Human Performance Outliers Podcast with Zach Bitter

Allison Mercer joined the show to recap two very different running stories from the past week: the Moab 240 cancellation amid flash flooding, mudslides, and serious safety concerns in a remote area, and the Chicago Marathon with its mix of stories. We dig into the growing risks and responsibilities around 200+ mile events (experience levels, communication, support crews, and protocols), contrast that with Chicago's high-profile narratives involving Emma Grace Hurley, Vinny Mari, Clayton Young, and Galen Rupp, and touch on treadmill training accuracy, super-shoe competition, and race overcrowding. Allison: @onewomandanceparty | Strava: strava.com/athletes/18552474 Episode Sponsors: LMNT: drinkLMNT.com/HPO (free sample pack with purchase) deltaG: deltagketones.com Code: BITTER20 (25% Off) TrainingPeaks: trainingpeaks.com (free account) Podcast Details: Support HPO: zachbitter.com/hposponsors HPO Website: zachbitter.com/hpo Zach's Coaching: zachbitter.com/coaching Zach's Journal: substack.com/@zachbitter Find Zach: zachbitter.com | IG: @zachbitter | X: @zbitter | FB: Zach Bitter | Strava: Zach Bitter

Kim Gottwald is a German ultra runner and content creator who went from law student to backyard-ultra standout by documenting extreme projects in public, including a co-win at Go One More in Texas, and a 449 km Last Soul Ultra victory at home. He co-founded the running brand Rappid, became BPN's first German athlete, and now hosts Germany's Last Soul Ultra. He has big plans for expanding Last Soul Ultra into multiple locations, including the US. Kim: kimgottwald.info | IG: @kim.gottwald | YT: @Kim.gottwald Episode Sponsors: LMNT: drinkLMNT.com/HPO (free sample pack with purchase) deltaG: deltagketones.com Code: BITTER20 (25% Off) Podcast Details: Support HPO: zachbitter.com/hposponsors HPO Website: zachbitter.com/hpo Zach's Coaching: zachbitter.com/coaching Zach's Journal: substack.com/@zachbitter Find Zach: zachbitter.com | IG: @zachbitter | X: @zbitter | FB: Zach Bitter | Strava: Zach Bitter

Brian Reynolds is a Brooks-sponsored double below-knee amputee runner who, in 2026, became the first athlete in that category to finish the Leadville Trail 100 — on his fourth try, in 28 hours 55 minutes. He lost both legs at age four to meningococcemia, a rare bacterial infection with grim survival odds. For years he hid the amputation and stayed off the trails. A Grand Canyon hike cracked that open. He went from powerlifting to a 2:58 marathon, multiple classification records from 5K to the marathon, and Team USA para-athletics. Brian: IG: @brianreynoldsrunner Episode Sponsors: LMNT: drinkLMNT.com/HPO (free sample pack with purchase) deltaG: deltagketones.com Code: BITTER20 (20% Off) Podcast Details: Support HPO: zachbitter.com/hposponsors HPO Website: zachbitter.com/hpo Zach's Coaching: zachbitter.com/coaching Zach's Journal: substack.com/@zachbitter Find Zach: zachbitter.com | IG: @zachbitter | X: @zbitter | FB: Zach Bitter | Strava: Zach Bitter

Thomas Nobbs is a professional marathon athlete with a 2:09 PR, and endurance coach. His progression to 2:09 speaks for itself, and his public strava profile shows how he has balanced lots of low intensity running and key quality sessions. Thomas is currently training for the Chicago Marathon, where he plans to once again improve his marathon PR. Thomas: teamrunrun.com/coach/tom-nobbs | IG: @nobbs.not.knobs | Strava: Thomas Nobbs Episode Sponsors: LMNT: drinkLMNT.com/HPO (free sample pack with purchase) deltaG: deltagketones.com Code: BITTER20 (20% Off) Podcast Details: Support HPO: zachbitter.com/hposponsors HPO Website: zachbitter.com/hpo Zach's Coaching: zachbitter.com/coaching Zach's Journal: substack.com/@zachbitter Find Zach: zachbitter.com | IG: @zachbitter | X: @zbitter | FB: Zach Bitter | Strava: Zach Bitter

Mark Dowdle arrives 15 minutes before the start of Last Soul Ultra, but still wins with nearly 400 miles. Should we have more unsupported ultra running events? Badwater 135 lack of streaming and interesting shoe policy. Jeff Garmire joins me to discuss and share his upcoming documentary. Jeff Garmire: freeoutside.com | IG: @thefreeoutside | YT: @Freeoutside Episode Sponsors: LMNT: drinkLMNT.com/HPO (free sample pack with purchase) deltaG: deltagketones.com Code: BITTER20 (20% Off) Kila Insoles: kilarun.com Code: BITTER ($50 Off) Podcast Details: Support HPO: zachbitter.com/hposponsors HPO Website: zachbitter.com/hpo Zach's Coaching: zachbitter.com/coaching Zach's Journal: substack.com/@zachbitter Find Zach: zachbitter.com | IG: @zachbitter | X: @zbitter | FB: Zach Bitter | Strava: Zach Bitter

