Young Hearts Run Free Podcast28 Jan 2021

S2 Eps 9 Young Hearts, Run Free Mel Sykes WHW Solo 28 Jan 2021

Mel Sykes is a Yorkshire girl who hates being indoors. She spent lots of that time outdoors last September completing a solo walk of our fav trail, the West Highland Way in Bonnie Scotland.

In Season 2, Episode 9 John and Steven welcome their first ever guest from south of Hadrians Wall as Mel joins us for a brilliant natter about her WHW adventure. Listen on for some precious tips and pointers for anyone considering completing the WHW or indeed any would be solo adventurers.

We cover much more aside, Mel enchants us with her tales of adventures on foot and on the bike and we find a mutual love for Coffee and Cake! Check out Mel's Twitter and Instagram for some piccies of those amongst other fab content. Not only that Mel is a runner too, with multiple marathons and an ultra under her belt we hear about some of these incredible achievements.

Mel show's no sign of slowing down either with big plans ahead to complete her Wainwright bagging quest, an eye on the Penine Way end to end trail, a continued fondness for trig pointing.

Some links we promised in the episode
Mel's WHW Solo Blog https://www.baldhiker.com/2020/10/05/a-solo-walk-along-the-west-highland-way/
Ordnance Survey Maps App https://shop.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/apps/os-maps/

COVID Trig Point Challenge https://www.facebook.com/groups/857557981374878/
Alpkit BruKit all in one cooking system, Mel's essential item on her WHW Walk https://alpkit.com/products/brukit

Plenty laughs guaranteed with the accent barrier more or less surmounted, oh and listen to the end to get Mel's rather unique favourite Yorkshire-ism.

Connect with John and Steven over on the Young Hearts Run Free socials https://twitter.com/yhrfpod and https://www.instagram.com/youngheartsrunfreepodcast/

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(315)

Did Not Fail: Chris Marritt on DNFs, Redemption and the Ring of Fire - Season 16 Eps 3

What happens when your greatest strength becomes your biggest vulnerability?In this episode we sit down with ultra runner, journalist and first-time author Chris Marritt to discuss his forthcoming boo...

14 Aug 1h 47min

Brian Robertson - By Way of the Glen - Season 16 Eps 2

What do you get when you combine the West Highland Way and the Great Glen Way, 170 miles of relentless Scottish trail, a coach with a winning pedigree, a couple of loyal crew members, and a runner who...

7 Aug 1h 37min

Everest Season 16 Launch & Lakeland 2026 Debrief - Season 16 Episode 1

Season 16 is LIVE! 🎙️🏃‍♂️Everyone has an Everest, what's yours? For some, it’s a high-altitude ultra. For others, it’s a first parkrun, a Couch-to-5K, or just getting out the front door.Whatever y...

31 Jul 1h 7min

Season 15 Finale: Time for Another Lakeland Adventure. Season 15 Eps 20

The Season 15 curtain comes down with special guest Steven Willetts, better known as one half of the Brig Boys Podcast. A three-time Lakeland 50 finisher, Steven joins us to talk training, mindset, ra...

24 Jul 1h 20min

3rd, 2nd, 1st: The Roberta Fletcher WHW Story - Season 15 Eps 19

In this episode we sit down with Roberta Fletcher, the 2026 West Highland Way Race women's winner. From running 10Ks with a buggy after having children to standing atop the podium at one of the world'...

17 Jul 1h 18min

The Way in a Day with Stevie McKenna - Season 15 Eps 18

Stevie McKenna joins us to share the story behind his incredible five-hour improvement at the West Highland Way Race, reducing his time from 28:18 to 23:23 and achieving a coveted sub-24-hour finish.F...

10 Jul 1h 27min

Redemption on the West Highland Way with Melissa McLarnon - Season 15 Eps 17

In this powerful and emotional episode, we welcome Melissa McLarnon to the podcast.After being timed out at Beinglas in the 2025 West HighlandWay Race and a subsequent battle with anxiety and mental h...

3 Jul 1h 22min

Summer Spine Challenger North with Serena Broadway, Season 15, Eps 16

Trail runner and endurance athlete Serena Broadway joins the podcast to share her journey into ultra running and her experience taking on the Summer Spine Challenger North, a brutal 160 mile race alon...

26 Jun 1h 41min