In this episode of 500 Cats, the team takes a breather during the rare "event off-season" to reflect on a massive year of production. While they usually spend this time skiing, the unusually warm weather has them in the office focused on inventory, redesigning travel applications, and catching up on much-needed sleep.

The crew reveals the results of a company-wide vote on their Top 5 Favorite Events from the past year. From the sheer technical complexity of a massive ranch-based production to the high-altitude challenges of Colorado's most iconic bike race, they break down what made these shows successful—and what they learned when things didn't go perfectly.

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In Episode 32, we kick things off with a recap of the Louisville Turkey Trot, where the team volunteered and filmed to support the Community Food Share. But the warm fuzzy feelings end there as we dive into the absolute disaster that was our trip to Qatar.

What was supposed to be a standard broadcast installation turned into a travel nightmare. We recount the journey from hell, featuring a passenger vaping in the bathroom, a "cattle car" flight experience, and a vomiting incident in the aisle.

Things didn't improve upon landing. After navigating abandoned cables from the World Cup, we were promptly fired by the TV station before we even plugged in at the studio.

In this episode:

• The Flight from Hell: Dealing with entitled passengers, the "assistant to the assistant," and taking a blind man to the lavatory.
• The Job That Wasn't: How we flew halfway across the world only to be told "we won't need your graphics" less than an hour after arriving.
• Airport Security Drama: Marcus gets flagged for hours over a pair of snips and a tool bag.
• Duty-Free Dreams: Window shopping for McLarens and Sony cameras at the Doha airport.
• Lessons Learned: Why you should always have a production doc and a deposit before flying 7,000 miles.

Join us as we explain how we accidentally circumnavigated the globe in three days  just to come home with nothing but a story.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Community Food Share - https://communityfoodshare.org/
• The Compton Museum - https://www.comptonmuseum.org/

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When live event professionals try to leave the country and the airlines say, “Absolutely not.”

In this episode of 500 Cats, Dave and Marcus attempt to fly to Qatar for the Samla 200, only to have their flight canceled on the train to the gate and rebooked into a 42-hour, five-airport hostage situation. Meanwhile, we still have bags that are emotionally recovering from a previous trip to Spain, where $2,000 in luggage fees bought them a 10-day delay and some very unintentionally “just-in-time” broadcast gear.

Along the way they roast out-of-office auto-responders (again), relive the chaos and glory of IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Marbella and the final IRONMAN Arizona, survive sprinklers and sand at two Miami events, nerd out over GPS-in-3D maps and fancy Sennheiser mics, and debut their new hit: “Auto Responder Blues.” It’s travel disaster, tech gossip, endurance sports, and petty email rage–all cruising at 30,000 feet of mild turbulence.

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The BCC Live crew recaps nine wild events—from Ironman Kona to the LT Games in Minneapolis and Ironman Florida. Hear behind-the-scenes chaos, broadcast hacks, and heartfelt moments with the One Percent Better team. Tape, travel, tech, and teamwork—this is life on the road doing what we love.

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The 500 Cats crew takes the show to Chattanooga, Tennessee, during IRONMAN Chattanooga. Joined by race director Brian Myrick, volunteer director Alex High, regional director Ryan Richards, and athlete-turned-staffer Daniel Allemond, this episode dives into the heart of what makes the event business special: community, dedication, and the people behind the scenes. From stories of leadership and high expectations to inspiring tales of perseverance through cancer, the conversations capture the passion, grit, and friendships that fuel endurance events.

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Welcome to Episode 28! The Backwards Episode. We're giving you a rundown of all the events we've done since our last episode, but in reverse order. Why? Literally no reason! Come along the journey with us as we explore the ups and downs of the last few weeks and go yet again into our old standby of complaining about negative comments. But seriously, why do people have to be so negative? It's great to have you all on this journey with us, we hope you enjoy! But if you don't, you don't have to leave a comment. ;)

Also featuring an interview with Louie Cortese of Nitro Circus! Find Louie on Instagram @louie.cortese (https://www.instagram.com/louie.cortese?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=MWoyeHExZ2E0Mm5udQ==)

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Welcome to Episode 27! We start by airing our grievances about "the least successful project" we've ever been a part of. It involves broken hardware, gross incompetence from Dell, and a $5,000 TV that we had to "eat".

Then, we get into the main event: a recap of Gravel Worlds. We cover how a last-minute rainstorm turned a bike race into a "peanut butter mud" mess and the best footage we’ve ever seen of cyclists getting stuck. We also discuss what makes the Gravel Worlds broadcast different from other events, the importance of the "regular" athlete, and why we don't get as many negative comments at that race. Join us for stories of our team's travels, our newly rewired studio, and the legendary tale of how we got into a full IRONMAN race after a single text message.

