Dirt Church Radio Trail Running

Kia ora e te whānau. In our sport, we often hear stories of when people found trail running. Seldom do we hear of moments where trail running found us. Jack Harris was, as he tells it, going through a bit of a hard time, and one day decided to go for a hike along the Routeburn Track. By happy circumstance, that hike coincided with the running of the annual Routeburn trail run.  It would be neater, if not less fulfilling, to fall back on some trope like “the rest is history”. And whilst it’s true that history is happening to us every day, what follows in Jack’s case is an 8-year journey from mid-pack to podium. Jack started 2025 with a 6th place at Tarawera 50km and ended the year as the Athletics New Zealand Long Course Trail Champion. There are heaps of other good twists along the way, including stitches, a flying doctor cameo, and an early appearance of one Ali Pottinger. Matt had the most brilliant time speaking with Jack about process, progress, and the surprising benefits of sometimes keeping your world small .  Dirt Church Radio—Best Enjoyed Running.

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Episode Links 

Jack Harris Instagram
La Sportiva
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Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

On this week’s AidStation, we have a most excellent conversation about the LoopHer relay in Riverhead, a 3, 6, or 12-hour female-only relay. We talk about the upcoming Tussock Traverse and Ring of Fire, and our unreasonable excitement to be involved. We discuss the chase for the Western States Endurance Run and whether the field should be deeper. Is there a place for a Sportiv-style event? Or should we leave it exactly how it is? We talk about how much is too much to tell your coach, and Matt shares an epic tale of woe that spanned 32 hours, time in the police cells, a lost dog, a hallucinated dog, and a medical DNF. Finally, it takes a lot to goad Matt to the point of wanting to pop off at something, but taking Ian McKaye’s name in vain will get you there every time. Excellent Stuff.

Dirt Church Radio – Best Enjoyed Running.
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Episode Links 

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Further Faster New Zealand
Enjoy!
Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

Kia ora e te whānau. This episode has been a long time coming. DCR has been wanting to get down to the mighty Old Ghost Ultra for years, and this year, Ali P made it happen. The stoke is evident in her retelling of the event. If that isn’t enough, we’ve got interviews with Race Founder and 2026 participant Phil Rossiter, Mr. Original Ben Kepes, Third-place runner Sarah Kearns, and iRunFar founder Mr. Bryon Powell. Brilliant Stuff.   Dirt Church Radio—Best Enjoyed Running.

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Episode Links
Old Ghost Ultra
Phil Rossiter DCR
Ben and Yonni Kepes DCR
Bryon Powell DCR 154
Bryon Powell DCR 325
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irunfar
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Further Faster New Zealand
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Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

Kia ora e te whānau. Holy Hecka, what a weekend with the filth, fury, and triumph of Tarawera Ultra Trail New Zealand by UTMB. Join Ali Pottinger and Matt Rayment for a wonderful conversation with some of the leading lights in our sport for our annual live show—amazing insights from Ruth Croft, Beth McKenzie, Dan Jones, Petter Engdhal, Sam Harvey, Hannah McCrae, Liam Mierow, and Emily Hawgood. We run down the results, dive into the DNF rates, stumble through our long weekends on the mic, and share what we took from this experience and the best things we saw. This couldn’t be a show recorded partly on Valentine’s Day without a romantic interlude, and a massive throw of the dice on one gentleman’s part, and Matt finds out that he still may have it (although what it is is questionable). As a massive bonus, we are also bringing you the 2026 Women in Trail Q&A, hosted by Ali, featuring Lydia O’ Donnell, Jen Wong, and Paula Griffin.  Dirt Church Radio—Best Enjoyed Running.

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Episode Links 

Tarawera Ultra Trail New Zealand by UTMB
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Further Faster New Zealand
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Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

On this week’s AidStation, we have the distinct pleasure of speaking with Race Director Tom Heath about the exciting new event on the calendar, Ultra Wanaka. Ali and Matt also speak to the most powerful returning champion, L. Bartholomew of Diamond Creek, Victoria, about her go-to Rotorua trails, Race week self-care, and the update on her Dad, Ash, after his recent stroke. Matt has been accused of many things, being discursive, even downright circumstantial, but one thing he has never been in the 8 years of DCR is speechless. Thanks, Lucy. Really.   Excellent Stuff.

Dirt Church Radio – Best Enjoyed Running.
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Episode Links 
Lucy Bartholomew Instagram
Ash Bartholomew DCR 247
Ultra Wanaka Home
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Dirt Church Radio on Instagram
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Further Faster New Zealand
Enjoy!
Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake