Episode 98 - Live WS100/HR100 Lottery Pod-tacular with Laura Kline and Jason Mintz (Part 1)

Phil and I sit down with repeat guests and GFOPs Laura Kline and Jason Mintz to drink our sorrows away as we livecast the lotteries for the Western States 100 and Hardrock 100. Spoiler alert: Phil and I don’t get in. But a bunch of people who we know did, so that was kind of fun. This one goes off the rails as I get progressively more intoxicated, so tune in for that. (Split into two parts due to what is really criminally ridiculous length.)

Links:
Previous episodes we referred to on this show:
Jason Green
Tom Kaplan
Joe Uhan
Maggie Guterl
AJW

Beers for this episode: Industrial Arts Tools of the Trade, Sloop Juice Bomb, Yard Owl Rye Saison, High West Double Rye Whiskey

Intro music: "Fine Line" by the Bloodletters
Outro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

Episode 97 - Twenty Questions with Jason Green

One of the most fun episodes we’ve ever done. Jason Green, the founder of the Yeti Trail Cult and the RD of the Yeti 100, sits down in the 20 Questions hot seat to discuss Appalachia, skateboarding, ghosts, and Tyler Perry. Also: FIREBALL!

Links:
Yeti Trail Cult

Beers for this episode: Industrial Arts Torque Wrench, Sloop Juice Bomb, Three Taverns Teardrinker

Intro music: "Fine Line" by the Bloodletters
Outro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

Episode 96 - This Month in Ultrarunning with Phil Vondra

photo: Tracey Outlaw

Fall is in the air…leaves are falling, pumpkin spice is showing up in beer for some reason, and we are back for another episode of TMIU. We start with the epic performances at Big’s Backyard Ultra, where the great Harvey Lewis crushed the world record for the format, and discuss whether experience is a benefit or a hindrance in this discipline. Then we tour the world to chat about Spartathlon, Run Rabbit Run, the Rut, TDG, and much more. Also: Taggart retires?

Beers for this episode: Alchemist Luscious, Rushing Duck Irrational Numbers

Intro music: "Fine Line" by the Bloodletters
Outro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

Episode 95 - Twenty Questions with Matt Flaherty

It’s been a few years since Matt Flaherty was dominating the roads and trails at the 50 mile and 100K distances, but he came back in a big way this summer when he crashed the Anton vs. Ian show at Leadville with an out-of-nowhere second place finish in his 100-mile debut. In the lates installment of 20 Questions, Matt talks about his training, valuing process over results, tackling environmental issues locally, and much more.

Links:
This is the article Matt mentioned about the Old Ghost Ultra.
Some of Matt’s music on SoundCloud
Insta: @MattAFlaherty
Strava
Environmental Resilience Institute at Indiana University

Beers for this episode: Athletic Brewing Closer by the Mile, Run Wild, and Whirlpool Pale Ale

Intro music: "Fine Line" by the Bloodletters
Outro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

Episode 94 - Twenty Questions with Cat Bradley

Did you forget about Cat Bradley? The former WS100 champ and podium finisher at Leadville may have been out of the spotlight during the pandemic, but she is on the brink of returning to the pinnacle of the sport in a big way. We talked to Cat about her recovery from the surgery that kept her from racing in 2020, her return to the trails this summer, her early-career struggles, the next Lord of the Rings, and more.

Links:
Cat’s website
Instagram
The newest addition to the Boundless Coaching family

Beers for this episode: Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils, Reed’s Strongest Ginger Beer

Intro music: "Fine Line" by the Bloodletters
Outro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

Episode 93 - Twenty Questions with Zack Beavin

photo: Joey Herrera

It’s time you got to know Zack Beavin, an East Coast speedster who in the last couple of years has been shown to be a rising star in the ultrarunning world. An impressive 5:03 in his debut 50-miler at Tunnel Hill last year may have been overshadowed by another young phenom’s debut 100 mile performance, but his performance at this spring’s Strolling Jim—an amazing 3:50 for 40+ miles, breaking a 30-year-old CR held by Andy Jones (an Olympic marathoner and former national record-holder at distances from 50K to 100 miles)—stamped him as a force to be reckoned with among the wave of young ultra phenoms. We grabbed Zack for twenty questions about whiskey, bananas, Oreos, and many other things a growing body needs.

Links:
Beavin Endurance, Zack’s coaching service
Instagram
Twitter

Beers for this episode: Athletic Free Wave Hazy IPA, Oskar Blues Can-O-Bliss Hazy IPA

Intro music: "Fine Line" by the Bloodletters
Outro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

Episode 92 - This Month in Ultrarunning Megapod (with Paul Kentor!)

photo: Marek Janiak

What happens when you don’t do a recap pod during the two busiest months on the ultrarunning calendar? You need a MEGAPOD to catch up on everything you’ve missed. First, Paul Kentor (aka SteelTownRunner) drops by to bring his unparalleled fund of knowledge to bear on Aleksandr Sorokin’s astounding 24-hour world record run. Then, it’s a blitzkreig of ultra and trail news and results, from Chamonix to Leadville to Silverton and everything in between.

*Editor’s note: an astute listener pointed out that despite our best efforts to make everyone a SWAP athlete, Abby Hall is in fact coached by Jason Koop of CTS (and has been for quite some time). Our bad! Sorry to both Koop and Abby for the error.

Beers for this episode: Lawson’s Little Sip, Sloop Juice Bomb

Intro music: "Fine Line" by the Bloodletters
Outro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

Episode 91 - Vol State Extravaganza with Bob Hearn and Beverley Anderson-Abbs

We’re heading back into the Tennessee heat for a recap of an epic year at the Last Annual Vol State 500K. We weren’t sure anything could top Francesca Muccini’s incredible CR performance from last year, until 2020 runner-up and former Pain Cave guest Bob Hearn came back to Tennessee and obliterated both the crewed and screwed course records while running without a crew. Bob agreed to a return visit to the Pain Cave where he was joined by women’s screwed champ (breaking her own CR in the process) Beverley Anderson-Abbs, as we discussed this year’s race, their approaches to walking, their lowest points, corn dogs, and, you know, searching for enlightenment.

Links:
Old episodes: 20Q with Bob, LAVS 2020 with Phil and Francesca
Bob’s blog
Bev’s recent appearance on the UR Pod

Beers for this episode: Other Half DDH Mosaic + Galaxy IPA, Mikkeller Subway Mosaic IPA, Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

Intro music: "Fine Line" by the Bloodletters
Outro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

Episode 90 - WS100 Recap/TMIU with Phil Vondra

photo: irunfar.com

Summer is heating up (or as Phil would say, “hotting up”) and we’re here to cool you down with a fire hose blast of ultrarunning news, including recaps from Western States and Manitou’s Revenge. We tackle all the big storylines coming out of Auburn, including our biggest surprises, guttiest performances, and how we did with our pre-race picks. We also pour one out for the 24-hour world championships, mispronounce a bunch of French names, and engage in some quickly dated (and wrong) speculation about Taggert’s next race.

Beers for this episode: Other Half DDH Small Citra Everything, Zero Gravity Green State Lager

Intro music: "Fine Line" by the Bloodletters
Outro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

Episode 89 - Western States Preview with Phil Vondra

One last episode before the Big Dance in Auburn! No beer for this morning pod, but The Legend is back as always to discuss the fallout from record attempts at Six Days in the Dome, plus our thoughts on the folks to watch this weekend at Western States.

Intro music: "Fine Line" by the Bloodletters
Outro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

Episode 88 - Saving the Boundary Waters, Talking WS100, and Twenty Questions with Clare Gallagher and Kyle Pietari

photo: Bredan Davis/Kyle Pietari

Just over a week out from Western States, it was a real honor to have returning top-10 runners on both the mens’ and womens’ side in the Pain Cave to talk about the Big Dance. Clare Gallagher is the defending champion at the nation’s premier ultramarathon, and Kyle Pietari has four times placed in the top 10. The two Colorado residents joined us to talk about their recent trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota, where they helped to crew and pace Alex Falconer to complete the first ever crossing of the preserve on foot. We spoke about their efforts to protect this wilderness and to bring awareness to the negative environmental impacts of proposed mining operations in the area. Then, we talked about this year’s fantastic fields at Western States and how these two legends of the sport will approach the race. Finally it was Twenty Questions time, talking tapers, books, Instagram, and more.

Links:
Alex’s pre-run summary of the Boundary Waters Traverse project, and his recap of the run
FKT.com: The Boundary Waters Traverse
Save the Boundary Waters: urge your representative to support the bill to protect the Boundary Waters
Also here; from this site specifically about the run

Beers for this episode: Athletic Brewing Free Wave, Pawley’s Island Big Sandy Beaches

Intro music: "Fine Line" by the Bloodletters
Outro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

Episode 87 - Twenty Questions with Max King

photo: Luke Webster

The pride of the Cornell Big Red machine and perhaps the most versatile runner on the MUT scene in the past 15 years, Max King is one of my running heroes and now one of my all-time favorite guests. Know how many people have won both the World Mountain Running Championship and the World 100K Championship? One guy. That’s the list. But he’s also qualified for the Olympic Trials five times by my count (twice in the steeple, three times in the marathon) and has represented the US at the World XC Championships four times. We caught up with Max after he just got back from the Salomon young athlete training camp to talk about why it’s taken him so long to return to the 100 mile distance, his goals for Western States, adventure racing, longevity, and of course, the Dining Hall Classic.

Links:
Famous enough to have a Wikipedia page!
Max’s trail running camps
World Athletics profile
Instagram
This older interview gives you a little beta on the DHC

Beers for this episode: Foreign Objects Mind Body Light Sound, Maine Beer Co. Lunch, Deschutes Teeny Hazy Ale

Intro music: "Fine Line" by the Bloodletters
Outro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

Episode 86 - UTMB Fallout, WS100 Preview, and Twenty Questions with Andy Jones-Wilkins

AJW and crew at Foresthill, WS100, 2009
photo: Bryon Powell

A true legend of the sport joined us in The Pain Cave this week. The great Andy Jones-Wilkins dropped by to offer his perspective on the state of the sport following the big announcement of the new partnership between UTMB and the Ironman Group. We also talked briefly about our excitement for the upcoming Western States 100 before we dove into 20 Questions to discuss skeleton, pierogis, and the best way to fertilize a tree.

Links:
Famous enough to have a Wikipedia page!
AJW’s Tap Room
Instagram
Coaching for CTS

Beers for this episode: Lawson’s Little Sip, Jackie O’s Who Cooks For You?, Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing

Intro music: "Fine Line" by the Bloodletters
Outro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

Episode 85 - Twenty Questions with Beth Pascall

photo: Philipp Reiter

For the first time ever on the pod, two Brits are on the mic as we welcome in the amazing Beth Pascall. A top 10 finisher at both Western States and UTMB, Beth has to be considered one of the favorites for the big dance next month following her dominant win at the Canyons 100K. We talk about her win at Canyons and being back on the WS course again, before diving into 20 Questions to learn about her background, lobsters, and what she has in common with the Stanford mascot.

Links:
Beth’s website
Beth runs for Salomon
Follow her on IG
We referenced her appearance on the Pyllars pod multiple times

Beers for this episode: Drowned Lands Soft Terra, Yard Owl Grisette

Intro music: “God Save the Queen” by Queen
Outro music: “God Save the Queen” by the Sex PIstols

Episode 84 - This Month in Ultrarunning with Phil Vondra

Racing is back! And so are we, IN PERSON to drink some beer and throw out some lukewarm takes about the latest happenings around the ultra world. We dive deep on the big announcement on UTMB and Ironman, dissect results from Canyons and Jackpot, and discuss 100-mile world records on both the track and the treadmill. Also, I insult 200-mile trail races.

