New Jersey is not known for its trails, but we're hoping that changes soon- and if Sassquad Trail Runners' Kim Levinsky has anything to say about that, then it changes today! Kim has a competitive background as a two-sport athlete collegiately and brings her passion over to the trails and infuses that into every Sassquad Trail Party. Hear about how her love for the trails has helped a small group grow into one of the biggest and best on the east coast and has rightfully put Jersey on the map as ...
Feb 26, 2021•1 hr 51 min•Season 3Ep. 119
How does it feel to be outside in the middle of winter in New England for over 40 hours, unsupported on 78 miles of snowy trail? Jimmy Mac teamed up with LSE to take on this trail in the worst conditions. Sure they could have tried it without the snow, sleet and driving rain. They could have had someone wiping their arses every few kelo-meeters too. But you always gotta consider the "Why". There will definitely be faster FKT's set on this route, but one would have to try really hard to match the...
Feb 21, 2021•1 hr 35 min•Season 3Ep. 118
Long Island's second most famous resident to Cultra listeners is one Thaddeus Nelson- no, he's not a Civil War era general, he's an ultrarunning, race directing anthropologist from Ronkonkoma. Hear how Thadd cast away the shackles of ill health to race his first marathon and more, here on Cultra! Medals for Mettle Race4Some1 hit up Troubled Raccoon on FB The 2021 CUT112 We’re on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/44etXyR0WbJtmKRKrP7V6M We’re on iTunes! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...
Feb 19, 2021•1 hr 35 min•Season 3Ep. 117
The Cultra Crew minus Evil Becky get together for a heated discussion on the Grateful Dead, tactics to stop urine or poop mid stream, Mesh Running, a full review of all of the Cultra Karaoke Grateful Fred singers, who called in to 203-DOG-GENT and sang their hearts out, plus a full on flogging of our Patreon supporters. So you can go Ridin that Train, or Paddlin that Canoe, we guarantee that this Episode has something for you. (allegedly) Jake Koteen Muddy Socks Issue 1 Thaddeus Nelson Troubled ...
Feb 14, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Season 3Ep. 116
Brodie Sharpe has spent the last decade helping runners not only return from injury but teach runners how to avoid, assess and work around the most common running injuries like plantar fasciitis, IT band syndrome and patellofemoral pain (runner's knee). Hear how this Aussie has changed the game not only for himself but for thousands of folks just like us and learn to run smarter. We talk about what Brodie thinks about "conventional wisdom" and discuss how a science-based approach and what the la...
Feb 12, 2021•1 hr 40 min•Season 3Ep. 115
We do a quick (haha) review of our last few shows and then talk about our current state of things. Lots to discuss. Listen. Grateful Fred Karaoke Challenge The Uncle Floyd Show Sugar-free Gummy Bear review We’re on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/44etXyR0WbJtmKRKrP7V6M We’re on iTunes! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cultra-trail-running/id1446356779 Please support Cultra Trail Running Podcast Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CultraTrailRunning Strava: https://www.strava.com/clubs/C...
Feb 05, 2021•2 hr 15 min•Season 3Ep. 114
Cole Crosby is a runner's runner. From racing fast road marathons to 50 miles on trail to 197 miles from the very top of NJ all the way down to the tip of Cape May Lighthouse, Cole has done a lot of running in his three decades. Hear how many Wawa's he went to, where you might go poo on a 44-hour run (?) and what's in store next for Mr. Crosby. Cole's IG Cole's FB Cole's blog We’re on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/44etXyR0WbJtmKRKrP7V6M We’re on iTunes! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/pod...
Jan 29, 2021•2 hr 56 min•Season 3Ep. 113
This summer Portland's Liz Anjos set out to run and hike the Appalachian Trail faster than anyone else in history, and having had a blazing fast 2:51 marathon PR plus several other notable FKTs, she not only had the pedigree but the right attitude. Enlisting the help of one Warren Doyle (9 thru-hikes, 9 section hikes of the AT and counting) she had the right people in her corner. Hear how shin splints changed her plans as she walked and ran her heart out to set the new northbound women's FKT on ...
Jan 22, 2021•3 hr 23 min•Season 3Ep. 112
Shan Riggs lost his job and found adventure as he ran across America. And although he had no income for himself, rather than hunker down, he and his friend/crew artist extraordinaire Callie Vinson raised over $45,000 for Connecticut Food Share. Callie Vinson shares her transformative story of weight loss, tragedy and the healing effects of an unforgettable journey across the USA. Foodshare Callie's Insta Shan's Strava We’re on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/44etXyR0WbJtmKRKrP7V6M We’re o...
Jan 15, 2021•2 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 111
Jason Hardrath holds the current record for the most FKTs in the world. But his episode is so much more- dude is a miracle. Hear how a tragedy that almost took Jason's life back in 2015 gave him the fortitude and resolve to become one of the best mountain ultra runners in the world. Come deepen your well! Connect with Jason: Instagram Strava Jason's website We’re on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/44etXyR0WbJtmKRKrP7V6M We’re on iTunes! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cultra-trail-r...
Jan 08, 2021•3 hr 11 min•Season 3Ep. 110
Spoiler Alert: We announce that there will be a big announcement at the end of the episode. The Crew, minus Fred do a hatchet job interview of the often maligned and tormented year of 2020. The pariah of social media and the target of many a meme shares what it was like in the early year, starting with so much promise, before acting out and drawing universal fire from gallows humor pundits around the world. Evil Becky, (or was it Vicki) even asks the tough questions digging deep into 2020's Orig...
Jan 01, 2021•2 hr 36 min•Season 3Ep. 109
Happy Holidays Cultra! It’s a classic episode in the making- Vicki in her bathrobe with a 16 pound Ironman medal around her neck, Fred on day 14,237 of his running streak and Art trying to get us to talk about serious things like traction for snow and ice running… all the while Jimmy is jackassing his face off. We have Brian Vanderheiden in studio while he chugs egg nog and eats pizza while walking on his new treadmill- it’s really the holiday extravaganza you didn’t know you needed but would ne...
Dec 24, 2020•2 hr 52 min•Season 3Ep. 108
Happy holidays, Cultra! Since we're contractually obligated to have LSE on several times per year, we are technically in breach of said contract. This appearance lightens the load quite a bit on the contract and no one utters a single "wots all dis eh?" We delve into Lee's expertise on all things gear- there's actually some really decent content in here, then we snap to our senses and jackass around for an hour. Cape Cod Frozen Fat Ass History of the merkin That article we read We’re on Spotify!...
Dec 18, 2020•3 hr 15 min•Season 3Ep. 107
What can be said about a podcast episode that clocks in at a svelte two hours and fifty minutes? Meet our newest cast member Vicki as she asks to talk to a grizzly bear's manager, Fred has an altercation with a bobcat, Art is still afraid of chipmunks and Jimmy covers a lot of ground by speaking well over 90 words a minute. A very special jackassing episode. BURCS Upcoming Races Border Patrol Challenge - a virtual challenge on the trails near the CT / RI border Follow Callie Vinson as she runs a...
Dec 11, 2020•2 hr 51 min•Season 3Ep. 106
We caught him folks, and we set and FKT in the process- actually a world record! Yes that's right, it's the longest podcast we've ever recorded. Over three hours of Ben; we discuss his running, family life, his research, FKTs, psychology; you name it, we talked about it. Art had a cool week and managed to get in 28 miles with Shan Riggs on his second to last day running across America. Fred is still running and Becky is the best. Ben Nephew's 65 research papers Shan Riggs on the News We’re on Sp...
Dec 04, 2020•3 hr 24 min•Season 3Ep. 105
Adam Osmond is not likely to run Western States anytime soon. As a recovering gambling addict, these days he will not even put his name into a race entry lottery. Instead, Adam has established himself as a fixture of the Northeast running scene and is very active in sharing his experiences with others on social media. However he does not carry a GoPro camera to simply capture the moment, and to share the scenery. Adam has found the trail running scene to be quite welcoming, however as a male Afr...
Nov 27, 2020•3 hr•Season 3Ep. 104
Yakkin' it up about jackassin' = that's YACKASSIN' my people. We go full crew sans guest (so no one looks on in horror) as we dissect Becky's day at the Brewery. Hear how she almost bested the field of ladies and how our friend Brian V and his Steep Endurance squad once again put on a safe event during a global pandemic. Fred keeps on running, hitting 4000 miles for the year while us mere mortals are back in the 2000s. Art did a 419 mile bike ride earlier this year. Jimmy ran a self-supported 50...
Nov 20, 2020•2 hr 10 min•Season 3Ep. 103
Craig Lloyd is an ultra runner living in Utah. He also heads up Trail And Ultra Running (TAUR) which has a Facebook group of over 122,000 members, making it the largest online running community in the world (allegedly). It is a place of huge proportions, where most posts are likely to get hundreds of answers. We talk about how he manages to keep 122,000 runners in line, and keep it fun. Craig also shares the unique story of how he started trail running, and stories of Davey Crocket. We have a lo...
Nov 16, 2020•2 hr 15 min•Season 3Ep. 102
Alex McDaniel is the founder of the West Rock Ramblers, West Coast transplant, and a three time Western States finisher. He joins AFB for a one on one interview and the rest is Cultramatic poetic history. We talk about the differences between East and West coast, the Connecticut running scene, and so much more.
Nov 13, 2020•1 hr 37 min•Season 3Ep. 101
"Sorry Jimmy I got nothing" is the message Art Byram sent over to me with the draft of this show, as far as the title of the show is concerned. I actually like it- we're all still sitting here in limbo waiting for the 2020 Presidential election results so it's fitting, really captures the zeitgeist. We recap the Pachaug Trail Runs, thrown by yours truly and we hear how Becky and guest Amy Sorensen both podium'd at the marathon distance while Art had an epiphany of sorts out on the trails. Fred i...
