Winning Burrito League, 10,000 Miles in One Year, and Never Stopping | Troy “Punisher” Croxdale

Feb 25, 2026

Troy “Punisher” Croxdale, endurance runner and thru-hiker who logged 10,000+ miles and a calendar Triple Crown, tells wild trail stories. He talks about losing himself and finding running, surviving grizzlies and wildfires, epic mileage surges like an 80‑mile day, and why simple, minimal trail life keeps pulling him back. Short, raw tales of persistence and relentless mileage.

50:13

forum

Ask episode

web_stories

AI Snips

view_agenda

Chapters

auto_awesome

Transcript

info_circle

Episode notes

question_answer

ANECDOTE

Running Began As Recovery After His Father's Death

Troy started running after his father died in 2019, going from one mile to a 1:37 half marathon within months.
He used running to escape addiction and quickly progressed to marathons and virtual ultras before thru-hiking the PCT.

insights

INSIGHT

Thru‑Hiking Changes You Through Duration Not Speed

Thru‑hiking and ultrarunning differ mainly by duration and pace: hiking is slower but vastly longer, which changes physical demands and mindset.
Troy spent 293 days on trail, saying the long duration is what sets thru‑hiking apart.

question_answer

ANECDOTE

Small Snacks Rebounded Him To A Tahoe 200 Podium

At Tahoe 200 Troy hit a low around mile 40, vomiting and unable to eat, but two pretzels and a chunk of watermelon turned his day around.
He climbed from ~30th to a podium spot and finished with just ~1 hour total sleep.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

How running began after his father's death

05:03 • 46sec

chevron_right

Rapid progress to long distances

05:49 • 2min

chevron_right

First thru-hike experiences and challenges

07:34 • 2min

chevron_right

Attempting long trails: ECT and CDT

09:11 • 2min

chevron_right

Thru-hiking vs. racing: duration and mindset

11:08 • 55sec

chevron_right

Tahoe 200: feeling wrecked then rebounding

12:03 • 5min

chevron_right

Deciding to chase the calendar triple crown

16:47 • 3min

chevron_right

PCT start and Sierra strategy

19:27 • 2min

chevron_right

Mid-trip lows, fires, and solitude

21:13 • 3min

chevron_right

Hardest sections: White Mountains and AT ruggedness

23:54 • 3min

chevron_right

Why he loves the simple trail life

26:44 • 3min

chevron_right

Transition from trails to straight sidewalk miles

30:00 • 2min

chevron_right

California coast push to reach 10,000 miles

31:31 • 1min

chevron_right

Across The Years and the Chipotle challenge

32:47 • 2min

chevron_right

Explosive Burrito League start: 80-mile day

35:11 • 3min

chevron_right

Community, flow state, and why he kept going

37:46 • 1min

chevron_right

Injuries, soreness, and recovery

39:13 • 2min

chevron_right

How he fueled massive days

41:00 • 2min

chevron_right

Finishing Burrito League and aftermath

43:03 • 2min

chevron_right

Looking ahead: racing Cocodona

45:08 • 2min

chevron_right

Training style: intuitive and unstructured

46:51 • 1min

chevron_right

Origin of the trail name 'Punisher'

48:13 • 1min

chevron_right

Final advice for endurance athletes

What happens when you lose everything… and find yourself through distance?

In this episode, I sit down live in Phoenix with Troy “Punisher” Croxdale— a man who:

• Podiumed the Tahoe 200 in his FIRST 200 miler
• Covered 10,000 miles in ONE year
• Spent 293 days on trail
• Survived grizzlies, wildfires, and 200-mile food carries
• Then casually dropped 1,350 miles on the Tempe segment during Burrito League

This one is raw.

Troy opens up about losing his father…
How running saved his life from addiction…
Why thru-hiking changes you differently than racing…
And what it’s like to run 80 miles on Day 1 just because you felt like it.

We talk about:

• How he went from 1 mile… to a 1:37 half marathon… in months
• Why 200 milers feel “short” after thru-hiking for 293 days
• The mental battle of having 4,500 miles still to go
• How he fueled 40 miles on two pieces of toast
• What really happens to your body when you live outside for a year
• Why simplicity beats “more”
• And what keeps him coming back to the segment

If you’ve ever felt stuck…
If you’ve ever needed a reset…
If you’ve ever wondered how far you’re actually capable of going…

This one will hit.

SHOW LINKS:

Register for our race, The Desert Peak Ultra 100K + 50K at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠desertpeakultra.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Want to work with me to crush your next ultramarathon in our group coaching program? Sign up for our group coaching program here:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://www.theeverydayultra.com/group-coaching⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Everyday Ultra YouTube Channel:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUelKGeptWZivD6yRIDiupg⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Try Caraway's non-toxic cookware to optimize your health and train stronger and get 10% off your order by going to carawayhome.com/everydayultra

Try Mount to Coast shoes, designed specifically for ultramarathons, and get 10% off your order with code EVERYDAYULTRA by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠going to the link here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Try HYPERLYTE Liquid Performance running nutrition and get 15% off your order when you use code EVERYDAYULTRA at ⁠⁠⁠www.hyperlyteliquidperformance.com⁠⁠⁠

Get 20% off TrainingPeaks premium to track and analyze your training date by using the code EVERYDAYULTRA at this link here: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/4qJDETM⁠⁠⁠

Try PlayOn Pain Relief Spray and get 20% off with code EVERYDAYULTRA at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠playonrelief.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Try Bear Butt Wipes and get 10% off your order with code EVERYDAYULTRA at ⁠⁠⁠bearbuttwipes.com⁠⁠⁠

Try Janji apparel and get 10% off your order with code EVERYDAYULTRA at ⁠⁠⁠Janji.com⁠⁠⁠

Create running routes easily with Footpath, the app designed to help you manage routes simply. Download for free at ⁠⁠⁠footpathapp.com⁠⁠⁠.

Follow Troy on IG: https://www.instagram.com/hikewithpunisher/

Troy's Website: https://hikewithpunisher.com/

Home Top podcasts Popular guests Top books