Free Outside

Javelina 100 just happened, and it was a strange, muddy, rain-soaked one. I was out there in costume, pacing and crewing. Zach Bitter and Allison Mercer joined me to break down what went on up front. Both races changed leaders on the final loop. Nine of the top ten men were over 30, and women in their 40s swept the podium. Patient racing beat early aggression again.

We get into why Javelina is still a Western States golden ticket and how unsponsored runners keep crashing the party. We also talk about whether Hoka regrets letting Carla go. The New York City Marathon kicked off a super-shoe conversation, and we dig into pros versus influencers and how honest sponsored content really is. Then I pitch my idea for 24-hour pace groups at 100-milers, plus a prize for the fastest runner in a costume.

Find Zach at zachbitter.com and on the Human Performance Outliers Podcast. I’m on that show too, covering different topics.

Text the Free Outside hotline: 541-903-8065

Watch Rewritten, the film about my Appalachian Trail record.

Thanks to Janji (code FREEOUTSIDE for 10% off), Garage Grown Gear, and CS Coffee.

Chapters

00:00 Intro

00:51 Welcome Zach & Allison

01:10 Javelina in the rain: first impressions

03:34 New names up front & the first-downhill trap

06:03 Over-40 women sweep the podium

08:28 Mud, conditions & Heather Jackson’s late pass

11:36 Positive splits and the case for even pacing

13:43 A rare one: the winner wasn’t leading into loop 5

16:58 Course changes making Javelina faster

19:24 Why is Javelina a golden ticket race?

21:42 The Black Canyon pipeline & pros vs the costume party

23:06 Unsponsored winners: the haves and have-nots

27:17 Does Hoka regret not re-signing Carla?

28:33 Breakout races & surprise brand budgets

31:27 Super shoes, Puma, Nike & the NYC Marathon

39:00 Why aren’t there more one-off race sponsorships?

41:18 Pros vs influencers: who actually sells shoes?

44:36 Loyalty & honesty in sponsored content

47:21 Zach’s race-by-race sponsorship idea

51:51 The pitch: 24-hour pace groups

58:06 Veteran helpers & “team moms” on course

59:35 Online goal groups before race day

1:02:38 A prize for first place in a costume

1:03:44 Where to find Zach & Allison

1:05:11 The comment section

1:07:09 Outro: costumes, Rewritten & the hotline

Cal Calamia has raced all six World Marathon Majors and run a 2:40, but this weekend he’s running his first 100 miler at Javelina. In the desert, on Halloween, and I get to pace the last loop.

I recorded this with Cal the Wednesday before the race. We get into how a road marathoner learns to “make friends with 20 miles,” why running a marathon every weekend would have horrified his old marathon self, his 100 grams of carbs per hour plan, and the Black Canyon 100K where the start got pushed two hours and I had to track down a headlamp mid-race.

We also cover something I’ve wanted to talk about for a long time. A lot of people, including my aunt, one of the most open people I know, are nervous to ask about pronouns and trans and nonbinary identities. So I asked Cal, who is trans nonbinary and uses he/they pronouns, what it all means and how to make it approachable in your own life. We talk about why last year, after finishing third overall in the Javelina 100K, Cal had to choose between the men’s podium and the nonbinary one, and why that choice exists at all.

Plus his first brand deal: a thousand dollars to hold a bottle of wine.

Follow Cal: @calcalamia

Thanks to our partners
Janji: use code FREEOUTSIDE at janji.com
Garage Grown Gear: tell them I sent you

Text the Free Outside hotline: 541-903-8065

00:00 Intro
02:13 Three days out from a first 100
03:13 The trail world’s “so, 100 miler next year?”
06:38 How Cal started running, and the gender box on every sign-up form
09:45 Third overall, and choosing between the men’s and nonbinary podium
11:45 My aunt’s question: trans vs. nonbinary
17:17 What he/they pronouns mean
19:43 How to ask someone’s pronouns
20:52 Coming back to running after college
24:58 First brand deal: $1,000 to hold wine
26:05 Janji
27:27 Going pro: no car, no TV, PT instead
30:38 Black Canyon 100K: two-hour delay, mud, and an emergency headlamp
33:14 Javelina vs. the NYC Marathon and ultra vs. marathon finish lines
37:05 Race plan: pacing and 100 grams of carbs per hour
41:50 Making friends with 20 miles
47:03 Garage Grown Gear
48:06 How many pairs of shoes for a muddy loop course?
50:01 Cal’s why
51:00 Protecting your headspace before a race
52:54 Listener questions: she/they pronouns and nonbinary BQ standards
55:21 What I should do at mile 85 (Justin Bieber)
57:02 Outro: birthday beer mile and expert episodes coming
59:05 Listener question: FKT or a longer race?

Chapters

Text or call the Free Outside hotline: 541-903-8065

Allison Mercer, our award-winning correspondent of the year, is back, and we brought some hot takes. We start with the Backyard Ultra team world championship. Can you call it a world championship when every country runs a different course, in different weather, and the rules change mid-race? And why is this format suddenly the most-watched thing in ultrarunning?

