You can be fit, tough, and motivated and still get wrecked by a simple mistake like the wrong breakfast. We sit down with ultra runner and nutrition coach Jesse Rich to trace the real path from “I don’t like running” to finishing and competing in ultramarathons, including the hard-earned lessons that only show up when you’re deep into a 50K or staring down a 100-mile day.

Jesse breaks down the moment that changed everything: a brutal Speedgoat 50K where stomach issues turned a promising start into survival mode. That failure pushes him into formal nutrition education and years of trial, error, and refinement in sports nutrition for endurance athletes. We talk hydration, electrolytes, sodium, carbohydrates, and why “training the gut” is a skill you build on long runs, not a gamble you take on race day. If gels make you gag or your stomach shuts down late, you’ll recognize yourself here.

We also zoom out to the bigger world of trail running and ultrarunning: how the sport has exploded, how UTMB has become a global target, and why even high-level athletes can struggle to make the economics work. Jesse shares how he turns his experience into a coaching career, what kinds of athletes reach out for help, and how family life, aging, recovery, and time constraints change the way you train. The thread that ties it together is simple: consistency wins, fueling is performance, and “white space” might be the most underrated training tool we have.

If you’re training for your first ultra marathon, chasing a PR at a local trail race, or trying to stop blowing up in the final hours, this conversation gives you a smarter way forward. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s training, and leave a review with your biggest fueling question.

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