The Endurance Experience Podcast

A conversation with three finishers of the 2026 World Marathon Challenge (7 Marathons, 7 Continents, 7 Days), Greg Yaghmai, Dawn Doucette, and Martin Schranz.We discuss and review the 2026 World Marathon Challenge, covering what worked from training preparation and packing logistics to nutrition and fueling. The group comments on what they learned.We look back at each leg of the event from Antarctica to Miami and discuss surprises, highs, challenges, including weather surprises and sleep strategies.The group offers their perspective on how a challenge like 777 parallels life circumstances and tests you for real-world challenges.About The World Marathon Challegehttps://www.worldmarathonchallenge.com/About RUNBUKhttps://www.runbuk.com/Dawn on Instagramhttps://instagram.com/ddoucette30Martin on Instagramhttps://instagram.com/martinschranzGreg on Instagramhttps://instagram.com/gregyaghmaiWorld Marathon Challenge on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/worldmarathonchallenge777/RUNBUK on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/runbukinc/

A conversation with Edzard Ernst, M.D., PhD co-author of the book Trick or Treatment, The undeniable Facts about Alternative Medicine. He's a long time physician that has decades of experience as a doctor and also as a researcher. He has served as chairman of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR) at the University of Vienna. He became director of complementary medicine of the Peninsula Medical School (PMS) in 2002. His writing appeared in a regular column in The Guardian, where he reviewed news stories about complementary medicine from an evidence-based medicine perspective.Dr. Ernst discusses his history and his evolution away from alternative medicine after a long period of research and discovery.We talk about what's called Naturopathy and it's fundamental claims and where such practitioners have gone array.We have an exchange about the "Placebo Effect" and Dr. Ernst gives his response to the common retort that the Placebo Effect is "Still an Effect".We talk about some of the commonly utilized modalities in health and fitness including acupuncture and cupping, their foundations and what does the imperical evidence show in regards to them.Finally we discuss science, the scientific method and Dr. Ernst Gives his perspective on the argument that science can often "get things wrong".Edzard Ernst, M.D., PhDhttps://edzardernst.com/Trick or Treatmenthttps://a.co/d/0memofthttps://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Dr-Dr-Simon-Singh/Trick-or-Treatment--Alternative-Medicine-on-Trial/1382322

A conversation with Aron D'Souza, PhD. He is the President of the Enhanced Games. The Enhanced Games are a privately funded sporting body that seeks to allow athletes to compete under performance enhancement under lucrative compensation arrangements.Dr. D'Souza discusses the main proposition and goals of the Enhanced Games and he provides his position on the conflicts of interests that exist in traditional sport.We talk about the recent world record that was broken by Kristian Gkolomeev in the 50 meter freestyle and the potential for athletes to reap prize money for reaching world records.We discuss the degree and prevalence of enhancement in existing sport.Finally Dr. D'Souza lays out his thoughts about the future of sport and were Enhanced Games will be in just a few years.About Aron D'Souza, PhD:https://arondsouza.com/About Enhanced: https://www.enhanced.com/https://www.enhanced.com/the-teamEnhanced on Instagram@enhanced_gamesFollow Us:Facebook: https://Facebook.com/EventHorizon.TvTwitter: https://twitter.com/EventHorizonTvInstagram: https://instagram.com/eventhorizon.tvYouTube: https://youtube.com/c/EventHorizonTv

A conversation with Paul Holborn. He is a former boxer and winner of the 2025 World Marathon Challenge which is running 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days. Paul Holborn didn’t go into the event to win, but after about 5 days Paul emerged as the men’s winner, completing the 777 in an average time of 3:22:36. We talk about his background as a boxer and the inspiring story of what eventually drove him to consider attempting the World Marathon Challenge, and the support he received from his family after taking the physical and financial leap. We discuss Paul’s training approaching leading up to the 777 and the amount of training volume he peaked at to prepare, including his level of confidence going into Antarctica. We talk about Paul’s fueling and sleep protocol going into the event and how well it worked. Paul discusses what he believes it was that helped him in the end. Paul talks through each leg of the event, some of the high points and lower points and where along the way did the possibility he could win come into mind. Finally Paul talks about what the future holds for his athletic pursuits. Paul Holborn Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pauly_holborn Paul Holborn BBC Article https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgp43emvd0o.amp Paul Holborn NYT Articlehttps://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6164653/2025/03/01/seven-marathons-seven-days-seven-continents/ About the World Marathon Challengehttps://www.worldmarathonchallenge.com/ Follow Us:Facebook: https://Facebook.com/EventHorizon.TvTwitter: https://twitter.com/EventHorizonTvInstagram: https://instagram.com/eventhorizon.tvYouTube: https://youtube.com/c/EventHorizonTv Support Us: https://Patreon.com/Endurance

A brief New Year's message from Coach Tony, host of the Endurance Experience Podcast.Looking Back and ForwardThe World Marathon Challenge.3 Words of coaching wisdom. Facebook: https://Facebook.com/EventHorizon.TvTwitter: https://twitter.com/EventHorizonTvInstagram: https://instagram.com/eventhorizon.tvYouTube: https://youtube.com/c/EventHorizonTvSupport Us:https://Patreon.com/Endurancehttps://paypal.me/EnduranceExperience

A conversation with coach Kerry McGawley, PhD. She is a Professor at Mid Sweden University with a broad research agenda in the female athlete, and menstruation effects on training, and racing performance. She is a coach and 2x age group world champion in triathlon. Professor McGawley engages in a science centered conversation around the protected women’s category in sport and explanation and implications of athletes with DSD. We talk about the paper she co-authored with other scientists and unpacks the evidence and critique of the IOC’s 2021 framework aimed at providing governing bodies with guidelines for fairness and inclusion. Professor McGawley gives her dissemination of a common rebuttal regarding performance advantage (i.e., Phelps advantages). Finally, Professor McGawley provides listeners with the key considerations that athletes/coaches should be aware of regarding the menstrual cycle, and the impact on female athlete training, racing and performance. She also comments on contraception influences. About Kerry McGawley, PhDhttps://www.miun.se/en/personnel/m/kerrymcgawley/ Kerry McGawley, PhD Instagram:https://instagram.com/kerrymcgawley Kerry McGawley, PhD Twitter/X:https://x.com/KerryMcGawley Kerry McGawley, PhD Co-Authored Paper:The International Olympic Committee framework on fairness, inclusion and nondiscrimination on the basis of gender identity and sex variations does not protect fairness for female athletes https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/sms.14581 Follow Us:Facebook: https://Facebook.com/EventHorizon.TvX: https://x.com/EventHorizonTvInstagram: https://instagram.com/eventhorizon.tvYouTube: https://youtube.com/c/EventHorizonTvSupport Us:https://Patreon.com/Endurancehttps://paypal.me/EnduranceExperience

A conversation with Dirk Friel. He is a co-founder and Chief Evangelist of TrainingPeaks, a web-based training and coaching software company. He holds a bachelor’s from Colorado State University and a former professional cyclist. Dirk hosts the TrainingPeaks CoachCast, an endurance sports podcast highlighting the value of excellent coaching and effective training. He and the guests explore topics ranging from advancements in the science of endurance training to inspirational racing moments and successful coach-athlete relationships. We talk about Dirk’s origin story in cycling and the also with the launch of TrainingPeaks as well as the vision behind it. We talk about artificial intelligence and how it may impact the training and coaching business. Dirk gives his perspective on how TrainingPeaks will keep up with AI and competitor use of AI. We discuss optimal training and recovery principles given the increase competitive landscape in triathlon, cycling and marathon training. Finally, we discuss the wearable technology evolution and who might emerge victorious from the wearable technology war and why. Dirk Friel Instagram https://instagram.com/dirkfriel Dirk Friel Bio https://www.trainingpeaks.com/partners/dirk-friel/ CoachCast https://www.trainingpeaks.com/podcasts/ TrainingPeaks https://www.trainingpeaks.com/ Facebook: https://Facebook.com/EventHorizon.TvTwitter: https://twitter.com/EventHorizonTvInstagram: https://instagram.com/eventhorizon.tvYouTube: https://youtube.com/c/EventHorizonTvSupport Us:https://Patreon.com/Endurancehttps://paypal.me/EnduranceExperience