Then we get serious about the Moab 240 and race safety: what runners should be able to expect from race organizations, Allison’s own scary story from crewing, and why trail ultras could learn a lot from the Boston Marathon. After that, Allison turns the mic on me and my first flat 24-hour at Fat Ox.

We also launch the official Rajpaul Pannu fan club and make our Javelina Jundred golden ticket picks.

Thanks to the sponsors:
Janji: janji.com (check out the new rain kit)
Garage Grown Gear: it’s still Soctober
CS Coffee
ReadyWise – try my Jeff Garmire Pro Meal Breakfast Skillet

Read Free Outside, watch Rewritten, and find my Substack: freeoutside.substack.com

At the time we recorded this, Belgian runners Ivo Steyaert and Merijn Geerts had been running for 123 hours—five days and three hours—and had each covered about 512 miles. They’d just broken the previous backyard ultra world record, and Belgium was the only team with runners still going in the World Team Championship.

I’ve done two backyard ultras myself: I won one in 2022 and was the assist in another in 2023. The format is simple: run 4.167 miles every hour, on the hour, and keep going until only one runner is left. In this bonus episode, I check in with Frank “the Tank” live from Belgium. Frank has gone more than 100 yards himself and was part of Belgium’s record-setting team. This year, he’s watching from the other side as a crew member and part of the media team.

We talk about how the World Team Championship works, what Ivo and Merijn do in the minutes between loops, how they help each other through rough patches, and why Belgium has become such a force in backyard running. Frank shares stories from the race, including a sleep-deprived runner who thought he was making cash drops, and gives us a close-up look at what it takes to keep going when you’ve already run more than 500 miles.

Then I talk about why the backyard format can be such a useful way to pace a long effort—and why the prospect of doing another one is starting to sound pretty tempting.

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Email me to buy a signed copy of my book, "Free Outside" at [email protected]

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#Trailrunning #Runningnews #Outdoors #Outdooradventure

I’ve been spending the last few months trying to become a better runner. After years of long hikes and FKTs, I’ve been doing more speed work—and now I’m taking that fitness into a 24-hour race. I even ran 25 miles around a track recently to start figuring out what that might take.

So Meg Eckert was the perfect person to talk to. She recently ran 636 miles in six days, but her running story started with signing up for a 5K and being too afraid to show up. We talk about how she found her way into ultras, what makes fixed-time races so compelling, and how she handles sleep, fueling, caffeine, recovery, and the mental ups and downs of running for days.

This conversation is about big mileage, but it’s also about staying flexible, finding joy in the process, and showing up even when you’re nervous.

Pete Deneen is back, and this conversation goes in a lot of directions—in the best way.

We talk about what El Niño actually is, what it could mean for the West, and why Pete thinks it’s time to have a serious conversation about Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon Dam. Pete also shares stories from his decade in the Coast Guard, including one wild night intercepting a major cocaine shipment.

But the conversation keeps coming back to something bigger: community. Pete tells me how a trail run club grew into a monthly gathering, a way to support local nonprofits, and a group that shows up to protect the places it loves.

We also get into purpose, belonging, and the simple practice of journaling. Pete’s advice before my wedding was to take 20 minutes and write. I tried a past, present, future prompt—and it might be a good place for you to start, too.

Check out Pete's writing

It’s Time to Drain Lake Powell https://gizmodo.com/its-time-to-drain-lake-powell-1848003413

A decade of climate whiplash in Ojai — https://issuu.com/ojaivisitorsguide/docs/ojai_magazine_winter_2024/106

Undeveloped Land Is Not “Vacant” — https://petedeneen.world/undeveloped-land-is-not-vacant/

Chapters

13:07 What El Niño is

47:39 Purpose, belonging, and community

56:23 How a run club became something bigger

1:03:01 Pete’s Coast Guard stories

1:12:00 Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon Dam

1:26:30 Putting people to work restoring the West

1:30:20 Journaling before a big life moment

Support our Sponsors:

Janji (code: Freeoutside): https://snp.link/a0bfb726

CS Coffee: CSinstant.coffee

Garage Grown Gear: https://snp.link/db1ba8ab

Subscribe to Substack: http://freeoutside.substack.com

Support this content on patreon: HTTP://patreon.com/freeoutside

Buy my book "Free Outside" on Amazon: https://amzn.to/39LpoSF

Email me to buy a signed copy of my book, "Free Outside" at [email protected]

Watch the movie about setting the record on the Colorado Trail: https://tubitv.com/movies/100019916/free-outside

Website: www.Freeoutside.com

Instagram: thefreeoutside

facebook: www.facebook.com/freeoutside

#Trailrunning #Runningnews #Outdoors #Outdooradventure

The Moab 240 was canceled after flash flooding hit the course, leaving runners and volunteers at Bridger Jack Aid Station overnight.

Scott was running the race, and Jacqueline was crewing him. They join me to walk through the timeline: the weather turning, the call to head back, the long night at the aid station, and the eventual trip out.

We also talk about the uncertainty, the volunteers, the drop bags, and why they believe canceling the race was the right decision.

