Nobody Asked Us with Des & Kara

Apollo 13 may have had a problem, but the Houston Marathon and Half Marathon DOES NOT. What a freaking amazing race with so many implications for the Olympic Marathon Trials!

Des was on the call in the booth, and Kara was following along from home. In this episode, they recap it all, discussing the men's and women's races for both distances.

This race had a little bit of everything with a smokin' time from a late entrant, a new American record in the half, the first L in history for Father Time, plus a number of Olympic qualifying ramifications. Houston is flat and fast, and the race always delivers.

Des and Kara also discuss why an athlete might choose to do a race like this in the build-up to the Trials and what it might mean (or not) for their preparation. Plus, we get an update on Des's training and why she chose to be in the booth vs. on the start line for this one.

Stay until the end for the first-ever Olipop top 5 with a juicy, double teaser from Kara about fun things to come. Pop an Olipop and enjoy!

New year, new season... Des and Kara are back for more in 2024!

This is a fun one with the perfect mix of behind-the-scenes intel and the usual off-the-rails banter for which these two are known. Since no one else is talking about it yet, Des and Kara start the year with an episode to get you hyped about the competition at the upcoming US Marathon Trials. Plus, you get answers to these pressing questions...

• Are objects in the camera really as large as they appear or is Des's face just tiny either way?
• What's Des's resolution for 2024 and how is she already trying to circumvent it with Kara as an accomplice?
• How are the marathon trials different from other races?
• Is the course preview trip worth it or not?
• Who made Kara think "f**k" to herself in the 2016 Trials in LA?
• What's it like making the podium vs. getting the dreaded 4th place spot?
• Why is this the deepest women's field ever?
• What race strategy tips does Des have for the men?

February 3rd can't get here soon enough...

To get tickets for the live recording in Boston on April 12th, go here: https://ci.ovationtix.com/35123/production/1187187?performanceId=11403872

It's been an amazing first year for the Nobody Asked Us Podcast with Des and Kara... 27 episodes, nearly 1 million downloads, 2 new friends and 1 sassy intro song. Are Des and Kara close friends now because of the pod or in spite of it? I think we know the answer, but this final episode of 2023 will confirm it.

In this episode, they give you a peak back at the highlights of 2023 and a tiny glimpse into what's in store for 2024. Topics include Colt's results at the National Junior Olympics in XC, a book tour recap, favorite races of 2023, Hassan vs. Obiri in a kick finish at a marathon, air-conditioning in Paris, and of course, famous body parts. They end this one with a year-end top 5 to close out 2023 for the podcast. I think we can all agree that our lives and our internet search history will never be the same thanks to Nobody Asked Us.

A very special guest joins the podcast this week as Mary Kate Shea sits in with Des and Kara. Mary Kate (aka MK) is the Director of Professional Athletes and Technical Support for the Boston Athletic Association (aka the BAA) and personal friend of Des.

Before giving details on the episode itself, it'll be important for you, if you haven't already, to find the viral video that Kara mentions at the start of the podcast. It may or may not be posted on Kara's social media and will show you the proper way to exit a party. The legend of Des Linden only keeps growing...

From there, the episode takes a bunch of twists and turns starting with a proper discussion of the merits of cross country as an Olympic sport and then shifting to everything you never thought you needed to know about recruiting elites to the Boston Marathon and the rules and regs of elite bottle support. Seriously, the process behind fueling elites on-course in the major marathons is surprisingly fascinating. You will never watch a marathon in the same way again.

You will also learn that MK is awesome and that we couldn't possibly have a better person curating the Boston elite field for us. Thanks to MK for joining the podcast and for hosting Des on her trip to watch the most boring football game ever played!

No horses were harmed in the making of this episode.

This one starts off innocently enough with Des providing details of her recent trip to Japan, including the recovery tool she rediscovered on the journey that has surely been abandoned again by now. Kara gives an update on her challenges with a recent dystonia flare-up that caused a bad fall while running. In true Des and Kara fashion, that topic leads to a fun and funny discussion of the new Olympic sports coming for 2024 and 2028 (hello break dancing!) and Des's secret Winter Olympic aspirations.

Then, the conversation turns a bit spicy as they express frustration over the ongoing back and forth about the start time for the Olympic Marathon Trials and Max Siegel's new contract extension as the CEO of USATF. Plus, they welcome Malcolm Gladwell to the old-curmudgeon club for his not-so-hot take on shoe tech. We are sure that he didn't ask, but we know that everybody wants to know...

