Cultra Trail Running Podcast

04/24/2026

Support is good, so please Come join us Sunday at Cultra’s Lake WARAMAUG Aid Station! World’s Best Pizza, awkward inappropriate jokes and free Cultra stickers with defective QR codes! Details and signup today!

04/16/2026

Oh my God Becky, look at her BUT! Still a few spots left for the CUT112… but let’s talk about the backside:

The BUT (Back Ultra Traverse 50)

50 miles. Point to point. No fluff. Get your friends to pace and crew.

You’ll follow the blue blazes of the New England Trail from the liquor store at MUT’s End at the Berlin Turnpike all the way to the Long Island Sound in Guilford, CT—rolling through the rugged, beautiful chaos of the Mattabesset and Menunkatuck trails. This is the back half of the CUT112 course… the part that either breaks you or makes you weirdly proud of your life choices.

Start time?
5:18 AM (yes… that’s intentional… yes… it’s the ass crack of dawn)

Finish line?
Straight into the Long Island Sound. Dip a toe or jump in!

You’ve got just under 24 hours to get there. Plenty of time… BUT

If 112 feels like a commitment issue, this is your move.
If 50 miles sounds like a bad idea… perfect.

Come support Connecticut Forest & Parks Association, Come run the BUT.

Register Now!

04/14/2026

Mount Liberty moments…

02/08/2026

We offered a free breakfast to try to convince Bill Gibbs , Kristijan Begic, (from the podcast) and Alex Brown not to run the Real King of Pain, as the temperature was pegged at zero degrees even without wind. But no takers. Turned out to be a good call as the thigh deep Roaring Brook was frozen solid and so this was the driest RKOP in history. Well played boys!

02/04/2026

New Episode Friday Morning!
Martin Janoschek drops in to talk AMC life, from winter leadership courses to stewarding ski trails at Cardigan Lodge. The crew dives into backcountry ski setups (tele, AT, splitboard), ski-leash lessons learned the hard way, and why lodges feel extra magical when it’s stupid cold outside.
Anna and Josh recap deep-freeze winter hikes in New Hampshire, sharing hard-earned lessons on pacing, layering, keeping food from freezing, and why slow groups can be colder than you expect. Things get real with a sketchy Mount Cardigan after-dark decision, hypothermia talk, and when turning around is actually the win.
Plus: Cultra-Matic makes a comeback as the crew tries to rattle off the 10 Essentials from memory, AMC education gets some love, Patreon supporters get shouted out, and ultrarunning legends, big donations, and big race plans round out the episode.
Cold weather, good decisions, and a little Cultra chaos.

11/29/2025

In the spirit of Thanksgiving we have had a full plate lately as we scout out a new Cultra HQ. We have traveled South of the Equator, and far up North too, and we hope to close a deal shortly on the perfect place. AFB is also planning to get a full shoulder replacement in the middle of December, so the drama continues! These are all very positive, necessary and somewhat scary things that will temporarily pull us away from our regular schedule of releasing episodes. So we appreciate you guys hanging in there as we work through this.
Participants at the Manchester Road Race were treated with a few words from the Iconic former RD Jim Balcome who we had the privilege interviewing in 2019! Give it a listen! Thank you. https://open.spotify.com/episode/3CLkpIq5f4tc7NTSuV4rWq?si=P0kEfQjVRWSAbmlY97NdVQ

Cultra Trail Running · Episode

10/07/2025

AFB and Phred cover highlights from the Cat’s Tail Marathon, Notch View Invitational, SRT and Barclay Fall Classic, and Shan Riggs’s run across Connecticut (114 of 169 towns done!).

AFB shares a knee-busting White Mountains hiking story again, his adventures at the Glastonbury Senior Center gym, where he scores a sweet gift basket, and a Woodstock RV trip featuring The Black Crowes. Phred recalls a cross-country road trip full of quirky running stops from the Corn Palace to the Spam Museum.

They rant about Patreon frustrations, pay tribute to Dr. Jack Daniels, and compare Jack LaLanne’s stunts to today’s fitness influencers. https://open.spotify.com/show/44etXyR0WbJtmKRKrP7V6M?si=805c40331b564810

10/02/2025

So important to try new trails! Even when your bowl is one of the most beautiful in the world.

09/09/2025

7 lost toenails, in 1986, 34 year run streak, and 48 years of directing the ultimate beast coast trail race. Great episode for a long run!
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2R4g8yBVr9z4LlvlaDTOkl?si=4O2dJXs3TgKM5Mwp9W_aTQ

Cultra Trail Running · Episode

06/01/2025

Episode 326: We see you hiding in the Portajohn! Whether its road running versus trail running, Garmin versus Coros, iPhone versus Android or Democrats versus Republicans, why does it sometimes feel so hard for us to actually listen to each other? We look at what it means to find common ground, and to be genuinely curious. And why it is sometimes so difficult to remain curious. We also take a look at our mental maps and try to figure out why it can be so difficult for us to change our perspective. This is a conversation that some would rather hide in the bottom of a portajohn to avoid. But you love this s**t, and we love you right back. Enjoy this warm cuppa Cultra Brew! https://open.spotify.com/show/44etXyR0WbJtmKRKrP7V6M?si=11f5db82d62448ec

05/18/2025

Great to hit "Play" and release our first episode in 90 days! In our new episodes "we talk about all the fun and crazy s**t that happens on the trails and in our lives that most people don't care about or wont talk about." We have fun, but take a deeper look at life as viewed through the lens of ultra running. Just like an ultra, life ain't always easy, so we set out to acknowledge this reality and try to name the things that we are faced with and learn new ways to keep moving forward to accomplish hard things. Lake Waramaug 100K anyone? https://open.spotify.com/episode/31DzxnJ9Gin8uKSaNBIEIg?si=Jg7l3ca_SOen8KW-pSRkWg

Cultra Trail Running · Episode