Nobody Asked Us with Des & Kara

Do you see what we did there? Maybe not... This episode begins with Kara detailing her impromptu, "red-eye" drive to Minnesota, and the sleepy aftermath. Then, you get a proper pet update with fun stories from both Des and Kara on their furry and not-so-furry animals. If you are watching the YouTube, you get a Boston sighting! Kara and Des also give their takes on the Netflix documentary called The Crash about a teenager in Florida who was convicted of murder for intentionally driving her car into a wall, killing her boyfriend and his friend. There is so much to process from that tragic story, but at least one thing is clear: the parents of the convicted murderer were completely out of touch with the reality of the situation. Of course, we do get to the latest running news. Des and Kara digest the new World Championship standards released by World Athletics, and the times are FAST. The objective from WA seems clear... to get more athletes into the event via the world rankings. BUT, are those rankings fair and legit or do they just reward the same group that can run fast? What are the implications for the sport and how does this trickle down to affect development in the NCAA as well? Finally, they end with a top 5 where, among other shout-outs, Yared Nuguse gets some love for his 1500m win at the Diamond League meet in Rabat - a big win for him! To take advantage of the Ketone deal from the episode - 30% off on your first subscription order - go to this link for Ketone-IQ: https://ketone.com/pages/nobody-asked-us.

Cue the comments section. We think this one is going to get a lot of attention - good and bad. It was a slower-news, running week, so there were a lot of angry runners arguing on social media about silly (?) things. Naturally, Des and Kara have to weigh in because many of you did already. But first (!)... Kara gives us a recap of Colt's amazing run in the 2-mile at state, after correcting the record on his 800m PR. His race at state was full of surges, but he finished higher than his seed in 14th and now is exciting to head to the Brooks PR meet. Meanwhile, Des is enjoying her time off from training but is now feeling the urge to get started again before this becomes a permanent break. Then, they dig into the drama with reactions about the Satisfy Running debate, where many people (particularly in the trail world) are frustrated about how they are showing up in the sport. Satisfy is a new-ish running shoe and apparel brand. Their gear is really expensive, but should we be mad about it? As a fun side question on this debate, Kara was asked: "Is she sad that she missed the NIL era with her own college career?" Next, they weigh in on the Cam Hanes vs. Sage Cannaday showdown on the socials. Sage turned Cam into USADA for openly admitting to using banned substances in his build-up to the Eugene Marathon (where he won his age group and placed 2nd Masters). Many people are mad at Sage on social media, defending Cam since there was no money or Team USA spot on the line. The Eugene Marathon, however, is a USATF-sanctioned event where there are rules against doping, amateur or not. What is the obligation of the amateur to follow anti-doping rules and do we want USADA or WADA worried about enforcement for the entire field? This topic is trickier than you think, when you dig into the nuance of it. What do you think?! Note: Kara mistakenly said Cam's time at Eugene was 2:37. He ran 2:39:11. Finally along with a top 5, they get to the real crux of the episode. Are you a Minnesota or Irish goodbye person and when is the Irish goodbye ok?!? Plus... Des and Kara give a huge shout-out and some advice to listeners Nick and Avery on their upcoming wedding! Now, go pick up your pillow from Lagoon - the Otter or the "Thin"-Chilla (as Des dubbed it). Use code NOBODYASKEDUS for 15% off on your first order here: https://lagoonsleep.com/pages/lagoon-the-nobody-asked-us-podcast-from-kara-goucher-and-des-linden

This is the episode you have been waiting for! Des gives us all of the incredible (and sometimes gory) details of her podium finish at the Marathon des Sables through the Sahara. From the hectic travel to exactly what self-supported means and all of the details of each stage, she holds nothing back (including the water to rehydrate her portable toilet paper). She carried all of her food and gear for each of the 6 stages, and still managed to crush it. The queen of Boston becomes the queen of the desert, and it's an amazing tale to tell. As always, thank you to Brooks Running as our presenting sponsor. Also, thank you to our additional sponsor for this episode - Lever Movement. To support the pod and LEVER, use code NOBODYASKEDUS for 20% off here... Link to purchase: https://bit.ly/4bLI2tG

The Winter Olympics are ON and Des and Kara have the fever for it. In this episode, they talk about two controversies from the Games so far and give you a preview of the athletes/events they are tracking. Plus, you hear some behind-the-scenes details on their opening ceremony experiences from Beijing and London respectively. Des also gives a quick preview of her race this weekend at Black Canyon before an episode-ending Top 5. Some highlights: injections in crazy places, downhills without an ACL, broken tibias, silly keyboard warriors, ice and curling upsets (oh my!), urine-urine everywhere, when meeting your heroes gets weird, and so much more! Congrats to our Lever contest winner (announced in the episode). If you didn't win, go get yours: Use code NOBODYASKEDUS for 20% off here... Purchase link: https://bit.ly/4bLI2tG.

This episode is a fun one because it contains a big announcement about the future of of the pod. Spoiler alert... Brooks is involved (if the episode title didn't give it away). Drum roll please... Brooks will continue their presenting sponsorship of Nobody Asked Us through at least LA 2028! To celebrate, we bring on Garrett Heath who is the head of sports marketing for Brooks to talk about the partnership. Des and Kara are excited to be together for this one at Brooks HQ. Before Garrett joins, they start by giving some love to Minnesota and the challenges that the community is facing there. They hope that compassion can rule the day - more of that please - and that this pod can be a fun/light respite from the news. They give short life updates and talk a little about the indoor results from the weekend. Indoor track is back and things are already fast and spicy! Then, they bring on Garrett. He gives you a background on his running (and skiing) career. He grew up in Minnesota, was NOT recruited by Kara's alma mater CU, but did have an amazing career at Stanford before signing with Brooks as a pro. He's worked his way up at Brooks and is now head of sports marketing. Garrett shares some fun stories of his running past (beating some of the all-time greats) and then gives you some behind-the-scenes intel on sports marketing and how Brooks chooses and partners with athletes. Plus, he tells you why Brooks is exciting to support the pod with some previews of fun/new stuff coming in 2026. If that's not enough to buy some Brooks shoes, then we don't know what is! Finally, they finish with a Lever uplifting Top 5, where they also announce a fun Lever contest. You could win one! See details at the contest link below! Lever contest link: https://levermovement.com/pages/nau-giveaway-lp. Contest will be live until Friday, Feb 6th at 12 pm MT (2 pm ET). Or to go ahead and get yours: Use code NOBODYASKEDUS for 20% off here... Purchase link: https://bit.ly/4bLI2tG.

"The files are in the computer." Guess that movie reference as we open the show! Well, the runners were in the TV this weekend with live action at the Houston Marathon/Half Marathon and the World XC Champs in Florida. Des was on the call in Houston on Sunday, and both Des and Kara watched the coverage of the races in Tallahassee on Saturday. What amazing races they were! They cover all of the amazing chaos from World XC (from water to "mud" to obstacles and snakes), which made for some carnage on the course. Jacob Kiplimo from Uganda won the men's race, and Caroline Agnes Ngetich absolutely stole the show on the women's side. Des and Kara talk about it all and assess the US performances, with both men and women finishing in 4th place in the team results. Congrats to Tallahassee for putting on a great show! Then in Houston, perfect weather brought some very fast times. You had 4 US men under 60 for the first time in a single race, with both the US men's and women's half records very nearly going down. And in the marathon, Zouhair Talbi won the men's marathon in 2:05:45 with the third fastest time ever by an American. Talbi is a recently naturalized citizen. He can't compete for the US yet but should be eligible by the 2028 Games, so watch that name. Great Britain's Calli Hauger-Thackery won the women's marathon in 2:24:17 after also winning Honolulu just a month ago. Finally, they talk about a big doping bust in marathoning - Albert Korir - before ending on a more positive note with a top 5 for the week. We are only 13 days into January and already 3 episodes into this fourth season of podcasts for Des and Kara. It's going to be a good year!

Most importantly, if you will be in Houston this weekend, get your tickets to the Des/Kara live pod there. 7 pm on Friday (1/9) at the Cullen Center Theater. Tickets here: https://performingartshouston.org/events/nobody-asked-us-with-des-and-kara-2026-01-09-700-pm/. We hope to see you there! Now with this episode, Kara and Des kick-off 2026 with updates on their holidays, their winter training, and some tips on how to beat the winter training doldrums yourself. Cold or bad weather - don't sweat it! Roll with the punches, and remember that it is ok to modify or miss a day on occasion. And... that rule actually applies all the time whether it's winter or not. They also give brief previews of the events of this weekend including the Houston Marathon and Half Marathon and World XC in Florida. To watch World XC, tune into NBC and Peacock on Saturday morning (1/10). The mixed races start at 9:45 ET, and the senior races are at 11:35 am and 12:20 am for women and men respectively. While the two-time defending champion Beatrice Chebet is out, the fields are stacked and should make for exciting racing. Finally, they finish with a New Year top 5 as we start 2026 with a podcast banger! Happy New Year everyone!