We're fired up to have ultrarunner Jake Jackson with us for this episode following his maiden voyage of Cocodona 250, although, in the weeks following, Jake was already on the top of the podium at the Nanny Goat 12-hour and at the time of this recording, days away from the San Diego 100.

Jake is a dad of three, husband, full-time professional with UPS, and former smoker-partier who realized alongside his wife that they needed to adopt a healthier lifestyle. So they traded their cigarettes for running shoes. After road running and finding success as a fast runner, Jake turned to the trails. His ultra sign-up CV is long, reporting his first trail race in October of 2014, although he had already been lacing up his shoes for several years at that point.

Jake has twice represented Team USA in the 24-hour World Championships, been last man standing at a last-man-standing race, taken wins and stood on the podium countless times, grinded away miles and managed to get it all in despite working full-time, being a dad, and giving space to his wife, Missy, to hit the trails and get in her training.

He's credited with a reputation for positivity and lifting others up along the way, and we are certain you are going to love his laid-back, no-excuses demeanor.

Thank you for tuning in and supporting the YogiTriathlete podcast since 2016. It is one of the OG podcasts of the endurance sports world. If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on your favorite place to listen. By joining our Patreon community, you can also support the commercial-free nature of the YTP and Awake Athlete podcasts and the early release of every podcast episode.

In this episode:

- New film project coming soon

- Becoming Mr. nutrition guy at his job with UPS

- Getting up early

- Racing more frequently

- What his body is capable of

- Build into Cocodona 250

- Biggest challenge of sleep deprivation

- Failure vs learning

- Effects on the body after running 250 miles

- Magical moments on Mt Eldon and Sedona at sunrise

- What keeps you going and not quitting

- 24 timed races vs mileage races

- Nutrition plan when going long

- Buffet aid stations at Cocodona

- What did you learn about yourself?

- Pushing your limits

- Recovery takeaways

- Thoughts leading into San Diego 100

- The big dream

- No excuses