Like A Bigfoot

This week we are chatting 200s, stage races, pivoting on our goals and healthy endurance mindsets with Melissa Gosse. Melissa is an amazing athlete who has competed in some brutal stage races along with completing the Tahoe 200. In this episode we chat about how our 2020 plans have morphed into new, exciting adventures, how she handled major low points in stage races, and what she has discovered about herself by pushing her limits. As endurance athletes I think we all can relate to the idea of adventure helping us grow emotionally, mentally and physically and I think the stories she tells and the conversations in this episode get at the essence of what endurance sports brings to our lives. I really hope you enjoy this week's show! I want to thank Melissa for being so awesome and open about her experiences!! MORE FROM MELISSA: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mel.mel65/ Canmore Quad: https://canmorerunner.com/2015/06/04/the-canmore-quad-oh-la-la/ Original Like a Bigfoot Episode: https://soundcloud.

In 2018 Pete Kostelnick, fantastic ultra runner and the transcontinental record holder, laced up his shoes in Kenai, Alaska, packed up a jogging stroller with food and supplies and then took off down the road. 97 days later he pulled into Key West, Florida. Through this quest he averaged 55 miles a day, exploring North America by foot. This adventure was absolutely remarkable and I can't wait to share some of Pete's stories with you guys! In this episode, we chat all about the Ke2Key along with his experience taking on the six day version of the Across the Years race- He won the race with a mind blowing distance of 444 miles. That's right FOUR HUNDRED AND FORTY FOUR miles!! Hope you all enjoy the episode! Super grateful to Pete for coming back on and sharing his time with us! MORE FROM PETE: Facebook “Pete’s Feet Across America”: https://www.facebook.com/petesfeetaa/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/petekostelnick/?hl=en Across America on Foot Book: https://www.amazon.com/Across-America-Foot-Adv

We are releasing a special bonus episode this week! A few weeks ago my buddy Thad Burkamper and I recorded an interview about his very first marathon for his podcast "Walk It Off- You're Probably Fine". I really enjoyed the story and always love chatting with Thad so I thought I'd release it here too! Thad is one of my friends who was supposed to meet me at the end of May for the Booneville Backroads Ultra. As is the case with most everything right now, that race got rescheduled for next fall. Over the last few weeks, Thad has kept busy working on house projects, building stuff for his kids, and various creative endeavors, but, with the race off the table for the time being, he really wanted to test his limits physically. So on a random Saturday, he left his house and took off down the streets of Muscatine, Iowa. Along the way he experienced all the ups and downs of a marathon. He felt great, he felt terrible, he ran, he limped, he had his foot run over by his own Jurassic Park jeep...you know, the reg

This week we are chatting with ultra runner and adventurer Anna Albrecht about all things Hawaiian Trail running, including an attempt to circumnavigate Oahu and her experience racing (and winning!) the epically difficult HURT 100!! Anna is an incredible athlete who embraces and exemplifies her love of adventure and exploration of both the beautiful Hawaiian wilderness and her own capabilities in endurance. Through talking with her you get a sense of the passion she has for the sport and the love for her trail running community! In this episode we chat about how she got into this sport, her first 100 mile race at the HURT 100, how she changed her approach for round two with the race (her second running of it) and the story of winning it five weeks after breaking her arm on a run! Hope you all enjoy the show! If you want to get some serious Hawaiian trail running envy, you should follow Anna's instagram account @annahadabigday where she posts some AMAZING pictures of the trails she enjoys in Hawaii! MORE

This week we are welcoming professional skier and ski-mountaineer Cody Townsend to the show!! Cody is in the middle of taking on one of the most difficult challenges in ski mountaineering, climbing up and then skiing down the "Fifty Classic Ski Descents in North America". It's a project that requires skill, patience, guts, and effort beyond comprehension. It has also become one heckuva YouTube Adventure series that you should stop and binge watch immediately! The quick version: after reading his copy of the iconic book "Fifty Classic Ski Descents in North America" Cody thought "I'd ski those" then he thought "I guess I might as well climb up them too." Then he set out to do just that and he's filming each attempt along the way. And the films are freaking awesome, terrifying, hilarious, educational and inspiring all in one. Each episode is legitimately high quality adventure filmmaking which you guys will enjoy immensely! From the FIFTY PROJECT website: "From Alaska to Colorado, California to Baffin I

