Clayton Young is Utah state champion, NCAA champion, and Olympian. He is a 2:05 marathoner who now has his sights set on even bigger goals. He lives in Provo, Utah, where he trains with coach Ed Eyestone and a crew of elite marathoners chasing dreams together.

Clayton has a big announcement about his upcoming marathon in Chicago. Des and Kara were there to witness it and can now share it with you.

Yes, this episode is about chasing fast times, but it is also a picture into Clayton Young as a human. You will see and hear sides of him that you may not know including his background growing up as the 5th child on a family hobby farm, his amazing partnership with his wife Ashley, the uncertainty of being a young pro, the unique training dynamics of competitors and friends, and so much more. If you weren't a fan of Clayton before, you will be now!

Once you listen to the full audio version, mark your calendars for Saturday (9/5) when Clayton will release more BTS video from Des and Kara's visit to Provo, Utah on his YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@_Clayton_Young_

Finally, thank you so much to our presenting sponsor Brooks Running for supporting Clayton and for making this trip to Utah possible.

The gang got together for a rare, in-person episode on a semi-secret trip to a yet-to-be-named location. There are a few hints in the episode if you want to take a guess. That special episode will come out next week, and it is a good one - "fire" as the kids say.

As for this one, it's a good one too as Des and Kara dive into a host of track-nerd topics after their usual catch-up. It's a grab-bag episode, not to be confused with another bag of something that always seems to find Des or Kara.

Kara gives a Jenny Simpson update as she got to see her recently. They dig into the recent Diamond League results from Lausanne and Silesia with special emphasis on the 800m, 1500m, and 5000m. For those events, they ask "where have the east Africans gone?" and give some free advice to Grant Fisher, Ethan Strand, and Hobbs Kessler on what might be best as their next moves. Take it or leave it Grant, Ethan, and Hobbs!

Finally, they preview the Ultimate World Championships (UWC) as invites are being announced, including wild cards for Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the 1500. What will become of this Paris 1500m rematch with a loaded field? And, will the UWC turn out to be the major event that World Athletics billed it to be? So far, it is looking better than expected as the fields come together!

All in all, this is a great episode that covers a lot of ground (including the new half WR for the men). These are always good when Des and Kara record while sharing a beer in person. Enjoy!

This episode is an extra long one as a show of appreciation for our long-time, hard-core listeners like the one and only Jessie Diggins. Yes, she's just like you. She listens to the show too, and we couldn't be more excited to welcome her TO the show!

Of course, we start with some classic Des/Kara catch-up with a side of Eugene-2028, US-Trials reactions. Say what about the 10,000m?!?

Then, we cozy up for a long conversation with THE Jessie MF Diggins. She just happens to to be the most-decorated US XC skier of all time. She is a 4-time Olympian and 4-time Olympic medalist. She's won more World Cup races and titles than we can count, and on the side, she has been on the front line of building the sport in the US, as well as advocating on important topics like climate change and mental health. She is kind of a big deal and really f-ing cool too. Plus now in retirement from her sport, she has switched over to ours and has a big trail 100-miler on deck next month.

Des and Kara trade Olympic, retirement, and trail running stories with her and just generally shoot the s**t in the most inspiring way possible. At just under 2 hours, this one is a must-listen, but be warned, it might make you want to run (or ski) through a brick wall!

New product alert! Go get your Otter II pre-order below from Lagoon Sleep. Yes, it's 15% off on the new Otter pillow exclusively for our listeners. The Otter is the pillow that Kara loves, and it is now more consistent and cooler for your sleep and recovery needs:

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