The Pain Cave

Had a great time on the pod this week with Doug Mayer talking about all things UTMB Mont-Blanc on the occasion of the release of his new book, "The Race That Changed Running: The Inside Story of UTMB." This was a really fun and interesting conversation, in spite of (or because?) Philip Vondra wasn't there. Check it out!

Episode 114 - "The Race That Changed Running" with Doug Mayer — Gunksrunner.com 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...

New episode alert! We recorded this one back in mid-December, but we’ve also been busy writing a book (stay tuned for more on that) so just now finding time to get this released. Philip Vondra and I had an awesome conversation with our good friend Chad Lasater, who is our age but getting faster every year…to the point that he is now the all-time #2 American over 50 for 24 hours and a World Championship qualifier! What ‘80s pop hit would he sing for karaoke? Listen and find out!
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Episode 112 - Twenty Questions with Chad Lasater — Gunksrunner.com 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 th...

Wow, shots fired! High Lonesome 100

So cool to have trail star Riley Brady on the show this week! Download, listen subscribe, share!

Episode 110 - Twenty Questions with Riley Brady — Gunksrunner.com 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 compe...

New episode is up! Philip Vondra and I had a great conversation with Sabrina Little about motherhood, philosophy, running, and Taylor Swift. Check it out!

Episode 108 - Twenty Questions with Sabrina Little — Gunksrunner.com 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-h

New episode alert! Philip Vondra and I tackle the hottest takes coming out of the Western States Endurance Run in our recap show, plus we get Phil's race report from the Manitou's Revenge Ultramarathon and much more.

Episode 106 - Western States Recap with Phil Vondra — Gunksrunner.com 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....

We were very lucky to get Brittany Peterson on the show before she wins Western States and becomes way to famous to talk with us. She was a good sport answering silly questions during race week. Check it out and cheer Brittany on this weekend at the Big Dance!
https://www.gunksrunner.com/paincave/2022/6/22/episode-105-twenty-questions-with-brittany-peterson

It's Western States week, baby! And that means we're back in the podcasting groove with our annual Western States preview featuring none other than former champ Cat Bradle! Check out our picks for the Big Dance and other regularly scheduled nonsense!
https://www.gunksrunner.com/paincave/2022/6/20/episode-104-western-states-preview-with-cat-bradley-and-phil-vondra

Hey! We're back! With more sub-optimal content! Don't worry, once we remember how to do this, it'll get better.

Episode 103 - This Month (?) in Ultrarunning with Phil Vondra — Gunksrunner.com 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 s**t….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 r...

Life got in the way of podcasting for a while, but we are back in a big way, with Philip Vondra's and my amazing coach David Roche talking mental prep and 20Qs...an episode you absolutely do not want to miss!

Episode 102 - Twenty Questions with David Roche — Gunksrunner.com 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

New year, new podcast episode! Philip Vondra and I were very psyched to have HOKA athlete Dani Moreno on the show to talk about her breakthrough season on the Salomon Running Golden Trail Series and answer our stupid 20 questions.

Episode 101 - Twenty Questions with Dani Moreno — Gunksrunner.com In our first episode of 2022, West Coast trail goddess Dani Moreno gives us the lowdown on her breakthrough 2021 season before answering twenty stupid questions about cheese, ABBA, Tim Allen, and much more. Links: Dani’s website Beers for this episode: Ober Creek Sundial , Ommegang Neon Rainbo

One hundred episodes! That's a lot! We welcomed in Jason Elliot Mintz for the centennial celebration to debate who should be named UltraRunning Magazine's Ultrarunners of the Year. Always one of my favorite episodes each year.

Episode 100 - Ultrarunner of the Year with Jason Mintz — Gunksrunner.com Wow! One hundred episodes! I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate the centennial than with one of my perennial favorite episodes, debating the mens’ and womens’ Ultrarunners of the Year. I was once again thrilled to be included on the voting panel for this award. And as usual, I brought...

How are you going to pass those long hours waiting for your name to be drawn in the Western States Endurance Run and Hardrock Hundred Endurance Run lotteries tomorrow? Join us on Spotify Greenroom for a live podcast. Download the Greenroom app and you can join in the conversation LIVE. We'll be drowning our sorrows and berating anyone we know who gets in. Yes, we'll release it as a podcast next week, but don't miss all the live fun starting tomorrow at 11AM eastern/8 am Pacific.