Nov 06, 2020•2 hr 24 min•Season 3Ep. 99
Ah, Runners World- you kill me. Listen I get it, you want people to read you, take it all in, see the hundreds of advertisements and then instantly forget that they ever read you. I get it. I really do. It's just that we need more from you, if you're going to be the voice of our sport, we need more. Okay whatever. Here's the damn RW article Science of Ultra podcast about trekking poles that Art mentioned Where is Shan Riggs? We’re on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/44etXyR0WbJtmKRKrP7V6M ...
Oct 23, 2020•2 hr 16 min•Season 3Ep. 98
Finn Melanson grew up in New England but truly, he's a man of the world. A restless soul in the best possible way, young Finn's spirit is too large to be confined or defined by geographical boundaries. In this episode we crack Finn open- nay, he cracks US open and we get down to the heart of the matter; what it is that makes us who we are and why the idea of "balance" is overrated. One of my favorites to record- it's truly a gem of a podcast and the knowledge and banter therein makes it sound li...
Oct 16, 2020•2 hr 41 min•Season 3Ep. 97
Art picks the names of the episodes but I write the show notes. Art said "hey how's this name?" in reference to the title and I said "I like this other name" in reference to the alternate title and Fred chimed in with "How to Get Into Brown?" which works really well too and I thought we may have reached an impasse but alas, Art sent me the draft with his title so I lose yet again. But I have to tell you that I came back with "What Can Brown Do For You?" and we all heartily chuckled again but the...
Oct 09, 2020•1 hr 57 min•Season 3Ep. 96
Hey gang! Do we have a special episode for you- this is a jam-packed, all-star interview session with the top gals and guys from last week's Blue to Blue Challenge in New Haven, CT- and it was a barn-burner! Hear all the gory details from a knock down, drag out fight between friends Laura Becker and Deb Livingston (I jest) and third place finisher Clorice Reinhardt. Then the top two guys Dan Bates and winner Justin Kousky recount their fight to the top. This is one you won't want to miss! We’re ...
Oct 05, 2020•2 hr 5 min•Season 3Ep. 95
Robert Jason Jeffers gives us exclusive expert information on Pop-Tarts, and how they can help you get the calories you need and deserve. There is a Pop-tart Test and Robert Aces it! He tells us his origin story and we have many laughs with AFB and Evil Becky. Art and Robert also share their first hand experience of what it was like to be in downtown lower Manhattan on the morning of 9/11, and how this relates to our current situation with Covid 19. This episode has a little bit for everyone, ye...
Oct 02, 2020•1 hr 43 min•Season 3Ep. 15
It was supposed to be a triple half marathon. 39 miles for a 39th birthday they said. They said they'd have gelato along the way. But someone had to go and turn it into a 100-miler. Hear all the details of how Gelato (who the fuck is Kate?) ran 100 miles with Bill DUMBASS Odendahl as they were supported by a cast of characters and friends to get Gelato's first 100 done. And since Kate was here (who the fuck is Kate?) we do a bit more jackassing than usual. You shan't want to miss the one! Angevi...
Sep 25, 2020•2 hr 28 min•Season 3Ep. 94
Who is Justin Kousky, and how did he manage to run the CUT112 unsupported in under 26 hours? Tune in to this episode for details on this FKT and hear how he has approached 22 other unsupported FKTs this year. He is definitely someone to keep an eye on! So glad to hear his stories and to have the full Crew together- Becky is back and in all her awkward glory. Four spots left in The Blue 2 Blue Challenge The Angevine Farm Half and 50k Mohawk Mountain Race The Pachaug Trail Runs We’re on Spotify! h...
Sep 18, 2020•2 hr 45 min•Season 3Ep. 93
Liz Allen and Rick O'Toole are trail runners. They recently ran Live Loud Running's Six Hours at the Reservoir race in Ansonia, CT. The both won their respective races and had fun doing it. Listen to what makes a champion. Becky shows up late for an awkward and fun time, Fred is still streaking and Art is befuddled by Jimmy's jackassing. That's basically every episode though. Photo courtesy of Jake Koteen: http://jakekoteen.com/ We’re on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/44etXyR0WbJtmKRKrP7...
Sep 04, 2020•2 hr 47 min•Season 3Ep. 92
Phat Phred Mulrolo and AFB sit down to talk with Mike Cook. Mike proceeds to tell us the history of the ancient world, and we bond sharing stories of digging up bones, tools and Peruvian outhouses. Somehow all stories involve poop. Mike got a first class tune up from Coach Steve LaBranche, helping him prepare for a 100k. Was it the workouts or did Sandwiches somehow enter the plan? Either way, we had a great time chatting with MY Cook. Thank you for supporting Cultra Patreon: https://www.patreon...
Aug 25, 2020•29 min•Season 3Ep. 14
Most of the crew ran 112 miles from Long Island Sound to the Massachusetts border and back last weekend, hear their tale of life, death, resurrection and rebirth. A classic episode that's brand new. Allegedly. We’re on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/44etXyR0WbJtmKRKrP7V6M We’re on iTunes! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cultra-trail-running/id1446356779 Please support Cultra Trail Running Podcast Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CultraTrailRunning Strava: https://www.strava.com/clu...
Aug 21, 2020•3 hr 7 min•Season 3Ep. 90
