Dirt Church Radio Trail Running

Kia ora e te whānau. This episode has been a long time coming. DCR has been wanting to get down to the mighty Old Ghost Ultra for years, and this year, Ali P made it happen. The stoke is evident in her retelling of the event. If that isn’t enough, we’ve got interviews with Race Founder and 2026 participant Phil Rossiter, Mr. Original Ben Kepes, Third-place runner Sarah Kearns, and iRunFar founder Mr. Bryon Powell. Brilliant Stuff.   Dirt Church Radio—Best Enjoyed Running.

--- --- --- 
Episode Links
Old Ghost Ultra
Phil Rossiter DCR
Ben and Yonni Kepes DCR
Bryon Powell DCR 154
Bryon Powell DCR 325
Sign up for the DCR AidStation newsletter.
irunfar
Dirt Church Radio on Instagram
Dirt Church Radio on Facebook
Further Faster New Zealand
Enjoy!
Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

Kia ora e te whānau. Holy Hecka, what a weekend with the filth, fury, and triumph of Tarawera Ultra Trail New Zealand by UTMB. Join Ali Pottinger and Matt Rayment for a wonderful conversation with some of the leading lights in our sport for our annual live show—amazing insights from Ruth Croft, Beth McKenzie, Dan Jones, Petter Engdhal, Sam Harvey, Hannah McCrae, Liam Mierow, and Emily Hawgood. We run down the results, dive into the DNF rates, stumble through our long weekends on the mic, and share what we took from this experience and the best things we saw. This couldn’t be a show recorded partly on Valentine’s Day without a romantic interlude, and a massive throw of the dice on one gentleman’s part, and Matt finds out that he still may have it (although what it is is questionable). As a massive bonus, we are also bringing you the 2026 Women in Trail Q&A, hosted by Ali, featuring Lydia O’ Donnell, Jen Wong, and Paula Griffin.  Dirt Church Radio—Best Enjoyed Running.

--- --- --- 
Episode Links 

Tarawera Ultra Trail New Zealand by UTMB
Sign up for the DCR AidStation newsletter.
Dirt Church Radio on Instagram
Dirt Church Radio on Facebook
Further Faster New Zealand
Enjoy!
Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

On this week’s AidStation, we have the distinct pleasure of speaking with Race Director Tom Heath about the exciting new event on the calendar, Ultra Wanaka. Ali and Matt also speak to the most powerful returning champion, L. Bartholomew of Diamond Creek, Victoria, about her go-to Rotorua trails, Race week self-care, and the update on her Dad, Ash, after his recent stroke. Matt has been accused of many things, being discursive, even downright circumstantial, but one thing he has never been in the 8 years of DCR is speechless. Thanks, Lucy. Really.   Excellent Stuff.

Dirt Church Radio – Best Enjoyed Running.
​
--- --- --- 
Episode Links 
Lucy Bartholomew Instagram
Ash Bartholomew DCR 247
Ultra Wanaka Home
Sign up for the DCR AidStation newsletter.
Dirt Church Radio on Instagram
Dirt Church Radio on Facebook
Further Faster New Zealand
Enjoy!
Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

Kia ora e te whānau. What a way to kick off 2026 with this awesome conversation with Goat Tongariro winner Jackson Cole. Jackson spoke with Matt from his base in Missoula, Montana. We touched on the usual topics like training and racing. Still, the conversation primarily centered on Jackson’s history and ethos—from Wellington to Colorado and beyond —rooted in adventure, the joy of experience, and a love for wild mountain terrain. He spoke about valuing the simplicity of running over gadget obsession, preferring to listen to his body and embrace what the day brings, and his love of a well-earned off-season, something foreign to many Southern Hemisphere runners.
We all stand on the shoulders of giants, and, interestingly, for a relatively younger athlete, Jackson takes a postmodern approach to running media, rejecting the absolute truth of the ultrasphere and social media whilst being a professional athlete. Jackson’s love of classic New Zealand books on running—he referenced Rod Dixon and Dick Quax during our conversation, and the former’s famous quote of wanting to drink beer and train like an animal—alongside the more recent (but still relatively old by today’s standards) of Anton Krupicka and Kilian Jornet running up the Grand Teton, was a refreshing and inspiring viewpoint. We dare you to listen to this and not be stoked. Dirt Church Radio—Best Enjoyed Running.

--- --- --- 
Episode Links 

Jackson Cole Strava
Jackson Cole Instagram
La Sportiva
Sign up for the DCR AidStation newsletter.
The Squadrun 4-Week Training Trial for DCR Listeners!
Dirt Church Radio on Instagram
Dirt Church Radio on Facebook
Further Faster New Zealand
Enjoy!
Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

On this week’s AidStation, we bring you an excellent chat Ali P had with Michael Sutton at The Goat Tongariro. Michael, if you will remember, has represented New Zealand multiple times at the World Mountain Running Championships, and has recently launched The Kea Mountain Running Series to bring the shorter, harder, vertier stuff to the people. You may also be familiar with Michael from his excellent conversation on episode 349 with Matt. Ali also catches up with 261 Fearless’ Kate Southern on the start line for her first Goat adventure.  In excellent news, we celebrate Andrew McDowall’s selection for the 2026 24-hour IAU Asia Oceania Championships, and pose the question, “How can we help these athletes with the high financial burden of representing their country?” All this, Panic Math, and more on the AidStation .  Excellent Stuff.

Dirt Church Radio – Best Enjoyed Running.
​
--- --- --- 
Episode Links 
The Kea Mountain Series
Michael Sutton on DCR episode 349
Sign up for the DCR AidStation newsletter.
Dirt Church Radio on Instagram
Dirt Church Radio on Facebook
Further Faster New Zealand
Enjoy!
Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake