Better By Next Week

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.

A conversation unpacking the small things in running that quietly make the biggest difference.

In a sport obsessed with workouts, mileage, and race results, this episode shifts the focus to the overlooked habits that shape consistency, progress, recovery, and long-term performance.

From the tiny routines before sessions to the decisions no one notices, we break down the things that often separate steady improvement from stagnation.

Rather than focusing on one breakthrough workout or training hack, this episode explores the micro habits that compound over time and why the smallest details are often the ones that matter most.

We explore
◼️ The forgotten habits that quietly improve performance over time.
◼️ Small training decisions that can make or break consistency.
◼️ Recovery, preparation, and routines most runners overlook.
◼️ The psychology behind building habits that actually stick.
◼️ Why marginal gains matter more than most runners realise.

This isn’t about doing something extreme.

It’s about the small things repeated long enough to change everything.

A conversation recorded just days after one of the most remarkable Backyard Ultra debuts Australia has seen.

After running for 68 straight hours in his first ever Backyard Ultra, Brady Nankervis sits down to unpack the full reality of the event, the emotional breakdowns, the moments he wanted to quit, the people who kept him going, and the mental battle that slowly became bigger than the physical one.

Rather than just revisiting the result, this episode explores what actually happens to someone during four days of sleep deprivation, repetition, pressure, and isolation.

Brady explores:
◼️ The darkest moments of the race and wanting to quit for over 30 hours.
◼️ The emotional weight of not wanting to let his crew down.
◼️ Hallucinations, sleep deprivation, and the psychology of Backyard Ultras.
◼️ His full race setup, fuelling, caffeine and sleep strategy.
◼️ Why he believes he can eventually compete with the best in the world.
This isn’t a polished race recap.

It’s the raw emotional aftermath of someone discovering where their actual limit is.

A live interruption to the usual format.
Recorded on-site at the Melbourne Backyard Ultra, this episode unfolds in real time from within the race environment itself where endurance, fatigue, and emotion are all actively in motion.
Instead of a traditional studio conversation, we step directly into the event as it’s happening.
We’re joined by the race director who breaks down the origins, structure, and psychology of Backyard Ultras and what most people misunderstand about this format until they’re actually inside it.
Alongside him members of crews share behind-the-scenes insights into what really happens between laps the small decisions, the silent breakdowns, and the strategies that never make it onto the course.
We also hear from a former Australian Backyard Ultra representative unpacking what it takes to compete at the highest level of this unique endurance format.
And in a moment that captures the raw nature of the event a runner finishes a loop and immediately joins the conversation live still deep in race conditions, still mid-competition, still in it.
This isn’t a recap.
It’s the race as it unfolds.
We discuss:
◼️ What Backyard Ultras actually demand from runners and crews
◼️ The hidden psychology of lap-based endurance racing
◼️ How elite competitors manage time, fatigue, and survival
◼️ What most people never see between loops
◼️ Raw, live insight from someone actively still in the race

Fresh off winning the Sydney Backyard Ultra in 75 hours, race winner Tim Kacprzak, reveals what it really took to outlast every other runner and claim victory.

In this episode, we break down exactly how it was done. From the mindset of never once considering quitting, to the strategies that kept him moving hour after hour, this is a deep dive into endurance, resilience, and what separates those who stop from those who keep going.

We explore the powerful and sometimes dangerous dynamic between father and son - the pressure, belief, and shared obsession that drove this result. Alongside that, deeply personal layers are uncovered that have never been shared before, revealing what truly carried him through the hardest moments.

He explains:
◼️ How the Sydney Backyard Ultra was won in 75 hours.
◼️ Why quitting never entered the equation.
◼️ The father-son dynamic behind the performance.
◼️ The deeper emotional layers that fueled the win.
◼️ The controversial role of the race assist smoking cigarettes at the start line.

Sydney Backyard Ultra- Tims plan

https://we.tl/t-ZLwHH0m683O1iERm