The world's hardest races

Mick Duplock is truly remarkable. A season ultra-runner and Comrades finisher, he developed retinitis pigmentosa (aka tunnel vision) in his fifties, leaving him unable to see. Did it stop him from running? Not likely. Instead, at 82, he says he's never been more passionate about it. 'There are lots of things that I can't do,' he says, 'but I can still run.' If you're visually impaired and want to find a guide runner, visit: englandathletics.org/take-part/programmes/findaguide/ If you're interested in becoming a guide runner, visit: https://www.englandathletics.org/take-part/programmes/findaguide/become-a-guide-runner/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joining Ben and Rachel this week is former GB athlete and now supreme running coach, Jo Wilkinson. We chat about what it means to train hard, the different versions of this and what the main goal of any running that requires a lot of effort should be. We only mention David Goggins once. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We sat and down and thought, "What do we need to invent to make running better?" and here is what we came up with! Set a new PB using the FuelDrone or continue to run whatever the weather with ClimaBubble. These and many more semi-useful inventions that smarter people need to make. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ben and Rick speak to James Greenwell, a former elite pentathlete who is now finding gold medal success in the fast-paced world of biathle, aged 50. We talk training methods to cope with the need for speed, but avoiding injury, why swimming helps absorb some of the training load and how backing yourself to win is the greatest defensive against getting slow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

He got fourth place in a stacked field, on debut at a major, but who is Patrick Dever? We had a chat with Patrick to talk about this stand out performance, why he chose New York for debut, his training, the appeal of the marathon, the Olympic dream and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author, writer and journalist Duncan Craig joins Rick and Ben to talk about his recent attempt to race his younger self. 24-year-old Duncan ran the London Marathon in a time of 3:23, but 25 years later, can he beat that time? Well, you'll have to listen to find out, but more importantly (as with most running challenges) the lessons learned getting to the start line was much more significant than the end result. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Freshly crowned with not only a gold medal but also a world record from the 24 hour World Championships in Albi, France, Sarah Webster joined us to talk about her incredible performance, winning gold, what it takes to run for 24 hours, how a dislocated shoulder nearly ruined her build up, what it's like to hit your running peak in your forties and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Taking a punt at listing some of the hardest races out there, Rick and Ben are joined by Rachel to discuss the criteria of what makes a race hard and what races should be on your bucket list if all you want to do is really suffer! There are of course some ultras, but what about a 2K race with 1000m of elevation? Yeah, that kind of thing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever heard someone say something like, "the marathon begins at mile 20" and thought that simply isn't true? Us too. Rick and Ben discuss running's greatest fallacies, most being just daft things people say, some are a bit troubling or dismisses and others are fundamentally wrong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rick, Ben and Rachel sit down and critique the spotify marathon playlist and discuss whether the songs would make it onto their own running playlist, plus they offer up a song each that really gets them ready to run! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices