Episode 487: Rachel Entrekin | Cocodona 250 Course Record Rachel Entrekin recently cemented her legacy in the growth of multiday trail ultramarathons with her outright course record and third win at the Cocodona 250. We talk about how her race played out, her life has changed since going pro earlier this year, and what her performance has taught us about the many variables to success at multiday ultramarathons. For a full picture of Rachel’s transition into professional ultra runner, please check out my previous episode with her, Episode 477: Cocodona 250 Ultra Champ | Rachel Entrekin Timestamps: 0:00:00 Highlight Reel 0:00:53 Podcast Intro and Sponsor Deals 0:02:27 Cocodona Recap and Fueling Upgrade 0:06:07 Race Nutrition Real Food vs Gels 0:08:43 Viral Finish 0:10:10 Radical Acceptance Mindset 0:11:23 Seven Hours Faster Why 0:15:53 Pro Life Balance and Bandwidth 0:22:18 Durability Beats Speed Debate 0:30:09 Spreadsheets vs Vibes Racing 0:34:52 Crew Communication and Efficiency 0:38:25 Stepping Back to Crew 0:39:29 Giving Back at Cocodona 0:42:53 Crew as Storytelling 0:45:26 Levity and Showmanship 0:48:24 Crews Versus Uncrewed 0:49:27 No Support Challenge 0:53:01 Kilian Chase Pressure 0:55:23 Sleep Strategy Discussion 01:00:55 Experimenting With Sleep 01:03:49 Six Day Curiosity 01:07:09 Where to Follow Rachel 01:08:50 Wrap Up

If you have a chance, get out on a 400 meter track and do a single lap as fast as you can. Then reflect that Kiptum did that in 68 seconds 105.5 times in a row and in a post race interview suggested he has yet to hurt in a marathon.

I’m not sure what the answer is to beating Hocker in this race. Can’t go slower. Already sub 13 pace, so just dial up near WR pace and hope and pray I guess?

Cartoon numbers. 5 km splits: 13:38, 13:12, 12:57!?!?, 13:23. This time of 56:42 takes a 48 second chunk off the prior WR.

Hi Jasmin, @netflix is on the phone and would like to speak with you. Do you have a minute :)

Strava should employ AI to go in and clean out all the vehicle results in the segments. Wouldn't hurt to get all the sub 2 min/mi pace runs cleaned out.

On Saturday I completed my 5th 100 miler in under 12 hours and my fastest on a non track surface. I want to get to 10 under 12, with a couple big swings in there over the next couple years.

I wonder how many of the “distance running is unhealthy” folks who cite sprinting can run a 12.5 for the 100 at all, much less after 4900 meters? Zero is the answer.

Jacky already had an amazing story of perseverance, but decided to add to it by tackling 100 marathons in 100 days. She just completed number 81. I will be interviewing her on HPO Podcast Monday. Feel free to send over any questions you have for Jacky!

I am on team Garmin because despite running a 2:45 marathon in training as a long run Strava still predicts me to run a 2:47 marathon. Reckless behavior on their part, tbh.

Zach Bitter runs 100-mile world record in 11 hours, 19 min si.com/edge/2019/08/28/zach-…

Here is Conner Mantz and John Korir’s heart rate data from Boston. Both 28 years old, and finished within a minute of one another. Good thing Korir didn’t use heart rate as a primary guide 🤣

11 hrs 51 minutes - 100 Miles. It was my fourth fastest 100 mile, fourth fastest American 100 mile, and 15th in the World. I also hit just under 101 miles for 12 hours, which is the third furthest by an American. Not my best 100 by the clocks standards, but may have been one of my hardest fought efforts. I look forward to breaking it all down in some future posts. Huge thanks to Nicole and my family for coming out to crew and cheer! I really appreciate everything Six Days in the Dome has done to put this event on. No small effort for Mike, Bill and Team!

It is difficult to really wrap my head around this performance. I don't think it is an overstatement to say it is one of the most insane athletic feats in history. So many things that make it more impressive than a straight up PR or record chase. He did this on the back end of prior heats, was in lane two for a significant amount of the race, and oh yeah... he is 16.

I’m going to buy a strip of land, pave and pitch to a perfectly even 1499 ft decent over 26.2 miles, and start an event called the Boston Barrier Buster. Run it like six times per year and just print money.

How cool would it be if most (all?) top trail talent showed up at Gary’s race next year instead of UTMB? I have never done UTMB (to be clear, not because of some moral superiority thing, it’s just not my preferred course type, but I had planned on going eventually). It would be hard to justify now. I totally understand that someone who has built a running career on steep mtn trails has a different decision than I would in this situation, but absolutely love the idea of everyone showing up at Gary’s event and putting enough eyeballs (read $$$) on it so it isn’t even a compromise to be there.

Today, at 12pm Pacific I will be going on @joerogan Looking forward to chatting with the king of podcast! #jre

Precision released Caleb Olsen’s WSER 100 fuel & hydration data ⬇️

Not going to lie... Felt great to plug this one into Strava. strava.com/activities/265196… #strava

Make it make sense

30 mile long run in the books!

Courtney Dauwalter is going to win Hardrock outright isn’t she.

Okay France. Can we have Jim back now? #UTMB2023

Incredible! There you have it folks! The first sub 11-hr 100 miler!

American Zach Bitter crushed the 100-mile world record — by running 363 times around a track washingtonpost.com/sports/20…

So Dave Asprey got plastic surgery. Claiming that it was needed due to the hidden cost of being 300lbs at one point. No Dave, you staked your reputation in Biohacking, like everyone else still aged at a normal rate, and wanted a facelift.

Phoenix runner Zach Bitter attempting 100-mile treadmill world record on YouTube azcentral.com/story/sports/2… via @azcentral

My fastest 100 mile / 12 Hour time was done at the Pettit Center back in 2019. Tomorrow morning at 9am Central I get the chance to run fast for 100 miles and see what this last training cycle produced.

Sara Hall is going to be one of those runners who will have lost zero drive to compete when she is 70+ years old.

That’s gonna be a hard pass for me. I thought the jeeps coming down the mountain in Telluride were crazy.

Nearly six years... In 2013, I first tested the flat 100 mile waters with the goal of breaking the American Record at the Desert Solstice Track Invitational in Phoenix, AZ. Finishing in 11:47:04 gave me enough… instagram.com/p/B1mwnTlne2k/…

Believe it or not, this year’s 100 mile road champs had five gentlemen in the 80-84 age group category, with one having his debut 100 mile date back to 1982. It was a pleasure to see them all go to work for a while.

Took my time on the AT (2 hrs) and let it rip as best I could on the C&O. @AltraRunning

603 miles in six days for Megan Eckert. 43 miles over the previous World Record and first women to crack 600 in the 6-Day. Legend!

The 24 Hour Ultramarathon. It has been a difficult event for me to figure out over the years. I am heading back to the track for the Stinger 24 Hour this Saturday to give it another try and see if I can manage a Team USA 24 Hour qualifier. Minimum distance to be considered is 140 miles, but it will likely take more than that to ultimately make the team, so I will be looking to go a bit beyond that if I can crack the 24 hour code. Wish me luck!

Unless presented with more context, this is a XXL sized overreaction by this account. Zach Miller is racing at the World Championships in this video. It’s not some neighborhood fun run.

9 weeks after finishing 3rd at @JavelinaJundred Nicole punched her ticket to the big one with 2nd place at the Bandera 100km! @wser is on the schedule for June! Congrats to @courtdauwalter for yet another mind blowing win, course record, and also entry into WSER.

Ready for 12 hours on a 2 mile loop! Let’s hope Gray’s Lake is good to me today! Thanks for all the well wishes 🙏

This is a bummer... Unfortunately the ultra running community is learning this lesson the hard way. Breaking record(s), or performing well at a big race is an experience like no other. There will always be someone who breaks your record, wins the event the next year, breaks the CR, etc... As the sport continues to grow, these achievements will be built upon very quickly. I really hope Camille can find a way to be proud of the fact she has played a part in moving the performance side of the sport forward, and also get help with whatever is driving the ladder pulling behavior over the years.

Check this course profile. Nicole and I did the 50km trail race (run) this morning and it felt about how it looks! Basically constant hairpin turning, very short steep hills, mtn bike ramps, and berms. Never done a course quite like it.

Back at it! Track long run: 3 hours - 28.09 miles - 113 laps - 6:26/mi

If Jasmin does finish all five loops, cementing herself in history as the first woman to defeat the course, will this be performance of the year? It will mean we already have two huge marks on the board and it’s only March.

At least he didn’t insult us all by calling it an easy run 🤣

Sunday Long Run ☑️ | 153.82 miles for the week.

Biggest issue I see with this model getting popular is it sets up a framework where doping is more incentivized or low risk within the tested sports. If you get caught, your career doesn’t end, it may even take off.

People need to stop worrying about living to 120 and get outside.

What a blast! I spent yesterday afternoon chatting with @joerogan about, well, all sorts of things 😀 It’s up on YouTube and all podcast sites. Episode 1392! #jre #freakparty #joerogan #joeroganexperience instagram.com/p/B5oMCnAn-1G/…

Online science bros can take a seat. Dana White stepping up and snatching the belt for bro science final boss. All others can fight over the lower levels. 🤣

Thanks for having me on Lex! Honored to have been your guest.

The taper is in the books, legs feel great, energy is high. Tomorrow, 12 hours of running around a 2 mile loop. Aiming for >100 miles. Lets go!

Who remembers this? Smooth 🐐

What percentage of the population do you think can break 18 seconds in the 100 meter?

Another angle to look at this would be if folks getting $7.25/hr. now get $15/hr they will spend that money out of necessity to move out of poverty. This additional spending will put more demand on business to increase supply to meet increased demand.

Someone will eventually die at a Last Man Standing event from literally running themself to death.

4:37/mi is pretty insane even with super shoes. It is incredible to see what humans can do when they go all in on something.

Had a blast hanging with @joerogan this afternoon! If you didn’t catch it live here is the YouTube recording: piped.video/RsO61ZsihQM

In 2025, we should be able to agree that endurance athletes should strength train and strength athletes should do cardio. Together we can collectively clown the fools who say one or the other is uniquely bad or better than the other. 😂

The fact that @MountainRoche has popped up as one of the top ultrarunners in the sport is great. Even better is his willingess to talk about everything he is doing and thinking. Going so far as to speak his mind at times before fully forming opinions, showing us his evolving thought process. It is really interesting to watch.

I think there is an argument to be made that Ultrarunning at the bigger events was more fun when we took it 90% serious. Now we have big coaching orgs filling kiddie pools with ice water to dunk their athletes at aid stations. 🤣

50 Miles - 4:48:20 - WR - Congrats Charlie!

Curious what others think. My opinion, Joe should hold firm on this one. I'd like to see a ~3 hour conversation between Rogan and Harris. Not really interested in a 58 min. 38 sec. conversation. Those are available. He made Trump come to him and blew right by the campaign's demands making him stay two hours later than they had planned. I would personally like a precedent going forward where candidates expect at least one highly visable long forum discussion anyway.

Track long run continues. Today: 2 hours 45 minutes, 101 laps, 25.1 miles, 6:34/mi. strava.com/activities/893757… #strava

My high school XC team watched Without Limits the night before State my senior year. We all ran faster the next day as a result, no doubt. Happy Bday Pre!

I always find the "soreness" difference between flat 100s and trail 100s interesting. Trail is more complete destruction of the lower body. Flat picks a few spots, but hits them hard!

Well. Not at all what I had hoped. I won’t know specifics until I can see a PT, but I injured my left hamstring. Felt a pain that almost seemed like a really brief but sharp cramp around 8.5-9 hrs. It caught me by surprise, but didn’t immediately stop me like a typical hamstring strain or tear. Over the next two hours I lost the ability to lift my left heel up more than 2-3 inches through my gate cycle. Took 20 min to sort it out and see if it was just a really bad cramp and some residual tightness, but stretching and massage seemed to make it worse. I tried going back out one more time and was able to shuffle a bit, but if I tried to accelerate at all I couldn’t get the left leg to kick back. At that point my day was done. I’ve already death marched a 24 hour 😂 and didn’t suspect I would do myself any favors with another. This morning everything feels typical of 75 miles slow running for the exception of the whole back side of my left leg. Even my Achilles is super tight. Hardly any range of motion and very minimal ability to bend my leg from the straight position. I’ll get it checked out when I get home, but suspect it’s probably off season time for me. Appreciate all the support from everyone on here! Sorry to disappoint.

Actual video evidence of salty sweat in (chafing) wounds during this years Brazos Bend 100 Mile 😬

Something I am noticing more of in the running world is people doing recognized distances, but not at an event. Example, someone will share with me they are training for a marathon, I'll ask which one, and they will say just setting up my own route. I don't remember this happening years ago.

