The Pain Cave

After a long day of racing, we sat down for a recap of our most recent adventure, Climb it For Climate! Despite blisters, thistle, and the general exhaustion of recording at 10pm after a 25k, we had a great time and hope you enjoy this second episode of Half Step Ahead.Intro music: “Straight to Hell” by the BloodlettersOutro music: “Drink Your Milk” by What?

As our introductory episode went on for a bit too long, this is the second half of episode one where we go over our most recent adventure - the Hot Sauce Half Marathon! Listen in to hear the highlights from 13.1 miles of pure, spicy torture. Intro music: “Kuru/Speak Like A Child” by Jaco PastoriusOutro music: “Drink Your Milk” by What?

We interrupt our very irregularly-scheduled programming to bring you a new show: the Half Step Ahead podcast, where we’re always a half-step ahead of running news, shoes, and of course, each other. Your two new co-hosts, Dylan Friedman and Landon Fracasse, are here to talk about college/high school running, gear, training, trail adventures, and more! The show will also feature many interviews with local athletes and lots of unnecessary but hopefully entertaining banter. Intro music: “Straight to Hell” by the BloodlettersOutro music: “Drink Your Milk” by What?

Stuff your stockings with an extra-long year end episode of the pod! We bring back our hallowed tradition of arguing over whether or not Barkleys is important. And a bunch of other stuff. It’s the Ultrarunner of the Year ballot!!Buy our book!Beer for this episode: Goose Island Bourbon Country Vanilla Stout, Alchemist Heady TopperIntro music: "Fine Line" by the BloodlettersOutro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

We welcome back returning champion of the pod Jason Green, the founder and head honcho of the Yeti Trail Runners (not a cult!) to talk about the rebuilding efforts in Appalachia in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. A relatively tame version of the Jason Green Drinking Game was performed. Buy our book!Links:Yeti Trail RunnersHelp Appalachia rebuild! Feeding Southwest VirginiaDonate to the Virginia Creeper TrailOur first episode with JasonBeer for this episode: Other Half Green City, Wicked Weed Freak of NatureIntro music: "Fine Line" by the BloodlettersOutro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

Two huge races captured the attention of ultra fans over the past few weeks. In one, a growing multinational entity poised to dominate world ultrarunning hosted one of its flagship events, complete with round-the-clock media coverage and elite athletes redefining what was previously thought possible, even while behind the scenes, there are whispers about whether or not this kind of global expansion is good for the sport.Also, there was Javelina.Beer for this episode: Community Beer Works The Snow, Woodstock Brewing Baby DragonIntro music: "Fine Line" by the BloodlettersOutro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

What is the story that forced us to dust off the mics, fire up the sound board, and emerge from a 16-month podcasting hiatus? Is it Katie Schide’s epic summer? Dave Roche’s insane Leadville CR? Damian Hall’s effort to combat greenwashing at the top levels of the sport? Multiple world records at 50 miles or six days? No, of course not. It’s Camille doing stupid Camille shit.Beer for this episode: Athletic Brewing Free Wave, Drowned Lands Field and StreamIntro music: "Fine Line" by the BloodlettersOutro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

There was a reading assignment for this show…naturally, Phil couldn’t be bothered to do any actual work, so I had the great pleasure of speaking with Doug Mayer about his new book, The Race That Changed Running: The Inside Story of UTMB, out TODAY! An American expat living full-time in Chamonix, Doug works as a journalist and runs his own tour guide company, Run the Alps. The new book (his third) grew out of his own personal history with and curiosity about the race that, like it or not, is at the forefront of the world ultra and trail running scene. We talked about many of the issues and controversies around the race and the UTMB series of races, the influence of Ironman, how the book was written, and also Doug’s recent trip to Innsbrouck to cover the World Trail and Mountain Running Championships. This was a really fun conversation that I think people will find very thought-provoking. Plus, the triumphant return of Desert Island Picks!LinksOrder The Race That Changed Running or Doug’s other booksRun the AlpsDoug’s coverage of the World Trail and Mountain Running ChampionshipsDesert Island Picks: The Odyssey, Hot Rocks by the Rolling Stones, Big Mountain Brewing Wild MountainIntro music: "Fine Line" by the BloodlettersOutro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

