Vincent Bouillard was the surprise winner (to some, anyway!) of the 2024 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, the most prestigious ultramarathon trail race in the world. The 31-year-old Frenchman, who works in product engineering and innovation at HOKA, broke the tape in 19 hours, 54 minutes, and 23 seconds, the third-fastest time in the 21-year history of the 105-mile race. In this conversation, which was recorded in early October 2024, Bouillard told me what life's been like since his big victory and...

This week on the podcast I sat down with my right-hand man Chris Douglas and answered reader and listener questions about the updated Boston Marathon qualifying standards, balancing gym sessions with running workouts, how to better manage long runs when you're an older athlete, what is exciting me most in running at the moment, advice for aspiring coaches, and a lot more. This episode is brought to you by: — Tracksmith, New Balance, Precision Fuel & Hydration, and Final Surge. All of...

I recently sat down with my good friend and frequent podcast guest Simon Freeman, the co-founder, editor, and publisher of my favorite running magazine, Like The Wind, for our third quarterly conversation of 2024, which you can listen to wherever you get the morning shakeout podcast. An excerpt of this exchange can be found in Issue #42 of LtW, which comes out this week. (You can buy a copy or subscribe here.) In this episode, which was recorded in August while the men's 1500m final at the...

This latest episode is my quarterly conversation with Like the Wind magazine co-founder and editor Simon Freeman. We recorded the episode back in April and I put it out yesterday. Ordinarily it coincides with the release of a new issue of LtW, in which an excerpt of the conversation usually appears, but the latest edition of the magazine is “by women, about women, for everyone,” so Simon and I sat this one out. (You can buy a copy or subscribe here.) We still had a great chat, however, about...

I recently sat down with my good friend and frequent podcast guest Simon Freeman, the co-founder, editor, and publisher of my favorite running magazine, Like The Wind, for our first quarterly conversation of 2024, which you can listen to wherever you get the morning shakeout podcast. An excerpt of this exchange can be found in Issue #39 of LtW, which comes out this week. (You can buy a copy or subscribe here.) In this episode we talk about what it means to adopt a "professional" mindset when...

This week's conversation with Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows is a follow-up to Episode 226, which was released back in August. In this one, we discuss how Jennifer spent her sabbatical over the summer and what she experienced visiting various run crews around the country (and even a couple internationally). She told me about what she hoped to get out of the trip, the feelings of culture, connection, and belonging she experienced along the way, how it all impacted her, what surprised her, and a...

I recently sat down with my good friend and frequent podcast guest Simon Freeman, the co-founder, editor, and publisher of my favorite running magazine, Like The Wind, for the fourth and final installment (for this year, anyway) of our yet-to-be named quarterly conversation, which you can listen to wherever you get the morning shakeout podcast. An excerpt of this exchange can be found in Issue #38 of LtW, which comes out later this week. (You can buy a copy or subscribe here.) This time...

This week, I sat down with my right-hand man Chris Douglas and answered questions about the Olympic Trials Marathon start-time controversy, things I’ve changed my mind on, the importance of the weekly long run, time versus distance-based training prescriptions, and a lot more. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions and apologies for all the ones I wasn’t able to answer in this episode. Got a question for the next Ask Mario Episode? Send it to me here. This episode is brought to you...

This week's episode of the podcast with Megan Young, Performance Coach with the Seattle Sounders professional soccer club. Megan is a rockstar with 15 years of experience working in collegiate athletics, and men’s and women’s professional soccer. She’s the 2023 National Strength and Conditioning Association Professional Coach of the Year and a voracious learner with numerous degrees and certifications on her resume. This was the first time I’ve ever spoken to Megan and it felt like catching...

This week's episode of the podcast is with Stuart McMillan, widely regarded as one of the best sprint coaches in the world. Stu has worked with both professional and amateur athletes in a variety of sports with a focus on power and speed development. He’s personally coached over 70 Olympians at nine Olympic Games, over 30 of whom have won Olympic medals. In addition to his hands-on work with athletes, Stu runs ALTIS, an organization that trains athletes and educates coaches to perform at the...

This week I had an awesome conversation with Don Swartz, who coaches my wife’s Masters swimming program at North Bay Aquatics in Marin County, California, and is someone I respect, admire, and try to emulate in my own life. Don was inducted into the American Swimming Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2013, he coached several swimmers to Olympic, World Championship and Pan-American teams in the early-to-mid 1970s, not to mention a handful of world records (including Rick Demont in the 400m...

This week I had a wonderful conversation with my good friend Brad Stulberg. Brad, who works as a writer and performance coach, is my first four-time guest and his episodes are some of the most listened to in the six-year history of the show. In this one, the first installment of a new series I’m calling Coach to Coach, Brad and I discuss the craft of coaching and highlight the parallels and through lines that exist between working with athletes and working with executives and entrepreneurs....

