Runbelievable
WHY WE RUN | WHO WE BECOME
Runbelievable is the running podcast about runners, running stories and the communities we find along the way.
Hosted by Josh Rischin, each week a runner shares the story behind their running... from first-timers and everyday runners to elite athletes, marathoners, ultrarunners, record-breakers and people taking on wonderfully ridiculous running challenges.
Because behind every result, every finish line and every reason for lacing up, there's a bigger story.
Runbelievable explores why we run... the confidence we find, the people we meet, the adversity we navigate, the identities we build and rebuild, and the things running teaches us about ourselves.
Whether you're preparing for your first parkrun, an ultramarathon or your 100th marathon, there's a decent chance you'll hear something in these conversations and think:
Ahhh yup... that's why I run too!
🌏 Episodes, community, and all things Runbelievable:
🎧 New episodes drop every Wednesday; hit follow so you don't miss a lap!
Episodes
56 episodes
EP 52 | Can Running Make a New City Feel Like Home?
Can running make a new city feel like home?When Alex Narang moved from Manchester to Sydney, she knew very few people. Less than 12 hours after landing, she joined Coogee Run Club; and within weeks, running had given her friends, ...
EP 51 | What Does Australia’s Largest parkrun Know That the Rest of Us Don’t?
What does Australia's largest parkrun know about building community that the rest of us don't?When Joanne Watkins first arrived at Albert Melbourne parkrun in January-2012, around 30 to 50 people would turn up each Saturday. The f...
EP 50 | Can Running Give You Somewhere to Belong?
Can running give you somewhere to belong... especially if belonging has never come particularly easily?Since October 2025, Josh Rischin has encouraged other runners to open up about their lives, identities and the role running pla...
EP 49 | He’s Running 52 Half Marathons. None of Them Are Really for Him.
Why would anyone choose to run 52 half marathons in 52 weeks... for children they'll probably never meet?Aly Robertson started running because it was cheap, accessible and required little more than putting on a pair of shoes and h...
EP 48 | She’d Checked Out of Her First Ultra at 25km. Then Something Changed
What happens when you attempt an ultra you’re not quite ready for?Jess never grew up as a runner. Exercise barely featured in her life, and even when running became necessary for a career change, she did what she needed to do and promptl...
EP 47 | She Started Running by Accident. Then Came the World Records
What if your first run happened completely by accident?For Brookie, running was never part of the plan. After growing up with a complicated relationship with weight and body image, she spent much of her life believing running simply wasn...
EP 46 | Could the Secret to Running at 80 Be Training Less?
What if your biggest running goal was still decades away? For Nick Dunn, a horrific football injury 25 years ago left him with a broken leg, dislocated ankle and lasting limitations that he still manages today. Years later, after hi...
EP 45 | Why Would Anyone Run Seven Marathons in Seven Days?
What happens when running stops being about you?For Jess Peil, running quickly became much more than chasing medals or PBs. Inspired by family, driven by purpose, and fuelled by an unwavering commitment to helping others, she's completed...
EP 44 | What Happens When Your Body Forces You to Run Slow?
What do you do when your body makes a decision your mind isn't ready to accept? For Emma Hansford, running was never about chasing podiums. But after becoming a mum and later navigating perimenopause, she found herself confronting s...
EP 43 | How Running Helped a Couple Carry Their Daughter's Memory
Can running help carry the memory of a child?When Dan and Alicia welcomed their first daughter, Eva, into the world, they were told she had an incredibly rare genetic condition and was unlikely to live beyond childhood.For the nex...
EP 42 | Why This Runner Tattooed “Made It” Above His Heart
A pair of running shoes wrapped under the Christmas tree didn't just start Rob Birchall's running journey... they changed the direction of his life.After losing his father at a young age, serving in the Army, working as an ambulance disp...
EP 41 | What's Really Underneath the Kilt of a Marathon World Record Holder?
