Overcome And Run

Founder and Race Director for Grit OCR Antonio Alletto joined me on the podcast this week to tell me all about his race, how and why created it, and the challenges and success he encountered along the way. We start by Antonio introducing himself and telling me about his background with OCR. We then dive into Grit as I ask him why he wanted to create an OCR, and he tells me how he started it. Antonio walks me through the process of creating an OCR and creating the course, and tells me all about how he built all of his obstacles. He talks about the biggest challenges he faced in creating his own OCR, and we talk about last year's inaugural event and what he learned from it. He explains the format of the race, and I ask him why he chose penalty loops over mandatory obstacle completion. He also explains how the competitive system works at his race. We end by discussing expansion and different race formats, and Antonio tells me what kind of person Grit OCR is trying to reach.

The 2019 Spartan season kicked off in Chino, California last weekend and I spoke with some of the elite athletes who hit the podium all about the course, what they thought of the new obstacles, the competition, and the year ahead. I spoke with: -Kirk DeWindt -Nicole Mericle -Veejay Jones -Nell Rojas -Natalie Miano -Nikolaj Dam -Leon Kofoed

Live from Platinum OCR's first time trial of 2019, I spoke with some of the top athletes there all about the time trials, their training, and their plans for the upcoming season. I spoke with Omar Padilla who placed first, Faye Morgan who placed first for women, Platinum OCR owner Nicole Kifer and second place female Evelyne Ruiz. We discuss the challenges they faced with the course and the obstacles, and how it relates to Spartan and other OCR races. I also ask them about their training, their goals, and what their plans are for 2019. A great short episode to send you into your weekend!

Spartan's VP of Product David Watson joins me on the podcast this week to discuss all the changes Spartan made to their championship qualification system, and their championship weekend, and why they decided to make them. We start with some clarifying questions about the qualification system and the roll-down weeks that follow the last U.S. National Series race and the North American Championship in West Virginia.  Then we dive into the why: I ask David why Spartan decided to change the the qualification system to only 6 races in the season and if they took into account those racers that might find it especially difficult to qualify for the World Championships because of that. That leads us into an interesting discussion about raising the standards of championships and legitimizing the sport. I ask David at what point Spartan will give more spots to international competitors, and we discuss the international competition. We then talk all about the new format of the Spartan World Championship weekend, and I di

This week, I invited Matt B. Davis of Obstacle Racing Media, Josh Chace of the New England Spahtens podcast, and Mike Stefano and Katelyn Ritter of the Obstacle Running Adventures podcast on the show for a round table discussion about a whole host of OCR topics. We start by talking about Spartan's addition of age group podiums: what Spartan's goal was, whether or not they acheived it, and how they affected the competitive field. That leads us to discuss the addition of numerous race series within Spartan, and their championship series. We move on to talk about Tough Mudder's Tougher series, and then we talk about the two-loop format Tough Mudder tried this year (and why it failed). That leads us into a discussion about the breakneck speed with which companies are adding race formats and making changes. We talk about the Spartan trail race series, and speculate on whether or not it will be successful in 2019. We also have a quick talk about the festival areas and where or not they're getting better, and why th

This week elite OCR athlete and coach Mark Batres joins me to talk all about training in the off-season: the dos, the don'ts, and how to train to improve your performance for the next year. We start with Mark telling me about his OCR season went, and then he tells me all about the recent Spartan combine held in Laughlin. I also ask him if he's planning on running one of the new Spartan Trail races, and we chat a bit about that. Mark then tells me more about his coaching business, and how and why he got started. We then talk about the off-season, and Mark explains why it's not good to take an excessive amount of time off. He tells me about building a base, and discusses the best ways to use the off-season to improve your OCR performance. I ask him about plateaus in training, and Mark tells me how they happen, and the best advice for pushing past them. We then discuss finding a balance between overtraining and not training enough, and I ask him what some of the biggest mistakes are that people make in the off-s

Elite ultra marathon runner and trail racer Devon Yanko joins me on the podcast this week to talk all about Western States, running ultra marathons, and why she loves (and excels at) those long distances. We start with Devon telling me more about her background, and how she got into running and eventually towards ultras. She tells me about her first ultra, and how the community drew her in to the sport. She shares with me some of the lessons she learned, then talks about the first ultra she won. I ask Devon why she prefers running long distances, which leads us to talk about how the ability to endure suffering is a key element to ultra running. We talk about her lowest race moment (that happened to be captured on camera for the Billy Yang film Life In A Day), and how she got through it. That leads us to talking all about The Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, and her performance in 2016 where she placed third for women. She talks about what helped secure that podium spot, and goes in depth about various p

