Back of the Pack Podcast

Kyle Walker
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Lace up your sneakers, grab your favorite headband, and toe the starting line! The signal has fired and the “Back of the Pack Podcast” is up and running! Are you a fan of running 5k’s just because the finisher medal looks cool? You are not alone there! Join the show that is all about the race swag and running on a Saturday morning to get the most out of your race registration. We will talk about local races in the Kansas City area. We will give you a heads up if you’re wanting to go farther outside the area to run the big races. Host Kyle Walker has fourteen full marathons, over eighty half marathons, and hundreds of 5k’s and 10k's. Take it from us, you are among friends here if you’ve gotten to the finish line to find all the bananas gone!

  1. 6h ago

    Nobody Tells You This: There Is No Finish Line

    We close out our October Nobody Tells You This series with one of the strangest lessons runners eventually discover: we spend months chasing finish lines only to cross them and almost immediately wonder, “Okay… now what?” We talk about why a race finish is usually less of an ending and more of a marker between chapters, including the post-race emptiness that can follow a huge goal after the training, planning, anticipation, and structure suddenly disappear. We also dig into why recovery is not lost momentum, why there does not always need to be another race waiting on the calendar, and why sometimes the best thing we can do after a major accomplishment is simply let it matter before turning our attention to whatever comes next. Along the way, we challenge the idea that running progression always means going farther, because a 5K runner is no less of a runner than a marathoner or ultramarathoner, and growth can just as easily mean getting faster, running smarter, having more fun, or finding a completely different goal. We explore how our running identity changes over time, from chasing our own times and distances to volunteering, pacing, sweeping, supporting friends, and asking a very different question: not “What can I prove?” but “What can I contribute?” We also talk about aging, injuries, DNFs, changing motivation, and the importance of allowing this version of ourselves to be a different runner than the one we were five, ten, or twenty years ago without treating that evolution as failure. There will always be another race, another distance, another PR, or another shiny piece of bling available, but we do not owe anyone constant escalation, and curiosity is a much healthier reason to chase a goal than believing we need another accomplishment to prove our worth. Because when we finally look beyond the finish arch, running gives us things that last far longer than one race ever could: health, friendships, stories, travel, confidence, routine, community, stress relief, purpose, perspective, and ultimately a running life that is much bigger than any single finish line.

    Nobody Tells You This: There Is No Finish Line

  2. 4d ago

    Buckle Up: Our First 50K.

    This week on The Back of the Pack Podcast, we officially step into the ultramarathon world with our first traditional 50K at the Kansas Rails-to-Trails Ultramarathon in Ottawa, Kansas. Running along the Prairie Spirit Trail, the day begins with a stripped-down ultra-style start, a mandatory hydration vest, unfamiliar gear, and the realization that this is a very different world from the big road marathons we are used to. Once the race reaches the crushed-limestone trail, what initially feels like a beautiful fall morning slowly becomes a very long out-and-back adventure filled with endless trees, farmland, lonely miles, and plenty of time inside our own heads. The biggest problem appears early when we realize that just seven days after sweeping the Garmin Kansas City Marathon, the legs have nowhere near the energy or bounce needed for another 31-mile effort. Along the way, we discover some of the best parts of ultra running, including incredible aid-station volunteers, bacon, waffles, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Coke, pickles, and the surprisingly serious business of managing food and hydration when aid stations can be many miles apart. The return trip brings warmer temperatures, dwindling water, increasingly tired legs, and a final seven miles that turn the race from difficult into pure survival mode. The finish time may have landed well outside the original goal, but crossing that line meant completing something completely new and earning the traditional ultramarathon prize waiting at the end: a Kansas Rails-to-Trails 50K belt buckle. We close with the lessons learned from stacking too much endurance work into three weeks, the decision to finally give the body some real recovery, and one very important conclusion: this first 50K may not have gone according to plan, but it definitely will not be the last one.

  3. Oct 23

    Nobody Tells You This: Your Brain Will Lie to You

    This week on The Back of the Pack Podcast: Second Wind, our Nobody Tells You This series heads into the place where some of the hardest miles happen: right between our ears. We talk about the voice that tells us we’re done, the race is ruined, everyone else looks stronger, or there’s no possible way we can keep going, even when our body may still have plenty left to give. From breaking huge distances into manageable pieces to surviving one bad mile without turning it into a prediction for the entire race, we explore practical ways to quiet the mental spiral and stay focused on the mile we’re actually running. We also look at race-day bargaining, the temptation to “bank time,” negative self-talk, temporary low points, and the mysterious finish-line miracle where we somehow find another gear after spending miles convinced the tank was completely empty. Of course, there is an important difference between ordinary running discomfort and genuine warning signs, so we make one thing very clear: listen to your body and question your brain. We share a simple reset for those moments when quitting sounds awfully tempting: check for danger, solve whatever problem we can, shrink the task, keep moving, and reassess before making a permanent decision during a temporary low. We also talk about why experience, humor, mantras, other runners, volunteers, crowds, and even helping somebody else can change the story our brain is telling us in the middle of a difficult race. The first voice saying “stop” does not always get the final vote, because becoming a stronger runner sometimes means training the conversation in our head just as much as we train our legs.

    Nobody Tells You This: Your Brain Will Lie to You

  4. Oct 19

    The Last Blue Bib

    This week on The Back of the Pack Podcast, we open Season 5 with the full story of Garmin Kansas City Marathon weekend and a race experience unlike any Kyle has had before. After two packed days at the Union Station expo meeting runners from around the country, race morning arrived with nearly perfect fall weather and one very specific assignment: serve as the official sweeper for the full marathon. Instead of chasing a personal time, the goal was simple: stay behind the final marathoners, keep an eye on every blue bib, and help as many runners as possible make it safely to the finish line. Along the way, we break down the Kansas City course, from the early hills and downtown landmarks to the brutal second half where the marathon begins asking some very serious questions. As the miles pile up, Kyle begins collecting runners who are dealing with cramps, exhaustion, undertraining, pain, and the creeping doubt that maybe this just is not going to be their day. What follows becomes less of a race review and more of a story about six runners who simply refused to stop moving forward, even when nearly every part of their bodies was telling them otherwise. With incredible support from the Kansas City Missouri Police Department and more than seven hours on the course, the final group eventually reaches the finish line and earns every inch of those marathon medals. This is a celebration of Kansas City, the back of the pack, the people who fight for every final mile, and why sometimes the most meaningful marathon finish is not the one you run for yourself.

  5. Oct 16

    Nobody Tells You This: Your Best Race Might Not Be Your Fastest

    This week on The Back of the Pack Podcast: Second Wind, we continue our Nobody Tells You This series with a lesson runners usually discover only after enough finish lines: our fastest race and our best race are not always the same thing. We dig into why finish time tells only part of the story and why smart pacing, adapting to conditions, overcoming problems, fueling well, and simply executing the day we were given can sometimes matter more than a PR. From brutal weather and difficult courses to comeback races and days when Plan A disappears almost immediately, a slower clock can still represent some of our strongest racing. We also talk about the races where we help another runner, support a meaningful cause, return from injury, or simply allow ourselves to enjoy the experience instead of staring at our watch for every mile. Sometimes the races that stay with us forever are not the ones sitting at the top of the spreadsheet, but the ones filled with people, places, challenges, and moments that a finishing time could never measure. We break down the difference between performance races, training races, experience races, comeback races, and support races, because knowing why we are standing at the start line keeps us from grading the wrong exam afterward. The clock absolutely still matters when time is the goal, but it is only one definition of success, and we can be disappointed with a result while still being proud of how we raced. Fast is great, PRs are great, but the best race is ultimately the one that succeeds at what that particular race was supposed to be.

    Nobody Tells You This: Your Best Race Might Not Be Your Fastest

  6. Oct 12

    The Miles That Didn’t Matter

    This week on The Back of the Pack Podcast, we are catching up on a busy couple of weeks with the Oktoberfest 10K, the Run for Paws 5K, and a very different kind of endurance adventure at the Octoginta Bike Ride. Kyle starts by wrapping up the Heartland 30K Series with one of his strongest 10K performances in quite a while, finishing Oktoberfest with his fourth-fastest 10K time ever and, more importantly, a run that simply felt good. From there, it is on to the Run for Paws 5K, where a race that looked small on paper suddenly exploded in participation and Kyle decided to see just how close he could get to the very optimistic 5K prediction his Garmin had handed him. Then Sunday takes us to Lawrence for Octoginta, where the original goal of completing a metric century quickly starts unraveling thanks to limited bike training, a poorly fitted borrowed bike, heat, wind, and an upcoming marathon that made pushing too far a questionable idea. But the day takes an unexpected turn when Kyle comes across an older cyclist who crashes hard on a steep hill and needs help getting back on his feet, getting his bike working again, and eventually finding his way back toward the finish. What follows becomes less about mileage and more about what it actually means to help someone when doing the right thing changes your own plans. Kyle reflects on the frustration that briefly crept in, the realization that kindness loses something when it comes with resentment, and why sometimes the race you thought you were there to complete is not actually the most important thing happening that day. We close by looking ahead to a huge hometown weekend at the Garmin Kansas City Marathon, where the podcast will be at the expo and Kyle will take on a very different responsibility as the official marathon sweeper.

    The Miles That Didn’t Matter

  7. Oct 9

    Nobody Tells You This: Race Day Starts Days Before

    In this week’s Second Wind, we continue our Nobody Tells You This series with a lesson every runner eventually learns: the race may officially begin at the starting line, but our race-day experience starts several days earlier. We talk about why the final 48 to 72 hours are not the time to squeeze in more fitness, but instead to protect the training we have already built through recovery, preparation, and a little good old-fashioned restraint. From banking sleep and staying consistently hydrated to eating familiar foods and avoiding the legendary pre-race carb-loading feast that leaves our stomach waving a white flag, the boring decisions really do matter. We dig into the golden rule of nothing new on race weekend, including shoes, socks, nutrition, hydration products, and whatever miracle concoction somebody with impressive calves is handing out at the expo. Traveling adds another layer, so we also talk about expo fatigue, sightseeing, long drives and flights, unfamiliar hotel rooms, and why a destination race can accidentally turn into a ten-mile walking tour before we ever reach the start line. Race-morning logistics matter too, from knowing where to park and when to leave to charging the watch, laying out our gear, planning breakfast, and developing a bathroom strategy before 300 other runners have the exact same idea. We also tackle pacing, race goals, nerves, and the importance of making those decisions before adrenaline, a pace sign, or somebody dressed as Batman convinces us to throw months of planning out the window. Training gets us physically ready, but preparation gives that fitness a chance to show up, because the race begins at the gun while race day starts days before.

    Nobody Tells You This: Race Day Starts Days Before

  8. Oct 5

    Rocket City: Ready for Launch!

    This week on The Back of the Pack Podcast, Eric Fritz and Rhonda Hayden return to the show as we officially begin the countdown to December’s Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville, Alabama. With race weekend now just a couple of months away, registrations are climbing, the course is locked in, volunteers are being recruited, and preparations are underway for what could become the biggest Rocket City Marathon weekend yet. We get an inside look at an expanded expo featuring new Rocket City merchandise, Podcast Alley, interactive vendors, and even a little vendor bingo before turning our attention to what runners can expect on race morning. Eric and Rhonda explain the unique setup of the full marathon and back-half marathon, the warm indoor staging area at the Von Braun Center, pacer groups, and an important change coming to the early-start program after this year. We also spend plenty of time talking about the back of the pack, including how Rocket City handles sweepers, course support, and the runners who may need a little extra time and encouragement to reach that finish line. Then we get to the fun stuff: medals, shirts, Hat Trick swag, finisher gifts, and plans to make the indoor finish at the Von Braun Center even more memorable for the marathon’s 50th anniversary. There is also some major news for the event with PNC Bank joining as title sponsor, plus a look at how race weekend will once again support the pediatric department at Huntsville Hospital, this year helping toward a pediatric-specific ambulance. From running through Huntsville’s Christmas-lit Tinsel Trail to the growing Back of the Pack team making the trip south, this episode is our final big preview before we finally meet Eric and Rhonda in person and launch into Rocket City race weekend.

    Rocket City: Ready for Launch!
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About

Lace up your sneakers, grab your favorite headband, and toe the starting line! The signal has fired and the “Back of the Pack Podcast” is up and running! Are you a fan of running 5k’s just because the finisher medal looks cool? You are not alone there! Join the show that is all about the race swag and running on a Saturday morning to get the most out of your race registration. We will talk about local races in the Kansas City area. We will give you a heads up if you’re wanting to go farther outside the area to run the big races. Host Kyle Walker has fourteen full marathons, over eighty half marathons, and hundreds of 5k’s and 10k's. Take it from us, you are among friends here if you’ve gotten to the finish line to find all the bananas gone!

Information

  • Creator
    Kyle Walker
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    321
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright The Back of the Pack Podcast
  • Show Website
    Back of the Pack Podcast

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