Like A Bigfoot

This week's guest is the incomparable Maggie Guterl! No event has captured the imagination of ultrarunners quite like Big's Backyard Ultra "the race with no end." A Last Person Standing event created by "Lazarus Lake" Gary Cantrell, the mind behind the Barkley Marathons, that tests the will, grit, and pure madness of its participants. This past October, Maggie outlasted everyone. For 250 miles over 2 and a half days, her stoic nature, patience, consistency, and determination kept her going and going and GOING. Whether it's Big's, Barkley, or Western States, she is undaunted in the face of epic challenges which is why I was so excited to dig into her mindset and spirit! I brought on Phil Pinti, one of my favorite people in the world to help interview her. Phil and Maggie have raced together a few times and listening to them chat about Pretzel City Sports was fantastic! This Pennsylvanian based race company seems to epitomize what we all love about ultra running- the community, the laughter, and the pur

This week race director and ultrarunner Candice Burt comes back on the show to chat about surviving 200 mile runs, organzing some of the biggest ultraruns in the nation and what she discovers through big time adventures! To say Candice has been busy over the last few years would barely scratch the surface. Not only does she organize, design and manage the Triple Crown of 200s (and many more races through her company Destination Trail), but she balances regular everyday life while striving to be the best athlete she can be. To say it bluntly, what she manages to accomplish with her time is INCREDIBLE!! We've featured a lot of episodes about running 200 mile races and if you loved those ones, this one will not dissappoint. Candice has experienced more people taking these on than anyone in the world and has the knowledge and insight to show what actually gets people to successfully make it to the finish line. She understands the strategies and mindsets that are necessary for racers to reach their goals and

Happy 2020!! This week we are chatting with bikepacking champion, extraordinary endurance athlete, and all around awesome human being Alexandera Houchin! Alexandera has had an inspiring athletic journey culminating in dominant performances at the Tour Divide, Colorado Trail Race, amongst many other long distance bike races. She rides her single speed bike for days and days rocking steel toed boots, fixes bikes with sporks, and continues to smile and laugh despite any obstacle thrown her way. More importantly, she's a super down to earth, resilient, positive person who was an absolute joy to chat with! I'm seriously in awe of her accomplishments and her humbleness. In this episode we chat all about her recent record setting ride on the 486 mile Colorado Trail, her journey from back of the pack in her very first race to becoming the first woman to win back to back Tour Divides (a 2,745 mile race from Canada to Mexico), and the lessons she has learned along the way. This one was one of my favorite episodes

This week we are bringing Don Reichelt back on the show to talk all about his experience running in this year's edition of Big's Backyard Ultra. Big's has quickly risen to the top of iconic ultra races in the United States. The format is simple- every hour runners must complete a 4.16 mile loop, the next hour they must complete it again....then again....then again....at any point a person can quit....and this will continue until there is only one person left standing. It's an event designed by Gary "Lazarus Lake" Cantrell, the genius behind the Barkley Marathons, to truly explore the limits of human endurance. What pushes a person to tap out? How can one to simply endure? This year was the world championship where 75 high level endurance athletes flew out to Laz's backyard in Tennessee to see who could outlast the others. While Don's race didn't go as planned, a bashed up foot and messed up anterior tib saw to that, he discovered so much about his drive, mindset, and willingness to dive deep into the p

A goal of mine has always been to encourage people to take on an adventure, whether that's signing up for an ultra marathon, climbing a mountain, or simply stepping outside their comfort zone. More specifically I always joke that the secret intent of the podcast is to get people to sign up for their first 50k, the ultra distance that I believe is the perfect intro to adventure. Well I'm happy to say that recently I convinced (peer pressured) 4 of my friends to register for their very first 50k! In May, we will be taking on the Booneville Backroads Ultra, a fantastic race through the country roads south of Des Moines, Iowa. This episode is all about "what in the world did we get ourselves into?" We chat with all four of these gentlemen about their goals, expectations, and what they hope to gain by pushing themselves way outside their comfort zones! All of these guys have been on the show before and huge thanks to each and every one of them for sharing their perspectives. Matt Rackers, Sean Furlong, Thad

This week we welcome back Josh Milich and Brian Tjersland after their 500 mile journey in support of Mission 22 a community with the goal of putting a stop to the high amount of veteran suicides that unfortunately happen every single day. By running from the Massachussetts National Cemetary all the way down to Arlington National Cemetary, these two raised money and awareness in every single city and state they traveled through. We chatted with Brian and Josh last February about their lofty plan (Episode #134) and I am so excited to have them back on the show! I'm a huge fan of these two and followed along with their live updates over the adventure and I gotta say, they might be the most positive, calm, go with the flow dudes in the country. With a cause bigger than themselves, seemingly nothing would stop them. Not sore feet, sleepless nights, rain, exhaustion; their minds were set on making it to the finish line no matter what. In this episode we hear all about the "500 Miles to End Veteran Suicide Pro

This week we welcome American Idol finalist, first time marathoner and future ultra marathoner Clark Beckham to the show!! I recently met Clark at the finish of the Marine Corps Marathon. Sitting there in my own state of pure exhaustion, I was re-energized by the brief synopsis of Clark's marathon journey- 6 months earlier he was 30 pounds heavier listening to David Goggins' book "Can't Hurt Me" when he pulled his car over and signed up for his very first race. He set a lofty goal of a 3:45 marathon and trained like crazy day after day after day before ultimately getting it done. He also had the added pressure of singing the anthem to 30,000 racers, marines, and spectators before the starting gun went off! Clark's tale is unique and I'm super happy to get the opportunity to sit down and chat with him about it. A solid mindset of perseverance, determination, and the ability to work hard has helped him find success both in running and in his career as a musician (he was a finalist on American Idol and is

Imagine spending two whole days physically, mentally and emotionally pushing yourself to your absolute limits. Traveling over 80 miles full of insanely difficult physical challenges while carrying a heavy ruck all under the critical eye of a cadre member whose job it is to get the absolute best out of you and make you resist, with every part of your soul, the urge to quit. GORUCK Selection is known as one of the toughest endurance events in the world. Less than 2% of people who are wild enough to sign up will successfully finish. To put that in other words, it takes an incredibly tough person just to sign up and a whole other person to actually complete the whole thing! Today I'm super honored to be able to talk to one of this year's finisher. Mark Jones has been a highly competitive ultra obstacle course racer for years. He knows all about breaking through barriers and pushing his limits, but most of all he knows how to endure. After trying and failing at Selection multiple times, Mark took a break,

This week is the most delicious episode of the podcast yet!! We are sitting down with Chef Corso from Monty Boca to talk all about how to cook delicious food in the wilderness. Chef Corso is an avid hiker and backpacker based out of Seattle who is challenging the way we think about cooking food for various adventures. Most of us usually throw some oats in a bag or slap together some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and say "that's good enough!" before heading out, viewing food as a necessity rather than a major part of the experience. Monty Boca is challenging people to use easy recipes to heighten their adventure experiences with some really good food. This episode was definitely a bit outside the box for this podcast but I feel like cooking outside is the best way to cook and is something I, personally, need to reconnect with. I really enjoyed chatting with Chef Corso and I highly suggest you try a recipe or two of his- preferably while chilling next to a beautiful mountain stream or at a campsite su

I'm super excited to have ultra runner, adventurer, and all around awesome person Kayla Howell back on the show this week! When I think of someone who loves the outdoors and is up for any adventure life brings her way, I think of Kayla. She's competed in all sorts of different endurance events all over the country and always steps up to any challenge with a tremendous attitude. In this episode we dive into her adventurous life starting when she was a kid all the way through various endurance sports she has competed in. We spend a lot of time chatting about her experiences adventure racing across Florida and Georgia, what it's like to work with a high level adventure racing team and how she keeps a positive attitude in the midst of some seriously stressful, tiring moments. She also shares stories from the Little 500 bike race in Indiana, taking on her first Ironman triathlon and climbing her first 14er! Kayla is awesome and I really hope you enjoy the episode as much as I did! MORE FROM KAYLA: Instagra

This week Phil Pinti and I are sitting down and chatting about our experience running the Inaugural Marine Corps Marathon 50k through the streets of Washington DC. The day was my very first big time road race and Phil's 6th MCM. It was a rainy, action packed, and incredibly moving event. I would highly recommend everyone to add this one to your bucket list, road runners and ultra runners alike. It is a race unlike anything I've ever been a part of. Huge thanks to the Marine Corps for putting this on and to Phil Pinti for showing me around for the weekend! It was an absolute blast! Big congrats to every person out there, especially those running for their loved ones. Hope you guys enjoy the Race Reflections!! We'll be back at you next week! MORE FROM MARINE CORPS MARATHON: Our interview with Race Director Rick Nealis: https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464/143-rick-nealis Website: https://www.marinemarathon.com MORE FROM PHIL PINTI: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/macho_man_runneth/ Lik

This week we welcome back ultrarunner, filmmaker and host of the excellent "Training for Ultra" podcast Rob Steger. Rob is fresh off of completing the Triple Crown of 200s, a race series that consists of all three of Destination Trail's gigantic 200 mile adventures. In the past three months he has ventured over miles and miles, battled extreme obstacles and experienced an adventure of a lifetime all on a quest of self discovery and to raise money for Pediatric Cancer research for a friend's daughter Celia who is battling Histiocytosis (FIND OUT HOW TO SUPPORT IN THE LINKS BELOW!). In this episode we hear about the highs and lows of his three races- Bigfoot 200, Tahoe 200, and Moab 240. Everything from showing up late to missing the beginning of Tahoe to hammering his fastest mile over 200 miles into Moab to getting hypothermia deep in the woods of Tahoe and so much more! Our episode is mostly the highlights of his adventures. If you want more from Rob, you can listen to his full race recaps on his Train

This week we are chatting with Juddson Vance fresh off of finishing the Centennials, Colorado's 100 tallest mountains!! Juddson has spent many weekends over the last few years chipping away at his big adventure, driving and camping all around the state and climbing not only the 14ers but also some of the most rugged and remote 13ers. This is a quest that many strive for and few complete, so it's a major accomplishment for him and one that I'm very excited to hear about. In this episode we hear various tales from the Centennials along with digging into Juddson's "why" and discover how mountains and wilderness have shaped his life. For those mountain lovers out there, you will hear about a variety of 14ers including some of the more sketchy traverses, along with some of the lesser hiked mountains like Thunder Pyramid, Vestal, and Jagged. Juddson also shares some of the more bizarre experiences he has had out in the Colorado Wilderness. Hope you guys enjoy the episode! I really loved hearing Juddson's stor

This week I'm very excited to sit down and chat with former Iowa Hawkeye and Philadelphia Eagle offensive Lineman Julian Vandervelde! Julian has had quite the athletic journey. Finding success at a young age in the little league world series through becoming a four year football starter at the University of Iowa to becoming a 5th round draft pick in the NFL to throwing heavy stuff while wearing a kilt at the Highland Games. Jumping head first into each sport with a "Blank Slate" mindset, he has discovered lessons he's carried over into all aspects of his life. In this episode, Julian shares tales from his journey. What the offensive line mentality is and what it takes to play at such a high level and how he's transitioned that mindset into his post-NFL life. One of my favorite stories in the show was when he describes football from the perspective of a lineman- how he used visualization and preparation to be successful throughout his career. This viewpoint is such an awesome part of football most pe

This week we welcome Danny "Oreo" a world traveler from Germany fresh of of completing her hike of the Pacific Crest Trail! Over the 2,653 miles from Mexico to Canada Danny experienced all the ups and downs that the trail brings. Forming beautiful friendships and pushing her own boundaries, she battled everything from the dry heat (and hills!) of the desert to postholing through insanely deep snow in the high country. This being her first trip to America, she also formed a unique perspective on the beauty and culture of our country (and the weirdness of Poptarts). Her last seven years have been absorbed with travel. She left school, flew to Australia where she spent a year before deciding to check out New Zealand and, before she knew it, she was a full time traveler. Danny is quite a fun, adventurous spirit and I was curious if lessons she learned from traveling came into play through her 5 months trekking through the woods. I have so much respect and envy for the folks who take on thru-hiking and abso

On this week's episode we are chatting all about the epic Tahoe 200 mile endurance race with my friend Thomas Mullins! I was recently asked to think about a person I look up to and have great respect for. Instantly my answer was Thomas. This is a guy who shows up, gets the work done, is incredibly driven to accomplish great things all while never forgetting the real important part of life, how we give to others and help them along the way. Thomas and I met at Desert RATS 2018 and ran quite a bit of the course together. As an ultra runner he has the most incredible focus and stoic nature. He sticks to his plan throughout these long events while also displaying the adaptability needed to survive weather changes, severe heat and other things that could possibly go wrong. I've learned more from him than anyone else in endurance sports and really look up to the guy! Having recently finished the Tahoe 200, a Destination Trails race that circumnavigates Lake Tahoe, Thomas joins us to chat all about this incr

In this episode we are reconnecting with our friend Phil Pinti as he prepares for two big races- the Yeti 100 (his first 100 miler) and the inaugural Marine Corps Marathon 50k (which I'm flying out to run with him). Phil is a few weeks ago from the Yeti 100, a hugely popular race in Virginia. We chat about how he's preparing, his expectations going into the race, and what strategies he is going to use in order to survive and endure all those miles. As always when talking with Phil, our conversation meanders in and out of all sorts of topics. Through this winding road, we stumbled upon the issue of our own cell phone use. In short, we are exposing ourselves to way too much screen time. Ultimately, this distraction is keeping us from connecting to the present moment, to being truly focused on what's most important, acting in a conscious way versus a "zombie mode". Steering the ship rather than letting the winds blow us wherever. We dubbed this challenge the "Right Fielder" challenge. (Listen to the s

This week we are celebrating three years of the Like a Bigfoot Podcast!! In September 2016 I was a stay at home dad with two of my kiddos, a 2 year old and a newborn. I knew I needed some sort of creative outlet to work on each and every week (and an excuse to chat with grownups!), I had a handful of friends who had some incredible stories, and as a huge podcast fan I had always wanted to start one myself. It was nerve wracking, there was a lot of self doubt, but I pulled the trigger and committed to posting one a week for a year and just see where it went from there. Through consistent action and not striving for perfection but instead looking for improvement, the show has grew and all of a sudden I was not only interviewing my friends but I was talking with some incredible athletes and super awesome people. People who I didn't know were sending me messages about how much they enjoyed the show, I was going for runs with some of the folks I had previously interviewed, and the podcast was helping me gro

This week we are chatting with the awesome North Carolina Ultrarunner Jacky Hunt-Broersma after her recent adventure taking on the TransRockies Stage Race. In 2001 a cancerous tumor was discovered on a nerve in Jacky's foot. One week later she had her leg amputated. A decade and a half later she decided to become a trail runner. Now she's paving the way for other amputees to get out onto the trails and enjoy this great sport! She's gone from non-runner to ultra-runner all while workshopping how to make blade work best on the trails. As she's increased in miles and difficult terrain (I've ran in North Carolina...that's some rocky and rooty country!), she's proven the people who have told her that she "shouldn't trail run" wrong. Now Jacky's fresh off a 6 day stage race where she ran over mountain passes and competed at some serious altitude. On this episode we chat about how ultra-running has shifted her mindset, what she finds by challenging herself over difficult terrain, and how she has combated her

This week on the show we are bringing you two, count them, TWO guests!! We're back with our 4th edition of "Bigfoot Sightings", the episodes where we catch up briefly with a few of our favorite people from previous shows. First, we have the awesome Calvin Johannsen fresh off of his 2nd successful summit of the iconic Mt. Rainier. In this episode he shares the story of his new adventure. The importance of good people while experiencing a sufferfest, why he was so dang sleep deprived over the course of his adventure, and why working as a team got him to the top! Then we are reconnecting with Jason Sudduth and his wife Joy as they share adventures in running and ultra running in the Southeast. Jason recently signed up for his first 50 miler and catch back up with his trail running adventures at Grayson Highlands and Quest for the Crest before tackling the topic of injury prevention. Joy started working at the Brick, the local running store, and has been battling through some injuries as well. We chat ab