The Pain Cave

What happens when you don’t do a recap pod for the two busiest months on the ultrarunning calendar? You need a MEGAPOD to catch up on everything you’ve missed. First, Paul Kentor (aka SteelTownRunner) drops by to bring his unparalleled fund of knowledge to bear on Sania Sorokin’s astounding 24-hour world record run. Then, it’s a blitzkreig of ultra and trail news and results, from Chamonix to Leadville to Silverton and everything in between.

Beers for this episode: Lawson’s Little Sip, Sloop Juice Bomb

Intro music: "Fine Line" by the Bloodletters
Outro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

We’re heading back into the Tennessee heat for a recap of an epic year at the Last Annual Vol State 500K. We weren’t sure anything could top Francesca Muccini’s incredible CR performance from last year, until 2020 runner-up and former Pain Cave guest Bob Hearn came back to Tennessee and obliterated both the crewed and screwed course records while running without a crew. Bob agreed to a return visit to the Pain Cave where he was joined by women’s screwed champ (breaking her own CR in the process) Beverley Anderson-Abbs, as we discussed this year’s race, their approaches to walking, their lowest points, corn dogs, and, you know, searching for enlightenment.

Links:
Old episodes: 20Q with Bob, LAVS 2020 with Phil and Francesca
Bob’s blog
Bev’s recent appearance on the UR Pod

Beers for this episode: Other Half DDH Mosaic + Galaxy IPA, Mikkeller Subway Mosaic IPA, Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

Intro music: "Fine Line" by the Bloodletters
Outro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

Summer is heating up (or as Phil would say, “hotting up”) and we’re here to cool you down with a fire hose blast of ultrarunning news, including recaps from Western States and Manitou’s Revenge. We tackle all the big storylines coming out of Auburn, including our biggest surprises, guttiest performances, and how we did with our pre-race picks. We also pour one out for the 24-hour world championships, mispronounce a bunch of French names, and engage in some quickly dated (and wrong) speculation about Taggert’s next race.

Beers for this episode: Other Half DDH Small Citra Everything, Zero Gravity Green State Lager

Intro music: "Fine Line" by the Bloodletters
Outro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

One last episode before the Big Dance in Auburn! No beer for this morning pod, but The Legend is back as always to discuss the fallout from record attempts at Six Days in the Dome, plus our thoughts on the folks to watch this weekend at Western States.

Intro music: "Fine Line" by the Bloodletters
Outro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

Just over a week out from Western States, it was a real honor to have returning top-10 runners on both the mens’ and womens’ side in the Pain Cave to talk about the Big Dance. Clare Gallagher is the defending champion at the nation’s premier ultramarathon, and Kyle Pietari has four times placed in the top 10. The two Colorado residents joined us to talk about their recent trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota, where they helped to crew and pace Alex Falconer to complete the first ever crossing of the preserve on foot. We spoke about their efforts to protect this wilderness and to bring awareness to the negative environmental impacts of proposed mining operations in the area. Then, we talked about this year’s fantastic fields at Western States and how these two legends of the sport will approach the race. Finally it was Twenty Questions time, talking tapers, books, Instagram, and more.

Links:
Alex’s pre-run summary of the Boundary Waters Traverse project, and his recap of the run
FKT.com: The Boundary Waters Traverse
Save the Boundary Waters: urge your representative to support the bill to protect the Boundary Waters
Also here; from this site specifically about the run

Beers for this episode: Athletic Brewing Free Wave, Pawley’s Island Big Sandy Beaches

Intro music: "Fine Line" by the Bloodletters
Outro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

The pride of the Cornell Big Red machine and perhaps the most versatile runner on the MUT scene in the past 15 years, Max King is one of my running heroes and now one of my all-time favorite guests. Know how many people have won both the World Mountain Running Championship and the World 100K Championship? One guy. That’s the list. But he’s also qualified for the Olympic Trials five times by my count (twice in the steeple, three times in the marathon) and has represented the US at the World XC Championships four times. We caught up with Max after he just got back from the Salomon young athlete training camp to talk about why it’s taken him so long to get back to the 100 mile distance, his goals for Western States, adventure racing, longevity, and of course, the Dining Hall Classic.

Links:
Famous enough to have a Wikipedia page!
Max’s trail running camps
World Athletics profile
Instagram
This older interview gives you a little beta on the DHC

Beers for this episode: Foreign Objects Mind Body Light Sound, Maine Beer Co. Lunch, Deschutes Teeny Hazy Ale

Intro music: "Fine Line" by the Bloodletters
Outro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

A true legend of the sport joined us in The Pain Cave this week. The great Andy Jones-Wilkins dropped by to offer his perspective on the state of the sport following the big announcement of the new partnership between UTMB and the Ironman Group. We also talked briefly about our excitement for the upcoming Western States 100 before we dove into 20 Questions to discuss skeleton, pierogis, and the best way to fertilize a tree.

Links:
Famous enough to have a Wikipedia page!
AJW’s Tap Room
Instagram
Coaching for CTS

Beers for this episode: Lawson’s Little Sip, Jackie O’s Who Cooks For You?, Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing

Intro music: "Fine Line" by the Bloodletters
Outro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

For the first time ever on the pod, two Brits are on the mic as we welcome in the amazing Beth Pascall. A top 10 finisher at both Western States and UTMB, Beth has to be considered one of the favorites for the big dance next month following her dominant win at the Canyons 100K. We talk about her win at Canyons and being back on the WS course again, before diving into 20 Questions to learn about her background, lobsters, and what she has in common with the Stanford mascot.

Links:
Beth’s website
Beth runs for Salomon
Follow her on IG
We referenced her appearance on the Pyllars pod multiple times

Beers for this episode: Drowned Lands Soft Terra, Yard Owl Grisette

Intro music: “God Save the Queen” by Queen
Outro music: “God Save the Queen” by the Sex PIstols

Racing is back! And so are we, IN PERSON to drink some beer and throw out some lukewarm takes about the latest happenings around the ultra world. We dive deep on the big announcement on UTMB and Ironman, dissect results from Canyons and Jackpot, and discuss 100-mile world records on both the track and the treadmill. Also, I insult 200-mile trail races.

Links
UTMB + IM

Beer for this episode: Westkill Brewing Creekside

Intro music: "Fine Line" by the Bloodletters
Outro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

Another awesome guest joins the pod as we welcome in neuroscientist, Skyrunning champion, author, and North Face athlete Hillary Allen into the Pain Cave for the latest episode of Twenty Questions. We talk about Hillary’s new book, Out and Back, which chronicles her recovery from a near-fatal accident while racing in Tromso, Norway, before turning our attention to the usual 20Q fare: you know, unicorns, chafing, and things of that nature.

Links:
Hillary’s website
Hillary on IG
Buy the book!

Beers for this episode: Drowned Lands Deep Terra, Jackie O’s Mystic Mama

Intro music: "Fine Line" by the Bloodletters
Outro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale