Podcasts

Betty Birrell riding the North Shore (Photo: Travis Rummel)

“North Shore” Betty Birrell on MTB at Age 73

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Few 45-year-old women were taking up mountain biking in the early 1990s, and even fewer are still riding the North Shore nearly 30 years later — but Betty Birrell hasn’t let that stop her, and at 73, she’s still getting after it. So we sat down with Betty to talk about what keeps her going, and along the way she shares some great insights on motivation, role models, and not letting the expectations of others slow you down.

Roxanne Vogel on Lightning Ascents, Flavor Science, and GU Energy Labs (Ep.125)

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Ultramarathons are sometimes called eating competitions with a bit of running thrown in, and with so many different nutrition products and approaches at our disposal these days, it can be hard to know how to fuel properly. So, we talked to GU Energy Labs’ Nutrition and Performance Research Manager, Roxanne Vogel, about the ins & outs of eating on the run; how GU’s line of products fit into that equation; and much more.

David Laney on Ice Baths, Adventuring in the North Cascades, & Craft Footwear (Ep.124)

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David Laney was already running 5 to 6 days a week by the time he turned 10, and has run professionally since bursting onto the trail scene in the early 2010s. He recently left his longtime sponsor and joined a relatively new player to the trail space in Craft Sportswear, and soon after doubled down with a full-time marketing job with them as well. So we talked to David about how it came about, what to expect from Craft Footwear, and much more — including, his signature ice bath routine, adventuring in the North Cascades, and running 100 miles for charity.
On this “Running Through the News” edition of Off The Couch, Salomon athlete Leah Yingling stops by to catch us up on current events in the running world, including — a debate around Tom Cruise’s running form; what mountain runner Joe Gray is doing to make trails a more equitable space for people of color; Kilian Jornet’s new shoe brand, NNormal; course records at the Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon; and much more.

Zegama is Zegama, Tom Cruise, & 200-Mile Races (Ep.123)

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On this “Running Through the News” edition of Off The Couch, Salomon athlete Leah Yingling stops by to catch us up on current events in the running world, including a debate around Tom Cruise’s running form; what mountain runner Joe Gray is doing to make trails a more equitable space for people of color; Kilian Jornet’s new shoe brand, NNormal; course records at the Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon; and much more.
RockShox has released a crazy amount of new suspension in the last few months, and we’ve been spending time on both their Flight Attendant electronically controlled setup and the new ZEB and SuperDeluxe. So on this week’s episode of Bikes & Big Ideas, we give the rundown on all of it, plus updates from our testing of bikes from Santa Cruz, Orbea, Rocky Mountain, YT, and Antidote.

Reviewer Reports: RockShox Suspension & Bikes Galore (Ep.120)

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RockShox has released a wild amount of new suspension in the last few months, and we’ve been spending time on both their Flight Attendant electronically controlled setup and the new ZEB and SuperDeluxe. So on this week’s episode of Bikes & Big Ideas, we give the rundown on all of it, plus updates from our testing of bikes from Santa Cruz, Orbea, Rocky Mountain, YT, and Antidote.
Over half of all runners will deal with an injury each year, but run enough miles and you’ll know that number is a lot closer to 100%. The irony is most running injuries are easily preventable, so as folks ramp up their summer training, we had Dr. Hal Rosenberg on Off The Couch to talk us through some simple tips for staying healthy out on the trails (and off the couch).

Dr. Hal Rosenberg on Desert Magic, Standing Desks, & Running Healthy (Ep.122)

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Over half of all runners will deal with an injury each year, but run enough miles and you’ll know that number is a lot closer to 100%. The irony is most running injuries are easily preventable, so as folks ramp up their summer training, we had Dr. Hal Rosenberg on Off The Couch to talk us through some simple tips for staying healthy out on the trails (and off the couch).
After discovering running in his 30’s, ultra-endurance athlete Robbie Balenger became obsessed with the power of human endurance and quickly found that he needed challenges far exceeding standard ultramarathons to test his limits. So, he started creating his own. Since then, Robbie has run across America, completed the “Colorado Crush,” and recently outran a Tesla. On Off The Couch, we had him on to unpack each of these efforts before asking him about the mental side of endurance, recovery techniques, his next challenge, and much more.

Robbie Balenger on Testing Limits, Exploring Recovery Techniques, & Outrunning a Tesla (Ep. 121)

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After discovering running in his 30’s, ultra-endurance athlete Robbie Balenger became obsessed with the power of human endurance and quickly found that he needed challenges far exceeding standard ultramarathons to test his limits. So, he started creating his own. Since then, Robbie has run across America, completed the “Colorado Crush,” and recently outran a Tesla. We had him on to unpack all of these efforts before asking him about the mental side of endurance, recovery techniques, his next challenge, and much more.
Professional skiers are often asked about the mental preparation it takes to ski big lines and perform at a high level. But in this Blister Podcast conversation (recorded at our Blister Summit), John Collinson, Wendy Fisher, Sander Hadley, and Drew Petersen offer a much broader perspective on ‘the mental game’ as it relates to dealing with injury and adversity; self identity; mental health; and much more.

Johnny Collinson, Wendy Fisher, Sander Hadley, & Drew Petersen on The Mental Game (Ep.212)

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Professional skiers are often asked about the mental preparation it takes to ski big lines and perform at a high level. But in this conversation (recorded at our Blister Summit), John Collinson, Wendy Fisher, Sander Hadley, and Drew Petersen offer a much broader perspective on ‘the mental game’ as it relates to dealing with injury and adversity; self identity; mental health; and much more.
On this week’s GEAR:30 podcast, Kristin Sinnott, Dylan Wood, Kara Williard, Drew Kelly, and Luke Koppa cover everything from the setups Drew used while touring for several weeks in Alaska this spring, to a whole bunch of skis, boots, and bindings from Faction, Blizzard, K2, Nordica, Salomon, and more. We also touch on some new Strafe outerwear, get an update from Kara on some heated socks, and discuss some unique gear and tricks that Kristin’s been using to ski with her son.

Reviewer Reports: Touring Setups, Resort Skis, & Jelly Bean Bribery (Ep.197)

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Kristin Sinnott, Dylan Wood, Kara Williard, Drew Kelly, and Luke Koppa cover everything from the setups Drew used while touring for several weeks in Alaska this spring, to a whole bunch of skis, boots, and bindings from Faction, Blizzard, K2, Nordica, Salomon, and more. We also touch on some new Strafe outerwear, get an update from Kara on some heated socks, and discuss some unique gear and tricks that Kristin’s been using to ski with her son.

Contra Bikes on Building a Bike From Scratch (Ep.118)

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Designing a bike frame is hard enough. Taking it to production is an even bigger challenge, but that hasn’t stopped Evan Turpen, and his Contra Bikes high-pivot prototype is extremely impressive. So this week on Bikes & Big Ideas, we sat down with Evan to chat about why he decided to start a bike company, and what he hopes to achieve with the bike; learn all about designing and fabricating frames from scratch (and how he learned to do it), and a whole lot more.
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