Like A Bigfoot

This week we are chatting with bikepacker, adventurer, and "pro mountain shuffler" Eliza Sampey! Eliza recently set the FKT at the self supported GCOR bikepacking race through the Olympic mountains. It took her an incredibly fast 3 days, 5 hours, 13 minutes to travel the 450 miles. But in reality this accomplishment took much, much longer to achieve. 33 months ago Eliza had a terrible fall on her mountain bike and sustained a traumatic brain injury. It's taken months of intentional recovery, adjustment, and learning to love her new brain to get to this point. Along the way she has had to practice patience, battle frustration, and take "two steps forward and ten steps back". This episode is about true perseverance and self love. You will learn so much about processing new situations in life from this wonderful human being! I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did!! (Photo By the Amazing Eszter Horanyi!!) MORE FROM ELIZA: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizasampey/ "No Going Back" F

#348: Bruce Kittle 3 -- Self Discovery By Taking on His First Triathlons!! The Power of Mindfulness by Chris Ward

"The secret to living is mastering the art of dancing with your fears..." This is a quote from Dyana Carmella's absolutely wonderful book "A Walk Thru Neverland" which is an incredibly insightful and entertaining story of her journey taking on the seldom thru-hiked Pacific Northwest Trail. More importantly, it's a story of self discovery through adventure. It's about a person seeking fulfillment, shedding layers of discontent, and discovering humanity. I absolutely LOVED the book and consider it to be one of the BEST adventure books I have EVER read!! I was very grateful to be able to chat with Dyana about this experience, both her hike and what it was like to tell this story. Truly can't wait for you to listen!! Lots of wonderful ideas, laughs, geeking out about films and a deep dive into what it truly means to "ask your fears to dance." MORE FROM DYANA: Website: https://www.dyanacarmella.com Order the Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1667899791/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1B3QGHSHPT9A9&keywords=a%20walk%20thru

Cussing out rocks, controlling the outcome of your 24 hours, battling through extremely difficult 100 milers, and greeting it all with focus and enthusiasm with the "Canadian Berserker" himself Noel Thomson! I met Noel while on a hike with my 4 year old around Mud Lake in Nederland, Colorado. Noel was fresh off completing the Boulder Ironman and after chatting about endurance sports for a bit I knew I wanted to reconnect to do the podcast. He has discovered a passion for pushing his body past physical limits and spreading that joy to other people! In this episode, Noel shares stories from his life as an athlete, a coach, and a father and we discover the ways those three areas of life intersect. Hope you all enjoy the episode as much as I did!! MORE FROM NOEL: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecanadianberserker/

This week we are chatting with Marianne Hogan about her phenomenal 2022 racing season and Rob Steger about what it was like to capture this experience for their new film "Marianne Runs". Marianne put it all out on the line and finished 3rd place Western States and 2nd place UTMB back in 2022. In this episode we chat all about what this experience was like from both the athlete and the filmmaker perspective! Hope you enjoy! You can find the film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XZMxVfj2-g

This week we are chatting with extremely fast elite runner Jeff Colt!! Jeff is fresh off an 8th place male finish at the Western States 100 (one of the fastest and most competitive 100s in the US)!! In this episode he shares tales from that race- what it was like to compete with the best of the best, what he learned about himself by pushing his limits and going "all in", and how he balances the commitments of being a pro runner to the commitments of life. We also chat a bit about his time as a Ski Jumper and he shares the story of his very first attempt at an ultra trail run which was a very memorable and chafed experience! Hope you enjoy the show! MORE FROM JEFF COLT: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/easy_dog/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JeffColt_1ifbyfoot2ifbyski

#343: Cortney Haile -- Battling Through the Keys 100, Gravel Racing, & Stage Racing by Chris Ward

In this episode we chat with returning guest and AWESOME runner Tim Barr about his experience running the Western States 100 miler!! Tim has worked for years and years to get drawn from the lottery and this experience truly expressed his love and passion for the sport of ultrarunning! This one was really fun to record and I'm very honored to share Tim's story (with special appearance from his son and crew member Micah!) Enjoy!

This week we are chatting with founder and president of MS Run the US Ashley Schneider!! In 2010, Ashley ran across the United States from San Francisco to New York City, becoming only the 16th female at the time to complete such a feat. Through that journey she discovered a lot about herself, the country, and what it takes to not only run the length of the country but to successfully fundraise. This all led her to create MS Run the US which sends runners on a relay across the US to raise awareness and funds for those living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). I really enjoyed chatting with Ashley and hope you enjoy the episode as much as I did!! MORE FROM MS RUN THE US: Website: https://www.msruntheus.org/mission/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/msruntheus/ Ashley's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashmschneider/

This week we have a fantastic conversation with legendary ultra runner Junko Kazukawa!! Junko is an athlete out here in Colorado. She's been life long athlete and coach who is a staple in the ultrarunning community. Not only battling such big endurance feats such as taking on the Leadville Trail Series and The Grand Slam of Ultrarunning in the same year, Junko also is a two time breast cancer survivor. In this episode she shares all sorts of stories from her running career. What it was like running Leadville after accidentally taking a couple Tylenol PMs, the battles she overcame during her Leadwoman/Grand Slam summer, and a hundred miler in Patagonia through 30 miles of deep mud. This is an AWESOME episode and Junko is a wonderful human being!! I really enjoyed chatting with her and hope you enjoy the show! MORE FROM JUNKO: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runjunkorun/?hl=en iRunFar Profile: https://www.irunfar.com/werunfar-profile-junko-kazukawa Patagonia Short Film: https://www.youtube.com/watc

This week we are once again joined by adventurer, ultra endurance athlete, explorer and educator Jason Hardrath! Jason recently started a gigantic quest he is calling "Journey to Infinity". Through this adventure he is seeking to do an infinity loop on the tallest volcanoes on each 7 continents. An infinity loop consists of creating an "infinity symbol" up and around a mountain, which means, in order to take it on, one must be experienced in both the technicalities of mountaineering and the sheer miles of ultrarunning. In this episode, Jason explains what led him here, how we are always training for future opportunities we can't quite comprehend yet, and how his experiences in the mountains have led him to this challenge! This is an EXCELLENT episode with an AWESOME human being and I truly hope you all enjoy it as much as I did! Photo Credit: Paul Wilson MORE FROM JASON: Website: https://www.jasonhardrath.com "Journey to 100": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMg5bMtixPs&t=1s Instagram: https://www.ins

Sally McRae is an absolutely incredible ultra runner who has taken on and excelled at some of the biggest races in the sport!! She has recently released her first book "Choose Strong" which is a raw and vulnerable memoir about the challenges she faced through the first 18 years of her life and how her perception of strength evolved along the way. In this episode we talk about the power of vulnerability, what "Strong" means to her, and about her experience writing this life-changing book. We also touch on her experience at Cocodona 250 (which you can see in her excellent film EVERY STEP FORWARD) and her plans to take on the Triple Crown of 200s over the next few months. This is an excellent episode!! Sally is an absolute legend and I hope you all enjoy this conversation as much as I did! MORE FROM SALLY MCRAE: Website: https://www.sallymcrae.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yellowrunner/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sallymcraestrength

On November 5th today's guest Candice Burt stepped outside her door and began putting one foot in front of the other for 32 miles. The next day she did it again. And again. And again. On and on and on for TWO HUNDRED straight days!! Through this challenge she faced every challenge imaginable- extreme cold, snow, thunderstorms, 100 plus degrees, pretty much every type of weather out there. More challenging, she battled her own mind- staying positive and emotionally neutral as she faced not only pain but the monotony of the day in day out grind. This episode is all about what she went through over the 200 days of 200 ultras and the strategies she used to stay consistent as she kept pushing the goal post farther and farther down the line. This is an AWESOME EPISODE and I am truly honored to be able to chat to Candice again for the show! She is one of my favorite guests of all time!! Enjoy! MORE FROM CANDICE: Website: https://www.candiceburt.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runcandicerun/ Wall St

This week we are chatting with one of my best friends Chris Cornejo about his experience taking on his second ever 50K! He also shares stories from his days working in Yosemite National Park and talks about what it takes to recover from an achilles tear. Hope you all enjoy this episode as much as I did!

This week is a very special episode for me as I finally bring my mom on the show to talk all about the meaning of adventure in her life, how cycling gave her community, her mom's life and the ripple effects of love! I truly hope you all enjoy this one!! To all the moms out there- Happy Mother's Day!! You are doing the most difficult and most important job on the planet!!

This week we are once again honored to be joined by world renowned adventurer Ray Zahab! Over the years Ray has taken on expeditions all across the globe. He’s crossed vast deserts and arctic regions, taken on every possible weather challenge imaginable, and has dived deep into his capability to endure. This past year turned his challenges inward when he was diagnosed with a rare form of Lymphoma. In between chemo treatments he kept active, including leading an expedition on a winter crossing of Baffin Island. In this episode we talk about what it’s like to take those lessons one learns through adventuring and apply them to serious challenges one faces in life. Ray has a wealth of knowledge and is a gem of a human being. I am honored to get to chat with him for the show and truly proud to share this episode!! MORE FROM RAY: Website: https://www.rayzahab.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rayzahab/?hl=en Kapik1: https://kapik1.com

This week we are talking with Cole Crosby, a fantastic ultra runner! In this episode, he shares tales from taking on the Speed Project, an underground race where runners take any route from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Cole decided to add on significant amount of miles by taking the original route. Through this, he discovered a whole new level of himself as he had a near perfect race! The Speed Project is one of those quirky and awesome events that I think make Ultrarunning such a unique and awesome sport! We also talk all about Cole's running career, East Coast running and the Free Slurpee Day run! Hope you all enjoy! MORE FROM COLE: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colecrosby41/?hl=en Linktree: https://linktr.ee/colecrosby41

This week we are talking with filmmaker, adventurer and bike packer Maxwell Frost about his award-winning adventure film "Between Giants"! SPECIAL LINK TO THE MOVIE ONLY FOR THE NEXT MONTH: https://vimeo.com/820720244 This film truly shows the ups and downs and unforeseen obstacles of a big time adventure. Maxwell and his friend David flew over to India to bike the Himalayas. Pretty quickly, their plans were derailed by various obstacles and they were forced to embrace the chaos and adapt. Through this journey they learned how flexibility and being open to experiences is the true gift we get from travel and adventure! Can't wait for you to check out this episode! I HIGHLY recommend his film "Between Giants" and I can't wait for his next one "Lake Bike Hell" about his expedition across frozen Lake Baikal in Siberia.

This week we are bringing Phil Pinti back to the podcast to get his thoughts and feelings on our movie "A Long Way From Nowhere!" Phil has been a huge part of the Desert RATS family over the last few years. He is all heart and really put himself out there in our film. He has experience major loss in life and him sharing the ups and downs of his journey is extremely empowering. In this episode we talk about the film, the filming, and what the experiences at RATS has meant to him. Then in the outro we chat about our recent weekend running at the Trail Running Festival in Fruita! This is an awesome episode to wrap up our "A Long Way From Nowhere" project and really brings to focus what this adventure has meant for all of us involved! I truly hope you have enjoyed it!

This week we are chatting with experienced Stage Racer Mike Williams about all of the incredible races he has been apart of! I absolutely love the stage race format! I feel like they are perfect events for community building as one pushes limits through some stunning environments. Mike Williams has been lucky enough to participate in stage races all around the globe through the Racing the Planet series!! In this episode, Mike shares tales from these events along with some solid advice and tips for those of us looking to take on one of these self supported 250km races. Hope you all enjoy it and find some great takeaways from the episode!