SOAR Long Form – Details, episodes & analysis

There’s cross-country. And then there are the cross-country relays. 

Follow the story of the English National Cross-Country Relays, meeting the individuals that hold the event together – inside and outside of the tape, in public office, on public transport, and in the heat of the racing. 

An event like this one in Mansfield is not so much athlete against athlete but club against club and it presents clear wins for the argument of sport being a unifier. For being a force for good. For engaging communities. They say endurance running is all about commitment and that’s what we uncover through the episode.

A huge thank you to Mansfield Harriers AC and the English Cross-Country Association for all their help in making this possible and to our contributors for being a part of it. 

Words & Images: Phil Gale & Emmie Collinge

Audio: Danny Easton 

Featuring the voices of:

Paul Beasley - Sutton & Ashfield Harriers

Pat Carlan - Mansfield Harriers

Beverly Armstrong - Mansfield Harriers

Abigail Hancock - Berry AC

Jordan Hale - Highgate Harriers

Keeran Sriskandarajah - Herne Hill Harriers

Fred Slemeck - Hercules Wimbledon

Rob Saunders - Highgate Harriers

Martin Tate

Jim Davies - Newstead Brass

Blake Tague - Newstead Brass

Mayor Andy Abrahams

Richard Massey - Mansfield Harriers

Wanda Curley - Mansfield Harriers

Harry Woodcock - Mansfield Harriers

Steve Davies - Mansfield Harriers

Alan Maddocks - Mansfield Harriers

Martin Bell - Mansfield Harriers

Graham Heely - ECCA

Tom Brown - Gateshead Harriers

Andy Carter - Vale Royal AC

James McDonald - Herne Hill Harriers

Duncan Mason Salford Harriers

Lynne Marr - ECCA Referee

Samantha Mason - Salford Harriers

Evie Collier - Salford Harriers

Olly Hampson - Brighton & Hove

Will Cork - Brighton & Hove

James Turner - Brighton & Hove

Lily Coward - AFD

Lauren Hall - AFD

Niamh Brown - AFD

Mark Hookway - Tonbridge AC

Kieran Riley - Tonbridge AC

Sean Renfer - Highgate Harriers

Martin Duff - Athletics Weekly

Ed Mallet - Hercules Wimbledon

Ben Allcock - Bedford AC

Seyed Taha Ghafari - Highgate Harriers

Rob Wilson - Highgate Harriers

Liam Dee- Shaftsbury Barnett Harriers

Alex Leprêtre - Highgate Harriers

Alasdair Kinloch - Tonbridge AC

Cross is back. In this preview of our upcoming Long Form Dispatch from the English National Cross Country Relays, Danny Easton takes a journey of discovery into the roots of the event itself, cross-country running and relay racing. Via the community and culture which define them.

Ahead of this weekend’s race we hear from the people who shape it; athletes, coaches, team managers and journalists. Uncovering the nuance, rituals, idiosyncrasies and competitive pulse of this very British of competitions. Brutal, muddy, raw and charming.

With thanks to:

Keith Scofield (Team Manager & Coach, Hercules Wimbledon AC)

Fred Slemeck - (Runner, Hercules Wimbledon AC)

Ed Mallet - (Runner, Hercules Wimbledon AC)

Ben Pochee (Team Manager & Coach, Highgate Harriers)

Jake Smith (Runner, Cardiff AC)

Jess Piasecki (Runner, Stockport Harriers)

Mark Hookway  (Team Manager & Coach, Tonbridge AC)

Mick Woods (Team Manager & Coach, Aldershot Farnham & District AC)

Jason Henderson (Editor, Athletics Weekly)

Cambridge Harriers AC 

Welcome to the SOAR Long Form podcast, hosted by Danny Easton.

This podcast aims to dig deeper into the fascinating work of individuals who push boundaries in their respective fields. People who ask questions and innovate.

People who run.

Welcome to the first part of a two-part special with the creators of Long Distance.

In part one, I  had the pleasure to sit down with Jason Suarez. Jason is one of the most in-demand sports photographers today having shot the likes of Farah and Kipchoghe to name but a few. He’s also a passionate runner having been a former college athlete and is one half of the team to bring you Long Distance a collection of photographs and stories documenting runnings response to Covid.

Be sure to listen to the second part of this special with Duy Nguyen - available now.

If you enjoyed this episode subscribe to be the first to hear when our next episode is released.

SOAR Long Form - brought to you by SOAR running.

www.soarrunning.com

Produced and hosted by Danny Easton

Welcome to the SOAR Long Form podcast, hosted by Danny Easton.

