"It's free. After you pay for it, it's free. Just a one-time fee, that you pay annually." - Portlandia cell phone episode + most track streaming services, probably, but NOT Portland Track Fest (which is truly free to stream!)

In this episode, Portland Track president Jeff Merrill joins the show! Jeff is a former 800m runner himself who spent time at Nike before getting involved with the Portland Track Festival and starting tracklnd.com and Tracklandia. His meet is THIS weekend in Portland, so see the notes below on how to support, attend, or watch (FREE!) from afar. 

Jeff helped Des and Kara with ideation around the Save the 10,000, and here he shares really interesting perspectives on storytelling in track and field and how to make it interesting for the fan/viewer. You'll get all of the behind-the-scenes intel on the 17-year history of the meet, plus the storylines for this year including Donovan Brazier continuing his comeback.

You will love Jeff's thoughtfulness and Des and Kara's thoughtful questions until a top 5 with an epic twist from Kara that will have you rushing to the YouTube version. Check this out and then mark your calendars for Saturday and Sunday to watch the PTF!

To check out the Portland Track Fest coming up THIS weekend (June 14-15): - Streaming: https://tracklnd.com/ptf/ptf. People can also Sweeten the Pot on this page and fill out the Fan Poll (beginning tomorrow) Winner of fan poll gets $250 Bandit gift card. Second = $150, 3rd = $100. Rules are on the webpage. - In-person tickets to PTF: TICKETS - PTF Schedule: SCHEDULE

Pulling up to this episode is like pulling up to your local library... it's got a little bit of everything in it, except for hopefully those pesky midwestern ticks.

The episode opens with the usual intro banter, where Des characterizes Kara as being in "librarian mode." If Kara is the librarian, then that makes Des the person who is relentlessly trying to make you laugh in there. Thus, we are off to a good start riffing about summers in the midwest, travel, and camps. 

Kara talks about winning an Emmy(!) and about Colt graduating from 8th grade and being on the precipice of both driving and high school. Des shares about her prep for the upcoming Western States training camp. Is she ready to enter the shallower end of one of the most historic 100-milers in the world?

Plus, they bond over their mutual hatred of ticks before turning to discuss their impressions of season one for Grand Slam Track (GST). What do they think so far? Where could it be improved? Will it move the needle on interest in our sport?

Then, they react to a RW article on influencers and phones in races. Should they be allowed? Where is the line to be drawn? Is it good for the sport or just annoying?

Finally, they end with a Lagoon Sleep top 5 where Des questions her chinchilla ways as they both share uplifting moments from their weeks. 

If you love the pod, support our partners and the pod in the following ways...

• Get a pair of Brooks running shoes to support our title sponsor.
• Sleep better by using code NOBODYASKEDUS for 15% off on your first purchase at lagoonsleep.com/NOBODYASKEDUS.
• Use code NOBODYASKED for 30% off on your subscription order (PLUS a free gift with your second shipment) at KETONE.com/NOBODYASKED.

 

They warmed you up with plenty of pre-race content, Des and Kara and the athletes delivered on exciting races, and now it's time for the cooldown!

Des and Kara recap the Save the 10,000 with all of their reactions and lessons learned. They give you even more build-the-scenes details of the event and discuss whether or not there will be a year 2 for the event. 

But first, there is plenty of intro banter on Des's post-Boston recovery and Kara's Mother's Day with the family. They also give you some teasers on Des's fall racing schedule. Is it a 50-miler or 1-mile race in the plans?!? Kara may have different plans for Des than Des has for herself!

And of course, they finish with a very uplifting Top 5 from Lever Movement. 

To support the podcast, please support our sponsors for this episode - Brooks Running and Lever Movement.

Use code NOBODYASKEDUS for 20% off at levermovement.com.

To get you excited about Saturday night's Save the 10,000 with Des and Kara, this episode is all about Kara's history with the event. She talks about 10,000m legends Lynn Jennings and Billy Mills and how they inspired her to want to be an Olympian. She gives the story of how she WALKED in her very first 10,000 on the track, seemingly swearing off the event for good.

