The Trail and Error Podcast

Helen-Ann Hartley is the current Bishop of Newcastle and, as a member of the 'Lords Spiritual', has a seat in the UK House of Lords.

She's also about to take on her first ultramarathon, the 43 mile Sprint Summer North race.

She joins me and Matt to cover her running journey to this point and how her life and work have influenced and cemented her love of running, particularly as a large portion of the Spine course passes through her parish in the north of England.

So please join us for a very interesting episode where we find out about her friendship with Keith Dunn - the voice of the Barkley Marathons on Twitter - her experience at the London marathon in 2026 and more surprising facts about this inspiring woman.

Thanks again to all of you for listening. If you have a moment please, like, subscribe and if you have a few seconds more, perhaps write a short review.
It's all a great help to us in growing the audience and is very much appreciated!

Jay and Matt

Episode 103

We were lucky enough to grab an hour with 4 x Leadville Trail 100 winner and coach Ian Sharman ahead of the release of his much anticipated first book 'The Art of Ultrarunning'.

We chat about the highs and lows of his long running career and why mistakes are such and important part of the journey in endurance sports.

Ian's book will probably become a bit of a running bible in short order as he weaves a narrative of his own experiences and that of some of the most successful runners of the past 15 years to create a treasure trove of knowledge that runners of all levels will gain something from.

We also discuss common runner problems such as why obsessing about equipment maybe isn't the best plan and what runners should focus on instead.

You can find Ian at: www.sharmanultra.com

The Art of Ultrarunning is available to pre-order here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Ultrarunning-Strategies-Long-Distance-Runners/dp/1718252439

and for social media follow:
@sharmanain

As always, once we hit record the time flies by so we hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it.

Thanks again to all of you for listening. If you have a moment please, like, subscribe and if you have a few seconds more, perhaps write a short review. It's all a great help to us in growing the audience and is very much appreciated!

Jay and Lewis

Episode 102 Sha Khan
Visually Impaired Ultra Trail Runner

Imagine you're taking on the Arc of Attrition.
Wild weather, technical trail, hundreds of other runners all moving at different speeds and all funneling down the narrow coast path with you.

Now imagine all of that and you're visually impaired!

Meet Sha Khan, a visually impaired ultra trail runner who took on and completed this year's Arc of Attrition 12 by UTMB in January.

In this episode we dive into the story of how Sha, who wasn't a runner before losing his eyesight, discovered purpose and freedom through trail running.

I'm joined again by Matt Whyman, friend and author of 'Failure is not an option' , as Sha explains the nuts and bolts of how running tethered to a guide works, from learning to walk, to a 5k, to the Arc.

There's no stopping him now as he'll soon be taking on the mountain trails around Mt. Blanc on MCC!

Inspiring, brave and brimming with energy, I hope you enjoy this chat with Sha and if YOU fancy being part of his attempt on the Arc 100 in 2027 listen to learn how to get involved as a running guide!

Thanks again to all of you for listening. If you have a moment please, like, subscribe and if you have a few seconds more, perhaps write a short review. It's all a great help to us in growing the audience and is very much appreciated!

Jay and Lewis (and Matt)

Episode 101

I'm joined on this episode by Danny Stokes, founder of TrailFam, and my friend and author of 'Failure is an option' Matt Whyman as co-host.

What fires someone up enough to launch a charity? Danny's experience of lockdown vs. his students' experience was the catalyst to set about bringing change in how access to green spaces and nature is provisioned for young people.

We dive into the nuts and bolts of how this inspiring charity helps young people increase their fitness, explore the outdoors and also improve their future life pathways.

We also chat about the future of the charity and its new expansion to my home county of Cornwall as well as plans beyond 2026.

Thanks again to all of you for listening. If you have a moment please, like, subscribe and if you have a few seconds more, perhaps write a short review. It's all a great help to us in growing the audience and is very much appreciated!

Jay and Lewis (and Matt)

For our 100th Episode I had the pleasure of chatting to the super talented Mercedes Siegle-Gaither.

We're clearly on full Arc of Attrition mode now as we're just 48 hours away from the start of the 100 race and it was so much fun hearing about her prep and chatting too about the race, her entry into the sport and the comparisons between north American and European trails and where the differences are.

We talk about her race at UTS and how she and her kit handled the jagged Eryri peaks and blistering heat during the race.

And we cover burning topics such as who makes the best danish pastries and whether poles are a good idea and how pole etiquette should be mandatory training.

Find out more about Mercedes on her IG feed - @theslimcede

Thanks again to all of you for listening. If you have a moment please, like, subscribe and if you have a few seconds more, perhaps write a short review. It's all a great help to us in growing the audience and is very much appreciated!

Jay and Lewis

#arcofattritionbyutmb