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Welcome back to the Asia Trail Girls podcast, a platform where we talk about all things runnings in and around Asia!We are back after a well needed break, due to life things getting in the way, plus this very turbulent unprecedented time we have all been trying to navigate through.  Our host Henny Gorton and Veronika discuss this difficult time due to COVID, how it has affected their running and motivation to run. We know you all have felt it, how to keep running and stay positive with no races and no end in site of the pandemic! BUT there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel, with many many countries opening back up and getting back to normal. Veronika is a well-known ultra trail runner who takes the podium in everything she does, after winning Asia Trail Master in 2019 just before the pandemic hit us, she planned to have a big year or 2 racing like so many other athletes, obviously none of those races happened. Veronika talks about how she managed these set backs, stayed motivated, and dealt with new changes that came into play. She also let us in on her big upcoming goals and how she balances life, work and running. Henny, a trail runner who raced in Asia and based herself in Bali,  like so many others, ended up leaving her expat life in Asia and moving back to Europe, we delve into what running and racing in Europe looks like compared to Asia and how she adapted to this big change! Have you ever experienced -20 degrees, 2 meters of snow, no daylight and living in the only inhabited place that far north in the world, oh and tried to run in it? No, well take a listen to find out more! Welcome back all, this is going to be a good season!

We caught up with Eszter Csillag after her 4th place victory at CCC recently.  We were really eager to delve into her training, preparation and to see if she had done anything special or different in the build up, and she certainly had…. One, having a baby in April was a big factor but also she teamed up with her new ultra coach Ida Nilsson, the Swedish long-distance runner, and ski mountaineer. So we decided to catch up with them both to focus on tips and advice for races like CCC from a coach's perspective and the person being coached. This is a juicy episode looking at both their running stories, great tips, and advice for trail, postnatal and pregnant runners. Asia Trail Girls is brought to you by T8 Asia's favorite trail running brand. Save 10% with our special discount code ATG10 for our listeners

For those of you who are not familiar with UTMB, it is the pinnacle of trail running and what many trail runners aspire to do! It is Kona for triathletes, New York marathon for road runners and the Olympics for athletes. This race series consists of 9 different races across the French, Italian and Swiss Alps in the summer with the mother being UTMB which goes across all those Alps, it is 100 miles and has 10,000m of elevation. After the excitement recently of watching this race, what better way to celebrate with chatting to Samantha Chan, a Hong Kong Ultra Runner, who is no stranger to UTMB and has done many of the world's toughest ultras. We caught up with her on her experience here, tips and advice for those that want to do it and how to be successful. If you are at all interested in UTMB, this is the episode for you!

After our very exciting ATG virtual Everesting challenge last month we caught up with the top 3 soloist winners and even better they were all female and our beloved trail girls. We have Candice, Charlotte and Stephanie all based in Hong Kong. We chatted all about their experiences, how it went, the logistics, their training and what got them through those dark hours.  If you aren't familiar with Everesting, Everesting is a concept that requires you to climb a hill as many times in one effort to reach the elevation of Everest, so 8,848m. It was originally started as a cycling event but has recently been taken over by runners. We did this event to raise money for Mira Rai's initiative Exchange and Empower, a non profit established by the famous Mira Rai herself in order to help impoverished females in Nepal, like herself, and help them through trail running. If you want to find out more about this amazing charity you can listen to our previous podcast all about their work! Our event was a great success and thank you to all who participated and donated!! We managed to raise $6,752 for Mira Rai's initiative Exchange and Empower.Asia Trail Girls is brought to you by T8 Asia's favorite trail running brand. Save 10% with our special discount code ATG10 for our listeners

In today's episode we chat to the ever so beautiful and endearing Mira Rai and multi talented Keilem Ning about their non profit organization: Exchange and Empower.You all know Mira Rai and her famous transformational story from living in a remote village in Nepal and having to runaway to be a child soldier to support her family to now being a professional Salomon trail athlete. Mira got spotted in a 50k trail race and since then has been supported and helped throughout her running career, which has encouraged her to give help to other female Nepalese girls in impoverished communities, the same way she was supported. She teamed up with good friend Keilem Ng to start Exchange and Empower, which helps local Nepalese females with run training, nutrition help, coaching and education. Keilem is a world of knowledge and seems to do everything; she is an environmental activist, feminist and started Hong Kong female trail runners which has since merged with us, ATG. We chat about Mira's life, why she runs and all about their amazing projects. They also both give their advice on our current ATG Everesting challenge for those who are joining. We currently have a virtual challenge, ATG Everesting running now for the month which supports E & E. If you would like to join, click here... https://www.asiatrailgirls.com/everesting-challengeIf you would like to donate click here...https://chuffed.org/project/atg-everesting-for-exchange-empoweAsia Trail Girls is brought to you by T8 Asia's favorite trail running brand. Save 10% with our special discount code ATG10 for our listeners

