The Source Material: Episode 2 - Runners and Crew

Guests Featured Richard Shannon Zambia: first Zambian to run the Barkley Marathons Isobel Ross Australian at her third Barkley attempt Elizabeth Bespalov Isobel's daughter, crew member, learned about the race at age 5 Ben Wernick South Wales, ran despite near-fatal rhabdomyolysis two weeks prior Chris Fisher Former Navy SEAL Hell Week, on 'elective suffering' Kelly Halpin 3D model of Frozen Head, trained with nightmares about topo lines Brian Ralph Kelly's crew, the Indy car pit stop analogy Tomo Ihara From Japan on his sixth Barkley attempt John Clark Ten years working toward this start Kris Rugloski First-ever DNF, at the Barkley Dena Carr Runner, pre-race conversation Key Themes Who the Barkley selects for: the application process as first filter Elective suffering: the philosophy connecting SEAL training, ultra running, and the Barkley Crewing at a race with no information, the unique anxiety of waiting at the gate How people arrive at the Barkley from completely different corners of the world The post-race reckoning: pride, disappointment, and the immediate question of whether to come back Standout Moment Elizabeth Bespalov: 'I first learned about this race when I was maybe five or six. I'd fallen asleep in the car and when I woke up, all I heard was that the race was about books. And I was just enthralled because I loved books. I was like, this is the best race ever, mom.' Series Context Bonus Episode 02 of 06. Follows Ground Zero at the 2025 Barkley Marathons. Next episode: 99 Seconds - Jasmine Paris. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.