#168: From Elite Swimming to Firefighting: Lauren Quigley's Journey

Backstroke ace, Lauren Quigley joins us at the start of a Commonwealth Games year to reflect on the medals she won at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and during an illustrious career at saw her crack the 60 second mark for 100m backstroke (long course).Hailing from a swimming family, we discuss the intense pressure she felt leading into the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Trials, and how her experiences as an elite swimmer have shaped her new career as a firefighter.Lauren talks about the sense of community from taking part in masters swimming and representing the fire service swimming team and offers a host of tips for anyone looking to improve their swimming performances.

John Wood joins Helen Gorman to reflect on the European Masters Short Course Championships held in Lublin, Poland. We discuss everything from John's impressive gold medal and lifetime best performance in the 100m butterfly to the size of pizza slices available at the pool cafe. We review the world record breaking performances and highlight a few star performances by British swimmers. We also cover the organisation of the championships and the value of having a major international short course event in the masters calendar.Celebrating a new year, we look at key meets for 2026, and how to structure training cycles. We also consider the importance of preparation meets and scheduled recovery.

Rival Inter County team managers from Surrey (Laura Kerrigan) and Hampshire (James MacTavish) take on the 'Inter County Christmas Cup', a new podcast game show devised without any rules or a scoring system. Helen Gorman asks the questions and Joe Malone is called in work out who wins. This Christmas special covers training traditions as well as a review of what happened in 2025. We put forward nominations for the Freestyle Media masters swimmer of the year and look ahead to 2026. See you all in the new year, thanks for listening! Follow us on Instagram for video clips and https://www.instagram.com/freestyle_media_swimming/. Visit https://www.allensswimwear.co.uk and use the code ‘MastersPod’ to access discount on non-sale items.

Hear from Jane Asher following her induction into the Swim England Hall of Fame. Jane has broken over 100 master’s swimming world records and won numerous world titles. Now she’s preparing for the next age group with a laser focus on the record books! Even in her 90s, her swims are a master class in technique and pacing and her approach to training is a lesson in longevity (assuming no one gets in her way!) Hear stories from Jane’s childhood, including moving from Zambia to South Africa to get treatment for malaria, a life-threatening condition at the time, and how that move enabled a celebrated swimming career to begin. Follow https://www.instagram.com/freestyle_media_swimming/ to access video footage and some bonus interview snippets. Visit https://www.allensswimwear.co.uk and use the code ‘MastersPod’ to access discount on non-sale items.

This week, we meet Glen Christiansen, a Swedish Olympian and Masters World Record holder. We discuss Glen's journey from elite swimmer to coach, his heart breaking experience at the 1980 Olympics, why he attended the first ever World Masters Championships in Tokyo, and his recovery from a serious accident that resulted in him needing to relearn how to walk, talk and eat. Glen shares insights on the evolution of Masters swimming, his coaching philosophy, and the significance of his recent induction into the Masters Swimming Hall of Fame. The conversation highlights the challenges and triumphs of a life dedicated to swimming, both in competition and coaching.

Imagine doing just five months of training and breaking 50 seconds for the 100m freestyle? That’s exactly what Arran Francis did and he’s now one of the most exciting new faces on the masters swimming scene. Helen Gorman tracked him down to find out more.Arran talks through why joining Trafford Swimming Club was the best decision he’s made this year and what he hopes to achieve from here.He’s also a high achiever in the business world, managing three YouTube channels and commentating daily on eSports and Formula One. Arran explains his work and discusses the similarities and differences between gaming, motor sports and swimming.

This week, we meet Reg Lloyd, who shares his journey from elite swimming to managing type 1 diabetes and finding unexpected joy in masters swimming.He discusses the highs that earned him a stunning personal best time of 1 minute 46.1 for the 200m freestyle and securing a place at the National Performance Centre in Stirling to the significant health challenges that ended his elite swimming career. He discusses the training methods that have shaped his mindset and underlines the importance of good friends.As a key part of relay teams with TheSwimSuitGuy (Sonny Trigg), Reg has broken multiple masters world records, but the most important dynamic has been the fun and motivation that comes from being part of a team.Hosted by Helen Gorman.

Host Helen Gorman chats to Fleur and Spencer Turner, a well-known and very high achieving couple in the British Masters swimming community. They discuss their experiences at the US Masters Championships in Federal Way this summer, their achievements (including world record breaking relays), and the dynamics of being a competitive family. We also look at the structure of their Basingstoke Bluefins club, and Spencer’s role as a coach and administrator. They share insights on training, the importance of teamwork, and their future goals.

After coaching Trafford to the Top Club award for the fourth year in a row, Bob Bolton joins Helen Gorman to review the National Masters Championships in Sheffield. Discussion covers record breaking swims, notable performers and unique insight into training and racing.Don’t miss this fun and insightful look at the Championships, which saw 17 world records smashed.Bob also looks at the overall success and future of the event given his position on the Masters Working Group.

George Taplin joins the Masters Swimming Podcast to discuss his record-breaking end-to-end swim in Lake Windermere. George has a unique perspective on ecology and cleaning up our waterways given his full-time employment in the water industry. George grew up training with Olympic champion, Tom Dean in Maidenhead and now lives, trains and works full time in Leeds. He swam Windermere’s 10.5miles at an average pace of 1:09 per 100m to break the record for swimming the length of England’s longest lake. He shares insights on pacing, fuelling, and the psychological aspects of endurance swimming. Visit Allen’s of Kingsbury to update your swimsuits and gear: https://www.allensswimwear.co.uk. Use discount code MastersPod for 10% discount – code valid until 14/11/25 on full priced items.