Editor's note: this episode was recorded before the final decision by USATF to move the start time for the Olympic Marathon Trials to 10:00 am.

Just a few hours after the conclusion of the elite races, Des and Kara jumped on the mics to recap all of the action at the TCS NYC Marathon on Sunday. To call this episode "pure fire" would be a gross understatement AND STILL perhaps the best possible teaser words for it.

They spend the most time on the women's race, one that Kara calls "the best race of the year," breaking down the cat-and-mouse games that extended well into the race. This includes their perspectives on the strategies of Kellyn Taylor and Molly Huddle to take the lead at various points, knowing full well that Obiri and Gidey were going to stay patient until a final, blazing-fast push to the finish. As a bonus, you get some early predictions for the women's marathon in Paris.

Then, they cover the men's race too, but not before hearing about Des's death-defying trip to the marathon start line in Staten Island, where she and counterpart-on-the-lead-motos Galen Rupp, were the very last to cross the bridge before it closed.

Des was in rare form on this episode - fresh off the marathon broadcast, still jet-lagged from Japan, hopped-up on champagne, beer, and coffee, and oh so ready to stoke any available fire. Kara just can't seem to contain her... or walk away. You have to stay all the way to the end for the biggest conflagration (and genuinely not a bad sponsorship idea for the US Marathon Trials). Enjoy!

What's better? Sex or two Nobody Asked Us episodes in 4 days?!? It's a trick question because the correct answer is listening to this new episode while munching on a Nerds rope.

This episode starts by going a little off the rails but quickly gets back on track as Kara leads Des through a conversation about her record-setting weekend. There's also bonus coverage of Kara's 5K race on Saturday and her successful spectating duties on Sunday.

You will hear about the controversial KitKat at the press conference, pancakes in a wine room, Rivers on his best behavior, the athlete who held up the elite bus, Des doing math in the final miles, and her mindset from start to finish line with just 12 seconds to spare.

Plus at the end, Kara and Des react to the mind-blowing performances at the front of the race and give you breaking news about the NYC Marathon.

Are you ready for this?!? We aren't sure, but here goes nothing...

Des and Kara kicked off marathon weekend in Chicago with a live episode from Fleet Feet Chicago. They talk about their marathon routines and strategies for pre-race prep, in-race execution, and of course, the post-race party.

Come for the usual, inspirational tips on marathoning, stay for the random tangents about Ted Bundy, a murder on Valentine's day (and the connection to Des's house), running in handcuffs, and tattoos on your face. You never know where these episodes will lead...

Des and Kara also wanted to send a special thank you to Fleet Feet Chicago and Altra for hosting the event in Chicago, and of course, to TCS for sponsoring the podcast.

This episode is the runner's equivalent of an all-you-can-eat buffet. There's a little bit of everything, just please go easy on the corn and tomatoes.

Des and Kara start with a recap of the Diamond League Final at the Prefontaine Classic, covering the highlights with behind-the-scenes stories from Kara who was on the call with NBC. They share their favorite moments and try to put some of the mind-blowing results in context.

Then, they step into a full Chicago Marathon preview starting with the inside scoop on Des's training, key workouts, and her goals for the big day and ending with a breakdown of the elite fields on both sides, including some intel Des has collected on a few of the top American contenders.

Finally, Kara talks about Colt's middle school cross country season and how she's supporting his interest in the sport as a parent. At the same time, she and Des reflect on their own journeys to fall in love with the sport. Plus, you get plenty of pet and life updates with the Top Five to end the show!

Thank you to TCS for sponsoring this podcast as well as being the technology partner for the Chicago Marathon and the Chicago Marathon app. Download it today to track and support all of your favorite runners on October 8th.

This is Des and Kara at their finest, like listening in on two best friends shooting the s**t about their favorite sport. Yes, the recent World Championships in Budapest is the backdrop for the discussion, but they weave in so much more than just event recaps. Plus, Kara dishes all the behind-the-scenes, broadcasting tea, including the back story behind the now-infamous pic of a shirtless Trey Hardee on Instagram. Who's mad about it? Absolutely no one.

Topics include a race recap from Des on her 20K tune-up in New Haven, fangirling Courtney Dauwalter, pressure as an athlete, "new" media vs. traditional, Athing Mu, Sha'Carri, and so much more. Grab your coffee or go for a run, and listen in!