S4-E1 || Verity Ockenden || Pro Athletes Are Human Too - Recognising The Value Of Mental Health -

Anna shares her exciting news, carrying an inspiring message to everyone out there who has faced setbacks and challenges on their journeys. Whilst Beth demonstrates resilience and a strong athlete mindset as she shares her disappointment following her recent crash and her plans moving forwards. At the request of you guys (suggestions accepted via Instagram) we spend the second half of the episode discussing fuelling as a female athlete with a heavy training load. Anna and Beth share their thoughts and feelings around their relationship with food and what changes they have found to have made the most benefit. Anna Hedley Asics sponsored Scottish/GB international triathlete currently training full time and working as a nanny and model on the side. She competes at British and European series level. Beth Cook 4endurance sponsored English/GB international triathlete currently training full time out in Portugal, having recently moved there. She is the 2026 British Elite Triathlon Champion, European triathlon junior silver medallist, 2x British champ XC & 3 x medallist, and u23 world championship relay champ triathlon. She is also the 5x British Triathlon Champion and competes at European and World level events. Instagram @beth.cook01 @ahedleyruns @thefemalerunnerathletepodcast

Welcome to Tri The Athlete Life! This series will explore the realities of life as a femaleathlete as it follows two GB triathletes on their journeys over the next 6 months. Anna and Beth will share their highs and lows through a series of monthly chats as they balance life with competition at the highest level. Anna Hedley Asics sponsored Scottish/GB international triathlete currentlytraining full time and working as a nanny and model on the side. She competes at British and European series level. Beth Cook 4endurance sponsored English/GB international triathletecurrently training full time out in Portugal, having recently moved there. She is the 2026 British Elite Triathlon Champion, European triathlon junior silver medallist, 2x British champ XC & 3 x medallist, and u23 world championship relay champ triathlon. She is also the 5x British Triathlon Champion and competes at European and World level events. Instagram @beth.cook01 @ahedleyruns @thefemalerunnerathletepodcast

Gretta and Honor Morton are twins, who love running and both have dreams of competing internationally for GB. But there is more to their dreams. They are campaigning for equality on and off the track for deaf athletes, with Honor herself being a deaf athlete. The twins want to help bridge the deaf world and the hearing world together as they believe with the right approach and understanding, this is possible which is something they show through their joint reflections around Honor’s experience with being deaf. Having been born at 28 weeks they may not have been written on paper, onto a trajectory for such high success, but through this episode the twins demonstrate the power of mindset and support systems as they show whatthey have achieved together despite the different challenges they have faced. Honor was recently selected for her first GB vest at the European Youth Deaf Games in Germany next year, which the twins plan to vlog to shed light onto the deafathlete experience. In the episode they demonstrate how many additional challenges Honor has had to overcome as a deaf athlete, including the lack of funding and attention given to deaf athletes, with deafness not being a category at the Paralympic games, excluding deaf athletes from the world stage of Paralympic sport. Gretta talks about her experience in the world of sprinting, as a multiple times county champion, TSO, and U Perform athlete. She shares her own challenges with episodic non-diabetic Hypoglycaemia contributing to performance dips and plateaus as a result of puberty in girls, and her reflections around the deaf athlete experience from her point of view, as Honors twin. Gretta and Honor show exceptional maturity, and, as a testament to how they have navigated and reflected upon their experiences, they are able to bring wisdom beyond their years to this episode. The twins have an incredible bond which is evident in the way they talk and provides a heart-warming undertone to the whole episode. Lots to think about and learn from in this fantastic episode, which will leave you feeling nothing but inspired and motivated. About the Twins Gretta- (Furness Schools Champion 2017, 75m, Double Schools County Champion 2023, 100m and 200m, 3 times 100m County Champion: 2021, 2023 and 2025, Represented Cumbria 4 times in the100m, 200m (and the Relay) Ambassador for U Perform and TSO athlete as of 2025. Honor –Silver medallist Cumbria County Championships, 2025, Silver medallist Cumbria County championship 2km Steeplechase, 2025, Northern Inter County Schools 1500msteeplechase, 2025 3rd , 10km U18 Female course record, Hoad Hill Summer 10km 2025, Part of the 2026 GB Team for the European Deaf Youth Games.

Bryony joins the podcast as this year’s English NationalChampion over the 5000m, a school PE teacher, a newly-wed, and currently managing a niggle. Bryony is an athlete who has consistently performed at ahigh level over many years collecting titles such as BUCS indoor 3000m champion along the way. Although with such a high quality of athletes in the UK, Bryony secured her first England vest just two years ago when she represented England in the 10k in Valencia finishing in 33.02. In this episode Bryony shares her secrets to consistency andhow she balances life with running. She talks around the importance of racing races and training in training, and how she has seen the positive results of the work she has done on her mindset. She also shares her reflections around what makes for a good coaching-athlete relationship, having herself been with her coach for over 10 years. Bryony demonstrates that with enough time and effort, you can work towards and achieve your goals.

Domi Corradi is one of the UK’s top national runners, havingbeen finishing within the top 10 at major national championships throughout her junior years and now competing domestically as an elite female. But she is alsoa med student, friend, daughter, and more… In this episode Domi shares the challenges of being drivenand passionate about running, and how at times her desire to reach the ‘next level’, which for her has often been that international vest just a few places away, has driven her away from true success and happiness. We cover the idea ofidentity and balancing time between different priorities and areas of life. Domi is vulnerable and open in sharing her struggles withbalancing running successfully and as a result of working through these challenges in the past, she now speaks very articulately on how she found happiness and success and how society can influence us away from finding this. A really uplifting and insightful episode, which will leaveyou with lots of food for thought. If you are a driven, ambitious, and high achieving female athlete then this episode is absolutely for you, as we peel back the layers behind that typical ‘high achiever’ to find out what really lies behind, and how this can be harnessed for the good.