361: Erik Koenig Island View Endurance Run

“It was a good experience. I loved it. My legs were fucking done by 25 miles in, and I was shaking walking up the hill because my legs couldn’t take any more beating.” Erik Koenig, a former U.S. Army infantryman and accomplished ultramarathoner, is widely respected in the running community for his experience as both a military veteran and elite endurance athlete. In this episode, Erik chats with Luis about Lompoc California, working in the penitentiary system, the mental strain he deals with, the importance of running in his life, how he discovered trail running, a bad experience he had at Hurt 100, his relationship with Hammer Nutrition, and the Island View Endurance Run.ma Support Road Dog Podcast by: 1. Joining the Patreon Community: https://www.patreon.com/roaddogpodcast 2. Subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform you listen on. GO SLEEVES: https://gokinesiologysleeves.com HAMMER NUTRITION show code: Roaddoghn20 Listeners get a special 15% off at https://www.hammernutrition.com DRYMAX show code: Roaddog2020  Listeners get a special 15% off at https://www.drymaxsports.com/products/ LUNA Sandals “Whether I’m hitting the trails or just hanging out, LUNA Sandals are my favorite. They’re designed by Barefoot Ted of Born to Run and made for every adventure—ultra running, hiking, or just kicking back. Its minimalist footwear that’s good for your feet!” Check them out and get 15% off at lunasandals.com/allwedoisrun. Allwedoisrun.com Erik Koenig Contact Info: [email protected] IG: erikkoenig_ultrarunner Facebook Group: Santa Barbara Trail Runners Strava Group: Island View Trail Run & Santa Barbara County Trails Council Strava: Erik Koenig Luis Escobar (Host) Contact: [email protected] Luis Instagram Kevin Lyons (Producer) Contact: [email protected] yesandvideo.com Music: Slow Burn by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Original RDP Photo: Photography by Kaori Peters kaoriphoto.com Road Dog Podcast Adventure With Luis Escobar www.roaddogpodcast.com

"The Badger 100 is the biggest race we put on. It is the crown jewel of everything that I do, and I look forward to it every year.” Scotty Kumer is an attorney, race director, podcast host of Ten Junk Miles, and quite possibly the most painstakingly average runner known to man. He is a co-founder of the Flatlander Ultrarunners in Chicagoland which has rapidly grown to over 1,100 members. In this episode, Luis chats with Scotty about baseball, tragedy at a race, his experience crewing at Badwater 135, putting on the Badger Trail Races, the Ten Junk Miles podcast, and his new podcast called I’ve Got That On Vinyl. Support Road Dog Podcast by: 1. Joining the Patreon Community: https://www.patreon.com/roaddogpodcast 2. Subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform you listen on. GO SLEEVES: https://gokinesiologysleeves.com HAMMER NUTRITION show code: Roaddoghn20 Listeners get a special 15% off at https://www.hammernutrition.com DRYMAX show code: Roaddog2020  Listeners get a special 15% off at https://www.drymaxsports.com/products/ LUNA Sandals “Whether I’m hitting the trails or just hanging out, LUNA Sandals are my favorite. They’re designed by Barefoot Ted of Born to Run and made for every adventure—ultra running, hiking, or just kicking back. Its minimalist footwear that’s good for your feet!” Check them out and get 15% off at lunasandals.com/allwedoisrun. Allwedoisrun.com Scotty Kumer Contact Info: Ten Junk Miles Racing/Ten Junk Miles Podcast  Email: [email protected] Ten Junk Miles Racing: https://www.tenjunkmilesracing.com Ten Junk Miles Podcast: https://www.tenjunkmiles.com/ I’ve Got That on Vinyl: https://sites.libsyn.com/506403 Luis Escobar (Host) Contact: [email protected] Luis Instagram Kevin Lyons (Producer) Contact: [email protected] yesandvideo.com Music: Slow Burn by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Original RDP Photo: Photography by Kaori Peters kaoriphoto.com Road Dog Podcast Adventure With Luis Escobar www.roaddogpodcast.com  

“Within their culture, it’s much more community based and integrated in sharing and kind of what I have is yours. This is how we survive. We are all one.” Michael Miller is the owner and operator of the Copper Canyons Endurance Run In this episode, Michael chats with Luis about the Copper Canyons Endurance Run, Tarahumara people, the culture around the race, having a connection with nature and the lands, the particulars of the race, what to expect, safety concerns, and how it can change your life. Support Road Dog Podcast by: 1. Joining the Patreon Community: https://www.patreon.com/roaddogpodcast 2. Subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform you listen on. https://www.coppercanyons.com Copper Canyons Endurance Run October 20-27, 2025 GO SLEEVES: https://gokinesiologysleeves.com HAMMER NUTRITION show code: Roaddoghn20 Listeners get a special 15% off at https://www.hammernutrition.com DRYMAX show code: Roaddog2020  Listeners get a special 15% off at https://www.drymaxsports.com/products/ LUNA Sandals “Whether I’m hitting the trails or just hanging out, LUNA Sandals are my favorite. They’re designed by Barefoot Ted of Born to Run and made for every adventure—ultra running, hiking, or just kicking back. Its minimalist footwear that’s good for your feet!” Check them out and get 15% off at lunasandals.com/allwedoisrun. Allwedoisrun.com Michael Miller Contact Info: https://www.coppercanyons.com/ [email protected] [email protected] Luis Escobar (Host) Contact: [email protected] Luis Instagram Kevin Lyons (Producer) Contact: [email protected] yesandvideo.com Music: Slow Burn by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Original RDP Photo: Photography by Kaori Peters kaoriphoto.com Road Dog Podcast Adventure With Luis Escobar www.roaddogpodcast.com    

“Enjoy it while you’re out there and embrace every moment on the course.” Carrie Meng is the Assistant Race Director at the Western States 100. In this episode, Carrie chats with Luis about how she became involved with the Western States 100, the structure of Western States, all the media involved in the race, policy changes with regards to crew, how the lottery works, how you get your buckle, how to watch the event, and drop bags. Support Road Dog Podcast by: 1. Joining the Patreon Community: https://www.patreon.com/roaddogpodcast 2. Subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform you listen on. GO SLEEVES: https://gokinesiologysleeves.com HAMMER NUTRITION show code: Roaddoghn20 Listeners get a special 15% off at https://www.hammernutrition.com DRYMAX show code: Roaddog2020  Listeners get a special 15% off at https://www.drymaxsports.com/products/ LUNA Sandals “Whether I’m hitting the trails or just hanging out, LUNA Sandals are my favorite. They’re designed by Barefoot Ted of Born to Run and made for every adventure—ultra running, hiking, or just kicking back. Its minimalist footwear that’s good for your feet!” Check them out and get 15% off at lunasandals.com/allwedoisrun. Allwedoisrun.com Carrie Meng Contact Info: Email: [email protected] IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriemetothemtns/ Luis Escobar (Host) Contact: [email protected] Luis Instagram Kevin Lyons (Producer) Contact: [email protected] yesandvideo.com Music: Slow Burn by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Original RDP Photo: Photography by Kaori Peters kaoriphoto.com Road Dog Podcast Adventure With Luis Escobar www.roaddogpodcast.com

“The heat out there is just a different beast.” Ted Knudsen is the owner of the San Francisco Running Company and passionate trail runner since 1995. Ted has completed the Western States Endurance Run four times and is involved with the WSER lottery and runner tracking for the race. In this episode, Ted chats with Luis about Born to Run, timing and tracking the Western States 100, stories from Western States, the biggest mistake runners make, what his Western week looks like, and selling running gear.  Support Road Dog Podcast by: 1. Joining the Patreon Community: https://www.patreon.com/roaddogpodcast 2. Subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform you listen on. GO SLEEVES: https://gokinesiologysleeves.com HAMMER NUTRITION show code: Roaddoghn20 Listeners get a special 15% off at https://www.hammernutrition.com DRYMAX show code: Roaddog2020  Listeners get a special 15% off at https://www.drymaxsports.com/products/ LUNA Sandals “Whether I’m hitting the trails or just hanging out, LUNA Sandals are my favorite. They’re designed by Barefoot Ted of Born to Run and made for every adventure—ultra running, hiking, or just kicking back. Its minimalist footwear that’s good for your feet!” Check them out and get 15% off at lunasandals.com/allwedoisrun Allwedoisrun.com Ted Knudsen Contact Info: https://www.ultralive.net https://www.sfrunco.com Luis Escobar (Host) Contact: [email protected] Luis Instagram Kevin Lyons (Producer) Contact: [email protected] yesandvideo.com Music: Slow Burn by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Original RDP Photo: Photography by Kaori Peters kaoriphoto.com Road Dog Podcast Adventure With Luis Escobar www.roaddogpodcast.com

“I was dead set on winning the 2006 race almost because I didn’t want to embarrass or disappoint Jurek.” Jason Davis was the pacer for Brian Morrison at Western States 100. In this dual episode, Luis chats with Jason Davis & Brian Morrison about the Western States 100, Brian describes how a running shoe should fit, his run camps, how he got into running, how Scott Jurek trained him for the 2006 Western States endurance run, his retelling of how he won Western States but got disqualified just feet from the finish line, how they got into running, buckles, and how Jason got hooked up with Brian to pace him to the finish line. Hear both sides to this amazing story. Support Road Dog Podcast by: 1. Joining the Patreon Community: https://www.patreon.com/roaddogpodcast 2. Subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform you listen on. GO SLEEVES: https://gokinesiologysleeves.com HAMMER NUTRITION show code: Roaddoghn20 Listeners get a special 15% off at https://www.hammernutrition.com DRYMAX show code: Roaddog2020  Listeners get a special 15% off at https://www.drymaxsports.com/products/ LUNA SANDALS “Whether I’m hitting the trails or just hanging out, LUNA Sandals are my favorite. They’re designed by Barefoot Ted of Born to Run and made for every adventure—ultra running, hiking, or just kicking back. Its minimalist footwear that’s good for your feet!” Check them out and get 15% off at lunasandals.com/allwedoisrun. Allwedoisrun.com Brian Morrison Contact Info: Brian Morrison Contact Info: fleetfeetseattle.com teanawaycountry100.com @fleetfeetseattle @teanawaycountry100 Luis Escobar (Host) Contact: [email protected] Luis Instagram Kevin Lyons (Producer) Contact: [email protected] yesandvideo.com  Music: Slow Burn by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Original RDP Photo: Photography by Kaori Peters kaoriphoto.com Road Dog Podcast Adventure With Luis Escobar www.roaddogpodcast.com

“If I’m not good enough to get a golden ticket to get back into Western States, I’m probably not good enough to win the event. And for me, I want to win the event.” Hayden Hawks is a professional ultra runner, coach, and family man with a long list of accomplishments. In this episode, Luis is joined by Michael Salsbury and they chat with Hayden about, how he found out about Western States 100, his goal and vision for running Western States, running and winning 9 Trails, his involvement and relationship with Hoka, getting into Western States, how to plan for long races, crew strategy, embracing all the things the race throws at you, dealing with the media, what to do just days before the race, what to do on race day, and running strategies. Support Road Dog Podcast by: 1. Joining the Patreon Community: https://www.patreon.com/roaddogpodcast 2. Subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform you listen on. GO SLEEVES: https://gokinesiologysleeves.com HAMMER NUTRITION show code: Roaddoghn20 Listeners get a special 15% off at https://www.hammernutrition.com DRYMAX show code: Roaddog2020  Listeners get a special 15% off at https://www.drymaxsports.com/products/ LUNA Sandals “Whether I’m hitting the trails or just hanging out, LUNA Sandals are my favorite. They’re designed by Barefoot Ted of Born to Run and made for every adventure—ultra running, hiking, or just kicking back. Its minimalist footwear that’s good for your feet!” Check them out and get 15% off at lunasandals.com/allwedoisrun. Allwedoisrun.com Hayden Hawks Contact Info: IG: https://www.instagram.com/hawks_hayden/ Website: https://hawksrunning.com FB: https://www.facebook.com/hayden.hawks.581 Luis Escobar (Host) Contact: [email protected] Luis Instagram Kevin Lyons (Producer) Contact: [email protected] yesandvideo.com Music: Slow Burn by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Original RDP Photo: Photography by Kaori Peters kaoriphoto.com Road Dog Podcast Adventure With Luis Escobar www.roaddogpodcast.com

