The Socially Distant Sports Bar

Episode 305: Mainland

Three hundred episodes in and still finding brilliance in the strangest corners of sport, Distant Pod is the weekly podcast where Elis James, Mike Bubbins and Steff Garrero bring you the best clips, books and documentaries they’ve found.

🎟️ Watch us live in Hackney:
https://www.hackneyempire.co.uk/events/the-socially-distant-sports-bar-live
🎤 Mike is on tour in 2026:
https://mikebubbins.com/
❤️ Donate in memory of podcast legend Tops Off Vic:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/kelly-bubbins-2?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=EM&utm_campaign=020

🎧 PART 1

Mike kicks things off with Tiger vs Boulder, a clip that perfectly captures the unpredictability (and occasional absurdity) of nature meeting sport.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUTUF39EfBb/?igsh=MXg0NmdidHQzYWprZg=

Elis brings a nostalgic gem — “And Ninian Park looks more like the San Siro!”
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ny-Za-ryGuk

Steff rounds out Part 1 with a pair of clips from Canada
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUyT1FQDtoX/?igsh=dzdrZGx3enQycmx6
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/naGpZhyJP0s

🔒 Subscribe to Distant Pod Bonus Club on Apple Podcasts for early, ad-free Parts 1 & 2 — plus Part 3 as exclusive bonus content every week.

🛍️ NEW MERCH ALERT
We’ve launched a brand new merch store — mugs, hoodies, prints and more!
If you fancy supporting the pod that way, head here 👇
🛒 sdsb2025.myshopify.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Pint-Sized Distant Pod.
We’ve been back through our archive of episodes and picked out some of our favourite stories, anecdotes, and funny bits.
If you’re new to the pod, these are a perfect way to dip your toe in and then dive back into the full episodes from our early days.
Come and see us LIVE in London in April https://www.hackneyempire.co.uk/events/the-socially-distant-sports-bar-live

🛍️ NEW MERCH ALERT
We’ve launched a brand new merch store — mugs, hoodies, prints and more!
If you fancy supporting the pod that way, head here 👇
🛒 sdsb2025.myshopify.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Still gloriously obsessed with the brilliance and absurdity of sport, Distant Pod continues to explore the clips, stories and ideas that make sport endlessly fascinating.
🎟️ Hackney tickets:
https://www.hackneyempire.co.uk/events/the-socially-distant-sports-bar-live
🎤 Mike tour:
https://mikebubbins.com/
❤️ Tops Off Vic fundraiser:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/kelly-bubbins-2?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=EM&utm_campaign=020
🎧 PART 2
Elis’s documentary pick is Jim Mills: Jacko’s Sporting Almanac, a deep dive into one of sport’s great collectors and chroniclers.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b08qggc1?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile
Steff’s book this week is Good Coach, Bad Coach by Simon Harling, exploring what separates effective coaching from the rest — and what really drives performance.
https://store.simonharling.blog/
🔒 Join Distant Pod Bonus Club on Apple Podcasts for early access, ad-free listening, and Part 3 every week as a bonus episode.

🛍️ NEW MERCH ALERT
We’ve launched a brand new merch store — mugs, hoodies, prints and more!
If you fancy supporting the pod that way, head here 👇
🛒 sdsb2025.myshopify.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Three hundred episodes in and still digging up gold from sport’s strangest corners, Distant Pod is the weekly podcast where Elis James, Mike Bubbins and Steff Garrero bring you the best clips, books and documentaries they’ve found — from elite performance to absolute chaos.
🎟️ Watch us live in Hackney:
https://www.hackneyempire.co.uk/events/the-socially-distant-sports-bar-live
🎤 Mike is on tour in 2026:
https://mikebubbins.com/
❤️ Donate in memory of podcast legend Tops Off Vic:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/kelly-bubbins-2?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=EM&utm_campaign=020
🎧 PART 1
Elis brings a brilliant reality check with real people attempting marathon pace, a reminder of just how extreme elite endurance really is.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SRYtn0j5ccA
Steff shares a deceptively simple but strangely gripping clip simply titled “Stairs” — one of those bits of internet sport-adjacent content that becomes oddly compelling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bHT_jZvQDs
Mike rounds things off with Rhys Carré, showcasing the power and personality of the Welsh rugby star.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVj19MfDMV5/?igsh=NzUzb2JjY2lqZWp3
🔒 Subscribe to Distant Pod Bonus Club on Apple Podcasts for early, ad-free Parts 1 & 2 — plus Part 3 as exclusive bonus content every week.

🛍️ NEW MERCH ALERT
We’ve launched a brand new merch store — mugs, hoodies, prints and more!
If you fancy supporting the pod that way, head here 👇
🛒 sdsb2025.myshopify.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Pint-Sized Distant Pod.

We’ve been back through our archive of episodes and picked out some of our favourite stories, anecdotes, and funny bits.

If you’re new to the pod, these are a perfect way to dip your toe in and then dive back into the full episodes from our early days.

This is from 193: His Guts Split Open And It Was The King Of Spades
Come and see us LIVE in London in April https://www.hackneyempire.co.uk/events/the-socially-distant-sports-bar-live

🛍️ NEW MERCH ALERT
We’ve launched a brand new merch store — mugs, hoodies, prints and more!
If you fancy supporting the pod that way, head here 👇
🛒 sdsb2025.myshopify.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.