Bestselling author and historian Russell Shorto talks to Aidan Flax-Clark about his latest book, Taking Manhattan.

We like veggie burgers, but have we cooked that many? Turns out, this episode sent Sara down a rabbit hole of making veggie burger recipes and they are tricky! Renee weighs in with her favorite store-bought veggie burger options and we have some clear winners to recommend. Recipes and resources mentioned in this episode: The Ultimate Veggie Burger …

Simon Blair turned to ultra running as a way to manage his mind, find focus, and push past limits he once thought defined him. Diagnosed with ADHD later in life, Simon shares how endurance sport, including the Marathon des Sables, became more than just a physical test for him. Listen to Michelle and Simon discuss: Living with ADHD and receiving a d…

Acclaimed poet Haleh Liza Gafori discusses her latest translations of Rumi's lyric poetry in Water with prize-winning poet Maya C. Popa

In this episode of the UKRunChat podcast, we’re joined by Lily Canter and Emma Wilkinson, the authors of Ultra Women, a powerful book that shines a light on the untold stories of women in endurance sport.. We explore the inspiration behind the book, the process of gathering and curating such raw and personal narratives, and what these stories revea…

Economist and writer Chris Hughes talks to Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Allowa about his latest book, Marketcrafters.

My Everyday Lagos is a critically acclaimed cookbook that brings West African cuisine to western audiences. Specialty ingredients, spice mixes and unusual techniques set this book apart for us. Recipes and resources mentioned in this episode: Bon Appetit article featuring Yewande Komolafe Mom’s Sunday chicken Omo Tunde’s spice blend Jacobsen salt t…

This week on the UKRunChat Podcast, we speak with adventurer & mental health advocate Alex Staniforth about his most ambitious challenge yet – climbing all 446 mountains in England & Wales in just 50 days. 🏔️ But this episode is more than a challenge breakdown – it's about why Alex does what he does, how he overcame personal struggles, and how he's…

On this special episode of Library Talks, we speak with Mike Hixenbaugh, winner of the 38th annual Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism, for his book They Came for the Schools: One Town's Fight Over Race and Identity, and the New War for America's Classrooms.

In this episode of the UKRunChat podcast, we’re joined by trail running photographer David Miller, whose emotive and powerful imagery has captured the hearts of the running community worldwide. David talks us through his journey from trail runner to award-winning photographer, revealing how lockdown sparked a creative path that led him to shoot som…

News anchor Vicky Nguyen talks to Tracey Nguyen Mang about her new memoir, Boat Baby.

Breakfast for dinner is a favorite weeknight hack for our families. You can take it in a hundred different directions, make it dead easy or make it fancy. Here’s our favorite recipes and hacks to make this fun meal! Recipes and resources mentioned in this episode: Multigrain pancake (Super Natural Every Day) Sour cream pancakes with roasted blueber…

In this episode, we chat with the amazing Jeric Yuan – known to many as @coderunnerguy on Instagram! From his first half marathon on just two weeks' notice, to creating brilliant GPS art across London, Jeric shares: His journey into running How he plans his jaw-dropping GPS designs His mission to complete the World Marathon Majors The story behind …

Bruce is running a 4 Marathons and an Ultra Challenge this year (with his 4 marathons in the space of 30 days). He's already completed Brighton and Paris Marathons, and next up for him is Manchester, then Milton Keynes. Bruce chats openly about starting running during lockdown to help him lose weight, and since then he's devised a number of differe…

Michelin-starred chef José Andrés talks to Gail Simmons about his latest book, Change the Recipe.

