Zach Bitter: Fat Adapted Endurance Training And How To Break 100-Mile Records

Dec 2, 2022

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I first met this episode’s guest, elite professional ultra-runner Zach Bitter way back in 2016, back when he was first starting, getting himself on the map and dreaming of a career in ultra marathon running—and now look at what’s happened to his career!

Besides being the national 100k champion and holder of many other titles and records, Zach was an early pioneer in the ultra running scene, and is known for his success at pushing the edges of human performance as a fat adapted endurance athlete. He also hosts the wonderful Human Performance Outliers podcast.

To get a sense of the level he’s performed at, get this: he set the world record in the 100 mile run (on an indoor track) when he caught the time of 11 hours and 40 minutes. That is an average pace per mile of 6:48. The next time you run, try to see if you can run a 6:48! He also set an amazing record for 100 miles on a treadmill in 12 hours and 18 minutes. You’re going to learn so much from Zach in this show as this absolute endurance machine talks about his background and training, his take on minimalist footwear and the reason why he actually still wears “normal” shoes (and how often). You will also hear him discuss his revolutionary training methods, what he does in order to race more efficiently and recover faster, and much more! Enjoy the show and connect with Zach via his website, linked below.

TIMESTAMPS:

Brad reviews conversation from 2016 with Zach Bitter when he was just getting started in his career in ultra-running. [01:05]

Zach Bitter’s amazing fetes include setting a world record in the hundred-mile run on an indoor track. [02:11]

Zach and Brad are both fans of minimalist shoes, but they intersperse wearing those with “puffy” shoes. [04:02]

The big goal of the Faster Study was to find out what is the difference in energy oxidation rates between carbs and fats. [06:06]

You can get better and better at burning fat and your’re gonna need fewer ingested calories. [08:10]

On the Western States 100-mile race Zach ate very little fruit and drank only water with electrolytes. [10:23]

In the beginning in the ultra-scene, Zach was carb fueled. What changes have you noticed? [12:46]

As Zach transitioned his diet, he slowed his training a bit. [16:03]

The experience of oxidative stress comes from consuming the carbohydrates. [20:09]

When restricting dietary carbs, it has a potent anti-inflammatory effect known to be at the level of the most powerful drugs. [24:20]

Zach lowers the carb intake to get better performance. [25:19]

Has there been a change in the ultra-scene towards that adaption? [30:39]

What tips does Zach have for runners looking to make the transition? Be patient is the first one. Get good sleep. [33:48]

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