On this last episode of the year, J.D. Allen, Keith Allen, and Matt talk about the Christmas Day airings of the Spartan World Championships on NBC, and the World's Toughest Programs that were on CBS and CBS Sports.

Find out if their take, jibes with your thoughts. We've never used the word jibe in a podcast description. We just did, so there. Happy end of 2016!

Todays Podcast is sponsored by: 

Episode 215 - Today's show is a conversation with Ryan Kent. Matt and Ryan dig in and discuss what Ryan has been up to since their last chat back in early 2015 including:

• What he can tell us (so far) about History Channel's The Selection.
• Ending 2016 strong
• His experience on the Spartan Ultimate Team Challenge
• What his goals are for 2017

Todays Podcast is sponsored by:

MudGear – Order now for free shipping in the United States on all products.

Show Notes:

Running Bear with lyrics (Now you know the words!)

A clip from Spartan Ultimate Team Challenge of Ryan and his team.

The Selection Cast Bios

After a horrible motorcycle accident, Jim set out to do a Tough Mudder to prove to his doctor that he could. Then, he couldn't stop. He has gone on to do 100 Tough Mudders including every World's Toughest. Today we learn a little bit more about him, what he thought of this year's WTM, the real story on how he killed that snake, and much more.

There's also a brief chat with Keith Allen about The Road To World's Toughest Mudder, which aired last night on CBS Sports Network.

Todays Podcast is sponsored by:

Show Notes:

Our article on Jim's 100th Mudder.

Sweet video that TM made abut the 100th and the hedband to end all headbands.

On today's episode we speak with Mark Divine, creator of SealFit. The conversation covers:

• His adventurous, athletic youth
• Some of his military background
• What moved him to create his company
• What participants can expect from various SealFit events
• Much more.

Todays Podcast is sponsored by:

Wetsuit Wearhouse – Save 15% using coupon code ORM on all purchases

Show Notes:

SealFit Website

Our article on the first episode of History Channel's "The Selection"

On today's show, the first two interviews are from The Running Event in Orlando, Florida.  We start with Vinu Malik who founded a company called FuelBelt. Learn what the early prototypes of his hydration system were made of, and how he grew the brand to what it is today.

We then sit down with David Meerman Scott who gave a great talk on marketing in 2016, including all the things Trump did correctly to win the popular vote. (PS This is in a marketing context, not a political one).

The second set of interviews is from Conyers International Horse Park, site of the Georgia Spartan Super.

We grabbed a bunch of athletes shortly after they crossed the finish line. Listen in as we talk to several top finishers, including: Ryan Kent, Ryan Woods, Tyler McCreadie, Rachel Hamrick, Yanet Urciaga, Jackie Landmark, and more.

Todays Podcast is sponsored by:

Obstacle Guard – Code ORM gets you 10% off all orders in the U.S.

Ascent Protein - Food For Athletes.

Show Notes:

The Running Event

FuelBelt

David Meerman Scott

Atlanta Super - Results and Photos

Our final chapter for this year's World's Toughest Mudder podcasts ends with female champion Stefanie Bishop. You may remember we chatted with Stef a year and a half ago. At that time, she was swinging through town after winning an endurance event called The Gauntlet. On today's show we talk about all she has been up to since that last interview, her secret plan for winning WTM, a bonus tip on how to complete "Operation" and much more.

Before we get to Stef, we talk to our pal Nickademus Hollon again. We left Nick the day before WTM after reading his amazing blog about his great plans and high hopes for World's Toughest 2016. Things did not work out as he planned. Find out what happened, and if he is going to come back.

Todays Podcast is sponsored by:

Udder Mud Run – 7k, 5k, and 1 mile options for this awesome family friendly mud run.

Show Notes:

Episode 210 - Today's show is with some of the podium athletes from World's Toughest Mudder 2016. Before Matt B. had to get on a plane, he was able to sit down (literally) just outside the Champions Brunch.

Team Winners : Jon Albon and Ryan Atkins (aka Team Goat Tough) aka (Ryan and Co.)3rd Place Woman : Morgan McKay 3rd Place Man: Kris Mendoza 5th Place Man: Matt Hanson 1st place Man: Trevor Cichosz

Todays Podcast is sponsored by:

MudGear – Order now for free shipping in the United States.

Show Notes:

Albon's WTM recap from his website

It's (almost) everyone's favorite time of the year, where we listen to World's Toughest Mudder interviews recorded live from the event, a tradition of the podcast since 2012.

Today's episode brings you Friday pit set up interviews from WTM 2016 with:

• Matthew Hanson
• Ryan Atkins
• Morgan McKay
• April Dee
• Evan Perperis
• Ehsan Farkhondeh
• Jesse Bruce
• Mandy Baskin
• Nickademus Hollon and Jade Belzberg
• Dustin Partridge and John Fagan

We then swing over to the Friday Night TMHQ Carb Load Dinner and talk with

• CEO Will Dean
• Course Maestros Eli Hutchison and Nolan Kombol

Todays Podacast is sponsored by:

Ascent Protein - Food For Athletes.

Wetsuit Wearhouse – Save 15% using coupon code ORM on all purchases.

Show Notes:

The World's Toughest Mudder Archive going back to 2012

On today's up to the minute episode, we speak with Eli Hutchison, Tough Mudder's Senior Product Manager. In other words, one of the talented men behind all of the brand new obstacles TMHQ launched this morning.

Listen in to learn all about the new 2017 obstacles, which ones will be at World's Toughest, penalty loops at WTM, skill based vs. fear based obstacles, and what he thinks about the 100k/100 mile prize.

Todays Podcast is sponsored by:

Show Notes:

The Archive - ORM's last 5 years of WTM podcasts, photos and coverage.

The Article - TLDL? (Too long, didn't listen)- Chris writes up a little diddy about this conversation.

Today's show brings us lots of good talk from last weekend's Carolina Beast/Sprint Weekend. We bring you finish line interviews with some of the podium finishers and a few special guests.

Then we hop on the phone with a member of the Spartan Race Course Ops Team, Woody Peters. Woody's passion comes through loud and clear as he strives to deliver excellence and the "brand promise of Spartan".

Among other things, we talk about cutting new paths on long courses, and why he never goes anywhere without his Geiggerig.

Today's show is sponsored by MudGear.

On today's show we talk to Toni McAlister. Toni and her husband put on several "not your ordinary" races. Including a Bacon Run, and a looped Ultra where you are "messed with by fairies".

Toni and Matt talk about:

• How she used to to run races based on post-race food options.
• How she and her husband come up with race ideas.
• Starting a race business.
• Growing from small race director to being hired to run others events.
• Knowing your target audience.
• Taco Bell.
• Much, much more.

Today's show is sponsored by: 

BoneFrog Challenge – ORM10 gets you $10 off all 2016 races.

MudGear – Order now for free shipping in the United States.

Episode 205 - 

You most likely have not heard of Mo from Sweatworks, but I'm guessing you've been positively affected by his work. With clients such as Spartan, Ragnar, IronMan, and Crossfit (and many more we can't mention), his company has been leading the fitness industry with the latest technology. Sweatworks builds tech around including registration, check in, timing, photos, videos, scoring, and more. So yeah, pretty much everything you touch that's tech related before, during, and after your race.

Listen in and learn:

• Why he founded his company.
• How he aims to continually improve consumer experience before, during, and after events.
• An amazing coincidence on his meeting with Joe Desena.
• What it took to finally get post race pics dialed in.
• Bringing the entire racing industry into the technology century.
• Much more.

Today's show is sponsored by : Wetsuit Wearhouse – Save 15% using coupon code ORM on all purchases.

Today we chat with Dewayne Montgomery, better known as Coach Pain. Find out:

• What he was up to prior to OCR
• How he found his way to our world.  
• Why he has become the favorite hype man/motivator/start line MC of many an OCR athlete. 
• What he does when he's not "Conducting Business" at the start line
• Much more

Today's show is sponsored by :

On  today's show, we wrap up the 2016 Tahoe Spartan World Championship coverage by speaking at length with: Hobie Call - Being the once and future champ; Capt. Robert Killian - The only Spartan Pro to go for the perfect Delta; Ryan and Lindsay - Them Shirts Doe.

Today's show is sponsored by :

MudGear – Order now for free shipping in the United States.

Today's episode is an all timer. We discuss pretty much everything that went down in Tahoe last weekend at the Spartan World Championship. 

Joe Desena takes us on his Tahoe Beast journey with Randy Moss and some other distinguished guests. We answer the questions about what Randy did or didn't do, and how Joe feels about all of it.

We then talk to Joe Di about drug testing and how Spartan handled snow and wind mid race in Tahoe.

You know we never like to reveal too much in teasers so tune in to get the rest.

Today's show is sponsored by:

Obstacle Guard – Code ORM gets you 10% off all orders in the U.S.

Rugged Maniac – $5 off when you use the code PODCAST on any 2016 race.

Joe Di has been with Spartan for a few years, most known for heading up the Spartan SGX Training Program. Just recently, he was named "Director of Sport Initiatives". As "a part of a panel of guys", this covers things like Elite Heat Rules, The Spartan Pro Team, etc.

Listen in to learn about :

• The new obstacles in Tahoe 
• Why rules changed around The Rope Climb and The Herc Hoist
• When you can and can't kick the bell
• The constant evolution of rule change in our sport

Keith Allen then calls in to discuss The Asheville Spartan TV episode. He also checks in with some Spartan Tahoe predictions. He and matt digress some along the way to talk about high school basketball and Friendly's.

Today's episode is sponsored by:

Underwear For Men, go to UFM and check them out.

Support your manhood with Underwear For Men! For $5 off, use promo code ORM.

Click the play button below or click the iTunes or Stitcher links at the top of the page.

Episode 200 - Ryan Kunkel has a masters degree in Environmental Health. So how the hell does that guy end up creating one of the first successful mud runs? Tune in to learn:

• How he and his partner got started.
• "Going from 0-100" and having 18,000 registered at their 3rd ever event.
• Outlasting the boom bust of 2013-2014.
• Experimenting with Urban Warrior Dash, Iron Warrior Dash, and giving away $100k (twice).
• Much more

Today's show is sponsored by Wetsuit Warehouse - ORM15 saves you 15% on anything on the website.

David Magida began obstacle racing in 2012 and found his way to many podiums, eventually securing one of the first spots on the Spartan Pro Team. After 3 grueling years, he slowed down his racing circuit to open a gym. That was just the beginning in an OCR story that is still being written.

Listen in as Matt and David discuss:

• The "OG Days" of OCR 2012-2014
• Push versus pull strength
• David's gym Elevate
• Appearing on and eventually getting a gig on NBC
• Hanging out with Randy Moss
• David's book
• Spartan Webisodes you probably haven't even heard of.
• Rise Of The Sufferfests

We begin today's show with on-site interviews from the (well received) return of Civilian Military Combine from last weekend.

You will hear from:

Amelia Boone - TV Commentator
Coach Pain - Pit MC
Robb McCoy - Finish Line MC
Rich Rosa -Managing Partner
Garfield Griffiths - Race Director/Mad Genius

Next up is a phone chat Matt B. and Keith Allen. They discuss the recent obstacle based tv shows we have seen so far in 2016. These include American Ninja Warrior, BattleFrog College/League Championship, The Spartan Race U.S. Championship Series and Spartan Ultimate Team Challenge.

It's a lively 1 hour 19 minute episode to make up for the brevity of last week's show.

Today's show is sponsored by:

On today's show we speak with Dr. Joe Galasso of the Special Spartans Race. These children's races "offers kids with intellectual, and/or developmental disabilities (IDD), and those with cognitive, learning and/or vocational delays a chance to build self-esteem, pride and physical accomplishment".

We learn what this event is all about, the success it's been having, and where the program is going.

Spartan Races schedule for remainder of 2016.

9/24                  Citizen's Bank Park
10/01-10/02    Tahoe, CA
10/15                 South Florida
10/22-10/23    Tri-State, NJ
11/12-11/13       Fenway Park
12/10-12/11      Los Angeles, CA

Today's show is sponsored by

Dustin appeared on the 1st episode of the year and the feedback was great. Turns out many of you really enjoy hearing things outside of OCR. So if you only want 100% obstacle stuff, this episode is NOT for you. If you like-a the nerdy stuff, this episode includes the following subject matter:

• Batman Vs. Superman
• Deadpool
• DC versus Marvel (including DC's parallel to BattleFrog)
• Gishwhes - one of the charities Dustin supports
• How you actually say Dustin's last name
• Dustin's new gig at BoneFrog
• Oh and he does "The Spartan Speech"

Today's show is sponsored by

Wetsuit Wearhouse – Save 15% using coupon code ORM on all purchases.

MudGear – Order now for free shipping in the United States.

RockTape - Use code OCR16 for 30% off your first purchase of $30 or more

Show Notes

Gishwhes - Charity that Dustin spoke about with Misha Collins.

Episode 163 - The Dustin episode from earlier this year.

Episode 195 - Believe it or not, we have never dedicated an entire show to Hunter McIntyre. The closest being a 20 minute sit down back in April of 2014 as part of the USOCR episode. On today's show, Hunter and Matt discuss:

• The Boundless episode where he took on a French 140km bike race (and lost)
• Why he is training to be an "endurance athlete" and not necessarily a "Spartan Racer"
• His new World's Toughest Mudder 2016 teammate (and why he was chosen)
• The recent Spartan DQ's and what Spartan can do better
• Much, much more

Today's episode is sponsored by

KitBrix - Get your KitBrox bag for schlepping your stuff to races.

Obstacle Guard – Code ORM gets you 10% off all orders in the U.S.

Show Notes:

The USOCR podcast from May 2014

Boundless on Esquire Network

Being athletic growing up, Lindsey tried just about every sport you can think of. A few years ago, she bought a street bike, got bored quickly, and looked into competitive mountain biking. Then, in October of 2014, she had a bad bike accident which left her paralyzed below the waist.

Told immediately she would never walk again, she has been determined to prove that doctor, and many others wrong. She got an adaptive bike, is riding harder than ever, and found the OCR community along the way.

For her Instagram:

When I'm on my bike, I forget I'm paralyzed. I forget about everything but the dirt below me and the trail ahead of me. It's just me and the bike. I ride to be free from a condition that otherwise controls my every move. I ride for myself. I ride for all of those who believe that they are destined to be trapped in their disabled bodies. I ride for Paul. Because there is life beyond disability. There is freedom. You just have to be willing to seek it out.

Today's show is sponsored by:

Spartan Fit - Joe Desena's new book designed to get you fit in 30 days.

CMC Race – The Civilian Military Combine is back. Sept 10, Brooklyn, NY.  20% off with code ORM

This week's podcast has (just about) everything.

