The Power Motion Picnic Hour

Dave visits Milan and takes the listener on a journey through the city's rich history with a few modern-day running tips added along the way. A friendly neighbor shares her knowledge of mushrooms with Trevor who also discusses the year's successful sunchoke harvest. The hosts consider the question of who is the greatest freeskier of all time?

Composer, runner, and friend of the podcast Brendan Eder returns and provides an update on his running progress and recent experimentations with casual swearing. Trevor debuts a successful piano piece and Dave lands a top finish at a recent road race. The hosts make a last-minute attempt to hype up Brendan for his run and forget to ask about Dave Rawlings.

Dave brings a surprise out of the Gear Shed and possibly achieves a goal others, including Trevor, once thought impossible. Contemporary minimalist jazz musicians Wolfgang Muthspiel and Gia Margaret live the dream of a 4-song Song of the Week pairing.

Special Guest Abby Bennett, a runner and endurance athlete from Jackson, NH, turns the tables on Dave and Trevor, and then joins in a discussion about running terrain, local ski areas, and other classic topics on this week’s episode of the Power Motion Picnic Hour.

Eric Howk, guitarist for Portugal. The Man and prolific night runner, joins as Special Guest. The Burton Cummings Theatre in Winnipeg does good in the end, even as the podcast loses a sponsorship opportunity with Indianapolis. Trevor takes a long walk and the hosts emerge from the Gear Shed adorned in lawn ornaments.

Musician and artist William Harries Graham joins as Special Guest and offers a lead in the ongoing search for David Rawlings. The Power Motion Picnic Hour community takes home some big victories at recent races and the Bird of the Week segment makes a soaring return.

The hosts run the proverbial winding road to topics such as death, love, mercy, and a Quebec Mega Trail Race Recap. Tone is identified as something that matters.

Popular Runner Jim Pergolizzi returns as Special Guest with a Tusk Song of the Week, a race recap, and a favorable Gear Shed shoe review in hand. The Season 5 Target Special Guest is revealed..

Dave and Trevor duck into the gear shed and pop out with new hats, fresh mispronunciations, and fond memories of old shoes. The spotlight turns perhaps unexpectedly to several Fleetwood Mac guitarists. Both Viking running and the USATF New England Youth Spring Invitational are covered.

Accomplished mountain athlete, author, and founder Keri Wallace joins as Special Guest and helps the hosts with various time, distance, and temperature conversions. Contemporary Scottish musicians bring new sensibilities to their country’s traditions. Brent Mydland receives positive recognition as part of a debut segment.

Special Guest Luke McCambley, also known as the Orange Runner, discusses his path from boxing to becoming a cartoonist interested in running, baseball, and trains. Dave shares about his Crescent City 10k experience and Trevor mounts yet another campaign to return to running consistency. The post office is generally praised by all despite its quirks.

The prolific filmmaker, musician, and long distance walker Matt Farley helps kick things off as the first Special Guest of Season 5. Regional cuisines and dialects are explored, and a friendly new societal norm is established. In an alleged lapse of podcasting ethical standards, Brian Wilson’s favorite movie is revealed again.

The hosts navigate a gloomy discussion about the weather and society, and arrive in sunny California for some classic runs and additional talk about the Grateful Dead. The Power Motion Picnic Hour shares a holiday gift idea, which turns out to be just the first four Meat Puppets albums on CD. They talk about several deaths again and a Song of the Week emerges almost as if by chance.

A successful week in running includes a better than expected performance at the Hexenfeuer and a Central Park 20k. The door to the Gear Shed swings open and a new Song of the Week runs for both the hosts. D Boon’s stage moves also run.

Special Guest Tim Ball returns to the Power Motion Picnic Hour after finishing the 2024 NYC Marathon several thousand places ahead of co-host Dave. Trevor makes some bold and likely incorrect statements about math. Uncle John’s Band emerges from a late 1969 Dark Star only to resurface in Saratoga Springs 37 years later.

Special Guest Suzie Clinchy is expanding access to running for people of all ages and abilities - from New York to other cities including LA, Boston, Detroit, and soon Miami. A spotlight on cross-country running reveals the actual distances of its races. The 2024 Power Motion Picnic Hour Community Mile is potentially reformatted to a 110m distance.

Kern Haug, runner and drummer from the band Agriculture, joins as Special Guest in the Season 4 premiere of The Power Motion Picnic Hour. Hosts Dave and Trevor ride along on a trip through undiscovered parts of LA as another local Special Guest sets a perceived PR in the 5k. Some running is celebrated in Mexico City.

As Season 3 comes to a close, Special Guest Hilary McCloy informs the co-hosts about a now defunct minor ski area of New England and shares some incredibly knowledgeable information about running. Some new segments are debuted including Children’s Skiing Book of the Week and Podcast Length Non-Podcast of the Week. Abundant accomplishments of the greater community are celebrated from Paris to the 5th Avenue Mile.

The hosts pop out of the Gear Shed with their finest podcasting shoes on to celebrate a Week in Running packed with major accomplishments by Special Guests. A dear listener hits the mailbag with a heartfelt tribute song and Dave logs a high number of perceived miles ahead of some upcoming races.

More dots are connected between various Special Guests and a minor ski area of New England. The Power Motion Picnic Hour deepens its ties to LA with mentions of several Warren Zevon songs. Both listener and host are left wondering whether the episode is the season finale.

Special Guest Will Sheff, founder and frontman of Okkervil River, discusses his upcoming benefit for Whaleback Mountain and other exciting topics including a famous New Hampshire gas station. The subject of running is broached along with early 2000s music piracy. The Power Motion Picnic Hour community prepares for the Paris Games.

Renowned podcaster and multi-day ultra specialist Will Peterson joins as Special Guest. A running podcast alliance of sorts forms around Zach Miller’s lack of a White Mountains Hut Traverse FKT attempt. A Fortissimo Runner of the Week makes headlines as some new segments are debuted.

Musician and explorer of unruly places Tim Hill joins as Special Guest and participates in the gradual devolution of a popular running podcast turned ambient music discussion. The hosts spend a majority of their time with him variously mispronouncing words and talking about Brian Eno. Important race recaps are also covered amidst a traditional opening of the mailbag and receipt of a correction.

In a lively conversation with ultrarunner and former saxophonist Chadd Cosse, few parallels are found between long distance running and playing basketball. During discussion about training for Cocodona while living in New York City, a new variation of the Manhattan Loop FKT is established.

The accomplished bassist and runner Bobby Daniel joins as Special Guest and talks music and running with hosts Dave and Trevor. Celebrations, a big Western States race preview, and self-referential comments are mixed with occasionally poignant moments. Listener Dan receives a special request.

Ultrarunner and Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan Jeff Colt joins as Special Guest and describes a naked Hut Traverse FKT attempt and his experience beating an apparition of David Hedges at UTMB. The hosts power through a gritty Race Recap, Book Club, and Song of the Week. Popular Runner Jim Pergolizzi receives confirmation that the owl he hallucinated was actually real. Another cliffhanger is introduced.

Towards the end of a fun conversation, the hosts and this week’s Special Guest, the runner and musician Sam Allen, still wonder whether the actual podcasting is happening yet. A live race update pertaining to another Special Guest hits the mailbag.

A great week of running transpires with both distance and gardening achievements to celebrate. In the Song of the Week segment, two running songs by one band are compared. Moments of vulnerability emerge.

Alejandro Escovedo joins as Special Guest and shares stories about running and music, from Italian trails to AC/DC fartleks. Conversation wends its way into a very special Gear Shed. Trevor regrets disparaging the dear listener.

Special Guest Eva Houston follows her recent Boston Marathon finish with a conversation with Dave and Trevor about the race, thoughts on inclusion in sport, and an impromptu Song of the Week. Parallels are drawn between David Bowie and Tatyana McFadden.

An overflowing mailbag yields briar patches and obscure Argentinian music recommendations. The hosts share stories about talking about running amidst intermittent references to both running and the podcast itself.

The co-hosts try to avoid potholes as they navigate the potential science behind ‘Power Up’ signs. A much anticipated LA Race Recap occurs along with some surprise Barkley Marathons coverage. Popular Runner Jim Pergolizzi reports mixed conditions at the Devil’s Shadow 50k.

The Power Motion Picnic Hour resolves the debate about tapering before a big race. Dave concludes his training for LA and convinces Trevor to run a road marathon in 2025. Traditional songs are surveyed alongside a good song written by a bad person.

As Dave approaches the tapering stage of his training block for the LA Marathon, Trevor offers some ideas derived from his experience with poor race execution. The Power Motion Picnic Hour community makes a strong showing at Trans Gran Canaria and the music of Frank Zappa is discussed.

