Episodes

“BRO serves to organise, educate and condition the Black Community on the basis of running as a practical demonstration of unity. #LETSGROW” This month we are excited to bring you a diverse running group from over the pond! All the way from Baltimore, we introduce you to Black Running Organisation (BRO)!!! TSL Girls speak to Isa Olufemi and his fiancée, Intea Deshields about why and how they set up BRO in 2014; what aims of the organisation; and how BRO is changing the look and feel of running, ...

It's a year! One whole year this weekend since Dee, Jules and Pet sat in our mama’s garden and recorded the very first episode of The Start Line! One year and 14 episodes later and who would have guessed that the whole world would be literally turned on its head by the deadly Coronavirus. That not seeing or hugging or kissing or socialising with your family and friends would be the ultimate act of love and kindness; that we would lose loved ones way too soon; that jobs would be put at risk; that...

“An online community to encourage and inspire female runners of colour” In the month which hosted International Women’s Day we are pleased to bring you an all girl feature and introduce you to another diverse running crew! Black Girls Do Run UK meets TSL! TSL speaks to Tash, Linda and Sasha, co-founders of the Black Girls DO Run UK, about their virtual and physical running crew. We explore their reasons for setting up the group, their vision for the future and what they want to achieve individu...

For the first proper episode of 2020, The Start Line Girls kick off a series of episodes featuring diverse running crews who are seeking to challenge the stereotypical image of a runner, running groups, which are growing massively despite the standard portrayal of running as being a pursuit typically enjoyed by a certain demographic (namely young, white and achingly middle class). Painful as it is to admit, outside the elite, professional running arena, people of colour are tend to be ignored b...

For the last episode of 2019, The Start Line Girls finish with a look back at their best bits of the year. Reflecting on their favourite runs, favourite podcast moments and also their most challenging points during 2019, the Start Line Girls take you on a trip down memory lane as well as looking forward to 2020. Happy New Year! We'd love to hear from you, so please follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook by searching for @thestartlinepod and subscribe to the show on your favourite podcast ...

Episode 10 - Who Do I Run To? “Who can I run to To share this empty space? Who can I run to When I need love?” The Jones Girls The Start Line Girls Are back with another episode! This time we’re taking you on a journey filled with their love of music, as we explore what we listen to when we run, sharing our varied musical tastes, reminiscing about music players of the past (did someone say Sony Walkman personal cassette player with auto-reverse?!), favourite playlists and our new love of runn...

“The runaways are the silent heroes who created opportunities for future generations of people of colour, and it is important that their existence is acknowledged and celebrated.” - Morayo Akandé Actor and screenwriter of 1745 Running. A free sport. An activity where you can lace up and run, not matter what the time, the season or the weather. For those of us who grew up watching the world’s fastest men and women taking part in 100 and 200m sprints, on the edge of our seats, wondering incredulo...

Most of the people of the time you run to get fit… to get healthy. But how do you cope, mentally and physically, when, after achieving a level of fitness, your health is compromised to such an extent that you can no longer run? Especially when running has always been something that almost comes second nature to you, that you love and defines a part of who you are? The Start Line Girls delve into the impact that their health issues has had each of them, and share some mechanisms that you can use...

For most of us, as we get older it gets harder and harder to keep fit. Gravity is against you, the pounds get harder and harder to shift, your knees start giving in, you start noticing aches that you didn’t feel before in your twenties or early thirties… But for a few of us, fitness is something that comes later in life. In our twenties some of us are too busy out enjoying life to think about getting to the gym or hitting the streets to run. At least two of TSL girls (Jules & Petrina) did not st...

This may come as a shock to some of our listeners - but there is a sibling within The Start Line circle who DOES NOT RUN!!!! The Start Line Girls welcome their brother Clint - resident in Mississauga, Canada, but raised in London - who puts the case forward for the benefits of golf, slow walking and literally anything else but running. Clint (truly!!!) challenges his sisters on his reasons for not running; why he thinks black men don't run; and why walking a golf course slowly whilst intermitte...

So you think black girls don’t run? Think again! There’s a common misconception that black girls don’t like running… maybe because we feel like we don’t have the physique for any kind of distance running… maybe because we don’t see ourselves when we’re looking at the increasing number of runners pounding the streets… maybe because we feel like we’re going to “sweat out” our hair from the exercise… The Start Line Girls invite special guest Matilda Egere-Cooper - founder of Fly Girl Collective - t...

What do you do when pounding the same streets becomes a little… boring…? Well The Start Line Girls decided to combine running with one of their other passions… travel! Let’s face it… running can sometimes get a little… stale. Once you finally get into the running habit, you plot out your favourite routes and then press the run, eat, sleep, repeat button. You know your challenging routes. You know your quick routes. You know the route to do when you don’t really feel like running. Then one day y...

Episode 3 - We Run… We Eat! This episode is dedicated to our much loved and dearly missed Auntie Bev, who passed away on 19 May 2019, a few short months after being diagnosed with lung cancer. Auntie really loved life, her food and her family. She was very stylish and fashionable, full of life and energy. She may be gone from this earth, but we will love her and miss her every day. ❤ ***** If you think a runner’s life is all about eating egg whites and drinking protein shakes… think again! The ...

So how do you make time for running when you… simply don’t have the time? With so many competing demands on our time - work, kids, relationships, commitments to family and friends… not to mention a healthy social media habit and an unbreakable appointment to watch Game of Thrones (or your current box set of choice!) - finding a moment to exercise can be a massive challenge. In this episode, The Start Line Girls are joined by friend, neighbour and running buddy @thisistrojan (aka The Bearded Run...

Thought about running, but decided it wasn’t for you? Don’t feel like you’re fit enough or fast enough or just don’t think you look like any runner you’ve ever seen? In this very first episode, sisters Dee, Jules and P talk about how they felt all these things and more, but still managed, somehow, to find themselves on The Start Line. We'd love to hear from you, so please follow us on Instagram @thestartlinepod or subscribe to the show at https://www.thestartlinepod.com or your favourite podcas...