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Episode 97 hits the airwaves today with the awesome Jason Green of the Yeti Trail Runners, taking on 20 questions while Philip Vondra and I do Fireball shots. Please subscribe, rate, and review, and above all, share with your friends!!

Episode 97 - Twenty Questions with Jason Green — Gunksrunner.com One of the most fun episodes we’ve ever done. Jason Green, the founder of the Yeti Trail Cult and the RD of the Yeti 100, sits down in the 20 Questions hot seat to discuss Appalachia, skateboarding, ghosts, and Tyler Perry. Also: FIREBALL! Links: Yeti Trail Cult Beers for this episode: Indust

Facebook access has been restored! And just in time for a new episode with Matt Flaherty, talking about his recent finish at the Leadville Race Series LT100 and much more!

Episode 95 - Twenty Questions with Matt Flaherty — Gunksrunner.com It’s been a few years since Matt Flaherty was dominating the roads and trails at the 50 mile and 100K distances, but he came back in a big way this summer when he crashed the Anton vs. Ian show at Leadville with an out-of-nowhere second place finish in his 100-mile debut. In the lates installment ...

New episode for Western States Endurance Run race week! Philip Vondra is back as always for a recap of Six Days in the Dome and other goings-on in the ultrarunning universe, plus our picks for the podium at this weekend's big show!

Episode 89 - Western States Preview with Phil Vondra — Gunksrunner.com 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&n

And the hits just keep on coming! Two absolute legends of the sport, Clare Gallagher and Kyle Saari Pietari, are on this week to talk about helping Alex Falconer help save the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Then we discussed their approaches to next week's Western States Endurance Run before diving into 20 Questions. Check out this great conversation!

Episode 88 - Saving the Boundary Waters, Talking WS100, and Twenty Questions with Clare Gallagher and Kyle Pietari — Gunksrunner.com 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 place...

Another amazing guest: this week on the Pain Cave we welcome in the incredible Max King, former Ultrarunner of the Year and owner of perhaps the most versatile and impressive resume in our sport. Join us as we discuss Western States, adventure racing, longevity, glass doors, and much more.

Episode 87 - Twenty Questions with Max King — Gunksrunner.com 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 Champi

New episode is up with the legendary Andy Jones-Wilkins! He's forgotten more about trail ultrarunning than most of us have ever known. We chat UTMB, WS100, and 20Qs. This is a really great talk, check it out!

Episode 86 - UTMB Fallout, WS100 Preview, and Twenty Questions with Andy Jones-Wilkins — Gunksrunner.com 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

New pod, hot off the press! The awesome Beth Pascall joins me and Philip Vondra for 20 Questions about running, seafood, and more. Check it out!

Episode 85 - Twenty Questions with Beth Pascall — Gunksrunner.com 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 w

Another awesome guest on the show this week, as the incredible Hillary Allen joins us to talk about her new book, "Out and Back: A Runner's Story of Survival and Recovery Against All Odds," and also to answer twenty mostly stupid questions.

Episode 83 - Twenty Questions with Hillary Allen — Gunksrunner.com 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 a

World Record = emergency pod! We crash the airwaves to bring you lukewarm takes about Des Linden's 50K WR performance and finally browbeat Paul Kentor into coming on the show to put things into historical context (and lend us some air of credibility).

Episode 82 - Emergency Des Linden Pod with Phil Vondra and Paul Kentor — Gunksrunner.com It’s our second-ever EMERGENCY POD, and we finally wore down Paul Kentor (a.k.a SteelTownRunner) to come on the show and share his unparalleled fund of ultrarunning knowledge with us. We discuss Des’ amazing (if not unexpected) performance, the history of the road 50K as a competitive event (on ...

We're BACK! with an all new This Month in Ultrarunning episode. Phil and I chat recent and not-so-recent results including GDR, Bandera, Black Canyon, and Barkley. Also, we weigh in on Western States Endurance Run lottery changes, and Phil tries his best to offend most of our previous guests as I apologize for his behavior. Download, listen, subscribe, and share! Or you know what, maybe just skip this one. We'll be back later this week.

