Most runners are told to pick a lane — run more, lift less, specialise earlier. This podcast explores the intersection of strength, endurance, and everyday life through the lens of ultrarunning, lifting, coaching, and personal experience. Hosted by Ben Matthews, expect training theory, race prep, mindset, recovery, and honest conversations about chasing big goals while balancing work, family, and life outside of training. Not elite. Not perfect. Just the pursuit of ultra.
13 Months Postpartum, She Won UTA's 100 Miler | Meg Bullen #26
What does it take to win a 100-mile ultra when life won't allow you to train the way you used to?
Just 13 months postpartum, Meg Bullen (née Coffey) won the 2025 Ultra-Trail Australia 100 Miler. With disrupted sleep, family responsibilities and training weeks that looked nothing like the 20-hour blocks she once completed, Meg had to rethink her approach to preparing for one of Australia's biggest ultras.
In this episode, we explore how she adapted her training through more purposeful intensity, creative hill sessions, running with a pram and prioritising recovery. We unpack her unexpected UTA victory, the mental side of racing competitively and how motherhood has changed her motivations without diminishing her ambitions.
We also revisit her incredible Delirious West 200 Miler victory, including getting lost in the bush and triggering an emergency rescue, and discuss her approach to strength training, injury management and longevity in the sport as both a physiotherapist and an accomplished ultra runner.
It's a conversation about balancing ambition with reality, learning to adapt and recognising that the perfect preparation isn't always possible.
CONNECT WITH MEG
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megcoffey_/ (https://www.instagram.com/megcoffey_/)
Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/11842951 (https://www.strava.com/athletes/11842951)
UNSURE WHAT'S HOLDING YOUR RUNNING BACK?
Take my free 5-minute Training Bottleneck Quiz to identify what's limiting your progress and get practical recommendations for improving your training.
https://www.doseofbenny.com/ (https://www.doseofbenny.com/)
GET IN TOUCH
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bennymatthews.coach/ (https://www.instagram.com/bennymatthews.coach/)
Email: benny@doseofbenny.com (mailto:benny@doseofbenny.com)
CHAPTERS
00:00 How Meg discovered ultra running
05:30 The leap to 200 miles and finding her limits
15:06 Lost in the bush during Delirious West
24:20 Competition, adventure and finding your why
31:45 The challenges of racing and training as a mum
34:57 Less volume, more intensity and creative training
38:02 Winning the UTA 100 Miler 13 months postpartum
43:49 Managing limited sleep, recovery and training volume
46:38 Understanding pain and injury as a physiotherapist
51:13 Why strength training is non-negotiable
56:16 Meg's advice for mums chasing big running goals
12 Oct 2026
Creating Sustainable Training Habits for Big Goals | #25
How often do we set ourselves ambitious running goals without considering whether our lives can actually support the training required to achieve them?
After running a lifetime mile PB of 5:42 during my current speed phase, I've been reflecting on something that goes well beyond pace, volume and performance: creating the right environment for success.
In this solo episode, I unpack the relationship between our goals, values and the sacrifices we're willing to make to pursue them. We explore why comparing your training to elite runners can be counterproductive, how I've restructured my own week to balance family, business and running, and why accepting your current circumstances doesn't mean settling for less.
I also reflect on my contrasting 100-mile experiences, what my conversation with Simon Cochrane taught me about the value of long-term consistency, and why raising your training floor is often more important than chasing huge short-term improvements.
Whether you're preparing for your first ultra or trying to maximise the training time you already have, this episode is about appreciating how far you've come, getting realistic about where you want to go, and identifying the next logical step.
Unsure why you're not getting the results you want out of training?
Take my free 5-minute Training Bottleneck Quiz:https://www.doseofbenny.com/ (https://www.doseofbenny.com/)
Get in touch:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bennymatthews.coach/ (https://www.instagram.com/bennymatthews.coach/)
Email: benny@doseofbenny.com (mailto:benny@doseofbenny.com)
CHAPTERS
00:00 – A lifetime mile PB and finding enjoyment in training
04:35 – Ambitious goals vs realistic training expectations
07:12 – The sacrifices required to train more
09:28 – How I've structured my life around training and family
15:09 – Two 100-mile races, two very different expectations
18:01 – The importance of experience, consistency and raising your floor
23:45 – Stop chasing Everest: finding your next logical step
27:16 – Reflecting on progress and creating your own success
5 Oct 2026
The Future of Backyard Ultra. Dead Cow Gully x LSU | Tim Walsh - #24
Backyard Ultra is changing and Dead Cow Gully is about to become part of something much bigger.
In this episode I sit down with Tim Walsh, founder and race director of Dead Cow Gully, to unpack the newly announced partnership with Last Soul Ultra and what it could mean for the future of backyard running in Australia and around the world.
We talk about how Tim built Dead Cow into one of the most recognisable Backyard Ultras in the world, why Last Soul's approach to livestreaming and social media could fundamentally change the sport, and the challenge of growing an event without losing the authenticity that made it special in the first place.
We also explore the bigger questions facing Backyard Ultra as it grows. From professional athletes and prize money to drug testing, commercialisation and whether the format could eventually find its way onto major streaming platforms.
Backyard Ultra has always been beautifully simple: 6.7km. Every hour. Until one person remains.
But as audiences, money, production and global interest grow, that simplicity is about to be tested.
TRAINING BOTTLENECK QUIZ (https://www.doseofbenny.com)
Take the 5-minute Training Bottleneck Quiz (https://www.doseofbenny.com)
GET IN TOUCH
Instagram — @bennymatthews.coach (https://www.instagram.com/bennymatthews.coach/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
Email — benny@doseofbenny.com (mailto:benny@doseofbenny.com)
Follow Tim: Instagram -@dead_cow_gully (https://www.instagram.com/dead_cow_gully/)
CHAPTERS
00:00 – Tim Walsh & the future of Dead Cow Gully
01:12 – Last Soul Ultra enters the Backyard scene
04:45 – Taking Backyard Ultra to a global audience
11:40 – The Harvey Lewis effect & building Dead Cow
14:54 – Why Tim created Dead Cow Gully
22:46 – Building an event in rural Queensland
25:28 – Can Dead Cow grow without losing its identity?
29:13 – How the Last Soul × Dead Cow partnership will work
31:55 – Livestreaming could change the economics of the sport
34:10 – Australia’s growing Backyard Ultra scene
40:59 – The depth of Australian Backyard running
43:11 – Backyard Ultra is bigger than world records
46:06 – Why the everyday runner still matters
49:45 – Why Backyard Ultra is made for livestreaming
54:45 – Where does Backyard Ultra go from here?
55:32 – Does prize money ruin the Backyard format?
57:34 – Does the sport need drug testing?
58:31 – Could Backyard Ultra end up on Netflix?
1:00:01 – Will different Backyard leagues emerge?
1:04:12 – Dead Cow, Last Soul & what comes next
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