Run With It

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.
--
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.
--
Subscribe to Run With It wherever you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss a thing!
--
Follow us on Instagram:
@philsesemann
@runwithit.pod
@elisebeacom
Check out Phil's YouTube channel:
youtube.com/@phil_sesemann
--
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--
Subscribe to Run With It wherever you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss a thing!
--
Follow us on Instagram:
@runwithit.pod
@alicebaquie
@elisebeacom
--
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.
--
Subscribe to Run With It wherever you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss a thing!
--
Follow us on Instagram:
@runwithit.pod
@alicebaquie
@elisebeacom
--
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!
--
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!
--
Subscribe to Run With It wherever you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss a thing!
--
Follow us on Instagram:
@runwithit.pod
@alicebaquie
@elisebeacom
--
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

Sole Sisters - 20: Valencia preview! The heat is on

Alice checks in from Valencia in the final stages of her prep for the marathon this weekend. She’s full of steam (colourless carbs) and mixing with some of Australia’s best marathoners over there. Meanwhile, Elise continues to move through the world in a state of brain fog. The pair are upbeat and full of optimism for Alice’s sub-3 marathon attempt, and predict the stage is set for some big elite performances too, despite some warmer than ideal conditions! --Subscribe to Run With It wherever you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss a thing!--Follow us on Instagram:@runwithit.pod@alicebaquie@elisebeacom--Intro/outro music by Dan BeacomGraphic design by Kate Scheer

39: Caitlin Adams - Winner of Melbourne Marathon 2025

Caitlin Adams is living a full Hannah Montana double life – high school teacher by day, emerging marathon star by… also day. In this episode, Caitlin joins Elise to unpack a year she almost fell out of love with the sport, how she found her groove again on the roads, and her latest achievement: winning her debut marathon at Melbourne.
She takes us inside the juggle of teaching and why she had to completely rework her training week to protect her energy, mental health and her love for running. From three progressively faster half marathons (Melbourne, Launceston, Gold Coast) to a marathon block built around long-run pick-ups and 3:30/km “cruise” reps, Caitlin explains how she and long-time coach Adam Didyk (plus fiancé and coach-in-waiting Lachy) set up a first crack at 42.2 km.
Caitlin also lifts the curtain on race day in Melbourne: the nerves that had her vomiting the night before, being chaperoned by a killer pacing crew, the moment at 30 km when she finally let herself believe she could win, and what it actually feels like to run into the MCG knowing the tape, the flames and the roar are all for you.
--
Caitlin Adams is a two-time Australian representative at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships, and came 12th in the 5k at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga in 2023. She placed second in the Australian Half Marathon Championships on the Gold Coast earlier this year (1:10:26), and just won her debut marathon in Melbourne (2:30:26).
--
Subscribe to Run With It wherever you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss a thing!
--
Follow us on Instagram:@runwithit.pod@caitlinadams__@elisebeacom
--
Intro/outro music by Dan BeacomGraphic design by Kate Scheer

38: Sinead Diver – What happened at the Paris Olympics?

Sinead Diver speaks about her Olympic heartbreak in Paris 2024 after she was forced to pull out of the marathon 1.2km into the race. In this candid conversation with Elise Beacom, Sinead shares her experience of the stressful Australian marathon team selection ahead of the Games and how that turmoil impacted her.
Sinead takes us through the days before the Olympic marathon, when she was managing plantar fasciitis, all the way up to marathon day itself, and the moment she knew something else was majorly wrong. We talk about the subsequent negative commentary and unfair assumptions made in the media and online, and Sinead’s long process of healing ever since.
We also discuss Sinead’s current comeback after many injury setbacks over the past year, and cover some incredible highs of her career, including her Australian record-breaking performance at Valencia Marathon in 2022 and her 10th place in the Tokyo Olympic Marathon.
--
Sinead Diver is an Irish-born Australian marathoner and national record holder in the marathon (2:21:34). After taking up running in her 30s, Sinead quickly ascended as one of Australia’s best distance runners. She made her Olympic marathon debut in Tokyo in 2021, finishing 10th, which was Australia’s best Olympic marathon result in over three decades.
Sinead has also represented Australia at the World Athletics Championships, the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and has finished top eight in three Abbott World Marathon Majors (London, 2019 and 2020, and New York, 2019). As a 48-year-old mum of two and a part-time IT professional, Sinead continues to redefine what’s possible in distance running.
--
Subscribe to Run With It wherever you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss a thing!
--
Follow us on Instagram:@runwithit.pod@diversinead@elisebeacom
--
Intro/outro music by Dan BeacomGraphic design by Kate Scheer