Sam and Katie catch up on the podcast and dive into fresh ideas for the new year — including the expanding partnership with Run Havoc. It’s shaping up to be a big 2026 with more episodes, more collaborations, and some new concepts brewing behind the scenes.

Katie drops a huge training update with an 83km week, highlighted by a brutal 12 × 200m on / 200m float session and some smooth, controlled tempo work on Friday.

Sam checks in with a 58km week, featuring 6 × 1km on gravel at 3:30–3:40 pace, plus an 18km long run alongside Jack Ratz, rolling the Run Shellharbour course and getting a feel for the terrain ahead.

• Cans of Energy Drink

• A vintage Tempo Training article from the 80s

Sam sits down with Riley Kilham for the first instalment of our new monthly segment. Riley has generously thrown in a $100 Run Havoc voucher for one TFTV listener each month — absolute legend 🙌

This month we dive into Riley’s training week — including some spicy continuous track work and pacing his mate to a 1:25 half at Husky.

Shoe of the Month: Nike Vomero Plus (early contender for shoe of the year 👀)

Nutrition of the Month: Pillar Performance Triple Magnesium

Apparel of the Month: Never Running Race Singlet

Big thanks to Riley and the crew at Run Havoc for the support 💥

Sam catches up with Hamish “Kerns” Simpson, fresh off 30 loops at Reds Backyard Ultra (203.7km).

Hamish has lined up at Reds three years in a row, but this year looked different — after linking up with super coach Barry Keem, he’s built consistency, structure and serious momentum. The results speak for themselves with PBs across the board this year, including 17:58 for 5k and 3:08 for the marathon.

Hamish breaks down the physical, emotional and nutritional demands of Backyard Ultra racing, and how he’s refined his training across multiple attempts. There’s no time to feet-up though — he’s rolling straight into the Kosciuszko 100-miler in just four weeks.

He also shares a peek into a peak week featuring:

• Backyard simulation loops

• 32km Kiama Coastal Trail long run

• Hard 3km effort + 6km tempo

Sam recaps his own week logging 57km, nailing the workout but battling through the long run.

Segments this episode

• Café Kit of the Week

• Vomero Plus review

• City Cave magnesium float

• Round the Club shoutouts

• Run Huskisson podium recap

And of course — huge shoutout to Barry Keem.

This week, Sam & Katie chat with up-and-coming triathlete Jack Caldwell. Hailing from Eden on the Far South Coast of NSW, Jack has been training from a young age. A naturally strong swimmer who also shone in school cross country, Jack eventually combined both strengths—adding cycling into the mix—to discover his talent in triathlon.

After playing a range of sports growing up, Jack began racing Sprint Triathlons throughout high school. Earlier this year, he claimed the Men’s Junior Title for the Oceania Region in Devonport—clocking a blistering 15:15 5K off the bike. He also boasts a 14:56 PB from a Sydney workout, and fondly recalls defending his Panboola Wetlands parkrun course record.

Jack was all set for World Tri in Wollongong, but a pair of stress fractures and other setbacks have forced some recovery time. He’s now building back gradually, with eyes on moving to the Gold Coast in 2026 to train full-time.

• Katie hits 3 x 1K off 90s (3:20 splits) plus some 400s off a 200 float. She’s taking a weekend off with suspected iron deficiency, rounding out at 63 km for the week.

• Sam clocks 43 km running across four sessions and 105 km cycling on the off days.

• Jack shares a look at a massive training week from when he was fit—30 hours total, including 30 km swimming, 63 km running, a 5K PB, plus gym and cycling.

• Japanese U-Turn

• ASICS Metaspeed Ray

• Heavy Lifting

• Matt Hauser — for taking out the World Triathlon in Wollongong

• Reds Backyard Ultra — huge props to everyone clocking some wild distances out there!

This week, Sam & Katie sit down with the incredibly inspiring Taya Mae. Fresh off a huge PB streak — 42:51 for 10K at Shellharbour and a 3:20 marathon in Melbourne just last weekend — Taya shares her unique journey through running, bodybuilding, and powerlifting.

Having dabbled in running during high school and more consistently in 2023, Taya spent much of 2024 focused on bodybuilding, backing her running with serious gym strength. However, a recent ramp-up in running volume has brought on a battle with shin splints.

What makes Taya’s story even more remarkable is her resilience in the face of multiple health challenges, including celiac disease, degenerative joint disease, and fused joints in her lower back. Yet despite it all, she never stops moving and continues chasing big goals. Up next? The Husky Half Marathon and a Hyrox event later this year.

🏃‍♂️ Training Talk: Sam slots in 3 runs and 3 rides this week, highlighted by a spicy 543215 session (off 1-minute walk recoveries) with paces from 3:57 down to 3:23/km. Katie’s week includes sharp 82-second 400s, a strong 4x5 min @ ~3:35/km, and her biggest week back post-injury — 87km total!

☕ Café Kit of the Week:

• LSKD 4-inch shorts
• ICE sleeve for shin relief
• Waterdrop Hydralite Microlite

🗞️ Round the Clubs News:

• Liam Manton smashes the GC50 50km in 9th place
• Gong5000 hits the track on Nov 15
• Husky Marathon Festival lands the first weekend of November

Sam catches up with past guest Rede Carney, who’s turned 2025 into a PB-fest: 16:55 at a KJ track night, 34:42 through 10k at Sutho2Surf, 1:18 for the half — then a surprise 2:46 at Sydney Marathon (9-minute out-performance on the day) and a 2:51 for 2nd at Shellharbour on tired legs. We talk training density, racing with family, and rebuilding with a conservative approach that still totals 16–18 hours between swimming and gym.

Training diaries: Katie joins late with a week of track, Hyrox, and her longest post-injury run (21km). Sam’s mixing three runs with cycling & swimming, and sneaks in a gravel session in Bega for JPM CC — splits trending the right way.

Café Kit of the Week: Pinnacle Podiatry insoles, Saucony Endorphin Pro, and the humble K-mart singlet. Round the Clubs: Shoutout to Lea and the Carney clan after a big Shellharbour weekend; plus past-guest updates from Melbourne, and a Valencia roll call (Russ Dessaix-Chin, Mitch Ryan, Josh “JOSH10” Engel, Stefan Deane-Smith, Greg Frost, Jacob Foster). Event plug: GONG5000 — Nov 15 at Unanderra Crit Track. Multiple seeded 5k races. Enter via Run Havoc / Wollongong Track Club IG or Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/gong5000-tickets-1767755667789

Sam & Katie sit down with Karla Maganto, co-founder of the DK Society Run Club alongside Toby Upton. Karla shares how running has completely transformed her lifestyle — from thinking she’d never run a half or full marathon to now balancing Hyrox workouts, strength training, and swimming. She’s passionate about movement, recovery, and building community in Canberra, investing serious time in compression, sauna, and structured training. Looking ahead, Karla’s got her eyes on a few shorter events and potentially a triathlon in the near future.

Training Weeks

• Katie continues to train smart, holding herself back just enough with descending intervals — from 3:30–3:40/km reps down to 36s 200s.

• Sam braves the cold on his NZ travels, starting his return-to-run sessions and sneaking in some early pace work.

• Karla fits in a massive week of double sessions, mixing running, Hyrox, and even Salsa dancing.

Café Kit of the Week

• OG Nike Sports Bra

• Dr Hydrate

• I Love Ugly Half Tights

News & Shoutouts

• Huge results from Run Shellharbour last weekend, capped off by Rhys Thorpe’s 2:41 marathon debut — solo effort in hot conditions.

Sam & Katie welcome their first official guest from Canberra — Dan Dreher. Dan has some seriously fast PBs, including 14:33 for 5k and 29:53 for 10k, all achieved off relatively low mileage and a relaxed, body-aware approach. He sees himself as a 5k/10k specialist, rarely running further than 21km, but with a strong emphasis on speed across his career. Dan shares his journey through Canberra’s running groups — from training under Gerard Ryan to now being part of Philo Saunders’ squad.

Training Weeks

• Katie is flying on the track, hitting some sharp 400m splits and building consistency.

• Sam continues to manage his shin with cross-training, including a 100km bike ride to round out his week.

• Dan had a quiet week while under the weather, but finished strong with a broken km session of 600m reps off 400m jogs.

Café Kit of the Week

• Goggles that actually keep water out

• SIS Gel

• Coles Baby Beetroots

Shoutouts & News

• Jared Clifford & Angus Hincksman

• Shellharbour Run this coming weekend

• Katie’s recap of the World Champs