RUNcensored

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

Episode 52 – Christmas-Themed Chat GBTEpisode 52 of the RUNcensored Podcast is a Christmas-themed Chat GBT episode, with no guest this week and no real agenda, just a relaxed chat fuelled by festive questions and running banter. Gary, Ben and Chris sit down for an end of year catch up and work their way through a mix of running, Christmas, and slightly ridiculous listener style questions.The episode starts with the usual waffle and catch up, touching on illness, orienteering, and general December fatigue, before leaning into the festive themes. The lads debate the best Christmas deodorant gift packs, share tips for keeping fit over Christmas without overthinking it, and discuss how runners can balance training with food, family time and switching off.There’s plenty of light hearted running chat throughout, including whether a RUNcensored Christmas run or party for listeners could ever happen, how long you could realistically run fuelled purely on mince pies, and what to buy a runner for Christmas when they already seem to have everything they need.The conversation also covers festive races, Christmas Day runs, winter running traditions, and the strange rituals runners seem to develop at this time of year. As expected, Chris doesn’t escape without taking some stick, with a festive question involving Tottenham Hotspur, Christmas decorations, and recent trophy counts.The episode wraps up with Christmas themed running traditions, festive food ideas using leftovers, and a relaxed outro.A fun, informal episode full of running chat, festive nonsense, and the kind of conversations that usually happen mid run or post run at this time of year.#runningpodcast #trailrunning #ultrarunning #christmasrunning #winterrunning #runningcommunity #orienteering #runnerslife

In this episode Gary and Ben sit down for a full, unfiltered debrief of their weekend at Kendal Mountain Film Festival— a mix of trail running chaos, filmmaking challenges, questionable decision-making and the kind of moments that only ever seem to happen at Kendal.They start with the usual warm-up waffle, Gary battling what feels like every illness under the sun, and Ben proudly turning up in his Leeds shirt before the conversation shifts into everything they experienced across the festival. From SportShoes’ involvement and the importance of creating a genuinely positive experience for runners, to the energy around The North Face stand and the iconic Kendal Yurt, the episode gives a clear picture of what it’s like working at one of the biggest outdoor festivals in the world.Gary and Ben talk through the films that hit them hardest this year: Tala’s emotional Pyrenees crossing, Josh’s beautifully shot mountain film, Elsie’s moving story about Alzheimer’s in Cornwall, and Steph Case’s powerful exploration of pregnancy and IVF. Each film sparked conversations that carried through the whole weekend.There’s also plenty of orienteering chat after taking part in the Kendal session, including how sharp the GB team really are, the different checkpoint styles, and the ski slope section that caused its fair share of problems. Gary throws himself into QuidGames too, and gives a full breakdown of how competitive it actually gets, what he learned from the elites, and the ideas being thrown around for next year’s version — including the brilliantly chaotic “Run Like Haggis.”They recap the Kendal 10K and 50K races, the Saturday film screenings, the Salomon party, and the late-night characters they always seem to meet at these events — including Brian the Oasis designer and a few new faces who added to the fun.Gary also reflects on filming across the whole weekend, trying to capture the scale and atmosphere of the festival, and why the experience has finally convinced him to start taking orienteering training more seriously. The episode wraps up with thoughts on how Kendal could grow in 2025 and the kind of competitions they’d love to introduce.A relaxed, honest and funny look inside the busiest weekend of the trail running and adventure film calendar.

Episode 50 marks a huge milestone for RUNcensored — and to celebrate, we handed the mic to ChatGPT. Yes, really. The world’s most talkative AI became our producer for the day, coming up with all the questions for Ben and Gary… and the results were equal parts insightful and ridiculous.Over the last 49 episodes, RUNcensored has featured some of the biggest names in trail running, ultra running, and fell running — from elite athletes like Holly Wootten and Tom Evans, to experts in nutrition, psychology, and navigation. In this special AI-powered chat, Ben and Gary reflect on everything they’ve learned (and a few things they probably should have learned by now).💬 Expect big questions and bigger laughs:What’s the hardest mental barrier you’ve had to push through in a race?Which nutrition myth did you finally ditch after speaking with experts like Paul?What can today’s trail runners learn from traditional club running culture?Which guest would you want to coach you for a season — and why?Who’s more likely to get lost mid-race: Gary with his GPX or Ben with his map?And the RUNcensored Awards — who wins Best Rant, Funniest Story, and Most Unexpected Guest Moment?It’s a hilarious and heartfelt look back on the journey so far — from mountain marathons to muddy mishaps — all through the lens of AI-generated chaos.If you love trail running, ultra marathons, mountain running, or just the kind of unfiltered running chat you can’t get anywhere else, this one’s for you.🎙 RUNcensored — the podcast where trail running meets real talk.Available now on Acast, Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts.#trailrunning #ultrarunning #fellrunning #runcensored #runningpodcast #chatgpt #ai #runningbanter #runnersofinstagram #ukrunchat #trailrunner #mountainrunning #ultrarunner #runchat #adventurerunning