Trail Runner Nation

Candice Burt proves that experience and execution are two key ingredients if you want to stand on the podium at the finish line. HURT100 is legendary for challenging even the toughest of Ultrarunners. Candice seems to enjoy the 100 mile distance as long as you add crazy climbs, mud, slick rocks and humidity. You can find Candice's blog at WildDefined.com Discover her artwork and poetry. Link over to Destination Trail and find Bigfoot 200, Tahoe 200, Bigfoot 120M and 100K, Bellingham Trail Running Series, Bellingham Trail Marathon and Cle Elum Ridge 25K and 50K

Brad Kearns was one of the top professional triathletes for nine years. During that time, he won 30 titles worldwide including an amazing streak of seven victories in a row. Brad teaches The Nation how he learned the hard way how to train for success. In his new book with Mark Sisson, "Primal Endurance" they teach us how to Go faster on less training Lose excess body fat and keep it off Reduce Stress Train Intuitively Have fun training! Check out the Primal Endurance Podcast Learn about the 21-day Transformation

January is time to review what was accomplished in the previous year and look optimistically into the coming year. The Nation is joined by Andy Jones-Wilkins, Ian Sharman and Billy Yang to discuss: 1. Top male performance 2. Top female performance 3. Top American story 4. Top European story 5. Biggest Surprise 6. Trends in the sport 7. Predictions for 2016 Make sure you check out Billy's year end retrospective video HERE Make sure you see all the 2015 ultra running statistics in the upcoming issue of UltraRunning Magazine On the podcast Ian and Don had a gentleman's disagreement: Ian accused Don of referencing unreliable DATA to support his erroneous claim that ultrarunning is a shrinking sport. Ian, on the other hand, sites UltraRunning Magazine as the most reliable warehouse of archived trail data: illustrating a healthy and expanding sport. After careful review following the podcast, including comparing finishing times between Ian and Don, Ian position clearly won the day. Ultrarunning is a thriving sport.

The Nation goes rogue and kicks it game show style. We adapt the 1970's game show, "100,000 Pyramid" to create a trail running version. Join Andy Jones-Wilkins, Carilyn Johnson, Warren Pole and Sally McRae as they go head to head giving and guessing trail running lingo. We may have pulled some laughing muscles on this one. You can also watch the video of the game show HERE.

Your watch timer goes off. It is time for another Salt Cap. You come into an aid station and you are covered with a salty brine on your forehead. It's time for some potatoes and salt. How important is that salt in your training and racing? Andy DuBois, one of Australia's top endurance coaches, joins The Nation to discuss Salt. Andy is an accomplished elite endurance athlete including a top finish at UTMB and other wins. He has a pedigree of certifications and is always on the cutting edge of research and coaching. We talk about Is there a correlation between cramping and low salt consumption? What is important in monitoring salt levels? What to worry about if we consume too much salt? The placebo affect? Will rinsing your mouth with a brine solution do anything? What can we do to avoid cramping? How to cool your body How important is plyometrics in training? Here is a link to our interview with Tim Noakes on his new book Waterlogged

Internationally recognized sports psychology and coach, Dr. Jim Taylor, joins The Nation to discuss his recent four-part blog series of the Fear of Failure. We discuss the most common fears of failure: They will disappoint parents friends will no longer like them will be ostracized by their peer group will experience embarrassment or shame will be worthless people all their efforts will be a waste of time will experience the devastation of not achieving their goals. He then explains how we can break out of these fears to reach "total success". This is the second time Dr. Taylor has joined The Nation. Here is his first podcast on how to deal with pain in an endurance event.

Amy Albu is an ultra verteran. Despite her youthful age, Amy has been running for 21 years and has 16 Mountain Masochist finishes to her name, including a recent 4th place in 2015. She is also the women's leader in the Beast Series and one race away from setting a new women's record. It is hard to believe, but in February 2014, she snapped her lower leg and ankle during a race. We talk to Amy about her injury, surgery, recovery and return to running at an elite level. Andy Jones-Wilkins is the executive producer and Tap Room host for this podcast. He compares his diagnosed end-stage arthritis and current recovery from hip socket resurfacing surgery. Need a good orthopedist? Try AJW's Doc, Dr. Thomas Gross of Midlands Orthopaedic Need a good Physical Therapist? Try AJW and Amy's PT, Eric Magrum at HealthSouth Sports Medicine and Rehab at the University of Virginia.

December means a lot of things, for Ultra Runners it is the Lottery Season. WS, Leadville, Hardrock and others. With 3.515 people in the drawing and nearly 250 slots open Jimmy Dean throws a twist and challenges us to come up with reasons why we should be pleased if we miss getting our ticket pulled. Join WS runners Jennifer Benna, Katie Desplinter and Billy Yang as we wrestle this topic. Jennifer Benna's Blog and the home of the film centered around the 2010 WS100 and the amazing race finish here at Journey Films Katie DeSplinter Blog here at Breaking & Excellent Points Billy Yang Films . You can find his Western Time film covering Sally McRae's attempt to land a top 10 finish. Billy Yang's Film - From Squaw to Auburn the story of Billy's 2015 Western States 100 #WinADateWithBillyYang Jimmy Dean Freeman, TRN SoCal Correspondent, Coach and lead Dog at So Cal Coyotes RunningJimmy Dean Freeman's Inspired Running Blog

The Nation has no geographic boundaries, although it is easy to stay in our own "world". Today Ultra Runner and Coach, Sondre Amdahl, joins The Nation to educate them on the world of ultra running. Sondre is an elite runner and coach from Norway. He recently finished 4th in the Ultra-Trail World Tour (UTWT). Ian Sharman also joins as co-host to help us understand what this race is. The Ethics of UTWT are Equality in Sports Self Respect Respect for others and the environment

Gia Madole began running ultras two years ago. In 2014, she WON the Tahoe 200 mile endurance run and followed up by winning the Bigfoot 200-mile endurance run in August. Gia joins The Nation to adapt your training and race strategy for a 200 mile race. How much should you run weekly? What pace? Race strategy How much should you sleep Crewing? Gia is a coach a G-Fit