“If you want to test your endurance, you go do the Ironman triathlon. But if you want to see the other side of your soul, run the Western States Endurance Run.” Shannon Weil is an original co-founder of the Western States 100 and author of a new book entitledUltrarunning’s Buckle Fever. In this episode, Luis chats with Shannon about the beginnings of Western States 100 race, it’s humble start as the Tevis Cup, how they created the concept and rules to the race, all the original founding members, horses, her new book about the origin story of the Western States 100, buckles, and ride and tie. Support Road Dog Podcast by: 1. Joining the Patreon Community: https://www.patreon.com/roaddogpodcast 2. Subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform you listen on. GO SLEEVES: https://gokinesiologysleeves.com XOSKIN show code: Road Dog Listeners get a special 15% off at https://www.xoskin.us Squirrel’s Nut Butter https://squirrelsnutbutter.com HAMMER NUTRITION show code: Roaddoghn20 Listeners get a special 15% off at https://www.hammernutrition.com DRYMAX show code: Roaddog2020  Listeners get a special 15% off at https://www.drymaxsports.com/products/ LUNA Sandals “Whether I’m hitting the trails or just hanging out, LUNA Sandals are my favorite. They’re designed by Barefoot Ted of Born to Run and made for every adventure—ultra running, hiking, or just kicking back. Its minimalist footwear that’s good for your feet!” Check them out and get 15% off at lunasandals.com/allwedoisrun. Allwedoisrun.com Shannon Weil Contact Info: Email: [email protected] FB: Buckle Fever IG: Buckle Fever Luis Escobar (Host) Contact: [email protected] Luis Instagram Kevin Lyons (Producer) Contact: [email protected] yesandvideo.com Music: Slow Burn by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Original RDP Photo: Photography by Kaori Peters kaoriphoto.com Road Dog Podcast Adventure With Luis Escobar www.roaddogpodcast.com

“Live simple, be kind, run, keep your connection to the earth, and share.” Michael Miller is the owner and operator of the Copper Canyons Endurance Run. In this episode, Michael chats with Luis about Micah True also known as Caballo Blanco, the meaning behind the Copper Canyons Run, the Tarahumara people, the culture around the race, having a connection with nature, particulars of the race, and how it can change your life. Support Road Dog Podcast by: 1. Joining the Patreon Community: https://www.patreon.com/roaddogpodcast 2. Subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform you listen on. GO SLEEVES: https://gokinesiologysleeves.com HAMMER NUTRITION show code: Roaddoglistener15 Listeners get a special 15% off at https://www.hammernutrition.com DRYMAX show code: Roaddog2020  Listeners get a special 15% off at https://www.drymaxsports.com/products/ Allwedoisrun.com Michael Miller Contact Info: https://www.coppercanyons.com/ [email protected] [email protected] Luis Escobar (Host) Contact: [email protected] Luis Instagram Kevin Lyons (Producer) Contact: [email protected] yesandvideo.com Music: Slow Burn by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Original RDP Photo: Photography by Kaori Peters kaoriphoto.com Road Dog Podcast Adventure With Luis Escobar www.roaddogpodcast.com

“Volunteering is a great way to get to know people, it’s a great way to get inspired. So, I would recommend it to anybody who wants to go to a race but they’re nervous because they don’t know people. Volunteering you know people instantly. You know them very very well.” In this episode, Luis chats with Mara Klassen, Emily O’Rourke, Barb Sims, Jennifer Gray, Brenda Luce, Roland Hyatt, Joanie Andersen, Tom Taylor, and Bryan Gray about volunteering at race events. They explain why they like to volunteer, their observations out there on the course, how they help the runners, bonds and friendships that form, and what they have coming up next. Support Road Dog Podcast by: 1. Joining the Patreon Community: https://www.patreon.com/roaddogpodcast 2. Subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform you listen on. GO SLEEVES: https://gokinesiologysleeves.com HAMMER NUTRITION show code: Roaddoghn20 Listeners get a special 15% off at https://www.hammernutrition.com DRYMAX show code: Roaddog2020  Listeners get a special 15% off at https://www.drymaxsports.com/products/ Allwedoisrun.com Luis Escobar (Host) Contact: [email protected] Luis Instagram Kevin Lyons (Producer) Contact: [email protected] yesandvideo.com Music: Slow Burn by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Original RDP Photo: Photography by Kaori Peters kaoriphoto.com Road Dog Podcast Adventure With Luis Escobar www.roaddogpodcast.com