Backstraight Boys Athletics Chat

All sort's been going on at Backstraight HQ the last few days: Bayo's been kicking himself, out in Rio for the Carnival, getting his time zones muddled up and missing the Glaswegian athletics action he's so desperate to live stream; Jody's been catching up with Nicola Sanders, she of indoor 400m royalty, and utterly bonkers splits; Claire's been having a quarter-life crisis, having spent 15 minutes with some of Team GB's brightest young talents, and realising - after hearing Amber Anning discussing her revision timetabling - that she's actually getting on these days; and Gabby and Will, along for the journalising ride, have been wondering just how this podcast landed media accreditation, given that at least 30% of athletes' names aren't anywhere to be found, come recording time. If Jody managed to correctly pronounce 'Sidorova' once over the course of the Championships, Claire will get a gorilla tattoo, a la Captain Fantastic, Guy Learmonth...We spoke to

We had coffee with Holly. We caught up with Guy. We enjoyed a cracking pub lunch (although appreciate that's not entirely relevant here). We screamed Tim onto a gnarly, silver-clinching 1000m personal best. We relished Shelayna's tactical nous. We marvelled at Jamie's classy, canny run. We chuckled at Maria's poker-faced demolition of a high-quality field. We witnessed yet another tactical masterclass from Marcin. We picked our jaws up off the floor after Eilidh's scorching anchor leg. We recorded a mildly hysterical, knackered wrap of the championships. We had a terrific day, all in all.At which point, our weekend of kilted Karstens, jolted Jakobs, lightning-quick Lauras, and stupid quantities of shortbread came to an end.Glasgow, thank you for having us. Dear reader, thank you for listening.Want to get in touch? @BackstraightB & @Claire_GThomas on Twitter, and @BackstraightBoysPodcast on Instagram 

Anyone got Samuel Tefera's number? Would someone please let him know he broke a world record in Birmingham on Saturday? He seemed to have absolutely no idea, as he stopped the clock at a handy 3:31.04... Come to think of it, there have been plenty of pinch-yourself marks, times, and series at this year's indoor meets already: Melissa Courtney's run in Karlsruhe; Holly Bradshaw's two-outings, two-4.80s, and two-wins campaign to date; Laura Muir casually setting two national records in the same race; Konstanze Klosterhalfen running (from the front, of course) into German history books twice in ten days; Sophie McKinna making it thirteenth time lucky with an absolutely enormous 17.97m put. We could go on. The British Champs showcased some of the UK's hottest talent, and the Grand Prix saw a selection scramble ahead of next month's Europeans in Glasgow - where Jody and Claire will be in attendance, podding merrily along. The women are smashing it, selection is raising a few eyebrows,

We feel like we're putting away our track and field Russian dolls* here at Backstraight HQ, because the names just keep on getting bigger. The indoor season is just around the corner, at which point we'll be back in studio, bringing you all our usual mispronunciations, irreverence, and analysis, but we've one final interview special for you, and - boy, oh boy - is it a humdinger of a guest. Paula Radcliffe is a three-time London Marathon winner, has a trio of New York titles, won the Chicago marathon in 2002, and has held the world record at the distance for more than 15 years now. Her mark of 2:15.25 is one of athletics' Everests; a seemingly untouchable nirvana of distance running; the Shangri-La of endurance. Global medals over 26.2 and 13.1 miles, around the track, and over the cross; Paula represented Great Britain at four consecutive Olympic Games, with SPOTY titles and an MBE to show for it.She's also, as you're well aware, a seriously good pundit, and her measured, insigh

