This week, I spoke with Antonio Alletto, race director and founder of Grit OCR. Antonio starts by telling me all about Grit OCR, from the format to the obstacles and everything in between. We talk about the two different race distances they offer, and how that poses a challenge as a race director. I ask him about how he chooses which obstacles to include, which leads us to a discussion about what he loves about rucking and why it's an important part of his race. Antonio shares what factors...

This week, I spoke with elite OCR athlete Ashley Heller!  We start with talking about her most recent Spartan race in Montana, and about how much we both love that course. Ashley tells me about her recent injury, her recovery process and how she dealt with it. We talk about her return to racing, and she shares advice for athletes dealing with injuries. We then talk about Elevate OCR and its mission, which leads us to talk about what we love about the sport of obstacle course racing....

Matt B. Davis of Obstacle Racing Media joins me on the podcast for a special bonus episode this week! We start with talking about endurance running and training, and then discuss OCR podcasting through 2020, and how the OCR competition has changed over the past year. Matt then asks me some questions about myself and what I've been up to the past year, and we talk about his live coverage over at ORM. We discuss the championships later in the year and speculate on attendance, and Matt tells...

Oh hey we're back! This week I spoke with elite OCR athlete Alex Walker who took third place at Hildervat this past weekend.  We start with talking about the race itself, and her likes and dislikes from the weekend, which leads us to a short discussion of men's weights versus women's weights. Then we talk about her 2021 race season, and the state of OCR competition after the big 2020 break. Alex shares her goals and plans for 2021, which leads us to talk about her running preferences and...

Hey everyone, I'm back! I spoke with elite OCR athlete Javier Escobar this week all about his 100-mile outing at World's Toughest Mudder last fall, his training, and how he stays motivated. We begin by talking about his 2019 WTM experience, and how it felt to reach 100 miles. He tells me about his progression from 35 miles at his first WTM to 100 miles at his latest. He talks about how his training program has improved his performance, and the specific training and movements he's been...

Back with a brand new episode all about the Spartan World Championships in Tahoe! I start with giving my own race recap about the 10k Trail race on Saturday, then share my experience racing in Age Group at the World Championships on Sunday. Then I talk with Kris Brown, winner of Saturday's Ultra race and an experienced ultra runner who is also a member of Spartan's Trail Race team. Lastly, I have a great long interview with Spartan Pro Ashley Heller, all about her top 10 placing at the...

Spartan start line emcee, motivational speaker and coach Mr. J'ean joins me on the podcast to talk all about his experiences at the start line, motivation, and transparency. We begin with Mr. J'ean telling me about his background, and then all about how he got involved with Spartan. We talk about burnout, and how he gets through sending off thousands of racers every race day. He shares the challenges of his job as the start line emcee, and also tells me about his favorite part about...

This week's episode is full of live interviews from the Spartan weekend in Monterey, California last weekend! I spoke with: -Timmie Brann -Nick O'Sullivan -Natalie Miano -Ian Deyerle -Veejay Jones -Mark Batres -Annie Dube -Zhanique Lovett

This week's episode is all about hiking! At the beginning of this month, I hiked the Cactus to Clouds trail up to San Jacinto Peak, where I met three hikers in the midst of hiking the entire Pacific Crest Trail.  I start by sharing my experience with the grueling Cactus to Clouds hike, then dive into the interviews with Stripes, Mr. Snuggles and Dink (their PCT trail names). I spoke with them all about what motivated them to start this long, arduous journey, and we talk a bit about Cactus...

This week's episode is full of live interviews from the Spartan USNS Beast and Mountain Series Sprint in Big Bear, California! I spoke with athletes all about the crazy hills, the cold dunk wall on Sunday, and everything in between. On Saturday at the Beast, I spoke with: -Rea Kolbl -Mark Batres -Natalie Miano -Ryan Kent -Alyssa Hawley -Mack Roesch On Sunday at the Sprint, I spoke with: -Matt B. Davis of Obstacle Racing Media -Rea Kolbl -Amanda Nadeau -Veejay Jones -Aaron Newell ...