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In Episode 26, the hosts of 500 Cats discuss their recent experiences working on live broadcasts and operations for various events, highlighting the challenges and successes of each one.

Key topics include:

• IRONMAN Canada: The team talks about their work at IRONMAN Canada in Ottawa, sharing stories about the amazing athletes they met, the support they received from the community and local businesses like AV Canada and Fleet Pro Sound, and the challenges they faced with shipping gear to Canada. The episode also details how a team member, Ryan, had to have an emergency appendectomy while in Ottawa, and his journey to recovery.
• Littleton Criterium: The hosts recount their experience covering the Littleton Criterium for the first time, discussing the fast-paced nature of the event and their use of new technology, including drones that were in the air for five hours straight. They praise the city of Littleton, the event's atmosphere, and the professionalism of the local AV company.
• Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Race: The team describes producing the first-ever live broadcast of the Leadville 100, including their use of a helicopter with a Starlink dish and motos to capture the race. They share stories of incredible athletes like Keegan Swenson and Kate Courtney, who set a new course record. They also highlight the inspiring story of Jeff Spencer, known as the "Dream Chaser," who starts last and raises money for every person he passes.
• A "F'ing Up" Philosophy: The episode concludes with a discussion about learning from mistakes and pushing through challenges, a theme that ties together their experiences with these events.

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Episode 25 of "500 Cats" dives into the thrilling world of extreme endurance races and broadcast challenges. The hosts recap their intense two weeks, which included covering the IRONMAN Lake Placid, and the FoCo Fondo in Fort Collins, Colorado. The episode also highlights the inclusivity of races like FoCo Fondo with their non-binary category, and shares anecdotes from site visits, including a challenging reconnaissance of the Leadville 100 course. The team looks ahead to upcoming events like IRONMAN Canada and the Littleton Twilight Criterium, and shares their excitement for Gravel Worlds, an event known for its unique culinary experiences (at least for us!). 

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🔥 Amazingly Enough Episode 24: Lake Life, Race Highs, & Pro Swagger! 🔥

The AmazinglyEnough crew is back in the Boulder studio, dusting off the desert from a "work trip" to Lake Powell that was anything but typical! We toted podcast gear to the middle of nowhere and... didn't use it. Instead, we soaked up 103-degree heat, dodged sleep in a "hunk of junk" houseboat (seriously, if there was a fire, someone would "put it out when they're done with this"), and enjoyed the slowest work week ever thanks to you, our amazing customers, who clearly listened to our "we're out of town" memo. Get the full, mostly uncensored, chaotic recap of how to vacation like true road warriors.

Then, we hit the ground running (literally!) at The Business of Running conference in San Diego. Why is this the bestgathering for race organizers? Think epic community, collaborative brilliance, and mind-blowing insights, including a deep dive into how AI's rise is making real-world human connection more vital than ever—and why that's fueling the running industry's resurgence to pre-2014 levels! We'll spill the tea on rubbing shoulders with industry titans like Mike Nishi (Chicago Marathon) and Jack Fleming (Boston Marathon), and share the powerful mantra of "leaving a legacy, not a scar."

But hold onto your headphones, because we're not done! We dive into the thrilling (and occasionally technically challenging) world of live sports broadcasting. From a nail-biting IRONMAN 70.3 Swansea broadcast (where ESPN calling you mid-show is never a good sign!) that tested our tech and our sanity, to the hidden magic of voice isolation, we'll give you the inside scoop on what it takes to bring these incredible races to your screen. Plus, we celebrate breakthrough performances from athletes like Kat Matthews and the insane run pace of Daniela Kleiser, proving the future of triathlon is blazing fast.

And if that wasn't enough, we welcome our incredible friend and pro triathlete, Laura Siddall, for an exclusive, heartfelt chat as she bids farewell to professional racing after Challenge Roth. Laura opens up about the bittersweet reality of her final race, the unparalleled magic of Roth (7,000 volunteers, people!), and what's next after an illustrious career. You'll hear why this legend values our humble opinion and why she's eternally grateful to her "underrated" coach.

We wrap things up with a rapid-fire rundown of the epic endurance events we're tackling next, including IRONMAN Lake Placid (can we finally get live footage this year?!), the terrifyingly awesome Foco Fondo cloud broadcast, and the never-before-done Leadville 100 live show ("guaranteed failure," anyone?). We'll also lament the perils of airline travel (broken bags, anyone?) and pay tribute to a broadcasting legend.

And because we love a good story (and a challenge), stick around to hear the hilarious AI song we cooked up for our friend Chris Heisler, inspired by a truly outrageous "Family Feud" answer. Your ears won't believe it!

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