S04 E11 - NI Running Show Live Keynote - How We Accidentally Became Ultra Runners

We're for it, yep. Do you have the dance? No, no, dancing. Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Andrew. And my name is Colin. And my name is Andrew. And we are two brothers with a podcast called Idiots Go Runman, and we're here to talk about how we accidentally Colin became ultra runners. And hopefully, by the end of this talk, you will be looking at us going, if those two idiots can do ultra runman, then we can too. And we'll explain a bit about ultra runman is elephant over the marathon distance. Generally, maybe 30 miles onwards and go up to silly mountains as we're about to find out. So for today, we've got kind of five stories. And we're going to break it down into five chapters. The first chapter is called, "When light pounds you lemons make apple juice." So normally you're saying, "André, is it not when light pounds you lemons make lemonade?" Yes, it is. But this man here, light pounded him a lemon. And he didn't just make lemonade. He made apple juice. Colin, how did you make apple juice out of your lemons? Well, I suppose you should start by explaining the type of apple juice. Usually, you get normal organic apple juice. But mine was special organic apple juice. You are special. I know. So in 2017, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis affects people in many different ways. And it can affect your mobility. It can make you a bit dizzy. It can affect your balance. It can get in brain fog. I get a bit emotional. So if there's-- don't you know for me? If there's any tears today, let's just rule with it. And that's not anxious. André has no excuses. No, he's good. So MS, I've seen this challenge in my life. And a challenge that I could take on. So I started with getting on the right medication. And then the second thing I went to was diet. Now, I loved a big dirty kebab. And anyone here that knows me, I would have three kebabs a week. I was in a fantastic-- but I changed my diet into a pompous diet. And the third thing I was, I started running. Why? I actually don't know, to this day. And I'm on a wrong issue saying, I don't know why I started running. That's fast forward to 2021, André. I passed and reached three full Mars in distances. Now, André, what's the next natural progression from three Mars? I would imagine it would be a fourth. Mars, I'm calling, let me. You would imagine that, wouldn't you? So I decided to go to nine altruists back to back in a row. I decided to run from the lowest point in Ireland called Misenhead to the most northerly point in Ireland called Mullenhead. But I had an ace up my sleeve. I had a support guy. I had André, the crewman, good man. More like it's your work, help the sleeve over me a lot. You don't realize what falls, you just the crewman. I tried to run the thing. So it's fair to say that he's probably imagined some things could go wrong. And yes, a lot of things did go wrong. And that was my first ever DNF. So that brings us to part two. A chapter to a journey of about 1,000 miles searched with a podcast, because Colin Field, that run. And a lot of people say it was a big failure. It was a massive failure. He told his friends, kicked me with him, don't I? Well, just tell him like it is. He told your friends, not many. Do you talk your friends? You were doing news articles, you were on TV, and he filled four days into this nine day run. Three days. Three tests. That's even worse. Even worse. Massive, massive failure. But failure's only failure if you allowed it to be failure. But this was a successful failure. What is a successful failure? Because of this failure, we decided to start a podcast, because I was inspired by this guy. OK, three days run a non-stop through Ireland. My name was Blue, and I'd never seen him like it. My story of Roman is, don't have a story. I don't like Roman. No, I can't do now. But shouldn't say, I don't know the story. They're going to kill me. But I never wanted to run a marathon. Lots of my friends, growing up, wanted to run a marathon. I had no desire to ever run a marathon. I thought it was a lunacy, if I'm being honest. This guy inspired me, and Colin decided on 2022, that he would do an ultra marathon, 30 miles plus every month. And I said, Colin, I'm going to join you. Not for an ultra, it's a stupid. Not for a marathon, because I don't want to. I will go to the peak endurance of my ability and attempt half a marathon. So I joined him halfway, and to his altars to do not even halfway, a third in. And we thought we would start a podcast called Idiots Go to Roman. Just to document our journey. And if it was only two of us listening, it would be a success. And that is how we started a podcast. And then every year, we would do a challenge. And that brings us to the following year. We're going on a bare hunt now. I'll explain more about this slide. In a minute. But the