Human Performance Outliers Podcast with Zach Bitter

Bigs Backyard and the Backyard World Team Championships occurred last week, featuring the best BYU athletes in the World. This ultramarathon format is growing rapidly, not just with ultra runners, but mainstream media. Is it just a matter of time before the BYU format becomes the face of ultramarathon? Brian Peterson joined me to discuss.

Episode Sponsors:

• LMNT: drinkLMNT.com/HPO (free sample pack with purchase)
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Podcast Details:

• Support HPO: zachbitter.com/hposponsors
• HPO Website: zachbitter.com/hpo
• Zach's Coaching: zachbitter.com/coaching
• Zach's Journal: substack.com/@zachbitter
• Find Zach: zachbitter.com | IG: @zachbitter | X: @zbitter | FB: Zach Bitter | Strava: Zach Bitter

I will be taking a big swing at Desert Solstice Track Invitational on December 19th where I plan to establish a new 100 mile personal best. In this episode, I highlight why I am confident I can do it, and share some details on my approach going into my 100 mile peaking phase.

Episode Sponsors:

• LMNT: drinkLMNT.com/HPO (free sample pack with purchase)
• deltaG: deltagketones.com Code: BITTER20 (25% Off)
• TrainingPeaks: trainingpeaks.com (free account)

Podcast Details:

• Support HPO: zachbitter.com/hposponsors
• HPO Website: zachbitter.com/hpo
• Zach's Coaching: zachbitter.com/coaching
• Zach's Journal: substack.com/@zachbitter
• Find Zach: zachbitter.com | IG: @zachbitter | X: @zbitter | FB: Zach Bitter | Strava: Zach Bitter

Allison Mercer joined the show to recap two very different running stories from the past week: the Moab 240 cancellation amid flash flooding, mudslides, and serious safety concerns in a remote area, and the Chicago Marathon with its mix of stories. We dig into the growing risks and responsibilities around 200+ mile events (experience levels, communication, support crews, and protocols), contrast that with Chicago's high-profile narratives involving Emma Grace Hurley, Vinny Mauri, Clayton Young, and Galen Rupp, and touch on treadmill training accuracy, super-shoe competition, and race overcrowding.

Allison: @onewomandanceparty | Strava: strava.com/athletes/18552474

Episode Sponsors:

• LMNT: drinkLMNT.com/HPO (free sample pack with purchase)
• deltaG: deltagketones.com Code: BITTER20 (25% Off)
• TrainingPeaks: trainingpeaks.com (free account)

Podcast Details:

• Support HPO: zachbitter.com/hposponsors
• HPO Website: zachbitter.com/hpo
• Zach's Coaching: zachbitter.com/coaching
• Zach's Journal: substack.com/@zachbitter
• Find Zach: zachbitter.com | IG: @zachbitter | X: @zbitter | FB: Zach Bitter | Strava: Zach Bitter

Allison Mercer is an ultramarathon athlete who has competed at both 50km and 100km World Championships, Tunnel Hill, and Strolling Jim. She joined me to unpack why the World 100 KM deserves more attention, and what ingredients make ultramarathons grow.

Allison: @onewomandanceparty | Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/18552474

Episode Sponsors:

• LMNT: drinkLMNT.com/HPO (free sample pack with purchase)
• deltaG: deltagketones.com Code: BITTER20 (25% Off)

Podcast Details:

• Support HPO: zachbitter.com/hposponsors
• HPO Website: zachbitter.com/hpo
• Zach's Coaching: zachbitter.com/coaching
• Zach's Journal: substack.com/@zachbitter
• Find Zach: zachbitter.com | IG: @zachbitter | X: @zbitter | FB: Zach Bitter | Strava: Zach Bitter

Kim Gottwald is a German ultra runner and content creator who went from law student to backyard-ultra standout by documenting extreme projects in public, including a co-win at Go One More in Texas, and a 449 km Last Soul Ultra victory at home. He co-founded the running brand Rappid, became BPN's first German athlete, and now hosts Germany's Last Soul Ultra. He has big plans for expanding Last Soul Ultra into multiple locations, including the US.

Kim: kimgottwald.info | IG: @kim.gottwald | YT: @Kim.gottwald

Episode Sponsors:

• LMNT: drinkLMNT.com/HPO (free sample pack with purchase)
• deltaG: deltagketones.com Code: BITTER20 (25% Off)

Podcast Details:

• Support HPO: zachbitter.com/hposponsors
• HPO Website: zachbitter.com/hpo
• Zach's Coaching: zachbitter.com/coaching
• Zach's Journal: substack.com/@zachbitter
• Find Zach: zachbitter.com | IG: @zachbitter | X: @zbitter | FB: Zach Bitter | Strava: Zach Bitter

