Oct 8, 2026 · 1 hr 14 min · 10 segments
**The best performances in running are rarely just about the finish line.** **Lucy Bartholomew** joins me this week for an honest conversation about racing, recovery, and keeping joy in the sport…
Lucy BartholomewGuestSarahHostYeah.
Amazing.
Um, one of the things that I find really intriguing about you as well is that you've kind of grown up alongside this trending of running.
So there's not actually that many of us, like us, the running community, who have grown up doing it before it was cool and before the reason to enter it was because, like, you might get some random brand sending you free stuff, or you might win 150 bucks at the end or something like that.
But I guess, how have you kind of protected your mind along the way? There's just so much pressure now, whether it's, like we spoke about, the Ned effect through to, I think there's a lot of im- uh, pressure on image for women and how we're looking on paces.
I feel like two years ago everyone was going after, like, a 3:30 in a marathon, for example.
Whereas now it's like, if you can't get a sub-three, what are you even doing? And yeah, how have you kind of protected yourself or learnt to protect yourself from all of this stuff along the way?
Yeah, I would definitely say learnt to protect myself 'cause I've surely screwed that up a million times and, you know, gotten myself into, to some unhealthy mindsets, unhealthy bodies, unhealthy periods where I've just been, yeah, chasing all those things you just listed.
A way to look, a pace to run, a distance you gotta do, a race you gotta be at.
Like, tried to morph myself into something that is not me, and it has taken, and still takes, a lot of reminding myself of what roots me in this sport.
I've grown up and seen the sport change and evolve, and I've seen trends come and I've seen them go.
I've seen ambassadors, and influencers, and athletes come and go, and just kind of the fleetingness of everything.
And I think what I've had to do is be very mindful of what I absorb and who I surround myself with.
It's honestly such a hard place to, to find out what works for you because no one's giving you options or ideas.
They're just giving you one answer of what is, what, who they're sponsored by, what they're drinking, what they're eating, what they're wearing.
And I think that it's just such a hard landscape to be able to maneuver through, and I feel for anyone joining the sport because it looks so complicated now.
It's just spend money here, buy this, do this, you know, and it's just this insanity thing which it should be so basic, and you have everything you need by being who you are.
And I think that it's just taken me going down these rabbit holes into really bad places and then having to be, like, hitting a dead end of just like, wow, I thought chasing this weight or chasing this pace would make me happy, and all it's doing is perpetuating to just like, well, what about a little more? What about a little faster? And even having won some huge races around the world, nothing changes.
And I think that that kind of, like, that realization and every time I've gone down one of these rabbit holes and got myself tangled into this mess or found myself just absorbing this toxic stuff, I've just been like, "How much do you love this sport? Because if you continue down this, you will not be participating." And I think that that's been something that I've been so lucky to have grown up and seen the sport when it was bare bones, salt of the earth, you do you, very, very inclusive.
So I know what it's like, and then I've seen the change, and I've just had to always root myself and surround myself with the people that give that same essence of we do it for the love of it.
And it's incredible because some of the best athletes in the world, some of my teammates at Salomon, they speak that language of curiosity, adventure, of exploration.
Yeah.
Amazing.
Um, one of the things that I find really intriguing about you as well is that you've kind of grown up alongside this trending of running.
So there's not actually that many of us, like us, the running community, who have grown up doing it before it was cool and before the reason to enter it was because, like, you might get some random brand sending you free stuff, or you might win 150 bucks at the end or something like that.
But I guess, how have you kind of protected your mind along the way? There's just so much pressure now, whether it's, like we spoke about, the Ned effect through to, I think there's a lot of im- uh, pressure on image for women and how we're looking on paces.
I feel like two years ago everyone was going after, like, a 3:30 in a marathon, for example.
Whereas now it's like, if you can't get a sub-three, what are you even doing? And yeah, how have you kind of protected yourself or learnt to protect yourself from all of this stuff along the way?
Yeah, I would definitely say learnt to protect myself 'cause I've surely screwed that up a million times and, you know, gotten myself into, to some unhealthy mindsets, unhealthy bodies, unhealthy periods where I've just been, yeah, chasing all those things you just listed.
A way to look, a pace to run, a distance you gotta do, a race you gotta be at.
Like, tried to morph myself into something that is not me, and it has taken, and still takes, a lot of reminding myself of what roots me in this sport.
I've grown up and seen the sport change and evolve, and I've seen trends come and I've seen them go.
I've seen ambassadors, and influencers, and athletes come and go, and just kind of the fleetingness of everything.
And I think what I've had to do is be very mindful of what I absorb and who I surround myself with.
It's honestly such a hard place to, to find out what works for you because no one's giving you options or ideas.
They're just giving you one answer of what is, what, who they're sponsored by, what they're drinking, what they're eating, what they're wearing.
And I think that it's just such a hard landscape to be able to maneuver through, and I feel for anyone joining the sport because it looks so complicated now.
It's just spend money here, buy this, do this, you know, and it's just this insanity thing which it should be so basic, and you have everything you need by being who you are.
And I think that it's just taken me going down these rabbit holes into really bad places and then having to be, like, hitting a dead end of just like, wow, I thought chasing this weight or chasing this pace would make me happy, and all it's doing is perpetuating to just like, well, what about a little more? What about a little faster? And even having won some huge races around the world, nothing changes.
And I think that that kind of, like, that realization and every time I've gone down one of these rabbit holes and got myself tangled into this mess or found myself just absorbing this toxic stuff, I've just been like, "How much do you love this sport? Because if you continue down this, you will not be participating." And I think that that's been something that I've been so lucky to have grown up and seen the sport when it was bare bones, salt of the earth, you do you, very, very inclusive.
So I know what it's like, and then I've seen the change, and I've just had to always root myself and surround myself with the people that give that same essence of we do it for the love of it.
And it's incredible because some of the best athletes in the world, some of my teammates at Salomon, they speak that language of curiosity, adventure, of exploration.
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