This week on Trails, Tales & Fails, we’re joined by Ben Potts — ultra runner, friend, and fresh off an incredible 12th-place finish at the Full Spine.

The Full Spine is one of the toughest endurance races on the planet: 268 miles/431km, 10,700m+ of elevation, winter conditions, sleep deprivation, and relentless forward motion. Ben takes us inside the race — how he prepared, how he managed fatigue over multiple days, the mental battles that matter most, and what events like the Spine and Dragon’s Back teach you about yourself when you’re pushed to the edge.

We talk training, decision-making under extreme fatigue, lessons learned from multi-day ultras, and what draws runners back to these brutal challenges again and again.

As always, we finish with our usual icebreakers, truth-or-lie, and a quickfire round.

Follow the podcast, leave a review if you enjoy it, and join the Trails, Tales & Fails Strava club — link in the show notes.

We’re giving away a RealMeal Endurance Pack on Instagram — running until 22nd February. Head to our Instagram page and check out the giveaway post to enter.

Support the show via ⁠⁠Patroen ⁠⁠and buy us a coffee.

We’re proud to be supported by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Protein Rebel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ — get 15% off with code TTF15 — and by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Beta Outdoor Sports⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, where you can get 10% off ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BV Sports⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ compression and apparel, plus 10% off ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Näak Nutrition⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ products to fuel your adventures using TTF10.

For ⁠coaching enquiries⁠.

Don’t forget to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ click here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to join our Strava club to connect with fellow trail lovers and celebrate your own achievements.

👉 Join our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Trails, Tales, and Fails Facebook Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to continue the conversation and connect with fellow trail and ultra runners.

If you enjoy the episode, please leave us a rating and share it with your running buddies.

In ultra running, your brain isn’t just one voice — it’s two.

🐒 The Chimp: Emotional, impulsive, scared of pain and discomfort. It wants to stop when things get tough.
🧑‍💼 The Human: Logical, goal-focused, calm under pressure. It knows the long game and pushes through.

The trick?
Don’t fight your Chimp — work WITH it.

✅ Acknowledge when your Chimp screams “Quit!”
✅ Calm it down with positive self-talk and reminders of your why
✅ Let your Human plan, pace, and focus on progress
✅ Use your Chimp’s energy — channel fear and frustration into determination

Ultras aren’t just physical — they’re a mental battle.
Master your inner Chimp, and the miles become your playground.

What’s your go-to way to calm your Chimp mid-run? Drop it below! 👇

Support the show via ⁠Patroen ⁠and buy us a coffee.

We’re proud to be supported by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Protein Rebel⁠⁠⁠⁠ — get 15% off with code TTF15 — and by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Beta Outdoor Sports⁠⁠⁠⁠, where you can get 10% off ⁠⁠⁠⁠BV Sports⁠⁠⁠⁠ compression and apparel, plus 10% off ⁠⁠⁠⁠Näak Nutrition⁠⁠⁠⁠ products to fuel your adventures using TTF10.

For coaching enquiries.

Don’t forget to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ click here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to join our Strava club to connect with fellow trail lovers and celebrate your own achievements.

👉 Join our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Trails, Tales, and Fails Facebook Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to continue the conversation and connect with fellow trail and ultra runners.

If you enjoy the episode, please leave us a rating and share it with your running buddies.

In this episode, Max and Rob are joined by Dave from TrailSkin — ultra runner, founder, and someone who knows firsthand what the trails can throw at you.

Dave has completed races including the Arc of Attrition and UTS 100k, and this year returned to the Arc 100, where brutal conditions brought by Storm Ingrid forced many runners, including Dave, to make the difficult decision to stop at Land’s End.

We talk honestly about foot care, skin care, and why they matter in ultras and the story behind TrailSkin and how it grew from real trail-running problems

This episode is supported by TrailSkin, a UK-based, all-natural performance skincare brand trusted by runners at races including the Spine, UTMB, Dragons Back, Cape Wrath Ultra, and more.

Giveaway: TrailSkin are offering listeners the chance to win an Ultra Bundle worth £47 — head to our Instagram for entry details end (15/2/26)

Support the show via Patroen and buy us a coffee.

We’re proud to be supported by ⁠⁠⁠Protein Rebel⁠⁠⁠ — get 15% off with code TTF15 — and by ⁠⁠⁠Beta Outdoor Sports⁠⁠⁠, where you can get 10% off ⁠⁠⁠BV Sports⁠⁠⁠ compression and apparel, plus 10% off ⁠⁠⁠Näak Nutrition⁠⁠⁠ products to fuel your adventures using TTF10.

Don’t forget to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ click here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to join our Strava club to connect with fellow trail lovers and celebrate your own achievements.

👉 Join our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Trails, Tales, and Fails Facebook Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to continue the conversation and connect with fellow trail and ultra runners.

If you enjoy the episode, please leave us a rating and share it with your running buddies.

Let’s get into it.