In this week's podcast, we catch up with ultra runner, software developer and consistency queen, Melissa Robertson.  

Melissa lives on NSW's Central Coast but has explored many of Australia's most iconic trails and races, from backyard ultras to 200-milers and 24-hour events.  When she's not training, recovering or travelling, Melissa works remotely as a software developer for the Australian Antarctic Division.

Will first caught up with Melissa in April 2023, fresh off the heels of attempting the Barkley Marathons, a race Melissa described as 'insane'.  We then caught up with Melissa in October 2025, two and a half years, and many accomplishments later.  We talk about consistency, training in all conditions, her upcoming move to lutriwita/Tasmaia and training for UTMB 2026.  

Melissa's love and passion for running is embedded in who she is, and we are so grateful to her for sharing this infectious energy with us.  These two conversations serve as a reminder of how much we are capable of when we stop making excuses and get out onto the trails, day after day, rain or shine.

Thank you, Melissa, for being such an inspiration to those juggling 9-to-5 and big, outdoor adventure goals.  You can follow Melissa's adventures on Instagram, @melissa_trailrunner. [https://www.instagram.com/melissa_trailrunner/]

To hear more from For Wild Places, subscribe [https://bit.ly/fwpweeklynews] to our newsletter or become a member [https://www.forwildplaces.com/membership/individual/]. 

11. Unlocking the unstoppable combination of consitency, passion and showing up with Melissa Robertson

In this week's podcast, we catch up with prolific thru-hiker, weekend explorer and non-binary adventurer, Aubri Drake.

Today's guest, Aubri, lives in Washington State, USA, near the White Mountains, where they love to explore the technical, varied terrain.  Aubri is a prolific hiker and has completed many of the US's most iconic hikes.

In our first chat in March 2023, Will and Aubri unpack Aubri's then-recent hiking adventures in Washington State, upcoming ultra-adventures at the Leadville 100, and the extremely concerning state of non-binary politics in the USA.

Our follow-up conversation was in October 2025, and meanders through Aubri's recent exploration into cycling, and their incredible accomplishment of hiking 574 of New Hampshire's 48 4,000-foot peaks.  We also discuss the incredibly troubling state of social justice in the United States right now, and reflect on how important and special the trail and outdoor community is during challenging times.

You can follow Aubri's adventures on Instagram, @genderqueer_hiker [https://www.instagram.com/genderqueer_hiker/] or via their blog, Transcending Mountains [https://transcendingmountains.blog/]. 

To hear more from For Wild Places, subscribe [https://bit.ly/fwpweeklynews] to our newsletter or become a member. [https://www.forwildplaces.com/membership/individual/] 

10. Transcending mountains, weekends and the binary, with Aubri Drake

Join us as we chat with ultrarunner and explorer Majell Backhausen, who's raced globally, captured incredible trail footage, and helped grow the Takayna Trail.  We discuss his journey from running on a treadmill in the North Sea to supporting community-driven conservation efforts in Australia.

Majell shares highlights from recent events, including raising over $400,000 for the Bob Brown Foundation, and reflects on the power of community and adventure.  This episode features two conversations—one from March 2023, before the End to an End documentary, and another from April, after his latest Takayna Trail adventure.

You can follow Majell's adventures on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/majellb/] or hear more from him on Stokely. [https://www.instagram.com/stokelypodcast/?hl=en]  Takayna Trail 2026 has already sold out, but you can still register [https://bobbrown.org.au/event/takayna-trail/] to volunteer. 

To hear more from For Wild Places, subscribe [https://bit.ly/fwpweeklynews] to our newsletter or become a member. [https://www.forwildplaces.com/membership/individual/] 

9.  The power, pressure and positivity of sports activism with Majell Backhausen

Despite being only in her early thirties, Simone Brick is a veteran of the Victorian trail and ultra-running scene.  There isn't an event that Simone hasn't participated in, podiumed at or volunteered with.  Simone's love of trail running runs deep and has shaped the person she is today.

We first caught up with Simone in November 2022, when she was fresh off the back of a busy European summer of racing, travelling and a bout of COVID.  We then followed up with Simone in April this year to hear how her injury-plagued days are behind her (touch wood) and what she has learned about negotiating the constant balance of training, racing, travelling, and, most importantly, enjoying time in nature.

You can follow Simone's adventures on and off the trail on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/theflyingbrick_/] or find out more about her coaching at Evolve Run Club [https://www.evolverunclub.com.au/simone-brick].  You can also catch Simone on the Peak Pursuits Podcast [https://www.instagram.com/peakpursuits.pod/?hl=en], your go-to podcast for all things trail running in Australia.

To hear more from For Wild Places, subscribe [https://bit.ly/fwpweeklynews]to our newsletter or become a member [https://www.forwildplaces.com/membership/individual/]. 

8. Negotiating the training, travel, racing and injury equation with Simone Brick

Coach, athlete, world record holder, change maker, and overall excellent human are just some ways we can describe today's guest, Erchana Murray-Bartlett. We first caught up with Erchana in November 2022, when she was 89 days into her 150-day, 150-marathon 'Tip to Toe' [https://www.tiptotoe2022.com/] journey. Not only did Erchana smash the world record, but she also raised over $100k to support The Wilderness Society's efforts to end extincions in Australia.

We then checked in with Erchana, just over two years after she finished Tip to Toe.  In this conversation, we chat about her recovery, the soon-to-be-released film 150, and her most recent project - running as an independent candidate in the upcoming Australian federal election.

