RUNcensored

From making a handful of hats to Tom Evans winning UTMB in a VÅGA cap.In Part 2 with Ellis Bland, we dig into the real story behind VÅGA – how it started, the risks, the mistakes, and the moments that defined the brand. We talk hustling at races, becoming a fabric-first brand, resisting hype culture, and why making bombproof kit for long days out matters.Ellis shares the full UTMB story with Tom Evans, the Red Bull collaboration, and the exclusive news that VAGA is now producing headwear for Red Bull athletes globally. There’s also honest chat about Brexit, international expansion, grassroots athlete support, and staying local while going global.Unfiltered, honest, and very RUNcensored.#RUNcensored #TrailRunning #UltraRunning #VAGA #RunningPodcast #UTMB #UKRunning

Fell running culture, ultra racing, DNFs, identity loss, and rebuilding from injury.In EP57 of RUNcensored, Gary House and Ben Mounsey are joined by Ellis Bland of VÅGA for one of the most honest conversations we’ve had to date. From racing Borrowdale and Wasdale to beating Rob Hope with a 4:42 final mile, Ellis talks fell running legends, club vests, pub banter, and why fell running is built differently. We get into ultra success, the fear of DNF’ing, spinal injury, body dysmorphia, and the moment Ellis had to accept he might never run again.There’s also some mention of VÅGA, supporting athletes quietly, and why sometimes the best runs never make the headlines.Unfiltered, reflective, and very real.

Snow, suffering, sleep deprivation and serious questions about sanity – it’s a full Spine Race deep dive.Gary and Ben unpack this year’s Montane Winter Spine Race, the brutal winter conditions, unforgettable runner stories, and why neither of them would ever sign up. From exposed bones and 100-hour finishes on barely any sleep, to dot watching obsession and media crews living the race alongside the runners.There’s also chat about the National Running Show, ASICS, SportsShoes’ new women’s pro race team, the Elsey Davis Circuit of Cornwall film, UTMB documentary news, and what the future holds for the Spine.Honest opinions, dark humour, and a lot of respect for anyone mad enough to take it on.

In Episode 55 of the RUNcensored Podcast, we’re joined by photographer and friend of the podcast Rich Gill for his third appearance.Rich shares his journey from teaching into photography, how he first picked up a camera, and how running during lockdown helped shape his creative path. We talk openly about burnout, working full time while building a photography career, making himself ill, and the six week break that led to a major life decision.The conversation explores social media pressures, planning content, creative trends, client briefs, and the challenges of working major events like UTMB week. Rich talks about developing a storytelling approach to outdoor and lifestyle photography and reflects on how his work has evolved over time.We also discuss working with elite athletes and brands, including Alex Yee, Leigh Hodgkinson, Elsey Davis, UTMB runners, The Circuit of Cornwall, and Rich’s role on The North Face Explorer Team, plus the importance of community through The Peaky Runners.An honest conversation about creativity, balance, trust, and building a sustainable career in photography and running.#RUNcensored #TrailRunning #RunningPodcast #PhotographyPodcast #OutdoorPhotography#RunningCommunity #CreativeCareers #BurnoutRecovery #UTMB #TheNorthFace#LifestylePhotography #SportsPhotography #RunningLife #SocialMediaForCreatives#RunningMedia #UltraRunning #ContentCreation #PeakyRunners #AlexYee#ElsieDavies #LeighLeighHodgkinson #SportsShoes #RunningEvents #CreativeProcess#PhotographyLife #RunningCulture #UKRunning

It’s the final episode of the year and we’re wrapping things up with our completely unofficial RUNcensored Awards, looking back at the biggest moments in trail running and ultra running in 2025.We start with a discussion around trail shoes and trainers, talking through brands regularly seen on UK and European trails including Salomon, HOKA, Nike, adidas, La Sportiva and Altra, before moving on to the events, performances and people that defined the year. The conversation covers major races and formats such as UTMB, Ultra-Trail Snowdonia Eryri, Trans Gran Canaria, the London Marathon, the SHE Ultra, and the ever-growing popularity of the Backyard Ultra.Throughout the episode we hand out the RUNcensored Awards, including trail shoe of the year, best trail event, best running influencer, best performance, and trail runner of the year. Along the way we reference and discuss standout athletes from across the UK and international trail scene, including Sarah Perry, Anna Llewellyn, Jack Scott, Henrietta Alban, Holly Stables, Hugh Chatfield, Abby Hall, and Hannah Cox, as well as broader comparisons to endurance mindsets through figures like Alex Honnold.There’s a deeper discussion around what it really takes to be an ultra endurance athlete, with particular credit given to Sarah Perry following an incredible Backyard Ultra performance and record-setting time. Gary also shares honest advice on social media and content creation, talks about the impact of the Hardest Geezer, and outlines his own plans for 2026, including chasing a sub-2:30 London Marathon.Chris brings ChatGPT into the mix to name the best trail runner, best UK trail runner, and a breakthrough athlete for 2025, before we wrap things up by naming our podcast of the year and reflecting on another big year for the RUNcensored Podcast and the wider trail running community.#trailrunning #ultrarunning #runningpodcast #trailrunners #ultrarunner #trailshoes #utmb #ultratrailsnowdonia #transgrancanaria #sheultra #backyardultra #fkts #londonmarathon #hardestgeezer #uktrailrunning #endurancerunning #runcensored

🎄 We didn’t plan this Christmas Episode… and somehow that made it even better.Episode 53 of the RUNcensored Podcast is our official Christmas Episode and also marks one full year of the podcast. What started as a relaxed festive catch up quickly turned into one of our most honest, funny and reflective conversations so far.We kick things off with festive chaos, chatting about new van wheels, Christmas jumpers, retro football kits, dog clothing, terrible Christmas trees and vegan flapjacks. From there, it’s onto Christmas presents, including Ben’s now traditional jumpers and Rich Gill’s very posh shower gel gifts.At the heart of the episode is a look back on one year of RUNcensored, with Rich Gill returning to help us reflect on how the podcast has grown, the guests that have stood out, and the unexpected impact it’s had within the trail running and ultra running community.There’s a big, open conversation about Chris completing his first ultra, what it took physically and mentally, and how the support of the running community played a huge role. We also talk about what it’s like experiencing the podcast as a listener, why in person recordings feel so different to remote podcasts, and why seeing people share photos of themselves listening on long runs and trail runs genuinely means the world to us.We reflect on some standout moments from the past year, including Ben’s experience creating reels at UTMB in Chamonix, Gary’s evolving relationship with coaching, and why the podcast has become an important outlet for honest conversation beyond training plans and race results.There’s also time for a nod to Jacob Tonkin and the film George, a chat about how we choose guests for the podcast, a chaotic ranking of Celebration chocolates, and a final debate over the best Christmas films.A festive, messy and reflective episode that celebrates trail running, ultra running and the people who make this community what it is. Thank you to everyone who’s supported RUNcensored over the past year.#trailrunning #ultrarunning #runningpodcast #trailrunner #ultrarunner #ultramarathon #firstultra #runningcommunity #uktrailrunning #fellrunning #endurancerunning #longdistancerunning #mountainrunning #outdoorrunning #runnersofuk #runcensored #runcensoredpodcast #christmasepisode #christmaspodcast #festivepodcast #runninglife #podcastanniversary