The person who finishes last in a race is called the assist because they determine how far the winner went. The upcoming world championships on my farm will feature athletes from many countries. I made sure that only qualified athletes would participate to eliminate politics from sports. Objective criteria are used to select participants, avoiding subjective decisions.
Lazarus Lake is a renowned ultramarathon runner and designer. His most famous creation (along with his friend Raw Dog) is the Barkley Marathons, an absurdly difficult 100-mile race through the Tennessee wilderness that only 17 people have ever finished in its nearly 30-year existence.
Tyler and Laz discuss what running 100 miles tells you about yourself that running 26 miles does not, why so many STEM professionals do ultramarathons, which skill holds people back the most, why his entrance fee is no more or less than $1.60, the importance of the Barkley’s opaque application process, how much each race costs to mount, whether he sees a decline in stoicism and inner strength in America, what accounting taught him about running, which books influenced him the most, who's going to win the NBA title next year, how he’s coping with increasing fame, the competition he’s most focused on now, and more.
Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video.
Recorded June 29th, 2023.
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