Nobody Asked Us with Des & Kara

"I may not be elite, but I will always be VIP." - Des Linden
That quote alone should be enough to suck you into this one. What a night in Boston!
Over 1,000 of you packed into the Berklee Performance Center near Boylston for a live taping of Nobody Asked Us with Des and Kara, presented by Brooks Running. Des and Kara delivered with an awesome night, breaking down the fields for the marathon, reminiscing on 2018, and giving you all of the motivation you need if you are racing yourself. This is a must-watch before Marathon Monday!

This episode was recorded on March 30th before Des left for Morocco. She is now in her 4th stage of the Marathon de Sables and absolutely crushing it across the Sahara. You can check the live results via the "LiveTrail" app. She's currently 4th overall female after 3 stages with the big 100K stage up next. The podium is within reach! Go Des!
In this episode, Des and Kara break down the start lists for the Boston Marathon and tell you what to expect at the front of the races - who are the favorites, who might win, and what to expect from the top Americans. They also talk Boston tactics and how those have evolved with the advent of super shoes. It's less than 2 weeks to Marathon Monday... let's go!
Note: Since the recording, Conner Mantz, Natosha Rogers, Megan Sailor, and Gabi Rooker have all withdrawn from the race.

Cue the latest running controversy because it had been a few weeks. 
But first (!), Kara and Des update you on their lives including the latest race from Colt, and of course, Des's final preparation for Marathon des Sables. She will soon be running self-supported across the Sahara desert. In fact, she lands in Morocco on the very day this episode posts. Go Des... we are ALL cheering for you!
Then if you missed it, Emma Bates posted on IG about getting "dropped" by UCAN (her nutrition sponsor) because of her pregnancy. Naturally, the world came to her defense, and now Emma is sharing more of her story on Ali Feller's podcast.
Kara is no stranger to this issue, so she and Des dig into it, raising some good questions on the topic as well as a host of related ones. The short answer is... it's complicated, as many things are for athletes that are contractors and not in-house employees. Overall though, more rights and support for pregnant athletes is needed, and Alysia Montaño and Allyson Felix are leading the way. If you want to help, then put your time, energy, and money behind their work!
Finally, we want to thank Lagoon for supporting the podcast (as well as Emma Bates even through her pregnancy)! Go take the quiz and get your pillow here: https://lagoonsleep.com/pages/lagoon-the-nobody-asked-us-podcast-from-kara-goucher-and-des-linden. Use code NOBODYASKEDUS for 15% off on your first purchase. 
Plus, get your tickets to the Boston live show here: https://www.berklee.edu/BPC/events/nobody-asked-us-with-des-kara. Use the following passwords to order:
Password for regular tickets: NAUBROOKS
Password for VIP meet and greet: NAUBROOKSBRC
We hope to see you all there!

We missed you last week as Kara was on vacation, and the internets weren't cooperating for a recording session. So... we are back this week with a longer episode to catch up on all the latest in life and running news. Grab your favorite cocktail or mocktail and get cozy!
We start with extended life updates. Kara breaks down Colt's amazing race at New Balance Indoor Nationals in Boston, where he won his heat in the mile. You get all of the proud-parent moments from Kara and some great perspective on supporting your kids in their dreams. She then shares about her amazing spring-break vacation to St. Maarten with friends, where beach time was what the doctor ordered. Cosmos were served nightly as Kara channeled her inner Carrie Bradshaw. Who knew she was a Sex and the City fan?!
Des talks about her weekend in Oakland where she used a half marathon as a training race and did some final testing with GU Energy to dial-in nutrition and hydration for MDS. She also discusses the result from her VO2Max test there, where nerves and her heart rate went to the max. Shout-out to GU for their extra support of Des for her race!
Then, they turn to a long list of running news with some controversial topics, including:
Jane Hendengren indoor NCAA titles
DQ in the men's 3K at NCAAs
D3 podium controversy involving Seth Clevenger
2:10 marathon debut for Fotyen Tesfay (and the associated chatter)
Grant Fisher's half debut in NYC
All of the action from World Indoors, including so many medals for Team USA, and another amazing battle between Hocker, Kerr, and Nuguse
As always, they finish with a Top 5 to round out the episode including a warm welcome to team Brooks for Clayton Young!
Thank you to Brooks Running and ButcherBox for sponsoring this one. As an exclusive offer from ButcherBox, our listeners get their choice of organic ground beef, chicken breast OR steaks added to every box for a year, PLUS $20 off on your first box when you go to ButcherBox.com/nobody.
That's right - your choice of organic ground beef, chicken breast or steak in EVERY box for an entire year, PLUS $20 off your first box, and free shipping always! Check it out at the link above.

The running community was up in arms this past week over so many things, so naturally Des and Kara must talk about it! Yes, they get to the positive aftermath of the Atlanta kerfluffle, and then they dig into the NYC marathon charity debate, the LA marathon "photo finish," the course misdirection for the leader there, and of course, the 18-mile medal drama. 
But first! They give you an extended life update where Kara talks about her tentative optimism about her own running (with support from her Lever), and Des shares the latest on training for the Sahara via sunny Florida.
All in all, we just want people to relax a little on the socials. It is ok to vehemently disagree with someone on there without wanting to ruin their life. Plus, we have to give USATF and the Atlanta Track Club for doing their best to resolve the issue at the US Half Champs. And, we have to give the LA Marathon kudos for doing their best to avoid cancelling a race where weather presented a real risk for some. Congrats also to Nathan Martin for his win at LA! It was an epic finish for a great guy!
Finally, you get a cameo from me - Chris McClung - the editor. Des and Kara invited me to talk about my first stage race at Moab Run the Rocks this past weekend. It was awesome, and I highly recommend it as a way to dip your toe into stage racing if interested. Not everyone has to jump straight to Marathon de Sables like Des!
Now to support the pod and get your LEVER Movement system, use code NOBODYASKEDUS for 20% off here...
Purchase link: https://bit.ly/4bLI2tG.