Dirt Church Radio Trail Running

Kia ora e te whānau. The path to success is seldom simple. It’s often multiple overlays of experience, each building upon the other until the goal is reached, be that setting course records at 200-mile events like the Wild Horse or becoming an expert pastry chef and deli owner. Damian Watson is someone with overlays of experience. Andrew McDowall travelled out to Muriwai Beach on Auckland’s rugged West Coast to meet up with Watson at the Deli he co-owns with the Steel brothers for a run and yarn about what it takes to compete at the highest level in 100-mile plus racing, how his past as a New Zealand Ice Hockey representative influenced his running, his love of travel, and just what his mother talked to the ODT about when he set the course record at the Wild Horse. P.S. for those old enough, yes, that is a Sara Lee reference.  Excellent Stuff. Dirt Church Radio – Best Enjoyed Running.​--- --- --- Episode Links The Muriwai DeliDamian Watson InstagramSign up for the DCR AidStation newsletter.The Squadrun 4-Week Training Trial for DCR Listeners!Dirt Church Radio on InstagramDirt Church Radio on FacebookFurther Faster New ZealandEnjoy!Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

Kia ora e te whānau. It’s the last Aid Station of 2025, and we're in a reflective mood. Matt wishes he could run faster, Ali wishes she could move house automatically, and Andrew wishes he had feelings like a real boy. Apart from these aspirational goals, our heroes run down the year that was, listing what they’ve loved, learnt, and what they wish to take forward into 2026.  Never free from the hottest of takes, we explore the qualitative vs. quantitative divide in this most terminally online trend: listing your Strava time, not your mat time, during races. We round it out with our favourite running media of the year and look forward to taking a couple of weeks off just after our annual DCR awards. Oh, hey, also, GO TO THE MURIWAI DELI.  Excellent Stuff.Dirt Church Radio – Best Enjoyed Running.​--- --- --- Episode Links Sign up for the DCR AidStation newsletter.The Squadrun 4-Week Training Trial for DCR Listeners!Dirt Church Radio on InstagramDirt Church Radio on FacebookFurther Faster New ZealandEnjoy!Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

Kia ora e te whānau. In this week's second episode, join Andrew McDowall for the 2025 Dirt Church Radio Kepler live show. Andrew took up the baton from Matt and Eugene, journeyed down to Te Anau to host a vibrant live show, and then tackled the 60km Kepler Challenge the following day—which, in typical AMCD style, he knocked out of the park. Settle into your long run this weekend, and enjoy Andrew’s conversation with Men’s and Women’s 60km champions Dan Jones and Frances Redmond, Kepler Challenge chair Steve Norris, Nikki Everton, and DCR returning champion Daniele Danesin. Excellent Stuff. Dirt Church Radio – Best Enjoyed Running.​--- --- --- Episode Links Kepler ChallengeDan Jones InstagramFrances Redmond InstagramNikki Everton InstagramDaniele Danesin DCR 231Sign up for the DCR AidStation newsletter.The Squadrun 4-Week Training Trial for DCR Listeners!Dirt Church Radio on InstagramDirt Church Radio on FacebookFurther Faster New ZealandEnjoy!Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

Kia ora e te whānau. If, as a winsome youth, you’d had your heart broken at a Swedish wedding in Nelson, what would it take to shift the unconscious response when the town was mentioned from “yeah, nah” to “Hell Yes”? Turns out, a weekend packed with as much awesomeness as you could shake a stick at. Happily, we can report that this circumstance eventuated for Matt at the 2025 edition of The Spectacle. In this episode of DCR, join Ali P and Matt as they bring you their conversations with returning 100-mile champ, Reefton's favourite daughter  (and Guinness World Record Holder) Emma Timmis, two-time Olympian and send-lord Sam Tanner, That Other Sam, you know, Harvey, and Taonga of the running world, Kathrine Switzer and Roger Robinson. If that’s not enough, Nelson’s prodigal son, and our co-host in the commentary team, Guy Williams, joins us to put the running word on notice about metrics, why we are all perhaps a little divergent, and his life growing up with Olympian and Spectacle co-founder Julian Matthews. Inspiring doesn’t begin to cover this weekend. Excellent Stuff.Dirt Church Radio – Best Enjoyed Running.​--- --- --- Episode Links The Spectacle261 FearlessSam Tanner InstagramSign up for the DCR AidStation newsletterThe Squadrun 4-Week Training Trial for DCR Listeners!Dirt Church Radio on InstagramDirt Church Radio on FacebookFurther Faster New ZealandEnjoy!Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

 Kia ora e te whānau. Join us for the first of three live specials as Ali heads off to the Snowy Mountains for the fourth edition of Ultra Trail Kosciuszko by UTMB. Featuring interviews with Running Mums Australia founder Nic Bunyon, The Honey Buzzard himself, Martin Gaffuri, DCR Fan and Kosci frother, Bel, and the incredible Lucy Bartholomew. Excellent Stuff.Dirt Church Radio – Best Enjoyed Running.--- --- --- Episode Links Ultra Trail Kosciuszko by UTMBLucy Bartholomew InstagramMartin Gaffuri Instagram Running Mums Australia Sign up for the DCR AidStation newsletterThe Squadrun 4-Week Training Trial for DCR Listeners!Dirt Church Radio on InstagramDirt Church Radio on FacebookFurther Faster New ZealandEnjoy!Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake