The Runna Podcast

Please note: this episode contains references to suicide and mental health. If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to a healthcare professional for support.

Fergus Crawley attempted to take his own life ten years ago. This year, on the anniversary of that day, he set a Guinness World Record for 10 Ironman-distance triathlons in 10 days, across 10 UK cities, raising money for CALM.

This week, Anya sits down with the hybrid athlete to talk about the three concussions that ended his rugby career, the years he spent telling no one what he was going through, and the day in Cardiff, eight days into his Ironman challenge, when he genuinely thought it was over.

In this episode:
🏉 Rugby to Rock Bottom: three concussions in four weeks, and the void that followed
🧠 Rock Bottom & Recovery: his 2016 suicide attempt, and eighteen months of silence
💪 Why Endurance Helps: five reasons training supports mental health, without being a substitute for it
🌍 Project TENacity: the Guinness World Record he kept quiet until it was done

🎧 New episodes every Friday with Olympians, World Record holders, and inspiring voices from the running community.

🎁 Try Runna FREE for 2 weeks with code PODCAST26: https://web.runna.com/redeem?code=PODCAST26
📺 Watch the full episode → youtube.com/@therunnapodcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Doing everything right but not seeing the results? You're not alone, and it's rarely about trying harder.
This week, Coach Steph and Anya unpack the four most common reasons a runner's training plateaus: unclear goals, the "grey zone" trap, under-recovering, and skipping strength work, plus practical fixes for each one.

What You'll Learn:
🎯 Why you need a real goal, not just a vague one
⚖️ Why your easy runs probably aren't easy enough
😴 The three things that actually drive recovery
💪 Why strength training could be the missing 6% edge

Covering everything from goal-setting and easy pace discipline to sleep, nutrition and strength work: this is the perfect guide for anyone who feels stuck at the same pace no matter how hard they train.

Want to give Runna a go?
🆓 Try it FREE for 2 weeks with code: PODCAST26
👉 https://web.runna.com/redeem?code=PODCAST26

🎧 Take this on your next run → https://linktr.ee/runnapodcast

📱 Follow for more running content:
Instagram → @runna
TikTok → @runna

📺 Watch more episodes → @therunnapodcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lucy Davis has been called masculine her whole life. And she wants other women to stop treating strength and femininity as a contradiction.

This week, Anya sits down with Lucy, the true embodiment of the hybrid athlete to talk about leaving competitive swimming at 18, breaking the HYROX Women's Open World Record on her first ever solo race, and going on to run multiple sub-3-hour marathons and ultras.

Lucy is also honest about developing an eating disorder in her early twenties, and how learning to focus on what her body could do, rather than how it looked, changed her relationship with sport for good.

We get into refusing to be boxed in, her sister Megan's role in building activewear brand Aesene, and Lucy’s recent comeback from knee surgery - including a secret first-ever half Ironman she told no one about until it was done. Plus, we get a podcast exclusive on her first marathon back since surgery!

In this episode:
🏊‍♀️ From Swimmer to World Record Breaker: leaving competitive swimming at 18 and stumbling into HYROX by accident on her first ever solo race
🕳️ Sitting With Discomfort: her mindset for pushing through the "pain cave" when everything in her wants to stop
💪 Refusing to Be Boxed In: one sport, one idea of femininity, one idea of success - and why she's rejected all three
🧠 Body Image & Sport: her honest reflection on developing an eating disorder in her early twenties, and the shift from how her body looked to what it could do
🩹 The Secret Comeback: a first-ever half Ironman just six months after knee surgery, telling no one until it was done
🎙️ A Podcast Exclusive: her first marathon back since surgery

Please note: this episode contains references to disordered eating. If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to a healthcare professional for support.

🎧 New episodes every Friday with Olympians, World Record Holders, and inspiring voices from the running community.
🎁 Try Runna FREE for 2 weeks with code PODCAST26: https://web.runna.com/redeem?code=PODCAST26
📺 Watch the full episode → youtube.com/@therunnapodcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feeling that September pull to reset your running routine or set some new goals? You're not imagining it.

This week, Coach Steph and Anya break down the psychology of the "fresh start effect" and why this time of year makes us all feel more motivated. Steph shares three practical coaching tips you can use to turn that motivation into a routine that actually survives winter: from setting realistic goals, to preparing for the winter season ahead, and carrying summer's mindset forward.

What You'll Learn:
🧠 The psychology behind why September feels so motivating
🎯 How to set realistic goals based on where you are now, not where you wish you were
❄️ Why winter training gets harder, not easier, and how to prepare for it
💪 How to lose the all-or-nothing mindset and adjust your plan instead of abandoning it
🧥 Simple ways to prepare mentally and physically before conditions toughen up
☀️ Why carrying your summer running joy into autumn helps you stick with it

Want to give Runna a go?
🆓 Try it FREE for 2 weeks with code: PODCAST26
👉 https://web.runna.com/redeem?code=PODCAST26

🎧 Take this on your next run → https://linktr.ee/runnapodcast

📱 Follow for more running content:
Instagram → @runna
TikTok → @runna

📺 Watch more episodes → @therunnapodcast

Sources: Dai, H., Milkman, K.L., & Riis, J. (2014). The Fresh Start Effect. Management Science.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jordan Litz went from the US Olympic Trials in swimming to becoming the longest-running Fiyero in Wicked's history, first on Broadway and now in the West End's 20th anniversary production.

Anya sits down with Jordan to talk about the wildest crossover of endurance and performance: running the New York City Marathon last year and then walking straight onto the Wicked stage for two full shows, forty minutes after crossing the finish line.

Jordan talks about the discipline that carried him from a black line in a swimming pool to eight shows a week on stage, training for a marathon around fatherhood and a demanding schedule with Runna, and why he's changing everything for a redemption run at the 2026 New York City Marathon.

In this episode:
🏊 Pool to Stage: US Olympic Trials swimmer to Broadway's longest-running Fiyero
🏙️ Marathon Meets Matinee: NYC Marathon followed by two Wicked performances, same day
💪 High-Performance Repetitiveness: 1,800 shows, 20 years of swimming, and what consistency really takes
👨‍👧‍👧 Time Management: Training with Runna around eight shows a week and being a dad
🎯 The Redemption Arc: Chasing a faster marathon (and Harry Styles) in 2026

New episodes every Friday with Olympians, World Record Holders, and inspiring voices from the running community.

🎁 Try Runna FREE for 2 weeks with code PODCAST26:
https://web.runna.com/redeem?code=PODCAST26

📺 Watch the full episode → youtube.com/@therunnapodcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.