She details coming back to the distance at later time and surprising herself in her 2nd attempt at the distance. Then of course, she shares the play-by-play on her historic medal in the 10,000 at Osaka in 2007 that would change her running life forever. 

This episode is here to remind you why the 10,000 is worth saving. We hope you enjoy. 

If you are in Southern California on Saturday night (May 3rd), then go see the event in person at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, CA. Admission is free. Otherwise, you can stream for free on RunnerSpace. The men's race starts at 8 pm PST, and the women's race closes the night at 8:45 pm.

Thank you also to all of the sponsors for the event: BioBrace, Old Spice, Secret, The Sport Specialist, Lever Movement, Pacers Running, and of course Brooks Running. Please show those sponsors some love!

 

It's race week. Are you ready for this?!? Cue the 2 Unlimited music in your head!

In this episode, Trevor Rhodes joins the show. He is the race director for the meet, and the event wouldn't have happened with him. Des, Kara, and Trevor take you behind the scenes on putting together the Save the 10,000 with Des and Kara. They talk about the budget, key decisions, prize money, the elite fields, and give you some exciting race-week announcements.

They also give special thanks to you for showing up in a big way for the virtual race and with your donations. Plus, they shout-out all of the sponsors for the event: BioBrace, Old Spice, Secret, The Sport Specialist, Lever Movement, Pacers Running, and of course Brooks Running. Please show those sponsors some love!

If you are in Southern California on Saturday night (May 3rd), then go see the event in person at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, CA. Admission is free. Otherwise, you can stream for free on RunnerSpace. The men's race starts at 8 pm PST, and the women's race closes the night at 8:45 pm. We can't wait!

 

"People say you should go out on top, and that's what I am doing - because getting to race my final professional marathon in Boston is indeed going out on top." - Des Linden

Those are the words she shared via an ad in the Boston Globe placed and paid for by her and released on race morning. Then, she did indeed go out on top... running 2:26 (as she predicted) and finishing as the first masters finisher against a stacked 40+ field. In this episode, Des gives us the breakdown of her final professional marathon in Boston including the reasons for the decision, the emotions of the weekend, how the race played out, and how she feels now in the aftermath. 

You can feel the emotion through the mics/camera in this one. Kara navigates the questions perfectly, and Des (somewhat reluctantly) shows us her heart. I could give you more, but you really just need to go listen. 

To support the podcast, please support our sponsors for this episode. Use code NOBODYASKEDUS for 20% off at www.levermovement.com or for 15% off on your first purchase at lagoonsleep.com/NOBODYASKEDUS. Same code... two great products!

 

Live from WBUR Cityspace, this is the 2025 version of Des and Kara from Boston. In this episode, you get all of the normal, fun banter plus a section-by-section rundown of the Boston course from their experiences. If you are racing on Monday, then this is a must-listen before you toe the line for plenty of inspiration and some great course intel. For everyone else, there is plenty of humor and fun anecdotes to go around.

Thank you to WBUR for hosting and to Brooks Running for their title sponsorship of the podcast!

 

Spring time is here. The leaves are returning to the trees, and we are turning over new ones. 

Some new leaves in this episode: new Brooks foams and new track meets, plus massages (!), excursions (!), and a lot of breaking news for Save the 10,000. 

This episode starts with an update on Des's build to Boston and her plans for the upcoming taper. She details one of her final big workouts and talks about how she listens to her body (vs. a rigid plan) during these final weeks. She also bought not one, not two, but THREE massages which is three more than she usually does in a Boston build!

Kara shares stories from her Costa Rican vacation including adventures in the rain forest and run-ins with the local wildlife. She isn't an "excursion-person" so her friends had her branching out on this trip. Did she love it?!? The jury is still out, and we may need a betting pool on whether or not she will attempt an excursion again.

They then give you updates on Save the 10,000 which is on track to be fully funded thanks to support from amazing sponsors and YOU. Listen in for breaking news about the event that will indeed light up your day (including a Live Pod alert!).

Finally, they preview meet one of Grand Slam Track, before the episode ends with an UPLIFTING top 5 sponsored by Lever Movement. To get 20% off on your Lever Movement system, use the code NOBODYASKEDUS at levermovement.com. Support them and support the pod!

