Desert Peak Ultra 2026 Recap, Western States 100 Training, and How To Be Stronger in Ultras
About this episode
Joe Corcione recaps the Desert Peak Ultra and shares insights on training for the Western States 100 while navigating life's challenges.
In this episode, I’m giving a full behind-the-scenes recap of the first-ever Desert Peak Ultra, plus an honest update on my Western States 100 training block. This one gets into the real stuff: the magic of watching runners cross the finish line, the chaos of putting on a first-year race, the lessons we learned, and why doing hard things in life can actually make you a stronger ultrarunner. I also break down how I’ve been navigating training through life stress, low sleep, race directing, travel, and big goals — and why sometimes the smartest move is not to force the work, but to honor recovery so you can come back stronger. In this episode, I cover: How my Western States 100 training has been going Why “flex deloads” can be a game-changer for busy ultrarunners The biggest lessons from putting on Desert Peak Ultra The moments from race weekend that made all the exhaustion worth it What we’re improving for Desert Peak next year Why life challenges can become fuel during an ultra How to reframe hard races when life already feels heavy A sneak peek at what’s coming next for Desert Peak Ultra Whether you’re training for a big race, trying to balance life with running, or chasing…
People in this episode
Host: Joe Corcione
Topics covered
- ultramarathon training
- race directing
- personal growth
- life challenges
- recovery strategies
Keywords
- Desert Peak Ultra
- Western States 100
- ultrarunning
- training
- recovery
- race directing
- personal growth
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