The Endurance Asia Podcast

Endurance Asia

Celebrating everything about endurance sports, from Ultra Marathons to Mountaineering, from Adventure Races to Ironman. We hear from athletes, explorers and race directors from or based in the Asia Pacific region. Hosted by endurance enthusiasts based in Singapore, we celebrate ordinary people achieving extraordinary things, going beyond the limit of what they once thought possible.

  1. APR 26

    Marathon des Sables with Chris Timms

    Chris Timms returns to the Endurance Asia Podcast fresh from Marathon des Sables, the legendary multi-stage race across the Sahara. This episode breaks down the reality of MDS — from the race format and self-supported setup to the physical and mental demands of racing across multiple days in extreme conditions. Chris shares how he trained in Singapore, how he approached pacing and fueling, what surprised him most, and what he would change if he did it again. The conversation also dives into the emotional side of endurance — including racing with grief, being disconnected from family, and what the desert teaches you. Beyond performance, this is a story about community, resilience, and why stage racing is a completely different challenge. Timestamps 01:15 Intro and Chris returns from the desert 02:35 Why Marathon des Sables had always been on the list 06:43 MDS explained: stages, format, and self-supported racing 11:20 The field, the stories, and DNF reality 13:10 Training for MDS in Singapore 17:45 Gear choices: shoes, pack, and foot care 23:20 Nutrition strategy and calorie planning 26:07 Sleep, recovery, and life in camp 31:22 Pacing the race and lessons learned 36:57 Race result and finishing top 30 38:35 Camp life and learning from elite runners 41:54 Finish line energy and community 43:49 Bag weight, comforts, and mistakes 45:30 Racing with grief and mental strength 47:18 Time away from family and isolation 49:34 Why stage racing is uniquely hard 51:46 What’s next after MDS Follow / listen https://www.enduranceasia.com/ https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-endurance-asia-podcast/id1459460675 https://open.spotify.com/show/23YnHpmjPgyGiHLfgkiOAk https://soundcloud.com/enduranceasia https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHv2YWma06vKwlzs53WZ5g/videos https://www.instagram.com/enduranceasia https://www.facebook.com/enduranceasiapod https://twitter.com/enduranceasia_ https://www.linkedin.com/company/endurance-asia/ https://www.instagram.com/sgfalconsrc/

    54 min
  2. MAR 10

    How to Master a Marathon

    A special Endurance Asia Podcast collab with Singapore Falcons RC on how to PB a marathon—from building a club-wide marathon block to nailing the taper, pacing, fueling, and race-day mindset. Falcons committee members Chris and Andy are share what worked in a high-PB-rate Seoul/Tokyo season, plus rapid-fire wisdom from guest contributors Alice, Andreas, Darren, Harry, Ben and D’Arcy — covering everything from “don’t cook the first 5K” to “get to 30–32K, then race.” What we coverWhy marathon training makes you a better runner (even for trail/ultra) How Singapore Falcons structure a 4-month marathon block with flexibility The “core sessions” approach (and why Tuesday sessions matter so much) Pacing strategy: first 5K calm → settle → commit from 30–32K Fueling strategy: individual needs, carb timing, and avoiding GI surprises Mindset: gratitude, calm under stress, and reframing late-race suffering Race execution: groups/packs, course knowledge, water stations, problem-solving A simple recap list of the biggest “do’s” (and “don’ts”) in the final week Key takeaways (quick hits)The hay is in the barn: don’t chase fitness in the last week—protect freshness. Don’t win the first 5K and lose the last 10K. Fuel early and consistently—don’t wait until you feel it. Know the course and remove preventable stress (travel/steps/logistics). Use the pack when it matters, but don’t get dragged into the wrong pace early. Timestamps (key sections)Note: these are based on the transcript order—adjust times to match your final edit/audio. 00:00 Intro: Endurance Asia x Singapore Falcons — PB’ing the marathon 02:00 Andy & Chris backgrounds + why marathons are “honest” 05:10 Falcons marathon block: how to coach many abilities at once 10:00 Community + pack mentality: why clubs beat generic training plans 14:30 Andy’s Tokyo execution: patience, pacing by feel, and staying calm 20:30 Fueling + carb strategy (pre-race + in-race) 26:30 Guest tip 1: Alice Brabham — mindset, course knowledge, “run the mile you’re in” 35:30 Guest tip 2: Andreas Wengner — expect the unexpected + don’t rush the first 5K 40:00 Guest tip 3: Darren Southcott — taper, carbs, pacing discipline, don’t chase groups 45:00 Guest tip 4: Coach Harry — 30K discipline, simple fueling, caffeine timing 49:30 Guest tip 5: Ben Khoo — common pre-race mistakes to avoid 55:00 Guest tip 6: Darcy — “sit on the couch for 30K,” run by feel, enjoy the day 60:00 Wrap: the shared themes + final mindset for race day 01:10:00 Recap from Chris on top 15 tips External linksSingapore FalconsSingapore Falcons RC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sgfalconsrc/ Contributors (Instagram)Alice Brabham: https://www.instagram.com/fit_as_training/ Andreas Vagner: https://www.instagram.com/icyandi Buffalo Running Co (Coach Harry / BuffCo): https://www.instagram.com/buffco.hk/ Endurance Asia (all socials)Website: https://www.enduranceasia.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHv2YWma06vKwlzs53WZ5g Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/enduranceasia Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/enduranceasiapod X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/enduranceasia_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/endurance-asia/