In today’s 13th episode we caught up with the almighty professional runner Ruth Croft, just after her recent win at Tarawera Ultramarathon (102km) in New Zealand, where she didn’t just win it but smashed the course record in 9 hours, 21 minutes and 3 seconds. Ruth has an interesting running story which started on a scholarship running in the US in the collegiate system. Feeling burnt out from running which is an all too familiar feeling for a lot of us, Ruth found herself in Taiwan teaching English for 5 years and it was there she really got into the trails. She has dabbled and excels in all distances from the shorter ultras, uber long stuff and road races, but currently finds herself focusing on the longggg distances and Western States is her next biggie she is training for, the famous 100 mile race in the US. We had a fascinating chat about all things living, racing and training in Asia and how it compares to the West. We also delve into tips, advice and explore the very important topic of training as a woman and things we can do to optimise our performance in different areas in that subject. On top of this she tells us how we should all be having ice baths and spending 10 days in silence. Listen to this episode to find our more and hear our interesting open chat. Asia Trail Girls is brought to you by T8 Asia's favorite trail running brand. Save 10% with our special discount code ATG10 for our listeners

50 percent of the population go through the menstrual cycle, but yet there are so many misconceptions, embarrassments and taboos around this subject... WHY? It has been inherently ingrained in many of us since a young age that periods slow us down and generally immobilise us with the awful mood swings and pain, from this we have accepted as a society that it is normal to suffer. WRONG, periods actually optimise performance and you don't have to suffer, there are many adjustments you can make to allow your period to empower you instead of inhibiting you. In this fascinating podcast with women health expert and medical doctor Emma Warner and professional endurance athlete and coach Carole Fuchs we delve into the topic of periods, how to optimise your training, dependent on your cycle and how to support it with the right nutrition. We go into detail about each different stage in your cycle and unpack the taboos, and misconceptions. We also discuss RED-S, the very undiscussed but paramount condition in many female athletes that needs to be looked out for. Do you know that basically all studies around hormones, menstrual cycles and oral contraceptions are done by and on men? So many 'health experts' claim women are an anomaly and too complicated to study in regards to training. Hence why many of the suggestions are related to men only, creating the notion that ‘women are small men....’ (in the words of the wonderful Dr Stacy Simms) we certainly are not and can't train or nurture ourselves the same way! We need to come together and talk about this subject more, making this knowledge more accessible to all, allowing us to break away from all the incorrect ideologies, shame and enabling us to feel empowered by our periods! This episode is one not to miss!This podcast is for everyone, even you males as I know you have some form or female in your life, whether it's a partner, sister or daughter, this will give you a better understanding of it all!The app I referred to is MyFlo, go and download it!Please note that the information discussed in this podcast is not intended as medical advice and should not be viewed as such. If you have any concerns about your health after listening to this, you should contact your own doctor!Asia Trail Girls is brought to you by T8 Asia's favorite trail running brand. Save 10% with our special discount code ATG10 for our listeners

In today's 11th episode we chat to Syazana Alia a Malaysian trail runner, crossfit athlete and all round very active person. Syazana was unfortunately diagnosed with adrenal cancer last year and she is currently in recovery and rehabilitation mode whilst doing chemotherapy. She talks all about how running and a healthy lifestyle is helping her get through this. She embodies positive energy and a healthy lifestyle after turning her life around a few years ago, we delve into her empowering advice how you too, can live your best life and be the best version of yourself.  She is also a sports medical expert currently finishing her masters in the UK, she talks us through valuable information she has learnt about injury prevention, rehabilitation and mental health. This episode will empower and inspire you to further your health journey or start your own.  Asia Trail Girls is brought to you by T8 Asia's favorite trail running brand. Save 10% with our special discount code ATG10 for our listeners

We were fortunate enough to catch up with Nikki Han after her amazing feat of completing the HK4TUC which is a 298km trail race in Hong Kong covering all 4 of the famous peaks. To be a finisher of this event you have to finish it in under 60 hours! Nikki is the first and ONLY ever female to have finished this race and she has done it twice!We delved into everything that happened, her strategies, logistics, struggles and what advice she would give to other females wanting to do it. She is no stranger to Ultra events, with other 30 Ultras under her belt, many crazy personal challenges like Everesting on her 50th birthday and self supported and self navigated 100 milers. The longer and harder the race the better for Nikki! 100 milers now seem to be her warm up!We talk all about why she runs and the fact she didn't start running until she was 40 years old. Nikki is a true inspiration to the world of trail running for females, her strong mindset and will is completely awe-inspiring! Nikki started off as an 'ordinary runner' she still isn't sponsored, doesn't do intense mileage of training programs and has some incredible achievements which shows us all that any one is able to do anything if they put their mind to it. I can promise you with this episode you will go away impacted and inspired!Asia Trail Girls is brought to you by T8 Asia's favorite trail running brand. Save 10% with our special discount code ATG10 for our listeners

After a short break from the podcast we are back in full swing ready to share with you all what went down at our very exciting virtual event: Wonders of Asia. We will also be chatting to the top 3 females from each of our categories finding out all about how they tackled this challenge!Wonders of Asia was born as a way to connect people out on the trails, virtually, due to the pandemic. We wanted to encourage everyone to get outside, explore and get some competition back in their lives, which is exactly what happened. It was also a way to raise awareness and money for Free to Run, an NGO founded by the renowned Ultrarunner, Stephanie Case. It is a charity that empowers women through sport in conflict regions across Asia. We wanted to support their amazing projects by donating the registration fees from this event. The event consisted of 2 categories: Himalaya (9 day) and Alpine (5 day) challenges. Each day teams of 2 had to tackle a different famous Asian peak or trail.In this episode we talked with Veronika (also our race director), Elam and Jasmine our Top 3 Himalaya ladies and Emilie, Laurie and Eszter our Top 3 Alpine leaders. We discussed how it went, their struggles, what they enjoyed and looked at their strategies. We also delve into their teams, running backgrounds and future plans. This episode isn't just about our virtual challenge but it tells the stories of 6 fantastic inspirational runners from Asia,  who each individually have their own unique story!Asia Trail Girls is brought to you by T8 Asia's favorite trail running brand. Save 10% with our special discount code ATG10 for our listeners

Happy New Year and let me introduce our 8th podcast guest: Taylor Smith, executive director of the international nonprofit Free to Run, which empowers women and girls through sports in conflict regions across Asia, at the moment their main projects are in Afghanistan and Iraq.  Taylor is a committed human rights advocate with extensive experience leading education, sports, youth and community development programs in active conflict zones. With Free to Run, she is responsible for implementing, overseeing, and coordinating programs globally, and assisting with strategic development.   She is also an avid runner who was part of a team that ran across the United States to raise money for the Ulman Foundation. She has also competed in multiple international marathons, including the Marathon of Afghanistan.   In this episode we discuss our new virtual challenge; Wonders of Asia that is taking place next month and all the registration fees will be donated to Free to Run. We also talk about how Taylor started with Free to run, their projects, what they do and what life is like for a female in conflict regions.    This episode is really inspiring, eye opening and raises awareness for this amazing charity: Free To Run. Asia Trail Girls is brought to you by T8 Asia's favorite trail running brand. Save 10% with our special discount code ATG10 for our listeners

As we say goodbye to 2020 and hello to the New Year, what better way to do it with a new podcast episode with the Asia Trail Girl’s founder; Veronika, podcast host; Henny and our new guest, endurance specialist; Lauren Tininenko. We summarise our 2020 and talk about our exciting plans and ideas for 2021. Lauren is a Shanghai based American, who is one of the craziest endurance athletes we know. She is mostly known for her impressive open water swimming adventures but she has also ventured into triathlon and endurance running in the past few years. This episode is filled with hilarious stories, never ending fun adventures and some seriously impressive achievements.  We chat all about her latest achievements; at the age of 25 she became the first Western person to swim from China’s mainland to Hainan Island. The very same year she swam across the English Channel, 33 kilometers continuously swimming for a 11 hours. We also chat about her 2020 where she outdid herself in terms of crazy challenges; she did 2 full ironman races which she organised herself for friends in China, the unusual backwards running Guinness World Record she achieved and her insanity challenge which led her to doing several ultramarathons every month.   Happy New Year all and here at Asia Trail Girls we wish you all the best for 2021. Asia Trail Girls is brought to you by T8 Asia's favorite trail running brand. Save 10% with our special discount code ATG10 for our listeners

Today's guest is Hong Kong's French trail runner, Charlotte Taquet. Charlotte only started trail running 5 years ago after she moved to Asia and after her first run up Hong Kong's finest peak she was hooked. She is an inspiration in the trail running community starting from complete beginner to sponsored Salomon athlete winning many races in a short time. She is an inspiration for many who may not think they have what it takes, but she is proof that you can do more than you think with hard work, dedication and surrounding yourself with like minded-people.We talk all about her journey from a smoker to running her first 100km and then winning many races across Asia. We also discuss why she went plant based, how it suits her, her adjustments to life and training around COVID and she provides tips for Asia Trail Girls who are starting out on their running journey.Asia Trail Girls is brought to you by T8 Asia's favorite trail running brand. Save 10% with our special discount code ATG10 for our listeners

In this episode we speak to one of the top female ultra runners globally, Lucy Bartholomew. This impressive young runner from Australia is a Salomon athlete who has many huge victories in the ultra scene across the world. Lucy started trail running as a teen and completed her first 100km when she was only 16 years old. Faced with a lot of criticism for taking on trail running at such a young age, she has definitely proved to us all she is more than capable of handling the world's trails. She has now been running for 8 years and has gained such great experience making her the ultra strong runner she is today, both mentally and physically. In this episode we talk about all things real and ultra, we discuss her trail running story, her why, her biggest achievements, training, plans for next year, nutrition and her newly released plant based cook book. Lucy is incredibly friendly and down to earth with amazing knowledge and stories, you will be truly inspired by this episode. Enjoy!Asia Trail Girls is brought to you by T8 Asia's favorite trail running brand. Save 10% with our special discount code ATG10 for our listeners

This episode we catch up with the great Amy Sproston after she recently set a new FKT (Fastest Known Time) running across the Jordan Trail, 662km, which she achieved in 8 days, 9 hours and 28 minutes, she not only got the fastest time and was the first female to do it but she beat the previous time by 24 hours which was set last year by two British guys. Amy is an elite American ultrarunner who has competed in about 60 ultramarathons winning more than 20 of them, which includes four top 10 finishes at Western States, one of them being a 2nd place, a win at the 2012 IAU 100k World Championships, the 2014 HURT 100, two top 10s at UTMB and many more.  We had the most amazing chat talking all about her FKT attempt and the logistics behind that, the deeper meaning of why she did it which was not just to get an FKT. We also spoke about gender issues within sports, her life as an ultrarunner, how you don’t need a coach or a strict training or nutrition plan and how a Mc Donald’s double cheese burger is the perfect nutrition for an ultra. This episode is not one to miss!Asia Trail Girls is brought to you by T8 Asia's favorite trail running brand. Save 10% with our special discount code ATG10 for our listeners

After the Backyard World Champs captivating runners worldwide on the 17th October, we caught up with the last female standing, Jasmine Goh who raced at the Asia edition of this race in Singapore. She ran an amazing performance, running 29 laps and 194.3km. We delve into all the logistics behind her success, what happened on the day and how she made it as far as she did.  She is an inspirational female who manages to balance a full time job, life as a single mother and having a pretty intense running schedule. We also discuss her huge achievement representing Singapore and coming 4th at the SEA games in the marathon, her love for ultras, how she handles being a female running in Asia and tips for runners. Asia Trail Girls is brought to you by T8 Asia's favorite trail running brand. Save 10% with our special discount code ATG10 for our listeners

In this episode of the Asia Trail Girl Podcast we talk with endurance runner and adventurer Veronique Bourbeau who talks about her journey to extreme endurance running and introduces her 2021 project of running 13,000km across Africa. She is attempting to set a new world record to be the first female to ever do this. Not only is she running across Africa but she will be working for a charity as she goes, volunteering, raising awareness and funds to provide clean drinkable water for poor communities across Africa.To support her project and help her raise funds please visit: www.globalgiving.org/projects/nanofilter-water-stations-kiosks-for-1000-africa/Asia Trail Girls is brought to you by T8 Asia's favorite trail running brand. Save 10% with our special discount code ATG10 for our listeners

This episode introduces THE ASIA TRAIL GIRLS PODCAST, which is a platform where we share stories, experiences and knowledge about running in and around Asia. You will meet the host Henny Gorton who interviews Veronika the founder of Asia Trail Girls about all things trail related, ranging from her current training, keys to success, future plans and winning The Asia Trail Master 2019.  Together they also dive into what the podcast is all about, who they plan to invite in the future and what topics they are going to cover in their bi-weekly podcast. Asia Trail Girls is brought to you by T8 Asia's favorite trail running brand. Save 10% with our special discount code ATG10 for our listeners