You can follow Erchana's adventures and campaign for McPherson on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/erchana_/], or find out more about her coaching business, Project Run [https://www.projectrun.net/].  If you'd like to share the trails with Erchana, join us at the Pilliga Ultra [https://mailchi.mp/forwildplaces/pilligaultra2025] this September.

To hear more from For Wild Places, subscribe to our newsletter [https://bit.ly/fwpweeklynews] or become a member.  [https://www.forwildplaces.com/membership/]

7. Marathons, mindset & movement building: Making positive change with Erchana Murray-Bartlett

US race director, coach, author, and pioneer of the US ultrarunning scene, Krissy Moehl, joins us to chat about all things longevity, community, patience, and adventure.  Krissy is a legend of ultra running and has been a part of the sport from its early dirtbag days to race calling at UTMB in 2024.  Krissy's lessons in life and running are invaluable, so much so that she's written the go-to book on running your first ultra.

After our initial chat from 2023, we checked in with Krissy in early 2025 to hear how her 23rd-year race directing at the Chuckanut 50 is shaping up and the importance of the community during difficult times.

You can follow along on Krissy's adventures on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/krissymoehl/], check out her impressive racing history or buy a book on her website, [https://krissymoehl.com/] or find out more about the Chuckanut 50. [https://chuckanut50krace.com/]

To hear more from For Wild Places, subscribe [https://bit.ly/fwpweeklynews] to our newsletter or become a member.  [https://www.forwildplaces.com/membership/]

6. Lessons from 25 years in ultra running with Krissy Moehl

From the plains of WA comes Milly Young, an adventure-seeking, mountain-climbing, ultra-running woman of unstoppable resilience and infectious love of wild places.  

We first caught up with Milly to recap her FKT on southwest Tasmania's Port Davey / South Coast Track, where not even a broken toe could stop her from swimming across rivers, smashing gels and ultimately, making it to the finish line. We checked back with Milly from her new hometown of Chamonix, France, where skiing, climbing and running in the mountains keeps her fit, happy and occasionally, injured. 

You can find out more about Milly on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mil_young/?hl=en], read more about her 2024 PTL journey via Tracks & Trails [https://www.tracks-and-trails.com/blog/milly-young-puhsing-limits-at-the-ptl], or listen to her podcast, Breaking Trail. [https://open.spotify.com/show/5IJxHRU3r0g1UZS3rAEPgg]

To hear more from For Wild Places, subscribe [https://bit.ly/fwpweeklynews]to our newsletter or become a member.  [https://www.forwildplaces.com/membership/]

5. The joys (and perils) of multi-disciplinary adventures at home and away, with Milly Young

US mountain runner Michelle Merlis joins us to talk about motivation, moving in the mountains and managing the balance between training and work.  

We then checked in with Michelle two years later to hear how the transition into full-time athlete life is treating her, including moving house, international travel and sharing her trails with friendly black bears. 

You can find out more about Michelle on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mountain.runner.michelle/], or via her website [https://www.michellemerlis.com/].

To hear more from For Wild Places [https://www.forwildplaces.com/], follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/forwildplaces/], subscribe [https://bit.ly/fwpweeklynews] to our newsletter or become a member. [https://www.forwildplaces.com/membership/] 

4. Mountain running, team USA and loving your local trails with Michelle Merlis

Matt Gore and Giles Penfold join us to discuss their 2021 traverse of the Australian Alpine Walking Track, as they raised funds and awareness to protect wild places under threat.  This conversation shares many aspects of their big adventure; from planning and logistics, to their time out on the trail, how they navigated fundraising and other challenges along the way.  We then check in with Giles two years later, to reflect on tackling the AAWT, the challenges they experienced in creating a movie about their experience and what the keen trail and ultra runners have been up to since.  You can watch the teaser trailer for the long awaited feature film here [https://vimeo.com/905061369].  You can also see clips at @655forthewild [https://www.instagram.com/655forthewild/], or follow Matt and Giles on Instagram at @mattbgore [https://www.instagram.com/mattbgore/] or @gilespenfold [https://www.instagram.com/gilespenfold/].    To hear more from For Wild Places, subscribe to our newsletter [https://bit.ly/fwpweeklynews] or become a member.  [https://www.forwildplaces.com/membership/]

3. Running with purpose on the AAWT, and other ultra adventures

Josh Wiffen, ultrarunner, artist and Illawarra local join us hot off the heels of Western States [https://www.wser.org/] 2022, bursting with stoke and love for the trail and ultra running community. Josh was one of a handful of Australians toeing the WSER start line in 2022, after two years of COVID delays made for a very long, and injury inducing lead up.    

We then check in with Josh two years later, and hear about his latest miler-adventure, at  Chicamocha Canyon Race [https://chicamochacanyonrace.com/]in Columbia.  Josh’s love for the sport of trail and ultra running is infectious, and we’re sure that after this conversation, you’ll be inspired to start planning your next overseas running adventure.  

Follow Josh's adventures in art and running on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/wiffen1/#] or on Strava [https://www.strava.com/athletes/8061924?hl=en-GB].  To hear more from For Wild Places, subscribe to our newsletter [https://bit.ly/fwpweeklynews] or become a member.  [https://www.forwildplaces.com/membership/]

2. Goal setting, embracing new experiences and getting after it with Josh Wiffen

The For Wild Places Podcast is a campfire of conversations with interesting, accomplished, and inspiring people from the trail running and environmental space.  Each month, we sit down with someone for a Trail Chat, and get to know them better.

Hilary McAllister

Shows