Cultra Trail Running
Sports
About
Our weekly podcast shares the unique perspective of the North East, Beast Coast Ultra running scene: raw, impulsive, and irreverent. The Cultra Trail Running Podcast is a place where we can get together and discuss all the fun stuff that happens on the trails that most normal people don't care about. Join the Cult! or maybe you already have without realizing it... resistance is futile.
Episodes
- 357: Take 2 Trail at The Spring Fling 10 Hour with Jess Parker
357: Take 2 Trail at The Spring Fling 10 Hour What if we could leave less of a trace, and save some $ at the same time? Jess Parker is the Ultra cool founder of Take 2 Trail, and she has found a way for us all to easily buy and sell used g…
- 356: Best Selling Author Martin Dugard The Long Run: Steve Prefontaine, Frank Shorter, Joan Benoit, Greta Waitz, and the Decade That Made the Marathon Cool.
AFB, Anna, and Phred sit down with bestselling author Martin Dugard to talk about his new book The Long Run: Steve Prefontaine, Frank Shorter, Joan Benoit, Greta Waitz, and the Decade That Made the Marathon Cool. The conversation explores…
- 355: Boston Marathon Bulldogs Live
Cultra OG Stacey Clark joins AFB for a road trip to Boston to meet up with Episode 280's Jim Kean and The Boston Bulldogs! We record live from the sidelines at mile 22 of The Boston Marathon. But this is not a simple Rah-Rah sideline hot t…
- 354: Traprock 50k Live
This episode was recorded live at the Traprock 50K in Bloomfield Connecticut home of Penwood State Forest. This race is the first in the 12 race blue blaze series where runners will compete for the overall series prize. This is indirect su…
- 353: Liz Derstine Music on the PCT Ridgeline
AFB, Anna, and Phred welcome back ultrarunner, musician, and all-around adventurer Liz Derstine. Liz last appeared on Episode 112 talking about her Appalachian Trail FKT, and this time the conversation is about her PCT FKT attempt and her…
- 352: Vermont 100 Beast Coast Trail Running Stories with Amy Rusiecki
Anna, Fred, Josh, and AFB sit down with Amy Rusiecki, the longtime race director of the legendary Vermont 100 Endurance Run. Amy shares the behind-the-scenes realities of directing one of the oldest 100-mile races in the country and how sh…
- 351 Time Warp, Umstead 100 and Patreon Barbershop
Art and Phred dive into treadmill survival strategies, including Phred's classic 1:05 reset method, the magic of a 15% incline, and the universal truth that starting too fast indoors is a bad life choice. Art is eyeing a March 15 return to…
- 350: Guitar Playing in the Orange Mud with Josh Sprague
This week the Cultra Crew AFB and Anna G. talk with Josh Sprague — founder of Orange Mud — about building gear, starting businesses, and adventure racing. Josh grew up on a Kansas farm selling rubber band guns and raising 4-H pigs before w…
- 349: Weighted Vest Ski Jumping at Black Canyon 100K
Ellie Pell joins AFB, Phred, and Anna G talkin desert DNFs, frozen suffering, Barkley chaos, Olympic trivia, and women's running research, all in classic Cultra style. Ellie's Black Canyon DNF Ellie breaks down her early exit at the Black…
- 348: The Real King of Pain in The Frozen Heart 900
Cold. Wind. Frozen stream crossings. Dumb ass decision making, or genius? AFB recaps the Real King of Pain in Glastonbury, CT where thigh-deep icy water turned solid led to DQs (sorry Alex, Besic, and Bill), and winter racing felt more lik…
- 347: Hot Takes on AMC Winter School with Martin Janoschek
Martin Janoschek drops in to talk AMC life, from winter leadership courses to stewarding ski trails at Cardigan Lodge. The crew dives into backcountry ski setups (tele, AT, splitboard), ski-leash lessons learned the hard way, and why lodge…
- 346: How to Become a Lifelong Runner & Olympic Skimo in The Burrito League
Art and Phred talk winter survival mode: dodgy road conditions, shoulder rehab, fitness dips, and why flexible training beats heroic stupidity this time of year. We also review a Canadian Trail Running (Fishing) Magazine article about How…
- 345: Ty Gagne: Risk, Rescue, and Decision-Making in the Whites
The Cultra Crew welcomes New Hampshire–based author and risk management executive Ty Gagne for a wide-ranging conversation on mountain rescues, decision-making, and human behavior in the backcountry. How can we have fun, and live to tell a…
- 344: Across The Years Nap Tents, Plus Part 1 of Gearing up for Winter Running in the Northeast
Phred recaps finishing the Across the Years Ultra in Arizona, logging another 100-mile effort and marking his 19th consecutive year with a 100-mile finish. The crew swaps ultra lore, legendary runner sightings, and stories from the deep en…
- 343: CUT112 and Cultra's New Digs in The Whites
This solo episode is equal parts major announcement, status update, and classic Cultra over-share. AFB checks in on where the show has been, announces a big geographic expansion for Cultra TRP, lays out full details for the 2026 #CUT112 /…
- 342: Golden Tips on Coaching High School XC and Ultra Running
Ian Golden from The Trails Collective, Finger Lakes Running Co., Red Newt Racing joins Evil Becky Burke to talk about the challenges of coaching runners of all ages and abilities. Get your official Cultra Clothes and other Cultra TRP PodSw…
- 341: Jared Beasley on The Endurance Artist and Life with Laz
Author Jared Beasley can tell a great story! Including his encounters with Lazarus Lake, where he earned access to cover the Barkley and Backyard World Championship. Jared shares what he learned: Laz isn't testing fitness—he's testing will…
- 340: AFB and Phred Trash Patreon, Honor Jack LaLane, The Corn Palace and the Spam Museum
AFB and Phred cover highlights from the Cat's Tail Marathon, NotchView Invitational, SRT and Barclay Fall Classic, and Shan Riggs's run across Connecticut (114 of 169 towns done!). AFB shares a knee-busting White Mountains hiking story, hi…
- 339: Andrew Drummond White Mountains 100 Community Builder
Andrew Drummond is the heartbeat of the White Mountain trail running community -ultrarunner, ski mountaineer, and race director who set the FKT on the Direttissima, summiting all 48 NH 4,000-footers in under five days. We dive into his adv…
- 338 New England Races and Patreon Love
AFB and Evil Becky are back with a full plate of races, mountain lore, and more than a few tangents. If you like your trail chatter served awkwardly with Swedish Fish, this one's for you. Shan Riggs is at it again!! Race Recaps: We dive in…
- 337: Dick Vincent: Founder of the Escarpment Trail Run & Longest-Serving Trail Race Director
Phast Phred, Evil Becky, and AFB host Dick Vincent—the man who's been directing the Escarpment Trail Run in the Catskills for 48 years straight. That makes him the longest-serving trail race director in North America. Laddie Lawrence can h…
- 336: Are the Adirondacks Tougher Than the Whites? Trail Legends Weigh In
Krista Petrie and Debbie Clouthier might just be the fastest "slow hikers" you'll ever meet. Joining forces with West Rock Ramblers Anna G(arsten), Josh Gaetjen, and AFB, these Canadian adventurers bring stories that range from the White M…
- 335: The Shenipsit Striders Running Club at 50 Years
If we could dream up the perfect trail running club, it would look a whole lot like the Shenipsit Striders. For 50 years, this crew has been building trails, hosting races, and creating a community where everyone: fast, slow, new, or seaso…
- 334: Judy Proteau and the Race for the Refuge
Episode 334: Judy Proteau and the Race for the Refuge This week we're joined by the one and only Judy Proteau—ultrarunner, race director, Highland City Strider, kicker for the NFL, and all-around trail badass. Judy's here to talk about her…
- 333 Overcoming Escarpment Yips & The Bug-Net Hat
AFB and Evil Becky Burke are back at it, serving up a full platter of ultra goodness from Vermont to Rhode Island, with detours through the Catskills, Soapstone, Notchview, and the Squatchy Surprise in NJ. We're breaking down the highs, lo…
- 332: The Vermont 100 "Miler" Endurance Race
332: The Vermont 100 "Miler" Endurance Race Our very own podcast famous Jamie Miler, a.k.a., Jamie Miller recently ran VT100, one of the oldest and most iconic trail races in the US, so we take some time to get all the explicit details fro…
- 331: Notchview Cultra Aid Station Food Fight
In this episode, AFB and Evil Becky dive deep into the madness and method behind prepping for their 48-hour showdown at Notch View. With ice towels, grilled quesadillas, and hallucination avoidance on the menu, the duo breaks down their pa…
- 330: Third Date Patreon
We take a minute, minute and a half to say thank you to all of our patreons, and to see what some of them are up to. Highlander Hustle Portland High Get your official Cultra Clothes and other Cultra TRP PodSwag at our store! Outro music by…
- 329: Is Steven Tursi Largest Known Person to Run a Sub 24 Hour 100 Miler?
Phred is Back, BIGTIME and he finally reels in his "white whale" guest longtime friend and ultrarunning enigma Steven Tursi. Steven and Phred blab about running streaks, hashing adventures, body image, and a lifelong evolution of what it m…
- 328: The Colder Boys Bring the Heat to Western States
AFB welcomes El Niño a.k.a. the chosen one a.k.a. Tobias Tello a.k.a. Tobi and Abel Murphy, hosts of The Colder Boys podcast, to break down Western States 100. In This Episode: Meet The Colder Boys: Tobias and Abel share their backgrounds…
- 327: The Double CUT, 224 Miles with Ross Bielak
Ross Bielak from Littleton Colorado is Cultra #PodcastFamous and a dear friend of our community. When he signed up for the #CUT112 in 2021 after doing his own Western CUT in 2020, he felt that he was a bit undertrained. So very logically,…
- 326: Finding Common Ground in Politics, Running, and the Power of Curiosity
Whether its road running versus trail running, Garmin versus Coros, iPhone versus Android or Democrats versus Republicans, why does it sometimes feel so hard for us to actually listen to each other? We look at what it means to find common…
- 325: Blind Donkey Runner John Robert Mckay
When most of us think of "running blind", we envision a state of panic where one must proceed without having a clear understanding of what lies ahead. Trail running can be challenging enough even when we can see the rocks and roots that ca…
- 324: Not Dropping is No Accident with Mount To Coast's Lin Zhuo
Let's talk about dropping. When we drop something it's like we are forgetting to hold on. We sign up for the 100k and sometimes want to drop to a 50 mile. And some times we help each other pause for a moment and remember why we do what we…
- 323: Cultra's Final Episode?
