40 Best Podcasts For Runners

Readers, time to listen up

Podcasts are perfect for runners. We can’t catch up on a box set or get stuck into a novel as we pound the pavement, but add a set of headphones to the time we have already blocked out and an entire world of knowledge, stimulation, self-improvement and entertainment opens up to us. The problem is that with hundreds of thousands to choose from, it isn’t easy to separate the golden audio wheat from the background-noise chaff. So we’ve done it for you. This carefully curated mix will help you up your game (in running and life), give you food for thought or just bring a smile to your face when the going gets tough

01 Run, Selfie Repeat

With episodes lasting around 15 minutes, Kelly Roberts’ spin-off from her blog (shecanandshedid.com) is an easy one to fit into short-run days. And her journey to body positivity is a motivational tonic. Roberts claims she is ‘a terrible, terrible athlete’ but she likes to think that ‘running is a lot like grief, neither ever really gets easier. You just get stronger.’

02 10% Happier With Dan Harris

Emmy award-winning journalist Harris was a co-anchor on the American TV institution Good Morning America until he suffered a panic attack live on air in 2004. It was a wake-up call that led him to meditation. The podcast – which shares its title with his book – is a meeting of minds for mindfulness devotees. Harris’ guests muse upon happiness in its many forms and ask whether it’s possible to strive for both success and enlightenment.

03 Guardian’s Science Weekly

Brought to you by The Guardian’s science journalists, this asks the big questions and then answers them in an engaging and digestible way. Ever wondered, for instance, why fertility worldwide seems to be falling? Or what it means to be human in the age of artificial intelligence? A series of half-hour tempo runs for your grey matter.

04 Food Psych

Bad day got you reaching greedily for the biscuit tin? Nutritionist Christy Harrison serves up straighttalking, feel-good, platebased psychology to help you clarify your thinking on nutrition.

05 The Runner’s World UK Podcast

Please excuse our selfpromotion here, but we’re rather proud of our audio offering. What began as a monthly podcast last year is now weekly, with new episodes dropping every Tuesday. Hosted by Rick Pearson and Ben Hobson, with guest appearances from other team members and a stellar line-up of special guests, it’s packed with passion, insight and inspiration to rock every runner’s world. Regulars include RW commissioning editor Kerry Mccarthy on the week’s developments in the world of running; and recent guests included Anna Mcnuff, who’s running Britain barefoot.

06 TED Talks Health

Not a series of wellness monologues delivered by a foul-mouthed bear, but a series of lectures by a global community of deep thinkers, curated under the banner of Technology, Entertainment and Design. Think of them as a chance to listen to some of the cleverest people on the planet – with no tuition fee.

07 My Dad Wrote A Porno

Imagine if your father did, in fact, pen a filthy book. You’d probably try to bury it at the very back of the shelf, but Jamie Morton decided to read it to the world in this comedy podcast. With the help of mates James Cooper and Alice Levine, Jamie reads a chapter a week, discovering far more about his father than he ever bargained for, and creating what The Sunday Times has hailed as ‘a cultural phenomenon’.

08 Bryony Gordon’s Mad World

When your first guest is royalty (Prince Harry), the bar is set high. But it isn’t simply the calibre of guests – including national treasure Stephen Fry – that will keep you coming back, but the way in which Gordon creates a space that feels safe enough for sharing. Movingly candid, the stars’ personal mental health struggles are touching, humanising and, as the conversation on mental health continues to evolve, greatly needed.

09 Feel Better, Live More With Dr Rangan Chatterjee

Best known as the host of the BBC’S Doctor in the House, Dr Rangan Chatterjee is an NHS health powerhouse. Here he blends his experience with insight from industry professionals, other doctors and researchers to attempt to uncover the truth behind health myths on subjects such as gut health and microbes.

10 The Hilarious World of Depression

Listening to people talk about depression might not sound like fun, but when those people are comedians and other wits, there are plenty of laughs. ‘Depression is everywhere and it sucks,’ says American public radio presenter John Moe. ‘But talking about it doesn’t. Talking about it is a really good idea.’ Agreed.