following year, Colin, you completed 12 alters. I completed 12 halves, applause, if you wish. No, OK, thank you. See, you do the alters, I do it often. I get applause. Can't ask for it. Or vague. I don't mind. I don't care, I'm hitting my vagant. So Colin, what was your next goal? So just to clear that up, it was 2023. We ran every day. You said 2022. And I did it. So 2023, we have finished. And I had dipped my toe into the world of Alterman. I did the toe and now I wanted to go in. I wanted to swim. I wanted to swim with the other Alterman or Sandra. And there was people. There was people I had seen doing 100 mile races. Who knows 100 mile races? No idea at all. So there's a group here today. I don't know if they're in the crowd. Make yourself know. We even wild, and I-- there they are, the guys in the blue. Guys in the blue, front row seats, these are fans. In front of our family, just so everyone knows, they're bigger fans than our own family. Now, now, on our doorstep-- so Alterman customs can come in any shape or form, any distance. But on our doorstep, we have-- what only way I could explain it is the most gloriously painful, beautiful 100 mile race, the NA100. It is absolutely fantastic. So I signed up very now when I seen this race online. And I trained, Andrew. I increased my weekly mileage. I did big back-to-back weekends. You did? I stopped seeing my family as much. And I went to the gym and I did strength training. As any-- I suppose as any runner with half a brain cell would do, Andrew, over to you. I said, call, no disrespect. Don't do it. 100 miles is ridiculous and crazy. And I never heard the leg of it. But then I was on your website. We even wild, and I's website. And it's 100-year-olds. And actually, it's miles. So it's not only 100 miles. It's 100-year-olds. But I looked and I said, call, the cutoff time is 34 hours. Yep. And I said, call, and would you mind-- that sounds like a day and a half a crack. There's easy and there's easy ways to get a crack. But I can have a 100. But I thought I could sign up and join you, call, and-- but I said to you, I said, I'm not going to run. I don't like-- because the reason I never wanted to do a marathon, so 105, 100-year-olds is quite the jump. And it was true to my word. I only ran once a week. So the races in June and starting January, I ran once a week. But it was more importantly than training like Ronan was doing some bellstone. What were you doing, Andre? I was training my mind because a hundred miles is mental. And the number of people that tell me, Andre, you're a mental. So I had a really trained my mind. How do you train your mind? I don't know how normal people do it. But I watched YouTube. And for five months, I'm only joking. I watched every single 100-mile ultra-marathon video on YouTube. And I looked and I thought, yes, these people are training. But it's doable if these muppets could do 100 miles. This muppet can do it. And call them. We did it. We did it. Got 108 miles. Just so you know, 10 guys aren't muppets. If they're watching today, if they're anyone around here, they are not muppets. 100 miles, a muppet. Muppet for yourself is going, no justice for you guys. But you know what? That is a year and a half ago, since we've done that. You've done a few hundred since that. It is just the most amazing race. I know you are here. But it's just so well organized. And it's just the scenery, the way you're fed, the way you get treated. It is just an amazing experience. What brings us on to we're going on a bare home. Because believe it or not, I've got this book. Maybe a lot of you are a part of it. We're going on the bare home. It's very, very special book to me. Because I believe as the greatest alternative. a red marathon book that there is. Call me Can Do's, a very You Can Hold This Mike, so I can read this. - Do you want to stay longer? - No, just hold the mic there, of course. So I'm going to read, we're going on a bear hunt, and I will explain how it's the greatest ultra-marathon book that's ever been written. And I'm sure there's many copies in the floor today, if you want to pick up one. The reason why it's the greatest book ever written, a lot of people think this is a family, it's not. It's ultra-marathoners, on the greatest adventure of ever-under-take, just like me and Colin took. So just read one piece, hold it up, we've got problem. Uh-oh, a river, a deep cold river. We can't go over it, we can't go under it. Oh no, we got to go through it. And you see, we're playing very much, Tom and Spillet. Thank you in the blows. We're reading the question on stage. So these ultra-marathoners, they come through many calls, sorry, gone roughly through, with these ultra-marathoners, they keep getting challenges. They can't go round it, they can't go over it or under it, they just have to go through it. And this 100 mile race features rivers, mud, marsh, up mountains, down mountains, up mountains, down mountains, and I continue for a while. It was an amazing, amazing thing. It brings us on to our next chapter. Chapter four, our gift shop, marathon, metal phone, take it away. So a hard act to follow, ring the bell, honk, honk back hungry, our gift shop, marathon, metal. How did I start this, Andre? Oh no, every year, elbow end, because it happens. Sorry, all in our pod. You wanna pull in? No, you weren't away, you were. All in our podcast, we were training with Andre, we were training with his mind, I was training my body, and we had guests on our show. And we had guests from Australia, Italy, local guests here, so we used to be here today, and guests from America. But we had the Godfather of Ultra-Arming. Friend of the show, it's not here today. Dean Cornalzez. Al Dean Cornalzez is, for anybody who doesn't know, he's an incredible experience, Ultra-Armer. He's around 15 marathons and 50 states of 50 days, he's done a marathon and a dardigan, he's a complete western city, it's 10 times, he is an incredible, incredible guy. And during our chat with Dean, he made a very dangerous comment, Andre, he said, "Guys, if you ever in Greece, look me up." And Andre, what do you do when Dean Cornalzez says that? Well, we heard it as a personal invitation, the big flights from Dublin to Athens to meet Dean Cornalzez and Greece. And that's just what we did, go. He wanted us in Greece. I don't think he did, but we ended up in Greece. So, with big flights, we went to Greece, and we met Dean Cornalzez in Athens, and we got a tour of Athens. An incredible tour, Andre, incredible tour, and we sat down for dinner, but I had a, I had a conning pl Have a long, nothing's up my sleeve, Andre. This time, I had a conning plan up my sleeve. Out of my pocket, I pulled, we're going on the bare-hunt book, Andre. And Dean Cornalzez said, "The best ultra-running Martin book in the world, that he has wrote some amazing Martin books, ultra-rolling books." And she wondered, "Andy, what did he say? What did he say to you?" So, I'll sit down and know that I'm pushed. Dean Cornalzez wrote on my, "We're running on bare-hunt book." Runs and running is forever, same Dean Cornalzez. So we'll believe it's all the kind, looking the world at. - So, that was the first reason we went to Athens. The second reason was. - Well, when in Rome, we're Athens, you met us well, gone the Martin. So I said, I never wanted to run the Martin, but same we're Athens, we thought, well, gone, this is where all began. Martin's in Greece. Martin Greece to Athens. And we got an Uber to the start line. - No, the official Greek marathon is in November, but we were there in March. So we just decided to run it. The rules were closed. It was a bit mayhem, at times. - It's a bit dangerous, aren't we? - At the ends of times, halfway through the marathon, we went to a coffee shop and had a coffee in the pastry. I recorded it on our later. - Coffee Island? - Coffee Island. - What was the pastry like, Andrew? - That's massive coffee. - It was massive. - Yeah, but all, she and I don't regret it. No, I don't, but it was great. So we completed the marathon. But to get to the finish line, we needed to get into the Olympic stadium and to get past the Olympic stadium, we had to go to the gift shop. So we thought, well, we need to, we need to technically finish the marathon. So we're paired in to get into the stadium, the finishing home. I don't know if you know this part. - She brought the mail, hold your hand. So that's a 15-year-old. 15-year-old, you can go to the gifts. - Another round of applause. Sorry, I know it's our first. I was like four-know, but not that we're counting. So every year in our podcast, we have a bit of a challenge. We had the 12th month, we had the 100 mileer, we had Greece, and then this year, this year is the biggest challenge yet, Paul. - So this year, previously with Idiot School Roma, we always operate a new plan plan. What is a new plan plan? It is generally a plan of new plan, but this year, we have decided to go with a plan. - It's well-explaned, continued. - So this year, I am going back to where it all began, not Athens, back to Misenhead, and I am going to run 350 miles from Misenhead all the way to Mullenhead, but over our nine-year spell on Idiot School Roma, I have me friends with Martin Aigz. Martin Aigz is a guy from Ohio who is, I would say, thriving with MS, he's doing brilliant. He is flying over to wrong Misenhead Mullen with me, and you learn from your mistakes. My biggest mistake last time was having Andrews at Cremont 100% true, so was him. This time, Andrew, what is your role this time in the Misenhead Mullen? - I'm not brilliant, and he kind of blows, 'cause it'll be very brilliant. I am rubbing with Colin and Matt from Misenhead Mullen, so thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you so much. - So, it's a big, big challenge, as we were thinking of this challenge, and it is, this started with Colin not completing that, and now we're going back, and we're trying, or very, I'm actually training this time, Colin, we're trying everything to complete this challenge, and it's happening in the 28th of June, and we're so, so, so excited. The problem, why should people push themselves past the marathon distance? 'Cause we don't go for time, we don't care about peace. The enjoyment we get, when we say it's a day's crack, or two days crack, or a day and a half, it really is. It's an amazing thing, just to put everything aside for a day or so, and just to go work on, and just to be, and people's company, and sometimes, if other people are wronged by it, you get to know them, and then you wronged by them, and you know, it's such an amazing thing. I never wanted to do a marathon distance, but this, with Altergon, is something really, really special, and we couldn't recommend it enough, Colin. - Yeah, so, the, what we're doing now, we're calling the MS-ROMS Ardon Cool Jet, and we're hoping to raise 100,000 pounds for MS, through, MS, MS, from the US, MS, MS Ireland, on the MS Society, and I. But we're also hoping to raise a bit of awareness around all of those grosses. We're also, I suppose, our mantra is, we are all capable of incredible things, whether you have an underlying vision or not, we're all incredible, we're all capable, all incredible things, I'll try and get that out in one line. So, I suppose, with an MS diagnosis, Andrew, I, for whatever reason, started on them. And, I accidentally enjoy Ron and I accidentally inspired me, you, to Ron, to I accidentally fell into this love of the Ron and community. And I suppose, guys, that's how the idiots, myself and Andrew, that's how we accidentally became ultra owners. So, thank you, big applause for calling. One, five, that's five, one. Sorry, five, one. Five, one, but that's really good, yeah. But not a good one. So, we're gonna end this, like we do on our podcast, until the next time, my name's Andrew. My name's Colin. We'll see you in edits, go running. Thank you very much for, thank you all for being here. Thanks for making it this far, and if anybody has any questions, feel free to jump in. There are no stupid questions, just stupid answers. Let's see, how about any questions? How about any questions for last year? Put your hands up with you, with like gas alarms, anything. Somebody asked what one question, look at this. That's good. Oh, my goodness. I know this is gonna be a good moment. You just did this, here you put your hand, my dear. All right, go ahead. What's your time frame for the length bar in this time? I think you said nine days ago that's time already. so this time we are capped to 12 days the reason being is my nice mohayo is flying over and his his family is coming to the end so if we if we finish early his family won't be there if we finish late his family won't be there and that's a pretty expensive mistake for for us so dance to your question it is 10 the 11 days is our plan so amen for 11 roughly 30 to 30 miles every day when we say alter on a lot of us walking you know we don't go on the whole distance I'm eating pastries I'm eating pastries you love me yeah we've got another person over here and here we go and you've got to train this time Andrew I am trailing I am trailing reasonably well I am because we've got lots of stories can't share that all hold on Andrew have you been out in right so there's treadmill training there's treadmill training and Andrew calls in out in the wild training Andrew have you been out in the wild yet in 2026 you know it's too cold to wear them all go out don't want to go out don't care you laugh at me all you want what do I do I train five days a week in the gym in front of a treadmill and I watch YouTube okay and if you want to know there's not many YouTube videos and visit the mallum so I'll use this other stuff I have to watch but joking I say I am training we're taking it very very serious and I'm actually having fun and I hope to be a wild when the weather gets better you're gonna know the actual road even wonder what cars are it's how limited limited history of the news not to see cars YouTube call you probably just watching YouTube things like cars on the street try to buy things I was hoping it's a solid YouTube but it's treadmill used to roll in and deck of cases because the treadmill has a street and you can set up the route and you can do trails I mean where was your favorite treadmill trail this is another story but I've ran all over the world from my treadmill so I've been to America but they come the sites I see beautiful world they say the hard one I haven't got anybody else you like to have a leg that aren't with them because I I'd be honest I hope you pick it about you guys would come yeah okay I don't know I'll do it for two years ago to be the youngest Carol don't do that but hopefully this summer maybe next summer you're going to do this summer potentially wow and you say youngest female lot lot time you're looking for him any days because you're going to probably put us to see him are you and I'm pretty probably worth it all but I'm at Ian Burr Street by the seven brother and have you been out in the wild training how do I yeah totally go too much there you go my friends the mites are grab a little bit more time for and yeah the man's gonna stop you I'm one last question for me how do you train your mind my mind is and at the minute I've actually given masters in sports psychology and good answer I guess like anything that is learned to just be very like I've done iron mod and on the other things and you just learn about yourself when when you're out there for hours I think you shouldn't miss this no no this is the idiot Shwander you should be right exactly where you are I'll come and I'll come and join you all please do you're yes definitely is it something that is actually going to is it you to you plus you it's really what else do everyone I do join us for a day anyone it can see the whole thing the 28th of June miss me I do no we want it to be Austin Matt not us Matt and you only joking I only don't know where I came from you're going but guess anyone who wants to come and run with us the whole way 100% we're all in for it yeah we didn't say it but like we've got a combination all sort of day four we're standing with monks been a dick team monks we're going to Airbnb's we're going to spa things yeah spa spa things we've never been to a spa thing before come it's a store store yeah you just we do spa things up here no apparently we're standing spa things been a dick team monks the biggest challenge will be been a dick team monks do like a very of silence during the day good luck with this guy right we look forward to joining it is anybody else here's one more question perhaps for the last before the go and obviously show down your social video it's oh you've got one more question over here again I thought we're weekly mileage do you do her wake so I'll do this right so for me this this is a bit of a tricky one for me so I suppose currently I'm training for Belfast which is I'm hoping to do sub three R in Belfast and then I've got the N I 100 booked a month after and then I've got the 350 miles so at the minute my mileage is a good fast 50 mile a week roughly but as I finish a Belfast marathon that will be slower miles but maybe bigger back-to-back miles and then as we go on to as we go on to the 350 miles I'm saying it to be more time on the feet ask this guy how many miles he's doing a week so we've all heard tipper and when you come to a big res I'm currently doing the reverse taper okay and taper and up there is such a thing so the minute I'll look 20 miles a week and a little bit taper and add up to 20 miles plus a week and you guys are building to go was there anybody use your shoulders is it talk and change it can't be more different the least live with others is wearing a suit for me this is like it's already kind so here before that you go and we'll be asking the worst figures today what is the fear of running salt so it's obviously a fear of being at least the worst figures fear what it's all so you pick one and I can be the soul that like it's in the energy to finish the race or just like and I speak song for one thing so yeah what sounds so first it's ridiculous but the first song that came to my head Matt in America he likes it through it's K-pop demon humpers I know that was common I knew what was it it's called golden it's good it's good it's good yeah yeah you see golden in the treadmill we're gonna finish with omelette so that'd be right we saw okay and golden yeah I actually don't know I can't call them next up when I go away rolling I love I'm not doing any drop any type of anything but I listen to the idiot school Roman podcast that sounds like a blog that sounds like a blog so you're the listener where can the audience follow your podcast online so you can follow our run with at msrunsarlo.com and there you'll say you'll find all our details about us about map about our phone reason with idiot school running podcast anywhere in social just search for idiot school Roman and that's that's pretty that's pretty much it okay the fine-to-passion is we're asking our speakers of what is their fear cases for all what probably know the answer for your see here treadmill treadmill the gym but if I'm out in a while the north coast the north coast any part of it is such a beautiful place and I'm to see them the north coast from carcabee book fridge all the way through to woodshirt which is the start of the we run wild and I wonder my ways for you to start right so we're gonna finish with the art song so just what I get it here what is the last thing you want to leave this audience one go for it hungry words of wisdom say if oh ma'am everyone