Stephanie Reents' new novel, 'We Loved To Run', tells the captivating story of a female US college cross-country team, delving into what makes them tick and the external challenges that threaten to pull them apart.

It's a fantastic read that explores everything from why women run and the pressures it brings, to the relationships teammates build and the coaches whose sometimes dubious methods involve weighing them and punishing under-performing runners by making them lead the toughest sessions.

Further, it dives into college life, addressing issues such as sexual consent, disordered eating, and alcoholism. It's a riveting, and ultimately, uplifting read that propels you into a world of sacrifice, pain, confused identity, and female friendships.

Stephanie was a collegiate runner herself, who went on to run the New York Marathon in a little over three hours. 'We Loved To Run' is her latest publication following 'The Kissing List' - a collection of stories that was a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice - and 'I Meant to Kill Ye', a bibliomemoir chronicling her journey into the strange void at the heart of Cormac McCarthy's 'Blood Meridian'.

Running Tales spoke to Stephanie about the power and pain of running, why she wrote 'We Loved To Run', and setting new targets as she comes to terms with not being able to run as quickly as she used to.

Visit Running Tales on:

Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://runningtales.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/runningtalespod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Buy 'We Loved To Run' on Amazon

Nikki Lilley was a talented runner in her youth, but the pressures of competition sapped some of her love for the sport and it fell by the wayside.

Life and raising a family - with five children - meant she was kept pretty busy over the next few years, but she eventually found her way back to running (and swimming and cycling) in the form of the triathlon.

Age group success followed, but Nikki suffered a serious setback when she was diagnosed with colon cancer. Surgery and chemotherapy, along with a temporary stoma, followed but she was determined to continue exercising.

That included parkrun and becoming a part of 5k Your Way, the empowering community which encourages those with cancer to run, walk or volunteer at their local parkrun once a month.

Nikki eventually had her stoma reversed and is now back to chasing her goals, completing her first marathon less than a year later - and in a smidge over three-and-a-half hours!

Running Tales spoke to Nikki about the support 5k Your Way provides to those with cancer, her own running journey, and the power of community...

Visit Running Tales on:

Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://runningtales.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/runningtalespod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Further reading:

How the 5k Your Way revolution is 'kindly, quietly, powerfully' getting cancer patients moving

In some ways, Tony Letts is your average club runner. He trains round his local parks, enjoys parkrun and is a member of his town club, Northampton Road Runners.

Like so many other people, Tony starting running later in life, looking to improve his fitness. Along the way, he found a love of trail running and a desire to run increasingly long distances.

And it's taken him on a journey which is far from average or ordinary. Earlier this year, Tony completed his long-held aim to run the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB), one of the world's toughest races.

UTMB covers 170km (106 miles) around Mont Blanc, starting in Chamonix, France, and traveling through France, Italy, and Switzerland. It has been immortalised by the performances of the likes of Kilian Jornet, Courtney Dauwalter, Jim Walmsley, and Katie Schide.

But UTMB is not the only ultra marathon Tony has conquered, with the Ultra-Trail Snowdonia just one of the other famous races he's completed.

Running Tales spoke to Tony about how he trained and raced UTMB, what made him first start running, and why he loves the sport...

Visit Running Tales on:

Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://runningtales.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/runningtalespod⁠⁠⁠⁠

Further reading:

How Northampton Road Runners is hoping to supercharge its over-50s

Trina Dawkins is a trail and ultra runner - and perhaps more importantly a champion of women in sport.

She is passionate about women's safety in the running world, and recently ran at the Kielder Marathon - despite being injured - on behalf of the She Runs Free initiative.

Operating in partnership with Altra and BOLDI, She Free Runs aims to promote confidence and security for women runners, especially in remote or less trafficked areas.

Trina also writes her own Substack newsletter, 'Voices from the Trail', where she aims to "amplify voices, break barriers, and celebrate every finish line - visible or not".

Running Tales spoke to Trina about her own running goals - which include taking on a first 100-miler next year, and how we can all work to promote women's safety in the running world...

Visit Running Tales on:

Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://runningtales.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/runningtalespod⁠⁠⁠⁠

Daniel Garner was a sporty child, but his life was turned upside down when his mum sadly died from cancer when he was just eight years old.

His parents had already been in the process of a divorce, and Daniels' father left not long afterwards. Although he was able to grow up in a loving family, with his sister and her partner bringing him up, Daniel's loss changed him.

He felt he was missing part of his identity and that he was different to other children. It was something he took into adulthood, and as he reached his early-40s Daniel had become slightly lost.

Having fallen into something of a rut, he was overweight, drinking too much and spent his time finding any excuse to sit around doing nothing.

That all changed when he found running. Happier and healthier, Daniel has become a parkrun regular, joined a running club and last weekend he took on his second ultra marathon in as many weeks.

Running Tales spoke to Daniel about how the sport has changed his life, why it can be hard to take those first vital steps towards trying something new, and how he hopes his mum is proud of what he has done...

Visit Running Tales on:

Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://runningtales.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/runningtalespod⁠⁠⁠⁠

It's one of the leading athletic clubs in the Midlands, but the success of Rugby & Northampton Athletic Club goes far beyond the gongs it and its athletes win.

Competing across track and field, cross country and road running, the club has more than 1,000 members ranging from eight years old to those over 80.

It has recreational sport written into its very being - or at least, its constitution - and celebrates runners at all levels.

That's not to say their members aren't competitive though, whatever their age - a fact best demonstrated by a recent first place finish in the Youth Development League Lower Age Group National Final.

Running Tales was recently invited to the club's Moulton College training centre - one of two tracks it uses alongside Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Sports Centre in Rugby to talk about that achievement.

We met with young athletics, coaches and Masters runners, as well as clubs chairman Adrian White...

Visit Running Tales on:

Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://runningtales.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/runningtalespod⁠⁠⁠⁠

Other links:

Find out more about Rugby & Northampton AC, including how to join the club via this link.

Lottie Banks was a keen runner at school, finishing 81st in the Mini London Marathon and winning a bucketload of medals.

But when life and work came calling, running took a back seat.

It was only in her late-40s that Lottie returned to the sport, taking part in races including the London Marathon, Great Eastern Run, and the Big Half.

That last event in London, which was held as recently as September this year, was actually Lottie's 'Retirement Run'.

A chronic back condition had become increasingly worse, and she has recently taken the decision to start a new stage of her athletic journey - as a wheelchair racer.

In this episode of Running Tales, we spoke to Lottie about her early love of running, the joy of movement in whatever form in takes, and the cost of disability...

Visit Running Tales on:

Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://runningtales.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/runningtalespod⁠⁠⁠⁠

Other links:

Lottie is currently fundraising for a racing chair. You can donate here: https://gofund.me/4148aaf7d

Andre Cardin's big running goal is fast approaching.

Next week (November 2, 2025), he will take on theNew York City Marathon, one of the most famous road races in the world.

But if Andre's New York adventure is inspiring, it is nothing compared to how he get here.

Unfit, overweight and unhappy, Andre took a decision to dedicate his life to becoming a healthier, fitter and happier version of himself.

His tool of choice was running, and it has helped him achieve that goal and more.

Andre has tracked his journey through his increasingly popular Instagram account, @andrerunz, a platform which proved integral to his entry into New York.

In this episode of Running Tales, we spoke to Andre about his running journey, how the sport has changed his life and the big races he now has on the agenda...

Visit Running Tales on:

Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://runningtales.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/runningtalespod⁠⁠⁠⁠

Other links:

Follow Andre on Instagram