What happens when you push your body to its limits—and then keep going?

In this episode, ultrarunner Rob shares the story of a 170-mile record-setting run in Northern New Hampshire, where dawns and dusks blurred, the trail stretched endlessly north, and his body slowly broke down as he subsisted for 66 hours out of a small backpack. 

Rob reflects on what endurance teaches us about resilience, identity, and what’s left when all distractions are stripped away. He speaks about the strategies of keeping moving as the body falls apart, the post-effort malaise that can follow a long-sought goal, and the joy of being completely, utterly exhausted. 

This is a meditation on running, but includes broader lessons on aliveness, aging, awe, and the deep human need to disappear into something larger than ourselves.