Sam and Katie chat with Sinead MacCana. Sinead is the founder of RISE&RUN Bali, a thriving community running group based in Canggu, Bali. Her running journey began alongside her career in Personal Training in Australia, where she also completed her first marathon.
Presented with a unique opportunity, Sinead took on the Bali Hope Ultra — an 84km charity ultramarathon. To prepare, she made the bold decision to move to Bali, start a run club from her home to fundraise, and then complete the event. After the ultra, Sinead chose to keep the run club going, which has since blossomed into a vibrant community of almost 100 expats gathering each week for a group run in Canggu, along with a hill interval session every Thursday.
Sinead also shares her best tips for running safely in Bali, including:
Being cautious of stray dogs
Navigating scooters and traffic
Safety tips for female runners
Finding a supportive running community upon arrival
She also walks us through her typical training week, which during the recent RISE&RUN Bali Retreat, included a full roster of running sessions, strength training, and fun activities across Bali. The retreat capped off with a Sunday Half Marathon — and a 50km long run for Sinead!
Meanwhile, Katie faced a rough trip back to Australia, losing a day in transit and battling some knee swelling post-flight. Despite the setback, she pieced together 82km for the week, including some strong threshold work. Sam put in a solid and social 88km week, with his key session — 4 x 8-minute threshold reps — integrated into the Wollongong 10k, navigating through a busy race environment.
Café Kit of the Week:
Round the Club Shoutouts:
Find out more about RISE&RUN Bali here:
https://www.instagram.com/riserunbali/