Plenty of football fans will be familiar with the analogy that a season is a marathon, not a sprint.

For 606 listener Luke, that phrase may carry more resonance. He wrote to tell the podcast that he and his housemates were involved in a university mini-league and had agreed last season, “that the end-of-season forfeit would be to run an official UK marathon”.

Luke explains that Arsenal forward Kai Havertz’s late winner against Everton on the final day of the season left their mini league’s reigning champion “and a man who had spent most of the season in the top half” suddenly bottom of the league and “with a marathon to run”.

Another listener emailed to say that the loser of their mini-league last season was forced to perform “seven viral TikTok dances and film them”.

The same listener mentioned that the forfeit they have set for coming bottom of the league this season is to “enter a hobby horse tournament” and that “with any luck they will progress through the rounds of the tournament and we can make a day of it”.

Listener Nico wrote in to say: “This year the loser of our Fantasy Premier League league has to participate in a bodybuilding competition.”

We’re not sure that sitting in front of a spreadsheet and deciding which player to captain each week is the best preparation for a strength-based competition!