Here is another take. "If you want to stay average, work at a rate that requires no days off."

I can’t think of anyone pushing higher in race carb intake in ultra running than David. It’s cool he is sharing everything as he builds to WSER 100 on June.

What if I told you endurance training destroys both.

The windchill this morning north of Chicago was 47 below F. I triple layered and went out for 5 miles just to do it. I got to thinking about the craziest cold weather I have run in the past. I’ve had a few crazier outings than today when younger. What’s your craziest cold run?

When @courtdauwalter had to pull out of Hardrock earlier this year while leading the race, it made UTMB much more interesting. Not because there would be doubt, but because it was inevitable the UTMB course was going to get absolutely hammered. #UTMB

Lol. They were doped to the gills.

By great personal interest and listener demand, @SBakerMD and I welcomed (Dr. Jason Fung) @drjasonfung onto Human Performance Outliers. We discussed fasting, low carb, protein, and much more. Available now on patreon.com/HPOpodcast

Good read. Small scale local farms, and getting closer to our food systems. I would add well regulated/managed hunting practices for those willing and able. usatoday.com/story/opinion/2…

Even being charitable, I cannot get past this being a half baked take. He clearly was unaware there was a cooling bucket at the end of the table before the volunteer showed him. Lol! Why would he go through the trouble opening bottles if he was aware?

Embraced the rain storms yesterday at the Rocky Raccoon 50 Mile. What a wild day and crazy to consider how much the same trails can change with a few downpours 🤣 I managed to keep it together out there and finish 1st OA.

What percent of uploads to Strava are from a Garmin device? Pretty sure bluffs will be called on this one.

This November marked my 12th year following a low carbohydrate nutritional strategy for my ultramarathon endurance lifestyle. Here are some takeaways from my experience: - In the 12 years, my inputs have ranged from mostly plant based, to mostly animal based and everything in between. As long as micros are accounted for, I strongly believe the biggest determinant to what makes things work for this way of eating is mostly preference and personal adherence. In other words, pick the inputs you can live with versus some ideological reason. For me personally, one of the things that has made this way of eating sustainable and exciting is occasionally changing the inputs while maintaining the same macro ratios. Others are different and would rather find specific inputs and stick to them. Being honest with yourself matters here. Consider you will be eating for the rest of your life, so be honest about how likely/able you will be able to adhere to certain inputs versus others. - This way of eating has gotten a lot of attention over the past 12 years, but if you are looking for support to get started, and avoid exaggerated claims and personal anecdotes that may be irrelevant, you still won't find much better than Volek and Phinney's book: The Art And Science of Low Carbohydrate Living. - If it sounds too good to be true, or an internet guru makes statements about everyone being wrong but them, etc... it is best to look elsewhere for support. - It is best to look at all foods, including carbs, as tools, but be honest with yourself how those tools impact you personally. Your lifestyle, and the way it fluctuates matters, and your own personal intolerances and relationship with certain foods do as well. - Lifestyle matters. I have had the benefit of using this way of eating during low output (offseason/injury) times of the year, as well as high output (peak training). Plug and play formulas rarely work with these lifestyles, so be open to doing things differently during different phases of the year. - Over these 12 years, I have worked with over a thousand people who also have tried low carbohydrate for endurance pursuits. Some of them have found it preferable, others found it better to go back to moderate/high carb. Looking at both ways of eating as having positives and negatives, weighing these with lifestyle, the research, and personal experiences, goals, and priorities is really important. - If something seemed to be working, but eventually no longer does, be curious and not dogmatic. Everytime I have thought something was absolute I have been met with examples where it is not. - Following and engaging with low carbohydrate groups and communities can be helpful in your journey. These groups, like all groups, are not void of people who mean well but are ignorant, absolutists, charlatans, grifters, ideologues, and dogmatists. Be skeptical and also listen to people who are not part of these groups who have expertise in nutrition. We often don’t hear about those who tried and failed, so it can be easy to over represent in your mind the success stories.

Nuts! That is an average pace of 4:08/mi. For fun, go to your local track and give one lap the best you have and enjoy comprehending Cheptegei doing that 12.5 times at just under 62 seconds each... 😯

Nicole and I made it to Japan! Just getting everything sorted for her 100 mile around Mt. Fuji!

