Nobody Asked Us with Des & Kara

This episode is an extra long one as a show of appreciation for our long-time, hard-core listeners like the one and only Jessie Diggins. Yes, she's just like you. She listens to the show too, and we couldn't be more excited to welcome her TO the show!

Of course, we start with some classic Des/Kara catch-up with a side of Eugene-2028, US-Trials reactions. Say what about the 10,000m?!?

Then, we cozy up for a long conversation with THE Jessie MF Diggins. She just happens to to be the most-decorated US XC skier of all time. She is a 4-time Olympian and 4-time Olympic medalist. She's won more World Cup races and titles than we can count, and on the side, she has been on the front line of building the sport in the US, as well as advocating on important topics like climate change and mental health. She is kind of a big deal and really f-ing cool too. Plus now in retirement from her sport, she has switched over to ours and has a big trail 100-miler on deck next month.

Des and Kara trade Olympic, retirement, and trail running stories with her and just generally shoot the s**t in the most inspiring way possible. At just under 2 hours, this one is a must-listen, but be warned, it might make you want to run (or ski) through a brick wall!

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Get your eye and earholes ready for this one! Kara and Des welcome special guest Brandon Miller to the show, thanks to presenting sponsor Brooks Running.

But first, they catch up on Noah Kahan, weekend plans, and books. Kara shares about the Noah Kahan concert in Denver where she balled her eyes out, and then they discuss their latest reads: Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I've Cried About by Isabel Klee and Famesick from Lena Dunham. They are Olympians and now elite book reviewers whether you like it or not ;).

Then, Brandon joins the show. He's made World Championship and Olympic teams already in the 800m, but this may be his biggest season yet with wins at both the Pre Classic and London Diamond League. He gives us more on his background as a multi-sport athlete, the decision to turn pro, how he connected with Brooks, his relationship with Josh Kerr, and the keys behind his latest success. He is one of the nicest guys on the circuit and is now one of the best in the world in his event.

If you aren't already a Brandon fan, then it's time!

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Migrating random topics is the best with Kara and Des, and this episode delivers on that to be sure.

They catch up with talk about Kara embarrassing Colt via the pod, her past as a dancer, a sandpiper update, and a mini-book club on Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden. Kara sometimes has "permission to be cringe," and for better or worse, the sandpipers have been evicted for the summer. Des was doing her best to hide her excitement about that. She also has a new book rec for Kara - Dogs, Boys and Other Things I've Cried About by Isebel Klee.

Then, the discussion shifts to an update on Kara's half marathon in NYC, which she won in 1:32 (!), thanks to CB who pulled a "Clayton Young" to let Kara take it. It wasn't without challenges and plenty of twists and turns (literally and figuratively), but she got it done with Carrie to run her longest race with dystonia. Now, it's all about recovery for at least a week before she gets back to running more again. Congrats to Kara on the race!

Finally, they turn to a thorough discussion on the new NCAA eligibility rules which go into effect in the fall of 2027. Meanwhile, the University of Texas just signed a 59 minute half marathoner (corrected time vs. what was mentioned on the pod), who will be a 25-year-old freshman to help stack the deck for their distance team. Is the NCAA just becoming another pro league and what does this mean for the development pipeline for high school graduates? Will the new rules help bring order to it all?

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I might be on vacation, but Des and Kara are not! Fresh off her birthday, Des opens the show and is ready to roll. They catch up on July birthdays and life before digging into ALL of the angles of the latest controversial topic in track and field - new "rules" on camera angles for track and field telecasts. This is a topic that is not straightforward, and Des and Kara cover all of the nuances of it. I think you will find their discussion both funny and interesting! What do you think of the new guidelines?

Then, they break down some of the key races from USA Champs, spending the most time on the 1500s and 10,000s in particular. It was great to see the events at a new venue in NYC, but was this the right year for a change? All hail Nikki Hiltz and their US title streak! Plus, were the 10K racing styles doing the distance any favors or not? Or maybe it doesn't matter? It was a great year for some fresh faces!

If you want to snag one of the Berlin charity bibs, go to this link: https://www.children.de/bmw-berlin-marathon-english.

There are callers and then there are SHOTcallers. Which are you?

Josh called his shot in the mile. 222! Kara is calling her shot in the half marathon (sort-of), and Des is backing them both up. She predicted that Josh would get the World Record, and now she is predicting that Kara will get her goal.

This episode starts with the "normal" catch-up chat where Kara discusses her half marathon training (!), and Des shares the chaos of Ryan's sailing race. Thankfully, he made it back safely, but it was touch and go there for a moment.

