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Distance To Empty

Kevin Goldberg and Peter Noyes

Become a Subscriber: http://patreon.com/DistancetoEmptyPod Distance To Empty will take its audience deep into the world of ultra-endurance running, with a particular focus on races exceeding 200 miles. Through in-depth interviews with athletes, race organizers and sports scientists, the episodes shed light on the unique challenges and strategies involved in tackling these extreme distances. Tune in and learn what it takes to reach your distance to empty.

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    Lila Gaudrault is Flagstaff Bound at the 2026 Cocodona 250

    FLAGSTAFF BOUND is BACK for 2026! Become a Distance to Empty subscriber!: https://www.patreon.com/DistancetoEmptyPod Code IRON at www.goodranchers.com and mention us in the post purchase survey! Get some free DTE Swag by supporting out sponsors! Check out Mount to Coast here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mounttocoast.com/discount/Distance⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Janji.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and be sure to select 'podcast' > 'Distance to Empty' on the post purchase "How did you hear about Janji" page. Thank you! She ran her first ultramarathon as a high school senior in road shoes, ate one spoonful of peanut butter for the entire race, finished second overall, cried at the finish line, drove home, and signed up for another one. She is 23 years old. This is her first 200-mile race. In this episode of Flagstaff Bound, Kevin and Peter sit down with Lila Gaudrault — nurse, Substack writer, self-coached, 10 FKTs, New England trail running ambassador, and the only person in the series who has trained for Cocodona 250 using something called Burrito League. Lila talks about building her own training plan that isn't really a training plan, what it feels like to step up to a distance 150 miles longer than anything she's ever done, and why she's approaching her first 200 as an adventure rather than a race. She also has a message ready for herself at Mingus Mountain at mile 107 — the moment she'll cross into the longest she's ever gone. It is the most honest thing anyone has said in this entire series. Cocodona 250 kicks off Monday, May 4th at 5 AM Pacific. Follow the action live on the Mountain Outpost YouTube channel.

    19 min
  2. 2 DAYS AGO

    Michael Versteeg is Flagstaff Bound at the 2026 Cocodona 250

    FLAGSTAFF BOUND is BACK for 2026! Become a Distance to Empty subscriber!: https://www.patreon.com/DistancetoEmptyPod Code IRON at www.goodranchers.com and mention us in the post purchase survey! Get some free DTE Swag by supporting out sponsors! Check out Mount to Coast here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mounttocoast.com/discount/Distance⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Janji.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and be sure to select 'podcast' > 'Distance to Empty' on the post purchase "How did you hear about Janji" page. Thank you! He won the first one. He's been back every year since. He dropped in 2025 after running the first 160 miles better than he ever has, four hours ahead of his ghost from the previous year, and then sat in his van in Sedona in the worst storm of the worst weather year Cocodona has ever seen and decided he was done. He is back for year six. In this episode of Flagstaff Bound, Kevin and Peter sit down with Michael Versteeg, who is refreshingly honest about where he's at heading into 2026. He's not as prepared as last year. His goal is to finish. Not because he's given up on running it fast, he still thinks the course can be run faster than he's ever run it, but because if this is going to be his last Cocodona, he wants to leave it on a finish. His daughter is almost three and this is the first year she'll understand what's going on. Everything he does revolves around her. He also wants to bring an adjustable basketball hoop to Mingus Mountain and potentially a skateboard to Sedona, because if you've run this course six times you need to find ways to keep it interesting. His five-word description of Cocodona 250 is simply: no. Cocodona 250 kicks off Monday, May 4th at 5 AM Pacific. Follow the action live on the Mountain Outpost YouTube channel.

    27 min
  3. 3 DAYS AGO

    DJ Fox is Flagstaff Bound at the 2026 Cocodona 250

    FLAGSTAFF BOUND is BACK for 2026! Become a Distance to Empty subscriber!: https://www.patreon.com/DistancetoEmptyPod Code IRON at www.goodranchers.com and mention us in the post purchase survey! Get some free DTE Swag by supporting out sponsors! Check out Mount to Coast here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mounttocoast.com/discount/Distance⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Janji.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and be sure to select 'podcast' > 'Distance to Empty' on the post purchase "How did you hear about Janji" page. Thank you! He went from 210 pounds to 150 pounds in a hospital bed, saw a Cameron Hanes Instagram post, and decided to become an endurance athlete. He has since won the World's Toughest Mudder, DNF'd a Colorado Trail FKT attempt at mile 420 with pneumonia, came back and broke the record anyway, and showed up to Cocodona 250 last year as a relative unknown and finished 7th overall. In this episode of Flagstaff Bound, Kevin and Peter sit down with DJ Fox, who is back for 2026 with one goal — to be the first person across the finish line in Flagstaff. He breaks down exactly what went wrong last year: 17 hours of shuffling on dead legs through 40 miles because he missed his sleep window, watching Edher and Finn and Harry and Mike and Cody and Max all pass him, then waking up from a 90-minute nap and running those last 40 miles faster than anyone else on the course. He knows what he left out there. He spent this year actually learning how to run. He also wants us to draw him a gauge on the chalkboard at Mingus. A tiny sliver of green in the middle. On one side, being an idiot. On the other, being something less than that. He wants to live in the sliver. His caffeine consumption in the final 40 miles of last year was approximately 1,500 milligrams. He is not concerned about this. Cocodona 250 kicks off Monday, May 4th at 5 AM Pacific. Follow the action live on the Mountain Outpost YouTube channel.

    22 min
  4. 9 APR

    Jeff Pelletier is Flagstaff Bound at the 2026 Cocodona 250

    FLAGSTAFF BOUND is BACK for 2026! Become a Distance to Empty subscriber!: https://www.patreon.com/DistancetoEmptyPod Code IRON at www.goodranchers.com and mention us in the post purchase survey! Get some free DTE Swag by supporting out sponsors! Check out Mount to Coast here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mounttocoast.com/discount/Distance⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Janji.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and be sure to select 'podcast' > 'Distance to Empty' on the post purchase "How did you hear about Janji" page. Thank you! He started running at 27. He is not a professional athlete by his own description. He has run UTMB, Tor des Géants, the Swiss Alps 100, and Moab 240 — where he podiumed and then made a feature documentary about it, because finishing apparently wasn't enough. He spent the week before this recording running reconnaissance on the course. He has now covered about 150 miles of it on foot before the race even starts. In this episode of Flagstaff Bound, Kevin and Peter sit down with Jeff Pelletier — trail runner, filmmaker, and one of three Jeffs in this series — for a conversation about what it actually means to show up to one of the most competitive 250-mile races in the world as someone who approaches the whole thing cerebrally, documents everything with his partner Audrey, and genuinely believes that anyone with a healthy body could do what he does if they had the time and the mindset. Jeff talks about why Cocodona appealed to him, what he learned at Mammoth 200 six months ago that he's bringing directly into this race, and why he's writing himself a pledge to sign before the start line — because that middle section will try to make you complacent, and he's not letting it. Cocodona 250 kicks off Monday, May 4th at 5 AM Pacific. Follow the action live on the Mountain Outpost YouTube channel. Whatever happens out there will almost certainly end up on YouTube anyway.

    21 min
  5. 8 APR

    Jeff Browning is Flagstaff Bound at the 2026 Cocodona 250

    FLAGSTAFF BOUND is BACK for 2026! Become a Distance to Empty subscriber!: https://www.patreon.com/DistancetoEmptyPod Code IRON at www.goodranchers.com and mention us in the post purchase survey! Get some free DTE Swag by supporting out sponsors! Check out Mount to Coast here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mounttocoast.com/discount/Distance⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Janji.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and be sure to select 'podcast' > 'Distance to Empty' on the post purchase "How did you hear about Janji" page. Thank you! He led Cocodona 250 for 150 miles in 2024. With two miles to go, his airway swelled shut, his oxygen sat dropped to 83, and he got caught. He came back. In this episode of Flagstaff Bound, Kevin and Peter sit down with Jeff Browning — Bronco Billy — who lives in Flagstaff, trains on the course in his backyard, and has been running hundred-milers longer than most of his competitors have been racing. He talks honestly about what went wrong in 2024 — an upper respiratory infection three weeks out, a viral load that came roaring back as reactive airway in the final miles — and exactly what he and Stringbean cooked up together to make sure it doesn't happen again. He breaks down his training tweaks, his sleep strategy refinements, and why running 70 to 90 mile weeks with five hours of Zone 2 cycling is hitting different than the 130-mile monsters he was doing before. He also learns about the Mingus Basketball Association live on tape, immediately says he'll shoot some hoops if we have it ready, and goes home to practice on the hoop in his driveway. Cocodona 250 kicks off Monday, May 4th at 5 AM Pacific. Follow the action live on the Mountain Outpost YouTube channel.

