Matt Carpenter on Records, Obsession, and Knowing When to Stop

About this episode

Matt Carpenter discusses his record-breaking career in mountain running and the training methods that led to his success.

Matt Carpenter is the most decorated mountain runner in American history, 18-time Pikes Peak champion across twelve marathons and six ascents, holder of the Pikes Peak Marathon course record at 3:16:39 since 1993, and the man who took 90 minutes off the Leadville Trail 100 record in 2005 with a 15:42:59 that still stands. In this conversation, Matt walks Buzz through what 33 years on top of Pikes Peak actually requires: the obsessive training math behind the 3-2-1 workout above 12,000 feet, the consistency-quality-quantity-rest pyramid that shaped every season, why a 90.2 VO2 max isn't the whole story (running economy is, and his was poor until he trained it), and the moment Ricardo Mejía's 1992 win lit the fire that produced the record the following August. They get into Matt's Fila SkyRunners years racing flat marathons at 17,060 feet in Tibet, his unconventional Leadville fueling system, 50 calories every ten minutes, watch set to beep, why he carried bottles in his armpits before running vests existed, and what made him retire on his own terms at 47 after winning Pikes Peak six years running. Plus the custard shop, the Planet Fitness bench-press streak, and a clear-eyed take…

People in this episode

Host: Buzz

Guest: Matt Carpenter

Topics covered

• mountain running
• training techniques
• marathon records
• athlete retirement
• running economy

Keywords

• mountain runner
• Pikes Peak champion
• Leadville Trail 100
• VO2 max
• running economy

Sponsors

Wahoo

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: UltraSignup, Fila

Products: Wahoo Kickr Run

Places: Pikes Peak, Leadville Trail 100, Tibet

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