11 The Rambling Runner

One both for and about dedicated amateur runners, Matt Chittim’s excellent show goes out to all of us who try to balance our passion for running with our jobs, families, friends and everything else life throws at us.

12 The Week Unwrapped

For those of us whose hectic life and running schedules leave little time for keeping up on current affairs, this is a 30-minute update on everything you may have missed over the previous seven days.

13-14 Radio Headspace & All In The Mind

The team behind Headspace, the app that helped meditation go mainstream, chat to athletes, adventurers and scientists to examine what the mind is truly capable of. And if you like what you hear, try All in the Mind, Radio 4’s dive into the capacity of the human mind – psychologist Claudia Hammond’s miniseries dissecting loneliness is superb.

15 Yogaland

We still have much to learn when it comes to why your yoga class leaves you feeling so fantastic. And who better to learn from than Andrea Ferretti, the former editor of the academic publication Yoga Journal. Other subjects covered include emotional wellness and nutrition. This offers something for fans of yoga as well as teachers.

16 When Orla Met

Broadcaster and former All-ireland triple-jump champion Orla Chennaoui meets top names from the world of sport, such as Jonnie Peacock, Dina Asher-smith and Kelly Sotherton, to learn about the fortitude, frailty, movitation and fears of those who push themselves to the limit of human ability.

17 Eat Sleep Work Repeat

Not as stressful as it sounds. The number-one business podcast on itunes looks at productivity through the lens of workplace culture and happiness. It’s a side project for Twitter’s European vice president, Bruce Daisley, so you’ll be hearing it from the (disarmingly chummy Brummie) horse’s mouth.

18 The Doctor’s Kitchen

Since publishing his book of the same name, Dr Rupy Aujla has become one of the frontrunners in the ‘food as medicine’ movement. Already an NHS doctor, he’s now teaching a culinary medicine course to medical students at Bristol University, as if he didn’t have enough on his plate. His podcast is packed with the same passion as his recipes.

19 Finding Mastery

When Felix Baumgartner panicked as he trained to leap from a hot-air balloon on the edge of space, it was psychologist Michael Gervais who talked him down, as it were. Whether speaking to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella or free climber Alex Honnold, Gervais explores the ‘common thread’ connecting remarkable individuals as they ‘pursue the boundaries of human potential’.

20 Running For Real

A weekly dose of top-class expertise as 2:36 marathon runner and mum Tina Muir speaks to sports psychologists, doctors, dietitians, elite runners, strength-training coaches and running-form experts to help improve your running. Try Pete Magill on masters training, Alex Hutchinson on building the right running mindset or Chrissie Wellington on achieving your goals.

21 GMB Fitness Show

Devised by experts in martial arts, gymnastics and physiotherapy, Gold Medal Bodies is a body-weight training programme for developing your skills and flexibility. Co-founder Ryan Hurst holds court with the help of fitness cognoscenti such as Animal Flow creator Mike Fitch and Al Kavadlo of Progressive Calisthenics.

22 Running Commentary

Comedians Paul Tonkinson and Rob Deering talk about life and comedy – but mainly running. While they’re running. Quirky, funny, insightful and life-affirming. Check out the recent quadrupleshow prog-pod odyssey recorded while the pair were running the London Marathon (see p31).

23 30 for 30 Podcasts

American network ESPN makes excellent sports documentaries and they work just as effectively without the visuals. Here you can discover stories of Polar exploration, learn about Olympic failure or dive into the murky world of scandal-hit yoga guru Bikram Choudhury.

24-25 Eat, Move and Live Better & Sigma Nutrition

As well as serving up online diet programmes, Precision Nutrition advises big-hitting companies such as Nike. The emphasis here is on food, with plenty of nutritional facts to get your teeth into; and because episodes can be as short as 10 minutes, you can binge on several in a sitting. Appetite thoroughly whetted? To follow try Sigma Nutrition Radio: science prepared by nutritionist Danny Lennon with an appetising sprinkling of coaches, athletes and researchers.

26 Hidden Brain

Award-winning journalist and Harvard fellow Shankar Vedantam – also a former science writer at The Washington Post – expertly combines science with storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behaviour. Topics include the history of fake news (spoiler: it didn’t begin with Trump) and the more baffling question of why we lie.

