In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Mike Carson, ultramarathon runner and stand up paddle boarder out of Michigan, currently hailing from Alabama. In the past year Mike completed the Vol State 300 mile journey run, made it to the super lap in Last Paddler Standing, and won the Across the Years Last Man Standing running backyard ultra. We cover so much in this episode from ultramarathon running versus paddling, the adaptability of the human body, focusing on process & procedure over finishing place, the Vol State Journey Run & what it feels like to run 300 miles in one sitting… spoiler alert it sounds miserable, deja vu hallucinations, board selection for Last Paddler Standing, Nathan Benderson Park versus Lake June in Winter, what it feels like to meet your heroes, having Laurie Sanders as crew and as a spirit animal, sleep deprivation strategies, and Across the Years Last Man Standing. There’s so much more to this episode, but I’ll let you hear it from Mike himself on this 43rd episode of the Dabbling in Paddleism Podcast…

Mike’s book recommendations:

The Ultramarathon man, by Dean Karnazes: https://a.co/d/04dElC14

Socials:

https://bio.site/mcarson

Mike’s mini-documentary on the 2023 Last Paddler Standing race: https://supboardermag.com/2024/11/21/experience-the-last-paddler-standing-with-mike-carson-cruel-punishment-self-torture/