Finish line interviews with some of best in the sport. Additional interviews with Ryan Atkins and Spartan's Mike Morris a few days after the race. Oh, and Matt talked to former NFL Wide Receiver and future Hall Of Famer, Randy Moss.

Athletes at the finish line include:

Hunter McIntyre

Ryan Atkins

Brakken Kraker

Bear Novakovich

Lindsay Webster

Faye Stenning

Rose Wetzel

Today's show is sponsored by:

Jessica spent many years in an office environment with "a ton of work and a ton of numbers". She found a passion in fitness , and decided she should go all in to coaching  with no Plan B. Becoming a personal trainer led her to  boxing, becoming a WBFF Pro, and eventually World's Toughest Mudder. Listen in as she and Matt discuss "healing from the inside out", some of her adventures into all these fitness genres, as well as plenty of WTM talk.

On today's show we talk with two of the top men at BattleFrog Series.

Kevin Jones is an engineer by trade, but two months ago, he joined the ever growing list of OCR fans turned OCR employee. On his drive from Ohio to Miami, he stopped by the ORM offices to chat with Matt about it. Learn about his start in OCR, and the wild ride since that has led to him becoming the Chief Marketing Officer at BattleFrog.

Next up is a call with BattleFrog CEO Ramiro Ortiz. (Kevin joined for this call as well). Matt first talked to Ramiro when Mr. Ortiz took over from Don Mann last year.  Now seemed like to be a good time to catch up to see things have progressed, or not, at BattleFrog. They discuss attendance numbers, this year's ESPN shows, and new cities for next year.

Today's show is sponsored by:

KitBrix - 10% of all items with code ORM10.

Show Notes:

Episode 136 - Ramiro's first appearance on the podcast.

Episode 190 - Matt B. traveled to Lebanon last week to cover the Puma Hannibal Race. In this episode, he talks to Amine Dib, co-founder of the race.

Topics in this podcast chat include:

• Amine's work ethic
• His impressive fitness career
• Learning from Billy Blanks
• How he and his team are putting together an international obstacle race series.
• And more.

Today's show is sponsored by:

Obstacle Course Training - Training plan's from the world's best obstacle racers. ORM15 gets you 15%o off.

Obstacle Guard – Code ORM gets you 10% off all orders in the U.S.

BoneFrog Challenge – ORM10 gets you $10 off all 2016 races

You probably don't know Pete Coleman. You don't know him because he is that rare bird that doesn't tell the world about every accomplishment (or attempt) on social media. So allow me to do it.

He's done The Killington Beast and UltraBeast on back to back days, finished multiple Spartan/Peak Death Races, The Georgia Death Race, and most recently earned a Belt Buckle at Western States.

On this episode, we talk about how he trained for and completed one of the hardest races in the world, The Western States 100 mile race.

Today's show is sponsored by:

RockTape - Use code OCR16 for 30% off your first purchase of $30 or more

Udder Mud Run – Use code RUNORM for $10 off this race!

Wetsuit Wearhouse – Save 15% using coupon code ORM on all purchases.

Show Notes:

Unbreakable - Documentary about the 2010 Western States race.

Episode 96 - Pete shortly after the 2014 Spartan Death Race.

Sarah Williams was bored with work and frustrated with pay scales in the banking industry. So she decided to backpack across South America, climb a bunch of mountains, and be a chalet host in Switzerland. This led to the birth of Tough Girl Challenges. Learn about the cool events she's done since, and how she wants to help empower women with her brand.

Enjoy the first of two episodes this week.

Today's show is sponsored by:

Rugged Maniac – $5 off when you use the code PODCAST.

MudGear – Order now for free shipping in the United States.

CMC Race – The Civilian Military Combine is back. Sept 10, Brooklyn, NY. 20% off with code ORM.

Show Notes:

Tough Girl Challenges - Sarah's website and podcast

Marathon Des Sables - Possibly The Toughest Footrace On Earth

When stuck for a title, always go with the obvious. In this episode, we talk to Ryan Hogan, former CEO of Reed Street Productions and current CEO of Hunt A Killer, LLC.

Reed Street launched their first Run For Your Lives event in Maryland in the fall of 2011. 12 months and 13 events later, the company grossed 8.2 million dollars. Another 12 months later, they closed their doors, leaving participants and vendors holding the bag.

So what the heck happened!?!

In his first interview since it all hit the fan 2 and half years ago, Ryan talks to Matt in depth about beginnings, early success, over-expansion, partnerships, and the eventual bust of Run For Your Lives. He also talks about his new event called Hunt A Killer, which launches back in Maryland, almost exactly 5 years after that first zombie run.

Today's show is sponsored by:

KitBrix - 10% of all items with code ORM10

Mud Hero – We welcome Mud Hero as a brand new sponsor! Code ORM16 saves $5 on all events

BoneFrog Challenge – ORM10 gets you $10 off all 2016 races.

In this episode:

Matt spent quality time with Joe Desena in Vermont at last weekend's Agoge.