This week we are chatting with Irish Adventurer Gavan Hennigan all about his life as an adventurer! Get ready because this is an absolutely AMAZING episode of the show!! Gavan has spent his adult life diving head first into adventure. Having traveled around the world for work as a deep sea saturation diver (which is fascinating), he has taken on everything from climbing Himalayan peaks to running across a frozen Siberian lake in the winter to rowing across the Atlantic Ocean by himself to, most recently, winning the Iditarod Trail Invitational! In this episode we get to hear all sorts of adventure tales from these expeditions and dive fully into how Gavan's mindset has evolved because of them. This is a person who has had some very unique life experiences and I am so very grateful to be able to listen to his stories and lessons and be able to share them with you guys! Hope you enjoy the show as much as I did!! Thank you so much Gavan and best of luck on everything that you plan to take on in the future!

A couple months ago Clark Beckham laced up his shoes to run 50 miles at the Rocky Racoon in Huntsville, Texas. Since we previously talked after the Marine Corps Marathon, Clark's training had been a bumpy road- think busy life of a musician on tour combined with a rough marathon recovery. Despite a near non-existent training block, he lined up at the start line anyway. Braving the ups and downs of his very first ultramarathon, pushing through every step of the way and discovering just how much he is capable of through pure grit and determination. This is the story of Clark's race. A story in which he will inspire you, make you laugh, make you wince in empathetic pain, and challenge you to go after your own ridiculously lofty goals!! Hope you guys enjoy the show! I am absolutely floored by Clark's story and am incredibly inspired by him! MORE FROM CLARK BECKHAM: Website: https://clarkbeckham.com Music Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clarkbeckham/?hl=en Running Instagram: https://www.instagram.co

A month ago we chatted with Ryan and Emily Wanless as Ryan was days away from entering the Alaskan Wilderness to take on the EPIC 350 mile Iditarod Trail Invitational. Since that time, Ryan has slept near wolves, trudged through ridiculously deep snow, heard tales of Moose attacks, pulled a sled up through a mountain range, marched down a frozen river, and finished his incredible adventure at backwoods cabin in McGrath, Alaska. This episode captures some of the adventures he had along with the lessons he learned along the way. I love chatting with Ryan and Emily about the extreme ultras they take on and have learned a lot about the sport through our conversations. Hope you guys enjoy the episode and are finding new and exciting ways to spend your days as we are all battling through this difficult time. Much love! MORE FROM RYAN AND EMILY: Ryan's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wanlessrm/ Emily Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orchare/?hl=en Ryan’s Previous LABF Podcast: https://soundcloud.co

While some take the path of least resistance, the easiest one before them, Jake Allison chose the path of passion, committing most of his time to the blood, sweat and tears necessary to pursue his dream. Jake and I went to high school together in Muscatine, Iowa. In high school he decided to pursue his dream to become a dancer. Leaving behind what was comfortable, Jake set out to see how far he could make it in the extremely competitive world and challenging world of ballet. I absolutely love his story as it illustrates the passion and enthusiasm our ambitions drive us towards and the guts it takes to step outside the norm to chase something you truly love. I've always been inspired by Jake's assertiveness and was extremely excited to hear the journey he took after we parted ways in high school. Ballet sounds incredibly difficult and I'm astounded by the skill needed to master it. We also chat a bit about Jake's recent journey into competitive cycling and how that has coincided with his move to Norther

A few weeks ago Brittany Charboneau competed in the Olympic Marathon Trials. Just being a part of this race is a BIG TIME goal that athletes work years and years to achieve. Brittany not only participated, but she placed 13th in a stacked field AND beat her personal best marathon time by three minutes!! In this episode we chat all about Brittany's journey from "I guess I'll try one of these running race thingys" to "I will be a complete badass and run super fast against other super fast people." She shares how she uses the power of positive self-talk (and funny imaginary characters) along with intentionally enhancing personal joy to push through tough moments. Brittany also talks extensively about the awesomeness of the Olympic Trials experience she had in Atlanta, what it's like to race with some of her idols, the love and happiness she receives during running, and how she uses incremental steps to attain a goal this big! Hope you all enjoy the episode and are finding many things to be joyful about (de

A conversation about the absurdity of a massive endeavor, the fear of the unknown, the wonderfulness of a community, the power of stories, the compounding effects of small acts of kindness, the adaptability of humanity, and the inevitability of a bad time....when you're canoeing. This has been a long freaking anxiety producing, world shifting week. Thank goodness we have friends. Those wonderful souls to talk things out with- the serious talks, the talks about nothing and everything in-between! This is why I called up my buddy Paul Scheuring. Listening to wisdom from Paul has quickly become one of my favorite pastimes and I legitimately cherish every conversation we have! Hope you guys gain some peace of mind, some positivity and some love from this episode! Through this weird time that we are all going through, remember to act with kindness. Act from the goodness of your heart, help your community with the conviction of love, and, simply, be nice! MORE LIKE A BIGFOOT: Subscribe and Review on iTunes

Tricia O'Hara loves stairs. Running them, climbing them, the feeling of floating up them to the top of a building using nothing but her body and a ridiculously hard, pure anaerobic effort. In fact, she loves them so much that she has become one of the elite stair runners, athletes who travel around sprinting up the most famous buildings in the world. Over the last six years, she has climbed stairwells in the Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower, the Freedom Tower, and Rockafeller Center. Along with stair climbing, she has been a lifelong endurance athlete participating in many marathons and triathlons ranging from sprint distances to Ironmans. She has also battled a fear of swimming and a serious injury where she was hit head on by a truck and was told to be uncertain about the possibility of running again. She's awesome! She demonstrates positivity, passion, and the grit to endure such an explosive, high energy sport! In this episode we chat all about her adventures into stair climbing! Why does

SPECIAL BONUS EPISODE!!! My buddy Brady Manriquez is in the middle of training for his very first ultramarathon- a 50k at the Booneville Backroads Ultra!! In this episode, Brady and I talk about the ups and downs of a 50k, what he should be ready for both mentally and physically, and I share mistakes I've made and lessons I've learned throughout my last seven years of ultrarunning. Prepare yourself for a conversation about chafing, drinking from mold infested water bottles, intense downpours of freezing rain, more chafing, something called "chub rub", shorts shaming, and, did I mention, chafing. This a fun, long chat with one of my best friends in the whole world. I hope you guys draw some wisdom from my misadventures but keep in mind that I am not a medical expert, sports scientist, or even an amazing ultrarunner....so please take all advice with a grain of salt! MORE FROM BOONEVILLE BACKROADS ULTRA: Website: http://boonevillebackroadsultra.com Ultrasignup: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=7

This week Ryan and Emily Wanless are back on the show straight from Alaska, the "Land of the Midnight Sun" to review their past year of ultrarunning and explain how Ryan's plans for enduring the 350 miles of the Iditarod Trail Invitational. Emily and Ryan are both athletes out of South Dakota who set out to take on some of the world's toughest, fastest, and coldest races. Last August, they traveled to Europe so Emily could take on the CCC, one of the world's largest ultras and now they are in Alaska getting Ryan ready for his ultimate winter ultra test, enduring the legendary Iditarod course. In this episode we catch up with both of them- We hear about the brutal mountains of the CCC and how they affected Emily's race, how Tuscobia 160 and Arrowhead 135 were used as tools to prepare Ryan for Alaska, what their trip up north has consisted of so far, what mental and physical obstacles Ryan is preparing for, and what tips the Iditarod veterans have shared with them. We also talk animal furs, Moose safety, a

This week we are chatting with Angus Peacock, the executive director of Rugby Colorado, lifelong rugby player, and Gobi March Stage Race finisher. Angus was a high level international rugby player who became coach of the Shanghai rugby squad before moving to Colorado where he is setting up a foundation for the sport in America. He also competed in the 2010 Gobi March, a weeklong ultraendurance stage race across China. Our conversation touches on many important topics: What was his rugby journey like and how did he grow along the way? What is it about Rugby that promotes so much passion in people? How did he transform a team composed of multiple cultures and languages into champions? What can we do to get more people to connect to it in America? What did he discover through pushing himself, untrained, through the desert? How did the camp respond to a tragic death during the race? Those are our topics today- Rugby and Ultrarunning. Two of my absolute favorite things in the world! This is a great one!!

