Michael Versteeg | 2024 Cocodona 250 Recap, Reflections On The Soul Of Ultrarunning
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 มิ.ย. 2024
- Michael Versteeg joins the show for a wide-ranging conversation about ultrarunning.
Timestamps:
(0:52) - the story behind 2021 Cocodona 250 race report, Arizona trail running ambassadorship, countercultural tendencies
(15:11) - more Cocodona 250 discussion - the direction the race is headed in, popularity, what makes it special, 2024 experience racing the likes of Harry, Jeff Browning, Arlen Glick, Joe McConaughy, etc
(34:26) - discussion about the sustainability of a competitive mindset and whether it interferes with mental health
(59:57) - Saddles 100, philosophy about ultrarunning events, sponsorship, etc
(94:26) - overall philosophy of living and building
(141:20) - experience at the 2015 Ultramarathon Caballo Blanco
(152:18) - experience at the Alaska Mountain Wilderness Classic
(170:44) - inspiration from John Wesley Powell
(180:09) - takeaways from the conversation, race directing ideas
(200:01) - influence of parenthood
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This guy is my people. Cheers Michael
Immediately one of my favourite pods of all time. Versteeg’s self awareness and authenticity are rare qualities in an age where social media has skewed the reality of being a human being
mmmm agree..and thanks for tuning in
Really enjoyed this. Thank you!
Agreed with most of the commenters, this is absolutely amazing, Mauri ora korua
Absolutely a fantastic discussion with Versteeg. I admit my impression of him was uninformed, and certainly not based on who he actually is. This will be at the top of my list for a long time. He is , as anyone would expect, far more thoughtful, insightful and awesome. Realizing this is just a snapshot of who he is, but still, truly opened my eyes as to who he is. Amazing work on this and really highlights what matters or should within our crazy passion of running the trail
Such a good convo. Love the long form-well done!
So far my favorite interview of the year! Michael is such an interesting guy.
That means a lot! Put a lot of love into that conversation
@@runsingletrack hes like Antons crazy cousin lol
I really enjoyed this one! I listened a few days ago on a long run and it was fantastic! The discussion about how boredom spawns creativity is something I wholeheartedly agree with. Plus a little STP reference always puts a smile on my face.
Love Stone Temple Pilots..and agree about the boredom comment..I need to inject some more of that in my life
Loved this long form format. Just chill
Hope to do more in this format
amazing amazing interview, however, i have to disagree on the characterization that there's some sort of aggressive bro-culture -informed by david goggins- aspect to trail running. I dont detect that at all. I do hear alot of jokes where Goggins is the butt of jokes in trail running, and maybe we should layoff on that. I've never been inspired by the guy, and am not sure trail runners are. Road running racing, on the other hand, does have an aggressive unhealthy segment, but just a segment. Anyway, I was one of the people in the cocadona livestream chat referring to michael as "that fast cult leader," making fun of his appearance. I have to say after hearing this podcast though, if he's a cult leader I want to join (presuming its one about nature).
I think I feel a similar way..there was certainly a point in my life when Goggins spoke to me..maybe there needs to be some sort of labeling on types of content and influencers where it's like "if you're going through this, or new here, or feeling x emotion - this is for you"
Love this!
thank you!!!
tyvm for sharing
My pleasure! Thanks for watching - Finn
Listened to much of this during yesterday's 21 miler in the heat. Man he is a chatty guy! lol. And impossible not to like.
Agree..thanks for bringing us with you too..hope some of the conversation distracted you from that sometimes oppressive thing we call the sun
I appreciate his perspective but disagree in some areas (unsurprising, as I think anyone might disagree with at least one or two things discussed here). I especially disagree with his comment that we somehow need to come to terms with or even embrace hypocrisy. If he disagrees with UTMB's approach, then he shouldn't run it. This is what Damian Hall has done (I even disagree with Hall in this area too, in that he says we're all hypocrites to some extent) in choosing not to run UTMB. Instead of embracing hypocrisy, we should examine contradictions and slippery slopes, for how they will affect our trail running activities over multiple time scales. I think Michael needs to tighten up his thinking. BTW, I just ordered a box of NAAK bars and purees using your discount code. Thank you!
Versteeg in Hokas @ UTMB 2025.. imagine..
It's so hard to hahahahaha..but never say never, right?
If you don't do your timestamps in 00:00 manner, they won't work. Half of them are pure text
ahh thanks for pointing that out..will try to fix
To simply put it, actions speak louder than words. I find it odd that Michael Verstigue is looking to put on a grassroots race when one already exists in his own backyard. The Man Against Horse race is a small grassroots race that has existed for 40 years and does not have any large sponsors. The race is a classic and gives back to the local community by donating its proceeds to charities. Saddles has crowded the local race as it is during the same month. To call yourself a hypocrite to deflect from your actions is disappointing.
Hey James!
This is the first time this has come on my radar, so I apologize for the ignorance..also note that I'm not asking these questions with a particular motive by the way. I could be swayed in either direction.
Some initial questions -
What does it mean to crowd the local market?
Is it realistic to avoid any level of event conflict in the current landscape when races are popping up everywhere (not just across the state, but the region and the country and the world)?
Is Saddles doing enough by selecting a totally separate weekend in the month?
Could Saddles via Michael and Satisfy's marketing efforts and built-in audience actually be generating brand new demand and thus bringing in a whole different cohort of runners that wouldn't necessarily be simultaneously considering Man Against Horse?
@@runsingletrack Hey Finn, thanks for responding! Let me start off by saying I have nothing against Michael. I just don't understand the negative opinions of other races and runners. The conversation during the podcast pushes towards not liking races with corporate sponsorships. Yet he now has a race that has just that.
The market is absolutely crowded in AZ. For example, we have four100 mile races in AZ and they all fall within 8 weeks of each other. One of those races the Mogollon Monster is a Hardrock qualifier and is the only HR100 qualifying race to not sell out immediately if not at all. In October we have 5 ultramarathon races in the month alone. To say these are not pulling from each other or to say the market is not crowded on an already small sport is simply not true. Especially when you can see race numbers decline once surrounding races have come in.
My issue is that he claims to want to have and is a fan of a smaller grassroots race yet pulls away from that exact type of race by hosting his own the same month in the same small town. While someone might run Saddles a hundred mile race then turn around and run Man Against Horse a 50 mile race 2 weeks later it is more likely that they would not. If you say they are two different distances so you are pulling two different demographics this is also not true as saddles has a 50 mile distance as well.
Implying that Satisfy and Michael are bringing in more demand or a new audience of runners out than why not instead of creating a new race that can and is pulling from an existing race would they not rather help out a race that's already in place in that same timeframe and help sustain it. Especially one that has such rich history where Michael himself has run in and is aware of.
With Aravaipa and Saddles already being partners why not just add the 100 mile to Whiskeys Basin a race that they have up in Prescott that happens in the spring? A spring 100 in AZ would be amazing. No summer heat training for AZ runners.
Again, it comes down to action over words. To bash others over what you stand for than contradict your stand and call yourself a hypocrite to deflect was just hard for me to hear. Especially on a subject close to the heart.
I really care about ultra running history and historical races and seeing them hang on for life is tough. Instead of climbing on top of each other I think we should be working together to grow these races as history matters!
Thanks for the time! long time listener and first time commentor :)
P.S. Goggins has been in the ultra scene since the late 90's and I used to kick his butt as a kid all the time. Dude is much nicer than what he seam's so don't judge a book by its cover.
You have to be careful. Idealism can make one judgemental. You can miss the good in the people you think are bad.
You should redo the interview when he is on Shrooms . He would have put off way less “GET OFF MY LAWN” old man vibes 😂
While a lot of things he said were total baseless and far fetched ,I still enjoyed his take and like anyone that puts their feelings out there for the world. I liked him more by the end
Welcome back, or welcome to, the Finn Melanson Experience.
Hahahahaha...I'll take it
Get Chadd Wright on here next
What's his story?
@@runsingletrack he’s a former navy seal now ultra runner, not quite David goggins style but similar, has opposite points of view on a lot of topics that Michael brought up, but I think people would find a lot of similarities between the two people outside this politically driven stuff and stick to the running. I really like Michael, watching him has gotten me to fall in love with trail running, dudes got an awesome chill vibe would be an incredible person to spend some time with. I don’t like this sort of gate keeping behavior it seems he’s coming up with lately, he seems bothered by the fact trail running is becoming more popular, why not promote some inclusivity in the sport rather than talking crap about new people you’re seeing trail running and spouting off a very uninformed opinion of David goggins, I’ve never seen anything with David Goggins even close to the idea that he likes to see people fail. Where did versteeg come up with this? I understand Michael doesn’t agree with trump, but just because someone says they want to “crush” their run today doesn’t mean they are some hypermasculine trump supporter. Wild stuff.
Goggins doesn't want to see other people fail, not sure where that came from. He just has an unorthodox way of motivating others. I would say almost nobody wants to see others fail or win because their competition was weak. The dilemma of being liberal and wanting to live in a rural area. Rural and urban living require different priorities, so tend to lean the obvious ways on the political spectrum.
interesting points here..thanks for tuning in and weighing in! Much appreciated