Episode 81 - This Month in Ultrarunning with Phil Vondra — Gunksrunner.com It’s been a LONG time since our last TMIU episode, so here goes! Phil is back in the Pain Cave to discuss all things ultrarunning, including his return to racing at GDR, results from the first two GT races of the year, the Barkley Marathons, and the Ohio Backyard ultra. (We touched on the Carbon X

New episode alert! It's 20 Questions time with my MPF/RNR teammate and the newly crowned King of New Jersey, Cole Crosby! Learn how he fueled his run across his adopted home state and why he likes Goofy.

Episode 80 - Twenty Questions with Cole Crosby — Gunksrunner.com We’re back on the 20 Questions beat with stud and US National Snowshoe team member Cole Crosby. We talk to Cole about his recent run across the entire length of New Jersey, plus ducks, horses, motivation, pizza, and much more. Links: Cole’s business, Cresting the Summit Cole on IG

HUGE new episode is up as we have the great Bryon Powell and Ian Golden joining Philip and me to draft our dream shoe closets. Subscribe, listen, rate/review below...then go to the comments for a link to our super-scientific poll to determine who actually won this draft! (If you don't vote, I win by default.)

Episode 79 - The Shoe Draft with Bryon Powell and Ian Golden — Gunksrunner.com We’ve drafted ultrarunning fantasy teams , we’ve drafted the elements of the perfect aid station , and now we’re drafting the perfect shoe closet. Bryon Powell of iRunFar and Ian Golden of the Trails Collective join Phil and I for a brief state-of-the-sport discussion before we select our favo...

New episode is up!! The awesome Kaytlyn Gerbin joins us for 20 questions, check it out!

Episode 78 - Twenty Questions with Kaytlyn Gerbin — Gunksrunner.com The defending champ at Transgrancanaria and the newly minted holder of the Wonderland Trail FKT, Kaytlyn Gerbin faces her toughest test: the 20 Questions hot seat. We talk about her favorite races, snowboarding, watermelons, weird costumes, and much more. Links: Instagram: Facebook: ht

New episode is up! The amazing Zoë Rom of Trail Runner magazine is in the Pain Cave to talk about the podcast, fear of failure, FKTs, self-compassion, and more. Download, listen, subscribe, share, rate, review, all that s**t!

Episode 72 - Confronting Failure with Zoë Rom — Gunksrunner.com Trail running beast Zoë Rom is the Associate Editor of Trail Runner magazine and the host of the DNF Podcast—a show about “failure in life and running…about unfinished business, and the unglamorous work of picking yourself up, dusting yourself off, and moving on.” Zoë joins us to talk abou...

New episode to help you kill some time before you start drinking heavily today...get to know U.S. National 24 Hour Running Team member Jake Jackson! Jake joins us on the show to talk about his explosion on the scene over the past few years, running at the World Championships, why he started working with a coach, imposter syndrome and more. GO VOTE!!! and then listen to the pod!

Episode 71 - Truckin' with Jake Jackson — Gunksrunner.com In the past two years, SoCal native Jake Jackson has progressed from a solid competitor on the southwestern trail-running scene to a top-10 finish at the 24-hour World Championships. Jake joins us on the show to talk about his meteoric rise to becoming one of the top US runners ever at 24 hours, ho

New episode for a Monday! The awesome Tony Fletcher joins me in the Pain Cave to talk punk music, trail running, and a wee bit of EPL. Download, listen, subscribe, share, rate, review, etc.

Episode 70 - Rockin' Out with Tony Fletcher — Gunksrunner.com Are you ready to rock? Author, music journalist ,and trail runner Tony Fletcher makes his face-melting debut in the Pain Cave. We talk about how he cut his teeth in the British punk scene of the late 1970s, becoming a de facto professional journalist at fourteen, the Who vs. the Stones, trail run

New episode is up! The Legend returns to the Pain Cave for the latest installment of "This Pandemic in Ultrarunning." Updates from IMTUF, Bear 100, Yeti, Cat's Tail Trail Marathon, 3 Days At The Fair, Sussex County Fairgrounds, and more.

Episode 69 - This Month in Ultrarunning with Phil Vondra — Gunksrunner.com Nice! The Legend is back for a “This Pandemic in Ultrarunning” update, as we check in on some of the recent trail and ultra races starting to every so slowly come back on line. We cover results from the Bear 100, IMTUF, Yeti, and Stumpjump and discuss our own returns to racing at Cat’s Tail an...