RUNcensored

RUNcensored goes live in front of an audience for the very first time.Recorded at Love Trails Festival 2026, Gary House and Ben Mounsey are joined by Salomon mountain runner Betty Bergstrand for an honest and entertaining conversation covering elite trail running, travelling the world as a professional athlete, and the experiences that have shaped her career so far.Betty reflects on winning the 2024 Salomon UK Golden Trail Series, racing internationally, growing up in a family with deep roots in fell and mountain running, and embracing adventure both on and off the trails. The conversation also explores the continued growth of trail running, the opportunities it brings, and the realities of competing at the highest level.Throw in stories from Love Trails, plenty of laughs, and an important discussion about the legendary Beer Mile, and you've got another classic RUNcensored episode.If you enjoy the episode, don't forget to follow, rate and share the podcast.#RUNcensored #TrailRunning #MountainRunning #LoveTrails #BettyBergstrand #Salomon #GoldenTrailSeries #RunningPodcast #FellRunning #UltraRunning

This week Gary and Ben welcome Charlie Mackenzie, co-founder of Mackyard Events, to the RUNcensored podcast.Charlie talks about discovering trail running after moving back to Kendal during Covid, taking on the Bob Graham Round, falling in love with the Lakeland fells and why the friendships and experiences matter far more than finishing with a fast time.The conversation also explores the growth of ultra running and backyard ultras, before Charlie explains why he's paused a successful career in London finance to launch Mackyard Events alongside his brother Robin. Their aim? To create disruptive, experience-first events that offer something genuinely different for runners.It's an open, honest and entertaining chat covering trail running, adventure, community, entrepreneurship and the future of UK ultra running - with plenty of laughs from Gary and Ben along the way.Listen now and let us know what you'd want from the perfect ultra running event.#RUNcensored #TrailRunning #UltraRunning #BobGrahamRound #BackyardUltra #MackyardUltra #RunningPodcast #UKRunning #LakelandFells #TrailCommunity

Is this the biggest weekend in trail running?This week Gary and Ben look back on what we're calling trail running's Triple Crown weekend, with Western States 100, Marathon du Mont Blanc and Lavaredo by UTMB all landing on the same weekend.The lads break down the incredible racing at Western States, where the GOAT Kilian Jornet returned to take on Jim Walmsley, Francesco Puppi, Vincent Bouillard and one of the deepest fields ever assembled. With cooler temperatures than usual, records were always going to be under threat and the racing absolutely delivered.They also head to Chamonix for Marathon du Mont Blanc, where Tove Alexandersson once again reminded everyone why she might be the most dominant athlete in mountain sports, while the men's race produced a fascinating battle of its own.Ben reports back from Lavaredo after spending the week with La Sportiva, including a factory tour, an interview with CEO Giulia Delladio and his own outing in the Lavaredo 20k where he somehow came home with silverware for first old guy.There's also discussion around the Prodigio Pro, the ongoing tight compression shorts debate, England's World Cup chances and plenty of laughs along the way.And finally, the lads tackle one of running's most divisive questions: should you ever cross a finish line hand in hand? Gary has some thoughts.#RUNcensored #TrailRunning #WesternStates #Lavaredo #UTMB #MarathonDuMontBlanc #UltraRunning #RunningPodcast

A 44-year-old fell running record. Legendary rivalries. England and Great Britain vests. And one of the most talented athletes Yorkshire has ever produced.This week Gary and Ben welcome Mick "The Hawk" Hawkins to the RUNcensored Podcast.Best known as the King of Kilnsey, Mick still holds the Kilnsey Crag Fell Race record of 7 minutes 35 seconds, set back in 1982. More than four decades later, nobody has managed to get close enough to remove his name from the history books.The lads chat to Mick about his journey into running, the BOFRA scene, training in the Yorkshire Dales, his battles with fell running greats including Kenny Stuart, and the characters who shaped an unforgettable era of the sport.They also dive into the amateur versus professional divide that dominated athletics during the 1980s, Mick's experiences representing England and Great Britain 27 times, competing at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, almost breaking the four-minute mile, and setting a treadmill world record that disappeared almost as quickly as it arrived.A fascinating look back at British fell running through the eyes of one of its true legends.#RUNcensored #FellRunning #BOFRA #MickHawkins #KilnseyCrag #YorkshireRunning #RunningPodcast #TrailRunning #BritishAthletics #MountainRunning

Records smashed, mountain champs & Nike ACG on the fells 🎙️This week on RUNcensored we’re covering a bit of everything from the world of trail and mountain running.We head behind the scenes at the Centurion South Downs Way 100 — talking about what it’s really like creating media at a 100-mile race, capturing the suffering, the emotion, and the moments that tell the real story.And this year delivered something special… records were smashed in both the men’s and women’s races, with performances that raised the bar once again.We also chat about the recent European Mountain Running Championships, what stood out from the racing, and where the sport is heading.Plus, we get out on the fells with Nike ACG, testing kit in the environment it was made for and talking about the crossover between outdoor culture, performance and mountain running.Another episode of RUNcensored — the unfiltered side of the trails.

What does it actually take to support some of the world's best trail runners?Gary and Ben are live from the Chamonix Valley with SportsShoes for a special episode recorded at the launch of the new ASICS Basecamp.Joining them is Laurent Ardito, the man responsible for overseeing athlete strategy at ASICS. From supporting elite athletes with nutrition, sports psychology, physiotherapy and performance testing, to managing one of the biggest trail running teams in the sport, Laurent shares what goes on behind the scenes of professional trail running.The conversation explores the brand-new ASICS Basecamp in Les Houches, an athlete-focused facility built to support runners training and racing in the mountains around Chamonix. They also discuss the development of ASICS trail products, the rapid growth of trail running, the increasing standard of competition, and some of Laurent's favourite races.Plus, while in Chamonix, the lads couldn't resist attempting their own version of Satisfy's famous Circle Pit challenge.A brilliant insight into the world of elite trail running and the people helping athletes perform at their best.#RUNcensored #TrailRunning #ASICS #Chamonix #SportsShoes #UltraRunning #MountainRunning #RunningPodcast #LesHouches #TrailRunner #EnduranceSports

Rule no.1 of RUNcensored Club - we don’t do podcasts on Zoom.Rule no.2 of RUNcensored Club - we definitely don’t do podcasts on Zoom.Well… this week we broke the rules.The lads have been out in Chamonix filming their own version of the Circle Pit with Satisfy, and rather than leave you hanging another week, we’ve patched together a remote episode to celebrate one thing we couldn’t ignore - Mel Sykes absolutely smashing it at UTS.Mel returns to the pod to talk through one of the biggest performances of her running career and how it earned her a place on the CCC start line in Chamonix. The weather, the conditions, the suffering, the highs, the lows and the weird emotional rollercoaster that ultra running seems to drag all of us through eventually.We also touch on missing Quid Games in Keswick, throw together a very loose “Top 3”, rather than a “Top 5”, because standards have clearly slipped, and generally chat the usual amount of nonsense along the way.Audio quality? Slightly dodgy.Running chat? Still elite.If you’ve ever doubted yourself before a big goal… this one will hit home.Subscribe, follow, and share with your running mates.#RUNcensored #RunningPodcast #TrailRunning #UltraRunning #UTS #UltraTrail #TrailRunner #UltraRunner #MountainRunning #EnduranceRunning #RunningCommunity #UKRunning #TrailRun #UltraMarathon #RunningLife #RunnersOfInstagram #RunCulture #SatisfyRunning #CirclePit #Keswick #QuidGames #MelSykes #GaryHouse #BenMounsey #TrailRace #UltraRace #AdventureRunning #FellRunning #MountainAthlete #RunningMotivation #PainCave #EnduranceSport #LongRun #RaceDay #RunningChat #PodcastLife #YouTubePodcast #BritishRunning #TrailCommunity #RunnerLife #UltraCommunity #Mindset #SportsPodcast #RunningHumour #OffRoadRunning #TrailCulture #DistanceRunning #RunWild #TrailPodcast #DirtyMiles

Nike’s “Runners Welcome. Walkers Tolerated.” campaign split opinion in the running world recently - and Gary and Ben are diving straight into it.This episode of RUNcensored is a proper running current affairs chat covering the London Marathon build up, modern running culture, The 'House of SportsShoes’ Shoreditch pop-up, city running, Strava segments in Wetherspoons, ultras, coaching, and the 5 greatest occasions for a beer.The lads also tackle another round of ChatGBT listener questions, including:How to know if you could run an ultraDream running coachesBest race views everOne race they’d run again at peak fitnessBen’s idea to collab with Strava and WetherspoonsHonest, unfiltered running chat as always.Subscribe, follow, and share with your running mates.#RUNcensored #RunningPodcast #TrailRunning #Ultrarunning #NikeRunning #LondonMarathon #RunningCommunity #RunUK #UKRunning #RunningCulture #MarathonTraining #UltraRunning #Strava #Sportshoes #ChatGBT #RunningDebate #DistanceRunning #TrailLife #RunnerLife #PodcastUK

Cheap carbon shoes, influencer trends, and some properly unfiltered running opinions.Gary and Ben are back with another mixed bag episode covering everything from Ben’s public apology over a missed yellow sticker bargain to the rise of budget carbon-plated running shoes and whether they’re actually worth it.They chat about Jimmy Gressier’s latest European 5K record, the growing competition in the super shoe market, and why they’re still sceptical about £40 “performance” options from Lidl. There’s also discussion around influencer culture in running, smart (and not so smart) race hacks, and the balance between cost and quality when it comes to kit.The ChatGBT segment dives into the BPN Backyard Ultra, the debate around women in ultra running, plus listener questions on training, plyometrics, and the maddest kit they’ve seen out on the trails.The episode finishes with Gary and Ben picking their top 5 RUNcensored episodes so far, featuring some standout guests from the podcast’s history.Raw, honest, and very much off-script.#RUNcensored #TrailRunning #Ultrarunning #RunningPodcast #CarbonPlates #RunningShoes #Lidl #BackyardUltra #UKRunning #JimmyGressier