I recently sat down with my good friend and three-time podcast guest Simon Freeman, the co-founder, editor, and publisher of my favorite running magazine, Like The Wind, for the third installment of our unnamed quarterly conversation. An excerpt of this exchange can be found in Issue #36 of LtW, which comes out later this week. (You can buy a copy or subscribe here.) In this one, Simon and I talk all about defining yourself a runner, why many runners tend to identify themselves in a...

Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows is a runner and serves as Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis. I’ve always appreciated her perspective on running, the industry, and this beautiful and messy path we’re all navigating called life. This is actually the first of what will be a two-part conversation. In this one, we set the table: Get to know Jennifer a little bit, learn more about her paths to becoming a runner and a member of the clergy, and hear us talk about running, community,...

This week, my right-hand man Chris Douglas serves me up some listener questions in an old-school Ask Mario Anything episode of the podcast. In this one, I answer inquiries about my favorite books, “lighthouses” in my life, breaking through in the marathon, returning to running after a stress fracture, and a lot more.  This episode is brought to you by: — Tracksmith. Tracksmith's new Spring Collection is now available, featuring a colorful refresh of some of my favorite training staples. If...

I recently sat down with my good friend and three-time podcast guest Simon Freeman, the co-founder, editor, and publisher of my favorite running magazine, Like The Wind, for the second installment of our yet-to-be named quarterly conversation, which you can listen to wherever you get the morning shakeout podcast or at this handy link. An excerpt of this exchange can be found in Issue #36 of LtW, which comes out later this week. In this one, Simon and I talk all about coaching: our experiences...

My guest on the podcast this week is my friend Randy Ashley, one of the most incredible, unassuming, and relatively unheralded coaches I know. He’s worked with—and continues to work with—athletes of all ages and ability levels, from beginners to Olympic Trials qualifiers, and national champions. He spends most of his time these days as the head track and cross country coach at Christ School, a private boys institution in Asheville, North Carolina, where he’s had 8 kids win 24 state...

This episode of the podcast is the fourth installment of a new 4-part series I’m calling Pillars of Performance. The main objective behind this series is to go deep with experts in the areas of training, strength and conditioning/injury prevention, sports psychology, and nutrition, i.e., the four pillars that support a foundation of sustainable performance no matter what event you’re training for or what level of runner you are. My guest for this one is Starla Garcia, an Olympic Trials...

This episode of the podcast is the third installment of a new 4-part series I’m calling Pillars of Performance. The main objective behind this series is to go deep with experts in the areas of training, strength and conditioning/injury prevention, sports psychology, and nutrition, i.e., the four pillars that support a foundation of sustainable performance no matter what event you’re training for or what level of runner you are. My guest for this one is Dr. Justin Ross, an avid endurance...

This episode of the podcast is the second installment of a new 4-part series I’m calling Pillars of Performance. The main objective behind this series is to go deep with experts in the areas of training, strength and conditioning/injury prevention, sports psychology, and nutrition, i.e., the four pillars that support a foundation of sustainable performance no matter what event you’re training for or what level of runner you are. My guest for this one is Anh Bui, Doctor of Physical Therapy,...

This episode of the podcast is the first installment of a new 4-part series I’m calling Pillars of Performance. The main objective behind this series is to go deep with experts in the areas of training, strength and conditioning/injury prevention, sports psychology, and nutrition, i.e., the four pillars that support a foundation of sustainable performance no matter what event you’re training for or what level of runner you are. My guest for this one is Mark Coogan, coach of Team New Balance...

This week, I sat down with my good friend and two-time podcast guest Simon Freeman, the co-founder, editor, and publisher of my favorite running magazine, Like The Wind, which just celebrated its ninth birthday. For the past couple issues of LtW, Simon and I have had a conversation about a particular topic in running, which he recorded, transcribed, and published an excerpt of in the magazine. We did the same for Issue #34, which comes out on March 1, and decided to publish the entire audio...

This final episode of 2022 is a compilation of highlights from 12 of the most impactful conversations I’ve had over the past 12 months. As I’ve written in years past, putting this annual episode together is equal parts exciting and impossible. It’s a treat to revisit all of these exchanges but it’s also a tough task to pick 12 that stood out. Each and every person that's been gracious enough to give me an hour or two of their time has taught me, inspired me, entertained me, moved me, or...

I’m excited to bring you the 11th and final installment of Common Ground for 2022, a monthly podcast co-hosted by me and Dinée Dorame of the Grounded Podcast. In this year-end episode, we talk about our running highlights of the year, podcast highlights of the year, music highlights of the year, and a lot more. Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where...