Just like a lot of Christine Ohoruogo's races (there was just never a dull moment watching her run, was there?), this episode comes in two parts. That's right; we're providing you with almost 90 minutes of her amazing insights and recollections, you lucky ducks. If you enjoyed the first instalment: welcome back. If not: go and listen to it right now. It's just below this one on the Backstraight feed. This one will still be here once you're up to speed, we promise. Caught up? Good. Chrissy's been found by the 400, won her first global medals, and is now poised for genuine superstardom within the sport. How does she get on? Spoiler alert: pretty bloody well. By the end of this episode, she'll have four Olympic gongs, eight medals from outdoor World Championships, and a British record to boot. She'll have retired from athletics (as a national treasure, no less), and be embarking upon her next challenge. We hope you enjoy the listen as much as we did the interview.The feedb

Watching Christine Ohoruogo race was exhausting. The gun would go. She'd be in the mix. You'd not panic - knowing that her finish was her greatest strength. Another hundred metres would pass. She'd look off the pace. The butterflies would begin. You'd quell them. 'It's fine. Chrissy finishes like a train.' The athletes would exit the bend. Ohoruogo not even amongst the medals. The butterflies set loose. You'd leap from your seat. 'She's left it too late. Even Christine can't pull this off.' But, wait! With eighty or so to go, she'd start to move through the field. Are they slowing down? Is she speeding up? Who cares? Britain's finest every quarter-miler would surge through the standings, and - implausibly - produce the goods. She'd have a new international medal. You'd have a few new grey hairs. Each and every time she'd get you with one of the sport's most exhilarating pranks: waiting until the last minute to remind you

2018 was a doozy. A vintage year. Mondo, Dina, Eliud, Kevin, Laura, Abderrahman, Nafi, Niamh: we could list athletes until 2020 rolls around, but we've just received our accreditation for European Indoors in March, and are rather excited to crack on with covering that for you instead. It was a year in which 6.69 didn't even get you on the women's long jump podium at the British Championships; in which we saw KJT beam - yes, beam! - after a shot put in a major heptathlon; in which you could win double European gold and then be unable to purchase yourself a celebratory beer, because you're an underage, 17-year-old prodigy. How to tackle such a sumptuous 12 months of athletics? With Tom Bosworth, pastries, and mimosas, of course. We sat down with the Commonwealth silver medallist to discuss everything: from the highs of Birmingham and Berlin, to the lows of the Diamond League scheduling and Callum Hawkins' Gold Coast collapse; why Caster is our female athlete of the year; and to whom we

'He's got a sprinting library. In his house,' Asha Philip asserts from the physio table, as she receives treatment at the end of a long day's training. 'A bag of books,' adds Seye Ogunlewe, sat alongside. You'll have to listen to this episode to find out whether or not Steve Fudge actually owns a collection of speedy tomes, but - either way - his knowledge of the sport is certainly encyclopaedic. His meticulous mechanical coaching is matched only by his intuitive management of each of the athletes within Fudge Project London, where Claire was lucky enough to spend the day. In Loughborough, Fudge worked with Dasaolu, Gemili, Peacock, and Baptiste (amongst others), before moving to London to set up his Fudge Project, where he currently coaches Asha, Seye, Ojie Edoburun, and Imani Lanisquot. It's fair to say that this quartet have the personalities to match their talent, and we gave up trimming it all down into a normal-length episode, so here's a two-hour exploration

As we hit 'publish' on this episode, 1,810,242 runners have - over the last 14 years - given up their Saturday morning lie-ins to cover an astonishing 120 million kilometres of parks worldwide. It is in no way hyperbolic (and, trust us, we know all about hyperbole on this show) to describe parkrun as a global phenomenon, and we had a myriad of questions about the mass participation sensation: is it good for athletics? is it really more of a 'run' than a 'race'? what's it like to volunteer at one? and, how on Earth has Bayo not done one yet..? In search of answers, we roped in Danny Norman - host of the hugely successful parkrun podcast, 'With Me Now', and tourist extraordinaire (612 runs at 266 different events, and counting) - and headed down to Southwark Park. Tail Walkers, Event Directors, 1st-Placers, and even the 11-year-old who beat Bayo with a Tirunesh Dibaba-esque finish - we spoke to as many people as we could, and have produced (we hope) a happy hodgepodg

DISCLAIMER: This is not the episode for the pedantic. This is not the Diamond League review for those with photographic memories. Steer away, those of you with encyclopaedic athletics' knowledge looking for a factually-accurate review of the Continental Cup. This is a look back at some spectacular results, some thrilling contests, and some extraordinarily confusing scoring systems at the end of what's been a doozy of a season, but the only world record in danger of falling during this recording session was that for most forgotten athlete names and most frequent laughter by trio of track and field fans within a 90-minute window. Team Backstraight discuss the Diamond League Finals, Continental Cup, and heroics of Kevin Mayer and Eliud Kipchoge. We had a blast reflecting upon it all, and we hope you enjoy yourselves listening. However you found it, leave us a review, or get in touch on Twitter: @BackstraightB and @Claire_GThomas. Thank you, as ever, for tuning in.

Before Jessica Ennis-Hill in Beijing, there was Liz McColgan in Tokyo - winning global 10,000m gold less than a year after giving birth to Eilish. In just two years’ time, the McColgans will be back in Japan, and hoping to reach another international podium, for - despite her parents’ best efforts not to push her into the sport - Eilish has followed in her mother’s footsteps, and is now a formidable athlete in her own right. 4:01, 8:31, 14:48: these days, she is rubbing shoulders with Paula, Jo, Yvonne, Laura, and other British distance heavyweights towards the top of the all-time rankings; consistently reaching finals at major championships; and won a brave and brilliant silver over 5,000m in Berlin this summer. The road has not been smooth - there have been barriers both literal (Eilish is the Scottish 3,000 steeplechase record holder) and figurative (for years she battled with significant injuries) - but the last few seasons have been transformative, and it was fascinating to catch up with her at the end o

Imagine being a teenager and becoming a double European Champion in 24 hours. Contemplate how it would feel to vault 6.05 just a year after being legally able to buy glue in the UK. For a second, ponder reaching a continental final in your Senior GB debut. Berlin was brilliant, but it didn't half leave us pondering our comparatively useless adolescents. Jakob, Mondo, Imani, Naomi, Laviai: the future of the sport is bright. Smile at Beth Dobbin's incredulity at her own, mesmerising, breakthrough year; celebrate Nathan Douglas' bold medal challenge; and rejoice at Meghan Beesley's hugely-deserved bronze. Feel warm inside at KJT beaming after a 13-metre shot put - laying ghosts to rest and pushing Nafi all the way - and try not to well up as you remember Abele's raw emotion at the end of that 1500 - a race nothing like as gruelling as the preceding years of injury. Sure - you might curse quietly to yourself at reflecting upon the ridiculous scheduling, but don't do that before chuck

102 athletes have been named in the British team, at least 80 of whom seem to have been selected for relays, but - despite 'the world and his wife' having received the nod (B. Furlong, 2018) - there were still some raised eyebrows and furious tweets. We pick over some of these, along with the events we're most looking forward to watching, the youngsters we think could prove Berlin bolters, and generally get hugely excited for the latest major championship this year (like Ingebrigstens - they just keep on coming...). Oh - and we speak to 'The New Phil' - Jeanette Kwakye - and Commonwealth 810 metre Champion - Kyle Langford. Let us know what you think: @BackstraightB and @Claire_GThomas. Danke.

For the first time in thirty episodes, all three of us were at the same meet, with nothing to do but soak up the atmosphere, interview some international stars, and discuss the world of athletics. And, if we do say so ourselves, we've delivered. Morgan Lake, KJT, Laura Muir, Sifan Hassan, Guy Learmonth, Sandra Perkovic, Maria Lasitskene (feat. interpreter), Adam Gemili, and - of course - the man who has catapulted himself into the hearts of British athletics fans, and onto more podiums than you could shake an airline-mislaid bag of pole vault sticks at: Greg Rutherford. We also look back at the Monaco Diamond League, reminisce about some of Millicent Fawcett's finest mile races, and ponder the impending European selections. There have been some lovely reviews recently: thank you ever so much. Prizes to follow in our next, Euro preview, pod. Please keep listening, rating, and tweeting (@BackstraightB & @Claire_GThomas). Enjoy!

