#6 - Fat Adapted Ultra Running, Fuel For Elite Racing - Zach Bitter

In this episode, I’m interviewing the Endurance Athlete and coach, Zach Bitter.

Zach currently holds the American 100-mile record, and the 12 hour World Record. As you might have guessed, he’s driven to find his limitations in a variety of environments and help others find theirs.

In this interview, we discuss everything from the psychology of competing in endurance races such as his recent western states 100, how he is able to sustain the impact that those distances can have on your body, through to the high-fat ketogenic approach to nutrition he follows in order to fuel his racing efforts.

Zach is such a humble, well-spoken guy, with a lot of expertise not only in the world of ultra-running but in managing racing and nutrition for sustainable outcomes. I’m so honored to be interviewing someone so physically and mentally tough like Zach, so make sure you stick around to the end where he gives some really helpful advice about getting into your first ultra-marathon.

Questions

Start with a personal story that you would be willing to share (Maybe how you ran into someone on the track? / How you helped someone else during a race?)

How did you get started? Finding your strengths, can you explain that feeling?

People who have trouble sleeping / energy swings are usually prescribed exercise, but for someone like yourself who trains so often, can you explain the motivation behind the high fat approach to your running and how that effected your sleep?

Tell us about the Western States 100 – With 18,000f of elevation, steep Start and middle, from what I could see from your splits, you just kept getting better.

The psychology of running can make or break potential during a race. How does looking back on the training motivate you to dig deep? And how does community inspire you to push harder?

As a high fat ultra-runner, do you monitor your training load vs your carbohydrate intake? Do you need to count macros? Or has this become intuitive?

You’re also a coach, what are some of the common mistakes your see your clients doing that might be stunting their progress?

You’ve done so many interviews in the past, including your podcast with Joe Rogan. You’re such a well-spoken guy, so does it feel like you’re right at home with your podcast “Human Performance Outliers” with Shawn Baker (who’s also been on the Joe Rogan Podcast)

Shorter Questions

What’s your favourite keto food?

What’s your favourite style of training run?

What’s your least favourite keto food?

What’s your least favourite training run?

Who are you currently inspired by?

Who is your number 1 supporter?

Ultra-distance aside, do you think a 2-hour marathon is possible?

What book or video you’ve watched recently inspired you?

What music have you been listening to recently? (do you find music puts you off)

Ending Question:

What would you tell someone transitioning from a marathon into an ultra-marathon, and what wouldn’t you tell them?

Books Mentioned:

How Bad Do You Want It – Matt Fitzgerald - https://www.amazon.com/How-Bad-You-Want-Psychology/dp/1937715418

Find More About Zach Bitter:

Website: https://zachbitter.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachbitter/

Human Performance Outliers Podcast: https://zachbitter.com/hpo-podcast/

Coaching -> http://www.sharmanultra.com/zachbitter

Achievements -> https://zachbitter.com/achievements/