Life is constantly changing and we are all very different people than we were 6 or 7 years ago, and right now it feels like its time to take a break, continue to seek professional help, and decide whats next. So for now, we are hitting pau…
- 322: Life Choices with Tim Hardy
Former soldier Tim Hardy shares his approach to making his life choices. He has at times deliberately chosen a difficult path that includes some of the most arduous and hot multi-day races, like Vol State, and HOTS, and also cold races lik…
- 321: 40 Minutes Solo with Evil Becky Burke
For the 1st time (and hopefully not the last), this episode features the solo efforts of Evil Becky. Do you have 40 minutes? Do you want see what the back of your eyes look like? If you said yes, then this is the episode for you. EB goes t…
- 320: 8675309 Who Are You?
So Dad (Art) is away and the kids (CULTRA crew) decided to play. We changed the episode rules and decreed this to be episode #8675309. We also determined Who are you. Yes, you. We went through a list of stereotypical runner types and made…
- 319: New Trail Runner's Guide (Northeast Edition)
319: New Trail Runner's Guide (Northeast Edition) Are you a road runner looking to start trail running, a hiker intent on picking up your pace, or an experienced trail running veteran who is curious to see if you could pick up a new idea?…
- 318: AI Predictions of the Past and Cereal
Ellie Pell is back to talk some smack on AI and the great cereal mix debate. How will this impact our sport? Will trail running ever be the same? Can't we all just get along? Qualifying for Boston Marathon and the Olympic Marathon Trails a…
- 317: Cultra Wrapped 2024
Candy cigarettes! Ramen noodles and a Patreon review. The Crew discusses upcoming running races, including the Newport Marathon on April 19th and the Real King of Pain race in Glastonbury in early February, which includes an icy double str…
- 316: Backyard Ultra Finisher Jordan Buck
What does it take to finish the SRC Back Yard Ultra? How do you approach it if you have never done one before? New York State based Jordan Buck traveled to the SRC Backyard Ultra in Long Island and gave it a shot as a first timer. Jordan a…
- 315: Tagging the Sleeping Giant Tower with New England's Finest Aaron Heath
Tower Tag Challenge is a 4 hour or 8 hour event that uses the carriage trail of the iconic Sleeping Giant State Park in Hamden Connecticut. Second place Male finisher and NY based Aaron Heath joins RD Brian Vanderheiden (whisper voice) to…
- 314 The Mesh Penis Fiasco Unveiled
The Mesh Penis Fiasco unveiled! If you wanted any running content, then this is not the episode you are looking for. But if for no logical reason you are looking for some funny shit, followed by 90 minutes of drunken rambling inebriated ba…
- 312: The Donut Jackasspectacular
Join us as we celebrate 6 years of Jackassing around. @gazzellie joins the crew in what might (allegedly) be the most offensive, explicit and raw like the trails we run on episode ever. Either way you will never look at a donut the same wa…
- 313: Hamster Wheeling with On the Runs
The Crew joins forces with On The Runs Podcast's Erika, Eric and First time Ultra TaraDactyl to run a few more loops of the Dumbest Race in New Hampshire! We bring in some graduate level guests including Ultra durable Jennifer Whynot, Fan…
- 309 Megatrends of Endurance Nutrition with Alex Larson
Are you tired of bonking, throwing up on yourself and your friends, because you got no fueling plan? In this episode, we discuss with a Certified Nutritionist Alex Larson the fueling megatrends that have contributed to the shit ton of reco…
- 311 Fastest Known Mid-state Massive Monster Mesh Patreon Party
Did Connecticut boycott Midstate Massive? Spooky shit scheduled for Nov 29th in the Meshomasic (Mesh) Forest! Ben Quatromoni takes some time off of Ben Nephew's long standing North South Trail FKT. This episode is a beautiful disaster as A…
- 310: Nipmuck Marathon RD's Cherie and Kelsey
Nipmuck Trail Marathon RD's Cherie Bilbie and Kelsey Eng join the Cultra Crew as we take deep dive into the 41st edition of one of New Englands most beloved trail races. Jimmy Mac shares what it was like to race in the top ten and arrive a…
- 308: Barkley Fall Classic with Lenny's Mom Jenna Gould
Lenny's Mom (Jenna Gould) gives a first hand perspective of what it was like to run and finish the 2024 Barkley Fall Classic! Be prepared to cry as you laugh at the absurd stories of Rat Jaw, Testicle Spectacle, and so much more. She share…