Our season finale features the incredible Siân Longthorpe.

Running has been an integral part of Siân’s life for the past 35 years. For many years, as a decent club runner, the focus was on training hard to race everything from 5Ks through to ultra marathons – both on the road and the trails – with a marathon PB of 2:35. However, since 2016, racing has largely taken a back seat, with running instead helping to navigate the particularly challenging process of transitioning from male to female. For the past four years, Siân has been a proud member of the ASICS FrontRunner team and primarily runs nowadays to stay fit and healthy – both physically and mentally – keeping her competitive spirit alive by pace-making at local running events, with the occasional race thrown-in for good measure. Here we talk about how hormone treatment affected her running physically and mentally, how she sees her PB's now and how we can do more to help represent and support our transgender brothers and sisters within the sport. We also talk about barriers to participation and dispel some of the myths around safeguarding and what it actually takes to be a trans athlete. This is a brilliant episode, and I hope people will find it helpful - I would like to thank Sian for her braveness and honesty throughout - I'm sure it will really help a lot of people. Helpful resources can be found at Transactual (https://transactual.org.uk/) and Trans Unite (https://www.trans.ac.uk/ResourcesInformation/OrganisationsCommunity/tabid/7258/Default.aspx)

The Running Won't Save You podcast is proudly sponsored by XMiles - get 10% off all web orders using the code RWSY10. www.xmiles.co.uk.

We are also proud to support The Green Runners, Pre-Loved Sport and the Re-Action Collective. Give them a google to see how you can get involved.

And finally, if you have time, give us a like, follow or review wherever you get your pods.

This week we have the Northern Traverse course recording holding, tea drinking, Danby Wiske hating Damian Hall co-hosting a podcast that we had to record twice because Allie deleted the first set of files.

Find out what Damos best bits, worst bits and most babyish bits of the NT were, how he became both an unlikely fashion icon and a groundbreaking chef on the course plus when does and ultra just become a big walk? Allie has to issue YET ANOTHER public apology, there's some extremely exciting tea chat and we give out some last minute London Marathon advice.

The Running Won't Save You podcast is proudly sponsored by XMiles - get 10% off all web orders using the code RWSY10. www.xmiles.co.uk.

We are also proud to support The Green Runners, Pre-Loved Sport and the Re-Action Collective. Give them a google to see how you can get involved.

And finally, if you have time, give us a like, follow or review wherever you get your pods.

What have poodles, umbrellas, VIP boxes and the sky falling in got in common? They are all things that Kirsty saw on her incredible run from St Bees to Robin Hoods Bay on this year's Northern Traverse.

In this episode Kirsty talks about comparing events when you've done them more than once, and how to know when you're ready to take on these huge distances.

She also shares with us her newest endurance challenge - reading the Hardest Geezers book. There are some of your questions anwsered as well as the usual waffle - let us know what you think in the reviews/comments.

The Running Won't Save You podcast is proudly sponsored by XMiles - get 10% off all web orders using the code RWSY10. www.xmiles.co.uk.

We are also proud to support The Green Runners, Pre-Loved Sport and the Re-Action Collective. Give them a google to see how you can get involved.

And finally, if you have time, give us a like, follow or review wherever you get your pods.

This week Allie is joined by Holly straight off her incredible second place at The Speed Project - we talk about the highs and lows, the blood, sweat, tears and people telling you wrong distances.

Theres a great 15 mins section at the end where we have all the hosts on for the first time ever, as Damian and Kirsty celebrate completions, wins and records set at the 200-mile Northern Traverse. What a bunch of overachievers eh?

The Running Won't Save You podcast is proudly sponsored by XMiles - get 10% off all web orders using the code RWSY10. www.xmiles.co.uk.

We are also proud to support The Green Runners, Pre-Loved Sport and the Re-Action Collective. Give them a google to see how you can get involved.

And finally, if you have time, give us a like, follow oir review wherever you get your pods.

Thie weeks podcast is a bit different, and some might find it distressing from the start.

Please jump straight to the interview at about 10 mins in if you don't want to hear about Allie's struggles with depression over the last few days.

The main feature today is a brilliant interview between professional frenemies Damian Hall and John Kelly. They discuss what made the Barkley so hard this year and ask the question can you compare Barkleys, Spines or Tors? They also talk about what comparison means to JK who comes up with some very wise and really helpful answers. Thanks to John and Damian for stepping in.

The Running Won't Save You podcast is proudly sponsored by XMiles - get 10% off all web orders using the code RWSY10. www.xmiles.co.uk.

We are also proud to support The Green Runners, Pre-Loved Sport and the Re-Action Collective. Give them a google to see how you can get involved.

And finally, if you have time, give us a like, follow or review wherever you get your pods.

There is discussion about mental health crisis and suicidal ideation from the start.

This week Allie is re-joined by podcast fave Kirsty Reade who has once again 'done the research' and has a whole host of interesting stuff to share. You can expect chat about Bullshit Comparisons (the excellent book by Andrew Brookes) Josie Perry's top tips for not comparing yourself to others and why our sense of perspective is totally fucked.

It's a proper banger of an episode. Recommended today are the Billy Monger Comic relief documentary The Race is On (iPlayer), and The Finisher (Jasmin at the Barkley) on YouTube, plus Josie Perrys excellent book The Ten Pillars of Success.

The Running Won't Save You podcast is proudly sponsored by XMiles - get 10% off all web orders using the code RWSY10. www.xmiles.co.uk.

We are also proud to support The Green Runners, Pre-Loved Sport and the Re-Action Collective. Give them a google to see how you can get involved.

And finally, if you have time, give us a like, follow or review wherever you get your pods.

Brace yourself! (that's a super funny joke about this week's pod....)

This week is a Holly Stables special where we talk about all things Speed Project before she jogs off into the sunset via some horrendous roads, deserts and bitey things.

This episode has some ace questions for you lot plus a brilliant conversation about what we shall call Inspiring Comparison - the stuff that lifts us up and keeps us pushing in a super positive way. To keep up to SPEED with Hollys fun adventure you can follow @thespeedproject @rushbynature and search Make Running on YouTube. You can also watch the new Barkley documentary 'The Edge of Possible' on YouTube now.

The Running Won't Save You Podcast is proudly sponsored by XMiles - get 10% off all web orders using the code RWSY10. www.xmiles.co.uk.

We are also proud to support The Green Runners, Pre-Loved Sport and the Re-Action Collective. Give them a google to see how you can get involved. And finally, if you have time, give us a like, follow or review wherever you get your pods.

Damos back! And he's fresh of a 40-mile race that he DIDN'T win....so we have a great opportunity to talk about who DID win, and how an elite athlete see's comparison and competition.

Huge congrats to Ellis Davis and big ups to Limitless Trails for their excellent events.

There's a good chat on comparable races actually ARE when there are so many variables, and we answer a couple of listener questions and talk about the incoming Northern Traverse and how that feels different to Damos FKT.

The Running Won't Save You podcast is proudly sponsored by XMiles - get 10% off all web orders using the code RWSY10. www.xmiles.co.uk

We are also proud to support The Green Runners, Pre-Loved Sport, and the Re-Action Collective. Give them a google to see how you can get involved. And finally, if you have time, give us a like, follow or review wherever you get your pods.