Better By Next Week

A race designed to break people.Inspired by the legendary Barkley Marathons, Unbreakable is one of the most demanding endurance events in Australia - a race where navigation, sleep deprivation, relentless terrain, and the constant possibility of failure combine to create an experience unlike almost anything else in running.

In this episode, they unpack their journey through Unbreakable, becoming one of the few runners to reach the finish line and experiencing firsthand what happens when an event strips away every comfort and forces someone to confront themselves.

Beyond the result, they explore the mental battles, mistakes, breakthroughs, and lessons that emerged throughout the race, and why events like Unbreakable reveal far more than physical fitness ever can.

They discuss:
◼️ What makes Unbreakable one of the toughest races in Australia.
◼️ How the race draws inspiration from the Barkley Marathons.
◼️ The mental challenges of navigating deep fatigue and uncertainty.
◼️ The moments where the race nearly fell apart.
◼️ Why success in these events is about far more than fitness.
◼️ What they learned about resilience, mindset, and suffering.
◼️ The reality of chasing goals where failure is often the expected outcome.

This isn't a story about winning a race.

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What happens when pain, sacrifice, and suffering become so common that they stop feeling extraordinary?

In this episode, Tim and Ollie explore the idea of RUNFLATION - the phenomenon where the running community continually raises the standard of what's considered impressive, causing achievements that would once seem extraordinary to feel completely normal.

From 4am wake-ups and marathon training blocks to ultramarathons, injury management, and years of relentless consistency, we discuss how endurance athletes gradually normalise experiences that most people would consider incredibly difficult.

But as the bar keeps rising, an important question emerges:

Have runners become so mentally tough that they've lost the ability to recognise their own toughness?

We unpack how pain tolerance, resilience, discipline, and discomfort become part of everyday life for endurance athletes - and why constantly comparing ourselves to bigger goals, faster athletes, and longer races can make us forget just how far we've come.

They discuss:
◼️ How athletes normalise pain, discomfort, and suffering.
◼️ Why a 10km run can start to feel "easy".
◼️ The hidden downside of constantly raising the bar.
◼️ When mental toughness becomes so normal you stop noticing it.
◼️ The difference between resilience and obsession.
◼️ Why runners struggle to appreciate their own achievements.
◼️ How outside perspectives reveal what's actually extraordinary.

Running is often seen as a pursuit of progress - of discipline, growth, and becoming more.
But what happens when the cost of chasing that progress starts to quietly outweigh what it gives back?
In this episode, we step into the less visible side of running - the part that rarely gets talked about. The early mornings that turn into lifestyle shifts, the relationships that are stretched thin, and the constant negotiation between ambition and everything else life demands.
This isn’t a conversation about training perfection. It’s about the trade-offs that sit underneath it.
We break down the reality behind what it means to commit deeply to something physical and relentless, and the subtle point where dedication can start to blur into something harder to define.
And at the centre of it all is a question most runners avoid asking:
How much is this actually costing you?
We also reflect on:◼️ The emotional weight behind chasing performance◼️ Where discipline ends and obsession begins◼️ What running gives and what it quietly takes away◼️ The mental cost of always wanting to improve◼️ Whether the sacrifice is ever truly worth it

AI is changing coaching faster than ever but does that mean human coaches are being replaced, or simply forced to evolve?

In this episode, we break down the growing role of AI in coaching and explore where it genuinely adds value and where human experience, intuition, and connection still matter most.

We discuss both sides of the debate, making the case for AI-driven coaching tools while also unpacking the irreplaceable elements of human coaching that algorithms still struggle to replicate.

We explore the relationship between technology, performance, and decision-making and why the coaches and athletes who adapt fastest may have the biggest advantage moving forward.

Most importantly, we uncover practical ways coaches and athletes can stay ahead - using AI as a tool rather than viewing it as competition.

We talk about:
◼️ Whether AI is actually replacing coaches.
◼️ The strengths and weaknesses of AI coaching.
◼️ What human coaches still do better than technology.
◼️ How coaches and athletes can stay ahead of the game.
◼️ Practical tips for combining AI with human coaching.
◼️ Where coaching could be heading in the future.

This conversation isn’t about choosing sides - it’s about understanding where coaching is heading and how to adapt before everyone else does.

A conversation with Margie Hadley unpacking the mindset, resilience, and quiet persistence behind some of the most extreme performances in ultrarunning.

From backyard ultras to the Hardcore Harry’s Challenge, this episode explores what happens when runners push far beyond what most people believe is possible. But beneath the massive distances and race results is something deeper - the mental battles, community support, self-belief, and small decisions that keep people moving forward long after they want to stop.

Rather than glorifying suffering, this conversation looks at the psychology of endurance, the reality of fatigue, and why the people around you can completely change the outcome of a challenge.

We explore:
◼️ The reality of running day after day in the Hardcore Harry’s Challenge.
◼️ Why support and community matter so much in ultrarunning.
◼️ The mental battle of wanting to quit and choosing not to.
◼️ Women in backyard ultras and the challenges still present in the sport.
◼️ Training load, tapering, recovery, and adapting to extreme mileage.
◼️ The mindset behind chasing limits and seeing what the body can truly handle.
◼️ Why inspiring others can sometimes matter more than winning itself.This isn’t just a conversation about running further.It’s about discovering what happens when people refuse to stop.