Young Hearts Run Free Podcast

In this powerful and emotional episode, we welcome Melissa McLarnon to the podcast.
After being timed out at Beinglas in the 2025 West HighlandWay Race and a subsequent battle with anxiety and mental health challenges, Melissa returned this year with a completely different mindset. What follows is a story of resilience, recovery, friendship, and ultimately crossing the finish line of Scotland's iconic 95-mile ultra.
Key Moments
From DNF to Finisher
Melissa shares the disappointment of missing the Beinglas cutoff by just 10 minutes in 2025 and the emotional toll it took in the months that followed.
Mental Health and Recovery
An open and honest discussion about anxiety, therapy, seeking support, and rebuilding confidence one small step at a time.
The Power of Community
From her husband Gordon, coach Karen, Wildheart Runners,Garscube Harriers and countless friends, Melissa reflects on the people who helped her get back to the start line.
A Different Approach in 2026
Armed with stronger mindset tools, visualisation practicesand more confidence, Melissa describes a race that felt entirely different from the year before.
Devil's Staircase Karaoke
One of the episode's funniest stories sees Melissa and friends tackling the Devil's Staircase while belting out Kylie Minogue classics in the middle of the night.
The Finish
The emotion of reaching Fort William, becoming the final official finisher, and receiving her goblet in one of the most cherished traditions in Scottish ultrarunning.
 Enjoy the episode, and if you've ever faced a setback in running or life, this one's for you.
"This year wasn't about proving anything. It was a celebration of getting myself back to the start line." Melissa McLarnon, 2026

Trail runner and endurance athlete Serena Broadway joins the podcast to share her journey into ultra running and her experience taking on the Summer Spine Challenger North, a brutal 160 mile race along the Pennine Way.From Couch to 5K beginnings to navigating bogs, sleep deprivation, and blisters, Serena reflects on resilience, community, and what it really takes to keep moving when everything says stop.
⛰️ In This Episode• How Serena went from beginner runner to ultra athlete• Discovering trail running in the Pentlands• First ultra: Ultra X Scotland 50K• What the Spine Race series is all about• Inside the Challenger North (160 miles, Hardraw → Kirk Yetholm)• Real race conditions: bogs, weather, night running• Managing feet, nutrition, and fatigue• Mental strategies for staying in the game• The role of community and camaraderie in ultras• Representation and belonging in trail running
🔥 Race Highlights• Sunset run toward Tan Hill• Nighttime bogs and soaked feet• Cross Fell and exposed terrain• The legendary Alston checkpoint lasagne• Emotional high point in the Cheviot Hills• Final push to the wall at Kirk Yetholm
🤝 Community SpotlightSerena shares the impact of Black Trail Runners, highlighting:• Feeling seen and supported• The importance of representation in trail running• Creating space for more inclusive participation• The role of allies in growing the sport🏁 Memorable MomentI didn’t know if I could do it… but that’s kind of the point - Serena Broadway, 2026
Find out more about the Black Trail Runners
Photo: Instagram: @ultra.im.possible

Something a little different this week as John Cassidy and Rachel Macpherson sit down for a raw and honest debrief just hours after completing the Montane Summer Spine Challenger South.
From months of preparation and recce weekends, to bogs, blisters, hallucinations, cow encounters and unforgettable sunrises, they relive every high and low of their 108-mile journey along the Pennine Way.
Rachel reflects on an incredible race that saw her finish 3rd female, while John shares the emotional rollercoaster of reaching Hardraw after nearly 51 hours on the move.
Expect stories of:
🏔️ The beauty and brutality of the Pennine Way
🥾 Checkpoint life and race strategy
🌅 Sunrise moments and dark-night struggles
🐄 Cow confidence (or lack of it!)
😵 Sleep deprivation and surreal hallucinations
❤️ The support, friendships and unique spirit of the Spine community
A conversation recorded while the memories were still fresh, the legs still sore, and the emotions still very real.
Two runners. One extraordinary adventure.

What does it take to run the entire length of Scotland?
In this powerful episode of the Young Hearts Run FreePodcast, we sit down with Gregor Yates, who completed anextraordinary challenge: running roughly 415 miles from Kirk Yetholm to CapeWrath, covering a marathon a day for 17 consecutive days.
But this wasn’t just about endurance.
Gregor took on this journey in memory of his mum and toraise funds for Strathcarron Hospice, turning grief into purpose and miles into meaning.
🏃‍♂️ In this episode, we cover:
How Gregor went from 2:21 marathon runner to multi-day ultra challenge
Planning and navigating St Cuthberts Way, the Scottish National Trail, West Highland Way & Cape Wrath terrain
The physical toll: injury, fatigue, and running through pain
Fuel, kit, and what it’s like running with a pack for the first time
The emotional side of running in memory of a loved one
Finding joy beyond pace, numbers, and PBs
💬 A moment that says it all:
“If I could keep one running memory for the rest of my life, it would be this.”
📍 Follow Gregor’s journey:
Instagram: @trossachs_trails
Support the fundraiser

You go out for a casual 5K during lockdown to clear your head, and suddenly you wake up a few years later with a 96-mile trail race on your calendar. Classic mistake.

This week, Steven is joined by Callum Clarke to chat about his absolutely rapid, slightly chaotic, and totally inspiring rise through the running ranks. Callum went from chasing a football around to knocking out a casual ~2:50 road marathon in Paris, before realizing his true calling was getting muddy on the trails.
We’re getting into the weeds on:
The "Accidental" Ultra Runner: How a daily 5K challenge snowballed into top-10 finishes at brutal events like the Devil of the Highlands.
The School of Hard Knocks: Honest chat about the early disasters—pacing screw-ups, fueling fails, and learning the hard way that you can't just wing a 50-miler.
Enter Coach Fiona: How getting some proper adult supervision (aka structured coaching) saved him from overtraining and actually got him focusing on... stretching? Who knew.
The Big Dance: With the iconic West Highland Way race just four weeks away, we look at Callum’s master plan—from back-to-back hill smashers on Arran to sorting out a support crew that can tolerate him for 96 miles.
Grab a brew, lace up, and get this one in your lugs!

Callums Fundraiser for Prostate Cancer