Distance To Empty

Kevin Goldberg and Peter Noyes
  • 5.0 (148)
  • Running
  • Updated Weekly

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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  1. 3d ago

    Meet the Mammoths; Ethan Herrera!

    ⁠⁠Play The Mammoth 200⁠⁠ Video Game! Learn about our Patreon Offers!: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/DistancetoEmptyPod ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get some free DTE Swag by supporting out sponsors! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://janji.com/pages/distance-to-empty⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and be sure to select 'podcast' > 'Distance to Empty' on the post purchase "How did you hear about Janji" page. Thank you! Check out Mount to Coast here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mounttocoast.com/discount/Distance⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Meet the Mammoths — Ethan Herrera: Round Two on a Course That Humbled Him Today's guest was one of roughly ninety people who finished the inaugural Mammoth 200 back in September 2025 — before any of us knew what this course actually demanded. He's kept racing well since, including a strong second-place finish at the Siskiyou Out and Back 100 this past July. And now he's back for round two. Ethan Herrera joins us to talk honestly about a race that didn't go how he wanted: a rolled ankle early, asthma issues he fell behind on, hallucinations worse than he'd ever had, and the feeling of just getting worse and worse as the miles went on. He calls it "a special kind of bad" — and then explains why he took it as a lesson from the mountains rather than a failure, and what he's doing differently this year. We also get into the descent off Mammoth Mountain that blew up his legs in the first ten miles, why Obsidian Dome's grapefruit-sized rocks make for such a strange contrast with the course's buttery singletrack, his advice for first-timers (the race doesn't really start until the second half), and a genuinely great moment at mile 130 when a massive herd of sheep — and one very watchful sheepdog — stopped him in his tracks and reset his whole race. Plus: Ethan's background at the Speed Project, his path from climbing the Eastern Sierra to running through it, his work with Roark, and a confident promise to boldly miss a three-pointer if we put a hoop in front of him. In this episode: What an inaugural race teaches you that nobody can tell you in advance"A special kind of bad" — asthma, hallucinations, and losing control of a raceLooking for the life jackets in the pain caveThe sheep, the sheepdog, and a mile-130 gratitude resetAdvice for anyone running Mammoth for the first time this yearHomework not done (he's not the first), and late submissions acceptedA sub-60 goal, and Kevin offering up his splitsMammoth 200 kicks off Friday, October 2nd in Mammoth Lakes, California. Catch live coverage on the Mountain Outpost YouTube channel, and follow @Mammoth200 for updates and tracking throughout the race.

  2. 4d ago

    Meet the Mammoths; Devon Yanko!

    Play The Mammoth 200⁠⁠ Video Game! Learn about our Patreon Offers!: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/DistancetoEmptyPod ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get some free DTE Swag by supporting out sponsors! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://janji.com/pages/distance-to-empty⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and be sure to select 'podcast' > 'Distance to Empty' on the post purchase "How did you hear about Janji" page. Thank you! Check out Mount to Coast here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mounttocoast.com/discount/Distance⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Meet the Mammoths — Devon Yanko: Twenty Years In, and Her First 200 Today's guest has been racing at the front of this sport for the better part of two decades. She's run Western States multiple times, kept winning races through a lupus diagnosis, moved up to altitude outside Salida, Colorado, and won the Tarawera Ultra in New Zealand outright this year. She has never run an official 200-mile race. That changes this October. Devon Yanko joins us to explain how crewing Heather Jackson at Cocodona led directly to her pulling over on the side of the road an hour outside Flagstaff to email Tim Tollefson and sign up for Mammoth — right after deciding she'd never do anything like it. She talks about what she learned watching Heather's race up close, why adaptability beats a perfect plan, and how tearing a tendon at mile six of Scout Mountain 100 turned into the best possible rehearsal for a 200. We also get into sleep — she's a self-described terrible sleeper who's never taken a dirt nap and has never hallucinated — plus a 2016 Western States chair, an hour lost, and the lesson she's been practicing for ten years since. And then there's basketball. Devon owns one of the coveted MBA jerseys from Mingus, and it turns out there's a very good reason for that: she played Division I basketball at Fresno State, and won her state's three-point shooting contest as a high school senior, beating a future WNBA player. We're comfortable calling her the best basketball player in ultrarunning. In this episode: The roadside email that got her into MammothCrewing Heather Jackson at Cocodona, and what it taught her about problem-solvingRunning Tarawera through knee-deep mud, trench foot, and a dead watchSleep strategy from someone who genuinely can't sleepPlaying the Mammoth 200 video game as an Oregon Trail veteranA D1 basketball résumé and a pre-committed yes to the MBAFinish-line firsts, including a hug for Tim that may or may not be a strangleMammoth 200 kicks off Friday, October 2nd in Mammoth Lakes, California — 214 miles around a 760,000-year-old caldera, bookended by two summits of Mammoth Mountain. Catch live coverage on the Mountain Outpost YouTube channel, and follow @Mammoth200 for updates and tracking throughout the race.

  3. 4d ago

    Brian Reynolds: The First Double Amputee to Finish a 100 Mile Ultra

    Learn about our Patreon Offers!: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/DistancetoEmptyPod ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get some free DTE Swag by supporting out sponsors! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://janji.com/pages/distance-to-empty⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and be sure to select 'podcast' > 'Distance to Empty' on the post purchase "How did you hear about Janji" page. Thank you! Check out Mount to Coast here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mounttocoast.com/discount/Distance⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Brian Reynolds' Four-Year Journey at Leadville to Becoming the First Double Amputee to Finish a 100-Mile Race On this episode of Distance to Empty, Kevin sits down with Brian, who just days earlier became the first below-the-knee double amputee to finish a 100-mile trail race — completing the legendary Leadville Trail 100 in 28 hours and 55 minutes. Brian takes us inside four years and four attempts at Leadville, from a first-year DNF where he had "absolutely zero idea" what he was doing, to prosthetic tread failures that cost him the race in years two and three, to finally crossing the finish line on Sixth Street surrounded by a 19-person crew. Along the way, he breaks down the engineering behind his running blades vs. hiking legs, why aid-station transitions can take eight-plus minutes of stripping down, drying off, and re-taping, and how he trains over 20 hours of weekly cardio without the mileage most ultrarunners rely on. We also get into the mental side of the sport: hiding his legs under pants until his mid-twenties, the moment he stopped caring what people thought and started pushing his own limits, and why — despite training in the dark ages before adaptive-sports role models existed — he now gets to be the person others reach out to for answers. Topics covered: The difference between running blades, walking legs, and hiking legs — and why weight and heel flexion matter on a course like Hope PassThree straight years of prosthetic equipment failures and how he engineered his way past themWhy he skipped every shorter distance and went straight to a 100-milerThe 38%-higher energy cost of running as a double amputee, and how he fuels for itHis 19-person Leadville crew and the community that kept bringing him backWhat's next: rim-to-rim-to-rim, Comrades, and a very unofficial 99% "no" to 200-milers

  4. 5d ago

    Meet the Mammoths; Lindsey Dwyer!

    Play The Mammoth 200⁠⁠ Video Game! Learn about our Patreon Offers!: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/DistancetoEmptyPod ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get some free DTE Swag by supporting out sponsors! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://janji.com/pages/distance-to-empty⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and be sure to select 'podcast' > 'Distance to Empty' on the post purchase "How did you hear about Janji" page. Thank you! Check out Mount to Coast here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mounttocoast.com/discount/Distance⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Meet the Mammoths — Lindsey Dwyer: From the Crew Car to the Start Line Today's guest is a middle school PE teacher who finished 5th at Cocodona 250 this year in 72 hours, cutting seven hours off her own time from the year before. She's got a UTMB top-20 and a Rio del Lago course record on her résumé. And last October, she spent the inaugural Mammoth 200 crewing and pacing her husband Matt — a job she describes as running on about five hours of sleep across the entire race. Lindsey Dwyer joins us to talk about why it took roughly no time at all to decide she wanted to run it herself, what she's cleaning up from Cocodona (including a fueling problem most ultrarunners would love to have — she thinks she was eating too much), and the altitude tent she just rented as a sea-level runner heading to 8,000+ feet. We also get into the Mammoth 200 video game, where her household holds a record we still can't fully explain: Matt's 43-hour virtual finish is faster than anyone else who's played, and — as Kevin points out — faster than the game was designed to allow. Lindsey ran 82. There's a family strategy session pending. Plus: a genuinely great story about pacing Matt through last year's storm on the second summit, lightning overhead, and discovering that abandoning your runner mid-mountain is an extremely effective pacing technique. In this episode: Deciding to race Mammoth roughly instantly after crewing itEating too much at Cocodona, and dialing in fueling with lab testingRenting an altitude tent as a sea-level runner (Peter has thoughts)Why a runnable course is exactly what she wantsMatt's 43-hour virtual time, and a swag bounty for anyone who can beat itA pass on the weather question, and a lightning story that more than makes up for itFinish-line firsts: chocolate pudding, a hot bath, and a growing shopping list for MattMammoth 200 kicks off Friday, October 2nd in Mammoth Lakes, California — 214 miles around a 760,000-year-old caldera, bookended by two summits of Mammoth Mountain. Catch live coverage on the Mountain Outpost YouTube channel, and follow @Mammoth200 for updates and tracking throughout the race.

  5. 6d ago

    Meet the Mammoths; Callie Vinson!

    Play The Mammoth 200⁠⁠ Video Game! Learn about our Patreon Offers!: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/DistancetoEmptyPod ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get some free DTE Swag by supporting out sponsors! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://janji.com/pages/distance-to-empty⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and be sure to select 'podcast' > 'Distance to Empty' on the post purchase "How did you hear about Janji" page. Thank you! Check out Mount to Coast here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mounttocoast.com/discount/Distance⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Meet the Mammoths — Callie Vinson: Back for Round Two, and a Film Crew Along the Way Our very first recording for this series, and it's with someone who's been here before: last September, Callie Vinson spent her birthday finishing the inaugural Mammoth 200 in just over 101 hours — right through a snowstorm that got her rerouted off the second summit and held at an aid station for six hours during a lightning delay. This October, she's back for round two. Callie talks about getting talked into a second lap by race director Tim, why Mammoth's relatively "approachable" terrain works for a self-described clumsy, height-fearing trail runner, and a genuine bit of news: she and Tim are working on a documentary film, much of which will be shot during this year's race in Mammoth Lakes. We also get into her strategy for round two — same pacing plan, same reliance on Gu Roctane and aid-station ramen, same "walk every step" approach that's carried her through Cocodona, Moab, and her own Phoenix FKT — and a stacked crew lineup including Scott, Jen, Carol, Abby, and Cortes. And we dig into her actual Mammoth 200 video game card: 84 hours 25 minutes, Local Legend class, ten potatoes, zero hallucinations — a result she now admits was way too conservative, and a mistake she's already planning to fix on a second playthrough. In this episode: The snowstorm, the six-hour lightning hold, and getting rerouted off the second summitWhy Mammoth is the rare mountain 200 that works for someone afraid of heightsA documentary film in the works, shooting live during this year's raceHer virtual Mammoth 200 run — and why she's replaying it less conservativelyA prediction for race week: more rain, cooler temps, hopefully no lightningA pre-committed yes to the Mammoth Basketball Association, if the hoop shows upMammoth 200 kicks off Friday, October 2nd in Mammoth Lakes, California — 214 miles around a 760,000-year-old caldera, bookended by two summits of Mammoth Mountain. Catch live coverage on the Mountain Outpost YouTube channel, and follow @Mammoth200 for updates and tracking throughout the race.

  6. 6d ago

    Meet the Mammoths; Kyla Maher!

    ⁠Play The Mammoth 200⁠ Video Game! Learn about our Patreon Offers!: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/DistancetoEmptyPod ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get some free DTE Swag by supporting out sponsors! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://janji.com/pages/distance-to-empty⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and be sure to select 'podcast' > 'Distance to Empty' on the post purchase "How did you hear about Janji" page. Thank you! Check out Mount to Coast here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mounttocoast.com/discount/Distance⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Meet the Mammoths — Kyla Maher: The Red Puffy Returns Today's guest showed up on our Flagstaff Bound series having never run anything longer than 100 miles, wrote "please help" on her scheduling form, and finished Cocodona 250 anyway — all while working as athlete manager at Janji. She's since made the jump to Satisfy, and according to the card she sent us, she's already finished the Mammoth 200 — virtually, at least. Kyla Maher joins us for round two of 200-mile racing, and this episode has everything: peer pressure as a training plan (courtesy of race director Tim), a real conversation about what nothing can prepare you for the first time you go past 100 miles, and the full, unfiltered story behind the bright red rented puffy jacket that followed her through increasingly rough stages of Cocodona 250 — including the reveal of exactly which subscription clothing service is getting a very pointed callout in this episode. We also get into her jump from Janji to Satisfy, an honest answer about whether finishing a 250-mile race ever actually satisfies a "dopamine deprived" personality, and her official Mammoth 200 video game card — 214.6 miles in 89 hours 28 minutes, Seasoned Mid-Packer, nine acorns collected — plus a request for an entirely new game category that better reflects her Cocodona finish. In this episode: The jacket: rented again, or new colorway this time?What real pain threshold change actually feels like the first time you go past 100 milesJanji to Satisfy — what's changed, what hasn'tHer Mammoth 200 video game card, and a proposed new class categoryA crew status update (spoiler: she doesn't have one yet)Her prediction for race week weather — and it directly contradicts a previous guest'sMammoth 200 kicks off Friday, October 2nd in Mammoth Lakes, California — 214 miles around a 760,000-year-old caldera, bookended by two summits of Mammoth Mountain. Catch live coverage on the Mountain Outpost YouTube channel, and follow @Mammoth200 for updates and tracking throughout the race.

  7. 6d ago

    Meet the Mammoths; Sarah Ostaszewski!

    ⁠Play The Mammoth 200⁠ Video Game! Learn about our Patreon Offers!: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/DistancetoEmptyPod ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get some free DTE Swag by supporting out sponsors! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://janji.com/pages/distance-to-empty⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and be sure to select 'podcast' > 'Distance to Empty' on the post purchase "How did you hear about Janji" page. Thank you! Check out Mount to Coast here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mounttocoast.com/discount/Distance⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Meet the Mammoths — Sarah Ostaszewski: From Crewing the Storm to Racing It Herself Today's guest has won Cocodona 250, won Moab 240, and won Ouray 100 twice. This year, after a decade in the Western States lottery, she finally toed the line and came home with a sub-24-hour silver buckle. She's one of the most accomplished names in the sport — and this October, she's racing a course she's never touched. Sarah Ostaszewski wasn't a stranger to the Mammoth 200 before signing up herself — she crewed and paced her friend Michael Robertson through the inaugural race last year, including a stretch that got hit by a full-blown storm with two separate lightning holds on the mountain. She talks about what that day taught her about the course, why she signed up to actually race it herself this time, and how she thinks about competing in an era where course records keep getting rewritten within a year or two of anyone setting them. We also get into her post–Western States headspace, what she tells her own coached athletes before their first 200-mile race, and — a series first — a guest who didn't do her homework. Sarah's virtual Mammoth 200 game time is still pending, and we'll update the show notes once she submits it late. In this episode: Crewing a storm-hit inaugural Mammoth 200 in 2025, and what made her want to race it herselfCompeting in a sport where the record books keep moving under everyone's feetFinally getting off the Western States waitlist after ten years, and the "chapter closing" feeling that came with itAdvice she gives her own athletes before their first 200 — and whether she follows it herselfA homework assignment gone late, and a tentative yes to the Mammoth Basketball AssociationHer prediction for race week: expect another stormMammoth 200 kicks off Friday, October 2nd in Mammoth Lakes, California — 214 miles around a 760,000-year-old caldera. Catch live coverage on the Mountain Outpost YouTube channel, and follow @Mammoth200 for updates and tracking throughout the race.

  8. Sep 5

    Meet the Mammoths; Lexi Corcione!

    Play The Mammoth 200 Video Game! Learn about our Patreon Offers!: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/DistancetoEmptyPod ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get some free DTE Swag by supporting out sponsors! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://janji.com/pages/distance-to-empty⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and be sure to select 'podcast' > 'Distance to Empty' on the post purchase "How did you hear about Janji" page. Thank you! Check out Mount to Coast here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mounttocoast.com/discount/Distance⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Meet the Mammoths — Lexi Corcione: From Spartan Obstacles to 214 Miles Before she ever considered herself a trail runner, today's guest ran more than 30 Spartan Races. Lexi Corcione is a strength and performance coach based in Scottsdale, Arizona, and this October she's stepping up to her first-ever race over 200 miles at the Mammoth 200 — just months after finishing the notoriously tough Sedona Canyons 125. In this episode, Lexi talks about the moment obstacle racing stopped being enough, what it's actually like living in a house with two professional endurance coaches (her husband Joe coaches ultrarunners for a living), and why she thinks strength training — not just mileage — is the most overlooked piece of long-distance success. She also walks us through her playthrough of the official Mammoth 200 video game, including an Easter egg involving sheep dogs, gels, and a blister named Gary. We close things out with our usual final stretch: the loop question, her finish-line order (hint: a cheeseburger is involved), her non-placement goal for the race, and a prediction for race week weather that involves snow. In this episode: From 30+ Spartan Races to her first-ever 200-mile raceMarried to her running coach — how that actually works day to dayWhy stabilizer strength matters more than the "sexy" liftsHer Mammoth 200 video game playthrough (and the hidden Easter eggs)A tease of a possible basketball activation coming to Mammoth this yearHer prediction for race week: sun, snow, or something in betweenMammoth 200 kicks off Friday, October 2nd in Mammoth Lakes, California — Catch live coverage on the Mountain Outpost YouTube channel, and follow @Mammoth200 for updates and tracking throughout the race.

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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.

Information

  • Creator
    Kevin Goldberg and Peter Noyes
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    182
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Kevin Goldberg and Peter Noyes
  • Show Website
    Distance To Empty
  • Provider
    Kevin Goldberg

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