Fell runner, orienteer and canicross athlete Jacob “Tonk” Tonkin joins Ben and Gary for an unforgettable conversation about running, resilience, and the power of the bond between a runner and his dog.

Jacob opens up about life on the fells of Keswick, the mental games of fell racing, and taking on epic challenges like the anti-clockwise Bob Graham Round and the Frog Graham — running and swimming across the Lake District.

But his story goes much deeper. Jacob speaks candidly about living with Crohn’s disease, the loss of his beloved dog George, and how the short film “George” (created by James Appleton) captured both their friendship and his fight to keep going.

With honesty, humour and heart, Jacob shares how running, dogs, and the mountains helped him rebuild his life — and why he now runs purely for himself.

🎬 Watch George on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_bVHR1sRyY

In this episode:

• The mindset and psychology of fell racing
• The Bob Graham and Frog Graham challenges
• The making of “George” and its emotional impact
• Living with Crohn’s disease
• Running with dogs and the power of canicross
• Finding purpose after loss and adversity

#TrailRunning #FellRunning #UltraRunning #Canicross #GeorgeFilm #CrohnsAwareness #MentalHealth #RUNcensored #RunningPodcast #LakeDistrict

RUNcensored Podcast 🎙

The unfiltered running podcast with Gary House & Ben Mounsey — honest chats with athletes, coaches and characters from the world of running.

👉 Subscribe and leave us a review — it helps more runners find the show.

👉 Watch the podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RUNcensored

👉 Listen to all episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZGfMfc5i9Q&list=PL_pklymQxtluqvkNmf41MYI7fOk8Ki_YT

👉 Have your say in our listener survey: http://bit.ly/runcensored-survey

🌍 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runcensoredpod

📩 Get in touch: info@runcensored.com info@eastwood-media.co.uk

Produced by Chris Davies, Eastwood Media

www.eastwood-media.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

She’s back!

In this episode of the RUNcensored Podcast, Ben and Gary catch up with Kay Hawke from British Orienteering — one of our most popular past guests — to find out why orienteering is exploding in popularity and how it can seriously level up your trail and ultra running.

Kay explains how combining navigation with endurance creates the perfect mental and physical challenge for runners, and why “getting lost” might actually be the best training you can do.

We talk about everything from Street-O showdowns and European city races that start in police stations, to the mindset of staying competitive, motivated and just a little bit obsessed with maps.

Here’s what’s inside this episode 👇

🧭 Why orienteering is the secret training tool for trail and ultra runners

📍 How navigation sharpens focus, confidence and decision-making

🏃‍♀️ Red Courses explained — and why they’re perfect for trail runners

💡 How to pick the right event (and avoid getting discouraged)

🏅 Competition vs enjoyment — does winning really matter?

🌍 European orienteering: from Belgium’s beer races to Gdansk city adventures

🎒 Using SI Entries to find local, affordable events every week

🏫 How schools and communities could use orienteering to get more kids outdoors

⚡ The reality of UK funding and why media coverage could change everything

🍺 Ben and Gary’s Street-O stories, geocache fails, and questionable map reading

🔥 A preview of the ‘Quid Games’ Orienteering Event at Kendal Mountain Festival

Whether you’re training for your next mountain ultra or just love the idea of running with a purpose, this one will make you see trail running — and getting lost — in a whole new light.

🎧 Listen now to EP48: “Getting Lost Made Me Faster: How Orienteering Can Transform Your Trail Running”

#trailrunning #ultrarunning #orienteering #britishorienteering #streeto #fellrunning #trailrunner #runningpodcast #navigation #mapreading #kendalmountainfestival #offroadrunning #trailrunninguk #runningmotivation #RUNcensored

RUNcensored Podcast 🎙

The unfiltered running podcast with Gary House & Ben Mounsey — honest chats with athletes, coaches and characters from the world of running.

👉 Subscribe and leave us a review — it helps more runners find the show.

👉 Watch the podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RUNcensored

👉 Listen to all episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZGfMfc5i9Q&list=PL_pklymQxtluqvkNmf41MYI7fOk8Ki_YT

👉 Have your say in our listener survey: http://bit.ly/runcensored-survey

🌍 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runcensoredpod

📩 Get in touch: info@runcensored.com

Produced by Chris Davies, Eastwood Media

www.eastwood-media.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ben and Gary are back together for a proper catch-up after a busy few weeks of racing, training and, in Ben’s case, accidentally taking his dogs to a no-dogs event.

Ben dives into his experiences at the British Fell Relay Championships and Trofeo Vanoni in Italy — talking about the atmosphere, navigation challenges, and why he keeps going back year after year. He also shares what’s next for the UK trail scene with new teams and more women joining the sport.

Gary’s been getting ready for Quid Games, mixing up his training with Zwift racing and strength work to stay motivated through winter.

The lads also break down some of the latest headlines in trail and ultra running, including:

• Sarah Webster’s gold medal and world-class performance at the 24-hour World Championships
• Sarah Perry’s record-breaking Backyard Ultra
• Remi Bonnet’s insane new VK world record
• The ongoing Strava vs Garmin legal drama

It’s an episode packed with results, records and plenty of laughs — the unfiltered runner’s podcast you didn’t know you needed.

#trailrunning #ultrarunning #runningpodcast #fellrunning #RUNcensored

RUNcensored Podcast 🎙

The unfiltered running podcast with Gary House & Ben Mounsey — honest chats with athletes, coaches and characters from the world of running.

👉 Subscribe and leave us a review — it helps more runners find the show.

👉 Watch the podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RUNcensored

👉 Listen to all episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZGfMfc5i9Q&list=PL_pklymQxtluqvkNmf41MYI7fOk8Ki_YT

👉 Have your say in our listener survey: http://bit.ly/runcensored-survey

🌍 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runcensoredpod

📩 Get in touch: info@runcensored.com

Produced by Chris Davies, Eastwood Media

www.eastwood-media.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.