TOPICS & TIMES:
- Trial-and-erroring his way into endurance sports (2:16)
- Becoming the World’s Fastest Elvis (13:11)
- Racing in costumes: Pro Tips (18:36)
- Coping with injuries & life lessons (21:02)
- Record Holder: The Grand Slam of Ultra Running (29:56)
- Ian’s Western States 100 streak (31:19)
- Doping & Ultrarunning (34:46)
- Trail running culture vs. road running culture (48:46)
- Thoughts on the sub-2-hour marathon (50:23)
- Running in the US vs. Running in the UK (52:28)
- Biggest mistakes people make in training & racing? (56:23)
- How to avoid long-term burnout (1:06:48)
Ian Sharman likes to keep running fun, and he is extremely good at running races dressed up as Spiderman, Santa Claus, and Elvis.
But Ian is also a fierce and amazingly consistent competitor, and has completed over 200 ultras and marathons. He is the only person to finish the Western States 100 in the top 10 9 times in 9 starts; he is a 4-time Leadville 100 champion (and the only person to break 17 hrs four times at Leadville), and … it would be easy to go on about Ian’s records and results.
Ian is also passionate about keeping ultrarunning fair, and he has been very outspoken about the need — and his strategy — for keeping doping out of ultrarunning.
So we talk to Ian about setting Guinness world records for racing in costumes; some of his impressive wins and records; the most common mistakes he sees people making in training and in racing; his efforts and strategy for keeping doping out of ultrarunning; and more.