Just two years after deciding to take marathon running "seriously", Nick Ghamgosar (a.k.a the kiltedrunnerdownunder) lined up at the Gold Coast Marathon wearing a full Scottish kilt in pursuit of a Guinness World Record.But behind the no...
EP 40 | She Hated Running. So Why Did She Keep Going?
For years, Caity Mulraney lived behind a mask.Growing up around domestic violence, surviving an abusive relationship, battling addiction, and eventually reaching the darkest point of her life, she spent decades believing she wasn't enoug...
EP 39 | Why Three Heartbreaking Losses Changed the Way She Runs
When Jovelia Shield arrived in Australia, she couldn't speak English, knew almost no one, and soon found herself trapped in an abusive relationship.After leaving her former partner, Jovelia found herself as a single mum living in a women...
EP 38 | When Your Mind Can Run Further Than Your Body
Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is start again.After years of partying, drinking, and feeling increasingly disconnected from himself, Lou Daeschler made a drastic decision. He packed up his life in the UK and moved to Australia in...
EP 37 | Why Clay Dawson Might Be Australia's Most Humble Ultramarathon Champ
A market research study looking for overweight uni students set Clay Dawon on a path that would eventually lead to marathon victories, Australian representation, and some of the most remarkable endurance performances imaginable.Yet despi...
EP 36 | How Georgia Weir Turned a 5K Into a Running Movement
In 2012, Georgia Weir was battling poor mental health, addiction, and an incorrect bipolar diagnosis.A local 5km event became a last resort.What followed was a journey that took her from running her first marathon in New York, to ...
BONUS | She Went Back for Brisbane Marathon Redemption... You Won't Believe What Happened
Fresh off the Brisbane Marathon, a familiar Runbelievable voice returns for a special Recap episode.When Carly Barkle first joined us in Ep. 18, she spoke openly about chasing redemption at the Brisbane Marathon. Twelve months aft...
EP 35 | She Walks During Marathons. Does That Make Her Less of a Runner?
Belle Ferguson started running for a surprisingly practical reason... walking took too long.What began as a time-saving measure soon turned into something much bigger.Today, Belle is a marathoner, Trek2Health trek leader,...
EP 34 | Her Training Said Sub-4 Marathon. Her Mind Said Otherwise.
She religiously followed the training plan, adjusted work around key sessions, nailed her long runs, and arrived at the start line fitter than ever.Libby Gibbins did everything right.But midway through her first marathon… somethin...
EP 33 | He Hasn't Taken a Rest Day From Running Since 2022… Seriously How!!??
What would make someone run every single day for over 3 years?In this episode, you’ll meet Frank Chung... a Brisbane runner whose daily running streak dates back to 28 December, 2022.But beneath the streak lies something much deep...
EP 32 | She Had Her Whole Life Planned Perfectly. So How Did Running Become Part of It?
Would you turn to running if life threw a massive curve-ball your way?Mads Biddulph-Wall always had a plan.As a teenager, she was already thinking about career pathways, maternity leave, and the future she wanted to build.B...
BONUS: Why TF Would Anyone Run 100km Overnight?
We can't fathom what motivates someone to run an overnight enduro!In this special bonus episode, Joshie and Natty head down to Run The River in Brisbane; an overnight endurance event featuring everything from a midnight half marathon to ...
EP 31 | He Was Told He Might Live to 30. So How Is He Running Marathons at 42?
What would you do if you were told, that best case scenario, you might live to 30?In this episode, you’ll meet Adrian Flor… now 42, living with cystic fibrosis and diabetes, and running marathons.His journey wasn’t straightforward...
EP 30 | This Run Club Started in 1900. So Why Are Runners Still Coming Back?
What does it feel like inside Brisbane’s oldest sporting club?In this special episode of Runbelievable, Joshie steps away from the usual one-on-one format and heads down to Thompson Estate Athletics and Running Club (TEES Athletics) to ...