Home Podcasts Human Performance Outliers Podcast with Zach Bitter
Human Performance Outliers Podcast with Zach Bitter

Human Performance Outliers Podcast with Zach Bitter

Zach Bitter 512 Episodes Sep 10, 2026

Human Performance Outliers Podcast is hosted by Zach Bitter, who explores topics related to health, fitness, endurance, running, hybrid athlete training, ultramarathon, and nutrition. The show features interviews with individuals pushing their limits and researchers in a variety of sports, fitness, and nutrition fields. Each episode delves into the science and personal experiences behind exceptional human performance.

Episodes

Episode 501: First Double Amputee To Finish Leadville 100 Mile Run | Brian Reynolds
Episode 501: First Double Amputee To Finish Leadville 100 Mile Run | Brian Reynolds Sep 10, 2026 01:19:36 Brian Reynolds is a Brooks-sponsored double below-knee amputee runner who, in 2026, became the first athlete in that category to finish the Leadville Trail 100 — on his fourth try, in 28 hours 55 minutes. He lost both legs at age four to meningococcemia, a rare bacterial infection with grim survival odds. For years he hid the amputation and stayed off the trails. A Grand Canyon hike cracked that o
Run The News | Phil Gore Shocks Backyard World & Meg Eckert Targets Men's 6-Day American Record
Run The News | Phil Gore Shocks Backyard World & Meg Eckert Targets Men's 6-Day American Record Sep 7, 2026 24:26 Phil Gore holds the World Best Backyard record with 119 yards (495.87 miles). In an effort to see what he could actually do, he set up a project targeting yards/hours. Meg Eckert may be the most underrated ultramarathon athlete in the game right now. She is currently on pace to break her own women's 6-day World Record, and also the outright American Record. Finally, I touch on some thoughts around
Episode 500: The Truth Behind Run Slow To Run Fast | Thomas Nobbs
Episode 500: The Truth Behind Run Slow To Run Fast | Thomas Nobbs Sep 3, 2026 01:12:56 Thomas Nobbs is a professional marathon athlete with a 2:09 PR, and endurance coach. His progression to 2:09 speaks for itself, and his public strava profile shows how he has balanced lots of low intensity running and key quality sessions. Thomas is currently training for the Chicago Marathon, where he plans to once again improve his marathon PR.  Thomas: teamrunrun.com/coach/tom-nobbs | IG: @nobb
Episode 499: REDs & Body Composition | Dr. Trent Stellingwerff
Episode 499: REDs & Body Composition | Dr. Trent Stellingwerff Aug 28, 2026 01:12:50 Dr. Trent Stellingwerff joined the show to discuss the topic of relative energy deficiency syndrome (REDs) in endurance athletes, and body competition management. Trent includes working with the Women's Health, Sport & Performance Institute (WHSP) in Boston Trent is the Chief Performance Officer (CPO) at the Canadian Sports Institute. Trent has developed many national and international collaborati
Run The News | Mark Dowdle Goes Crazy At Last Soul Ultra
Run The News | Mark Dowdle Goes Crazy At Last Soul Ultra Aug 24, 2026 01:01:14 Mark Dowdle arrives 15 minutes before the start of Last Soul Ultra, but still wins with nearly 400 miles. Should we have more unsupported ultra running events? Badwater 135 lack of streaming and interesting shoe policy. Jeff Garmire joins me to discuss and share his upcoming documentary. Jeff Garmire: freeoutside.com | IG: @thefreeoutside | YT: @Freeoutside Episode Sponsors: LMNT: drinkLMNT.com/H
Episode 498: 2:59 to 2:18 Marathon | Matt Fox - Sweat Elite
Episode 498: 2:59 to 2:18 Marathon | Matt Fox - Sweat Elite Aug 20, 2026 01:29:16 Matt Fox joined me to chat about his interest in the marathon after coming from a National class middle distance background, his trajectory with content creation, the Chinese running shoe market, and his power weight ratio journey.  Matt Fox: sweatelite.co | IG: @mattinglisfox Episode Sponsors: LMNT: drinkLMNT.com/HPO (free sample pack with purchase) deltaG: deltagketones.com Code: BITTER20 (2
Episode 497: Blood Clot Defeated & Return To Training
Episode 497: Blood Clot Defeated & Return To Training Aug 13, 2026 26:11 I reached the end of my journey with the blood clot I discovered at the end of June. I learned a lot through the process, along with information about my personal risk for blood clotting. I unpack all of that and share my return to training.  Episode Sponsors: LMNT: drinkLMNT.com/HPO (free sample pack with purchase) deltaG: deltagketones.com Code: BITTER20 (20% Off) Kila Insoles: kilarun.com
Episode 496: Fueling Your Ultra: Strategies & Challenges | Vic Johnson
Episode 496: Fueling Your Ultra: Strategies & Challenges | Vic Johnson Aug 7, 2026 01:09:37 Vic Johnson shares the practical limits of high-carb strategies, discusses how carbohydrate needs can exceed what the gut can absorb, especially under heat and high intensity. Vic shares typical successful ranges, why hotter races and faster pacing worsen digestion, and emphasizes consistent intake over large boluses that can trigger GI issues. They discuss individualizing targets for mid-pack run
Episode 495: Performance Enhancing Drugs In Ultramarathon | Kilian Korth
Episode 495: Performance Enhancing Drugs In Ultramarathon | Kilian Korth Jul 29, 2026 01:55:25 Kilian Korth joined the show to have a discussion around ultrarunning's growing professionalization without sophisticated regulated drug testing, the limits and trade-offs of WADA/USADA-style regimes, and why "doping" as a blanket term obscures intent and severity. We unpack gray areas such as THC thresholds, TUE complexity for common medications, transparency vs backlash, influencer incentives, a
Run The News | Josh Kerr Shatters 27 Year Old Mile World Record
Run The News | Josh Kerr Shatters 27 Year Old Mile World Record Jul 20, 2026 01:14:16 Josh Kerr shattered the mile World Record, running 3:42.66. Everett Smulders has run 3:58 in the mile, and follows the sport closely, so he joined me to discuss everything surrounding this historic day. We dive into what made this such a mainstream attention grabber, what made it stand out from similar accomplishments, and a variety of other topics.  Everett: wesflytrained.club/apply? I I
Run The News | Backyard Ultra Records Disqualified at the Biotropica Backyard Ultra
Run The News | Backyard Ultra Records Disqualified at the Biotropica Backyard Ultra Jul 17, 2026 01:02:32 There was recently some controversy at the Biotropica Backyard Ultra where both the men's and women's world bests were broken. After the event concluded, it was revealed that some violations occurred, causing all results from the event to be disqualified, including the top performances. Mark Dowdle joined me to discuss what happened, along with other related topics around rules in the sport of ult
Episode 494: Developing As An Ultramarathon Runner | Lotti Brinks
Episode 494: Developing As An Ultramarathon Runner | Lotti Brinks Jul 13, 2026 01:02:47 Lotti Brinks is a rising star in the sport of trail ultramarathon. She has improved year over year, which recently resulted in finishing 5th at the 2026 WSER 100. She joins the show to discuss history with the sport of running, introduction to the sport of ultramarathon, becoming a professional athlete with Hoka, the growing trend of race day optimization with team training camps, and how she has

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