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The Women's Running Podcast
Ep 23. Special episode: Eddie Izzard
Season 1, Ep. 23
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In this very special extra episode we speak to Eddie Izzard. Eddie is a big runner and a trans woman. She made headlines recently when her decision to use she/her pronouns came to light. We wanted to talk to her about her running experiences, and to demonstrate the inclusivity and support of our community. Last year, Eddie decided it was time to do something big, and she wanted to use running to achieve it. Throughout January 2021, under the banner of Make Humanity Great Again, Eddie is running 31 marathons on a treadmill, and then performing 31 stand-up shows, in 31 days, in 31 virtual cities from across Europe and around the world. She’s doing this to raise money to give to charities that Make Humanity Great. These charities include Fareshare, Walking With The Wounded, Care International, United to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases and Covenant House New York City. Please donate to these causes by hitting the links below or donating to the numbers.
We talked to Eddie while she was running her 20th marathon in a virtual Helsinki. She talked to us about her running, and all the injuries that she’s currently suffering from. And we also talk about her pronouns, and the response that she’s had as a result. Eddie talks honestly about her experiences and her politics, expressing her own views – which do not necessarily reflect those of Women’s Running, but are certainly interesting listening. She talks frankly about Brexit, Donald Trump, and also John Major and a Curly Wurly – you have been warned. What Eddie is doing right now, the money she’s raising and her quest to spread positivity and hope makes her one of the most inspiring people we’ve ever spoken to.
Make Humanity Great Again Donation information:
Just go to eddieizzard.com and hit the ‘Donate’ button to give as much as you like via our Crowdfunder site.
Or if you have a UK phone, you can send a text instead.
To donate £10, just text the word TEN to 70810.
To donate £20, just text the word TWENTY to the same number - 70810.
How to join Eddie the 31-Day Challenge:
- Follow Eddie on Zwift Companion App
- When you enter Zwift there is the 'join another Zwifter', Eddie will appear near the top of that list, click the name, and a press run with Eddie. You can now join Eddie for the marathon attempt of the day.
Find out more on Eddie’s page here.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=67575412)More episodes
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282. Ep 282. Lisa Jackson
01:15:24||Season 1, Ep. 282Welcome to episode 282 of the Women’s Running podcast. I’m your host Esther Newman and she’s your other host Holly Taylor. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.In this episode, we were lucky enough to speak to the glorious Lisa Jackson - writer, author, runner, ambassador – a woman who is proud to have come last in 25 marathons (of which she has now run over a hundred). Lisa is an extraordinary woman who has suffered some horrific losses over the past few years, but has emerged phoenix-like, with a book and an unmatched energy: if you’re out there listening to this and not sure if you’re a runner, then Lisa is the woman you need to listen to.Lisa’s book Your Pace or Mine is the best book for new and slower runners. And her latest book, Still Running After All These Tears, is available to preorder and out on the 8th January in all good book shops.Now, if you aren’t a patron yet do join us on Patreon for just £2 a month, through which you can join our forum and listen to podcasts ad-free. You also get to come along to our Live Pods! Just head to patreon.com/womensrunning and join us for just £2 a month.OTHER THINGS Get expert coaching with the Coopah app. Use the code WOMENSRUNNING for two weeks free, plus 20% off a year’s coaching. Just head to coopah.com/womensrunningSubscribe to Women’s Running – and you can save 50%Get tickets to our live event ahead of the Bath Half 2026!Setting up your own podcast? Try Zencastr – we’ve been using it for ages and LOVE ITDo join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunningEmail us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories281. Ep 281. Kathrine Switzer
01:28:01||Season 1, Ep. 281Welcome to episode 281 of the Women’s Running podcast. I’m your host Esther Newman and she’s your other host Holly Taylor. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.Kathrine SwitzerThis is a very special Christmas Day episode, that we’ve been secretly waiting to launch on you for weeks now. In this, we talk to the legendary Kathrine Switzer, famously the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as an officially registered competitor in 1967. She tells us the story of that day, including how she coped when she was nearly pulled off the route by the race manager, and the highs and lows of a historic achievement that has paved the way for so many of us. We absolutely love Kathrine, and hope you enjoy this incredibly special podcast.Join us!Now, if you aren’t a patron yet do join us on Patreon for just £2 a month, through which you can join our forum and listen to podcasts ad-free. You also get to come along to our Live Pods! Just head to patreon.com/womensrunning and join us for just £2 a month.Lovely extra bitsGet expert coaching with the Coopah app. Use the code WOMENSRUNNING for two weeks free, plus 20% off a year’s coaching. Just head to coopah.com/womensrunningFind out more about 261 Fearless, the organisation set up by KathrineAnd take on board her brilliant marathon training tipsSubscribe to Women’s Running – and you can save 50%Get tickets to our live event ahead of the Bath Half 2026!Setting up your own podcast? Try Zencastr – we’ve been using it for ages and LOVE ITDo join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunningEmail us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories
10. Ep 10. Am I Nuts... for worrying about Christmas2
34:09||Season 7, Ep. 10Welcome to the second series of Am I Nuts. This is the last episode in a series of ten weekly podcasts from us at the Women’s Running podcast. I am your host Esther Newman, and she is your other host Holly Taylor. In this series, we wanted to explore some of the things that we’ve talked about on our big podcast – that’s the Women’s Running podcast – that don’t necessarily have anything to do with running. Hol and I are natural born worriers, and we’ve realized that in almost every episode, we talk about at least one of those worries – and we also realized that with many of them, we’ve thought we were the only ones. We thought we were nuts.In this episode, we’re considering whether we’re nuts to worry about Christmas, and I think we answer that before we’ve even begun. We talk about the emotional load of present buying, organising, food preparing and cooking, party hosting, and the stress of planning for one solitary day. Are we nuts? No we are not.Thank you so much for listening to us!Am I Nuts has been brought to you by the Women’s Running podcast – do please check it out wherever you listen to your podcasts for longer episodes to keep you company while you run. And if running is your thing, or you’d like it to be your thing, check out Women’s Running magazine – right now you can save up to 50% off the cover price. Just go to shop.womensrunning.co.uk to find out more.280. Ep 280. Christmas, icks, training fails
01:17:03||Season 1, Ep. 280Welcome to episode 280 of the Women’s Running podcast. I’m your host Esther Newman and she’s your other host Holly Taylor. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.Injuries and icksThis is the final episode we’re recording in 2025, which is kind of exciting because we’re very ready to put our feet up. After controversies involving red cabbage, we eventually get on to our running, you’ll be relieved to hear. We talk about impact injuries, general icks, and our high and low points in 2025. Have a very lovely Christmas if you celebrate it, enjoy your time off if you get it, and we wish you all a relaxed and peaceful new year. We have treats for you over the next couple of weeks with exclusive interviews with Kathrine Switzer and Lisa Jackson, so listen out for them on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day respectively.Join us!Now, if you aren’t a patron yet do join us on Patreon for just £2 a month, through which you can join Discord, our forum just for you. You also get to come along to our Live Pods! Just head to patreon.com/womensrunning and join us for just £2 a month.Lovely linksGet expert coaching with the Coopah app. Use the code WOMENSRUNNING for two weeks free, plus 20% off a year’s coaching. Just head to coopah.com/womensrunning Subscribe to Women’s Running – and you can save 50%Get tickets to our live event ahead of the Bath Half 2026!Setting up your own podcast? Try Zencastr – we’ve been using it for ages and LOVE ITDo join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunningEmail us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories
9. Ep 9. Am I Nuts to worry about... losing weight?
38:40||Season 7, Ep. 9Welcome to the second series of Am I Nuts. This is the ninth episode in a series of ten weekly podcasts from us at the Women’s Running podcast. I am your host Esther Newman, and she is your other host Holly Taylor. In this series, we wanted to explore some of the things that we’ve talked about on our big podcast – that’s the Women’s Running podcast – that don’t necessarily have anything to do with running. Hol and I are natural born worriers, and we’ve realized that in almost every episode, we talk about at least one of those worries – and we also realized that with many of them, we’ve thought we were the only ones. We thought we were nuts.Should we worry about losing weight?In this episode, we wonder if we’re nuts to worry about weightloss. There’s a lot to cover here, from our own relationships with our bodies, as well as what’s going on in wider society in terms of the body positivity movement, and the rise in popularity of weightloss drugs. How do we feel about all of those things? And how do you feel about it? If you have thoughts on this, or any other subject we’ve talked about this series, then please email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk289. Ep 279. Christmas, marathons, 10K PB, January reveal
01:10:50||Season 1, Ep. 289Welcome to episode 279 of the Women’s Running podcast. I’m your host Esther Newman and she’s your other host Holly Taylor. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.Running & the juggleWe’ve got a bit more Christmas overwhelm to begin with. But we cheer up and start talking about running on Christmas day, which Holly is particularly joyful about. Even better than that, we have an update on Hol’s 10K PB attempt – a good one – and then we’re into our training and expectations for the Bath Half and the London Marathon, and doing all that while juggling all this Christmas nonsense. And we have news for January! Lots of exciting things are happening on this very podcast, but we need you to help us shape it – listen in right to the end and get back to us with your thoughts on Patreon, Discord or over email on wrpodcast@anthem.co.ukJoin us!If you aren’t a patron yet do join us on Patreon for just £2 a month, through which you can join Discord, our forum just for you. You also get to come along to our Live Pods! And we have our Christmas special all booked in for December 15th – do come along to our very silly quiz. Just head to patreon.com/womensrunning and join us for just £2 a month.OTHER THINGSSubscribe to Women’s Running – and you can save 50%Get tickets to our live event ahead of the Bath Half 2026!Setting up your own podcast? Try Zencastr – we’ve been using it for ages and LOVE ITDo join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunningEmail us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories
8. Ep 8. Am I Nuts... for worrying about cleaning
56:55||Season 7, Ep. 8Welcome to the second series of Am I Nuts. This is the eighth episode in a series of ten weekly podcasts from us at the Women’s Running podcast. I am your host Esther Newman, and she is your other host Holly Taylor. In this series, we wanted to explore some of the things that we’ve talked about on our big podcast – that’s the Women’s Running podcast – that don’t necessarily have anything to do with running. Hol and I are natural born worriers, and we’ve realized that in almost every episode, we talk about at least one of those worries – and we also realized that with many of them, we’ve thought we were the only ones. We thought we were nuts.In this episode we’re talking about the thing that prompted me to want to do a second series in the first place: are we nuts for worrying about having a tidy home? From Marie Kondo, to sparking joy, we are on a mission to remove the stress and hard relate to everyone here, specifically just before Christmas!If you have thoughts on this, or any other subject we’ve talked about this series , then please email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk278. Ep 278. Christmas chaos & gifts for runners
01:18:48||Season 1, Ep. 278We launch straight into Christmas stress and then we’re on to my exciting weekend at the footie, followed by some actual run content. Wish Hol luck for her 10K PB attempt this weekend! Eventually, we get on to our 2025 unofficial Christmas Gift Guide – links below.Do join us on Patreon for £2 and you can come along to our Christmas special on December 15th. Just head to patreon.com/womensrunning. CompressSports Jacket / BAM yoga top / BAM Contour / BAM fleece / Ronhill Tights / Bimble & Bolt leggings / B&B advent calendar / Step One pants / Nixi pants / Maaree Empower bra / Coopah membership (use WOMENSRUNNING) / Absolute mugs, NB FuelCell Rebel / NB Fresh Foam 1080v14 / Mizuno Neo Vista 2 / Veja Condor 3 / PF&H marathon taster pack
7. Ep 7. Am I Nuts... to worry about having kids?
45:03||Season 7, Ep. 7Welcome to the second series of Am I Nuts. This is the seventh episode in a series of ten weekly podcasts from us at the Women’s Running podcast. I am your host Esther Newman, and she is your other host Holly Taylor. In this series, we wanted to explore some of the things that we’ve talked about on our big podcast – that’s the Women’s Running podcast – that don’t necessarily have anything to do with running. Hol and I are natural born worriers, and we’ve realized that in almost every episode, we talk about at least one of those worries – and we also realized that with many of them, we’ve thought we were the only ones. We thought we were nuts.Having kidsTrigger warning: in this episode we discuss pregnancy and miscarriage.In this episode we want to find out if we’re nuts to worry about having kids. There’s a lot of huge topics here; so many we think we could do a whole series on this. There’s a lot to unpack and worry about: the societal (and familial) pressure to have kids at a certain age, the concerns and struggles with fertility, the question of how to tell people you have chosen not to have kids, the conversations about miscarriage, and the prejudice around fertility, motherhood and women in general.If you have thoughts on this, or any other subject we’ve talked about this series , then please email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk ----- Thank you so much for listening. Do please like and subscribe, so that you’ll be first to know when the next episode in this special series dropsAm I Nuts has been brought to you by the Women’s Running podcast – do please check it out wherever you listen to your podcasts for longer episodes to keep you company while you run. And if running is your thing, or you’d like it to be your thing, check out Women’s Running magazine – right now you can save up to 50% off the cover price. Just go to shop.womensrunning.co.uk to find out more. Helpful linksTommy’s – the pregnancy and baby charityNCT – the UK’s leading charity for parentsMaternity Action – the UK’s maternity rights charityThe pregnancy page on the NHS websiteMaternal Mental Health AllianceGingerbread – the single parent charity