Follow Jacqueline on social media https://www.instagram.com/jacquelinetburnett

Follow Scott on social media https://www.instagram.com/scooterhughleyofficial

Support our Sponsors:

Janji (code: Freeoutside): https://snp.link/a0bfb726

CS Coffee: CSinstant.coffee

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Subscribe to Substack: http://freeoutside.substack.com

Support this content on patreon: HTTP://patreon.com/freeoutside

Buy my book "Free Outside" on Amazon: https://amzn.to/39LpoSF

Email me to buy a signed copy of my book, "Free Outside" at [email protected]

Watch the movie about setting the record on the Colorado Trail: https://tubitv.com/movies/100019916/free-outside

Website: www.Freeoutside.com

Instagram: thefreeoutside

facebook: www.facebook.com/freeoutside

#Trailrunning #Runningnews #Outdoors #Outdooradventure

Joe “Stringbean” McConaughy recently set the supported fastest known time on the John Muir Trail. Somehow, he did it on only 38 minutes of sleep—and felt better on the third day than he expected.Joe and I have been intertwined through FKTs for years. I’ve taken some of his records, he’s demolished some of mine, and he thoroughly beat me at Cocodona. In this conversation, we dig into what finally worked on the JMT, including sleep strategy, caffeine, hydration, sodium, fueling, altitude, and why this attempt felt so much more controlled than his previous efforts.We also compare our hallucinations, talk about coaching athletes through situations that cannot be perfectly planned, and discuss Joe’s move from corporate life into professional running, coaching, and race directing.Most importantly, we finally investigate the rumor that Joe was a sub-four-minute miler. He actually ran 4:09—but the legend continues to improve.Topics include:• Joe’s supported John Muir Trail record • Sleeping only 38 minutes • Hallucinations and extreme sleep deprivation • Saving caffeine for the final night • Changing his hydration and sodium strategy • Science versus intuition in multi-day events • Becoming an ultrarunning coach • Building community-focused trail races • The truth about Joe’s “sub-four” mile Subscribe for more conversations about ultrarunning, thru-hiking, FKTs, endurance, and the strange decisions we make outside.Support our Sponsors: Janji (code: Freeoutside): https://snp.link/a0bfb726CS Coffee: CSinstant.coffeeGarage Grown Gear: https://snp.link/db1ba8abSubscribe to Substack: http://freeoutside.substack.comSupport this content on patreon: HTTP://patreon.com/freeoutsideBuy my book "Free Outside" on Amazon: https://amzn.to/39LpoSFEmail me to buy a signed copy of my book, "Free Outside" at [email protected] the movie about setting the record on the Colorado Trail: https://tubitv.com/movies/100019916/free-outsideWebsite: www.Freeoutside.comInstagram: thefreeoutsidefacebook: www.facebook.com/freeoutside#Trailrunning #Runningnews #Outdoors #Outdooradventure

The John Muir Trail is back in the FKT spotlight, so I dug up the story of one of the wildest things I have ever done.

In 2022, I started in Yosemite carrying everything I would need to cover 223 miles unsupported and chase the John Muir Trail record. Over the next three days, I peed brown, stopped eating enough, hallucinated a safari guide, broke both straps on my backpack, fell asleep while moving, and woke up face-down on the trail.

With the record slipping away, I took a 12-minute nap, climbed Mount Whitney through the night, and ran the final switchbacks hard enough that stopping to pee was no longer an option.

I finished in 3 days, 47 minutes, and 56 seconds—breaking the record by less than 13 minutes.

This is the full story of the highs, lows, questionable decisions, and tiny mental tricks that somehow got me to Whitney Portal in time.

Nine days before our wedding, Allison Powell and I sit down to settle the truly important details: whether I can ride a unicycle into the ceremony, where Ted will sit and how many wedding plans I have completely forgotten.

Then we get into Allison’s unsupported Tahoe-to-Yosemite FKT—the longest unsupported effort she has ever attempted. She started with a goal of finishing in 72 hours, but almost no real sleep, cold nights, no sleeping pad and a questionable commitment to calorie-dense nuts eventually turned the final miles into a fight against exhaustion.

We talk about what she would change, why sleep can matter more than pack weight, the problem with choosing food entirely by calories per ounce and why every multi-day effort needs an emergency supply of Skittles.

But the biggest lesson wasn’t about gear, pacing or nutrition. Somewhere along the trail, Allison realized that almost nobody knew what she was doing—and it didn’t matter. She was still giving everything she had to a goal that belonged entirely to her.

We also dig into the pressure to perform, wanting to be taken seriously without wanting to become a professional athlete, adjusting goals during a race and why fueling may be the most overlooked part of ultrarunning and FKT preparation.

This one starts with wedding chaos and ends up becoming a pretty honest conversation about ambition, recognition and learning how to do hard things for yourself.

Send questions, comments or voicemails to the Free Outside hotline: 541-903-8065.

This episode is supported by Janji. Use code FREEOUTSIDE for 10% off at Janji.com.

It is also supported by Garage Grown Gear, where you can find ultralight gear—and a sleeping pad so you can sleep better than Allison did.