I reached the end of my journey with the blood clot I discovered at the end of June. I learned a lot through the process, along with information about my personal risk for blood clotting. I unpack all of that and share my return to training. Episode Sponsors: LMNT: drinkLMNT.com/HPO (free sample pack with purchase) deltaG: deltagketones.com Code: BITTER20 (20% Off) Kila Insoles: kilarun.com Code: BITTER ($50 Off) Podcast Details: Support HPO: zachbitter.com/hposponsors HPO Website: zachbitter.com/hpo Zach's Coaching: zachbitter.com/coaching Zach's Journal: substack.com/@zachbitter Find Zach: zachbitter.com | IG: @zachbitter | X: @zbitter | FB: Zach Bitter | Strava: Zach Bitter

Kilian Korth joined the show to have a discussion around ultrarunning's growing professionalization without sophisticated regulated drug testing, the limits and trade-offs of WADA/USADA-style regimes, and why "doping" as a blanket term obscures intent and severity. We unpack gray areas such as THC thresholds, TUE complexity for common medications, transparency vs backlash, influencer incentives, and the future pressure regenerative medicine and technology (e.g., super shoes) may place on sport rules. Kilian: IG: @runtoughmindset | Substack: https://substack.com/@runtoughmindset Sponsors: LMNT: https://drinkLMNT.com/HPO (free sample pack with purchase) deltaG: https://deltagketones.com Code: BITTER20 (20% Off) True Nutrition: https://truenutrition.com/hpo Code: HPO (20% Off) Episode Summary & Notes: Zach Bitter & Kilian Korth on PEDs, incentives, and doping in ultrarunning Context & framing Conversation is the third appearance by Kilian on Zach's podcast; shifts from traditional training/racing episodes toward current events in running. Sparked by recent doping-related controversies (Cam Hanes / Sage Canaday online conflict, Mike McKnight's discussion of BPC-157 use on Hanes' podcast). Both emphasize moving beyond narrow focus on specific peptides/cases to broader structural issues. Activism, incentives & tribalism Skepticism of modern activism: good causes often get distorted by perverse incentives (attention, platform growth, organizational self-preservation/mission creep). Online environments (especially short-form social media) reward polarization over curiosity or truth-seeking. Parallel drawn to low-carb diet advocacy: movement shifted from exploration of pros/cons toward dietary supremacy and identity attachment. Both hosts value changing one's mind with new evidence and prefer evolving conversations over tribal "debates" aimed at winning. Core problem in ultrarunning Rapid professionalization and financial incentives exist, but sophisticated testing (especially out-of-competition) is essentially absent. Honor-code system + high rewards creates conditions in which some athletes near the top are likely to use PEDs. Contrast with Olympic sports (e.g., swimming) where positives occur even with lower financial stakes. "Doping" is an unhelpful blanket term that equates intentional, high-impact cheating (e.g., EPO) with gray-area or accidental cases. BPC-157 and gray areas BPC-157 is an experimental peptide with very limited human data (one small study of 12 people among 36 total studies reviewed). Anecdotally has been used for tendon/muscle healing; on the WADA banned list at all times (no TUE pathway currently). Gray areas exist in WADA criteria themselves (performance enhancement potential, health risk, "spirit of the sport"). THC example: banned in-competition with a relatively high threshold; removed alcohol from the list is an example of changes over time. Distinction between letter of the rules vs. moral/cosmic fairness; between intentional advantage-seeking and medical/recovery use. Testing realities & practical challenges Full USADA/WADA-style regimes require whereabouts reporting, out-of-competition testing, and significant lifestyle constraints (conflicts with the free-spirited, remote nature of trail/ultrarunning). Even gold-standard systems have loopholes (missed whereabouts, remote camps, short-acting substances timed around sleep windows). Half-measures are expensive, burdensome, and unlikely to deter determined cheaters. Middle-of-pack and age-group athletes face different calculus; many use legitimate medications (inhalers, etc.) that may or may not require TUEs depending on type and dose/threshold. Possible paths forward discussed Transparency and honesty should be encouraged rather than punished (both hosts respect that Hanes and McKnight disclosed BPC-157 use). Practical ideas: Optional "non-competitive / open" checkbox so athletes using regulated substances can still participate without affecting results/records. Tested vs. non-tested divisions (bodybuilding-style model). More education needed around legitimate medical use (TUEs, Global DRO checks). Focus should prioritize the small professional/elite tier where financial and competitive incentives are highest over age-group minutiae. Future regenerative medicine and longevity interventions will force further adaptation; sport has already accepted large performance gains from technology (super shoes) more readily than internal/medical ones. Influencers & broader culture Influencer economy adds complexity: financial incentives to promote products or share experimental practices; difference between sharing personal experience vs. recommending use. Transparency with clear caveats is preferred; pure anecdote-driven advice remains problematic. Societal issues (tribalism, algorithmic incentives, low scientific literacy) make clean solutions difficult inside a small niche like ultrarunning. Closing notes Both stress nuance over black-and-white absolutism Conversation aims to push the sport toward honest discussion of incentive structures rather than endless case-by-case outrage. Kilian's Substack article ("The Run Tough Mindset") and upcoming documentary Forged in Failure are referenced as related material.