Show Notes
Nine days before the 2026 IAU 100K World Championships, Allison Mercer sprained her ankle and wondered whether she would even reach the starting line. She ultimately ran, finishing 15th in the world and third in the masters competition. Allison returns to Free Outside to take us inside the entire experience: the frantic ankle rehabilitation, racing 100 kilometers in extreme heat, her fueling and cooling strategy, Courtney Olsen’s late charge to the world title, Charlie Lawrence’s victory and the U.S. men capturing team gold by only 44 seconds. She also explains the sacrifices—and surprising out-of-pocket costs—required to represent Team USA. Then we discuss Joe “Stringbean” McConaughy’s record-setting John Muir Trail run, their friendly FKT rivalries, ultrarunning’s latest OnlyFans controversy, and why road ultras might be the sport’s most underrated events. Call or text the Free Outside Hotline with your questions, comments and ideas: 541-903-8065. Support Free Outside at patreon.com/freeoutside.
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At the time we recorded this, Belgian runners Ivo Steyaert and Merijn Geerts had been running for 123 hours—five days and three hours—and had each covered about 512 miles. They’d just broken the previous backyard ultra world record, and Belgium was the only team with runners still going in the World Team Championship.
I’ve been spending the last few months trying to become a better runner. After years of long hikes and FKTs, I’ve been doing more speed work—and now I’m taking that fitness into a 24-hour race. I even ran 25 miles around a track recently to start figuring out what that might take. So Meg Eckert was the perfect person to talk to. She recently ran 636 miles in six days, but her running story started with signing up for a 5K and being too afraid to show up. We talk about how she found her way into ultras, what makes fixed-time races so compelling, and how she handles sleep, fueling, caffeine, recovery, and the mental ups and downs of running for days. This conversation is about big mileage, but it’s also about staying flexible, finding joy in the process, and showing up even when you’re nervous.
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Joe “Stringbean” McConaughy recently set the supported fastest known time on the John Muir Trail. Somehow, he did it on only 38 minutes of sleep—and felt better on the third day than he expected.Joe and I have been intertwined through FKTs for years. I’ve taken some of his records, he’s demolished some of mine, and he thoroughly beat me at Cocodona. In this conversation, we dig into what finally worked on the JMT, including sleep strategy, caffeine, hydration, sodium, fueling, altitude, and why this attempt felt so much more controlled than his previous efforts.We also compare our hallucinations, talk about coaching athletes through situations that cannot be perfectly planned, and discuss Joe’s move from corporate life into professional running, coaching, and race directing.Most importantly, we finally investigate the rumor that Joe was a sub-four-minute miler. He actually ran 4:09—but the legend continues to improve.Topics include:• Joe’s supported John Muir Trail record • Sleeping only 38 minutes • Hallucinations and extreme sleep deprivation • Saving caffeine for the final night • Changing his hydration and sodium strategy • Science versus intuition in multi-day events • Becoming an ultrarunning coach • Building community-focused trail races • The truth about Joe’s “sub-four” mile Subscribe for more conversations about ultrarunning, thru-hiking, FKTs, endurance, and the strange decisions we make outside.Support our Sponsors: Janji (code: Freeoutside): https://snp.link/a0bfb726CS Coffee: CSinstant.coffeeGarage Grown Gear: https://snp.link/db1ba8abSubscribe to Substack: http://freeoutside.substack.comSupport this content on patreon: HTTP://patreon.com/freeoutsideBuy my book "Free Outside" on Amazon: https://amzn.to/39LpoSFEmail me to buy a signed copy of my book, "Free Outside" at [email protected] the movie about setting the record on the Colorado Trail: https://tubitv.com/movies/100019916/free-outsideWebsite: www.Freeoutside.comInstagram: thefreeoutsidefacebook: www.facebook.com/freeoutside#Trailrunning #Runningnews #Outdoors #Outdooradventure