Brent McDermott & the California International Marathon ft. Jack Robenalt

In episode 14 of the PRP, Adam prattles with seasoned sub 3 hour marathoner, founder of Bandit Races and enthusiastic community builder Brent McDermott who has been preparing for the California International Marathon on December 5th, 2021. Brent shares some information about his background and explains what an anomaly it is that he ended up in Ann Arbor for the long haul. He then sheds some light on the facets of his life that are more important than running, namely his relationship with his partner Chelsea and his elderly pup, Jasper. On that note, Brent provides context into his semi-recent transition to the morning run life style. With so much going on each day, it can be a real drag to get home from work and have to go out and hammer miles for a couple of hours. Brent explains why his evening routine with the ones he loves, which includes getting schooled by a lil Jeopardy, is so imperative to his wellness as a human being. Even with all the time and dedication he has to the sport, Brent stresses how crucial it is to allocate ample time to building and maintaining the relationships in your life with the ones that care for you.   

Jack Robenalt, also a seasoned sub 3 hour marathoner and Wildwood Cowboy, joins the show as guest host and offers astute insight into Brent both as a runner and as a human being. From the genesis of the episode, it's clear that Brent and Jack are true partners in crime as they explain that a majority of their weekly runs are coordinated as a team. Jack shares the story of his recent sub 3 hour feat in Indy and helps the audience gain more context into how collaborative Brent's approach to running is. The approach that Brent has fostered over the years is a combination of being coached, independent research, but most importantly learning and absorbing from his peers. Brent admirably admits that he is only as strong as the running community he surrounds himself by and reports that if it weren't for his squad, he wouldn't be where or who he is today.

Brent gets vulnerable and explains some of the insecurities and anxieties he had when starting Bandit Races. He shares his passion for wanting races to be more about building community and less about swag and accomplishments, an approach that causes Adam to dub him "the people's race director." Brent then explains why he approaches races with more philosophical goals, rather than time based goals, a technique that truly enables him to keep appreciation and gratitude for his health and privilege top of mind at all times. He then shares his collaborative approach to his race selection habits, allowing the "super-planners" in his community to sign up first and then he jumps on the bandwagon of his choosing.

What in tarnation are Speak Easy Sundays?! Does Brent provide the hottest take on Strava in the history of the PRP? What key techniques has Brent picked up from his dog Jasper? What is Brent's hot take on the Boston Marathon jacket?! Has Brent leveraged his tremendous people skills to organize a squad brunch for post race? How do Adam's and Brent's understanding of the word "drip" differ from one another? Catch all these juicy deets in this exciting, welcoming and enlightening episode of the PRP!

Recorded November 30th, @ 6:30PM EST