbourne just five weeks later.

James provides an update on the neuromuscular issue behind his collapsed foot arch, his gradual return to running and the rehabilitation work he hopes will eventually take him back under 15 minutes for 5K. Meanwhile, Sam continues recovering from his post-Japan illness and looks ahead to racing 10 laps of the Canberra Outlet Centre.

Also covered: Michael’s 17:12 5K and 1:16 half-marathon PBs, running fast on heavy legs, Puma Fast-R 3 calf soreness, the Adidas Adizero Boston as a value long-run option, Brooks Ghosts, orthotics and plenty more.

Fresh from a huge weekend of racing, Sam is joined by Luke Hince and Pat Miller to recap their performances at Sutherland to Surf and the Harbour 10.

Luke breaks down his commanding Sutherland to Surf victory before backing up with a brilliant 28:51 for second place at Harbour 10. He discusses his race selection, pre-race primer sessions, competing against one of the strongest fields in the country and what comes next—including City2Surf, Zatopek and a possible move up to the half marathon.

Pat reflects on his breakthrough 34:48 PB in his first major 10K event. He shares how he navigated the crowds, committed to the sub-35 pacer and resisted checking his watch while battling through the course’s difficult gravel section.

Sam also reviews his own 37:20 official PB—an encouraging result despite falling short of expectations—and explains why he plans to stay patient, continue focusing on 5K and 10K sessions and gradually build his mileage.

The episode covers race-day strategy, training in groups versus training alone, the challenges of the Harbour 10 course and whether Luke and his training partners should launch a podcast of their own.

Sam is joined by returning co-host Karen Blay to chat with one of the Illawarra's fastest middle-distance runners, Tom March.

Tom opens up about his running journey—from discovering the sport as a nine-year-old through to becoming the 2024 NSW 1500m State Champion and running personal bests of 1:51 for 800m, 3:45 for 1500m, and 14:29 for 5km.

The conversation also dives into the reality of elite sport, as Tom shares the challenges of dealing with a long-term osteitis pubis injury, how he's adapted his training with cross-training, gym work and lactate testing, and why he believes he's fitter now on lower mileage than when he was running 170km weeks.

We also cover:

• Tom's coaching journey and training philosophy
• Lactate testing and threshold-based training
• Managing injuries and avoiding common training mistakes
• Bicarb supplementation—when it works and when it doesn't
• Favourite running gear and injury management tools
• Karen's Melbourne Marathon build and biggest training week of the year
• Sam's Harbour 10 preparations
• A classic Strava rant and the latest local running results

Whether you're chasing a PB, managing an injury, or just love hearing how elite athletes train, there's plenty to take away from this episode.