The British Championships were outrageously good. Seriously - they were absolutely brilliant, and we're pleased as punch that our UK Sprint Queens reigned supreme by delivering the race of the weekend. Shout out to bronze medallist Jodie Williams for a magical bend, Bianca Williams for floating (elegant as ever) to a silver, and Beth Dobbin for proving everyone that - not only is she a 200/400 star in the making - media training is vastly overrated. Why not burst into tears on national television and leap upon Jeanette Kwakye upon learning you've broken a Championship Record? We adored it. The long jump was also sensational, and the entire thing a doozy - something we HADN'T expected to say of the Athletics World Cup. And, yet - once Bayo had been dragged (kicking and screaming) from the football - all three of us loved it. It's a short one this week, but one teeming with positivity: this season's been a proper corker already. PS - rate, review, and subscribe. @BackstraightB &

Dina Asher-Smith believed she was in mortal peril during her first ever race: a cross country meet at primary school, entered in exchange for the promise of an ice cream. Thank goodness her sweet tooth was stronger than her reluctance to take part; the thought of a Dina-less athletics doesn't bear thinking about. Listing her achievements here seems silly for three reasons: A) she's the darling of British sprinting, so we all know them already B) there are loads of them, and there's only a finite amount of space for these descriptions C) the list is growing by the meet, so it would need constant updating. Essentially, she's the fastest female sprinter we've ever produced, breaking the national 100, 200, and 4x100 records whilst studying for a BA in History at King's College, and winning us all over with her seemingly-infinite charm, enthusiasm, and determination. If you enjoy listening to Dina half as much as I did chatting with her, you're in for a treat. Thanks for listenin

The ladies featured here might be super speedy - they're all bona fide sprint sensations - but this episode certainly isn't. It's an epic, 90-minute romp through some of the biggest names in British sprinting: Jodie Wiliams (06:51), Shannon Hylton (25:26), Beth Dobbin (33:04), Paula Dunn (51:00), Abi Oyepitan (61:02), and Dina Asher-Smith (78:14). Tell us about it; we've no idea how we managed to persuade such sprint queens onto our little pod, either... Eight UK athletes currently hold the European A standard of 23.20, which is both fantastic and a sign of how far sprinting has come for this country's female athletes in recent years. Paula and Abi were amongst those paving the way (or laying the track; however literal you like your metaphors), and this week's other guests are furthering the cause, one sub-23 minute run and banging entrance track at a time. On your marks, get set, enjoy. Oh, and leave us a review, won't you? @BackstraightB & @Claire_GThomas

Hello there, beloved listener, and welcome to our twenty-sixth episode. Since we last caught up, Shaunae's gone sub-50 in baggy shorts, Claire's favourite Linden Hall's broken the Australian 1500m record, and Bayo's completed a half marathon (beer-fuelled, much to Jo Pavey and Seb Coe's disappointment)....

Boston was bonkers, but so was Mary Keitany’s race plan in London. The first Diamond League of the year (which was grossly under-publicised, obv) produced some phenomenal performances, including by Caster Semenya, who’s been dragged into yet another testosterone palaver. Can drinking the night before a...

Jody, Bayo, and Claire are in the same country – as Anna in ‘Frozen’ sings whilst cavorting around Arendelle Castle – for the first time in forever. Backstraight is well and truly back. The boys have returned from duty as Track and Field News’ Gold Coast correspondents with, unsurprisingly, numerous interviews with some of the biggest names of the games, and – even less surprisingly – strong opinions on the event and various athletes’ performances. If they topped a podium, they’re on this pod: here’s 85 minutes of top notch ‘journalising’ (all we ask for in exchange is a rating, review, and subscription). Enjoy!