In this episode, we’re joined by British elite distance runner Jacob Allen, who’s lining up in the Elite Field at the 2025 London Marathon. With standout personal bests of 13:47 for 5K, 28:33 for 10K, and 62:43 for the half marathon, Jacob shares what it takes to compete at the highest level—all while balancing a full-time job as a PE teacher. We d…

American historian Timothy Snyder presents his lecture The New Paganism—A Framework for Understanding Our Politics

This book is our first foray into the Chrissy Tiegen food universe, and it was a surprise to us — Renee enjoys Chrissy’s sense of humor and family-friendly dishes, Sara loves some of the fun treats and umami hacks. Recipes mentioned in this episode: Peanut butter and potato chip seven-layer bars (page 238) Two-berry crumble with HBO crumble (page 2…

In this episode Michelle is joined by Director of Public Health for Worcestershire, Lisa McNally and Steve Cram to talk about the Wythall & Hollywood Fun Run which takes place on Sunday 25th June. Michelle, Lisa and Steve chat about: - The importance of community led events like the Wythall and Hollywood Fun Run for improving public health. - Who a…

Film critic Alissa Wilkinson talks to Aidan Flax-Clark about her latest book, We Tell Ourselves Stories.

In this episode Michelle and Andy do a deep dive into hydration for endurance running and chatted about: - common mistakes runners make with their hydration - hyponatremia (or the dangers of over-hydrating) - recognising the signs of dehydration - do you need a race hydration strategy? - are you a salty sweater? - electrolytes - pre- and post-race …

Historian Edna Bonhomme talks to Linda Villarosa about her latest book, A History of the World in Six Plagues.

We deeply love the magic that happens when you combine whipped egg whites with sugar. Join us as we fall down the rabbit hole of meringue treats, including one of our favorites, the pavlova. Recipes and resources mentioned in this episode: Salted lemon cream pie (Sweet Enough) Vanilla meringues (NYT) Marshmallowy meringues (Salt Fat Acid Heat) Stra…

Renee is a sports dietician specialising in REDs, the female athlete, hormonal health, and athlete performance. Her latest book, Fuel for Thought, is a practical guide to how and what to eat for endurance athletes. In this episode, we discuss behaviours around food, and Renee gives us some really practical advice around fuelling, recovery, carb-loa…

Artist Hamid Rahmanian speaks with translator Ahmad Sadri and producer Melissa Hibbard about the Persian epic poem Shahnameh.

This cookbook brings the unique perspective of an entire family — a collaboration between parents and young adult children with personal stories, family history and some delicious Chinese recipes. Renee went for some weeknight-friendly easier recipes and Sara took on a big baking project. Recipes mentioned in this episode: Cantonese steamed fish (p…

Cookbook Author Lisa Kyung Gross is joined by Yael Raviv and Abi Balingit to talk about her latest book, The League of Kitchens Cookbook

Andrew Hughes is two months into a year-long challenge called the Five-a-Day challenge. Every single day of 2025, he’s running at least 5k, but there’s a twist—he’s doing it with a different person every day, sharing their running story, and documenting it all. His goal? To connect with 365 different runners and compile their experiences into an eB…

Kenneth Roth, the long-time head of Human Rights Watch, talks to M. Gessen about his first book, Righting Wrongs.

In this episode of the UK Run Chat Podcast, we sit down with Ben Lee, founder of Run Legacy—a UK-based ecommerce and media platform dedicated to championing sustainable running gear and transparent business practices. Ben shares his 20 years of experience in specialty running retail and how his passion for the environment, inspired him to create a …

We’ve talked about pasta recently, but in this episode, we dig into noodles. From noodle soups to a range of Asian noodle dishes, we talk about the delicious things we like to make. Just try to listen to this on without your mouth watering. Recipes and resources mentioned in this episode: The Kitchn guide to Chinese noodles Vietnamese rice noodle s…

Eliza Clark talks to Allison Nellis about her debut short story collection, She's Always Hungry.

Historian Sarah Lewis talks to Nell Irvin Painter about her latest book, The Unseen Truth: When Race Changed Sight in America.

In this episode, we catch up with elite triathlete & coach Scott Hill (@ironhill83 @triwolfcoach) to dive deep into training, racing, and coaching at the highest level. Scott shares insights into: - His journey since competing at Kona & top performances last year - What it takes to achieve a sub 9-hour Ironman, and how to shave seconds off PBs - Wh…

Lidey Heuck’s recipes are classic — maybe to a fault? For Sara, this book has been a weeknight workhorse, and Renee loves the inventive flavor combinations. Recipes mentioned in this episode: Blueberry muffin sugar cookies (page 108) Honey-roasted cashews with a kick (page 33) Baked crap dip with sweet corn and Old Bay (page 41) Coconut creamed cor…

Bestselling author Victoria Christopher Murray sits down with journalist Melissa Noel to discuss her latest book, Harlem Rhapsody: The Extraordinary Story of the Woman Who Ignited the Harlem Renaissance.

Sophie Power is an ultra runner, and campaigner, passionate about increasing access to sport for women. She has recently set a new women's world record for the most distance run on a treadmill in 48 hours, at this year's National Running Show in Birmingham. Michelle and Sophie chat about: - Sophie's World Record breaking 48 hour treadmill run at th…

In this episode we're joined by Sally Green. Sally is an endurance runner, she started running in 2017 and signed up for her first marathon in 2018, finishing in 4:56. Since then, she's worked her way down to a personal best of 3:08. We chat about how her running has evolved to gain her a Championship place in London Marathon in 2025, and what her …

In 2003, author Jennifer Finney Boylan published She’s Not There, which became the first bestselling work by a transgender American and established Boylan as a go-to source for public conversation about the impact of gender on our lives. More than two decades later, her new memoir, Cleavage, returns with older and wiser eyes to examine the joys and…

Meet Matt, a passionate runner whose journey started with parkrun in 2022 and has skyrocketed to chasing the prestigious 6 Marathon Majors! From first completing the London Marathon in 2023, to achieving an impressive 2:42:41 PB in Berlin last year, to qualify for Boston and London 2025, Matt’s story is nothing short of inspiring. He opens up about…

We love pie! In this episode, we dig in to savory pies that run a wide gamut of influences and flavors. Sara talks about the tamale pie of her youth, Renee used her precious postpartum support time to make a steak & mushroom pie, and we deem pies perfectly worthy of dinner. Recipes and resources mentioned in this episode: Tamale pie (Simply Julia) …

Writer and scholar David Wright Faladé sits down with Julie Orringer to discuss his latest book, The New Internationals, a stunning historical novel that sets a coming-of-age narrative and cross-cultural romance amidst a vibrant political moment in postwar Paris.

When author and historian Martha Hodes was 12-years-old she was flying unaccompanied on a plane that was hijacked. Nearly half a century later she explores her memories of that event in her book My Hijacking, which draws on deep archival research and extensive interviews both to re-create what happened to her as a child and to understand the larger…

This memoir with recipes is an unusual cookbook — it follows the year after the folding of Gourmet magazine, when Ruth Reichl was left reeling and found her way through that transition through cooking and food. We talk about the wide variety of recipes, mixture of prose and recipes, and whether we liked the things we made from this book. Recipes me…

In this episode, we chat to Simon Dent from Save Our Soles, and ultrarunner and coach Sophie Bennett about looking after your feet. We discuss: - Why foot health is often overlooked by runners - how to keep your feet in good condition - what should be in your footcare kit on a long race? - pre- and post-race footcare tips - how looking after our ru…

New York State Poet Laureate Patricia Spears Jones is a poet, playwright, educator, and cultural activist. Her most recent book The Beloved Community was released in 2023. Here she is in conversation with Brent Hayes Edwards, professor in the Department of English and Comparative Literature and the Center for Jazz Studies at Columbia University.…

Join author and professor Deondra Rose as she discusses her new book The Power of Black Excellence: HBCUs and the Fight for American Democracy with activist Angelo Pinto.

After the hemorrhage of the holiday season, we are ready to get back to simple cooking in the evenings, with a budget-friendly spin. We focus on cleaning out the freezer/pantry, maximizing protein and using our yummiest budget-friendly recipes. Recipes and resources mentioned in this episode: White bean dip (Super Natural Every Day) Lentil soup dip…

Caoilinn Hughes joins fellow author Brandon Taylor to discuss her latest book, The Alternatives, a story of four brilliant Irish sisters, orphaned in childhood, who scramble to reconnect when the oldest disappears into the Irish countryside.

Josephine Quinn sits down with award-winning poet Ken Chen to discuss her book How the World Made the West. Quinn's book poses a bold challenge to “civilizational thinking” on the origins of Western culture—that is, the idea that civilizations arose separately and distinctly from one another. Rather, she locates the roots of the modern West in ever…