    34 min
  6. 7 APR

    Lauren Jones is Flagstaff Bound at the 2026 Cocodona 250

    FLAGSTAFF BOUND is BACK for 2026! Become a Distance to Empty subscriber!: https://www.patreon.com/DistancetoEmptyPod Get some free DTE Swag by supporting out sponsors! Check out Mount to Coast here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mounttocoast.com/discount/Distance⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Use code DISTANCE at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Janji.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and be sure to select 'podcast' > 'Distance to Empty' on the post purchase "How did you hear about Janji" page. Thank you! She finished second female at the 2022 Cocodona 250. She sobbed on the descent off Mingus Mountain. She wrote a blog post about the whole experience called "I'd Run 100 Miles for a Grilled Cheese Sandwich." She is back. In this episode of Flagstaff Bound, Kevin and Peter sit down with Lauren Jones — ultrarunner, writer, and proud cheese enthusiast from Atlanta — for one of the most honest and genuinely funny conversations in the series. Lauren talks about what it was like to run 250 miles through the Arizona desert, fall apart on a mountain descent in tears, keep going anyway, and then write about all of it with the kind of self-awareness that makes you feel like you were out there with her. She also gives her chalkboard message for Mingus Mountain, and it is exactly what you'd expect from someone who has cried on that descent and earned the right to say it. Cocodona 250 kicks off Monday, May 4th at 5 AM Pacific. Follow the action live on the Mountain Outpost YouTube channel.

    25 min
  7. 3 APR

    Edher Ramirez is Flagstaff Bound at the 2026 Cocodona 250

    FLAGSTAFF BOUND is BACK for 2026! Become a Distance to Empty subscriber!: https://www.patreon.com/DistancetoEmptyPod Get some free DTE Swag by supporting out sponsors! Check out Mount to Coast here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mounttocoast.com/discount/Distance⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Use code DISTANCE at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Janji.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and be sure to select 'podcast' > 'Distance to Empty' on the post purchase "How did you hear about Janji" page. Thank you! For most of last year's Cocodona 250, nobody knew where he was. He forgot his tracker at the start. When they finally got one on him, it didn't work. By the time race fans figured out where Edher Ramirez actually was, he was battling for the overall podium. He finished third. In one of the most competitive and brutal editions of this race ever run. In this episode of Flagstaff Bound, Kevin and Peter sit down with Edher — a locksmith from Las Vegas who found ultrarunning through a group of friends training for a half marathon, showed up to a trail race in Zion and had no idea what he'd signed up for, and has been escalating ever since. He talks about what he remembers most from last year's race — the mud, the finish line, his family — and what it was like to spend the final miles racing Rachel Entrekin for an overall podium spot while running on virtually no sleep. He talks about the hallucinations, the fences, the moment his crew sparked the fire that carried him over Elden. He also talks about what it means to compete at this level while running a business, training out of Las Vegas, and doing it all with his family at the center of everything. He runs with grit, gratitude, and the quiet confidence of someone who nobody saw coming. Cocodona 250 kicks off Monday, May 4th at 5 AM Pacific. Follow the action live on the Mountain Outpost YouTube channel.

    22 min
  8. 2 APR

    Kristin Trapp is Flagstaff Bound at the 2026 Cocodona 250

    FLAGSTAFF BOUND is BACK for 2026! Become a Distance to Empty subscriber!: https://www.patreon.com/DistancetoEmptyPod Get some free DTE Swag by supporting out sponsors! Check out Mount to Coast here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mounttocoast.com/discount/Distance⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Use code DISTANCE at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Janji.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and be sure to select 'podcast' > 'Distance to Empty' on the post purchase "How did you hear about Janji" page. Thank you! She has DNF'd Cocodona 250 twice. Both times, her body shut down — not from lack of fitness, not from lack of will, but from a medical reaction to the medication she was taking to protect her lungs. Both times, she got back up. This is her third attempt. In this episode of Flagstaff Bound, Kevin and Peter sit down with Kristin Trapp — Air Force veteran, occupational therapist, mother of three, and competitive donkey racer from Tucson — for one of the most emotionally honest conversations in the series. Kristin talks about what it actually took to process two DNFs, why she didn't just sign up again and white-knuckle through it, and what sitting with the grief of those finishes taught her that skipping straight to the next race couldn't. She talks about her patients — autistic kids and adults — and how the quiet persistence she sees from them every single day shows up in how she approaches her own hard miles. She talks about the donkeys, because of course she does, and what running 250 miles with a large stubborn animal teaches you about partnership, patience, and knowing when to listen. She also has a pulmonologist now. She has a plan. And she has something to say at mile 110 that stopped the hosts cold. Cocodona 250 kicks off Monday, May 4th at 5 AM Pacific. Follow the action live on the Mountain Outpost YouTube channel.

    32 min

About

Become a Subscriber: http://patreon.com/DistancetoEmptyPod Distance To Empty will take its audience deep into the world of ultra-endurance running, with a particular focus on races exceeding 200 miles. Through in-depth interviews with athletes, race organizers and sports scientists, the episodes shed light on the unique challenges and strategies involved in tackling these extreme distances. Tune in and learn what it takes to reach your distance to empty.

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