Then, they discuss Kara's experience joining the Flotrack Athlete's Lounge to follow the London DL. She gives some BTS intel and calls out all of the silly haters who love to watch, but then turn into online trolls. She is calling her shot by saying she would go toe-to-toe with any of you and win.

Finally, they dig into all things London Diamond League. Keely v Femke! Brandon Miller! And, yes, of course they break down everything about the mile World Record. Josh called his shot and then controlled every single detail to make it look easy, even though we know it wasn't. He is a master of peaking for a single goal and showed that again here with absolute class. Congrats to Josh, his team, and to Brooks! It was a performance for the ages!

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It's an exciting week for our presenting sponsor as Brooks athlete Josh Kerr attempts to run the mile world record at the London Diamond League this weekend. Will he do it? Can anyone spoil the party? Of course, Des and Kara break it all down with predictions.

But first... we have a special gift for those who love good intro banter - a brilliantly-long and smile-inducing intro. Everyone else can go touch grass and then fast forward through the first ~40 minutes. We've got a proper catch-up on summer travels, July birthdays, a mini book club chat on Yesteryear, some good laughs over Kara's Strava demotion, a Des training and sandpiper update, and some unhinged discussion of running neuroses. Can you handle a run that doesn't end in a 1-mile or 0.5 mile increment?!

Now, we all need to lock in and cheer for Josh. Go get it done Josh!

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What could be more summer than a day with horse flies, fireworks, fishing, and fast track on the 4th of July! Kara was calling Prefontaine before heading home to play pyro. Des was fishing and deck sitting, while trying to avoid getting eaten alive by the bugs. Now, they break down two days of track & field at the Pre Classic, and there is much to discuss!

Brandon Miller over Cooper in the men's 800m. Keely Hodgkinson (with bloody knees) 2nd to Odira in the women's 800m. Parker Wolfe holds them off in the 2-mile. Silliness in the women's two. A tale of two races in the women's steeple. Cam Myers looking unbeatable. Down goes Faith after 5 years to Nikki! And more...

As always thank you to Brooks Running, our presenting sponsor.

Thanks also to our sponsor for this episode - Lagoon Sleep. To get your pillow with 15% off on your first order, take the quiz and use code NOBODYASKEDUS at this link: https://lagoonsleep.com/pages/lagoon-the-nobody-asked-us-podcast-from-kara-goucher-and-des-linden.

This one is so good that they had to record it twice!

From Western States to the Paris DL, there is so much good stuff to talk about this week. BUT, it wouldn't be a Nobody Asked Us episode without a lot of fun, random topics as well.

Haunted hotels. Crazy Netflix docs. Book club incoming? Prefontaine preview. Des's next race. Content creation on the roads and track. DNFs. Breakthrough performances at the 100-mile distance. WR attempts. US Diamond League wins. Hurdles to the 800m... no problem. And more of course.

Get your latest running news and hot takes here!

Duluth got two shows last week, and as promised, now it is your turn!

We start with a weekend recap from Duluth. Kara breaks down the Goucher family 5K results where Colt and Adam performed annoyingly well. Des shares what it was like to be an adopted family member for the weekend, and Kara takes us through some of her broadcast fun - you betcha! They also give love to Jenny Simpson who is recovering from a scary heart event last week. By all accounts, she is now on the mend, and we are sending all of our prayers and healing vibes her way.

Plus of course, they run through the elite results from the half and full, where live-show guest Dakotah Popehn won the marathon. Congrats Dakotah!

Then, we turn the page to share the full audio from live show #2 in Duluth where you get more great content and even better questions from the crowd. In particular, thank you to Kara's nephews for opening the Q&A. They were the cutest, and the crowd was great as usual. Two sold out shows in Duluth is simply amazing. What a weekend! Thank you to all who helped make it happen and especially Grandma's race director Zach Schneider!

Duluth got two shows last week, and YOU are getting two shows this week.

For this first one, we replay the audio from the live show on Thursday at the Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, featuring the one and only Dakotah Popehn (Des's nemesis). Then later in the week, we will release another BONUS episode with fresh content from Monday recapping the weekend in Minnesota, plus a replay of the 2nd live show in Duluth. Stay on top of your audio downloads this week, so you don't miss any of it.

In this episode, Kara oozes all of her love for this race, Des gets introduced to Minnesota accents and Minnesota nice, and Dakotah shares the story about how this race inspired her Olympic dreams. Plus, the audience asks great questions. If you want to race Grandma's someday, there is a lot of great course beta too. Even if not, this episode will definitely make you smile. Listen in and then check back later this week for the full weekend recap!

Thank you to the team at the Grandma's Marathon and the fans in Duluth for all of their hospitality. Selling out TWO live shows is amazing. Kara and Des really appreciate it.

Note: There is no YouTube for this episode - audio only.