Phil Gore holds the World Best mark for the Backyard format, completing 119 "yards" for a total of 495.83miles. He recently completed a personal project, called Project 168, where he aimed to see if he would be able to last 168 yards (700 miles). He ended up tapping out at 152 yards (633.75 miles). We discussed this project, what the limiters were, how they have created a longer recovery, and what direction the Backyard Ultra World is going, and how his event raised nearly $300,000 for Telethon, a Western Australian appeal that supports sick, vulnerable, and disadvantaged kids and their families. You can contribute here: philgore.com.au

Phil: philgore.com.au | IG: @phil.gore.ultrarunner

Episode Sponsors:

• LMNT: drinkLMNT.com/HPO (free sample pack with purchase)
• deltaG: deltagketones.com Code: BITTER20 (20% Off)

Podcast Details:

• Support HPO: zachbitter.com/hposponsors
• HPO Website: zachbitter.com/hpo
• Zach's Coaching: zachbitter.com/coaching
• Zach's Journal: substack.com/@zachbitter
• Find Zach: zachbitter.com | IG: @zachbitter | X: @zbitter | FB: Zach Bitter | Strava: Zach Bitter

Brian Reynolds is a Brooks-sponsored double below-knee amputee runner who, in 2026, became the first athlete in that category to finish the Leadville Trail 100 — on his fourth try, in 28 hours 55 minutes. He lost both legs at age four to meningococcemia, a rare bacterial infection with grim survival odds. For years he hid the amputation and stayed off the trails. A Grand Canyon hike cracked that open. He went from powerlifting to a 2:58 marathon, multiple classification records from 5K to the marathon, and Team USA para-athletics.

Brian: IG: @brianreynoldsrunner

Episode Sponsors:

• LMNT: drinkLMNT.com/HPO (free sample pack with purchase)
• deltaG: deltagketones.com Code: BITTER20 (20% Off)

Podcast Details:

• Support HPO: zachbitter.com/hposponsors
• HPO Website: zachbitter.com/hpo
• Zach's Coaching: zachbitter.com/coaching
• Zach's Journal: substack.com/@zachbitter
• Find Zach: zachbitter.com | IG: @zachbitter | X: @zbitter | FB: Zach Bitter | Strava: Zach Bitter

Phil Gore holds the World Best Backyard record with 119 yards (495.87 miles). In an effort to see what he could actually do, he set up a project targeting yards/hours. Meg Eckert may be the most underrated ultramarathon athlete in the game right now. She is currently on pace to break her own women's 6-day World Record, and also the outright American Record. Finally, I touch on some thoughts around the UTMB events.

Episode Sponsors:

• LMNT: drinkLMNT.com/HPO (free sample pack with purchase)
• deltaG: deltagketones.com Code: BITTER20 (20% Off)

Podcast Details:

• Support HPO: zachbitter.com/hposponsors
• HPO Website: zachbitter.com/hpo
• Zach's Coaching: zachbitter.com/coaching
• Zach's Journal: substack.com/@zachbitter
• Find Zach: zachbitter.com | IG: @zachbitter | X: @zbitter | FB: Zach Bitter | Strava: Zach Bitter

Thomas Nobbs is a professional marathon athlete with a 2:09 PR, and endurance coach. His progression to 2:09 speaks for itself, and his public strava profile shows how he has balanced lots of low intensity running and key quality sessions. Thomas is currently training for the Chicago Marathon, where he plans to once again improve his marathon PR.

Thomas: teamrunrun.com/coach/tom-nobbs | IG: @nobbs.not.knobs | Strava: Thomas Nobbs

Episode Sponsors:

• LMNT: drinkLMNT.com/HPO (free sample pack with purchase)
• deltaG: deltagketones.com Code: BITTER20 (20% Off)

Podcast Details:

• Support HPO: zachbitter.com/hposponsors
• HPO Website: zachbitter.com/hpo
• Zach's Coaching: zachbitter.com/coaching
• Zach's Journal: substack.com/@zachbitter
• Find Zach: zachbitter.com | IG: @zachbitter | X: @zbitter | FB: Zach Bitter | Strava: Zach Bitter

Dr. Trent Stellingwerff joined the show to discuss the topic of relative energy deficiency syndrome (REDs) in endurance athletes, and body competition management. Trent includes working with the Women's Health, Sport & Performance Institute (WHSP) in Boston Trent is the Chief Performance Officer (CPO) at the Canadian Sports Institute. Trent has developed many national and international collaborations in various applied research projects in the fields of nutrition and physiology, and been a part of 8 IOC position statements. Trent joined the show to discuss the topic of relative energy deficiency syndrome in endurance athletes, and body competition management in athletics.

Trent: whspinstitute.org & csipacific.ca/team-members/trent-stellingwerff | X: @TStellingwerff

Sponsors:

• LMNT: https://drinkLMNT.com/HPO (free sample pack with purchase)
• deltaG: https://deltagketones.com Code: BITTER20 (20% Off)

Support HPO:

• Website: https://zachbitter.com/hpo
• Patreon: https://patreon.com/HPOpodcast
• Coaching: https://zachbitter.com/coaching
• Zach's Newsletter: https://substack.com/@zachbitter