Nobody Asked Us with Des & Kara

"The files are in the computer."  Guess that movie reference as we open the show! Well, the runners were in the TV this weekend with live action at the Houston Marathon/Half Marathon and the World XC Champs in Florida. Des was on the call in Houston on Sunday, and both Des and Kara watched the coverage of the races in Tallahassee on Saturday. What amazing races they were!  They cover all of the amazing chaos from World XC (from water to "mud" to obstacles and snakes), which made for some carnage on the course. Jacob Kiplimo from Uganda won the men's race, and Caroline Agnes Ngetich absolutely stole the show on the women's side. Des and Kara talk about it all and assess the US performances, with both men and women finishing in 4th place in the team results. Congrats to Tallahassee for putting on a great show! Then in Houston, perfect weather brought some very fast times. You had 4 US men under 60 for the first time in a single race, with both the US men's and women's half records very nearly going down. And in the marathon, Zouhair Talbi won the men's marathon in 2:05:45 with the third fastest time ever by an American. Talbi is a recently naturalized citizen. He can't compete for the US yet but should be eligible by the 2028 Games, so watch that name. Great Britain's Calli Hauger-Thackery won the women's marathon in 2:24:17 after also winning Honolulu just a month ago.  Finally, they talk about a big doping bust in marathoning - Albert Korir - before ending on a more positive note with a top 5 for the week. We are only 13 days into January and already 3 episodes into this fourth season of podcasts for Des and Kara. It's going to be a good year!

Des and Kara are back in Houston for 2026 with another podcast, live from the Cullen Theater. We had another great turn-out, and the crowd brought their A game with great questions. The audio is clean for a live pod, and the content on this one is must-listen.  Des and Kara start with some preview thoughts on World XC and on Houston Marathon weekend. Then, they take a little trip down podcast memory lane as they enter their 4th year of podcasting together. Finally, the crowd brings their A game with some fire questions. You get breaking news from Des on her 2026 racing calendar, and you might just learn something new about the two of them. There are some fun facts in here that not many know, plus plenty of inspiration to go around. Thanks to everyone who joined us and good luck to everyone racing on Sunday! Note: Unfortunately, this one is audio only as we had a video malfunction. We apologize to our YouTube loyalists!  

Most importantly, if you will be in Houston this weekend, get your tickets to the Des/Kara live pod there. 7 pm on Friday (1/9) at the Cullen Center Theater. Tickets here: https://performingartshouston.org/events/nobody-asked-us-with-des-and-kara-2026-01-09-700-pm/. We hope to see you there! Now with this episode, Kara and Des kick-off 2026 with updates on their holidays, their winter training, and some tips on how to beat the winter training doldrums yourself. Cold or bad weather - don't sweat it! Roll with the punches, and remember that it is ok to modify or miss a day on occasion. And... that rule actually applies all the time whether it's winter or not.  They also give brief previews of the events of this weekend including the Houston Marathon and Half Marathon and World XC in Florida. To watch World XC, tune into NBC and Peacock on Saturday morning (1/10). The mixed races start at 9:45 ET, and the senior races are at 11:35 am and 12:20 am for women and men respectively. While the two-time defending champion Beatrice Chebet is out, the fields are stacked and should make for exciting racing. Finally, they finish with a New Year top 5 as we start 2026 with a podcast banger! Happy New Year everyone!    

We are excited to wrap up the year with one final episode for 2025. Happy New Year's Eve everyone! As we wrap the year, we wanted to send a massive "thank you" to you for listening and to our presenting sponsor Brooks Running who makes so many things with the pod possible. Thank you Brooks. Go get yourself a pair of their shoes to kick off 2026! Also, Des and Kara will be in Houston for a live pod on Friday, January 9th at 7 pm at the Cullen Theater. Get your tickets here before they sell-out: https://performingartshouston.org/events/nobody-asked-us-with-des-and-kara-2026-01-09-700-pm/.  Now, this is a fun episode where Des and Kara give you a little update on NCAA madness before sharing their top 10 running stories of 2025. Reminsce on 2025 with them and then go ring in the New Year!

Breaking news: There will be a live pod in Houston. I repeat... there will be a live pod in Houston! Save the date for Friday, January 9th at 7 pm at the Cullen Theatre. Ticketing link coming very soon. This episode starts with an update on Kara's power outage and some crazy house issues that she's been dealing with over the weekend. She and family are ok, but there's been a lot of extra stress lately. Cue the deep breaths needed. Then, they turn to a discussion on the emerging details from Grand Slam Track's bankruptcy filing, including the large sums of money they owe so many creditors. Michael Johnson promised us transparency, and we are finally getting it because the court is forcing his hand. These new details also raise questions of transparency for some of the "journalism" partners involved. Des and Kara weigh in on whether Citius Mag in particular owed us more transparency about their financial partnership with GST. Big J or little j? Does it even matter when we are just asking for the big T - Transparency?! To conclude the episode, you get thoughts on The Marathon Project's place in the sport, an update on Save the 10,000, and a holiday top 5 to finish it off. Happy holidays everyone!