The conversation with Joe goes a really long way and includes:

• The story behind his tattoos.
• Who will take over Spartan when he's gone.
• What he thinks of the new Spartan Team TV show.
• The early days of Spartan.
• What he is doing in Asia.
• Much, much, more.

Today's show is sponsored by:

Udder Mud Run – Use code RUNORM for $10 off this race!

Wetsuit Wearhouse – Save 15% using coupon code ORM on all purchases.

BoneFrog Challenge – ORM10 gets you $10 off all 2016 races.

In this episode:

Hobie Call backs up his claims to win at Palmerton, PA and The Spartan World Championships. He also talks about Facebook haters, masters athletes, and retirement.

Ryan Atkins comes on to talk about losing to Hobie, what he thinks will happen at Palmerton, how he ranks his race schedule, and who is partner is for WTM 2016.

Damn, this one's good!

Today's show is sponsored by:

CMC Race – The Civilian Military Combine is back. Sept 10, Brooklyn, NY $10 off with code ORM.

MudGear – Order now for free shipping in the United States.

Rugged Maniac – $5 off when you use the code PODCAST.

The Preface

Two weeks ago, Obstacle Racing Media published a podcast interview with Dr. Jason Wagner. We reached out to Jason as a direct result of his blog post questioning the legitimacy and effectiveness of the “Elevation Training Mask”. I personally reached out to TrainingMask.com shortly after this episode aired to see if they wanted to respond to any of Jason’s findings.

I got in touch with the CEO of Training Mask LLC, Casey Danford, and he suggested we speak with Brian MacKenzie. Brian is a world renowned strength and conditioning coach and has studied altitude and hypoxic training for over 10 years. Brian works for Training Mask, LLC as an independent contractor and wears the loose title of “Research & Development in Human Performance”.

I chose to have Joshua Grant on the call with me to ask some tough questions. Josh is a well respected athlete and has become ORM’s resident skeptic/myth buster. Many in the OCR community may remember his appearance with the inventor of "Let's Talk About Oral I.V." on a previous podcast episode.

The episode

Listen in and let the episode speak for itself.

The Aftermath

Several questions came up during the call regarding the true benefits/claims of the mask. The largest bone of contention being that the mask has nothing to do with actual “elevation training”. Statements had been made previously by some associated with Training Mask, LLC that many were aware these benefits did not exist, but that it didn’t mean the Training Mask wasn’t a quality product, didn’t have other benefits, etc.

Joshua Grant pointed out that the words “elevation mask” (along with the logo appearance of mountains still appearing on the mask and its packaging) was misleading consumers.

When this point was raised, Brian answered the best he could, then referred us back to Casey Danford, the CEO of Training Mask, for further discussion.

This afternoon we received breaking news in the form of an email from Mr. Danford.

Click here to read about the name change to Resistance Training Mask.

The Aftermath

Episode 183 - Matt Iseman and Jeff Cain.

Matt and Matt talk about stand up comedy in LA, how Iseman got to American Ninja Warrior, and new stuff for the Ninjas in 2016.

Matt and Jeff talk OCR old days, Barkley Fall Classic, and Jeff's non profit, For Those Who Would.

Today's show is sponsored by:

BoneFrog Challenge – ORM10 gets you $10 off all 2016 races.

Epic Series - Use code ORM20 for 20%off June 11 in San Diego, CA.

Liquid Run - Code ORM25 gets you $25 off admission.

Show Notes:

Matt Iseman tweets a lot.

For Those Who Would Website.

Jeff on Episode #6 way back in July 23, 2012.

Jeff's Obstacle Racers Prayer blog post.

Noah Galloway is back on the show for the first time since 2014. Since he last appeared, he rocketed into America's collective conscious by finishing 3rd on the 20th season of Dancing With The Stars.

Episode 182 - In today's episode, we talk about why he decided to do the show, after turning down several other reality show opportunities. We also talk about what it's been like since the show ended, and all of the new things he is up to. These include being on Fox's American Grit, and most recently being announced as the "Tough Mudder Muddervator" and spokesman for the Tough Mudder Half.

Today's show is sponsored by:

CMC Race – The Civilian Military Combine is back. Sept 10, Brooklyn, NY $10 off with code ORM

Wetsuit Wearhouse – Save 15% using coupon code ORM on all purchases.

MudGear – Order now for free shipping in the United States.

Show Notes:

Tough Mudder's latest announcement about partnership with Noah

American Grit on Fox

Episode 106 of ORM podcast with Noah (and Matt's kids)

Episode 181 -Jason is a doctor/obstacle racer who wrote a blog post that began this way:

I’m a lung doc and have spent more hours than I can count studying cardiovascular and pulmonary physiology. This makes it nearly impossible for me to ignore all the attention that elevation training masks are getting.

We read the rest of hist post and we found it insightful and humorous. We wanted to bring him on so that we could ask questions about what training masks do/don't accomplish. In addition, we asked him about how to train for elevation, and even IF one should attempt to train for elevation.

Today's episode is sponsored by

PearUp - Get your group sponsored on Pear and earn up to $1,000 for custom apparel or direct donation.
Udder Mud Run – Use code RUNORM for $10 off this race!

The Liquid Run – Newport Beach. June 18th. Code ORM25 is $25.00 off.

Show Notes:

Should You Wear An Elevation Training Mask - Jason's blog that grabbed our attention

@theobstacledoc - Jason on Twitter

Episode 180 - Tough Mudder announced several changes to this year's team competition at World's Toughest Mudder. We got Nolan Kombol on the phone as quickly as we could. Nolan's been with Tough Mudder since July of 2010. His current title is Senior Director of Product, which means, he and his team are responsible for your on course experience and all of the obstacles that go with it.

We go into the new changes and answer some questions including:

• What is the total payout for a winning team that crosses 100 miles?
• Legionnaire status: Is it laps or event days?
• Do two Tough Mudder Halves equal a Whole?

The second half of the episode has us sit down with 2015 WTM male champ Chad Trammell to talk about last year's wild ride, what his plans are for this year, and some ideas he has that could make WTM much more interesting.

Today's episode is sponsored by

Mud Hero – Mud Hero events are some of the best in Canada.  Code ORM16 saves $5 on all events.

That time Cookie and Matt had a nice chat at a Mexican restaurant.

Episode 178 - Carrie Tollefsen appears on this episode to talk about about training, how to make running seem interesting on television, and the joys of milkshakes and PB&J.

We also learn about her journey from college athlete, to Olympian, to television broadcaster, and host of her own web series.

Today's show is sponsored by

CMC Race - The Civilian Military Combine is back. Sept 10, Brooklyn, NY $10 off with code ORM

Wetsuit Wearhouse - Save 15% using coupon code ORM on all purchases.

Show Notes

Carrie's Web Series C Tolle Run

Episode 177 -  On today's show we talk with Matt Booth (Specialty Store Sales Rep) and Zach Gray (Product Testing Coordinator) for Mizuno.

Having never owned a pair of Mizunos, your fearless host Matt B. Davis drove up to Mizuno USA Headquarters in Norcross, Georgia to see what he could learn.

Matt, Matt, and Zach end up discussing:

• Sizing up the competition
• Predicting and preparing for future shoe trends
• Pardon The Interruption
• Social Media
• Louis C.K.
• The NFL
• and much more 

Today's show is sponsored by

Wetsuit Wearhouse - ORM15 saves you 15% on all purchases.

MudGear - Order now for free shipping in the United States.

Show Notes

The Mizuno Kazan - Shoe discussed on this program.

The Mizuno Wave - Matt left with a pair of these, and will be reviewing them soon for ORM.

Finding Color Trends

Zach Video

Matt Booth on LinkedIn

Episode 176 - We first met Joel before his second World's Toughest Mudder, back in November of  2012. Earlier that year, he had his first attempt at The Barkley Marathon where he successfully completed one loop. Since then, he has completed a few 200 milers and several other endurance races.

For this year's Barkley, he again completed 1 loop before being timed out. He stayed the remainder of the weekend to cheer on runners, and be a part of the magic that is Barkley Weekend at Frozen Head State Park. He was then lucky enough to be selected to be one of the guys to sweep the course and collect The Books. His way home took him through Atlanta, Georgia, so Matt got to talk to him with the weekend still fresh in his mind.

Listen in to find out how it went the 2nd time around.

Episode 175 - On today's program, we attempt to answer that burning OCR question:

What exactly is a race director and what does he do?

We spoke with two members of the Spartan Race Team at the March 5-6 event in Conyers, Georgia to dig deep and find out.

We don't want to spoil almost an hour of really good conversation, but one thing is clear - No one person makes the magic happen.

Quick Rundown of The Players:

Mike Morris - Vice President of Production
Roger Mast - Race Director
Woody-Course Manager (does not appear, but is referenced in both conversations)

Today's episode is sponsored by

The Liquid Run - ORM5 gets you $5 off their first event on June 18th in Newport Beach.

Macon Mud Run - May 2nd 2016. Muddy fun at this awesome 3rd year event.

Show Notes:

• How did Mike go from "marketing guy" to shoe store guy?
• How did store 1 become store 7?
• How do you find good "culture fits" for a shoe store?
• What are the benefits of being a parent who runs a lot?
• How does a running store stay ahead of/keep in touch with trends?
• Letting the customer dictate what shoes sell well.
• The problem with how team sports approaches running as "The thing you do before the fun?"
• Listening to Matt react to tasting a new energy gel. 

Today's episode is sponsored by

The National Beer Mile  Code "Obstacle" saves you 10% on all cities.

Udder Mud Run.  August 6, 2016. Code RUNORM gets you $10 this family favorite!

Show Notes: 

Episode 172 - Ella Kociuba burst onto the OCR scene in December of 2011. At just 18 years old, she signed up for the open wave at the Glen Rose Super. She ended up finishing faster than the winning female in the elite heat.

In 2012, she began signing up for elite heats and made the podium in her first several races. Her high point of the year was finishing 3rd at the Vermont Beast Championship race behind Claude Godbout and Amelia Boone. Arguably, the best two women in obstacle racing at that time.

A young female athlete who does well brings a lot of attention, praise, and pressure.

Ella was not ready.

What followed for her was a painful, deep struggle with eating and self image.

In this podcast, Ella opens up about hitting bottom, getting honest, and how her life has turned around since.

Today's episode is sponsored by

Obstacle Guard - OCR padded arm and leg sleeves. Code ORM is 5% off plus free shipping.

Udder Mud Run - Local favorite has 7k and 1 mile options . Code RUNORM for $10 off.

Show Notes:

Buy Ella's book.

Ella on Athlinks.

Matt, Joel, and Ella clowning in a 2013 video.

Episode 171 - For an appetizer, this episode begins with a brief chat with Mark Ballas from The Green Beret Challenge. Matt sat down with Mark at the end of the most recent GBC. It's a quickie, but a goodie where we learn a lot about the Green Beret Challenge.

The main course is with Melinda Spencer (Corssino).

Melinda and Matt discuss :

• What is the WNBF?
• How does the WNBF differ from from the IFBB and other body building associations?
• How does one get a "pro card" in these organizations?
• Can someone train for bodybuilding competitions and OCR simultaneously? (Eating to perform versus eating to look a certain way?)
• How can someone get started in competing in bodybuilding?
• How do you "take it easy" on yourself, and not be too self critical in the bodybuilding and OCR worlds?

and more.

Today's episode is sponsored by

Rugged Maniac - No mandatory, unnecessary fees! Use the code Podcast for $5 off all locations in 2016.

Bone Frog Challenge - Use ORM10 for $10 off events in New England, Atlantic City, South Carolina, Atlanta, and Orlando.

Show Notes:

Melinda's Facebook Page

Melinda on Instagram

Melinda's podcast

Episode 170 - The bio from Bob Babbitt's website will tell you :

Bob Babbitt started racing triathlons way back when the earth was still cooling, in the late 1970's. He did his first Ironman Triathlon in 1980 on the island of Oahu and ended up completing five more when the event moved to the Big Island. Despite being incredibly slow at swimming, cycling and running, he has somehow found his way into into both the Ironman Hall of Fame and the USA Triathlon Hall of Fame. He also co-founded Competitor Magazine and the Challenged Athletes Foundation, plus he created Competitor Radio and the Muddy Buddy Ride and Run Series.

It is safe to say that Matt dreams of being The "Bob Babbitt of OCR".

Bob and Matt discuss :

• How the Muddy Buddy was formed
• The business model of Muddy Buddy and The Rock n Roll Marathon
• What OCR can learn from the triathlon industry
• Why most of the running community still doesn't pay attention to OCR
• How to turn around OCR internet haters

and much more.

Today's episode is sponsored by

The National Beer Mile  Code "Obstacle" saves you 10% on all cities.

Macon Mud Run  April 2nd, 2016 Macon, GA. They pride themselves on the most mud per mile!

Episode 169 - In this episode, we talk to Sandra and Gary Cantrell. You may know Gary better by his race director alias, Lazarus Lake.

We talked to Gary and Sandra right after a screening of The Barkley Documentary, in Atlanta, Georgia a couple of weeks ago.

If you know what the Barkley Marathons are, great. If you don't, we'll include a bunch of links below to help fill you in.

Either way, enjoy this lively conversation recorded at The Majestic Diner.

Today's show is sponsored by

The Liquid Run -  Floating Obstacle Course- June 18th Newport Beach, CA - Code "ORM5" saves $5.00

National Beer Mile - 4 Beers. 1 Mile. One Awesome Party - Code "Obstacle" saves 10%.

Show Notes

Movie -     The Barkley Documentary

Website -  The most comprehensive, and best source of data on The Barkley other than Laz's brain.

Podcast -   Nickademus Hollon talked about finishing Barkley and knowing every tree branch along the way.

You can use the player below to listen or use the iTunes or Stitcher buttons at the top of this post.

Episode 168 - First up, as promised, Amelia and Carlo join Matt for a chat about Superbowl 50. They really planned on no running talk, but then Amelia went and placed 2nd at The Sean O'Brien 100k. That finish gave her a "golden ticket" into one of the most prestigious 100 milers around, Western States.

Then, we chat with Andy Weinberg. Andy co-founded The Death Race with Joe DeSena nearly 10 years ago. Joe and Andy have since split and Andy created The Endurance Society with his new partner, Jack Cary. We talk about the kinds of people who come to these events, and the relationships that Andy and his team end up having with participants. We also go into the format of some of the current Endurance Society races.

Today's show is sponsored by

Mud Gear - Free shipping on OCR compression socks!

Mad Anthony Mud Run- Sign up for the 5th annual race taking place February 27th. 

Obstacle Guard - Free shipping plus 5% off when you use code ORM for padded arm or leg sleeves.

Show Notes

Sean O'Brien Race

A documentary about Western States

The Endurance Society

Previous podcast episode with Andy

Episode 167 - Jesse Itzler used to leave funny outgoing messages on his answering machine back in college. They were so good , they went viral, the old school way. Pre-Internet, people would tell friends, who would tell friends, who would tell more friends. This led him to a record deal with Delicious Vinyl.

To many people, landing a record deal is THE dream. Like, we got a DEAL, MAN!

This, however, was just the beginning for Jesse.

Jesse and Matt discuss how landing this deal led a lot of cool business doings in Itzler's life including:

• Creating music and video content for NBA (and other sports) teams.
• Co founding Marquis Jets, the first private jet company allowing customers to "rent" versus "own".
• Becoming part owner of The Atlanta Hawks

There is a lot to be learned in this episode from a successful man who doesn't seem to stress about any of it.

(They ran out of time before Matt could even ask about co-founding Zico Water or Jesse's new book "Living with a Seal", so hopefully there will be a part two.)

Today's episode is sponsored by Rugged Maniac. Code ORM5 saves you $5 off all 2016 locations.

It is also sponsored by Udder Mud Run. August 6th, 2016 in Macon, Georgia. Code RUNORM saves you $10.00

Show Notes

Jesse's website

Episode 166 - For starters, as promised, its 15 minutes with Carlo and Amelia to talk NFL Championship games.  Amelia also expands a little on the whole "enjoying dry needling in her butt" that she eluded to on  The Tim Ferris Podcast. For those that hate our football chats,  you can fast right the heck forward. For those that love them, enjoy.

The main course on this episode is Jesse Fulton. Jesse was a professional snowboarder for 13 years before going on to coach the Canadian Olympic snowboarding team.  He also is one of the founders of 365 Sports.

365's website says that they "Specialize in Event Management, Experiential Marketing, Concept and Development and Brand Execution. We provide creative, fun and innovative athletic events to engage all participants, seasoned athletes and novices alike. We are dedicated to inspiring a healthier, happier society through the combination of fitness and philanthropy"

In other words, they put on cool ass events like ski and snowboard festivals, The Urban Slide, and 5K Foam Fest Canada. 365 was also announced as strategic partner for the OCR World Championships, which is what led to this interview.

Jesse and Matt talk about translating industry knowledge from "action/adventure sports" to OCR, how to launch a brand successfully in Canada that previously failed in the US, and what he and his team are going to bring to OCRWC.

Today's episode is sponsored by Mad Anthony Mud Run. $50 before February 10th.

It is also sponsored by Macon Mud Run. April 2nd, 2016 in Macon, Georgia.

Show Notes

365 Sports

Shreducation The TV show Jesse was a part of that was sold to 4 different networks.

You can use the player below to listen or use the iTunes or Stitcher buttons at the top of this post.

Episode 165 - First up, as promised, its the return of Carlo talking playoff football. He's joined this week by Amelia Boone as she heard we were talking NFL and wanted in.

We then have a nice chat with Kyle Railton, better known as Coach from Tough Mudder. He got asked to lead a warm up one morning, and that led to an entire new part of his life. We dig in to find out what he was doing before being tapped by TMHQ, what he's gotten to do as Coach since, and what he's all about when not being Coach. We also spend some time talking about his experience getting 50 miles at November's World's Toughest Mudder.

Today's episode is sponsored by Udder Mud Run. August 16, 2016. Code RUNORM gives you $10.00 off.

It is also sponsored by Obstacle Guard - Free shipping plus 5% with code ORM.

Show Notes

Coach on Instagram

Episode 164 - On today's show, we talk to Joe Desena about the Spartan Delta.

What is it? Why did he create it? Who is it designed for? How do you earn one?

We attempt to answer all of those questions.

First up, however, is a new feature which will run from now through SuperBowl 50. Carlo Piscitello joins the show to discuss the previous weekend's NFL playoffs and makes predictions for the upcoming weeks games. Enjoy.

Today's show is sponsored by

Rugged Maniac - CODE ORM5 gets you $5.00 off registration to all 2016 events. 

Mad Anthony Mud Run-February 27th-Only $50 until February 10th.

Show Notes

The Pis and Cox Show

Spartan Delta

Episode 163 - If you have ever attended a Spartan Race, you have most likely had Dustin send you off with his start line speech. Did you know that he wrote that speech and now Spartan has all of their MC's use some version of it?

In this episode we learn that Dustin is one of the only current Spartan employees that goes all the way back to 2011. We also learn that he is a self-described nerd, and has been one way before it was cool. You can find him in cosplay costumes at many conventions around the country, acting in television and movies, and visiting kids in character at hospitals.

In this 90 minute plus episode, we talk Spartan, how the start line speech came to be, and how he got into the cosplay world. We also learned how he overcame the initial obstacle of being "too good looking to be a nerd" (their words, not his), and much much more.

Nerdout Warning Alert: Matt and Dustin spend a fair amount of time in the Star Wars, and Marvel Universes.

Super Spoiler Alert: Matt and Dustin talk about many plot points from The Force Awakens.