Winning is the part everyone sees.

The pressure beforehand, the difficult decisions, the quiet conversations between crew members, the volunteers standing in the rain, and the moments when an athlete is wondering whether they can keep going are much easier to miss.

After spending the weekend crewing for Gus as he defended his West Highland Way Race title, Paul and John sat down to compare notes. The conversation begins with the race itself but soon broadens into something much bigger.

They discuss how defending a title feels very different from chasing one, the responsibility that comes with supporting an athlete through difficult moments, and the fine line between coaching, crewing and simply being a friend.

Along the way they reflect on what makes the ultrarunning community so special, why races can bring out both the best and worst in people, and the stories that rarely make it onto social media.

This is the first of what we hope will become a regular series of conversations between two friends, coaches and long-time observers of the ultra running world.

• How this year's West Highland Way Race felt different from last year
• The pressure of defending a race title
• Crewing Gus through a difficult day
• The differences between coaching and crewing
• What spectators and social media rarely see
• The role of volunteers and support crews
• Community, belonging and friendship in ultrarunning
• Why racing often reveals more than finishing times

Paul Giblin is an ultra runner, coach and founder of Pyllon Ultra.

You can connect with Paul here:

Website: https://pyllonultra.com

Substack: https://pyllon.substack.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/pyllon

Pyllon Ultra: https://instagram.com/pyllonultra

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@pyllon

There are some things in life that we carry alone.

Not because we don't have supportive friends or family, but because nobody else can quite carry the weight of something that matters deeply to us.

In this solo episode, I explore the quieter side of commitment. The emotional cost of caring deeply about a race, a business, a creative project, or simply the person we're trying to become.

Drawing on experiences from racing around the world, building Pyllon, creating films and writing, I reflect on why pursuing meaningful things can sometimes feel surprisingly lonely, and why perhaps that's not something to fear, but something to understand.

This isn't really an episode about running.

It's about what running, and other long pursuits, reveal about the way we live.

I hope it resonates.

If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

You can find me here:

Substack: https://pyllon.substack.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pyllon Pyllon Ultra: https://www.instagram.com/pyllonultra YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@pyllon Website: https://www.pyllonultra.com

You can also find The Pyllon Ultra Pod wherever you listen to podcasts.

If you're enjoying the podcast, sharing it with a friend or leaving a rating and review really does help more people discover it.

Thanks for listening.

In this episode of the Pyllon Ultra Pod, Paul sits down with Pyllon coach John Connolly for a more informal conversation about training, racing and the things that often sit beneath the surface for endurance athletes.

This is not a polished lecture or a neat list of training tips. It is more of a coach-to-coach conversation about what we notice in athletes, what people often struggle with, and how easy it can be to overthink the process when training starts to feel uncertain.

We talk about the messy middle of training, the gap between what athletes think they should be feeling and what they are actually experiencing, and why honesty is such an important part of long-term development.

A quick note on the audio: we had some technical issues during the recording, so Paul’s side of the conversation is not quite where we would normally want it to be. We have cleaned it up as best we can, and decided to share the episode because the conversation felt worth putting out.

In this episode we cover:

• The uncertainty athletes often carry into race season
• The value of honest conversations between coach and athlete
• The importance of staying connected to the bigger picture
• What we are noticing in runners at this point in the year

This one is a little more relaxed, a little less polished, and hopefully useful if you are somewhere in the middle of your own training process.

Thanks for listening.

You can find more from Pyllon here:

Substack: https://pyllon.substack.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pyllon and https://www.instagram.com/pyllonultra YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/pyllon Website: https://www.pyllonultra.com