Conner Mantz: Race (1/2 Marathon AR) vs. Cooldown.

One of the reason pop culture endurance training theory shifts from one style of workout to the next is because they all work. The thing to remember is even though all the different inputs will work, at least in the short term, they all work better when combined. Ideally, build a strong foundation, then suppliment that with some intensity training, and ultimitely specificy towards the demands of the event. The reason this works better is because intesnity work is amplified by a strong foundation, so you get better quality, more volume, and faster recovery from it when you have a solid foundation.

2023 Javelina 100!!! My goal at this year’s @javelinajundred was to give myself a chance to earn a golden ticket for WSER in June. I assumed this would require something just a shade below 13 hours. This is where I thought my “best case scenario” finishing time was after the training leading into the race, so I paced the first two of five loops accordingly. In hindsight, pacing for a 13:10-15 would have probably been a better target this time around, but I still had a solid performance and finalized a productive training cycle. I can definitely build from here. 5th Place Overall 13 hrs 34 min Huge congrats to @JonRea5 for winning and raising the bar at this increasingly competitive event! It’s awesome to see how fast this event has gotten. I can’t thank Nicole and @thedenuch enough for keeping me fueled, cool, and moving through the day!

3-4 weeks. From my experience, this is about how long it takes for you to go from feeling like running is a chore to it feeling like a value add when getting started or coming back after a long layoff. Start where you are at and gradually progress. Walking breaks are often appropriate at this stage.

I think the hate for science communicators like @hubermanlab and @foundmyfitness have gone a bit too far at times. It’s starting to feel more like a high school where all the boring teachers get mad at the creative one for not following a direct instruction teaching strategy. There probably are meaningful critiques, but it may be better to levy those with some positive feedback as well.

In 2014, I signed my first pro contract with Altra Footwear to chase some ultramarathon goals. Over the last 11 years I have been fortunate to be able to break World and American Records, win National Championships, compete for Team USA at World 100km Championships and find my way on podiums over a wide range of distances and terrains. I believe Altra was a necessary disruptor in the running shoe space, and I am honored to have been able to share their approach over the years on some of the biggest platforms in the world, including @joerogan twice, and @lexfridman podcasts. With that said, at this stage, my goals and vision for what I want to do with my racing and creating running related educational resources no longer line up with Altra. I am excited to be starting a new chapter where @brady_h and I will be doing some deep dives into the footwear industry. Stay tuned for some of the first reviews on my podcast and other channels! If you are interested in us reviewing specific models, please don't hesitate to reach out!

Sorry I gotta ask… where are all the, “but how does @MountainRoche coach if he hasn’t done a 100 miler?” people at this morning? Now he has and can make a good argument for as good as anyone in history.

Considering the commanding way she won WSER. If Courtney goes WSER, Hardrock, UTMB 3x win/CR in what is just a touch past 2 months, I’m not sure there is a short stretch of racing in ultra that tops that on either men’s or women’s side. What are some other great 3 race stretches in approx 2 mo. time?

This is why my new fueling strategy is to just spread gels under my pits while running and cycling.

Conner is just 28 years old. Will be fun to see how far down he can get his marathon time.

Conner Mantz already has over 70 miles in for the week after breaking the half marathon American Record on Sunday.

Home Stretch!

Mark this for best internet flex of 2024

The logical conclusion here is to run ultras 🤣

Congrats Phil! What a strong close and solid day. You deserved the win. I believed TH100 could produce a sub 11:30, and still do. I paced first half accordingly, and paid for it. Safe to say I didn’t have that in me yesterday, but thrilled to confirm my ankle is back!

Logging big miles and sharing with @zachpogrob + Aura

Ryan Hall was a god tier sprinter compared to the average person despite optimizing for the marathon.

What exactly should I be doing the day after a 100 mile race 🤣

Apparently, USATF has agreed with Pam Smith (team manager) that Camille announcing on social media she was not coming was enough clarity to allow for a substitute to participate as the sixth runner for the USA Women's 24-Hour World Championships. Stella Springer, the alternate, can now race for Team USA. Glad this was sorted! Go kill it ladies!

Definitely a year I will remember. Honored to share #2 with @puppiesonmtsyay for 2019! An early congrats to @courtdauwalter and @walmsleyruns for your mind blowing seasons. Your careers are far from over, but in my opinion GOAT status :)