Rohini Bajekal, Nutritionist and Co-Author of Living PCOS Free is a board-certified Lifestyle Medicine professional. Prior to becoming a nutritionist, she studied Theology at Oxford University. Having previously worked in India and Singapore, Rohini is based in London and provides evidence-based nutrition and lifestyle advice and group programmes to her clients around the world. She is also the Communications Lead at Plant-Based Health Professionals UKRohini co-authored her first book L...

Dr Clare Day and Dr Daisy Lund are two plant-based health professionals working as NHS GP's in London. They have their own podcast, In A Nutshell, with the aim to improve nutritional education about the benefits of a whole-foods plant based diet for individual and planetary health.Dr Day has worked as a GP in a range of settings including community and prison healthcare, having qualified as a doctor in 2011. Prior to studying Graduate Medicine she studied Science Communication and Policy...

Ahead of her Highland Fling Ultra and looking forward to another Backyard Ultra Challenge, I chat to Kayleigh Webster, author of The Happy Diet cookbook.We discuss her five-hour daily runs, and how she fuels with "real food", she's got a penchant for porridge and poke bowls, and makes recipes that don't use fancy ingredients like pomegranate molasses! Running with her Labrador and having the freedom to move around in her campervan, Kayleigh is lucky to be able to explore what beautiful Scotla...

She's made history as the first woman to ever complete the notorious Barkley Marathons. In Frozen Lake State Park, Tennessee, Jasmin Paris completed the 100-mile course with just 99 seconds to spare, and saw supporters quite literally on the edge of their seats willing her to reach the yellow gate at the finish line.Jasmin is the co-founder of The Green Runners, and she uses her platform to speak out on green issues and help other runners make more sustainable choices, with the races they mig...

Dr Minil Patel is not only a doctor, but a vegan bodybuilder, member of Plant-Based Health Professionals, ambassador for Climate Games and Running On Plants, and a runner! If there's one thing that Minil proves, it's that being vegan does not make you weak. Owning the term "soy boy", he shows that getting ripped is entirely possible by living on plants alone. We talk about how education on food and nutrition is key to getting fit on a plant-based diet, and how transitioning to plant-based...

Paul Youd: Octogenarian, animal activist, and ultra runner. At age 86, Paul is currently on a mission to complete a million push-ups between the age of 80-90, Paul is up for a challenge and uses his fitness to promote veganism and stand up for the animals. When we recorded, Paul had briefly put a halt on running as he was healing from a broken leg – now I’m pleased to report he’s back running again. Since becoming a vegan Paul has reversed the symptoms of his osteoarthritis and takes on...

Filmmaker Tom Pickering is founder of the Running On Plants initiative, which encourages people to move while maintaining a plant-based diet - the idea is to promote a compassionate and cruelty-free lifestyle, which also benefits our own health. As a lifelong vegetarian and vegan, Tom has never eaten meat, and in his latest film I Could Never Go Vegan, which premiers this spring (2024), he explores the reasons behind people's reluctance to go vegan. He talks to some of the most influential...

Content creator, runner, vegan and mum, Fiona Brennan celebrates being a "slow" runner and we talk about life at the back of the pack. We discuss how a DNA test revealed that she is built more for endurance than speed and how that revelation has completely changed her outlook. From the community of Park Run, to finding a run that suits your style, we talk about how running can be an escape from the day to day drudgery, or a place to just have a laugh with friends. We also talk about how since...

Holly Johnson is the editor of the UK's only in-print vegan magazine and host of the Simply Vegan podcast. In this episode we talk about what the turning points are to going vegan, how to talk about veganism with children and how finding a job that aligns with your values is important. Holly is a great cook too and we talk about favourite things to eat and the joys of an air fryer - she really does love an air fryer! Running is a big part of Holly's life and she is a member of the Vegan...

Long-distance athlete and evolutionary biologist Professor Ben Garrod is fresh off tour and takes the time to chat to me about our time on the Dragon's Back Race and the science behind running. Ben has spent six years in Africa, Madagascar, the Caribbean and even been a tour guide in The Arctic, but he still loves running around his hometown of Bristol. We discuss night running and how it differs for men and women, the camaraderie you get from a multi-day event,  and what drives us to...