    1h 15m
  3. MAR 2

    HK4TUC with finisher Scott Pugh

    Following a 7.5 year journey of failures, injuries and upsets, podcast host Scott Pugh goes from interviewer to interviewee to share his story in finishing the Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge with co host and ultra runner Chris Timms. HK4TUC is one of the most brutal endurance tests on the planet – 298km across four iconic trails, with 14,500m+ of elevation, a 60-hour cut off, no poles, no music, no GPS watch no support on the trails. Scott shares the the full journey from DNFs to what he changed to how he evolved as a runner and human to finally get the job done in 58 hours 43 mins. We cover: How he’s feeling immediately after the event 02:45 The backstory that got him to the 2025 edition of Four Trails 07:35 What he changed coming into the 2026 edition 21:18 Preparation for the 2026 edition and pregame nerves 28:10 Game time! How did it play at the event 32:27    Motivational voice notes from crew 50:30 Reaching the point of 200 DNF on HK Trail 01:01:23 Clip of meeting Tomo on HK trail 01:03:23 Clip of running to Ferry Piers 01:08:06 Clip of starting Lantau Trail 01:11:15 Crew messages before taking on Lantau Peak and Sunset Peak 01:23:50 The Finish 01:27:15 What it felt like to touch kiss the green post box 01:29:15  How the Four Trails has changed him 01:31:00  Whats next 01:35:30  To relive the Dot Watching click here. Scott’s splits were as follows: Maclehose Trail - 13hrs 55m Transition - 1hr 30m Wilson Trail - 15hr 23m Transition - 35m Hk Trail - 9hrs Transition - 2hrs 30m Lantau trail - 15hrs 35m You can listen to the audio podacst on Apple and Spotify. Follow Endurance Asia on Instagram and Facebook.

    1h 41m
  4. Endurance Asia Awards 2025

    JAN 22

    Endurance Asia Awards 2025

    It’s that time of year ago before the adventure season kicks off where we are joined by Chris Timms to recap the highlights of 2025. In this special awards episode, we discuss the stories that moved us and the people who mattered. Here are the categories and nominees: Male Athlete of the Year Hisashi Kitamura, with his win at TMBT Lodowijk Vriens, wins in HK and Bali and top 10 in Cape Town John Stingray Onifa, with multiple wins across Asia Guangfu Meng, 2nd win at HK100 and win at Chiang Mai by UTMB Female Athlete of the Year Sunmaya Budha, 2nd in WMTRC and an miraculous win in Cape Town Hau Ha, another amazing year with wins in Tsiagu and Chiang Mai by UTMB Fuzhao Xiang, 2nd place at Western States and wins across many shorter distances across Asia Veronika Leng, 2nd place at HK100 on her comeback and 5th at CCC Race / Challenge of the Year World Trail Majors Hong Kong 100 Vietnam Mountain Marathon Asia Trail Masters Penang Skyrace Izu Trail Journey Japan UTMB TransLantau  Chiang Mai Others Tsaigu Trail  Godzone Endurance Feat of the Year Stone Tsang solo traverse across Taiwan Grant “Axe” Rawlinson and Luke Richmond Row across “The Ditch” Fundraising of the Year Natalie Dau’s 2nd Project1000 across Philippines, fundraising for female charities across Asia Jo Lodder and John Fan, 3100km UNBOUND ultra run from Beijing to China raising money for disabled charities Listen to the episode to find out who the winners are.. We loved watching these people reset the limits of what’s possible in 2025 and would love to hear from you about who we missed. Here’s to even more amazing achievements in 2026!

    45 min

About

Celebrating everything about endurance sports, from Ultra Marathons to Mountaineering, from Adventure Races to Ironman. We hear from athletes, explorers and race directors from or based in the Asia Pacific region. Hosted by endurance enthusiasts based in Singapore, we celebrate ordinary people achieving extraordinary things, going beyond the limit of what they once thought possible.

You Might Also Like