Ultra marathon athlete and former World's Toughest Mudder champion Trevor Cichosz joins me this week to tell me all about his experience at Everest 135, an intense 135-mile ultra marathon where he took third place. We begin with Trevor telling me all about how he heard of this race, all the race prep required and the training (and lack thereof) that led up to it. He tells me about the race prep in the days leading up to the race, and walks me through his entire race experience, from the...

Live from Snohomish, Washington, I grabbed a ton of interviews with some of the top athletes who ran the Seattle Spartan Championship Super. We spoke about the challenges of the course, the weather, the competition, and more! I spoke with: -Faye Morgan -Aaron Newell -Nicole Mericle -Ryan Atkins -Rea Kolbl -Ryan Kent -Veejay Jones

This week is full of live interviews and my own review from Tough Mudder's opening weekend in California! I was there Sunday to run the course, and I got interviews from some key members of the TM community, including: -Tough Mudder CEO Kyle McLaughlin -Two of the three founders of Assist 100 Mudders, Joey Ta and Ed Groleau -Tough Mudder emcee and community favorite Sean Corvelle

Jack Bauer, the mind behind the massive Spartan ranking system, joins me on the podcast to talk all about the top women in the elite field. We begin with talking about the "Fab 5" elite women and who it has consisted of, and how it might be changing. We have a long discussion full of stats about most all of the top women currently in the field, and where we think they'll end up by championship season. This leads me to ask for Jack's opinion on whether the wide variety of course types in...

Elite OCR athlete and Spartan Pro Team member Veejay Jones joins me on the podcast to talk about his win at the Spartan U.S. National Series race, how he trains and what he focuses on in his training, and about the upcoming show he's on, Million Dollar Mile. We start with Veejay telling me about his win in Alabama, and I ask him about his proficiency with obstacles. He then explains to me why the Spartan U.S. National Series isn't on his radar, and I ask him when he'll start to focus on...

Kressa Peterson joined me for a bonus episode this week to talk all about her product Shower Toga, appearing on Shark Tank, and how the values of OCR got her to where she is today. We begin with Kressa introducing herself and telling me about when and how the idea for the Shower Toga was born. She then tells me about the process of getting on Shark Tank, and we compare it to an endurance OCR. That leads us to a discussion about the lessons and confidence OCR has given us, and how it affects...

We've got more live interviews for you this week from the Spartan San Jose Sprint! I spoke with athletes all about the course, the competition, how it compares to previous years, and what's ahead for them. I start by giving my own recap of the Sprint race, and then speak with: -Kyle Elliot -Josh Fry -Seth Buchwalter -Ian Deyerle -Erin Wachter -Emilee Smith

This week's episode is full of live interviews from the Spartan Sprint and Super weekend outside Las Vegas (technically in Arizona), and my own recap from the race. I spoke with Veejay Jones all about his race, racing against Cody Moat and Hobie Call, and a little bit about the upcoming show Million Dollar Mile. I also spoke with Hobie Call about his return to racing this year, and Cody Moat about racing neck-and-neck with Veejay, and I ask them both about their Sprint race and what races...

Elite OCR athlete Ryan Kempson joins me this week to talk all about his win at the Spartan US National Series Super in Jacksonville last weekend, the series as a whole, the sport of OCR, and how he trains for such a long season. We start with Ryan giving me his background and how he got into OCR. We then dive into Jacksonville and Ryan break down how his race went and the competition. We discuss the new obstacles, and then dive into the topic of officiating at races, and how Ryan feels...

This week's episode is full of live interviews from the Spartan Sprint/Super weekend in Arizona! I spoke with some of the elite athletes there all about the terrain, the cold, and the competition. I spoke with: -Emilee Smith -Nick O'Sullivan -Beni Gifford -Amanda Nadeau -Daniel Sorenson -Heather Gollnick -Timmie Brann -Nikolaj Dam -Leon Kofoed

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...

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,...

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...