Amber and Blaine Bourke are incredible siblings and next month they are releasing a book 'To the Limit'.

The book is a conversation between the pair about pushing limits and letting go. I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of the book, and after reading it have both Amber and Blaine on the podcast.

Amber is a world class free diver, and a former elite sychronised swimmer, she has been at the top of her chosen sports for the past two decades.

For Blaine he has been a national 24-hour champion, captured the hearts of the ultra running community recently at Hardcore Harry's King of the Hill, and just last week won the Noosa 100.

This is a conversation I deeply enjoyed with two amazing athletes, I hope you enjoy it, and don't forget to look out for the book!

Claudine Chi is a winning mindset coach and 16-time national and international karate champion. In this open conversation Claudine shares her insights on the importance of mindset in achieving personal and athletic goals. She discusses the intrinsic nature of mindset coaching, the common challenges we as humans face, and the significance of self-belief. Claudine emphasises the need for mental training alongside physical preparation, the impact of self-talk, and the invisible barriers that hinder self-belief. Through personal anecdotes and examples from her coaching experiences, this is a conversation I believe will inspire listeners to unlock their potential and embrace the journey of personal growth.

If you want to work with Claudine you can at: www.claudinechi.com/journal.

Jonathan Ash shares his journey from a novice runner to a two time winner of backyard ultras, which has also seen him become the second Australian to run 100 loops in a backyard ultra. He discusses the mental and physical challenges of that format, the importance of learning from past experiences, and the dynamics of crew support in races. Jashy highlights the significance of enjoying the process of running and the unique aspects of backyard ultras, including the mental game and recovery. He reflects on his experiences in various races, including his first 100K in the Blue Mountains and Big's Backyard Ultra World Championships, highlighting the camaraderie and community within the ultra running scene.

I hope you enjoyed this one as much as I did!

Mario Buchs has had an incredible year, completing UTA 100, before going and running Australia's toughest miler the Elephant Race.

Then the adventure of a lifetime going over to Iraq and running 100 miles, in conditions many runners wouldn't be able to comprehend.

He then tops it off by adding a second pin to his Akubra by finishing Coast to Kosci.

In this podcast Mario shares some amazing perspective, and how he made it to where he is on his journey as an ultra runner, Founder of Healthetica Coaching and also the host of a couple of podcasts, Strides and Vibes, as well as the one Percenters Performance Podcast.

One of the most interesting ultra runners you could ever come across, I loved having this chat.

Mark Trbojevich is the Principal Chiropractor at Peak Health Canberra.

After a number of injuries, he sought a career in combining his passion for health and fitness, with his other passion of helping people.

He's the man that keeps me, along with a host of other runners in the game. He's also looked after World Champions, and some of the best athletes from a wide range of sports.

You can see more on Mark here.

Patricia McKibbin is a trail athlete that I look up to a lot, being from Canberra it's so cool to see someone who's training on the trails I run, competing on the world stage.

She's as humble as they come, and has had some amazing performances in some of Australia's biggest trail events including a win at UTA50 and Sri Chimnoy Canberra 100, and podiums in Bright, Brisbane Trail Ultra, UTK100 and UTA22.

This is a cool insight into how the young mum balances her time with family commitments, working as a director of a children's physiotherapy business and chasing a dream on the world stage.

I really enjoyed this one, you can follow her journey at trishmckibbin on instagram.

With this the Peak2Soon Podcast turns 20 episodes old! Thank you everyone for your support it means the world to me.

You can now support the podcast on Patreon for as little as $2 a month:
patreon.com/ThePeak2SoonPodcast

Benn Coubrough is an Ultra Runner, Triathlete, Coach at Stroke No Limits, and also the Store Manager orfPure Performance Sports and FootMotion, also recent winner of the 50 kilometre event at the Lonely Mountain Ultra.

He'll be undertaking his first crack at Coast to Kosci in a few weeks as part of the 2024 field. His resume is seriously impressive, and his recent training highlights his preparation for my favourite race, and one of Australia's toughest ultra races.

He gives out a few tips about his preparation for the race, as well as shares his interesting career in sports, which has actually seen him get hit by a car three times.

You can follow Benn at bennycoubs_ultrarunner on Instagram.

Stromlo Running Festival was born out of the ashes of the 2003 Canberra Bushfires, and is the brain child of Marathon Legend Robert De Castella, who did much of his training in the region throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

The first run in 2009 was unlike any other running event held in Australia and was centred within the developed world-class facilities of Canberra’s Stromlo Forest Park.

The festival has gone from strength-to-strength under Director Mel Bingley, who I enjoyed chatting with about her journey as a self confessed 'plodder', and how she takes her own experience on the trails, and brings that to life as a Race Director.