Run With It

46: Catch Up With Izzi Batt-Doyle - Queen of Consistency

Izzi Batt-Doyle is back for a chat! And she’s been really busy since she and Elise last spoke. Between running two Australian records on the roads, competing at the Olympics, running a few marathons (all within 40 seconds of each other), getting engaged, buying a house and becoming a dog mum – Izzi certainly hasn’t been twiddling her thumbs!  
We cover all those things, and go in depth on her Nagoya Marathon and Valencia Marathons, including the Australian Record pressures, Izzi’s reflections on a big year of training and racing, and the overtraining hole she was in at the end of 2025.
We then turn our attention to Boston Marathon, where Izzi will line up on 20 April, and the appeal of not racing for a fast time, but running free instead. We hear how training is going, including ramping up strength and nailing her carb intake.
Always a pleasure to catch up with IBD!
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If you liked this conversation, go back and listen to Episode 2 of Run With It for more Izzi action.
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Watch Izzi's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IzziBatt-Doyle 
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Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom
Graphic design by Kate Scheer

45: Jack Anstey - Gold Medal Highs, Selection Lows & Overpriced Coffee

It’s been a season of contrasts for Australian middle distance runner Jack Anstey – from a World Cross gold medal, to the disappointment of missing a major championship team.
Dialling in from Flagstaff, Jack shares his unforgettable experience at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, including the pressure of a late call-up, and what it was like racing with Olli Hoare, Linden Hall and Jess Hull in that winning 4 x 2k relay team.
Jack also speaks candidly about missing selection for the World Indoor Championships, despite meeting the World Athletics qualifying standards and being within the quota. He articulates the impact of Australia’s selection policies on athletes, and why he chose to speak out publicly.
We also chat about growing up in Alice Springs, Jack’s late start (and rapid rise!) in the sport, and his set up in Flagstaff training with Under Armour’s pro team, Dark Sky Distance.
Plus: World Cross medal show-and-tell, overpriced coffees, bike training, book recommendations, and what’s next for Jack.
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Jack Anstey is an Australian middle-distance runner based in Flagstaff, Arizona where he runs with the Under Armour pro team, Dark Sky Distance. He recently won a World Athletics Cross Championships gold medal in the 4 x 2k relay in Tallahassee, Florida, as part of a star-studded team comprising Olli Hoare, Linden Hall and Jess Hull. Jack holds the 1000m short track national record (2:16.95) which he ran in Boston 2024. He also represented Australia at the 2022 World Indoor Championships in Belgrade and again in the road mile in Riga in 2023 where he came 10th (3:58.30). Jack went to college at Illinois State University, and is now completing a teaching degree in Australia.
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Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom
Graphic design by Kate Scheer

44: Bendere Oboya - Finding Her Voice & Running For More Than Herself

Bendere Oboya joins Elise to talk about her transition from Olympic 400m runner to 800m athlete, and why she is now building something even bigger than her own career.
Bendere reflects on representing Australia at the Tokyo Olympics, the Commonwealth Games and World Championships, the rapid rise of her early career, and the courage it took to step away from the 400m and back herself in a new event. She tells us about changing coaches, briefly retiring from the sport, and finding new purpose in athletics.
We also dive into Bendere’s upbringing after moving to Australia from Ethiopia as a young child, the sacrifices her family made, and how those experiences have shaped her drive to create more opportunities for others.
At the heart of this episode is the Oboya Foundation, Bendere’s new initiative aimed at removing financial barriers to sport and creating safe, inclusive spaces for young people to belong, move and dream bigger. She shares why representation matters so deeply, how the foundation is already taking shape, and why this work has given her own running a whole new meaning.
Plus: Returning to the 400m for the domestic season, life in Melbourne, fashion off the track, embracing her voice, and running with joy in 2026.
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Bendere Oboya is an Australian 400m and 800m runner. She has represented Australia in the 400m at the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and World Championships, and holds a national record in the 600m. In recent years, Bendere has switched her focus to the 800m event. She trains with On Athletics Club Oceania and is coached by Craig Mottram. Bendere has recently launched the Oboya Foundation, which provides free weekly athletics coaching, with additional needs-based financial support available to cover competition fees, uniforms and essential equipment for families facing financial, cultural or social barriers. 
Oboya Foundation: https://oboyafoundation.org/Run Girl documentary (stream on SBS): https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-program/run-girl/2052085315730 The Good Gratitude: https://www.thegoodgratitude.com/shop
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Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom
Graphic design by Kate Scheer

43: Phil Sesemann – Incremental Gains, Mileage Mutts & Nesquik

Phil Sesemann joins Elise to break down a big couple of years of marathoning – two 2:07 performances (Amsterdam and Valencia), Olympic reflections, and the steady, linear progression that’s taken him from 2:12 to the fifth fastest Brit of all time.
For Phil and his coach Andrew Henderson, marathon progress is built block by block (never biting off too much), with incremental gains shaping Phil’s professional career. He talks about “hedging his bets” by racing marathons close together to maximise the chance of perfect weather, and the factors that separated a smooth Amsterdam from a tougher Valencia.
We get into 140-mile weeks (that’s 225km!), “easy runs with purpose”, and his go-to fuelling ritual for healthy bones – a pint of chocolate Nesquik after every run. Phil shares how training with athletes like Emile Cairess has improved his own self-belief and lifted his ceiling.
Plus: life as a new dad (fewer training camps and more disrupted sleep), the legendary Mileage Mutts (his dogs Eliud Kipchoge and Haile Gebrselassie), moving away from a career in medicine, his commitment to an Olympic tattoo, and what a “best ever performance” at the forthcoming London Marathon really means.
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Phil Sesemann is a professional runner sponsored by ASICS and based in Leeds, UK. He ran 2:07:11 at Valencia in 2025, which is the 5th fastest time ever by a British athlete. He represented Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
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Check out Phil's YouTube channel:
youtube.com/@phil_sesemann
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Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom
Graphic design by Kate Scheer

Sole Sisters - 23: Winter Olympics, Bone Stress Shade & Marathon Szn

Do you know how to twizzle?! Neither do we! Alice and Elise settle in for another chat, with AB sporting a numb lip, and Elise coming off a filthy cold and a truly rude crook neck. Neither have been doing anything dangerous on the snow or ice, but there’s a heap of Winter Olympics chat – the injuries, the drama, the sizzle, the Aussie pride. It’s a very surface-level summary focusing on memes, ill-placed declarations of love, violent crashes and why on earth someone created a sport that involves skis AND guns.
AB and EB compare the injuries on the slopes to the injuries we face on the roads/trails/track. There is a lot of chat about the advent of bone stress injuries and the online commentary surrounding them. Rest, sleep, nutrition and load management are all your best friends here, and the social media comparison trap is NOT IT. There’s also hype building as we come into marathon season, with loads of Australians lining up at Osaka, Tokyo, Boston and London! Truly love this time of year!
Make sure you come along to our free International Women’s Day event with Love the Run next Sunday 1 March at Collingwood Athletics Track from 3:30pm. There’ll be a run, some pilates and a panel discussion with Australian race walker and Olympic medallist Jemima Montag, four-time World Championships marathoner, Sarah Klein, and the one and only Alice Baquie, with Elise Beacom on the mic. Can’t wait to see you there!
Register here: https://www.lovetherun.com.au/iwdrunning--
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Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom
Graphic design by Kate Scheer

Sole Sisters - 22: Beer Miles, the Running Ick & Plans for 2026

Alice and Elise are back for a very 2026 catch-up, starting with Elise’s birthday done properly: Torquay Run Club, some casual golfing, and a beer mile relay (with Marty’s sculling skills doing the heavy lifting). There’s also zucchini cake (thank you, Jess Stenson) and a rogue veggie-patch “zucchini vandal.”
Alice talks about getting the “running ick” post-Valencia, what it feels like when motivation drops off, and why a blood test can be a game-changer. She takes us inside training camp life at Falls Creek and how it helped her re-find her mojo.
Elise is building back into a marathon block (which one?!). Alice reveals her 2026 goals (water… and being early), and they announce an upcoming International Women’s Day event on Sunday 1 March at Collingwood Athletics Track - run + pilates + panel (guest speakers to be revealed). Save the date! Peace, love, and light.
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Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom
Graphic design by Kate Scheer

42: Morgan McDonald – Chicken Boy vs Alligators, Coaching Changes & 2026 Goals

Morgan McDonald (aka “Chicken Boy”) joins Elise to talk through a change in coaching, his return to racing at the World Cross Country Championships, and how he’s approaching training and competition in 2026.
Morgan unpacks representing Australia in Tallahassee, the chaos of a feature-filled cross-country course (yes, including the alligator logs!), and what it meant to wear the green and gold again. He also opens up about the tough decision to step away from the On Athletics Club to take a more individualised approach to his training. Now reunited with college coach Mick Byrne, he shares why trust, patience and a more collaborative training model are central to this new phase, guided by the mantra “start early, progress slow.”
We also dive into NCAA glory days in Wisconsin, injury setbacks, why he’s gone a little anti-Strava in 2026, as well as and some big goals ahead, including the Commonwealth Games and the road to the LA Olympics in 2028.
Plus: coffee orders, book club scheduling sagas, adventures with partner Sinta, double threshold chat, and an elite lunch recommendation. A fun-filled chat to kick off the year!
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Morgan McDonald is an Australian distance runner originally from Sydney, and now based in Boulder, Colorado. A former NCAA champion at the University of Wisconsin, Morgan won the NCAA cross-country title in 2018 and completed the rare indoor 3000m/5000m double in 2019. He has represented Australia at the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and World Championships, and is a regular member of national teams across track, road and cross-country. Known affectionately as “Chicken Boy,” Morgan co-hosts The Coffee Club Podcast with Olli Hoare and George Beamish, and has his own YouTube channel.--
Subscribe to Run With It wherever you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss a thing!--Follow us on Instagram:@morganmcdonald__@runwithit.pod@elisebeacom
Check out Morgan's YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MorganMcDonaldisaloser The Coffee Club Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/coffee-club-a-running-podcast-about-nothing/id1587508622 --Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom
Graphic design by Kate Scheer

41: The 12 Days of Runmas

To close out the year, I wanted to package up the ultimate gift! The 12 Days of Runmas brings together 12 "gifts" from past Run With It guests – short reflections, recommendations and ideas that have stayed with me since the podcast began. I’ve gone back through the archives and chosen a mix of voices spanning elite sport, advocacy, media and community (and I'll do another bunch next year). 
You’ll hear from:
Ed Goddard (Episode 12)
Grace Tame (Episodes 30 & 31)
Marcus Brown (Episode 18)
Gen Gregson (Episode 23)
Avish Sharma (Episode 3)
Brit de Groot (Episode 14)
Jaryd Clifford (Episode 15)
Izzi Batt-Doyle (Episode 2)
Mitch Dyer (Episode 11)
Calli Hauger-Thackery (Episode 28)
Haftu Strintzos (Episode 26)
Lucy Bartholomew (Episode 29)
Each clip is a small piece of a much longer conversation. If one resonates, I really encourage you to head back and listen to the full episode it came from.
Finally, a genuine thank you for listening to Run With It this year. Thank you for the kind words, the shares, the reviews, and for making time for these conversations. This episode felt like a simple, uplifting way to finish the year, and I’m really grateful you’re here. See you in 2026! Elise x--
Subscribe to Run With It wherever you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss a thing!--Follow us on Instagram:@runwithit.pod@elisebeacom--Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom
Graphic design by Kate Scheer

Sole Sisters - 21: Alice goes sub-3!

Alice and Elise are back on Sole Sisters with a very important update: Alice Baquie is now a sub-3 marathoner! AB ran 2:58:33 at Valencia Marathon last Sunday, and it was tough going but she gritted it out all the way to the blue carpet.
A potted history of race week includes hours spent perusing Aldi (apologies for harping on about this throughout the pod), stolen race shoes and elite-level commitment to carbohydrates both before and during AB’s stellar run. This episode is a fun-filled debrief of a gutsy marathon day, plus all the lessons you learn only once you’ve survived 42.2km. Enjoy!
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Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom
Graphic design by Kate Scheer

40: Jessica Stenson – New Australian marathon record holder!

Newly crowned Australian marathon record holder Jess Stenson joins Elise to unpack her stunning 2:21:24 run for fifth place in Valencia. Jess takes us through her lead-up and race week in Spain, the mental tools she relied on out on the course, and all the feels from that iconic blue-carpet finish. It’s also a story about self-belief – and the people who helped her find it, including husband Dylan and coach Adam Didyk.--Jessica Stenson has represented Australia in the marathon at three Olympic Games and is a multiple Commonwealth Games medallist, including gold in Birmingham in 2022. She’s mum to Billy and Ellie, a qualified physiotherapist, and a keynote speaker.--Subscribe to Run With It wherever you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss a thing!--Follow us on Instagram:@jess_tren@runwithit.pod@elisebeacom--Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom
Graphic design by Kate Scheer