Rich Lockwood has been a mainstay on the PNW trail-running scene for several years, but he grabbed the national spotlight in 2022 with a string of world-class performances, capped by a win at the uber-competitive Run Rabbit Run 100 and a podium spot an the Doi Inthanon 100K (by UTMB, blah blah blah) in his first international event. We caught up with Rich after last month’s return to racing at the newly-reinvigorated Lake Sonoma 50 mile because we wanted to clarify a bunch of crucial information that hadn’t been shared pubicly before, like what cartoon character he identifies with. Let no one accuse us of not asking the tough questions.Links:Follow Rich on IGBeers for this episode: Best Day Brewing Hazy IPA, Two Way Brewing Confusion Saison, Holy Mountain Throne of BloodIntro music: "Fine Line" by the BloodlettersOutro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

Many of you may not know about Chad Lasater, but you should. He’s the current champion of the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning (having finished the GS in both 2021 and 2022) and after a breakthrough performance at Desert Solstice (his first real 24-hour race) he is currently in position for a spot on the US team for the World Championships this fall. We recorded this in late 2022, shortly after Chad’s awesome run at DS, where he narrowly missed Bob Hearn’s 50+ American Record, but I’ve been too busy to release the show until now—which is great, since Chad has an insanely busy year about to start up. In this episode, we reminisce about the good old days in the late 2010s, when Phil and I were still able to kind of keep up with Chad, and we try to figure out The Secret behind his incredible progress in the sport and how he is able to be running huge PRs into his 50s. Then, it’s time for a very entertaining 20 Questions; Chad has raced 25 100s all over the world and has a million stories to share.Links:Follow Chad on IG - zero posts so far!Beer for this episode: Wicked Weed PerniciousIntro music: "Fine Line" by the BloodlettersOutro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

Happy New Year! Sneaking in our traditional year-end pod under the wire, my favorite episode every year, debating the Ultrarunners of the Year with recurring guest Jason Mintz, who battled through COVID and came to PLAY! Tons of consensus this year but also some pretty good debate. Phil and I both completely fucked up and somehow both left Matthieu Blanchard out of our top 10, which is a travesty, but otherwise I think we held our own. I had a great time pointing out Phil’s lack of internal consistency which is always fun, and Phil made me defend Camille, which was weird.Beer for this episode: Wolf Hills Trooper’s Alley, Captain Lawrence Clearwater KolschLinksLaura Kline on the 2017 ballotJason Mintz on the 2018 ballotRich Heffron on the 2019 ballot for the women and menMintz again on the 2021 ballotMy final ballot in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019Intro music: "Fine Line" by the BloodlettersOutro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

It took us way too long to have Beastcoast star Riley Brady on the pod. For some reason we waited until they’re getting ready to move to Boulder (like everyone else!) to invite them on. Fresh off a Golden Ticket-winning performance at the Javelina Jundred, Riley joined the show to talk about competition in the sport, The King, karaoke, and much more.Links:Follow Riley on IGBeer for this episode: Treehouse Six, Dancing Grain Harvest SunIntro music: "Fine Line" by the BloodlettersOutro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

It’s always a little scary to double the amount of Brits on the show, but it couldn’t have been easier with Pete Mortimer, one of the most accomplished and prolific athletes in our sport today. We talked about some of Pete’s most recent exploits at HURT, Run Rabbit, and Barkley, before tackling all-important questions about hashing, Metallica, and (of course) Marmite.Links:Pete’s websitePete on IG and StravaBeer for this episode: Treehouse Juice Machine, Radiant Pig Save the RobotsIntro music: "Fine Line" by the BloodlettersOutro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

Despite being only 36, Sabrina Little has been running ultras for over fifteen years. She won the famed Old Dominion 100 mile at only 23 years old; by the time she was 26, she held American records for 24 hours and 200K, and led the US women to a team gold medal with her runner-up finish at the 24-hour world championships. Now with a PhD in philosophy, Sabrina is one of the leading thinkers in the sport of ultrarunning. We welcomed her onto the show after just celebrating the birth of her second child to talk about some serious but mostly silly stuff, ‘cause you know, that’s what we do.Links:Sabrina’s websiteSabrina on IG and Strava“Beer” for this episode: Athletic Oktoberfest, Drowned Lands Harvest Kill Sour IPAIntro music: "Fine Line" by the BloodlettersOutro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

Oh, dear listener, did we have a podcast for you. Recorded in beautiful Dolby surround sound, it was full of ultra musings, information, insights, wit, beer, witbeer, and other hilarity. We talked about UTMB, Leadville, various other goings on. Yes, it had been a while since we podded, but no matter! It was like riding a proverbial bicycle. Truly, a podcast for the ages.That was our last episode, which was our first episode in several months, and which was waylaid by a faulty USB port. Sadly, it is lost to the sands of time. The workd may never understand how truly Phil and I were at the peak of our podcasting powers.So, we took another six weeks to drown our sorrows and now come to you with this suboptimal crap. Enjoy.Beer for this episode: Athletic Brewing Free Wave, Wicked Weed Freak of NatureIntro music: "Fine Line" by the BloodlettersOutro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

The Legend returns to the Pain Cave to recap Western States with “Heat Training,” breaking down the juiciest storylines and biggest takeaways from this past weekend in Auburn. Then, we review our men’s and women’s picks and see who was the best prognosticator this year. Finally, we get Phil’s report from his PR at Manitou’s Revenge and touch on the rest of the results from a busy week in the trail and ultrarunning world.LinksWestern States preview pod (with picks) featuring Cat BradleyBeer for this episode: West Kill Kaaterskill IPA, Athletic Brewing Upside Dawn (use promo code JASONF20 for 20% off your first order)Intro music: "Fine Line" by the BloodlettersOutro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

One more episode to drop into the pre-Western States hype maelstrom: we sit down with former podium finisher Brittany Peterson, one of the world’s best trail runners and one the pre-race favorites this weekend at the Big Dance, for our world-famous 20 Questions.Links:Brittany’s websiteBrittany on IG and Strava“Beer” for this episode: Synergy Raw Kombucha UnityIntro music: "Fine Line" by the BloodlettersOutro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

It’s that time of year again: Western States! The world’s best are gathering in Olympic Valley for the biggest race on the domestic ultrarunning calendar, and we’re breaking down our top picks for the Big Dance with former WS100 champ Cat Bradley and her broken hand. We recorded this last week before all the happenings at Broken Arrow this weekend (though I will say we did a pretty good job of calling out some of the best performers to watch) before diving deep into our top 5 men’s and top 10 women’s picks. Then, Phil and I do a super-quick roundup of some recent Euro and Beastcoast trail news.Beer for this episode: Athletic Brewing Free Wave and Upside Dawn (use promo code JASONF20 for 20% off your first order), Better Booch KombuchaIntro music: "Fine Line" by the BloodlettersOutro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

OK, so it’s been a teeny bit longer than a month….what can I say, it’s hard to pin the Legend down these days! And then when you do, his audio quality is shit….but I digress. We let way too much time pass between episodes, so this is less of a “deep dive” and more of a quick recap of a ridiculous amount of ultra results from around the globe, including the last of the Golden Ticket races for the year, new 100K and 100 mile world records, national championships, Madiera, Miwok, Gorge Waterfalls, and much more!Beer for this episode: Athletic Brewing Rice HellesLinksPhil talks on the Inside the Line podcast about his Catskills Winter FKTPrint coverage of his adventure King vs. Hedges at BreakneckIntro music: "Fine Line" by the BloodlettersOutro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

Whoa, it’s been awhile! Life gets in the way of podcasting sometimes. So psyched to be back with Phil in the Cave for an awesome conversation with our coach, SWAP cofounder, podcaster, author, and world-class trail runner David Roche. In his second appearance on the show, we talk with David about goal setting and the mental approach to racing, before we hit the classic 20 questions topics: you know, Vonnegut, streaking, Michelle Obama, the usual.Links:Team SWAPThe SWAP Adventure PodcastOur first interview with David…and his wife Megan’s 20 questions episodeBuy The Happy RunnerDavid’s InstagramBeers for this episode: Athletic Brewing Run Wild, Captain Lawrence Orbital Tilt, Hoplark Calm One HopteaIntro music: "Fine Line" by the BloodlettersOutro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale