Fresh off an outstanding performance at Comrades, Nick, founder of Best Athletics, sits down with elite runner George Kusche to discuss training, racing, fuelling and what it takes to perform at the highest level.

From race day tactics to balancing training and recovery, George shares practical insights that runners of all abilities can apply to their own training.

In This Episode

00:00 – 01:31 Intro & first reactions

01:31 – 02:32 Which is harder: the Up Run or the Down Run?

02:32 – 07:30 When did George know the record was possible?

07:30 – 10:51 Experiencing Comrades from the front of the race

10:51 – 15:36 Fuelling strategy on race day

15:36 – 19:30 Did the race unfold as planned?

19:30 – 25:00 The relationship between speed and ultramarathon performance

25:00 – 34:30 A deep dive into George's training

34:30 – 37:20 Balancing training, life and performance

37:20 – 39:50 Sleep, recovery and daily habits

39:50 – 41:40 Life as a full time athlete

41:40 – 44:40 What's next?

44:40 – 46:30 The best advice George has received

46:30 – 48:44 What everyday fuelling looks like

48:44 – 52:23 Outro

💙 Whether you're training for your first 5K or your next ultra, this episode is packed with insights from one of the sport's most exciting athletes.

🎧 Listen now and let us know your biggest takeaway

Nick Bester, the coach and founder behind Best Athletics, joins Jake from Ran to Japan to talk training, recovery, motivation, and chasing marathon dreams. They cover everything from 280k weeks and smart cross-training to fuelling, heat adaptation, and whether YouTube helps or hinders performance. A must-listen for runners who love to train hard and smart.

In this episode, Nick Bester sits down with Cole Gibbens to unpack an incredible run at the Berlin Marathon going sub 2:30 despite tough conditions.

We dive into how the race unfolded, handling the heat, and what it’s like to experience Berlin compared to London.

We also cover the realities behind the performance: tummy issues, training blocks, mileage for mental health vs. overdoing it, and whether chasing the kind of mileage we’ve seen from the likes of Ran to Japan is worth it.

We chat coaching (and a possible announcement 👀), calorie monitoring, and social media from Insta to YouTube.

Plus, what it’s like stepping into the world as a sponsored adidas athlete, and what’s next in terms of training philosophy: mileage or more quality?

An honest, insightful look behind the grind, the mindset, and the future 🙌🏽