Sarah Thomas an American ultra-marathon swimmer. Amidst a cancer diagnosis she is the first person to complete four consecutive crossings of the English Channel and the first person to swim a current-neutral swim over 100 miles. She holds the world record for longest, second-, and third-longest current-neutral swims, and various other records in both fresh and saltwater categories. We have a conversation about Sarah’s origin story and how she got into open water swimming.We talk about her cancer diagnosis and the impact it had on her mindset, training and preparation.We talk about Sarah’s notable marathon swimming accomplishments including the Lake Champlain Swim and the 4x consecutive channel crossing.We discuss her thoughts on her legacy and were she sees herself in the history of marathon swimming.About Sarah Thomashttps://sarahthomasswims.com/ The Other Side: Documentaryhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBWTJzTIk9w Sarah on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/sarahswims04 Facebook: https://Facebook.com/EventHorizon.TvTwitter: https://twitter.com/EventHorizonTvInstagram: https://instagram.com/eventhorizon.tvYouTube: https://youtube.com/c/EventHorizonTvSupport Us:https://Patreon.com/Endurancehttps://paypal.me/EnduranceExperience

Andrew M Jones PhD DSc is Professor of Applied Physiology in the Department of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Exeter. He’s internationally recognized for his research in the control of, and limitations to, skeletal muscle oxidative metabolism; causes of exercise intolerance in health and disease; respiratory physiology, particularly the kinetics of pulmonary gas exchange and ventilation during and following exercise; and sports performance physiology and nutrition, particularly in relation to endurance athletics. Prof Jones has authored more than 350 original research and review articles (>38K citations) and is co-Editor of three books. He is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences, the European College of Sport Science, and the Physiological Society. Jones is Editor-in-Chief of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise and serves on the Editorial Board of six other international journals in sports medicine and exercise science. Prof Jones has acted as a consultant to a number of governing bodies of sport or commercial companies including UK Athletics, the English Institute of Sport, Gatorade Sports Science Institute and Nike Inc. He's been an advisor and consultant to the Breaking 2 and INEOS projects with Eluid Kipchoge and professional endurance athletes including Paula Radcliff. Professor Jones gives his understanding of the evidence of the performance effect of the so called “super shoes” and whether they explain the recent pro marathon runner excess performance and if so, by how much. Amateur marathon runners may find interesting our exchange about the Boston Marathon and how it is getting harder to get into, and what amateur marathoners must do to enhance performance in order to qualify and get into the Boston Marathon today. Professor Jones gives his perspective on the popularized notion that when it comes to marathon training “volume is king” and if not, what would be the alternative. We talk about distance runners that are getting older, and how Professor Jones recommends changing training, if at all, for those looking to remain competitive. Finally, we talk about science and evidence-based nutrition protocol throughout the training cycle and pre-race and race nutrition. About Andrew Jones https://sshs.exeter.ac.uk/staff/profile/index.php?web_id=Andrew_Jones Twitter/X https://twitter.com/AndyBeetroot Find Us:Facebook: https://Facebook.com/EventHorizon.TvTwitter: https://twitter.com/EventHorizonTvInstagram: https://instagram.com/eventhorizon.tvYouTube: https://youtube.com/c/EventHorizonTvSupport Us:https://Patreon.com/Endurancehttps://paypal.me/EnduranceExperience

Kate Allenby is a former British modern pentathlete, she won bronze for Team GB at the Sydney Olympics. She represents Pentathlon United an independent athlete representative body, representing thousands of pentathletes worldwide. Kate stands in opposition to the decision to only test OCR [obstacle course racing] and not any of the other apparent 60 options they considered in the teeth of an impending decision by the IOC to decide in regards to the future of Modern Pentathlon in future Olympic games. We have a conversation about her background and how she got into Modern Pentathlon as a youth, to her experience winning a bronze medal at the Sydney Olympics. We spend the lion share of the conversation discussing the decision by the governing body, the UIPM, to replace equestrianism with an obstacle course racing discipline. She gives her perspective on the infamous “Tokyo Incident” from the last Olympics that made news. Kate gives her perspective on what might become of the sport and the athletes in the sport given the changes, and what athletes can do if they wish to get involved in Modern Pentathlon. Kate Allenby Twitterhttps://twitter.com/KateAllenby Pentathlon United https://pentathlonunited.com/ Pentathlon United Twitter https://twitter.com/pentunited Pentathlon United Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pentathlon_united/ Facebook: https://Facebook.com/EventHorizon.TvTwitter: https://twitter.com/EventHorizonTvInstagram: https://instagram.com/eventhorizon.tvYouTube: https://youtube.com/c/EventHorizonTvSupport Us:https://Patreon.com/Endurancehttps://paypal.me/EnduranceExperience

Taking a look back at clips from 5 of the most downloaded episodes in Season 5 with updated commentary.8:18: Matt Fitzgerald, – The Racing Weight Question | @mattfitwriter| Full Podcast https://bit.ly/3qcgScE23:43: Carol Irwin, Phd – Factors Impacting Swimming Participation and Competence | @usaswimming | Full Podcast https://bit.ly/3MDUalf48:34: Graham Stuart, MSc – The Endurance Enthusiast’s Heart | @ag_stuart| Full Podcast https://bit.ly/3WBUrK41:09:03: Nick B. Tiller, PhD – The Pseudoscience of Sport, Health & Fitness | @NBtiller | Full Podcast https://bit.ly/3oC3XQY1:26:55: Susan Sotir, PhD – Coaching the Endurance Athlete | @spsotir | Full Podcast https://bit.ly/3MGkQlcFollow Us:Facebook: https://Facebook.com/EventHorizon.TvTwitter: https://twitter.com/EventHorizonTvInstagram: https://instagram.com/eventhorizon.tvYouTube: https://youtube.com/c/EventHorizonTvSupport Us:https://Patreon.com/Endurancehttps://paypal.me/EnduranceExperience

Susan Sotir, PhD coaches with Breakthrough Performance Coaching, she has a PhD in Sport Physiology and Exercise Psychology and is an assistant professor at Springfield College. Susan brings over 25 years of experience in sport coaching. She has worked with endurance athletes of all levels from recreation to competitive to professional athletes. She is a Level III triathlon coach with USA triathlon. Susan was a DIII swimmer at Tufts University and her first triathlon was in 1989. Since then, she has raced triathlons from sprint to IRONMAN distances, some years racing near the front. She is a certified strength and conditioning coach (NSCA-CSCS), and is a Precision Nutrition Certified Coach. In addition to sport coaching, Susan serves as a consultant for elite athletes and coaches developing and integrating mental skills into sport practice and performance. We have a conversation about psychological factors that typically impact athlete performance, and some of the mental skill building approaches she employs to help athletes. We talk about the heightened awareness on providing tailored training and racing protocols for female athletes and considerations she explores with female athletes. (e.g., 28-day cycle, menstruation, contraception implications, Female Athlete Triad, RED-S, menopause, and perimenopause).Dr. Sotir weighs in on the question of sports physiology research being conducted on mostly men and the resulting impact on the solutions for women. Dr. Sotir gives her advice on improving swimming skills for triathletes, pool swimmers and open water swimmers and some of the tactics and strategies she uses with athletes. Finally, we talk about strength, nutrition, and body composition and how she approaches the conversation with athletes, and what she recommends, if anything, through the training cycle. About Susan Sotir, PhD and Breakthrough Performance Coaching https://breakthroughperformancecoaching.com/coaches/susan-sotir/ Twitter https://twitter.com/spsotir Instagram https://www.instagram.com/team_bpc/ Follow Us:Facebook: https://Facebook.com/EventHorizon.TvTwitter: https://twitter.com/EventHorizonTvInstagram: https://instagram.com/eventhorizon.tvYouTube: https://youtube.com/c/EventHorizonTvSupport Us:https://Patreon.com/Endurancehttps://paypal.me/EnduranceExperience