27 Pursuing Health With Julie Foucher

The result of medical student Julie Foucher discovering Crossfit – apart from her formidable athleticism – was the birth of her 60-90-minute podcast. Bridging the gap between medicine and fitness, her roster of medical professionals focus on using fitness as a defence against (rather than a cure for) sickness and disease. The episode archives, which go back to 2011, cover subjects such as training during pregnancy, creating a champion and debunking nutrition myths. The list goes on, and on…

28 Happy Place

TV and radio presenter Fearne Cotton smoothly extract insights and self-care tips from guests such as Tom Daley and Dawn French. Running is a frequent touch point, with Gary Barlow and Bryony Gordon (see no.12) both talking about how running has helped them.

29 Dear Sugars

Writers and Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond may have stopped bringing out new episodes of their ruminations in response to readers’ letters, but with over 100 in the bank, their sage advice will keep you going for months. Guests include Oprah Winfrey and Hillary Clinton.

30 The Calmer You Podcast with Chloe Brotheridge

Guidance and inspiration to help you become a calmer, happier and more confident you. Brotheridge – author of The Anxiety Solution – curates a mix of expert interviews, encouragement and, crucially, reminders that you are not alone.

31 Desert Island Discs

The combination of expert interviewing and the disarming power of music delivers rare glimpses into the lives and souls of actors, Nobel Prizewinning scientists, athletes, dancers and singers. With a catalogue dating back to 1942 and new episodes airing every week, you’ll never run dry.

32 Work Play Love

Former pro runner Lauren Fleshman and her triathlete other half Jesse Thomas deliver wisdom on running-related subjects such as identifying injury, mental toughness, motivation, training, food, recovery, running form and midrace pooing. Come on, people, it happens. Accept it.

33 She Explores

One for and about women who are inspired by time in the great outdoors. Author and photographer Gale Straub weaves interviews, in-the-field recordings and listener submissions into episodes covering themes such as solo hiking, ageing, diversity, motherhood and feminism.

34 The Meditation Podcast

Crafted audio taking listeners gently through a guided meditation. Cynical? The absurdly relaxing reiki treatment episode with ‘delta wave’ noise techniques will wipe that snide look from your face.

35 The Tim Ferriss Show

The author of New York Times bestsellers The 4-Hour Work Week, Body and Chef wrote the book(s) on speedy selfimprovement. His podcast, in which he ‘deconstructs world-class performers’, regularly tops the itunes business chart, as well as Apple’s list of the best podcasts. His subjects range from start-ups to standups, and from athletes to Arnie. The interviews can be long – some stretching past the three-hour mark – but they’re always a productive use of your time.

36 The Rich Roll Podcast

Roll, a former hardliving LA lawyer, is now a vegan and world-class ultrarunner. Here he discusses all things wellness with some of the brightest minds in health and fitness, including athletes, doctors, nutritionists and coaches, and all with a rather lofty goal: ‘To help empower you to become your best, most authentic self.’

37 Waking Up with Sam Harris

If anyone can help you make sense of our incomprehensible world, it’s neuroscientist Sam Harris, author of bestsellers such as Free Will. His podcast ranges from evolutionary psychology and politics to the meaning of life. Prepare for your mind to be truly blown.

38 On Being With Krista Tippett

Buddhist monks, gay priests, conservative Christians...it may sound like a set-up for a walkinginto-a-bar joke, but this exploration of spirituality from journalist and former diplomat Krista Tippetts is a treasure trove of thoughts and opinions. When the commute has you truly hating humanity, it’ll restore your faith.

39 The Joe Rogan Experience

Each episode with US comedian Rogan takes the form of a long-form conversation – all are funny, but the health ones are not to be missed. Think Robb Wolf, author of the New York Times bestseller The Paleo Solution, and Chris Kelly Starett, Crossfit trainer. Perfect for long training runs.

40 Sleep With Me

No, not like that. Host Drew Ackerman wants to help you nod off. No whale music or white noise here, but a bedtime story riveting enough to distract you from the task of trying to sleep but not so gripping that it keeps you awake. Sleep, hacked.