The WHW Audio Companion – Week 1

In this episode of the WHW Race Pod, Paul introduces the WHW Audio Companion - a short, reflective series designed to support runners through the training months leading into the West Highland Way Race.

This isn’t a training plan or a list of sessions. It’s guided thinking.

Paul explores the deeper question that sits underneath every long build: what are you really training for, beyond the race name, the distance, or the finish time?

Drawing on his own experiences training for the West Highland Way and Western States, as well as years of coaching athletes preparing for long-distance races, Paul reflects on:

1. The moment when training goes quiet and belief starts to wobble
2. Why belief can’t be faked, and why this phase of training matters
3. How doubt and discomfort are not problems to solve, but part of the work
4. What athletes often think they’re training for, and what they’re actually preparing for
5. Why character, not just fitness, decides the later stages of long races

This episode sets the foundation for the Audio Companion series and offers a clear focus for the next period of training: not just building fitness, but shaping the person you’ll need to be on race day.

If you’re training for the West Highland Way, another long race, or simply trying to stay connected to your “why” during a demanding block, this episode is an invitation to slow down, reflect, and realign.

If you’ve got a story you’d like to share, something you’d love to hear explored on the podcast, or an experience from the West Highland Way that still stays with you, you’re very welcome to get in touch.

You can:

1. Send a WhatsApp voice note or message to:
2. WhatsApp: +44 7418 609498
3. Or message on Instagram:
4. @whw_race

Some of the most powerful stories are the ones people almost don’t send.

West Highland Way Race

https://westhighlandwayrace.org/

Instagram

@whw_race

Paul is an ultrarunner, coach, and filmmaker. He is a three-time winner of the West Highland Way Race and a former course record holder.

Paul is the founder of Pyllon – a coaching collective and creative project built around endurance, curiosity, and the long view.

You can find more of Paul’s work here:

Website

https://pyllonultra.com

Instagram

@pyllon

@pyllonultra

YouTube

https://youtube.com/pyllon

Substack

https://pyllon.substack.com

In this episode of the WHW Race Pod, Paul explores what makes the West Highland Way Race different from so many other ultramarathons.

This isn’t a breakdown of splits, cut-offs, or results. It’s a reflection on the quieter qualities of the race - the ones that don’t always show up on a start line or a screen.

Paul shares his own journey into the race, from first hearing about it at a time when life felt stuck, through to racing it in his first year of ultrarunning. Along the way, he reflects on the atmosphere of the Milngavie start, the weight of the race’s history, the deceptive nature of the route, and what really happens to runners as the hours – and nights – pass.

This episode explores:

1. Why the West Highland Way doesn’t need spectacle to be meaningful
2. How the route slowly reveals how you’re really doing
3. The kind of runners the race tends to attract, and why so many return
4. Why times and placings only ever tell a small part of the story
5. What remains long after Fort William

Paul also reflects on the legacy of John Kynaston and the original WHW podcast, and why continuing to tell the deeper stories of the race still matters.

If you’re training for the West Highland Way, thinking about it for the future, or simply curious about what makes certain races stay with us, this episode is an invitation to look beyond noise and numbers, and reconnect with what really matters.

If there’s a story you’d like to share, something you’d love to hear covered on the podcast, or an experience from the West Highland Way that still stays with you, you’re very welcome to get in touch.

You can:

1. Send a WhatsApp voice note or message to:
2. WhatsApp: +44 7418 609498
3. Or message on Instagram:
4. @whw_race

Some of the most powerful stories are the ones people almost don’t send.

West Highland Way Race

https://westhighlandwayrace.org/

Instagram

@whw_race

Paul is an ultrarunner, coach, and filmmaker. He is a three-time winner of the West Highland Way Race and a former course record holder.

Paul is the founder of Pyllon - a coaching collective and creative project built around endurance, curiosity, and the long view.

You can find more of Paul’s work here:

Website

https://pyllonultra.com

Instagram

@pyllon

@pyllonultra

YouTube

https://youtube.com/pyllon

Substack

https://pyllon.substack.com

The WHW Race Pod explores the stories, experiences, and quieter moments that shape the West Highland Way Race.

Beyond results and...

Episode description

In this episode of the WHW Race Pod, Paul sits down with Gus Irvine, winner of the 2025 West Highland Way Race.

Gus ran a controlled, composed race from Milngavie to Fort William, taking the win through patience, preparation, and trust in his process. But this conversation is not about how he won. It is about how the race sits with him now.

Paul and Gus have spoken before, but this episode looks at what has shifted since the finish line. They explore Gus’s relationship with the West Highland Way, how familiarity changes the experience of the trail, and why winning did not bring closure, but instead sparked a desire to return.

Gus reflects on the demands the race placed on him this time, the moments that tested his composure, and what it means to run with the trail rather than against it. He also talks openly about expectation, restraint, and the quiet satisfaction that settled slowly in the weeks after the race.

The conversation closes by looking ahead to 2026, and why some races continue to call us back, even when we think we already know them.

This is a thoughtful episode about return, responsibility, and the deepening relationship between runner and trail.

In this episode, we talk about:

1. Winning the 2025 West Highland Way Race
2. Gus’s relationship with the WHW and how it has evolved
3. Running with composure and restraint
4. Managing pressure and expectation during long races
5. The moments that mattered most during the race
6. What stayed with Gus after the finish
7. Why the West Highland Way still feels unfinished
8. Looking ahead to a return in 2026

About the podcast

The WHW Race Pod is the official podcast of the West Highland Way Race.

Hosted by Paul Giblin, the podcast explores the lived experience of the race through conversations with runners, organisers, and people connected to the trail.

This is not a race recap show.

It is a place for reflection, memory, and storytelling from one of the most iconic long distance trails in Scotland.

Race links

West Highland Way Race

https://westhighlandwayrace.org/

Instagram

@whw_race

About the host

Paul is an ultrarunner, coach, and filmmaker. He is a three time winner of the West Highland Way Race and former course record holder. Paul is the founder of Pyllon, a coaching collective and creative project built around endurance, curiosity, and the long view.

You can find more of Paul’s work here:

Website

https://pyllonultra.com

Instagram

@pyllon

@pyllonultra

YouTube

https://youtube.com/pyllon

Substack

https://pyllon.substack.com