The hosts kickoff season 3 with a spotty if eventually thorough recap of the Krampus Classic as Dave reminisces about a past 5th place finish of his own. Special Guest Matthew Cull recounts his 1993 Hut Traverse FKT and other memorable moments from a life of running and adventure. A short conversation about the UK mod revival of the late 1970s ensues.

In the season two finale, The Power Motion Picnic Hour delivers relatively few surprises and ends up dwelling on the nature of authenticity for several minutes. Popular Runner Jim Pergolizzi avoids a second snubbing, Trevor tells a story backwards, and votes are tallied for an upcoming trail run Dave never asked for.

Joined by Special Guest Kristina Folcik, The Power Motion Picnic Hour considers whether early humans might have been born to ultrarun. Some big trail running ideas are floated for Dave following an enjoyable outing in Cardiff that is being categorized as his first trail run. Cross-species running skills are examined as the trail etiquette of dogs comes into question. Trevor discovers a bison paddock.

Hosts Dave and Trevor hit the ground running in the new year with robust thoughts on bank holidays, physios, and two-in-ones. Questions are raised about the geography of Wales, several corrections are issued, and past bravado is reconciled. Special Guests and Listeners connect via the mailbag.

Special Guests of The Power Motion Picnic Hour share updates and insights on life, running, and the Electric Light Orchestra. A plan for a Great Range Traverse in 2024 gathers steam, Murakami wins and a rather predictable landslide occurs in Oat Bar of the Year.

Special Guest Katie Schide shares wonderful perspective on running and explains the High Huts of the White Mountains to Dave. Some listener soul math reveals insights, if not a technically correct answer. Some new minor ski areas of New England are referenced.

Accomplished long distance runner Cole Crosby joins as Special Guest and discusses races, FKTs, and the meditative qualities of running. The hosts go on an unrelated tangent about shirts Dave used to wear and Trevor recalls a lighthearted jab he heard on a fellow running podcast.

After returning from the Parapan American Games with 4 medals, Beatriz Hatz joins the Power Motion Picnic Hour as Special Guest. The podcast considers the idea of sponsoring a runner and Tom Bosworth reports a new mile time.

Sub-fortissimo listeners are introduced to the television show Candid Camera as hosts Dave and Trevor reveal fun facts about the intersection of running and the Empire State Building. Runners are caught unawares and presented with free Bobos.

Trevor’s running partner Lenny is deemed ‘Fly AF’ in one of several intermittent openings of the mailbag. An attempted Feelies approximation goes sideways as ‘Song of the Week’ once again divides the hosts. Listener Dan eventually learns about his Community Mile results

Sheffield, UK, can be an unforgiving place to get lost on a run as Special Guest and musician runner Jesse Chandler can attest. Passersby mistake dehydration for angel dust vibes and The Power Motion Picnic Hour staff get the mailbag prepped as the next ‘Song of the Week’ is pre-announced. Will it run?

The hosts take lessons about internet algorithms from this week’s ‘Song of the Week’ artist, the Skinner Brothers. Dave completes a classic route along the Charles and rounds it up to 10km as Trevor finds another meaning for ‘No Excuses’. This year’s Boston qualifiers come up a Bosworth mile short of the cutoff.

The Community Mile brought out strong performances from across the globe spanning many types of ambulation. Special Guest Tim Ball joins in on the celebratory recap and crosses the Delaware in pursuit of big goals. Trevor has a technical bonk at the Kilkenny Ridge Race that not even aid station quesadillas could cure, yet digs deep to deliver some strong mid-race jokes.

The hosts and Special Guest Randy Weld tie their ‘No Excuses’ laces real tight for a scorching race preview of The Community Mile. Coach’s advice for successful race day execution reaches the community days after the event. An explanation for the name of the podcast is requested and its etymology is revealed.

Olympic race walker Tom Bosworth joins The Power Motion Picnic Hour as Special Guest and discusses everything from the relegation zone to the film scores of Hans Zimmer. The Community Mile competition heats up as Tom enters the field to run against his own world record race walk time. Dave contemplates hill sprints on Little Island.

Greatly anticipated details about The Community Mile are shared even as doubts are raised about potential participation from the Belgian listener. Dave develops plans to take in local running culture north of the border and Trevor tells the story of his momentous Kilkenny Ridge Race qualification. Ideas are raised for a Power Motion Picnic Hour bus stop ad and a boring new podcast targeted at ultra runners.