Eat Half, Walk Double
Chris J. Dunn
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This show chronicles my four decades in endurance sports as an exercise physiologist, coach, race director, and athlete told through the stories of the important, influential, and interesting people I’ve met along the way. While I catch up with friends, colleagues, rivals, clients, and the occasional family member, it’s my hope you’ll learn a little something about health, fitness, and the secrets to living well along the way.
Available episodes
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Oldest first
Dec 4, 2023
E73: Brandon Newbould | Music Is The Shorthand Of Emotion
Brandon Newbould joins the show this week. “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less.: -CS Lewis. In this age of endless self-promotion, in which achievements, position, and influence blow down from high like a Chinook wind, Brandon is a breath of fresh air. He doesn’t post on Facebook otherwise you’d probably already know he’s an accomplished professional musician. He doesn’t use Instagram or you’d already know he won the Baystate Marathon twice (8 years apart), PR’ing that second win. Lastly, he doesn’t have an X account,
or you undoubtedly would have noticed that, as a prep school XC and track coach, he’s help develop athletes with professional running career aspirations. All of this is what makes him so incredibly fascinating. If you really want to know what makes him tick, rather than asking how his running is going, ask him what book he’s reading.
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Nov 20, 2023
E72: Richie Blake | Any Run Is Better Than No Run At All
Richie Blake is my guest this week. Oftentimes the decisions we make as teenagers have a profound impact on the trajectory of our lives. As was the case for Richie. If not for a friend “talking him into” going out for the cross-country team in 7th grade it’s hard to imagine things would have turned out the way they did. When running is recreation, avocation, and occupation it’s fair to say it’s an important part of life. As an athlete, a coach, and a business owner he shares valuable insights on a life spent in a lifetime sport.
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Nov 6, 2023
E71: Katy Doyle | Today's Pain Is Tomorrow's Strength
Katy Doyle is my guest this week. Food is a ubiquitous and essential element of our human experience. It is almost always in our consciousness. Many of us have and maintain a healthy relationship with food. Unfortunately for some, food and food choices can serve as an unhealthy control mechanism in periods of turmoil. Eating disorders can co-occur with addictive behaviors making things exponentially more serious. Exercise is by and large a healthy life enhancing choice. But for a few vulnerable individuals a line can be crossed resulting in addiction. When an eating disorder and an exercise addiction are coupled, spinning into the abyss is almost inevitable. The important message here though is that help is always available, and nothing is insurmountable. This is Katy’s story.
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Oct 30, 2023
E70: Ray Calabro | True Self-Discovery Begins Where Your Comfort Zone Ends
Ray Calabro joins the show this week. The poet and essayist Tyler Knott once wrote, “Mountains know secrets we need to learn. That it might take time, it might be hard, but if you hold on long enough, you will find the strength to rise up.”. When Ray reached out to me in June of 2000, he was looking for some direction. What initially started as a journey back to health and fitness would become an odyssey of amazing discovery. That we were able to experience it together was a gift.
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Oct 23, 2023
E69: Nancy Eckerson | The Storyteller's Story
Nancy Eckerson is my guest this week. This lifelong New Hampshire resident is as connected to the New England running scene as anyone I’ve ever known. And that connection run deep both personally and professionally. When running came into her life in her late 30’s it was a way to improve her health and fitness. Over the next three decades her passion for running would help her build strong friendships and create opportunities to combine that zeal with her love of writing. Her successful weekly running column, featured in Foster’s Daily Democrat, Portsmouth Herald, and Seacoast Sunday, are evidence of that. She shares what she’s learned over the last thirty years covering the sport of running and being a runner herself.
Guest Provided Link
Seacoast Moms
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Oct 16, 2023
E68: Warren Angell | The Evidence Of Salvation Is Living A Life Of Transformation
Warren Angell joins the show this week. What are the chances running can save your life not once, but twice? Well that’s exactly what happened to Warren. At two very different times in his life, for two very different reasons, running was his salvation. Yet despite that, as you’ll hear, running isn’t what defines him. This intrepid explorer lives by the philosophy that “adventure is everywhere”. And he, more than anyone I’ve ever met, embodies that credo. I mean seriously, who finishes an Ironman distance triathlon a year after learning how to swim?
Guest Provided Link:
Roadside America
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Oct 9, 2023
E67: Dave Dunham | If One Run Can Change Your Day, Many Can Change Your Life
Dave Dunham (Double D) is my guest this week. If you just go by the numbers (if you know Dave, you know he’s a numbers guy) he’s run over 157,000 lifetime miles in 18 countries and all 50 states. During his five decades as a runner he’s run, raced, and won on all surfaces, in seasons, and across all distances from the mile up to 100 kilometers. That incredible success has earned him multiple Hall Of Fame recognitions, Runner Of The Year awards, and enough gold medals to start his own bullion depository. But he’s been much more than just an elite athlete during this time. His contributions to the sport include coaching, race directing, and advising. As New England mountain runners and race directors we also have him to thank for the USA Track & Field Mountain Circuit which he founded. Join us as we discuss the origins of New England mountain running, the challenges it faces, and the opportunities to grow the sport in underrepresented demographics.
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Oct 2, 2023
E66: Jen Shultis | The Improbable Isn't A Limitation, It's An Invitation
Jen Shultis joins the show this week. A decade ago she traded the gnarly, rocky, & rooty east coast trails for the buffed, breathtaking (literally), alpine
tundra trails of the Pacific Northwest. But her trail running hasn’t been limited to Cascadia. She’s raced dozens of ultra’s all across the US. And with as much time as she spends in the woods, specifically in the Kitsap Peninsula of Washington State (ie. the epicenter of cryptozoology), you’d think the likelihood of an encounter with Bigfoot would be pretty high. And in this case you’d be right, but not exactly in the way in the way you imagine. Admit it, you’re intrigued.
Guest Provided Links
Olympic Mountains Trail Races
Mountain Peaks Racing
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Sep 25, 2023
E65: Thomas Dal Molin, Jr. | Safety Third
Thomas Dal Molin, Jr. joins the podcast this week. A decade ago, as an undergrad at the University of New England, he walked into my office to interview for an internship. I chose one of his classmates instead. Two years later, undeterred by that rejection, he contacted me again looking for an internship. At that point how could I say no? That decision turned out to be one of the best of my clinical career as that Master’s level student would become a trusted colleague, great friend, and potential successor of my professional coaching business. This is the story of how it all came to be.
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Sep 11, 2023
E64: Mark Traeger | Talkin' A Cat Off A Shrimp Boat
Mark Traeger is my guest this week. No doubt a visit to his bicycle shop is a commitment (I’ve never spent less than 45 minutes in the shop), but to understand this hilarious eclectic fast talker is to get to know a successful business owner who cares deeply about his community. Mark
immigrated from New Jersey to New Hampshire more than twenty years ago and started a small business in a mill town without a mill. This local bicycle shop owner is independent only in the sense that he’s not beholden to one big brand. And that becomes evident when you hear him mention, by name, the other businesses and business owners that also call Rochester, NH home. He shares his experience as a small business owner in a small town and a large industry that has changed a lot in the past two decades.
Guest Provided Links
https://www.facebook.com/CthulhuBikes/
https://www.instagram.com/mark_traeger/
http://tricitybicycles.com/
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Aug 28, 2023
E63: Bob Dion | Building A Better Mousetrap
Bob Dion is my guest. His name, and his snowshoes, are synonymous with northeast winters. More specifically, snowshoe racing in the northeast. If you’ve been to a snowshoe race in the last decade anywhere east of the Mississippi you’ve seen those orange tipped Dion 121’s. The premier and preferred racing snowshoe for elite athletes and recreationalists alike. But despite how many Dion Snowshoes you’ve seen at races throughout the years, it hasn’t always been easy to own and operate a niche business. Even if you have cornered the regional market. Bob shares the story of the origins of Dion Snowshoes and some of the challenges throughout the years.
Guest Provided Link
https://dionnevitrek.com/collections/dion
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Aug 14, 2023
E62: Drew Best | The Shreddy Professor
Dr. Andrew Best joins the show this week. A Cat 1 mountain biker and assistant professor of biology at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts his IG handle is aptly the “shreddy_professor”. Make no mistake, if you talk that talk you darn well better be ready to back it up. And he has, for a few decades now, both on two feet and lately on two wheels. As an elite level road runner in his 20’s and early 30’s he developed a passion for marathoning and became pretty good at it in the process with a 102nd overall finish at the 2007 Boston Marathon and an overall win at the 2009 Providence Marathon. But a very mysterious foot injury forced him off the pavement onto a more favorable surface and a more compatible community. Throughout his 30’s trail and mountain running would be come what he would describe as his most favorite training and racing he’s ever done. And no surprise, he was really good at that too. But in 2019, once again because of injuries, he'd be f…
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Jul 31, 2023
E61: Chris J. Dunn (feat. Josh Ferenc) | Family: Where Life Begins & Love Never Ends
Social media takeovers are all the rage nowadays. And a quick internet search reveals there’s definitively a right way (and a wrong way) to do it. Josh Ferenc is one of my favorite people. Shorty after he appeared on this podcast a guest he approached me with the idea of “turning the tables” by taking over the show as the host and having me sit in the guest chair. Although I consider myself a pretty private person, the spirit of the show is some small way an opportunity to tell my story through the stories of the important people in my life. So here we are. Josh is a wildcard. He provided me with no outline for the direction of the conversation. Let’s see how it goes. If nothing else, Josh will be entertaining.
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Jul 17, 2023
E60: Richard Langevin | Rest If You Must, But Never Quit
Richard Langevin is my guest this week. Legendary basketball coach John Wooden once famously said, “Things turn out the best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.”. Richard is the embodiment of this quote. Extreme hyperactivity and a book learning disability made for a very challenging upbringing. Yet despite that, he would become a very successful business owner. A month before his first Ironman distance triathlon he was hit by a car while on a training ride. Yet despite that, he finished that Ironman with effectively one arm. Finally, not quite a third of the way through a solo attempt at the Pemigewasset Wilderness loop (the 30+ mile, 10,000 feet of elevation gain backcountry wilderness hike in the remote White Mountains of NH) he severely twisted his knee. Yet despite that, he finished the loop on effectively one leg. Noticing a pattern? He shares these stories and more on this incredibly uplifting episode.
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Jul 3, 2023
E59: Cole Crosby | No Speed Limits On The Road To Success
Cole Crosby is my guest. In the fall of 2011, I received an email inquiry from a student at the University of Oklahoma about snowshoe racing here in New England. Sounds crazy right? Turns out it wasn’t crazy as that student, Cole Crosby, a decade later would represent the US at the World Snowshoe Running Championships in Argentina finishing 11th overall and helping to lead Team USA to a second place finish. But as impressive as that is, as the expression goes, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Cole has quietly emerged as one of the top ultradistance athletes in the US. His list of podium finishes and course records is long and impressive. But it was his most recent success, The Speed Project, that truly exemplified his goal now; to inspire others to reach their goals by modeling hard work and determination. Guest Provided Links IG: @colecrosby41 https://crestingthesummit.com/
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Jun 19, 2023
E58: Eric Rousseau | An Overnight Success Twenty Years In The Making
Eric Rousseau is my guest this week. The legendary American entrepreneur Sam Walton is credited with saying “And like most other overnight successes, it was about twenty years in the making.”. This is actually Eric’s story. As a teenager, an opportunity presented itself for him to go to work for the local Walmart as an hourly associate. Within six months, being at the right place at the right time paid off as he was promoted to a department manager position. Then for
the next twenty years, his hard work and positive outlook, would systematically result in promotion after promotion eventually becoming the Store Manager for that local Walmart he was hired at as a teen many years earlier. Now that Eric has helped create an amazing life for his family, he pays it forward by being an agent of influence. Reaching his hand out to help pull other people toward their dreams.
Guest Provided Link
IG: @e.j.rousseau
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Jun 12, 2023
E57: Shawn Hoyt | What if?
Shawn Hoyt is my guest this week. Now that I’m in my 50’s what impresses and inspires me, are fellow Gen X’ers who are still getting after it. Women and men in their 40’s and early 50’s who’ve learned through experience how to harmonize family, fitness, and career. Who acknowledge and accept that age requires change, but that change does not equal surrender. Shawn is a great example of someone living this truth. He and I recently connected through Instagram where I was struck by his physical and mental approach to fitness after 50.
Guest Provided Links
https://www.shawnhoytstayactive.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE2lrE3eEj1OELYUKuiNYkA
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Jun 5, 2023
E56: Damon Gannon | Denial Isn't Just A River In Egypt
Damon Gannon is my guest. Imagine you’re a seemingly healthy, extraordinarily fit 44-year-old athlete, standing in a local emergency room trying to convince the triage nurse of something you already knew…you were having a heart attack. This is exactly where Damon found himself on March 14th of 2013. And while it sounds cliché, he really is lucky to be alive. For several days prior to walking into that ER he’d been experiencing activity-associated angina pectoris. Ever the stoic, he kept it to himself although deep down he knew something wasn’t right. Nearly a decade later he reflects upon the lessons he learned throughout the experience. Lessons that are important for all of us.
Guest Provided Link
https://adventurebluesail.blogspot.com/
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May 29, 2023
E55: Randy Tuck | The Big Nickel Hundo
Randy Tuck is my guest this week on the show. The question of what it takes to prepare to finish a 100 mile footrace, and deadlift 500 lbs three months later, is both fascinating and rarely asked. Largely because the sports of ultramarathoning and powerlifting are seemingly incompatible. “Seemingly” being the operative word because in 2019 Randy cracked the code on this unusual combination of epic athletic accomplishments. While his journey to get there was, let’s say, unorthodox, it definitely had the one thing that these things require…passion.
Guest Provided Link
Granite State Fitness
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May 22, 2023
E54: Jen Murphy | (Serious) Fun On Bikes
Jen Murphy joins the show this week. Anyone who describes themselves as scientist, cyclist, cycling coach, part-time dinosaur, haphazard blog poster, and taco enthusiast deserves a podcast episode. Jen has taken her love of cycling and explored nearly every avenue available to her. From bike commuting (she rides thousand of miles a year to and from work), advocacy (she leads a group that empowers women to bicycle), racing (if you’re into the New England cyclocross scene you know Jen Murphy), and coaching there aren’t too many places two wheels haven’t brought her. And yet of all the things she’s experienced on the bike, the off bike obstacles she overcame in 2022 arguably taught her the most valuable lessons she’s learned.
Guest Provided Links
Coaching: https://rofaendurance.com/coaches/jen-murphy-2/
SheRides: https://seacoastbikes.org/sherides/
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May 15, 2023
E53: Matt Lipsey | Opportunity Is Often Disguised As Misfortune
Matt Lipsey is my guest. I’d argue he’s one of the top sub-ultra trail runners east of the Mississippi. And as the terrain gets steeper and gnarlier, he further separates himself from the crowd. Evidence his four wins at the infamous 7 Sisters Trail Race in Western, MA. A course that has chewed up and spit out many a trail runner (yours included). His last win there occurring in May of 2022 when he posted the 5th fastest time in history. All of that is remarkable enough, but when you consider that seventeen months earlier he was stricken with a mysterious illness that left him nearly incapacitated, his place among the sports legendary figures is solidified. This is his story.
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May 8, 2023
E52: Kat Donatello | Love Is A Four Legged Word
Kat Donatello is my guest this week. Endurance athlete, race director, entrepreneur, dog owner, cancer survivor…I’m telling you, hold onto your hats because this is a great story! What started as a kitchen project to make a homemade remedy for her aging Duck Tolling Retriever Brady, and something to take the edge off her new Labrador Retriever Austin, would eventually become an incredibly successful pet supplement company.
Guest Provided Link
https://www.austinandkat.com/
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May 1, 2023
E51: Rich Lavers | Dare To Leave The Beaten Path
Rich Lavers joins the show. As teammates, co-RD’s, and friends we share some pretty great memories. Even when, at times, things didn’t quite go
our way. That’s the funny thing about sharing epic experiences with friends, regardless of the outcome the stories bond us together. Although Rich has purposely pivoted away from trail and mountain running (that’s a great story too), we get together at least once a year to host the Ralph Waldo Emerson Trail Race in Concord, NH. Rich talks about the history of the event including why he’s still involved as well as an important update on the new course changes.
Guest Provided Link
https://www.acidoticracing.com/ralph-waldo-emerson-trail-race
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Apr 24, 2023
E50: Valerie Abradi & Mindy Slovinsky | The Amazing Adventures Of Scout & Squirrel
Valerie Abradi & Mindy Slovinsky are my guests this week. Better known within the Maine trail running community as Scout & Squirrel, this dynamic duo direct Maine’s only 100 mile trail race, the Riverlands 100. Held each May in the beautiful Androscoggin State Park in Turner this ultra’s charm is matched only by it’s deceptive difficulty. But don’t take my word for it, Val & Mindy break down what makes this race special and especially challenging.
Guests Provided Link:
https://www.riverlands100.com/
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Apr 17, 2023
E49: Dwight Hartman | It's My Own Bloody Fault
Dwight Hartman is my guest. We’ve been friends since the day we met in Mrs. Bosse’s Lollipop Nursey School many, many years ago. And over the last 45+ years we’ve competed together in organized sports, shoulder to shoulder, as youths, adolescents, teenagers, and eventually as adults. These shared experiences transcend friendship. They have inextricably bonded us together. In this episode we reminisce and story tell some of the most memorable moments including his experiences at some of the toughest endurance events in the world.
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Apr 10, 2023
E48: Sean Snow | The Power Of Possibility Thinking
Sean Snow is my guest. For those who follow him on social media, his daily positive posts are inspirational and uplifting. And they are a breath of fresh air in an otherwise swamp of negativity. Yet I suspect that very few know the story behind those posts. In a very real sense they are an integral component of his continued success as a 56 year old endurance athlete. Finally, in order to more fully appreciate Sean’s unique approach I present to you a challenge. In the center of a blank piece of paper draw nine dots in three rows of three. The square should be approximately 1 inch by 1 inch. Now without lifting your pen from the paper, draw four lines that connect all nine dots. It might be helpful to pause the show for a moment after this intro and attempt to solve the puzzle.
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Apr 3, 2023
E47: Scott Graham | Forecast Calls For Pain, Heavy At Times
Scott Graham is my guest this week. For runners, the most famous stretch of road in all the world is the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boston, MA. Landmarks such as the Ashland Clock Tower, the Framingham Train Station, the screaming co-eds at Wellesley College, the “Forever Young” statue in Newton, Heartbreak Hill, Coolidge Corner, the Citgo sign, and of course Copley Square give the route a unique character. And after running 36 consecutive Boston Marathons (with #37 coming up this April) one character, Scott Graham, knows this route better than anyone I know. He shares some of his most memorable Patriots’ Day experiences as well as some valuable pearls of wisdom for anyone racing the event for the first time.
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Mar 27, 2023
E46: Nate Sanel | These Are Heady Times
Nate Sanel joins the podcast this week. In a very real sense, this episode has been six years in the making and started as a group mountain bike ride in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont in 2017. Fast forward to the present day and the use of cannabis generally and in endurance sports specifically has become more common but not necessarily better understood. Through personal experience, as both an elite level ultradistance athlete and a highly educated user of cannabis, Nate provides an interesting and thought-provoking perspective on this once taboo subject. Now it’s important to note that all of the information in this episode is for entertainment purposes only. Anyone interested in pursing the use of cannabis should start by educating themselves and then having a discussion with their healthcare provider. Additionally, all users should be 21 years of age or older and have an informed understanding of the laws of their state, the laws in the countries in which they travel, policies…
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Mar 20, 2023
E45: Ken Young (Part 2) | We Carry The Summit Within
In Part 2 of my conversation with Ken Young we pick back up where we left off in his mountaineering evolution. It’s 2016 and he is on the expedition of a lifetime. A three week trip to the Peruvian Andes including a multi-day trek to Machu Pichu, two 18,000+ foot summits, and an attempt at the 22,205 foot goliath Huascaran which didn’t quite go to plan. After Peru he returned home and re-organized his priorities and refocused his local efforts on a couple of pretty cool projects including “The Grid” and his latest passion, bushwhacking the NH48.
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Mar 13, 2023
E44: Ken Young (Part 1) | The Best View Comes After The Hardest Climb
Ken Young is my guest this week. As outdoor adventure resumes go, he’s in rarified air…literally. His first registered hike was Mt. Washington and Mt. Jefferson in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in June of 2000. Six years later he would stand atop the 14,411 foot Mt. Rainer in Washington State. That trip kicked off a short but incredibly memorable mountaineering phase of his life that saw him climb some of the highest peaks in the world including four of the seven summits. In part one of this two part episode we chat about why he got into the sport of hiking, his transition to mountaineering, and his experience on Mt. McKinley in May of 2011. A tragic month that saw seven climbers die.
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Mar 6, 2023
E43: Amanda Richmond | The Baby Bounce
Amanda Richmond is my guest this week. Is it a coincidence or something more that at 40-something years old she set PR’s in nearly every distance she races since the birth of her daughter Riley in July of 2021. That list by the way includes running a 2:54 marathon just 9 months after giving birth via c-section. She appropriately credits part of that post-partum running success to her ability to continue to run through most of her pregnancy. She shares her approach to running now, as a single mom, as well as how she copes with running-related injuries.
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Feb 27, 2023
E42: Jessie Laurie & Steve Waterman | Seeing What Is Invisible To Others
Jessie Laurie & Steve Waterman are my guests this week. It’s been said to be inspired is to “listen to the whispers of the heart”. Truth be told, all great achievements can trace their origins back to inspiration. And whether they intentionally set out to do it or not, their story has been and likely will be an inspiration to others. Jessie is a blind athlete. Steve is her guide. Together they alpine ski, rock climb, and compete in triathlon. Jessie was raised without limitation or barriers, free to explore the natural world in her own way. Her boundless spirit is a wonderful match for Steve as he too enjoys adventure. To watch them together is to understand the true meaning of trust.
Guest Provided Resources:
United In Stride (sighted guide database)
Challenged Athletes Foundation
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Feb 20, 2023
E41: Kevin St. Laurent | All I Really Want To Do
Kevin St. Laurent joins the show this week. By his own account he’s been running his entire life. His parents are runners so he started running as a youth. In high school he was an average to above average runner. In college his running took a back seat. After college he worked to focus again on his running but struggled to maintain any kind of consistency. That was until he “cracked the code” and unlocked an entirely level of performance previously unavailable to him. Now in his 30’s he’s setting PR’s and winning races left and right. He shares how he’s done it.
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Feb 13, 2023
E40: Tim Cox | For The Love Of Running
Tim Cox is my guest this week. When it’s all said and done, he will undoubtedly go down as one of the most successful New Hampshire scholastic running coaches of all time. If you ask me, the most interesting part of his story is not the accomplishments, but how he got here. In life we are all given the opportunity for experiences to define us or to shape us. It’s always our choice. As a schoolboy in Suffern, NY the lessons he learned through athletics had an incredibly powerful positive impact on him. As a collegiate athlete his experience was quite different but nonetheless transformative. Through it all, he learned valuable lessons about life from the leaders, coaches, and mentors that still mean so much to him.
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Feb 6, 2023
E39: Kara Haas | Once A Runner
Kara Haas joins the show. Recently she took the reigns of the New England-based All Terrain Runner Series. This fun competitive series challenges runners on five different surfaces; track, trail, road, mountain, and cross country. It’s a great opportunity to try something new and experience a new community of people. We discuss each event in the series. Kara of course is no stranger to the sport of running. In fact, she’s dedicated her entire adult life to it. Several years ago a devasting hamstring injury almost took the sport away from her. How she worked her way back and the lessons she learned along the way is an important story.
Guest Provided Link:
All-Terrain Runner Series
Photo Credit: Scott Mason Photography
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Jan 30, 2023
E38: John Mortimer | Doing Good By Doing Well
Millennium Running’s John Mortimer is my guest this week. When you think of road racing in New Hampshire, you think Millennium Running. That’s not surprising considering they have more than 29 signature events. All of which are successful and all of which are a ton of fun. In addition to the events they also have a brick and mortar running store and a loyal and robust running club. But it’s arguable that their philanthropy is perhaps their greatest contribution to the sport of running here in New Hampshire as they recently surpassed the $1 million charitable giving mark.
Guest provided link:
Millennium Running
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Jan 23, 2023
E37: Kate Ouellette | Smooth Seas Do Not Make Skillful Sailors
Kate Ouellette joins the podcast this week. Her rise to prominence as an ultradistance cyclist has been nothing short of meteoric. In 2016, out of necessity, she reluctantly bought and started riding a fat bike. Five years later she competed in the famous Trans America Bike Race riding 4200 miles in 17 days finishing 2nd place overall (and first female). That year she was also the only person to complete the ride on an indoor trainer! Do the math quickly and you realize that’s 250 miles a day! On an indoor trainer! While that’s mind-bending for most, Kate’s life experiences have taught her that with a deep enough belief in herself and a commitment to do whatever is necessary, nothing is unimaginable. As any cyclist will attest to; a bend in the road is not the end of the road unless you fail to make the turn.
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Jan 16, 2023
E36: Liz Durant | Wisdom Is The Daughter Of Experience
Liz Durant is my guest this week. She’s a mom, wife, empty nester, personal trainer, fitness and nutrition coach, and a lover of all things active. And at the age of 60 she is also an ultradistance runner. I guess like some runners she gravitated toward trail running when the road running injuries began to pile up. Although her running history is relatively short (she only started running in her 40’s), her list of running accomplishments is quite long and includes more than 20 marathons and countless ultras. But of all those challenges, perhaps the most daunting test was navigating menopause. She applies that experience now to her peri- and post-menopausal coaching clients helping them build well-rounded exercise and nutrition programs. Liz is a firm believer that with age comes wisdom, but perhaps just as important is experience. She has both.
To Contact Liz: affinityfitness603@gmail.com
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Jan 9, 2023
E35: Tyler Lupien & Jenny Villeneuve | The Hitchcock Experience
Tyler Lupien & Jenny Villeneuve are my guests this week. This duo was recently part of a three person team that successfully got one ultradistance runner (Tyler) to the finish line of his first 100 mile footrace. Having a team on site to support a runner during this type of challenge isn’t required. Plenty go it alone. Ever the stoic, initially Tyler had planned to go it solo. While some may say it’s a luxury, others would argue it’s part of a great plan. And while no 100 mile finish is ever guaranteed, having a capable and responsive crew can sometimes make the difference between a buckle and a DNF. Such was case for Tyler and his crew. This is their Hitchcock Experience 100 mile story.
The Hitchcock Experience
Tin Top Cider Company [visit for short video clips during the race]
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Jan 2, 2023
E34: Patty Higgins | Life Begins At The Moment Of Surrender
Patty Higgins is my guest this week. For decades she carried with her the heavy burden of a secret only the inner most of her inner circle knew about. While outwardly she appeared to those that knew her as a dedicated endurance athlete and successful professional, inwardly she felt ashamed, embarrassed, scared, and alone. Then on December 16, 2016 out of desperation she finally surrendered. Her life hasn’t been the same since. Her journey is one of possibility and a deep sense of gratitude for the gift of each new day.
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Dec 26, 2022
E33: Ryan Hanavan | For The Kids
Ryan Hanavan joins the show. He is the co-owner of Brown Bear Athletics and The Sports Barn in Missoula, Montana. A few years back, while he was living and working in New Hampshire, I had the great fortune to meet him through mutual friends. His passion for team sports, as a coach and now as an entrepreneur, is built around building youth and adult sport opportunities. As a coach and mentor he understands the importance of building championship-caliber culture as a foundation for any successful team or organization. And most importantly, he brings that commitment to every youth, high school, and adult athlete he interacts with. If you’re interested in what it takes to build a great team (in sports or in business), this episode is a master class on the topic.
Guest Provided Resources:
The Sports Barn, Missoula, MT
https://missoulasportsbarn.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MissoulaSportsBarn
https://www.tiktok.com/@thesportsbarn
https://www.instagram.com/missoulasportsbarn/
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Dec 19, 2022
E32: Kevin Tilton | His Life Is Going Uphill
New England mountain running legend Kevin Tilton joins the podcast. When your vanity plate is MT&GOAT you’ve set certain expectations. As a 2-time US Mountain Running Team member with a PR of 1:03:42 at the Mt. Washington Road Race (NH), two Top 10 finishes at Pikes Peak Ascent (CO), and the fastest known times for both the trail ascent and round trip on Mt. Washington he’s lived up to it. But recently he’s spent more time on two wheels then he has on two feet and wouldn’t you know he’s pretty good at riding his bike uphill. Next year he’s planning to do something nobody has ever done. Think big, think really BIG!
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Dec 12, 2022
E31: Brandon Baker | Inconvenience Yourself
Brandon Baker is my guest this week. Some people actively seek out the spotlight, while others, the spotlight finds them. Brandon didn’t set out to become the leader of a multi-sport endurance community and a race director. But the tragic death of his mentor and dear friend, in his mind, left him with no other choice. It can be a heavy burden to carry on the legacy of a legend and a larger-than-life figure. Yet he has done it exceptionally well.
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Dec 5, 2022
E30: Heather Cote | Your Safety Is Yours
Heather Cote is my guest this week. Women deserve to run without fear. But it’s a shameful reality that here in the United States that’s not possible for many women. A recent survey by Runner’s World reveled that more than 8 out of 10 women have been harassed while running. And the tragic headlines about violence against female runners highlights the importance of the topics of safety and personal protection. Heather’s professional experience in law enforcement coupled with her resume as an endurance athlete make her the perfect person to speak with authority about these issues.
Guest Provided Resources:
http://www.rad-systems.com/rad_basic.html
https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/resources/ccw_reciprocity_map/
https://giftoffear.com/
Additional Resources:
https://www.runnersworld.com/runnersalliance/
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Nov 28, 2022
E29: Bethany Rice | Even The Smallest One Can Change The World
The newly crowned Ms. Maryland Bethany Rice joins the show this week. Not only is she the queen of The Old Line State, but she’s also an accomplished endurance athlete, author, and the founder of a non-profit organization created to promote and support literacy. In fact, her platform and community outreach revolve around literacy which has been the focus of her professional career.
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Nov 21, 2022
E28: Lisa Ransom Martin | Messages From The Universe
Lisa Ransom Martin is my guest this week. As far as positive uplifting forces of nature go, she ranks right up there for me. I have always enjoyed sharing time with her. She also happens to have an extraordinary story of overcoming not one, but two, significant orthopedic surgeries in a little over a years time. And what’s most fascinating about these surgeries is that she actually feels like they changed the trajectory of her life in a positive way. And her perspective on athletics as a driving force in her life for growth and change is an important message for all of us to hear.
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Nov 14, 2022
E27: Astrid Hoyt | Her Journey Through Recovery
On this week’s episode I sit down with Turning Point Recovery Center assistant director Astrid Hoyt. She also happens to be an ultradistance athlete. But it’s her personal journey to and through sobriety that is an incredibly inspirational story of persistence, love, and a deeper understanding of self. All things that as human beings we are striving to emulate, find, and experience. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.
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Nov 7, 2022
E26: Arlon Chaffee | Put Some Gravel In Your Travel
Arlon Chaffee is my guest this week. Arman, as he’s called, is the unofficial Grand Poobah of all things gravel cycling here in New Hampshire. Heck, he practically invented the sport. Not only is he an enthusiastic and gracious ambassador of the sport (if ever presented with the chance, don’t pass up a group ride with him), he’s also the race director of some the friendliest and most beloved gravel rides in New Hampshire and Vermont. But as most things go, he didn’t start his journey in endurance sports as a cyclist. He tells that funny and fascinating story as a segue to both gravel riding and semi-retirement.
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Oct 31, 2022
E25: Jeremiah Johnson | The Road To Redemption
Jeremiah Johnson is my guest this week. We all have a story to tell. Some are interesting, others inspirational, and a few are important. But it’s the rare story that is all three at once. Such is the case for Jeremiah. His successful career as an architect and his accomplishments as an endurance athlete belies the devastating mistake he made on October 8, 2004. His experience teaches us that we are all connected. That the choices we make affect others. Each of us carries within us the capacity to change the world in small ways, for better or for worse.
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Oct 24, 2022
E24: Joe Viger | Capturing The Moment
Professional photographer, entrepreneur, coffee connoisseur, and gravelist Joe Viger joins the podcast. In the New England endurance sports world he’s known for capturing iconic and memorable images. If you know a mountain, ultra, or trail runner in the northeast, it’s likely their profile picture is Joe’s work. His ability to tell a story through photography is legendary. It’s easy to see why his services are in such high demand. Our conversation centers around why the endurance racing community is so important to him as well as his own personal fitness journey. He’s really a fascinating guest.
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Oct 17, 2022
E23: Jay Dunn | Nearly Shot Down Over DC
Join me as I catch up with EMS helicopter pilot and adventure sport enthusiast, my brother Jay Dunn. We talk about the origins of acidotic RACING, his journey from the Ivy League to bayous of Louisiana, and how he was almost shot down over the Vice President of the United States residence in his first assignment in DC.
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Oct 10, 2022
E22: Paul Kirsch | Cranmore Mountain Race Preview
Test
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Oct 3, 2022
E21: Mort Nace | Roads Are Poison
Mort Nace is my guest today. If a running community has a soul, that’s Mort. He is trail running in western NY. As a general manager of a running store (Medved Running & Walking Outfitters), the race director for one of the most popular trail races in the country (The Muddy Sneaker 20k Trail Run), and an accomplished endurance athlete in his own right there isn’t an aspect of the sport that he’s not involved in. My buddy Jim Graham talks about the pull of kindred spirits. Mort is definitely that for me.
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Sep 26, 2022
E20: Steph Greenwood | Crossing Her Finish Line
I’m joined this week by the extraordinary Steph Greenwood. As we discuss in the episode she recently had an amazing experience at one of the most famous and revered ultradistance races in the United States. And yet just getting to the starting line in Wartburg, TN was an incredible accomplishment. It’s not often my two professional passions, clinical exercise physiology and coaching, intersect but I’m so grateful to Steph for allowing me to accompany her on her journey these past eleven months.
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Sep 19, 2022
E19: Jeff Hixon | The Higher You Climb, The Harder The Winds Blow
Jeff Hixon is my guest this week. He and I are the co-race directors for the Waterville Valley Mountain Race presented by Saucony. As a course designer he has developed a reputation for creating challenging, but fair, mountain race courses including the one used at the 2019 US Mountain Running Championship. And perhaps that reputation comes as no surprise when you learn that professionally he’s a biochemist working to help develop medicines to treat cancer and athletically he’s participated in mountain races all over the world including the legendary Sierre Zinal…twice. Not to mention he and his wife adopted not one, but two, rescue dogs during the pandemic (to bring their pack total to 3) all the while raising three kids. So yeah, Jeff likes challenges. Our chat covers his introduction to acidotic RACING, the brief but eventful history of the Bretton Woods Fell Race, and the latest update on the course changes at this weekend’s Waterville Valley Mountain Race.
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Sep 12, 2022
E18: David Edwards | Taking Candy From Strangers
Join me as I take a trip down memory lane to an incredibly influential and important time in my life both personally & professionally. My great longtime friend and Wake Forest University classmate Dr. David Edwards joins the show. It was at Wake Forest that we both were introduced to trail running and ultradistance racing. Dave is currently a Professor of Kinesiology and Applied Science as well as the principal investigator of the Center of Biomedical Research Excellence in Cardiovascular Health at the University of Delaware. He also happens to be an endurance athlete and kidney transplant recipient. His unique personal and professional experience in all things related to keeping the kidney safe and healthy during endurance training and racing is absolutely worth the listen.
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Sep 5, 2022
E17: Emily Flagg | Pole Pole
Emily Flagg is my guest today. She recently returned from an epic expedition to the United Republic of Tanzania where she stood atop the 19,341-foot peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro…for the second time. Her reasons for returning to the African continent are incredibly enlightening and an excellent reminder to all of us about what’s important. She also shares some funny and fascinating stories from the 8 day trip along the Lemosho Route to Uhuru Peak. I’ve had the great fortune to coach and call her a friend since 2017.
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Aug 29, 2022
E16: Holly Blais | Psychological Flexibility & The Zipper Effect
Holy Blais joins the podcast. Professionally she’s a Behavior Analyst and athletically she’s primarily a runner although she does remind me from time to time how much she loves riding her gravel bike. This professional and personal combination of experiences gives her an incredibly unique perspective on the mental side of endurance sports. We dive into the concept of psychological flexibility which she believes (and I agree) are incredibly important to the endurance athletes positive experiences and healthy relationship with their sport. We also chat about the Zipper Effect. A concept I was unaware of before the show but actually unknowingly have been using in my coaching practice.
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Aug 22, 2022
E15: Timothy Lindsey (Part 2) | What's Your ONE Thing?
Professional productivity coach Timothy Lindsey joins me for the second part of our conversation about the book The ONE Thing. Ultimately success comes down to being appropriate in the moments of your life that matter the most. You do that by asking yourself the question; What’s the ONE thing I need to do such that by doing it makes everything else easy or unnecessary?. With this focusing question we then seek to live with purpose, live by priority, and live for productivity. Tim and I explore these concepts and more.
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Aug 15, 2022
E14: Timothy Lindsey (Part 1) | Time Bandits & Energy Vampires
I get the chance to chat with professional productivity coach Timothy Linsdey. In addition to being an expert in the field of producing extraordinary results, he also happens to be a great friend, neighbor, and business partner. Several years ago he gave me a book that transformed by personal and professional life. The book is The One Thing; The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results. Because he uses this book professionally, I don’t know any more qualified to expound on the key concepts. If you want achieve extraordinary results, give a listen to the next 90 minutes.
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Aug 8, 2022
E13: Tim Van Orden | Adversity Is My University
Tim Van Orden is not only one of the best all distance all surface masters runner in the country, he’s also an incredibly affable guy, and a really deep thinker. His life experiences (both the ups and the downs) have shaped who he is personally, athletically, and professionally. Those multiple 'selfs' are explored extensively in this conversation.
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Aug 1, 2022
E12: Tom Raffio | Building Resiliency
Tom Raffio is my guest on this episode. He is one of the great business leaders in New England. As President & CEO of Northeast Delta Dental he led his organization through the pandemic and not only weathered the storm, actually emerged stronger. He also happens to be a successful author. His third book, Prepare For Crisis Plan To Thrive is an excellent accounting of how his organization navigated the last two years of COVID-19. Tom cites resilience as one of the foundational elements of a strong business. Defined as the capacity of a dynamic system to adapt successfully to challenges that threaten the function, survival, or future development of the system it’s arguably a foundational element of athletic success as well. In a fascinating conversation about business and life we talk about his take on how to build resilience both individually and as an organization. We also talk a little about why running is so important to him.
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Jul 25, 2022
E11: Team Lindsey | Racing With A Purpose
The race directors of the Kingman Farm Trail Race, the Lindsey Family, join the podcast. Co-RD’s the husband-wife duo of Tim & Gianina are joined by their eldest son Aidan this year as a special guest RD as he uses the event for his Coe-Brown Northwood Academy senior project. The Lindsey’s have been involved in the event since 2013 and have raised thousands of dollars for non-profits near and dear to their hearts including the current non-profit The Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism. We talk about their connection to this amazing organization as well as the history of the event.
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Jul 18, 2022
E10: Jim Graham | Switching Gears
If you want to find someone to emulate as you age, look no further than my great friend Jim Graham. He spent a professional career (24 years) in journalism here in NH before becoming the Director of Leadership Communications for my alma mater the University of New Hampshire. Now either of those roles is podcast worthy material, but our conversation resolves around his five decades in endurance sports. Trail running, mountain biking, Nordic skiing, and now gravel bike racing he's seen and done it all. And over all that time he’s learned some incredibly valuable lessons. In fact, I get him to share his Top 10 Tips for Lifelong Fitness. It’s a great list.
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Jul 11, 2022
E9: Amber Ferreira | Charlie’s Mom
Amber Ferreira joins the show. To say she’s got a lot going on is an understatement. We chat about how she balances being a partner, a professional athlete, a physical therapist, a coach, and a business owner. And in particular we discuss her new, and by her own admission most important, role as a mom.
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Jul 4, 2022
E8: Tom Hooper | Timing Is Everything
Tom Hooper from SIX03 Endurance joins the show. In a fairly short period of time his group in general, and Tom in particular, has become the new face of mountain, ultra, and trail racing here in New Hampshire. But a combination of an emerging pedigree of hosting national championships and his own travels racing in other part of the country the word is out both regionally and nationally.
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Jun 27, 2022
E7: Paul Kirsch | What's The Safe Word?
Paul Kirsch is the most recognizable figure in New England mountain running for very good reason. Not only is he the USATF-NE Mountain/Trail Running Chairman, but he’s been hosting races in New Hampshire for several decades. But as you’ll learn, he was most certainly not born and raised in the white peaks of the Granite State.
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Jun 20, 2022
E6: Kale Poland | Everything Is Possible, The Impossible Just Takes Longer
Super excited to sit down with my good friend and colleague Kale Poland. We share a lot of things in common including our love for a specific breed of dogs, our chosen profession, and our contribution to the trail and mountain running scene here in New England. But one thing we don’t share is an endurance racing resume. Kale’s exploits as an ultra ultra endurance athlete have been very well documented by publications like Outside Magazine and by radio shows like NHPR and multiple other podcasters. From Deca Iron events (that’s the distance of 10 Ironmans at once) to 500 foot races to ultra distance cycling challenges he has been to places and done things athletically that very few can even imagine. Yet I find him to be so much more than just Kale Poland…endurance junkie. My hope is that sentiment comes through in this thoroughly enjoyable conversation.
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Jun 13, 2022
E5: Sarah Sallade & Ri Fahnestock | Exeter Trail Race Preview Show
Sarah Sallade & Ri Fahnestock are two of the original members of acidotic RACING. They are also the creators and directors of the Exeter Trail Race. These two longtime friends join the show as we chat about their early racing with aR, what they’re both up to now, their greatest collective racing success together, and all of the details of the Exeter Trail Race you never knew (like why they started the race) and need to know. They’re really fun guests.
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Jun 6, 2022
E4: Josh Ferenc | No Holds Barred
My friend Josh Ferenc is a fascinating character study and one of the most dominant figure in US mountain, ultra, trail racing. You don’t believe me? Just ask him. And yet he refuses to be defined linearly. To steal a line from Winston Churchill, he’s a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma that which is so dense and secretive as to be totally indecipherable or impossible to foretell. The moment you think you’ve got him pegged, he morphs into something entirely different literally before your eyes. This is conversation I’ve been looking forward to for awhile. Buckle your seatbelt because this is going to be a wild ride.
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May 30, 2022
E3: Marcy Schwam | Going Long
My friend Marcy Schwam is one of the most decorated and accomplished ultradistance runners of all time. A true pioneer in the sport her list of “firsts” is nearly as long as her list of World Records. Six World Records by the way. And the funny thing is, running wasn’t “her thing” as kid. A tennis prodigy at an early age she nearly became a professional tennis player. In this wide ranging conversation we talk about the reality of women’s sports before Title IX, the mix up with her bib at her first Boston Marathon, her proudest accomplishment in the sport, and her secrets to successful aging.
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May 23, 2022
E2: Jim Dunn (Part 2) | Never Let Your Attitude Affect Your Altitude
On today’s show I continue the conversation with my Pop Jim Dunn. We talk about how he got into running including a great story about the Mt. Washington Road Race and the first time he was beaten by a women in a race. Spolier alert...she would eventually become an Olympic Champion. The chat then shifts to his transition into hiking with stories about his experiences above 14,000 feet on some the highest peaks in the US and abroad. And because my lab Tuckerman loves his Pop, he makes an appearance too.
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May 15, 2022
E1: Jim Dunn (Part 1) | The Hoody Before The Hoody Was The Hoody
In the first part of a two part series I talk to the greatest coach, teacher, leader, and mentor I've ever known...my dad Jim Dunn. From his first coaching job at Dover High School in 1969 to his last game as a Spaulding Red Raider in 2021, we talk about his philosophy on coaching, his career, and what he considers the greatest teams and players he ever coached (and coached against). We also talk about the greatest coach he ever worked with and the most challenging coach he ever coached against. By the way, he was the original "hoodie". Don't fool yourself.
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Apr 29, 2022
Eat Half, Walk Double (Trailer)
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