Maria Ordovas-Montanes on a 30-mile practice run ahead of her attempt on the Oxford Green Belt Way

A podcast episode by Maria Ordovas-Montanes (2015, Interdisciplinary Bioscience) has been recognised by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) in recent regional awards.

The Out There podcast explores big questions through intimate stories outdoors. Maria Ordovas-Montanes’ 2024 podcast episode ‘Running as Medicine’ (Season 6, Episode 9), was awarded third place in the Health Feature category in the Top of the Rockies Awards, a celebration of journalism in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico from the SPJ.

In the ‘Running as Medicine’ episode, Maria shares her story of setting out to become the fastest woman to run the Oxford Green Belt Way, a 55-mile route through the English countryside. Having always loved running, the challenge was an exciting one, but when the event came to pass, something happened that would derail Maria’s life and lead to a shocking discovery.

The Out There podcast also received three additional first place awards for its episodes ‘The Gift of Silence’ (Health Feature category), ‘My Dad’s Depression’ (Mental Health Feature category), ‘1,000 Hours Outdoors’ (Podcast category).

You can listen to Maria’s podcast here.

Published: 16 April 2025

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