This week, I brought Erin Rost on the show to talk all about her second place win for the women at World's Toughest Mudder last weekend, and all about that intense 24-hour event. We start with Erin telling me about her background and how she got into OCR, and we talked about Toughest Mudder South (her first endurance OCR) and the lessons she learned in order to have a strong performance at WTM. She tells me more about how she trained for WTM, and describes some of the long distance races she ran to prepare, including the North Face Endurance Challenge, her first 50-mile race. Erin shares the worries she had going into World's, and she tells me all about her WTM experience, from the obstacles, to the routes she chose, to the lowest moment during her race (and she recites the epic poem that helped her through it). We talk about the dramatic finish to the women's race, and the moment she realized that she took second place, and Erin tells me how it felt to cross the finish line. We also talk about her experience

For our second episode this week, I brought elite OCR athlete Mikhail Gerylo on to talk all about this year's OCR World Championships in the UK. Mik starts by telling me all about the 15k race where he placed in the top 15, and talks about the 100 obstacles in detail. He shares what made the course so difficult, and why the overall completion rate for many elite athletes was so low. He tells me more about the unique obstacles there, and shares his strategy for recovering after falling off an obstacle. Mik also compares this year's course to last year's, and the challenges with each. We then talk about the team race, and he tells me his role on the Maple Syrup Mamas team alongside Ryan Atkins and Lindsay Webster. Mik gives more detail about the team race format, and tells me more about the stiff competition. We then talk about the race distance that he prefers to train for, and Mik shares more about his background and coaching. He tells me his plans for the off-season, and his big OCR goals for 2019.

From March 28th to August 28th of this year, OCR competitor Ben Mitchell hiked the entire length of the Pacific Crest Trail, so I brought him on the show to talk all about his journey. Ben starts by introducing himself and how he got into OCRs, then tells me when and why he decided to hike the entire PCT. We talk about how long it took him to prepare, what it involved, and what he carried on him every day (and the lessons he learned about what not to carry). He tells me about his worst day he had out on the trail, and we talk about trail logistics. Ben also shares what food and nutrition he relied on throughout the months he was hiking, and tells me more about his itinerary and breaks, also known as "zero days". Ben also shares his favorite parts of the trail, and walks me through the different states and sections of the trail and their defining characteristics. Lastly, he tells me about how it felt to finish the trail, and talks about the lessons he learned and the biggest takeaways from the entire trip.

OCR athlete Deanna Brasz joins me on the podcast this week to talk all about Toughest Mudder, endurance racing and mental strength! Deanna starts by sharing her background and how she got into OCR, and tells me why she primarily sticks to Tough Mudder. We then talk about the recent Toughest Mudder West where she finished in fifth place for the women, and the unexpected challenges of that race. She also tells me how this Toughest Mudder compares to the many other that she has run before. Deanna then tells me about why she tends to lean towards endurance races, and the mental attitude behind it. We go over details like her pit strategy and nutrition, and she shares what it's like dealing with exercise-induced asthma during these races. We also discuss mental strength, and Deanna tells me about her World's Toughest Mudder experience last year. She shares what she's been focusing on with training, and what specific techniques she's been using to improve her upper body strength.

Live from the Tough Mudder weekend in Sonoma, this week's episode is full of interviews from athletes at the Tougher Mudder wave, the Toughest Mudder West race, and race director Eli Hutchison.  I spoke with Lauren Taksa and Nick O'Sullivan on Saturday all about their respective wins at the Tougher Mudder race, and they give us some insight into the course and the competition. Then I spoke with Trevor Cichosz, Rea Kolbl, Allison Tai, and Kris Mendoza after the Toughest Mudder race (shortly after I had finished my own) all about the competition, how the daytime Toughest Mudder compared to the races at night, what they thought of the course, and more. Lastly, I spoke with Eli Hutchison from TMHQ all about Toughest and about the many changes Tough Mudder is making to their 2019 season.

This week's episode is full of live interviews from the Spartan World Championships at Lake Tahoe last weekend! We talk all about the championship race, the team race, and what's ahead with championship season. I spoke with: -Ian Hosek -Robert Killian, John Yatsko and Mark Batres -Guest interview by Margaret Schlacter with Alyssa Hawley, Kristin Saad and Nicole Mericle -Ashley Heller, Emilee Smith and Kaci Monroe -Ryan Kent, Veejay Jones and Mike Ferguson -Yancy Culp -Alyssa Hawley -Nicole Mericle -Kristin Saad

This week, I brought on Dustin Dorough for a Q&A session all about Terrain Race, from their past and current issues to the changes we can look forward to for 2019. Dustin starts by explaining how and why he got started with Terrain Race, and tells me more about the development team that he's a part of and how hands on that team is with the race. He also talks about the changes that the team is planning on implementing in 2019. We discuss the issues with the photographers and photos from the races they've had, and we discuss issues with customer service and how they plan on improving it in the future. I also ask about their recent promotion where they offered free registration, and Dustin explains the thought process behind it. Lastly, I ask about whether they'll be putting more emphasis on the competitive race in the future, and whether they'll add more distance options beyond the 5K.

This week's episode is full of live interviews from the Spartan Beast in Seattle! I spoke with the athletes about everything from the course, to the competition, to their methods of conquering the course and the obstacles. I spoke with: -Michelle Ford -Ashley Heller -John Howell -Josh Fry -Heather Gollnick

I spoke with strength and conditioning coach Chad Budyk all about why strength training is just as important as running, why lifting heavy enough is important, and about matching the demands of race day in your training. Chad starts by introducing himself and his background, and explains to me why he specializes in OCR training. We discuss how athletes tend to stick to certain distances and races, and speculate on the possibility of having different championship races for different race distances. He then explains how and why athletes should be focusing on strength and conditioning just as much as running, and why you should never, ever burpee out on a strength obstacle. He also explains how strength training helps you manage your heart rate on race day. That leads us into a discussion about matching or exceeding the demands of race day in your training: what it looks like, why it's important, and why you need to go hard on those days. Chad tells me about using consequences to replicate race day pressure, and

This week, I talked to elite OCR athlete and ultra runner Trevor Cichosz all about his recent win at Ultra Great Britain, a 214-mile race across Scotland. Trevor tells me how he heard about the race and why he decided to run it, and what he was most worried about going into the race. He also talks about how he trained for the longest race he's ran yet. He walks me through his race experience, from the start line nerves, to the darkest part of his race and how he pushed past it, to some of the most interesting parts of the course (including hallucinating from the lack of sleep). Trevor talks about what kind of gear and nutrition he relied on, and about the gear mistakes he made. He also shares some interesting stories about his encounters with animals and slightly aggressive cows. We end by talking about his World's Toughest Mudder experience last year where he took third place with 95 miles, and what he's looking forward to at that event this year.

This week, I brought trainer, nutritionist and elite athlete Josh Stryde back on the show to talk all about racing in Canada, race week prep, overtraining and the importance of recovery, and nutrition. We start with Josh telling me all about the Spartan Rocky Mountain Trifecta weekend in Canada, which leads us to a discussion about what it takes to prepare for a triple-race weekend, from nutrition prep to recovery. Josh talks about cramping in races and the big factors that lead up to it, and how to best avoid it with proper nutrition pre- and post-race. We then talk about the elite competition in Canada and Josh tells me more about the elite field up there. We then talk about what big trail races athletes are focusing on in Canada, and Josh tells me about some of the best places for trail running. Josh also talks about recognizing the symptoms of overtraining and how to avoid it. That brings us to a discussion about recovery, why hiring a coach is beneficial, and the importance of mental recovery. We end wit

This week's episode is full of live interviews from the Spartan Championship Series Super in Utah! I spoke with: -Garfield Griffiths -Devon Yanko -Robert Killian -Mike Ferguson -Lindsay Webster -Ryan Woods -Leigh Anne Wasteney They talk about everything from the race, to the strategies they used to tackle the course, to the championship series and how this race compares with past championship races, and more.  I got plenty of time for some longer interviews, so there's a lot of great information and tips in this live episode!

I spoke with elite OCR athlete Alexandra Walker this week all about her experience at TMX, Toughest South, and how she trains to keep up with the elite field. Alex tells me how she got started in OCR, how and when she started training competitively, and what it's like to have Yancy Culp as her personal coach. That leads us into a short discussion about the importance of coaching when it comes to training. She shares with me her experience at TMX in Sacramento and what it was like being in the "pain cave", and she talks about the transition between TMX and then Toughest just a few weeks later. I ask her to compare the competition between short races and endurance races, and to compare an ultra marathon to an endurance OCR. Alex tells me about what distance she considers her speciality and why, and shares some tips about how to prepare for wet obstacles. Lastly, she tells me what some of her favorite races are, and we naturally talk about the epic Battlefrog rigs.