Cathryn Scott, aka Cardiff Mummy Says, is a successful mummy blogger who loves running and has recently been bitten by the ultra bug. Noticing a lack of female-only running groups in her city, Cathryn was instrumental in setting up the club She Runs: Cardiff, where women can feel safe and find enjoyment running together. She's been a vegan for five years, about the same time she got into running, and with three children of her own she's smashing it by juggling family time with her passion for...

Jay Grady, one half of the Trail and Error podcast, is a vegan ultra runner and 2023 Hatchling.  Enticed into running ultras following a walking pilgrimage with his wife, Jay has competed in the likes of UTMB Mont-Blanc and the Arc of Attrition and is already plotting future challenges. We talk about our shared Hatchling experience in a heatwave, and how his Trail and Error counterpart Tris Stephenson (fourth overall in the Dragon's Back Race) approaches running so differently. Veganism is a...

She's an elite marathon and ultra-marathon runner, but Fiona Oakes finds time to look after more than 500 animals at Towerhill Stables Animal Sanctuary over and above everything else. Running is a way to promote veganism and for Fiona, who eats just one meal a day, her opportunities to toe the starting lines with other elite runners, only serves as an opportunity to shout louder about her passion for looking after animals and living a vegan life. She's starred in the film Running for Good,...

Lisa Marley is a vegan chef and trains other chefs how to cook some of the best plant based recipes. She's a ProVeg Chef Trainer and her recipes have appeared in some of the most popular publications. She can knock up a vegan feast like no other, and she shows others how easy it can be too on her easy to follow videos on social media. In this episode Lisa tells me how to make the best calorie packed snacks for on the run, plus some great ideas for puddings and cheese alternatives. We also...

Damian Hall, Green Runner, author of We Can't Run Away From This, winter Spine Race winner 2023, Barkley Marathon's four-looper. This ultra-hero continues to compete in the world's most top level events, and all while flying the flag for the environment and saving the planet.

Nicky Chrascina has run more miles than anyone else to claim her place in the 100 mile club, and continues to run ultras spanning across the world, from the Marathon Des Sables, to the more recent Mustang Ultra in Nepal.  She's also the founder of activewear company Flanci, and supports people from all backgrounds to try an ultra marathon.

He's the brains behind the National Running Show with his company Raccoon Events, where he brings together not only some of the best runners in the world, but creates a community for everybody who enjoys running. He's run 100-milers, had visions of emus, and come up with challenges like the Indoor Relay - all to give people reasons to come together through running. One of the sport's true nice guys, Mike Seaman talks about how the Run Show came to be, the reasons he runs, and why we should...

Vic Owens, aka The Happy Runner, is the fastest person to complete the Monarch's Way, has tackled Cobain Events' The Tunnel three times, taken on The Bridge Ultra, run more than 30 miles on her drive and 60 miles around her back garden, and does it all wearing no shoes. This barefoot, vegan runner, has the mental strength most of us can only dream of - and she's even trained herself out of hallucinations. Mind you, she lets on that her biggest fear is water. Even the toughest among us get...

With an events company putting on some epic multi-day events, including the so-called "Toughest Mountain Race in the World"- the Dragon's Back Race, Shane Ohly, owner of Ourea Events talks about encouraging female participation, and levelling the playing field for women runners.  He also talks about prepping for challenges like DBR, and encouragingly talks about how a positive mindset can really get you further than you ever thought.  I ask him for some training tips to get me to the start...

Meet Nikki Love - she's about to run across Australia! She talks to me about her incredible determination, what drives her to run, challenges she faces running through her 50s, and how she keeps that mindset to "chase extraordinary" and prove that she can get the job done. Running 65 consecutive marathons across Oz, she's taking on the Guinness World Record attempt to cover a distance of around 4,000kms from Perth to Sydney. If she does, she'll be the fastest female to cross Australia on...

Welcome to the new Vegan Fitness Runner Podcast, out soon! I'm Laura Briggs, and I'll be talking to some incredible guests on the topics of ultra running, record breaking attempts, fitness, nutrition, and of course veganism.