You can also support the pod in the following ways:

• Run in the Save the 10,000 virtual race. Register at www.savethe10000.com. The deadline is THIS Friday, April 11th.
• Join us for the Live Pod before the Save the 10,000. Grab tickets for that here: https://runsignup.com/w/SaveTheWithDesAndKara/Page/Tickets.
• Try some Ketone-IQ using the code on Des/Kara instagram pages for this episode! Thank you to Ketone-IQ for returning as a sponsor!

 

This episode is a vibe all to its own, and you know it's is a good one when hilarious stuff comes up in the most random of ways.

This episode isn’t about chafing, but you get plenty of hilarious (and perhaps a little disgusting) banter on it. Elite or not… every runner can relate to that. 

What else do we have in this one? Let’s see…lost toenails, disgusting feet, how-to’s on post-chafing showers, socks or no socks(?), the 90’s style comeback, OnlyFans, beef with the social media trolls, Disney PTSD, pillow preferences, and we haven’t even gotten to the main topics, yet.

On more serious notes, we do get updates on Kara’s mom and Des’s recent travels, including her race at the NYC Half and her recent course recon in Boston. Plus (as the entrée for this one), Des and Kara talk all about the half marathon distance and the various ways they approached that distance vs. the marathon, including what a strong half meant for marathon training (or not). 

By the end, this episode will have you wishing this editor takes a vacation more often. 

To support the pod, we have two very important requests: - Go to http://savethe10000.com to join our virtual 10K race and learn more about Save the 10,000 with Des and Kara.  - Welcome new sponsor Lagoon Sleep and upgrade your recovery routine. Go to lagoonsleep.com/NOBODYASKEDUS and take their awesome 2-minute sleep quiz to find your pillow match. Use the code NOBODYASKEDUS for 15% off your first purchase.

Nobody asked Des and Kara to put on a 10,000 meter track race, but as is the theme for this podcast, here we are! It's officially official. The Save the 10,000 with Des and Kara is happening on Saturday, May 3rd at Mt. San Antonio College (aka Mt. SAC) in Walnut, CA. Listen to this episode for all of the details, and then head to http://savethe10000.com to sign up for the virtual race, get tickets, and check out other ways to support.

Des and Kara are putting up their own money to make this thing happen with sponsors gradually coming on board, but obviously we welcome as much help as possible from this amazing community of listeners. All proceeds from the virtual race and from ticket sales will go to fund this event. In addition, we owe a special shout-out to Trevor Rhodes for his work behind the scenes to make this happen.

While much of this episode is about the details of this event (which you don't want to miss), Des and Kara also catch up on Des's Boston training, the US Indoor Champs, and the US Half Champs with some impressive performances across the board. As usual, they finish with a fun top 5, and now it's your turn to go tell all of your friends about the Save the 10,000! 

 

It was Adam Goucher's birthday last week. He turned 50. Happy birthday Adam(!) and thank you for prompting the introspection that is a theme throughout the episode. 

It starts with the introspection of hitting age milestones as Kara and Des discuss how it felt hitting 30 and 40 and how they might feel hitting 50. Then, they talk about the introspection of retirement, including how it felt for Kara to retire from running and how she might think about retiring from this latest phase of her career. Des joins in with some hilarious conjecture about disappearing altogether once she is done with the sport. Along the way, they also reflect on journey of their friendship evolving from competitors to podcast cohosts who share a similar perspective on the sport.

Next, the episode turns to introspection on the state of the sport after the latest slate of world records in the men's indoor mile and the men's half marathon. What does it all mean and what are the sources of these jumps in time across the board? Does sodium bicarbonate have anything to do with it and how should we think about the push for professionalism at younger and younger ages? Des and Kara struggle to understand it all but don't just bring the doom and gloom to this one.

Finally, the episode wraps with an UPLIFTING top 5, sponsored by Lever Movement. To get 20% off on your Lever Movement system, use the code NOBODYASKEDUS at levermovement.com. Support them and support the pod!