From Black Canyon To BU: Eric Went To An Ultra And Came Back Changed

Eric checks in from Arizona fresh off a weekend immersed in the trail world at Black Canyon Ultra, while Aisha recovers from the Super Bowl and another week of indoor track fireworks. The conversation bounces from ultra culture and Winter Olympics absurdity to record-setting performances.

In this episode:

– Eric reports live from Arizona after spending the weekend at the Black Canyon Ultra Marathon and discovering a whole new side of the sport

– The rapidly growing ultra scene, its strong community vibe + how the sport is getting faster and more professionalized

– Super Bowl recap: betting losses, squares boards, and Aisha dropping money while Bad Bunny wins the day

– Olympic headlines, including the now-viral medal-speech cheating confession and why it may be the worst PR move ever

– Life (and logistics) inside the Olympic Village, from cardboard beds to running out of condoms

– Choosing which Winter Olympic sport they’d compete in

– British Championships highlights, including Keely Hodgkinson’s dominant 1:56 and continued push toward the world record

– BU Valentine meet delivering yet again with Elle St. Pierre running 4:17 for the mile and 3:59.33 en route to a new American record

– Marco Langon’s win and the internet’s love-him-or-hate-him reaction

– Cole Hocker’s 3:45.94 American record in the mile and why it felt like a major statement race

– Nikki Hiltz continuing a run of wins and the difference between racing to win versus racing for time

– Cooper Lutkenhaus runs another World U20 record

– The importance of atmosphere, crowd energy

– Voicemails include: Brainstorming running drinking games, destination races, and the always-dangerous idea of turning endurance into a social activity

This is yet another ongoing attempt to keep this podcast somewhere between analysis and complete derailment.

📞 Call in to [phone]‬ to leave us a voicemail with any question you may have, whether it’s running-related or not.

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🗣️ Follow Eric Jenkins: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@_ericjenkins⁠⁠⁠⁠

🗣️ Follow Aisha Praught-Leer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@aishapraughtleer

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⚠️ WARNING ⚠️

Listening to “Off The Rails with Eric and Aisha” while running may result in uncontrollable laughter, side stitches, funny looks from strangers, and the occasional trip hazard due to snort-laughing mid-stride. Proceed with caution—and maybe stretch your abs beforehand. Use caution when wearing earbuds in public places—people will wonder if you’re okay. You are. You’re just having a really good time.