The Week in Multisport: The Kona Wrap-up

This week’s edition is all about Kona. It’s an Ironman Championship wrap-up. And what a race it was. It was among the most exciting — if not the most exciting — men’s finishes we’ve ever seen and there was plenty of intrigue on the women’s side as well.

This will also be the last regularly scheduled Endurance Planet podcast for awhile. EP is going on a hiatus — hopefully a relatively short one. I’ll address that topic very briefly at the end of today’s show.

You can always reach me at kevinpatrick@enduranceplanet.com. Thank you!

The Endurance Planet Hour

On this week’s Endurance Planet Hour we hear about the efforts of two men to run the length of the Erie Canal … all 363 miles of it. We also hear about a fictional adventure, excerpted from “The Runner’s Literary Companion.” And we wrap up the hour by looking at scientific research on motivating yourself for physical activity. The Endurance Planet Hour is brought to you by the Nevada Silverman Triathlon and Sock Geek.

The Endurance Planet Hour

There isn’t a female triathlete on the planet who races long distance more often than Hillary Biscay. And it’s not just that she races often — she races effectively. This coming weekend she’ll be shooting for another Ironman Wisconsin championship (It’ll be her seventh Ironman of the year.) On this week’s Endurance Planet Hour, Hillary shares her war stories (broken femur anyone?), she tells us how she’s become a fan of ultra marathoners, and she shares her plan for a new adventure. Today’s Endurance Planet is brought to you by the Nevada Silverman Triathlon and by Sock Geek.

The Endurance Planet Hour

Imagine covering 44 miles in 25 hours — not running, but swimming in open water. That’s what our first guest, Jamie Patrick, did this month at Lake Tahoe. His thoughts on mental preparation for such an event are something that every endurance athlete should hear. We also talk to the women’s champion of the Leadville 100, Liza Howard, who continues to impress. And for those of you who missed our special edition with Leadville men’ champion, Duncan Callahan, you can hear it today. This edition of the Endurance Planet Hour is brought to you by the Nevada Silverman Triathlon and Sock Geek.

Two-time Leadville 100 Champ Duncan Callahan

Duncan Callahan had his doubts about whether he could win for a second time at this month’s Leadville 100 — he had some extremely stiff competition. Halfway through the race, Duncan was behind leader Tony Krupicka by more than an hour. That’s when something unexpected happened. An interview with two-time Leadville champ Callahan, today on Endurance Planet. This episode is brought to you by 2tomsaustralia.com.

Marathon and Beyond Monday: Inventing 100-mile Trail Racing

Today’s Marathon & Beyond Monday edition is a tale written by ultra-marathon pioneer Gordy Ainsleigh. Gordy is the man who — in 1974 — took part in the Western States 100-Mile One-Day Ride … without a horse. Since then, the story has been told and re-told, but only one person knows the full truth. That person is Gordy. We hear that story “Inventing 100-mile Trail Racing” in today’s edition. Today’s podcast is brought to you by Sock Geek.

The Endurance Planet Hour

This week on the Endurance Planet Hour, we talk to Dr. Mark Klion who fields questions about your aches and pains, we check in with runner and missions worker Tara Porter-Livesay who is headed back to Haiti, and we hear about a young man desperately trying to follow in his running father’s footsteps.

The Endurance Planet Hour

On this week’s show we’ll introduce you to some people who can help you broaden your knowledge of the psychological and motivational components of training and racing. These are people who have been guests on Endurance Planet and have brought a unique perspective. They range from a world-champion coach to a bar-room brawling miler to a transformed man from Overland Park, Kansas.

Marathon and Beyond Monday: Transformation of an Adventure Runner, Part I

This week’s story is the first of a two-part edition written by endurance sports legend Marshall Ulrich. The title: “Transformation of an Adventure Runner…one runner’s journey from the farm to Mount Everest, through joyful and scary places in his heart and soul.”

The Endurance Planet Hour

On this week’s show, we have a special guest. Lisa Smith-Batchen. Lisa, as many of you already know, has been on a journey to run 50 miles in all 50 states within a window of just 62 days…and all of it to raise money for orphans around the world. Well, this past Saturday was the last 50 miler in the 50th state. We talked to her by phone as she was nearing the 20 mile mark and the goal was, somewhat, within sight. It’s an inspiring interview with an amazing woman.

