Unexpectedly and because of the social distancing requirements, 2020 is quickly becoming the age of the FKT and self-supported long runs. Ornery Mule Racing Coach Steph Dannenberg zooms in with her Fastest Known Time (FKT) knowhow and advice on non-race long runs. With near meticulous planning, Coach Steph nailed an unsupported FKT of Wisconsin's Military Ridge State Trail last year. Listen in and learn how you can plan and complete FKT's and individual long runs. Enjoy the lively discussion and troubleshooting about battle summertime bugs. We also spend a little time hearing about the fun Coach Steph has leading the Trial Sisters group in the Madison area. 

Legendary ultra athlete and author Dean Karnazes dropped in on the Ornery Mule Racing Book Club and fielded questions from Coach Loretta and our athletes, who read Karno's classic Ultramarathon Man. This super athlete is super gracious, engaging, and funny. In this book talk, Dean shares advice on managing family and training, the current social distancing, and consuming big calories during big runs. Listen in to find out who Dean's idol is and why he thinks ultrarunning's popularity continues to grow. We even managed to corner Karno into a commitment. Find out what it is! 

Music credit: Its Gonna Be (100 Miles) Parody, Regan Stoops

Trail runners and hikers love Wisconsin's iconic Ice Age Trail (IAT). Luke Kloberdanz, along with the Ice Age Trail Alliance (IATA) team, develop, maintain, and protect this grand trail. In this Dirt episode, Luke shares his love for the IAT and fills us with fascinating details about the trail's past history, present projects, and future vision. Luke has some fun stories and great hiking intel from his through hike of the entire 1200 mile IAT. Tune in and you will hear Luke's passion for the environment and the importance of the IATA. The Ornery Mule Racing team is proud, through its three Ice Age Trail races, to have donated thousands of dollars to IATA and so thankful for Luke and all the IATA members for their noble work. 

In a second interview with coaches Annie Weiss and Brian Frain, we get the funny, dirty details behind Annie's 7th place female finish at Badwater 135. Between the chuckles, find out what Annie said was her biggest mistake going into Badwater. Laugh along with Brian's sleep-deprived crewing stories. You will love hearing about Annie's powerfully emotional Badwater finish. Near the end of the podcast, we get some serious nutrition advice from Annie, a professional dietitian, and her future running plans. This is the second of two interviews with Annie and Brian.

Annie Weiss and Brian Frain are one of Wisconsin's most recognizable running couples. They have running adventures from around the country and the world. In this episode, this fun couple share the dirt on Brian's writing of the book about Annie's FKT of Wisconsin's Ice Age Trail. They also excite us about the trail racing scene in Europe with tales from Annie's running of the UTMB CCC. Hang on to the very end to find out about Brian's ambitious and noble 20 in 2020 goal. This the first of two episodes with Annie and Brian.

Natalie Brunson is a mother of 9 and multi-year running streaker. She organizes trail runs with the Coyote Running Club in Rockford, Illinois. She loves to laugh, and give her children a fun and loving life. Find out how she does it all!

“My own ass was attacking in the back” ~Natalie

Mandi is an expert on Chicago area running. From downtown to the suburbs. Mandi writes for Chicago Athlete Magazine and is quite the accomplished athlete. Take a listen and get the "Dirt" on Chicago running & Mandi!

Siva is one of 11 runners that finished the Badwater Ultra cup series. He shares his journey with Michele and Krystal on this episode of the Dirt!

Fun surprises in this show: Learn what famous person was sitting next to him on the airplane when he found out he was chose for Badwater 135.

"The BADWATER ULTRA CUP is a three-event series comprising the 51-mile Badwater Cape Fear in March, the 81-mile Badwater Salton Sea in late April, and the 135-mile Badwater 135 in July."

Tuscobia 160 is a self supported race where you carry your supplies in a sled you pull behind you. Michele & Krystal chat with Siva about the challenges he had during the race. Siva competed and finished the 160 mile running division.

Bonus---> we get the DIRT on Siva's personal life ;-)

•This is podcast number 1 of two shows with Siva. The second show talks in detail about finishing the Badwater Ultra cup!

Michele & Steve get the Dirt on James Wright.  James day job is a professional YouTuber. With popular shows like "Wood by Wright" and "Wizards News". He is part of the Coyote Running Club in Rockford. They are one of the first trail running clubs in Illinois and are responsible for getting many into trail running. We had a blast getting to know James!