This week I am honored to sit down and chat with an amazing ultrarunner from Asheville, North Carolina, Aaron Saft. Aaron's running career has spanned 30 years and in that time he has taken on everything from indoor track 2 milers and collegiate cross country events to the Georgia Death Race and UTMB. In 2007, he won the USA Track and Field Trail Marathon championship and his ultrasignup reads of podium after podium of the best races on the east coast. Along with being a high level runner, Aaron also owns and operates the Foot RX Running store in Asheville where he has established an excellent trail running community in one of the most beautiful outdoorsy towns in the United States. In other words, he is freaking fast and, when it comes to running, is extremely knowledgeable! Throughout this episode Aaron shares stories from his career: How in the world does one run the Quest for the Crest 50k course and then win the whole thing???? (There is 12,000 ft of GAIN in only 31 miles- the thing is a beast!) W

This week we are bringing back on Travis Steffen for an unparalleled six time! Over the years I have successfully pressured Travis outside of his comfort zone to take on a variety of endurance races- an adventure race through the woods of Virginia, a mountanous 50k, and a brutally long desert 50 miler. I'm proud to say I have convinced (tricked....) him into pushing his limits once again as he is planning his very first 100k this May. Two and a half years ago he battled his 50 miler undertrained/unprepared and this time we are adding 12 more miles of pure type 2 fun! In this episode, we talk about how he plans to attack the race, if he is intending to learn (or not learn) from his last ultra, and what he expects to discover about himself during the event. As always we also hit on a smorgasbord of fun topics such as: how he recovered from a devastating injury, how our football careers ended with a fizzle...or a bang if you're talking about Travis's achilles, moments in life when our paradigms shifted, and

This week we are welcoming back ultra runner, race director, and all around awesome guy Brad Dains! Brad is currently taking on race directing duties of the Booneville Backroads Ultra, "Iowa's First 100 Miler" through the beautiful rolling countryside south of Des Moines. He has been with Booneville as either a racer, a volunteer or a co-race director over the last 6 years and is extremely passionate about the ultra running community. Along with Booneville, Brad has ran multiple 100 milers all over the United States, and has even completed the distance on a treadmill...yes, you read that correctly, he once decided it was a "good" idea to run 100 miles on a freaking treadmill!! In this episode we dive all into Brad's experiences running and organizing Booneville. He explains what makes this race so difficult, shares adventures and inspiring stories he has witnessed through the years, and gives tips to me and my five friends who are planning on taking this race on in May (See the previous "Booneville" epis

(Photo Credit: Discovery) On Christmas Day, 6 athletes stepped foot onto Antarctica. Almost two weeks earlier they pushed off from Cape Horn, the southern most point of South America, rowing in hour and a half shifts to become the first people to successfully cross the infamous Drake Passage completely man-powered. Through sheer will, determination and positivity they conquered not only world records, but their adventure of a lifetime. Today's podcast is about this quest. It's about the formation of brotherhood, bravery in the face of extremes and the power of Mother Nature. What it's like to go into the ocean only to be tossed around like a rubber ducky in the world's biggest bathtub and the lessons you learn when you come out the other side. The team battled cold water, wind, and powerful waves that are nearly impossible to imagine. The Drake Passage had never previously been rowed for a reason, it is beyond ferocious. Now imagine rowing it, day after day while battling sleep deprivation and fatig

This week we are welcoming back Danny, trail name "Oreo", to the podcast to share more stories from her hike of the Pacific Crest Trail! Last time we chatted a couple weeks after she finished the trail and this time she is about 6 months removed from the biggest hiking adventure of her life. We get into some honest discussions about the Post Trail Blues (which I think could be called the "I-just-achieved-a-ginormous-goal-and-now-I-have-to-adjust-to-regular-life" blues). In this episode Danny shares some potential future plans before diving in to her readjustment to off-trail life. We also talk about why the trail life beckons, how she plans on answering adventures call, and how she has been applying all her hard earned lessons post-trail. She also shares more AWESOME stories from her time on the PCT including the time she battled through the desert to a McDonalds only to have a snake block her way (a brutal obstacle only a true thru-hiker could appreciate ha ha!) Thanks for tuning in!! I always have a b