Born on the Trail: Going Longer
Born on the Trail: Going Longer is a long-form podcast for trail and ultra runners, exploring the why behind the sport. Host Niki Micallef brings clarity to concepts, research, and training ideas that shape endurance performance through extended conversations with coaches, athletes, and practitioners. The show translates these insights into actionable resources to simplify training and elevate endurance approaches. It serves as a companion for long runs, offering thoughtful and grounded learning.
Episodes
Why Muscular Endurance Is The Goal, Not The Start With Scott Johnston
Scott Johnston is co-founder of Evoke Endurance and coach to elite ultra runners including Tom Evans and Ruth Croft. This is his second appearance on the podcast, and the second half of a two-part series on strength training for runners, following the conversation with strength and conditioning researcher Dr Richard Blagrove, who approached the topic from the theoretical side. Scott brings the pra
How Strength Training Makes You a Faster Runner with Dr. Richard Blagrove
Dr Richard Blagrove is a strength and conditioning academic at Loughborough University, a coach who has worked with runners reaching Olympic finals, and the author of Strength and Conditioning for Endurance Running (2015).This episode is a direct response to my own January article arguing that some ultra runners are better off running more rather than adding strength training. Rich and I go throug
Why Trail Running Breaks the Rules of Exercise Science with Dr. Simon de Waal
In road running, VO2max, lactate threshold, and running economy can explain up to 95% of the variation in performance between athletes. In trail running, that same model barely holds together, with running economy being the worst predictor of the three.In this episode, Dr. Simon de Waal walks through his research journey trying to work out why. From his systematic review of the existing evidence,
Train Like a Human, Race Like a Champion: Johan Röjler on Coaching Nils van der Poel
Johan Röjler is a former Olympic speed skater, junior world champion, and the coach behind one of the most interesting training methods in modern endurance sport. When Nils van der Poel came to him after the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics - disappointed, under-motivated, and with one condition (he still wanted to go skydiving on weekends) - what followed was a four-year journey that ended with two Olym
Designing a Robust Anti-Doping Programme for Trail Running with Brett Clothier
“Without trust, the spectacle means nothing.”In this episode, I am joined by Brett Clothier, the Head of the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), to discuss the structural requirements for a robust anti-doping program in trail running. As our sport undergoes a phase of professionalisation, marked by six-figure athlete contracts, skyrocketing prize money, and global broadcast deals, the risks to its int
Why Runners Should Not Strength Train
We are often told that strength training is a “non-negotiable” for longevity and performance. But for the self-coached trail runner who is balancing 40+ hour work weeks with a high-volume training block, nothing is free. Every hour spent in the gym is an hour not spent on the trails, and more importantly, it is an hour of recovery you are actively spending.In this episode of the podcast, we look a
Rethinking Effort and Intensity for Endurance Athletes with Siren Seiler
“The physiology can be complicated, but the training doesn’t have to be.”In this episode, I am joined by Siren Seiler, a sports physiologist and endurance athlete who brings a unique perspective to the science of performance. Having transitioned from the subjective world of competitive dance to the objective, data-driven realm of endurance running, Siren explores the friction between laboratory th
Do Menstrual Cycles Affect Training? The Science Explained with Dr. Nicky Keay
In this episode, I speak with Dr. Nicky Keay about the role hormones play in endurance training, performance, and long-term athlete health. The discussion focuses on how menstrual cycles function as an important physiological signal and why they should be considered a key health marker for female athletes.Dr. Keay explains how hormones influence training adaptation, recovery, and bone health, and
Improving Ultra Marathon Performance through Metabolic Flexibility with Marco Altini
While everybody has spent 2025 increasing their carbohydrate intake, Marco spent his year improving his metabolic flexibility and fat oxidation through periodised nutrition. Although he agrees that carbohydrate availability is essential for performance and recovery, his approach challenges the assumption that simply increasing carbohydrate intake is always the primary lever for improvement.In this
Joe Warne on Whether Sports Science is Broken
Like most of us, I place a great deal of trust in science and scientific research. However, recent work by Joe Warne and the Sports Science Replication Center calls into question many of the findings we routinely accept as established fact.In this episode of Born on the Trail: Going Longer, Joe and I explore how the scientific process actually works, where it breaks down and what the Replication C
Neal Palles on How Mental Health Impacts Athletic Performance
If you’re an avid reader or follower of Born on the Trail, you have definitely seen me write and post about the effects of the mind on physical performance along with presenting ways how to perform mental performance training. In an effort to deepen my understanding, I got in touch with Neal Palles, a licensed psychotherapist and ultra running coach working with mountain and ultra athletes. My goa
Scott Johnston on What Athletes and Coaches Get Wrong About Muscular Endurance
Since the 2025 edition of UTMB, everyone is talking about muscular endurance. But despite all the available information, there’s massive confusion. In fact, a major coaching organisation in the ultra space recently stated this approach “does not work.”In this debut episode of Born on the Trail: Going Longer, I sit down with renowned coach Scott Johnston tackle this controversy head-on. We dive dee
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