As many of you know, I’ve been coaching athletes for a few years now, and one thing that’s critical to coaching is one-on-one meetings. They’re always a chance to connect, see how training is going, and review plans for race week. I also usually do an exit interview to see how their event went. While out on a run, I thought to myself that some amazing stories come out of these meetings. Since I’m doing the calls anyway, I figured it would be a great chance to start a podcast built around them, and maybe cover some other topics as they come up. I quickly learned how to record, transcribe, and get episodes posted on all the major platforms. It’s so easy to launch a podcast that I can see why there are so many out there.
Coaching: https://UltraRunCoach.com In this episode of the UltraRunCoach podcast, host Patrick Durante sits down with guest Rich Sharkey (one of Patrick's early coaching athletes) to discuss his journey from road running and 5Ks to tackling ultras.Rich shares his experience making the massive leap from 50Ks like the Hat Run and World's End to the 70-mile Laurel Highlands Ultra (a Western States qualifier). We dive deep into elevation training strategies, surviving the infamous "Gate to Eight" section, gut training with real foods, dialing in sodium needs using a Nix sweat test, and how having a family pit crew transformed his race day.We discuss discuss Rich’s experience on the other side of the trail—pacing me through the final miles of the Eastern States 100, navigating rattlesnakes, and pushing past the physical and mental pain barriers.00:00 – Welcome & Introduction00:48 – Transitioning from Sports & Road Running to Trail Running02:46 – First Unofficial 50K at Blue Marsh Lake & First Organized Race (Hat Run 50K)05:24 – World's End 50K: Handling Mud, Elevation & Learning Hill Training07:54 – Making the Big Jump from 50K to the 70-Mile Laurel Highlands Ultra09:50 – Connecting with Patrick Durante for Coaching & Race Preparation11:19 – History & Unique Challenges of the Laurel Highlands Course12:14 – Training Feet Per Mile Elevation Gain & the "Gate to Eight" Strategy14:10 – Year 1 at Laurel Highlands: Heat, Severe Quad Pain & Mental Recovery17:44 – Year 2 Success: Shaving 33 Minutes & Upgrading Fueling Strategy20:22 – Gut Training: Shifting from Liquid Calories to Real Food21:16 – Electrolyte Breakthrough: Sweat Testing with Nix Biosensors23:12 – Building a Family Pit Crew & Pacing Duties29:35 – Flipping the Script: Rich Paces Patrick at Eastern States 10032:21 – The Role of a Pacer: Pain Management & Mental Distraction37:15 – Funny Race Encounters, DFL Motivation & Rattlesnakes on Trail41:21 – Strong Finish at Eastern States 10044:07 – Top 3 Tips for Anyone Taking on Laurel Highlands45:05 – Maintaining Consistency & Finding New Trails While Traveling46:43 – What's Next for Rich Sharkey (Nelson's Summit 50K)
While I don’t think I’ll be putting out a ton of episodes, I’ll try to connect with a few past athletes, and maybe some people in the ultra space who can offer insights on completing these events. Let me know in the comments about what topics you would like to hear…
Patrick is an ultrarunner and coach from Philadelphia who loves documenting his running career. His mission is to provide useful tips and tricks to assist others along their ultra journey.  You can find his coaching services at https://ultraruncoach.com.
It’s year 2 of the Breakneck Trail Marathon, and it was amazing. This was the exact feeling I had after I had completed my 2nd Broad Street I’m sure. For the 2nd year in a row I decided on Breakneck over Broad street. Broad street was a Philly race that is the fastest 10 miler in the nation run down the center of the city by some 40,000 people. Why would I head back to New York? I will answer that in this post.
Broad Street was a family tradition I enjoyed for several years, but the more I hit the trail, the more I enjoyed being out in nature, the more I developed a love for the sense of awe that comes from trail racing. Trail running strikes a nerve that road running never did. While if you told me my son or daughter wanted to go run Broad Street I would have to go, but these 2 races are worlds apart, just like I am not the same person that ran Broad Street 20 years ago. Change is law, and it came from this quote.:
“If you don’t get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you don’t want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can’t hold on to it forever. Your mind is your predicament. It wants to be free of change. Free of pain, free of the obligations of life and death. But change is law and no amount of pretending will alter that reality.” – Socrates
So yes, I could have kept doing exactly what I have done every year, and got exactly what I had always got. A fast run down a loaded road with thousands of people. I know exactly what that run tastes like. Breakneck is the new kid in town. Will I be saying the same thing after 20 years of Breakneck? Maybe, or maybe not? I don’t know, but what I do know is that my breathe is taken away at the top of some of those views. My limits are pushed on those descents, and as Bud Wilson will tell you, there’s no point in broad street where you feel like doing this:
If you ran Broad Street, congrats to you. One thing I also broke in my habits is caring about the clock. The goal of this race was DO NOT CRAMP, not PR, seriously, it was to not cramp from going out too hard on hills too steep. How awesome of a race goal is that? I took my time, I took it all in, I enjoyed every damn moment of that race again for a 2nd time. I even took a friend with me. I convinced Bud Wilson, and many others from my video last year that this race is a race that you need to experience. It was a blast seeing a person experience it for the first time, seeing the look in his eyes once he was finished, and also hearing how the race kicked the crap out of him.
Each year I plan my adventures in December for the following year, and I put this one again because its worth the trip and effort. I met so many awesome people in the race and so many of you thanked me for showing them the race through filming it. I was glad that it was inspiring, but thank the people who put this on, the race directors, the volunteer at the aid stations, and most of all the catering at the end. Good lord that BBQ at the finish was great and its almost worth the trip up there for that meal. I hope they keep putting on this event, because it was the highlight of my week, my month, and to many even their year.
For my race report, here are my what went right, what went wrong, and what I did differently this year. I used my own custom high carb gels, and forced myself with a zone 2-3 HR for the first 6 miles until I got to the rock scramble. Those are the 2 things that I did that lead to not over extending myself in the beginning that would have lead to an inability to run later in the race. Hyner 50K with its 6,800 ft of climbing taught me that if a race starts with a massive climb, it has the ability to wreck you, that you struggle to recover from the entire race. Run the first few miles as you would like to be running your last. Why do I still struggle to remember that?
Patrick is an ultrarunner and coach from Philadelphia who loves documenting his running career. His mission is to provide useful tips and tricks to assist others along their ultra journey.  You can find his coaching services at https://ultraruncoach.com.