The Endurance Planet Hour

This week’s Endurance Planet Hour is a “best of” edition that we’re calling “Fact and Fiction.” We’re featuring two stories from our archives. The first is a piece of non-fiction from our Human Kinetics Corner segments. It’s an excerpt from sports psychologist Sue Jackson’s book “Flow in Sports…The Keys to Optimal Experiences and Performances.” The second story is a piece of fiction from our old Breakaway Books editions. It’s the story called “Wheelbarrow” about an unlikely miler. Written by Eddy Orcutt, “Wheelbarrow” was taken from The Runner’s Literary Companion edited by Garth Battista.

Marathon & Beyond Monday: The Interstate Trekker

“Aim high. And go long.” That was one of the philosophies of Paul Reese who—between the ages of 73 and 80—covered 7,646 miles, crossing all 50 states on foot. Today on Endurance Planet, a Marathon and Beyond Monday edition, we hear Reese’s story entitled The Interstate Trekker.

Marathon & Beyond Monday: Running, Aging, and Human Potential

“A fit person of age 70 is biologically similar to an unfit person of 40—this having nothing to do with genes or medical care but due solely to physical conditioning.” So says geriatrician Dr. Walter Bortz. In this week’s Marathon & Beyond Monday edition, we hear Bortz’s article entitled Running, Aging, and Human Potential

A Case of the Jitters

Race day should be a fun day—a day of celebration and reward. Like a test you’ve studied hard for, the work has been done. It’s just a matter of applying it. But feeling anxious is not fun. And at its worst, it can ruin your race. Today on Endurance Planet, we’re going to give you an audio exercise that will help you remove the jitters and maintain a healthy focus. Our guest is Karen Dubs, creator of the Flexible Warrior yoga DVD series for multi-sport athletes.

Pre-Race Calm Exercise

As a service to Endurance Planet listeners, we present you with this 5-minute relaxation exercise to put you in the proper mindset to train and race effectively—without undue anxiety. Thanks to Karen Dubs of Flexible Warrior.

Completing the Barkley

Each year for a quarter of a century, a race has been held in Frozen Head State Park, Tennessee that most of the world has never heard of. The Barkley. The Barkley Marathons 100-mile Run puts the toughest ultramarathons to shame. In some ways the word “race” doesn’t quite fit with Barkley. Because—leading up to this past weekend—this “race” had only been completed 8 times. But Jonathan Basham of Allentown, Pennsylvania emerged from the woods after 59 hours and 18 minutes, alone and victorious. JB, the 9th official finisher of the grueling challenge, joins us today on Endurance Planet.

The Road to Western States 2010: Dr. Marty Hoffman

The Western States Endurance Run is one of the oldest ultra trail events in the world and certainly one of the most challenging. But the 100-miler scheduled for June 26th is also, essentially, a research lab. Dr. Marty Hoffman is the medical director for Western States. He’s a multiple-time finisher who has completed studies on endurance sports and its effects on the human body. Today on Endurance Planet, Marty tackles questions such as: “Aren’t you doing permanent damage to your body running 100 miles?”

My Story: Dr. John C. Taylor

My Story is an audio profile of an age-group triathlete with an interesting or inspirational story to tell. And Dr. John C. Taylor’s story certainly fits the bill. The Georgia man has been competing in triathlons for 28 years and has no intention of stopping now. What’s even more inspiring is that he didn’t begin doing triathlons until he was 60. Prior to beginning my interview with the active 88-year-old, I asked him, “Do you go by John or Dr. Taylor?” He responded, “Oh, I didn’t get my doctorate until I turned 75…you can call me John.” Today on Endurance Planet we hear from Taylor about his multisport lifestyle.

Marathon & Beyond Monday: Hitting “The Wall”

“It felt like an elephant had jumped out of a tree onto my shoulders.” That’s how Dick Beardsley described hitting “The Wall” at the second marathon of his career. Most of us know what Beardsley spoke of but author and runner Sara Latta says that if you understand the scientific reasons behind “The Wall,” you should be able to avoid it. This week’s Marathon & Beyond Monday is a story from Latta. We hope it helps you avoid tree-dwelling elephants.

A Different Kind of Addiction

After a battle with cancer—beginning at the age of 23—Steve Gaul found comfort “at the bottom of a whiskey bottle.” But then he traded one addiction for another. Today on Endurance Planet, the Canadian ultrarunner tells us about how his outlook has changed since he became addicted running.

The Endurance Planet Hour

On this week’s Endurance Planet Hour we hear from a neuroscientist who is also an ultra-runner. He talks about the use of exercise as a treatment for depression and dementia. We also hear from a man you’ll find on Green Mountain every day—the incomparable Tony Krupicka.