Everyday Runners

#18: Reem Ali and the Palestine Marathon

Good morning! Good afternoon, good evening or goodnight. This is Episode 18 of the Everyday Runners podcast. Hope your running, training, racing is going well. I’m Andy Fuller, the host of Everyday Runners and a co-founder of Reading Sideways Press. 
 
In this episode, I speak with Reem Ali who is a crisis counselor and the Sweat Elite Academy manager. Reem is based in Chicago and she shares her stories of doing the Palestine Marathon in 2019 and the various logistical difficulties involved. Reem speaks of the barriers (to put it mildly) faced by Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza in practicing sport, moving through checkpoints and just going about their daily life. 
 
Reem is in the process of starting her preparations for the 2025 Palestine Marathon and has recently started a fundraising campaign to generate funds for those who need it most. If there are listeners out there who would like to contribute, a link can be found in the program notes. 
 
That is enough from me. I hope you find this conversation with Reem Ali insightful and that it helps to give a new perspective on the everyday lives of Palestinians, who might at times, just also want to go for a run. 
 
Relevant Links: 
Reem Ali: Instagram 
Sweat Elite Coaching Academy
Fundraising: Together for Humanity
Palestine Marathon
 
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Andy Fuller/Reading Sideways Press
Strava: Andy Fuller
Instagram: Everyday Runners Leiden
Twitter/X: @readingsideways
Email: everydayrunnerspodcast@gmail.com 

#17 Thursday Bonus - Three Questions Each with Dani O'Sullivan

In this Thursday Bonus episode, Dani O'Sullivan and I talk about running and technology, professionalisation and payment of elite athletes, the curious encounters with other humans while running and also about the science fiction running-based novel Dani has written. 
 
Dani O'Sullivan: Instagram (@dani_osullivan_)
 
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Andy Fuller/Reading Sideways Press
Strava: Andy Fuller
Instagram: Everyday Runners Leiden
Twitter/X: @readingsideways
Email: everydayrunnerspodcast@gmail.com 

#16 - Interview with Cas Kopmels - On College Athletics and US style training

This episode features an interview with Cas Kopmels a Leiden athlete who is just finishing up his time in the States where he has been on an athletics scholarship at Wingate in North Carolina. 
 
That will be my last reading from The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner. I have featured it because I feel it captures so much about running and what this podcast is trying to explore. Part of what Sillitoe does is describe vividly the tensions of running and racing: when does one shift from running to racing and how does one use geographical markers as a means of shaping one’s level of effort. I love how the narrative puts so much emphasis on the surroundings, the smells, the changes in terrain, the temperature, and the sounds the body makes as it moves along the various paths. 
 
Of course this is also the story of a working class teenager who is being disciplined through his running as a means of becoming a ‘decent’ and ‘honest’ citizen. He has no time for this. He rejects the civilizing mission that his act of running will supposedly create in him. Thus, he deliberately loses the race to the chagrin of his school masters. I love how in this long-short-story, it also carries such pearls of running wisdom: ‘don’t be in a hurry’ ; when you are in a hurry, don’t let others know about it and that ‘you can always over take in a long-distance race’. 
 
Anyway, for the moment, that’s all from me. If you’re enjoying these episodes, drop me a line on Strava or elsewhere or of course share the podcast amongst your friends. 
 
I want to give a big shout-out to the Casco Crew in Utrecht for mentioning the podcast in their newsletter: specifically Aline Hernandez and Marianna Takou. 
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Cas Kopmels: World Athletics Profile
Instagram: @caskopmels
 
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Andy Fuller/Reading Sideways Press
Strava: Andy Fuller
Instagram: Everyday Runners Leiden
Twitter/X: @readingsideways
Email: everydayrunnerspodcast@gmail.com 
 
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I recorded the music featured in this episode on 9th June 2024, just near the Albert Heijn on Hooigracht in Leiden. If anyone knows who the band is, please let me know so that I can credit them properly. :) 

#15 "Running makes me feel..." Conversation with Bridgette Desjardins and Jean Ketterling

This episode features a conversation with Bridgette Desjardins of Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia and Jean Ketterling of Mount Allison University in New Brunswick Canada. I got in touch with Bridgette and Jean after reading their article, “Running makes me feel”: the production of emotion through leisure published in April 2023 in Leisure Studies. This was a very enjoyable and enlightening conversation for me. We spoke about running during the Covid 19 Pandemic, how running is often ‘justified’ as a leisure pursuit, how leisure time is gendered, and also how affect and emotion are closely intertwined but can be understood differently. I also particularly enjoyed Bridgette’s discussion of her move to powerlifting as her main sport and Jean’s practice of run-juring: a sport, which I had hitherto not heard of. 
 
So, that’s just about all from me for now. I’ve got numerous episodes on the go which will keep me occupied over the coming weeks. Next week’s episode will feature an interview with a Leiden athlete who has spent the last few years in the State in the college athletics system. If you would like to support the show, I’m hoping that you can share it with your running friends and crews. It’s always nice to see that people are listening to it. Thank you to the 18 folks who have given the show a five star review on the Spotify. If you have comments, perhaps the easiest way to get in touch is either through my Strava or Instagram. 
 
Bedankt voor het luisteren en tot de volgende - 
 
Relevant Links: 
Article: Running makes me feel
Guest Profiles: Bridgette Desjardins  & Jean Ketterling
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Andy Fuller/Reading Sideways Press
Strava: Andy Fuller
Instagram: Everyday Runners Leiden
Twitter/X: @readingsideways
Email: everydayrunnerspodcast@gmail.com 
***I recorded the music featured in this episode on 9th June 2024, just near the Albert Heijn on Hooigracht in Leiden. If anyone knows who the band is, please let me know so that I can credit them properly. :) 

#14 Interview with Noah Schutte - 5 x Dutch National Champion

Hello and welcome to Episode #14 of Everyday Runners. This episode features an interview with five-time national (Dutch) champion Noah Schutte. Noah specialises in the 10,000m (with a PB of 27:58) and has also won the Dutch half-marathon championship in Breda in 2023. 
I talk with Noah about how he came to running, after quite some years of serious table-tennis, where he trains and how he prepares for his important races which are often in quite quick succession. 
Noah is sponsored by Hoka and recently competed in the European Championships held in Rome. Since this recording was made, he came second at the Dutch 5000m championships.
So, those are his elite running credentials. 
But, this podcast is not specifically centred around running or athletes solely based on their high performance. I find ‘high performance’ one aspect of running, indeed, a much desired form of running, but I also don’t find it the be-all-and-end-all of running. A
Part of what I have enjoyed about my conversations with Noah, whenever I’ve caught up with him, is his openness to share his experiences about the pointy-end of the sport, while also keeping his elite performance in perspective. I like how he speaks of running as something with which he can push himself and ‘see how far he can go with it’. 
In fitting with one of the ideals of this podcast, there is no false modesty, but also there is no arrogance. I get the feeling that running is a lot of fun for Noah, which sometimes contrasts with the over-seriousness of some either higher or lower performing athletes. 
Anyway: I appreciate Noah’s time very much in coming on to the podcast. 
Before the interview starts, just a couple of quick shoutouts: Joji in Richmond, Tim in Rotterdam and Learoy, just around the corner here in Leiden. That you all have been listening, means a lot. We’ve now cracked the 1,000 download barrier. So, if you find this podcast interesting, please let others know about it. 
And finally: The music I’ve used in this episode is from a recording I made in Leiden yesterday (Sunday 30th June) during a street-music festival. The name of the band - and I’ll surely butcher it - is Schering en Inslag, which is a Dutch expression for something which is extremely commonplace. 
Okay, that’s enough from me. I hope you find something valuable in this conversation with local Leiden legend, and all-round good guy, Noah Schutte. 
 
Relevant Links: 
Noach Schutte: 
Instagram
World Athletics 
Twitter/X
Music: 
Schering en Inslag
Babs
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Andy Fuller/Reading Sideways Press
Strava: Andy Fuller
Instagram: Everyday Runners Leiden
Twitter/X: @readingsideways
Email: everydayrunnerspodcast@gmail.com 

#13 - Running and Geography with Simon Cook

What is running? How and when do we run in our everyday lives? What feelings does running give us when we run through different spaces? What is the relationship of running with the city? These are some of the questions I explore with human geographer, Simon Cook, of Birmingham City University. 
This conversation is based around one of Simon's recent articles, Geographies of Running Cultures and Practices, co-authored with Jonas Larsen and published in Geography Compass. 
The episode opens with an excerpt from the work of highly influential sports studies figure and geographer, John Bale, whose work has informed and stimulated aspects of Cook's work. 
Before the interview there is also a conversation with fellow Leiden Atletiek athletes who participated in a 5000m race in Amsterdam Oost on Friday 21st June at Atletiek Vereniging 1923, where a new 55plus age category was set for the 5000m. 
Links: 
Simon Cook: BCU
Blog: Jographies
 
**Music by Cahaya Sofia playing a fragment of My Head, My Heart by Ava Max. 
Andy Fuller/Reading Sideways Press
Strava: Andy Fuller
Instagram: Everyday Runners Leiden
Twitter/X: @readingsideways
Email: everydayrunnerspodcast@gmail.com 

#12 Anne Luijten - Dutch Olympian, 2:26 marathoner

This episode features an interview with Anne Luijten, one of the representatives for the Netherlands in the upcoming Paris Olympics. 
Anne qualified for the Olympics with a time of 2:26 in the 2023 Amsterdam Marathon. So, naturally, we speak about that race during the conversation. 
I have been in a few races with Anne, and I have admired her racing for her incredibly precise pacing. She doesn’t seem to hit the wall. Since her first marathon, in 2022, she has brought her time down from 2:36 to 2:26 within the space of two years. 
I’m very thankful that Anne was willing to make herself available for this conversation in amongst her other running and work commitments. 
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Before I switch over to the interview, just a few house keeping matters. 
Firstly: a couple of shoutouts: Brad W., Kellie M., Rene W. Thank you for listening and sharing your thoughts with me about the show. 
Secondly: I will soon be starting a Patreon page as a means to cover some of the time-costs. I love producing this podcast, but, as you can imagine, it does take a certain amount of time. 
Finally: the easiest way to support the show and what I’m doing in the meantime is to share the podcast with your friends and running cohorts.
So, that’s enough from me. I hope you enjoy this conversation with Anne Luijten. 
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**Music by Cahaya Sofia playing a fragment of My Head, My Heart by Ava Max. 
Andy Fuller/Reading Sideways Press
Strava: Andy Fuller
Instagram: Everyday Runners Leiden
Twitter/X: @readingsideways
Email: everydayrunnerspodcast@gmail.com 

#11 - Royal Ten Race Review and Volunteering at the Olympics with Niki Koutrou

This episode is in two parts: the first is my conversation with fellow Leiden Atletiek runner, Tom de Heiden and the second part, is my interview with Dr Niki Koutrou of the University of Sunderland. She has done a heap of work on volunteering cultures around mega sporting events such as the Olympics and city-marathons. I interviewed her out of my realisation that our sport cannot happen without volunteers and I wanted to know more about the context of the Athens Olympics in 2004 and what volunteering meant in Athens. I’m also curious about legacies of Olympics, and what they leave behind or create; particularly because this is an Olympic year and also there is always so much hype for the Olympics and afterwards there can be a kind of massive ‘let down’, so to speak. 
 
If this podcast is something you enjoy listening to, please share it with friends and give it a review on the Spotify. This is a lot of fun for me to produce, so I’m hoping that others are also getting value out of it. I’ve got some nice episodes coming up in the next couple of weeks. If you have any suggestions, comments or criticisms, please get in touch via the addresses in the show notes. 
*Interview with Niki Koutrou starts approximately 25:10. 
Relevant Links:
Niki Koutrou, Staff profile
Koutrou and Kohe: Volunteering at the Olympics
Royal Ten
**Music by Cahaya Sofia playing a fragment of My Head, My Heart by Ava Max. 
Andy Fuller/Reading Sideways Press
Strava: Andy Fuller
Instagram: Everyday Runners Leiden
Twitter/X: @readingsideways
Email: everydayrunnerspodcast@gmail.com 

#10 "Love the Run" - Interview with Campbell Maffett

Hello and welcome to episode number 10 of Everyday Runners. 
Thank you to everyone who has been listening to the latest episodes. It’s always nice to see different countries popping up in the statistics. 
This episode is in two parts: the first of which is a conversation between Joao Seixas and myself in which we share our thoughts on various running matters. The second part is my interview with Campbell Maffett, who runs a running group in Melbourne, called Love the Run. Campbell was my first running coach; and he is one of the persons who has remained important to me throughout my running journey so to speak. The lessons he taught me during my very early stages of running have always remained with me. 
I hope you enjoy this episode. 
*Interview with Campbell Maffett starts at 16:55.
Link: 
Love the Run
**Music by Cahaya Sofia playing a fragment of My Head, My Heart by Ava Max. 
Andy Fuller/Reading Sideways Press
Strava: Andy Fuller
Instagram: Everyday Runners Leiden
Twitter/X: @readingsideways
Email: everydayrunnerspodcast@gmail.com 

#9 Thursday Bonus - Leon of Leiden Atletiek

This is the first Thursday Bonus episode. I'm not sure if this is going to become a habit. 
In this episode I talk with one of my running buddies, Leon Huiszoon. We talk about being 'talented', 'racing' and 'coaching'. And a little more besides. 
This is not a running manual podcast. No expert advice is given about how to do running better.
Literary fragment: 
Afrizal Malna, Morning Slanting to the Right, trans. Hannah Ekin, Jorgen Doyle & Andy Fuller, Richmond: Reading Sideways Press, 2021.