Sam, Katie, and Mitch are joined by Chloe Pateman. Chloe is a Wollongong local who has recently moved to the Gold Coast. She boasts an impressive list of personal bests from 2024, including 4:37 for 1500m and 36:37 for 10k. Chloe started running in Year 10 and has been part of several squads, including Vicki McPhillips' group running around Blackbutt and the HIRT Squad. She has now joined GC Run Co, a group she connected with during a training camp in Perisher. Chloe enjoys running as it helps her break up her routine and stay focused on the task at hand.

Mitch kicks off the week with an impressive 20 x 400m session on Tuesday but slightly overreaches during his Friday tempo. His Strava blue bars are looking strong, though! Katie hangs on for 16 of Mitch’s 20 reps, clocks another 121km week, and decides to give up mowing due to the physical demands. Chloe has a stellar week, indicating she’s in shape for more PBs, with three quality sessions, including thresholds in the 3:30–3:40 range and solid 2km reps. Meanwhile, Sam fits in nicely with the JT Running Group, finding a great bunch of people to execute solid track and threshold sessions with.

Café Kit of the Week:

• Wollongong Track Club Singlets and Shirts: Pre-order through Oasis via DM on Instagram – @wollongongtrackclub
• TFTV Singlets: Pre-order through Perene – TFTV Podcast Collection
• Nike Vaporfly 3
• Matt Fitzgerald’s Running Cookbooks

Round the Club Shoutouts:

• Mark Pateman
• Jared “from MAFS” Pescud – Your Local Run Club
• Benn Walker – Wollongong Track Club
• Bill Dykstra – Sapphire Coast Runners

Sam, Katie, and Mitch chat with Amy O’Halloran. Amy has delivered some big performances, winning the Sydney Harbour 5k in 2019 and placing 2nd at the Newcastle Marathon in 2022 with a time of 2:53. Despite her fast road times, Amy also boasts impressive track performances, having run 4:22 for 1500m during her college years in the US. Amy is extremely passionate about running but has recently faced injury struggles and opened up about their impact. Her goal is to reach the start line in sub-2:50 shape within the next four years.

Sam kicks off training this week, hitting the track and getting dropped by Katie. Despite this, he’s happy to be logging some normal weeks and is keeping things conservative. Katie logs 124 km this week, including two very strong sessions. Amy has an impressive week of training with lots of intensity but ends up with a potential Achilles tear. Mitch stacks his ninth consecutive 100+ km week, coming off the back of a bout with Covid.

Café Kit of the Week:

• Dr. Squatch – Natural Deodorant
• Heel Cups
• Adidas Supernova
• ASICS Novablast 5 (purple/red colourway)

Round the Club Shoutouts:

• Hamish Simpson – Team Keem Coaching
• Rebecca Croak – JT Running
• Chase Grant – Mel’s Angels
• Emma Collier – DELTA

Nathaniel Brisbane joins Sam, Katie, and the infamous Russ Dessaix-Chin on the podcast this week. Nathaniel has achieved remarkable progress in a short period of time—he set a goal to break 25 minutes in the 5k late in 2022 and brought his time down to under 17 minutes within a few months.

This year, Nathaniel has run several impressive personal bests, including 4:07 for 1500m, 8:47 for 3k, 15:14 for 5k, 32:47 for 10k, 72:10 for the half marathon, and capped it off with a 2:36 marathon at the Gold Coast. Nathaniel credits consistent training for his success and has recently joined Brendan Hince’s training group. Despite a heavy study load at UOW, Nathaniel stays committed to high mileage and smart training.

Sam completes his first full training week since rehabbing his shin, including a grass track session in the Bega Valley, though his Parkrun in Pambula was less successful. Russ is returning from a heel injury, pushing hard to finish his week with 1:40 at 4-minute kilometers. Nathaniel continues to build solid training, completing a Mona Fartlek at North Gong Parkrun, running fast despite the challenging mixed terrain. Katie stays on top of her workouts, finishing a strong 20k progression during her long run.

• Hoodie Towel (Robe Optional)
• Adidas SL 2
• ASICS Metaspeed Sky
• ASICS Magic Speed 4

• Harm Schaap – Wollongong Track Club
• Cameron Faricy – Run Crew
• Jack Ratz – De Agony of De Feet
• Claire Gilbert – Sapphire Coast Runners