Links
UTMB + IM

Beer for this episode: Westkill Brewing Creekside

Intro music: "Fine Line" by the Bloodletters
Outro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

Episode 83 - Twenty Questions with Hillary Allen

Another awesome guest joins the pod as we welcome in neuroscientist, Skyrunning champion, author, and North Face athlete Hillary Allen into the Pain Cave for the latest episode of Twenty Questions. We talk about Hillary’s new book, Out and Back, which chronicles her recovery from a near-fatal accident while racing in Tromso, Norway, before turning our attention to the usual 20Q fare: you know, unicorns, chafing, and things of that nature.

Links:
Hillary’s website
Hillary on IG
Buy the book!

Beers for this episode: Drowned Lands Deep Terra, Jackie O’s Mystic Mama

Intro music: "Fine Line" by the Bloodletters
Outro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

Episode 82 - Emergency Des Linden Pod with Phil Vondra and Paul Kentor

photo: Brooks Running

It’s our second-ever EMERGENCY POD, and we finally wore down Paul Kentor (a.k.a SteelTownRunner) to come on the show and share his unparalleled fund of ultrarunning knowledge with us. We discuss Des’ amazing (if not unexpected) performance, the history of the road 50K as a competitive event (on the world scene not much), the historical context of this performance, and where we’d want to see Des go next.

Links
Among many other articles about this, here’s irunfar’s coverage of the WR
SteelTownRunner on Twitter and IG

Beer for this episode: Industrial Arts Wrench

Intro music: "Fine Line" by the Bloodletters
Outro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

Episode 81 - This Month in Ultrarunning with Phil Vondra

It’s been a LONG time since our last TMIU episode, so here goes! Phil is back in the Pain Cave to discuss all things ultrarunning, including his return to racing at GDR, results from the first two GT races of the year, the Barkley Marathons, and the Ohio Backyard ultra. (We touched on the Carbon X2 record attempt in February’s shoe draft episode, so decided to skip it here.) We also talk about the changes to the Western States lottery rules, Taggart vs. the haters, Koop vs. everybody, and much more.

Links
Koop’s IG post
WS lottery changes
Our interview with Joe Uhan about the WS lottery
Our interview with Taggart VanEtten

Beer for this episode: Lawson’s Sip of Sunshine, Pawley’s Island Brewing Co. Big Sandy Beaches

Intro music: "Fine Line" by the Bloodletters
Outro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

Episode 80 - Twenty Questions with Cole Crosby

We’re back on the 20 Questions beat with #beastcoast stud and US National Snowshoe team member Cole Crosby. We talk to Cole about his recent run across the entire length of New Jersey, plus ducks, horses, motivation, pizza, and much more.

Links:
Cole’s business, Cresting the Summit
Cole on IG

Beers for this episode: Lawson’s Sip O’ Sunshine, Woodstock Brewing Mega Super Pixelated DIPA, Jackie O’s Mystic Mama, Ommegang Abbey Ale

Intro music: "Fine Line" by the Bloodletters
Outro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

Episode 79 - The Shoe Draft with Bryon Powell and Ian Golden

We’ve drafted ultrarunning fantasy teams, we’ve drafted the elements of the perfect aid station, and now we’re drafting the perfect shoe closet. Bryon Powell of iRunFar and Ian Golden of the Trails Collective join Phil and I for a brief state-of-the-sport discussion before we select our favorite all-time shoes in each of eight different categories. Charge your flux capacitors and gas up your DeLoreans, we’re taking you back to 1993…and even a little farther.

Vote here for the winner of our inaugural shoe draft!

Beers for this episode: Equilibrium DHop 28, 4 Noses El Jefe Caliente, Alchemist Focal Banger

Links
iRunFar
The Trails Collective
Red Newt Racing

Intro music: "Fine Line" by the Bloodletters
Outro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale