Making A Runner Nic Acampora & David Fick

The Marathon Des Sables (MDS) is notorious for being one of the toughest trail races in the world. If this is news to you then picture this for a minute: Running 250km in the middle of the Sahara desert spread over 6 days where participants have to be able to fully self support themselves and work with strict daily water rations. Your days can range from 30km to 90km and the people who you share a tent with become your only form of support out there. The MDS is for sure not a race for the faint hearted and definitely something that pushes the human limits of endurance.
Every year 100's of runners from all over the world make the trip to Morocco to take part in this incredible endurance event and this year James Miller made the trip hoping to be able to compete alongside the world's best desert runners. He finished 7th overall and second non-moroccan making him the highest placing South African finisher in history at the just age of 26.
After picking up running in 2021 and finishing on the top step of the podium at the 21km UTCT Trail event he has achieved some mighty fast times over the Marathon and Half marathon along with some notable podium finishes in various trail events. Although he is only at the beginning of his running career this remarkable CV (whilst still working full time) definitely shows the potential he holds and whats to come from the future.
Over and above his incredible running talent, giving back to the community is something that he holds very close to his heart and even as a South African living in the UK, he has been working closely with LIV2RUN (S1E9) to raise funds for development runners and dedicated his MDS run to them in the hope that donations would lead to some of these runners being able to attends a "European Training season and Trail race" which would be an incredible things for them to experience in their running journey. Donations for this are still open and you can follow https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/James-Miller59?utm_medium=proxy_fundraising&utm_content=James-Miller59&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=pfp-share.
In this conversation we chat about:
James Miller's inspiring rise through the running sceneHis move to the UK and what that means for the South AfricanDeep dive into his MDS experience; Training, Planning, Preparation & physical experienceHis take aways from MDS and what he learned about himself as a runnerHis involvement with LIV2RUNWhat the future holds for James
Follow James along his journey @therunningbean and enjoy the conversation, we know we did.
Feel free to leave us a review or follow us on socials @makingarunner.

Are you willing to reconsider everything you think you know about hydration?
This episode had us diving into the deep waters of hydration for endurance sports, with multiple Kona Ironman World Championship contender, Sport Scientist and Coach, Andy Brodziak, who is a representative of Precision Hydration - an industry leader in all things, you guessed it, hydration.
What may appear to be a pretty straight forward topic is actually a lot more technical and subjective than we realised.
In today's episode Andy shares his wealth of knowledge and helps us understand how being well-hydrated goes far beyond just drinking enough water. By dialing in and finding homeostasis for our unique hydration needs - we could stand to feel and perform at out very best!
We chat:
The difference between dehydration and being over-hydrated and the risks associated with both.Sweat, sweat rate and what we can learn from the quality and quantity of our sweat.The 101 on Electrolytes.All things sodium; table salt, salt tablets, salty snacks, sodium in hydration drinks and more...The gist on caffeine/caffeine supplements and where they fit into the plan.Homeostasis; discovering and meeting our carbohydrate, salt and fluid needs for ultimate performance in training and competition. Precision Hydration testing and discovering your UNIQUE fuel and hydration requirements.
The work that Andy and the team at Precision Hydration are doing stands to change the game of endurance sport. We are honored to have had this conversation and know that there is still much to discover and discuss. If you'd like to continue learning about the subject or get hold of the team, here are a list of resources:
https://www.precisionhydration.com/performance-advice/nutrition/nutrition-endurance-performance/https://www.precisionhydration.com/performance-advice/nutrition/how-much-caffeine-should-athletes-use/Measure your sweat rate: https://www.precisionhydration.com/performance-advice/hydration/how-to-measure-your-sweat-rate/
Get in touch with Andy:
Email: andy@tri-tanium.com
Visit: tri-tanium.com
Social: @tritaniumcoaching @andybrodziak

Overview:
In this episode Nic and Davey are back and chatting to Official Comrades Coach, Lindsey Parry, discussing race day strategy and final preparation for the Ultimate Human Race.
In the conversation Lindsey emphasises the importance of getting to race day feeling fresh and pain-free advising runners to embrace the fatigue and understand that it is normal at this stage of training. He recommends a gradual tapering of training volume and intensity in the last two weeks before the race. Lindsey also highlights the mental aspect of running Comrades, including setting smaller goals during the tough parts of the race and trusting the training process. He provides insights into the up-run route and the challenges runners can expect at different sections of the course. The conversation provides a detailed breakdown of the Comrades Marathon up run, including key points along the route, pacing strategies, and tips for achieving specific goals.
Lindsey Parry explains the course and highlights the challenges and opportunities at each stage. He emphasises the importance of pacing, especially for those aiming for a Bill Rowan or Silver medal. He also discusses the possibility of breaking the up run record and provides overall advice for training and final preparation.
You can access more insight from Coach Parry on https://coachparry.com/?via=nic
Whether you are an experienced Comrades runner, Novice or non runner, this episode will hold all the insight you need to conquer the Ultimate Human race. Enjoy the conversation and all the best from the MAR Team.
Time Stamps:
15:00 - Getting to Race Day: Freshness and Pain-Free
20:14 - Tapering: Gradual Reduction in Training
39:30 - Understanding the Up-Run Route: Challenges and Highlights
47:23 - Course Overview and Key Points
01:02:25 - Understanding the Cutoffs
01:06:19 - Setting Goal Times and Pacing Strategies
01:16:26 - Aiming for a Bill Rowan or Silver Medal
01:20:39 - The Potential for Breaking the Up Run Record
As always, feel free to connect with us on Instagram @makingarunner, e-mail on info@makingarunner.com or simply leave a review on your favourite streaming platform.
This episode was brought to you by Rawbiotics. Visits www.rawbiotics.co.za and claim your 15% discount using code MAR15.

Every experienced runner knows that when the going gets tough you better be on top of your mental game! But mental strength is often only something that comes along with years of experience and some tough lessons learnt.
But mental gains can be trained and with developing the right habits, it could be the key to unlocking not only your best performance, but your perception of satisfaction too.
It all starts with deciding what kind of runner you want to be…
That’s where our guest today comes in, Giovanni Bianco, Mental Performance Coach and All-American Triathlete, helps us master our mental game. We chat:
Dealing with discomfort, failure and self doubt.The power of deciding what kind of runner you want to BE and how this can transform your running experience good/bad.Mental strength: having it vs developing it. Creating the “perfect race conditions” vs waiting got everything to line up.
Give Giovanni a follow on Social Media @giovannimentalperformance and feel free to reach out to him if you are in need of a mental coach that knows how to get the best out of his athletes.
We hope you enjoyed the show!

In a modern society that thrives on comfort, choosing to run and push the boundaries on performance is inherently uncomfortable. It's going beyond what's normal and as athletes, our nutrition should reflect that...
Unfortunately this is often not the case and nutrition is an afterthought, second to training. But they are not actually separate things, they go hand in hand in finding hormonal homeostasis - balance - which is reflected back to us in our ability to maintain or improve our performance.
Today's episode takes a closer look at the effect that fuelling has on hormones and as a result our training. Our guest, Annie Bothma, a certified Master Sports Nutritionist, Running Coach and Professional Athlete helps unpack:
Hormones, what they are and why they matter.Cortisol, stress and recovery.Sex hormones and issues with energy availability; REDS, LEA.The impact of fasting and calorie restriction.How good nutrition and adequate fuelling can support hormonal health.The difference between training for weight loss and training for performance and why it's vital to differentiate between the two.And more...
This is the kind of episode that you can return to time and time again and learn something new every time.
As Annie mentions, if you suspect that a loved one or training buddy is suffering the consequences of poor nutrition or any of the concepts discussed in this episode, please encourage them to seek professional help! We cannot do this sport without taking care of our health.
If you'd like to reach out to Annie, find her at: https://www.anniesathletes.org/ and to learn more about her journey as an athlete and professional, we encourage you to follow her blog too - https://www.anniebothma.com/
Feel free to reach out to us at anytime on socials: https://www.instagram.com/makingarunner?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

We bring to you another deep dive with one of our favourite guests on the show, Dr Martin Khoury is not your average Chiropractor. His inquisitive nature and steadfast pursuit for answers make for an excellent combination in solving the puzzling problems that people present with - and give us the opportunity to bring you an even better conversation. Not only is he mega-smart, he also has an extensive running CV to boast.
Today we chat strictly to problems surrounding the knee, one of the most commonly injured areas for runners.
We talk through some unconventional theories about why people present with maladies in the first place and how the body tells a story through its biomechanical patterns…if we’re able to tune in and read the signs, we may be able to interpret and prevent some of the injuries that otherwise take us by surprise.
Our conversation addresses:
The anatomical structure of the knee.3 common knee conditions, their symptoms and treatment options including: Patella Tendon pain, ITB issues and Patella Tracking issues.How running can expose weaknesses that otherwise wouldn’t have been discovered.Trail running as an alternative to road running and in which conditions it may be helpful/harmful.
We hope that today's episode gave you the insight you need to tackle any current and future knee injuries. If you have any questions feel free to reach out on info@makingarunner.com or give us a follow on our socials @makingarunner and don't forget to review and share with your running buddy.