This podcast aims to dig deeper into the fascinating work of individuals who push boundaries in their respective fields. People who ask questions and innovate.

People who run.

Today’s guests are Kate McKenzie & Martin Parnell

Kate is a documentary filmmaker and Martin an ex-miner turned marathon master. They have combined to produce The Secret Marathon a powerful documentary all about The Marathon of Afghanistan. Inspired by the first Afghan women to run the race they trained and travelled in secret to avoid terrorist attacks and bring the story of the race and the incredible women involved to the world.

If you enjoyed this episode be sure to subscribe to be the first to hear when our next episode is released.

SOAR Long Form - brought to you by SOAR running.

www.soarrunning.com

Produced and hosted by Danny Easton

Welcome to the SOAR Long Form podcast, hosted by Danny Easton.

This podcast aims to dig deeper into the fascinating work of individuals who push boundaries in their respective fields. People who ask questions and innovate.

People who run.

Today’s guest is Elsa Jean de Dieu

Elsa is a Hong Kong-based French muralist and visual artist who has been spreading her creative talents throughout Asia since 2008. Working with big brands across multiple mediums her work can be found on the streets as well as in galleries.  She is also a top competitive female trail-runner in Hong Kong having won several races there and competed at UTMB

If you enjoyed this episode be sure to subscribe to be the first to hear when our next episode is released.

SOAR Long Form - brought to you by SOAR running.

www.soarrunning.com

Produced and hosted by Danny Easton

Welcome to the SOAR Long Form podcast, hosted by Danny Easton.

This podcast aims to dig deeper into the fascinating work of individuals who push boundaries in their respective fields. People who ask questions and innovate.

People who run.

Today's guest is Matt Lawton 

Matt has been a sports journalist for over 20 years and is now the Chief Sports Correspondent at The Times newspaper. He has twice been named Sports Journalist of The Year and four times Sports News Reporter of The Year and is held in high regard for his investigative journalism & interest in uncovering stories about doping and other forms of corruption in sport.

He is also life long lover of athletics having trained with George Gandy at Loughborough and a 2:56 marathoner

If you enjoyed this episode be sure to subscribe to be the first to hear when our next episode is released.

SOAR Long Form - brought to you by SOAR running.

www.soarrunning.com

Produced and hosted by Danny Easton

Welcome to the SOAR Long Form podcast, hosted by Danny Easton. 

This podcast aims to dig deeper into the fascinating work of individuals who push boundaries in their respective fields. People who ask questions and innovate.

People who run.

Today’s guest is Michael Crawley. 

Michael is an assistant professor in anthropology, 2:20 marathoner and a GB athlete, who spent 15 months living and training with Ethiopian long-distance runners to deeper understand why they lead the world. 

His discoveries were distilled into his brilliant first book, "Out of Thin Air" 

If you enjoyed this episode be sure to subscribe to be the first to hear when our next episode is released.

SOAR Long Form - brought to you by SOAR running. 

www.soarrunning.com

Produced and hosted by Danny Easton 

A brand new podcast launching soon.

Brought to you by SOAR running and hosted by Danny Easton 

Join us for a series of in-depth discussions with individuals whose works captivates. People who push boundaries and innovate. 

People who run

Subscribe now from wherever you get your podcast's to be the first to hear when the series launches

SOAR long Form 

www.soarrunning.com 

In this special edition, Danny spent time with founder Tim Soar, at SOAR HQ with the wider team, and with individuals from outside of the brand who have shaped what it is today.

From races to record collections, product development and the bustle of SOAR HQ this episode is a peek into the inner workings of SOAR Running. An audio documentary unravelling where the brand has come from, where it is today, and where it hopes to go.

Development, real world testing, design, construction, experience - all streamlined to make a product extremely fit for purpose.

Produced, recorded, edited and directed by Danny Easton 

Welcome to the SOAR Long Form podcast, hosted by Danny Easton.

This podcast aims to dig deeper into the fascinating work of individuals who push boundaries in their respective fields. People who ask questions and innovate.

People who run.

Today's guest is Judge Craig Mitchell.

Craig is a LA District Court Judge made famous by the 2017 documentary, The Skid Row Marathon. Craig established a running club alongside the midnight mission in downtown LA that has been instrumental in changing the lives of individuals struggling with addiction and sobriety. A running devotee having discovered the sport later in life, Craig's program has allowed members of the club to run races all over the world including Rome, Vietnam, Ghana and Jerusalem. 

If you enjoyed this episode be sure to subscribe to be the first to hear when our next episode is released.

SOAR Long Form - brought to you by SOAR running.

www.soarrunning.com

Produced and hosted by Danny Easton